It wasn’t the first time they had worked together. Paul washed the vegetables and helped out with chores, waiting for Miranda’s instructions. Meanwhile, Miranda was in charge of chopping and cooking.

Soon, four dishes and a bowl of soup were served at the table. They sat across from each other. Paul served Miranda a helping of food and handed the plate to her. She accepted it with a smile and thanked him naturally. The atmosphere seemed to have returned to normal. It was as if the awkward moment earlier had never happened. After the meal, Paul went into the kitchen to help clean up as usual. Miranda took the plates he passed to her and dried them with a towel. After wiping a plate, she placed it aside before moving on to the next. They worked together seamlessly and went about their tasks efficiently.

However, when it came to taking out the trash… They both bent down to tie the trash bag at the same moment. Their heads collided unexpectedly. “Ouch…” Miranda held her forehead as she straightened up, gritting her teeth in pain. “I’m sorry, I didn’t notice…” Paul apologized and stepped closer. “Let me see how bad it is.” He gently moved Miranda’s hand away and checked. There was a red spot around the size of a fingernail, but it wasn’t swollen. Thankfully, it didn’t seem too serious. “I’m sorry, I just wanted to take out the trash. I didn’t expect to bump into you.” Miranda shook her head. “It’s fine, it doesn’t hurt anymore.”

Although she said that, her eyes were still glistening with tears. The corners of her eyes were red, making her look like she had been crying. Paul couldn’t help but feel guilty. “Um… Dr. Jefferson, can you let go of me now?” Only then did Paul realize that he was still holding her wrist. “I’m so sorry!” He reacted as if he had been burned, pulling away and even stepping back a couple of paces. Miranda felt a little awkward at first, but she couldn’t help but laugh when she saw his exaggerated reaction. Paul couldn’t help but smile as well. “Am I that funny?” “Yeah!” He sighed and said, “As long as you’re happy…” With that, he bent down again to tie the trash bag.

The air conditioning in Paul’s home was finally fixed. The repairman came over and knocked on the door. “Dr. Jefferson, come and try out the air conditioning. We will leave if everything is in order.” “Okay.” Paul changed into his shoes and put the slippers back into the cabinet. The repairman noticed and chuckled. “You two living door to door is pretty convenient. After closing the door, you can focus on your research without bothering each other. “If you want to visit, it’s just a few steps away to meet up. When one of your air conditioning breaks down, you can even pop over to the other person’s place…” Paul cleared his throat loudly and interrupted him, “Let’s go and have a look at the air conditioner.” “Oh, alright.” Paul didn’t feel the need to explain his relationship with Miranda to the repairman. It wasn’t that he had anything to hide, but he just thought that it was unnecessary. Firstly, no amount of explanation would change his opinion, so it was better to let it go with a smile. Secondly, they might never cross paths again after today, so there was no need for a detailed explanation. Most importantly, explaining that they weren’t in a romantic relationship would only harm Miranda’s reputation. After all, the repairman saw a man like him coming out from a single woman’s home. In a romantic scandal, men often received more leniency and understanding than women. Society’s standards for women were already harsh. This would lead to women being more vulnerable to unfounded accusations and harm in such scandals involving relationships. Paul knew very well that he had no power to change reality. All he could do was try his best to protect Miranda from harm. That was all there was to it. “The air conditioning is working fine now. Thank you for your hard work. I have transferred the money to your account,” Paul said. “Great, we’ll be off then. Just call us if you need anything in the future.” After sending the workers away, Paul turned to go back inside. Coincidentally, the door across the hall opened, and Miranda’s smiling face popped out. “Dr. Jefferson, is it fixed?”