Chapter 5 Pretend To Be My Girlfriend

• Joshua Walker was still personable. Although the blind date didn't work out, he at least took the initiative to pay the bill at the coffee shop.
• Before Amanda Moore could even get up to leave, she received a call from Brittany Moore, who eagerly asked, "How did it go with Joshua?"
• Amanda Moore had just come to her senses and was walking towards the laboratory building while replying, "Well... it didn't work out." She was unusually frustrated: "He didn't like me and rejected me directly."
• Brittany Moore, thinking about her daughter's past misdeeds, asked, "Did you say something inappropriate to him again?"
• Amanda Moore replied with a lack of confidence, "I really didn't say anything this time...?"
• After saying this, she carefully thought back and realized that Joshua Walker's expression seemed to turn sour when she asked him about reproductive and urinary problems, and it got even worse when she brought up the topic of having children. Following this logic... was it possible that she had hit a sore spot?
• Amanda Moore bowed her head in reflection, realizing that it was indeed rude to salt someone's wounds.
• She hesitated for a moment, her desire for Joshua Walker's body, which could be displayed in a specimen cabinet, was overwhelming. She proactively asked, "Mom, can you find out more about Joshua Walker for me?"
• She still hadn't given up and wanted to try persuading Joshua Walker to sign a body donation agreement—a legitimate one, of course, ensuring that the donation could only be made after the donor's natural death.
• From the moment she first saw Joshua Walker, she had already planned out where to make the first incision. She never expected to be rejected so brutally; it was truly heartbreaking.
• Amanda Moore had never shown such a strong interest in a living person before, so Brittany Moore thought she had genuinely fallen for Joshua Walker. After a moment of shock, she said, "Well, I'll ask around for you."
• Brittany Moore was happy that her daughter had finally shown interest in a living person, but she was also worried that Joshua Walker might not agree, which would hurt her daughter. She gave Amanda Moore a heads-up: "The Walkers are a wealthy family, after all. He might be looking for someone from a similar background. But don't worry, Mom will introduce you to someone even more suitable."
• Amanda Moore pouted, letting out a disappointed "Oh," like a child told they couldn't have their favorite toy.
• Brittany Moore comforted her for a few more moments before saying, "Alright, focus on your work, and Mom has to go film a scene."
• Brittany Moore had the typical mindset of a small woman; she wasn't ambitious in her career and had become even less interested in acting since starting a family. In her free time, she preferred learning about music, flower arrangement, and baking. Otherwise, with her looks and acting skills, she wouldn't have remained a third or fourth-tier actress.
• But now, in her forties, she had started to work tirelessly for money. Apart from occasionally taking time to urge her daughter to go on blind dates, she spent the rest of her time on set.
• Her voice was slightly low, with a barely noticeable tiredness. Amanda Moore was taken aback and asked, "Why have you been working so hard recently..."
• Before she could finish her sentence, the call ended at the other end.
• Amanda Moore shrugged and was about to head towards the laboratory building when she saw a crowd gathered at the bottom of the building.
• A few cars were parked abruptly at the entrance of the building, with the most eye-catching being a black Bentley in the middle, surrounded by people. Its style was low-key, exuding a restrained luxury. The car was adorned with distinct male decorations, prompting people to imagine what kind of extraordinary gentleman the owner might be.
• The owner didn't keep the curious onlookers waiting for long. Soon, a tall figure emerged from the black Bentley, walking with grace and extraordinary dignity.
• As he opened the car door, an assistant quickly opened an umbrella to shield him from the sun. At the moment his face was revealed, the crowd let out a small gasp. The vice-principal slightly lowered his posture, his smile tinged with eagerness, and led him into the laboratory building.
• He was surrounded by people all the way, and as they passed by, Amanda Moore and he crossed paths. After he left, the crowd gradually began to chatter and discuss among themselves.
• Amanda Moore felt that the man's back seemed familiar, but she couldn't recall who he was for a moment. She casually pulled over Rachel, who had just returned from lunch: "What's going on?"
• Rachel was speechless for a moment: "Doctor Moore, this is the new deputy director. The vice-principal shows him around the work environment. It was notified earlier."
• Amanda Moore became even less interested, reacting with a mere "Oh," but this did not dampen Rachel's enthusiasm for gossip. She eagerly continued: "I heard that the new deputy director who was transferred this time has a very impressive background and is also a biologist. He's quite young, supposedly the second son of the Martin family, and his grandfather is Jonathan Perez, known as the father of biological embryology. What's his name again?"
• Amanda Moore finally showed some reaction: "Daniel Martin?" She rarely furrowed her brow slightly: "Why did he come to work here?"
• "Yeah," Rachel nodded repeatedly, her experience of chasing celebrities giving her a keen sense of gossip. Her eyes shone brightly as she looked at Amanda Moore and fired off three questions in a row: "Doctor Moore, do you know Daniel Martin? When did you meet him? Is he here to work for you?"
