A cafe that blends into time

Seduce?

Oh no, oh no, oh no...

Time ticked away in Tammy's mind like a clock with the repeat button pressed, unable to stop.

She wasn't pregnant at all. How was she going to explain this to Mr. York?

If Mr. York found out, he would surely be furious. Forget about finding another chance to touch him, even meeting him again would probably be impossible.

Before becoming human, Tammy had wished every day that she could become one, living like a human and enjoying this beautiful and colorful world.

Now that Tammy had finally become human, she realized how troublesome and tiring it was to be one.

Indeed, it was much simpler to be a grandfather clock.

She didn't understand why the former coffee shop owner had deceived Mr. York, pretending to be pregnant and sending him that video.

There was more to the story that Tammy didn't know.

The "fake pregnancy" incident was actually a scheme orchestrated by the coffee shop owner and Mr. York's aunt. Their goal was naturally to trap Gary, so that the coffee shop owner could marry into the York Family and become a wealthy lady, enjoying an extravagant lifestyle that ordinary people could only dream of.

The coffee shop owner found an opportunity to slip some sleeping pills into Gary's red wine. The next day, she pretended as if she had had a relationship with him.

This way, she could claim to be pregnant with Gary's child and use it as leverage.

However, unfortunately, just as the plan was about to succeed, for reasons unknown to Tammy, the coffee shop owner suddenly disappeared. As the spirit of a grandfather clock who had taken human form, Tammy had somehow taken on the appearance of the coffee shop owner.

Having just become human, Tammy was suddenly hit by this unexpected disaster, completely out of the blue.

"What should I do..."

Tammy frowned. She had never had such worries before. As a clock spirit, she was now at a loss.

"What do you mean, what should you do?" Auntie stared. "Tammy, at this point, you're not going to back out, are you? We're almost there! Just one more step! Gary's parents really want grandchildren. As long as they acknowledge you, even if Gary has no feelings for you, you'll still be the daughter-in-law of the York Family. Even if Gary finds his so-called true love in the future, it won't shake your position. What bullshit true love. That's just a mistress that everyone hates!"

Auntie's tone softened. "Of course, with our Tammy's charm and beauty, once you get the approval of Gary's parents and move into the York Family, don't you worry about having chances to grow fond of each other over time? Just try to seduce him. Men have very poor self-control. I'm not afraid he won't obey you."

"Sed... seduce?"

Tammy was stunned. She was the spirit of a grandfather clock, not a fox spirit. Each had their own specialties. Seduction was really not her thing.

But...

As Tammy listened to Auntie, her heart pounded. If she could really move into the York Family, wouldn't she have more opportunities to be with Gary and secretly search for her lifesaving straw?

"Knock, knock—"

Just as Tammy was lost in thought, someone knocked on the door of the examination room.

Auntie opened the door herself. It wasn't Gary outside, but a bodyguard in a black suit.

The bodyguard said in a low voice, "Mr. York received a call and seemed to have an emergency. He has already left."

"Left?" Auntie furrowed her brows.

Gary had just arrived at the hospital a moment ago. He left so quickly, it seemed he didn't care much about Tammy, who was supposedly pregnant with his child.

"It's okay, this is good too," Auntie said. "It's better that Gary, who's as sharp as a tack, doesn't stay at the hospital too long and notice anything suspicious."

"Tammy."

Auntie turned to look at Tammy. "I took care of the medical report. Here you go."

Tammy reluctantly took the hot potato, the medical report, which Auntie shoved into her hands.

Auntie said, "Hold onto it and keep it safe. I've already talked to Gary's parents. They've invited you to the York Family tomorrow. You just need to show them this medical report, got it?"

Tammy decided to passively resist. She stared at the medical report without agreeing or disagreeing.

Auntie threatened, "You were the one who came to me in the first place, asking me to help you win over Gary. We're in the same boat. If you back out now, don't blame me for being ruthless. We'll both be in trouble! I'll show your true colors! I'll let Gary see what a venomous woman you really are, pretending to be innocent!"

With those harsh words, Auntie stomped away in her twelve-centimeter heels, "clack, clack".

Tammy was left alone, feeling disheartened.

"I regret it..."

Tammy hung her head low, suddenly filled with regret, wishing she could start over and cultivate herself anew. Indeed, one cannot force matters if one's cultivation is not sufficient to take human form.

Otherwise, one ends up as unlucky as she is now...

"Regret what?"

A voice came from above Tammy.

It finally dawned on her that one should never assume oneself to be the unluckiest, because there might be even worse things waiting for you tomorrow.

