CHAPTER 81: CHAPTER 81: AN ABSURD DREAM

She opened her eyes, which were as gentle as water from being teased, and took a breath. No, she was pregnant; doing this would harm the child.

Moreover, her first time happened when Cyrus Hawthorne mistook her for someone else, and did she want to repeat the same mistake?

Thinking back to the night when she had been mistaken for another person, Ann Vaughn suddenly felt like she’d been doused with cold water, instantly sobering up.

All the romance and gentle kisses earlier turned into wounds upon waking, deeply etched into Ann Vaughn’s heart.

She forcefully suppressed the bitterness in her eyes, pushed Cyrus Hawthorne away with all her might, hurriedly got out of bed to grab her clothes, and fled the guest bedroom in panic.

Cyrus Hawthorne, unaware of this, lightly furrowed his brow and let out a gentle, affectionate name from his thin lips, "Little one."

Back in her own room, Ann Vaughn walked to the window and opened it, letting the cool evening breeze dispel the heat from her body; her heart, which had been pounding violently, suddenly calmed down, as if submerged in cold water.

"Ha," Ann Vaughn lightly touched the bite mark on her lips and suddenly laughed, but her eyes welled up with glistening tears, "So foolish."

Really disappointing.

Even if it is disappointing, even if there is no chance.

Yet, still liking him.

Just liking him.

-

The next morning.

Cyrus Hawthorne looked at the messy bed in front of him with narrow, cold eyes. Although his brows were furrowed, there was a sense of mental satisfaction in his expression.

Last night was the first good sleep he had since the car accident.

It was just that the dream he had was a bit absurd; he actually dreamed about Ann Vaughn.

Ann Vaughn, tender and blooming beneath him, letting him take her at will.

He didn’t remember much of what happened later; after all, it was just a dream, not something he took to heart.

Cyrus Hawthorne got up calmly to wash up, and after leaving the guest bedroom, he didn’t see Ann Vaughn.

Only a breakfast still steaming on the table, indicating she had left not too long ago.

Originally about to leave the apartment immediately, Cyrus Hawthorne saw the breakfast and his deep-set eyes flickered slightly as he walked to the table and sat down; the hard lines of his face were somewhat softened.

Leaving The Water Terrace two hours early, Ann Vaughn sat in the little clinic, mulled over her thoughts similarly to Cyrus Hawthorne’s.

Maybe he just considered what happened last night as an absurd dream.

After all, he liked Cynthia Vaughn so much, even if he wasn’t sober at the time, he only took her as a substitute for Cynthia Vaughn.

Only she, in a panic and helplessness, ran away, afraid he might notice her odd behavior.

And thus, discover her thoughts.

Ann Vaughn stared blankly at the clinic’s entrance, realizing only after standing there for half an hour that she had not returned to her senses.

"Doctor Vaughn, I’m glad you’re here; I was worried you wouldn’t be seeing patients every day after being on that show."

"You may be here today, but who knows about tomorrow? Didn’t you see what people are saying online about visiting the clinic daily? Oh my, there are already so few slots, how are we supposed to snatch one later?"

"And what about you, Doctor Vaughn, was it ultimately good or bad that you became famous?"

The surrounding customers each chimed in one sentence after another, and Ann Vaughn, her mind still somewhat groggy, quickly opened the clinic door, puzzled, "What are you talking about? Who got famous?"

One customer immediately burst into laughter, "We were worrying for nothing, Doctor Vaughn doesn’t even know she’s gone viral."

"Doctor Vaughn, you should quickly check your phone; your news is already everywhere!"

As Ann Vaughn hung up the sign to open the clinic, she suspected they were teasing her, but at their urging, she took out her phone to see what had happened.

Upon opening her phone, Ann Vaughn was met with push notifications about her from major apps.

"Lemon Channel finally launches a traditional medicine show, captivating the audience with a stunning traditional medicine doctor!"

"Is it intentional hype or genuine skill? Do you believe in such a young traditional medicine practitioner?"

Several bold headlines struck her eyes, causing Ann Vaughn’s mouth to twitch. She opened one casually and glanced at the comments.

Initially, Ann Vaughn thought people would question whether her ability to diagnose without a pulse examination was genuine or not.

Yet, as she continued reading, the comments were all about "This girl is so beautiful I could eat two more bowls of rice" and "What kind of divine beauty is this, just having her on the show beats anything, no arguments."

Ann Vaughn found it somewhat amusing and exasperating.

All the focus was misplaced.

Each post had comments and shares in the tens of thousands, naturally sparking debate about whether Ann Vaughn had plastic surgery and whether her final remarks were just hype.

In a sense, Ann Vaughn indeed became famous.

But this wasn’t the outcome she wanted; she hoped her actions would change public perceptions of traditional medicine.

While contemplating this, Susie Sommers called, sounding much more energetic than the day before: "Annie, do you know the real-time viewership on the platform last night? Over ten million!"

It completely overshadowed the current hottest celebrity dating show of their competitor, indicating how explosive it was.

Even Susie Sommers hadn’t anticipated such a result initially, as she was just hoping the show wouldn’t get canceled; who knew such a pleasant surprise would come.

Since the start of work, the station manager hadn’t been able to stop smiling, urged her to get Ann Vaughn signed for the show, stating that payment wasn’t an issue.

Susie Sommers specifically called to inform Ann Vaughn about this.

Ann Vaughn naturally agreed, but with one small request, there must be no questions unrelated to traditional medicine.

"No problem, I’ll send the contract to you," Susie immediately replied, then happily hung up the phone.

Thinking of Vivian Lynch’s grim face this morning nearly made her die laughing.

Apart from Susie’s call, Ann Vaughn also received calls from people claiming to be from talent agencies and Tomato Channel’s poaching attempts.

She declined each one firmly.

Soon enough, Ann Vaughn’s attention was diverted by the steady stream of people entering the clinic, making it even more cramped than before.

Thankfully, with Sawyer Jennings’ help, Ann Vaughn didn’t get too overwhelmed.

Many came not with the intention to see a doctor but to take pictures, so once the slots were filled, Ann Vaughn put up the ’Closed for business’ sign.

"With so many people wanting consultations, shouldn’t you allow more slots?" Sawyer Jennings asked as he rolled his wheelchair and packed up the medical books, pouring Ann Vaughn a cup of cool tea.

After drinking the tea, Ann Vaughn felt energized, shook her head gently, "Let’s wait for the right moment; it’s not the time yet."

She truly didn’t have the energy to handle so many patients alone, and finding good assistants isn’t easy.

Sawyer Jennings had potential, but given his status, he couldn’t possibly stay to work at such a small clinic indefinitely.

As the number of visitors gradually decreased,

Ann Vaughn also took the opportunity to relax and applied the pre-made medicine to Sawyer Jennings’ legs before heading into the small room.