• Rachel had known her the longest, and she was the type who was naturally sociable and talkative, speaking rather casually.
• "About five or six years ago," Amanda Moore's expression was unusually complex as she reached up to scratch her chin. "It's a long story."
• Rachel's eyes lit up with excitement at the prospect of real gossip, and she waited for her to continue. After a while, when Doctor Moore didn't seem to want to go on, she had to ask: "And then what?" What does 'it's a long story' mean???
• Doctor Moore's expression had already fully revealed that there was more than just a shallow entanglement between them. Both of them were in the biology department; could Daniel Martin be her first love? After five or six years of twists and turns, she ran while he pursued... Rachel instantly imagined several tragic love stories.
• "Then what?" Amanda Moore asked, puzzled. "Because it's too long, so I don't want to say it."
• Rachel was extremely disappointed: "..."
• Amanda Moore couldn't empathize with Rachel's heartbreak at all and directly sent her back to work.
• There was a rule in her laboratory that work couldn't be done with a phone, so several hours passed without Amanda Moore even glancing at her phone. It was only after her work was done, and she had held a simple funeral for the mouse that she went to the changing room to take off her protective gear.
• As soon as Amanda Moore took out her phone, she noticed over a dozen missed calls. Apart from a few from her father, the rest were all from the same person—Number Eighteen.
• Joshua Walker, although he had not officially announced his return to the family business, had already demonstrated the characteristics of a capitalist. He quickly recovered from the embarrassment of contradicting himself and soon came up with a plan.
• He was always in control of the absolute initiative, so he didn't rush to contact Amanda Moore. Instead, he first called her father, Joseph Evans. He didn't mention anything about Benjamin Walker's surgery, merely stating nonchalantly that he had changed his mind. He complained about his father and stepmother pressuring him to get married, saying he needed a girlfriend as a shield. He also hinted at considering an investment in Joseph Evans' studio.
• However, he wasn't foolish enough to hand over a few billion in cash directly to Joseph Evans. Instead, he started with a small investment, then helped him connect with banks to get his studio running. The future would depend on Joseph Evans' performance.
• Even so, Joseph Evans was already expressing his heartfelt gratitude at the other end of the line, eagerly assuring that he would definitely change Amanda Moore's thoughts.
• Having dealt with Joseph Evans, Joshua Walker was confident that Amanda Moore would compromise. He lay half-reclined on the sofa, eagerly waiting for Amanda Moore to call him.
• An hour passed, and Joshua Walker's confident smile gradually faded.
• Two hours passed, and Joshua Walker's expression slowly darkened.
• Three hours passed, and Joshua Walker finally couldn't resist. After learning that Joseph Evans couldn't get in touch with Amanda Moore no matter what, he took the initiative to call Amanda Moore.
• But no one answered.
• Joshua Walker ground his teeth in frustration and made several more calls, one after another, until his anger slowly rose to the top of his head. Finally, the phone was answered, and Amanda Moore's slightly puzzled voice came from the other end of the receiver: "Mr. Walker?"
• Joshua Walker had been very harsh in the afternoon, and she hadn't expected him to reach out again, which came as an unexpected surprise.
• Joshua Walker took a deep breath: "Miss Moore..."
• The large floor-to-ceiling glass in front of him clearly reflected his complexion, and a tuft of slightly stiff, curly hair on the top of his head was still slightly sticking up. He raised his hand expressionlessly, slowly pressing down the stubborn tuft of hair, as if pressing down the surge of anger within him.
• Only when his emotions had calmed down did he adopt his usual business-like demeanor, speaking unhurriedly: "I was rude this afternoon. I think there may be some misunderstandings between us. Do you have time recently? I would like to talk to you face-to-face again."
• Clearly, it was Amanda Moore who had repeatedly provoked...ing, he had to be the one to take the initiative and apologize...... Joshua Walker's hair on the top of his head was slowly starting to stand up again, but his voice did not reveal any annoyance.
• Amanda Moore's eyes brightened: "About what?"
• Joshua Walker was straightforward: "I have some trouble at home and need you to pretend to be my girlfriend for a while to reduce unnecessary harassment."
• He paused and seamlessly switched to the tone of a boss interviewing an employee: "Don't worry, the time you need to work won't be long. I've already negotiated the payment with your father, and he is very satisfied. What do you think?"
• From Amanda Moore's simple and straightforward way of thinking, she couldn't understand the absurdity of pretending to be a girlfriend. She was about to refuse when she heard the word "payment" and suddenly had a change of heart.
• "Pretending to be a girlfriend is not something that can't be negotiated," she said slowly as she opened a software to search for the process of signing a voluntary body donation agreement: "Since you are willing to pay, I have another condition..."