Chapter 24: You Are Clearly Lying To Me

After that, she looked down at her clothes. She wore a cartoon T-shirt and a pair of ordinary jeans with a pair of sneakers… She felt a bit embarrassed. This outfit might be suitable for her to wear to a barbecue or to wear to school, but definitely not suitable for her to meet the woman wanting to date her “boyfriend”. “My girlfriend can’t wear anything so casual.” A smile curved his lips. Alright... what he said made sense. Wrong! She suddenly looked up at him, wondering. Didn’t they agree that she would just pretend to be his girlfriend? Why was he acting as if she really was his girlfriend? But before she could say anything, Joshua held her hand very naturally. “What are you doing?” She withdrew her hand and glared at him with disapproval. “I’m sorry,” he spoke quietly. “We are only pretending to be a couple, but there’s going to be intimate moments. I just want you to get used to it in advance.” ... Was that so? Hazel felt that her mind was a little bewildered. She felt like there was something wrong, but she couldn’t figure it out. “Let’s go.” Joshua took her by the hand again. The warm touch from his fingertips made her heart jump, and it made her want to withdraw her fingers. “Don’t be too nervous, be natural, or you will get through,” he whispered. She was distraught. Alright, it was she who had consented to him, so she had better act as if it was real. “But,” she hesitated and looked at the mall, “I don’t have much money with me…” “It was me who asked for your help, so of course I’ll pay for it,” he said quietly. “You can keep it as a thank-you gift from me.” “I don’t want it.” She quickly refused. “Keep it for yourself.” “What am I doing with women’s clothes?” He laughed. “You can give it to one of your female friends…” she said in a low voice. “I don’t have female friends who are close enough to give clothes to,” he said quietly. “Even if I have one, I can’t give her the clothes that someone else has worn.” “... then you can’t buy anything that is too expensive!” She thought for a bit before speaking. “Okay.” His mouth tilting upwards slightly at the corners, he consented to it. He finally bought her a sweet white dress, which matched her temperament and made her more beautiful. After that, he matched it with a pair of shoes and some jewelry and took her to the spa to have her hair and nails done. When she was done at the spa, had gotten changed, and was standing in front of Joshua, she impatiently said, “Aren’t we going yet?” He looked at the new Hazel, his eyes hidden slightly so she could not see the happiness in them. She was stunned. She didn’t know if it was the change in her look, but she felt that when Joshua was looking at her, he seemed to be looking through her at someone else. The feeling made her very uncomfortable. “Let’s go,” Joshua said in a low tone. When they arrived at the restaurant, Hazel sized up the woman sitting opposite her, feeling a little stupefied. The woman, who had been chasing Joshua with such determination, looked accomplished, intellectual and charismatic. If they hadn’t met in this situation, Hazel would have liked her very much. “Scarlett, this is my girlfriend, Hazel,” Joshua simply said. “Hazel, this is Scarlett.” “Joshua,” Scarlett said, glancing lightly at Hazel, “are you turning me down for this stupid, boring girl?” Hazel’s facial expression darkened instantly, and her earlier fondness of her was gone. Joshua gently grabbed Hazel’s hand and said in a low voice, “Hazel’s not boring or stupid. No matter how much you criticize her, she is my only love.” With his deep, magnetic voice ringing in her ears, Hazel couldn’t help but feel her heart pounding, and her cheeks flush. “I don’t believe it,” Scarlett said, outraged. “She’s not your type.” “You don’t know him. How can you know he doesn’t like me?” Hazel couldn’t take it anymore. “Who says I don’t know him?” Scarlett sneered. “I know Joshua better than anyone in the world.” “Since you say you know him so well, why didn’t you act in a manner to get him to like you?” Hazel asked sharply. A faint smile was in Joshua's eyes. The little girl seemed to have been really annoyed. She was so cute when she flared up. Besides, she did it for him. “... You’re very expressive.” Scarlett snorted. “You can’t overthrow me. Even if I am stupid, you are more stupid than I am,” Hazel continued, “You have such an inconsiderate mouth. How fascinating can you be?” With her lips twitching, Scarlett gave Joshua an indiscreet look of bitterness. At the next moment, she said in a deep voice, “I'm the one for Joshua. If he was with me, I could help take care of his life while he's pursuing his career. Can you do that? “ “Take care of his life? You could, and so could a nanny.” Hazel looked at Joshua blankly. “Do you need a nanny like her?” “No.” His mouth tilted upwards slightly at the corners. “You hear that. You’d better go somewhere else and look for a job.” All of a sudden, Hazel blinked mischievously. “Besides, I can let him take care of me. Can you do that? Joshua, I’m thirsty.” Hazel leaned back, her eyes flashing with a playful gleam. Joshua didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The girl was so satisfied that she almost showed the words “praise me” on her face. He picked up the drink in front of her and put it near her lips. Hazel bit the straw to take a sip and continued, “I want fruit.” Joshua put down the drink, picked up the spoon to scoop up a piece of fruit salad, and fed it to her. After Hazel ate the fruit, she looked at Scarlett with a bit of defiance. “I don’t believe it!” Scarlett looked as if she had been badly wounded, but she said, with an air of rudeness. “You must have been hired by Joshua to mislead me!” Hazel was powerless and shocked. Scarlett was unreasonable, but her eyes were so sharp that she could guess the truth at once. Hazel had thought her acting was good. “What more proof do we need to give you?” Joshua frowned. “You two need to kiss!” Scarlett said irritably, “Joshua, you’re a neat freak, and you never let another woman approach you. I won’t believe it unless you kiss her and kiss her deeply!” What?! All of a sudden, Hazel widened her eyes, and her mind was racing. She was just pretending to be Joshua's girlfriend, but that requires him to kiss her? He looked at her curiously. Scarlett sneered. “What, no? You are clearly lying to me!” Joshua cocked his eyebrows and suddenly moved in towards Hazel.