4 Ambiguous relationship
1925 Words
She was going to the hospital with Gary, and the thought made Tammy excessively excited.
For the entire afternoon after Gary left, Tammy was thinking about how she should behave when she saw Mr. York again tomorrow.
What kind of personality does Mr. York like?
What color does Mr. York prefer?
Does Mr. York like coffee or tea?
Tammy wondered if she had brought Mr. York the best coffee from the shop. Would he be willing to let her touch his "hour"?
No, no, an hour is too extravagant. Just ten minutes would be good.
One shouldn't be so greedy; everything should be done step by step.
As the saying goes, "boiling a frog in lukewarm water"!
She mustn't scare Mr. York away.
Early the next morning, a small sign that read "Temporarily Closed" was hung on the door of the coffee shop.
Inside the coffee shop, Tammy stood in front of the mirror in the bedroom, grabbing the seventh outfit and trying it on in front of herself.
Someone who didn't know might think that Tammy was going on a date with her secret crush today.
But in reality...
This was much more urgent than a date.
Being a meticulous person, Tammy was a very punctual little imp, very particular about time. Being late was simply non-existent in her dictionary.
Tammy decided to arrive half an hour early so that when Mr. York came, he would see her, which would show her sincerity.
Tammy left early, took the bus at the shop door, and headed straight to the city center hospital.
She walked through the hospital gates and looked up at the clock on the hospital wall.
It was 10:30, not a minute more or less.
She had indeed arrived half an hour early.
Gary was probably a very busy person, and Tammy knew he wouldn't appear so early, but she still eagerly stared at the hospital gates, wanting to spot Mr. York among the crowd at a glance.
——8519:00:22
——985:12:37
——1058:06:31
——23:58:47
All kinds of remaining time passed before Tammy's eyes...
Years, months, even days...
This was a hospital, a place Tammy hated the most.
The remaining time here was seldom satisfactory.
A monster's time was endless and long, making humans seem even more fragile in comparison.
——145:10:56
Tammy looked down at her own remaining time; she obviously hadn't adapted to the fragility of being human.
"Sigh——"
Tammy let out a sentimental sigh.
Just then, a man wearing a mask and a cap walked past Tammy and strode into the hospital with his head down.
——490566:28:13
——00:09:59
——00:09:58
The remaining time above the cap-wearing man's head suddenly shortened in front of Tammy's eyes.
It was just like the remaining time above Gary's head yesterday.
Tammy immediately widened her eyes, her gaze tightly following the man who had less than ten minutes of life left.
The man in the baseball cap walked hurriedly, not taking the elevator, but heading towards the staircase.
Tammy instinctively wanted to chase after him, wanting to "mind someone else's business".
Situations like this were all opportunities to change the remaining time. As long as Tammy changed the remaining time that was about to end, she could get a full 168 hours.
Just as Tammy turned around, in the blink of an eye, another person in a baseball cap walked by quickly.
They were wearing the same style of baseball cap as the previous man, but Tammy could tell at a glance that this second person in a baseball cap was probably a woman.
She was dressed in thick clothes, wrapped up like a fatty, with a hat and mask on, and no long hair showing. It was indeed difficult for ordinary people to tell if it was a man or a woman, but Tammy was a clock spirit, and she had some skill at distinguishing such things.
The fully armed woman walked with light and quick steps, silently entering the staircase.
She was following the man in the baseball cap from earlier.
More importantly...
—00:09:55
—00:09:55
—00:09:54
—00:09:54
—00:09:53
—00:09:53
Tammy stared in surprise at the man and woman who had disappeared into the staircase, their remaining time on their heads synchronously changing in a strange way.
Both of them had less than 10 minutes left.
"Wait!"
Tammy didn't think too much and immediately ran towards the staircase.
As a clock spirit, Tammy had seen countless remaining times, both before and after she became human.
Many years ago, Tammy was sitting in a coffee shop when she witnessed such an abnormally synchronized remaining time.
Such a tragically synchronized event...
In a building across the street, there was a single mother who suffered from depression due to excessive work stress.
She sometimes looked happy, and sometimes haggard and irritable. Like the pendulum of a grandfather clock, she swung between joy and anger.
Finally, one day...
She held her child's hand, who was not yet three years old, and jumped from a six-story building...
That was the first time Tammy had seen such a synchronized remaining time.
"Tap tap tap!"
Tammy rushed onto the staircase and only saw a vague shadow at the top of the spiral staircase. She couldn't tell if it was the man in the baseball cap or the woman following him.
Without thinking too much, Tammy looked up and shouted, "Sir, please wait!"
The shadow seemed to pause for a moment, but then ignored Tammy and sped up.
"Sir! Wait!"
Although Tammy was not tall and looked like a delicate little girl, she could take three steps at a time, showing excellent bouncing ability and athleticism.
"Creak—"
The door to the staircase was pushed open, and the shadow entered the fifth floor.