"Mr. York... Mr. York?"

Tammy couldn't believe it. She looked up and saw Gary's nearly perfect facial features.

Gary, who had ostensibly left in a hurry after receiving a phone call, was now standing right in front of Tammy.

Instead, it was Gary's aunt who had left gracefully and was nowhere to be seen.

"Didn't Mr. York leave in a hurry?" Tammy asked in confusion.

Gary curled his lips into a smile, but it sent chills down one's spine.

Animals are best at feigning death, while humans excel at fake smiles.

Gary was probably the best of humans, at the top of the pyramid, so his fake smile was incredibly lifelike.

Yesterday, Gary and Tammy agreed to meet at the hospital today. When they arrived, however, they found his aunt already waiting there.

His aunt was right. Gary was a suspicious person. He suspected that Tammy had tipped off his aunt in advance, which was why she arrived early.

Gary had even more reason to suspect that the test results today might have been tampered with by Tammy and his aunt.

Pretending to receive a phone call, Gary said he had to leave. His purpose was naturally to make his aunt let down her guard and leave the hospital, so that Tammy would be left alone.

As the saying goes, old ginger is the spiciest. Compared to Tammy, Gary seemed to think that she was the soft target, easier to manipulate.

Gary looked down at Tammy with a teasing expression, not answering her question. Instead, he smiled and said, "The test report is out so soon? Let me see it."

Tammy tightly grasped the test report in her hand. It was a fake.

Regardless of whether the former coffee shop owner had deceived Gary or not, Tammy was not her, and she didn't want to deceive anyone. Especially not Mr. York, who was her lifeline. She didn't want to lie to her savior.

Gary had already grabbed the other side of the test report, but Tammy was holding it too tightly for him to take it away.

The two of them held onto the test report like they were playing tug-of-war, which was exactly how Tammy felt inside.

Should she tell Mr. York about her fake pregnancy?

Tammy's mind was in a mess.

If she didn't tell Mr. York, then she would be lying, which went against Tammy's character and principles. From then on, she would be a deceitful person.

But...

If she told Mr. York, then she couldn't move into the York Family, couldn't stick to Gary every day, couldn't touch him whenever she wanted, and couldn't break through the absolute 168-hour limit.

That's right, she wouldn't be able to protect Gary closely and might miss the opportunity to save the rest of his time.

Weighing the pros and cons, Tammy thought...

In Gary's eyes, Tammy and his aunt were in cahoots. He knew their purpose very well, so there was no doubt that the report would say that Tammy was pregnant, and the child was his.

However, the situation is a bit different now. Tammy was clutching the test report tightly, making Gary curious about what was written on it.

Gary tugged at the test report again, but it didn't budge at all, which was unbelievable.

This surprised the usually calm Gary. He hadn't expected Tammy, with her petite stature, to be so strong.

Instinctively, Gary persevered and tugged again.

Still, it didn't move...

"Cough..."

Gary cleared his throat and pretended to let go naturally.

"Tammy, in the report..."

Gary had barely started speaking when he was interrupted by Tammy.

"Slap——"

Tammy suddenly let go of the test report, which landed with a crisp sound. At the same time, she grabbed Gary's hands.

"Mr. York, I need to talk to you."

——144:48:25

——144:58:25

——145:08:25

Whenever there was physical contact, Tammy's remaining time indeed began to grow wildly.

Gary obviously didn't like physical contact with Tammy and immediately tried to shake her off.

Tammy held onto him tightly, proving that she was indeed as strong as an ox, not an illusion as Gary had thought earlier.

"Tammy, let go of me first," Gary warned in a deep voice.

"I can't let go," Tammy said firmly.

This might be her last chance to grab onto her lifeline. Sustainable development was all nonsense. She had to make the most of this opportunity.

Like a bully in a TV drama forcing herself on a decent woman, Tammy said with confidence and a loud voice, as if making a heroic sacrifice: "Mr. York, I'm not pregnant. I lied to you before!"

Principles were still principles.

Tammy was not the coffee shop owner, nor did she want to be like her.

Once a human lies, it's like a flood breaking its banks. There will always be reasons to invent the next lie, whether out of kindness or malice.

——145:08:25

——145:18:25

...

——145:58:25

——146:08:25

A full six seconds later, Tammy's remaining time increased by one hour.

Gary looked at Tammy without saying a word.

The way he looked at Tammy left her puzzled.

It wasn't the anger of being deceived, but rather carried a hint of exploration and wariness.

It was as if he were looking at a scheming, untrustworthy, and unconventional villainess who didn't play by the rules...