"I happened to walk past a florist and saw that these were on discount," Fergus explained. "It's not like these are roses. Just accept them!"Shelly set the bouquet aside on the counter. "Have you eaten, Fergus? If you haven't, let me treat you to lunch."Since Fergus had paid for the dinner the night before, Shelly felt that she owed him."Will it take you away from work?" Fergus asked."No. I need to go for lunch anyway," she said before stepping out of the cafe with him.The two ran into Hayden on their way out, and Hayden was surprised to see them together."Have they already started dating?" he thought.Fergus froze when he saw Hayden as he had not expected to see him here. Shelly, too, was surprised.Not daring to presume that he had come to see her, she asked, "Hayden, are you here to buy cakes?"Hayden remained expressionless and said, "I'm here to see you."Shelly did not have time to ask him why he was looking for her. Taken aback, Fergus exclaimed, "Shelly, you kno

Fergus felt slightly disappointed. "All right, then! I respect your choice. Let's just be friends. If a day comes when you want to start a family with me, let me know.""Sure. I advise you to go and meet other women, though. You will definitely find a better partner out there," Shelly said. "I have a child, so most of my focus is going to be on my child. It's best that you marry a woman who hasn't given birth yet.""With that logic, are you going to look specifically for men who are divorced and have children of their own?" Fergus asked. "It's not the olden days anymore, and there are plenty of couples who live together without getting married so they are no different from married couples. Countless women have gone through abortions after moving in with their boyfriends, and, if you ask me, I think giving birth is a better option over abortion."Shelly was pleasantly stunned, as she had never imagined Fergus to be so open-minded."Fergus, let's not talk about this for now, and let

The doctor issued another prescription to Shelly, saying, "Go and get a blood test. Come back here once the results are available.""Okay, Doctor. Should we give her the fever-reducing medicine first or take the blood test first?" Shelly asked, still concerned."Give her the fever-reducing medicine first. Then proceed with the blood test," the doctor instructed."All right, Doctor. My child was fine before. She has never been sick. I don't know why she suddenly got a fever," Shelly said, standing from the chair with her baby in her arms."How old is your child?""She's six months old.""That's normal. Newborns carry antibodies from the mother's body until they reach six months, so they generally don't get sick. After six months, you need to take better care of them," the doctor explained.Realization dawned on Shelly, and she thanked the doctor before leaving the examination room.Fergus took the fever-reducing medicine and checked its dosage."Shelly, go over there and sit do

"Is Audrey alright? What did the doctor say?" Shelly's mother asked.Shelly held the prescribed medicine in her hand and started preparing it for her daughter. "It's a bacterial infection. The doctor said to give her the medicine first and see how she responds. Mom, don't worry too much. The doctor mentioned that children under six months rely on their mother's antibodies, but now that she doesn't have them, she's a bit more susceptible to getting sick.""Yes, I've heard about that. It might be because I took her out for a walk this afternoon, and she caught a chill," Shelly's mother replied."Mom, the doctor said we shouldn't overdress her when she has a fever. It hampers heat dissipation. From now on, we'll dress her according to how much we're wearing ourselves without adding too many layers." Shelly brought the medicine over to her daughter and fed it to her.Although Audrey's fever had subsided, her cheeks still had a rosy tint. However, she looked energetic and had a constant

"Sir, can I invite a friend to join?" Fergus thought of Shelly.Fergus was no fool and knew that Shelly was not interested in him, but since they were from the same hometown, he genuinely hoped she would find a good match someday."I'm not sure. Are you planning on inviting single friends or married ones?" the manager asked."A single friend. If it's not allowed, then forget it. My friend might not want to come anyway." Fergus did not want to complicate things."I'll ask Eliam."The manager called Eliam and relayed Fergus's question. Eliam asked in return, "Did he mention who he wanted to bring?""He didn't. I don't know any of his friends either!"Eliam guessed that Fergus wanted to bring Shelly and said, "Tell him that, if he wants to bring someone, it can only be one friend. And keep it low-key. Otherwise, everyone will want to bring a friend, and the hotel banquet hall might not be able to accommodate us all."The manager conveyed Eliam's response to Fergus, and Fergus imme