"Sir!"
Tammy chased after him onto the fifth floor and grabbed the arm of the man in the baseball cap. The woman who had been following him was nowhere to be seen, having been "scared away" by Tammy's shouting.
"That's great..."
"Someone was following you just now."
"But don't worry, everything's fine now."
—490566:26:11
—490566:26:10
The remaining time on the man's head had returned to normal value.
Tammy breathed a sigh of relief and looked down at her own remaining time.
—145:08:52
—145:08:51
"This is strange..."
Tammy couldn't believe it. The man's remaining time had returned to normal, but her own remaining time had not reset to 168 hours and was still decreasing as usual.
This meant...
The problem had not been solved.
—490566:26:05
—23:59:59
Sure enough, at the next moment, the remaining time on the man's head changed again.
It suddenly shortened once more.
"What's going on..." Tammy instinctively looked around and saw that the door to the staircase was half open, and a figure was hiding inside, secretly watching them.
It's the stalker woman who suddenly disappeared!
——23:59:53
——23:59:53
——23:59:52
——23:59:52
The remaining time for the stalker woman inside the door has also changed, strangely synchronized with the remaining time above the cap-wearing man's head.
Tammy's sharp eyes spotted the stalker woman, and she immediately turned to rush towards the door of the staircase.
To solve the problem of the suddenly changing remaining time for the cap-wearing man, the root cause lies with the stalker woman.
The stalker woman also noticed Tammy's movement, and her shadow flickered as she was about to disappear into the staircase.
"Stop!"
Tammy was about to chase after her, but at that moment, someone grabbed her wrist.
"Is it you?!"
The one who grabbed her wrist was the cap-wearing man in front of her.
Although his facial features were almost completely covered by a mask, and his eyes were obscured by the shadow of his cap, it wasn't difficult to tell from his tone that he was surprised to see Tammy, and there was also...
"A hint of" disgust?
Tammy was anxious to chase after the culprit: "Sir, I'm in a hurry. That woman was stalking you just now. I need to chase after her. Can you please let go of me first? I..."
"Tammy, enough!"
The cap-wearing man interrupted her: "Is someone stalking me? I think it's you who's been stalking me, right?"
The stalker woman had disappeared without a trace. It was probably too late for Tammy to chase after her now.
Moreover...
Tammy turned around in surprise and looked at the cap-wearing man. How did this man know "herself"?
Could it be someone she knows?
No, Tammy had a fleeting thought that this man was probably not an acquaintance of the coffee shop owner. He seemed more like an enemy.
The cap-wearing man didn't hide his disgust for Tammy as he said, "Didn't I tell you never to show up in front of me again?"
"Ah..." Tammy exclaimed in a low voice, with a face like she had discovered a new continent. She said, "So you're Simon George?"
Fortunately, the fifth floor was the inpatient department, and it was the VVIP inpatient department, so the corridor was very quiet, and there was no one else around them.
Otherwise, everyone would surely be excited about the mention of the name "Simon George".
Tammy had seen Simon on TV. He was a popular male celebrity now, undoubtedly the most popular one.
Tammy was delighted. Simon not only had a high level of good looks, but also excellent acting skills. The currently popular romance drama was starred by Simon, and Tammy watched it every day.
As a watch spirit who had just become human not long ago, Tammy couldn't understand TV dramas that were too profound and meaningful. Her favorite were definitely silly and sweet romance dramas, which were relaxing and stress-relieving. It could also add a little sweetness to life, which wasn't bad.
So to speak, Tammy could be considered a small fan of Simon. She was, of course, very happy to suddenly see the real person.
"It's really Mr. George."
Tammy thought with delight, wondering if it was appropriate to ask for an autograph now. Was Mr. George sick, coming to the hospital?
Simon frowned: "Why are you stalking me? Don't think I'll pretend nothing happened just because you're playing dumb."
"No, no," Tammy quickly waved her hand: "I'm not the one stalking Mr. George. It's a woman who's been following you. She might... want to harm you."
Simon sneered: "Tammy, you're perfect at pretending, both before and now."
"Before..." Tammy suddenly felt a headache. What happened before...
Simon sneered, "I was foolish before, thinking that you were my little assistant, being so kind to me because you genuinely liked me. Now that I, your stepping stone, have served my purpose, and you've latched onto Mr. York, why are you still showing up in front of me? Could it be that Gary doesn't want you anymore, and seeing that I'm popular now, you want to throw yourself back into my arms?"
"This..."
Tammy's face was completely bewildered; there was a bit too much information to process...
She needed time to digest it all.
The coffee shop owner had had an ambiguous relationship with Simon before but had deceived her, and now, inexplicably, this matter was also related to Mr. York ?
"Buzz buzz buzz—"
Just as Tammy was feeling overwhelmed, her phone suddenly vibrated.
The caller ID showed—Benefactor No. 2
It was a call from Gary.
- Writer
