When fate plays its hand

Miranda had forgotten to contact one person.

In the afternoon, Paul called her to check how things were going on her end. At that moment, she was busy in the lab. They exchanged a few quick words before hanging up, and her last words had been, “I’ll contact you once I’m done, okay?”

But now…

Frustrated with herself, Miranda picked up her phone and opened WhatsApp. There were several unread messages from Sawyer asking her what she was doing, whether she had eaten, and if she wanted to join him for a meal. But there wasn’t a single message from Paul.

She began typing but stopped halfway through, deleted everything, and initiated a video call instead.

A few seconds later, Paul answered, and his face appeared on the screen. Before Miranda could even apologize, she heard his soft, deep voice.

“Are you done with your work, Mimi?”

“Yeah.” She nodded.

“Are you tired?” he asked.

“No, I’m fine. Sorry, I should have contacted you right after leaving the factory.”

“It’s okay. I’ll be here whenever you

Ontact me.”

1

Miranda felt a warm surge in her chest. Suddenly, her gaze froze. “Where are you?” “At home.”

“I know, but where exactly?” she pressed.

Paul hesitated before replying, “In the bathroom?”

Miranda was stunned.

Looking at his enlarged face on the screen, it was clear he had leaned in too close. It was almost as if he were trying to fill the entire screen with his face.

The silence hung heavily, and Miranda couldn’t resist asking, “Are you not wearing clothes?”

Paul was caught off guard, and a long silence followed. His expression stiffened. “I… was about to take a shower when the phone rang…”

Miranda couldn’t help but laugh. “You could at least put on a shirt before answering the phone. I’m not going anywhere.”

He muttered, “Just a second.” He laid the phone down flat, and the camera pointed at the

ceiling.

A few moments later, he returned. This time, he wasn’t the “Big Head Professor” anymore. He had put on pajamas.

“Uh… did you put on pants?” Miranda asked after noticing the deep flush on his cheeks.

Paul’s silence told her everything–he hadn’t. He cleared his throat and said, “Well, you can’t see that part.”

Miranda didn’t reply and wondered if it even mattered whether she could see it or not.

Soon, the conversation shifted back to the materials she had reviewed earlier.

“So far, I’ve tested the first and second–generation products and gathered the parameters. Neither one is suitable,” she explained. “I’ll see if the third–generation product meets the requirements tomorrow.”

Paul asked, “Will it be done by tomorrow?”

Miranda shook her head. “Not necessarily. If the third generation fails, it could be over right away. But if it passes, I’ll need to discuss the pricing and sign the contract. So, at the latest, I’ll be back the day after tomorrow.” She understood his concern and gave him a straightforward

answer.

“Alright. I’ll wait for you.”

She said, “It’s getting late. Go take a shower before you catch a cold.”

“I won’t. I put on clothes,” Paul replied.

Miranda raised an eyebrow. “But you didn’t put on pants.”

He fell silent.

After exchanging goodnights, they ended the call

The following morning, Miranda woke up at six, freshened up, and had breakfast at the hotel noveldrama

restaurant.

By 6:30 am, she hailed a cab outside the hotel and arrived at the factory’s lab at 7:00 am.

1

She had asked about the factory’s working hours the day before, The production area opened at 9:00 am, but the research department started earlier–it was flexible and not strictly defined.

However, the senior technician had a habit of arriving by 7:30 am. So, when he entered and unexpectedly saw Miranda in the lab, he was startled. “You didn’t go home last night?”

Miranda smiled. “No. I came in at 7:00 am.”

He exclaimed, “Wow! You’re really dedicated… About the data for the two finished products from yesterday…”