When Ethan Shaw went to the lab to drop off his urine sample, he ran into another one of his blind date matches, Nina Harper.

"Hey, what a coincidence!" Nina waved at him through the glass.

Ethan felt a bit awkward. He thought to himself that his luck had really hit rock bottom. He’d gotten sick, and now several of his blind dates knew about it. He had no privacy left.

"I’ll be on my way," Ethan smiled politely, trying to brush it off, and hurriedly walked away.

Not long after, Nina Harper messaged him on WhatsApp, enthusiastically letting him know that his test results had come back, and everything was normal.

Ethan let out a sigh of relief. He no longer had to take medication, and now he could focus solely on job hunting.

While Ethan was picking up his report from the machine, Nina Harper suddenly dashed out of the lab.

"Do you have time to go shopping this weekend?" Nina smiled brightly.

Ethan thought this blind date might be worth pursuing more seriously, so he happily agreed. They arranged to meet on Saturday.

In the following two days, besides submitting job applications, Ethan secretly went out to look at some rental properties with a real estate agent. He had made up his mind to move out of Lucy Archer’s place and start living on his own.

Lucy Archer still gave him the cold shoulder every day, constantly using words to provoke him and undermine his confidence.

"Why are you giving up a good job? Have you ever thought about what’s wrong with you? You’ve gone on so many blind dates, and none of them worked out. Have you considered that maybe the problem is you? I’ve been worrying about you day and night."

Ethan responded only with silence.

Early on Saturday, he couldn’t wait to get out and get some fresh air. He put on a casual white T-shirt, denim shorts, and a small backpack, heading out the door.

Lucy Archer had always disapproved of this style of dress, but now Ethan was determined to do things his way.

When he showed up in front of Nina Harper dressed like this, her eyes lit up. She noticed Ethan’s chest muscles subtly showing, his waist was tight, and his long legs were straight and strong. He exuded an energy of youth, vitality, and sexiness.

"Ethan, I feel like an older sister today," Nina said, jokingly complimenting him.

Ethan, smiling brightly, replied, "I’m just pretending to be young, you don’t have to pretend."

Nina Harper was indeed a considerate woman. She held an umbrella to shield Ethan Shaw from the sun and always walked on the outside, protecting him from the traffic. She took him to enjoy trendy tea drinks and led him through the streets to explore popular food spots.

"It's so hot. Should we find a place to sit and have a drink?" Nina suggested.

Ethan Shaw laughed joyfully, "I'm already full and satisfied, how about we check out a record store? I want to buy some vinyl."

Nina Harper immediately became excited. "Let's go! I’ll take you to a hidden gem."

She then led him to a small alley next to St. Lawrence Hospital, near the medical school.

"This shop has been around for over ten years. The owner is a music enthusiast, and he has a lot of rare records that you can't find anywhere else!" Nina said with a cheerful smile.

Ethan Shaw was pleased. He thought Nina Harper was a great date. He had been feeling relaxed and happy all afternoon, and Nina was always responsive to his needs, engaging with him positively.

As they stood close together, examining a vinyl record, Ethan Shaw suddenly heard a familiar voice.

"Fancy meeting you here, Nina Harper. Are you buying records too?"

Vivienne Brooks appeared in the shop, her face cold as she glanced at Ethan Shaw, who was standing next to Nina Harper.

Ethan Shaw felt embarrassed. He thought to himself that his luck was truly bad—just when he was enjoying a pleasant time with a blind date, here came the awkward appearance of Vivienne Brooks.

"Hello, Dr. Brooks," Ethan Shaw greeted, then lowered his head, focusing on the record in his hands.

Nina Harper, aware that Vivienne Brooks was also one of Ethan Shaw’s blind dates, immediately displayed a sense of territoriality.

"I’m here with Ethan, looking for records," Nina said, smiling as she placed her hand over the record in Ethan Shaw’s hand, as if they were both examining it together.

Vivienne Brooks gave a slight nod, glanced at Ethan Shaw, and then continued searching through the records on her own.

Ethan Shaw flipped through a few records but found nothing he was interested in.

"Can't find the record you're looking for? Should I take you somewhere else to check?" Nina Harper asked, her voice full of thoughtfulness.

Ethan Shaw flashed a playful smile and said, "I’m looking for The Bad Seeds, not good."

Nina Harper didn’t get the joke but smiled warmly at him.

Vivienne Brooks suddenly turned around, pointing to a shelf in the corner and said, "Nick Cave's albums are over there."

Ethan Shaw was taken aback. He hadn’t expected Vivienne Brooks to catch his little playful remark. It was a very obscure artist with a very niche album.

He walked over to the shelf Vivienne Brooks had indicated and, sure enough, found the record he was looking for.

Nina Harper, happy to see him find what he wanted, immediately bought the album for him as a gift.

"Goodbye, Dr. Brooks," Ethan Shaw said, waving at Vivienne Brooks as he left the store with Nina Harper.

Vivienne Brooks, expressionless and cool, gave a small nod before returning to the records in her hands.

After having dinner with Nina Harper, Ethan Shaw returned home happily, feeling good about the whole day. Everything had gone well, except for the awkward moment when he ran into Vivienne Brooks. He thought it had been a perfect day overall.

"Ah, what are you wearing?" Lucy Archer shouted when she saw Ethan's outfit.

Ethan didn't want to respond. He felt like he'd been treated like a piece of wood his whole life, always controlled by his mother, with every detail of his life dictated by her.

"Are you going on a date? What kind of decent young man or woman dresses like this for a date? You need to be poised, graceful, and composed," Lucy continued her lecture.

Ethan slammed the door shut, distancing himself from Lucy.

He unwrapped the vinyl and started listening to music. As Into My Arms played softly, Ethan lay back on the bed, closing his eyes. The music washed over him, calming his mind.

Suddenly, his phone rang. It was Vivienne Brooks.

"Is there something you need, Dr. Brooks?" Ethan answered politely.

"Want to go out tomorrow?" Vivienne asked, getting straight to the point.

Ethan hesitated for a moment before refusing. "No, I have plans tomorrow."

"I'll wait until you're free, just tell me what time," Vivienne responded unexpectedly, her tone leaving no room for refusal.

Ethan felt a bit cornered, his nerves tightening whenever he had to deal with Vivienne.

"Maybe after 3 p.m.," Ethan said reluctantly.

"Alright. See you then," Vivienne said before hanging up.

Ethan let out a sigh. His previously relaxed mind tensed again.

On Sunday morning, Ethan wanted to sleep in, but Lucy was either mopping the floor or banging pots and pans.

"Mom, can you be a little quieter in the morning?" Ethan complained.

Lucy suddenly raised her voice. "Why don't you do something? I cook for you every day, and you're still not satisfied."

"Fine, I'll cook on weekends from now on," Ethan said.

Lucy shouted even louder, "By the time you get up to cook, I’ll have starved to death!"

Ethan stayed silent. He knew that no matter what he did, it would never be enough for Lucy.

Lucy had a habit of taking out all her dissatisfaction with life on him.