Man, what's wrong with you?

Chapter 67 Get Close To Sherry

Sherry dropped by the company to deliver the documents, then rushed back home, where she made a pot of fish soup. She ate only a small portion of what she cooked; she put the rest in two thermos bottles. Sherry then headed straight to the hospital.

She held on tightly to the thermos bottles as she made her way to Jeffrey's room.

The boy was alone as usual. No one came to visit him. He had no family, and his classmates didn't bother to check on him. Now that Jeffrey had fallen ill, Sherry took it on herself to place him under her care. She couldn't bear to leave the poor boy on his own devices.

Sherry saw him as a younger brother.

Jeffrey sat on his bed as he read a book. He was completely immersed in his book that he didn't notice the door open. He was only alerted by Sherry's arrival when he heard her footsteps. It was when he finally took his eyes off the book he was reading to look at her.

"Oh!" he exclaimed. "Hello, Sherry!" Jeffrey's spirits were lifted instantly.

"Hi, Jeffrey!" Sherry greeted him back. How are you feeling today?" Her voice was filled with concern. "Are you feeling any better?" she added. Sherry placed the soup on his bedside table carefully.

"I'm feeling so much better," he answered. "After all, it was just a minor surgery." His eyes were fixed on the older woman's face. He put the book down without taking his eyes off Sherry.

"Minor or not, you still went under surgery," she replied. "You are still young. You still have a lot to go through, so you should take care of yourself a little better," Sherry scolded. She almost sounded like a mom nagging her son. She handed him the thermos bottle, and once he removed the lid, the aroma of the fragrant soup filled the room at once.

"I know that," Jeffrey answered softly. "Thank you for the soup." He drank the soup with much gusto.

Sherry watched intently as the boy gulped down the soup. "I have to get going now. I still have something to do. Don't stay up too late, and take care of yourself," she instructed. "I'll see you again tomorrow, okay?" Sherry said as she stood up.

'But you just got here,' Jeffrey wanted to say in protest, but he decided against it.

He got off his bed in a flash. "Are you really leaving?" Jeffrey asked.

Sherry nodded in response. "I have some company matters I still have to deal with, so I have to go," she explained.

Jeffrey tried to hide his disappointment, but his face failed him. "Okay then," he said in dismay. "I won't bother you anymore."

"Bye, Jeffrey," Sherry replied. She stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her.

She straightened herself up and rushed to where Jeremy was staying.

He was waiting for her intently in his room. Sherry finally arrived. She was slightly disheveled and a little out of breath. It was obvious she tried to get there as quickly as possible, but Jeremy was relentless. He was clearly not impressed. "You're late," he complained.

She had dinner with Steve and went home after. She also stopped by Jeffrey's. Of course, she'd be late.

"I made fish soup." She did not bother explaining herself to Jeremy. "Would you like some?" she offered.

"Of course I'd have some of that soup." Who knew a thermos bottle filled with fish soup could remarkably improve Jeremy's mood. Sherry fixed him a bowl and fed him.

She was used to doing this kind of stuff for Jeremy now.

"Hey," he said in between spoonfuls of soup. "I haven't shaved in a long time. Do you mind helping me shave it?" He was quite full and satisfied now, so he had enough energy to ask all sorts of weird favors from Sherry.

She was floored by Jeremy's audacity. "You want me to help you shave?" Sherry asked. "Me?" She pointed to herself, emphasizing how absurd he sounded.

"Yes, you," he replied. "You're my wife. You're supposed to do stuff like this."

She took a closer look at his face and noticed how much stubbly his chin had grown. She didn't mind it though; it made him look manlier.

"It's okay if you don't help me," he said. "I just worry about you, you know. It might hurt when I kiss you. That's all," Jeremy teased some more. He snickered as Sherry grew more flustered.

"Well," she started to explain, "I've never helped you shave before because I'm scared I might hurt you." Her voice shook as her eyes wandered around the room, avoiding eye contact with Jeremy at all costs.

Jeremy got off his bed and walked up to her. "It's okay, Sherry." He paused to make sure she was listening. "I trust you."

'What a stubborn man!' she thought. She let out a sigh and gave in to Jeremy.

Sherry assisted him inside the bathroom. She slathered his chin with foam first. Her hand slightly trembled as she picked up the razor. She took a deep breath and looked at him nervously.

"Relax," he whispered to her ear. "Just be gentle, okay?" Jeremy reminded.

He then placed his hand on Sherry's waist to help steady her.

Sherry took several deep breaths before she went ahead to shave his beard with caution.

The razor hummed quietly as she continued. She was finally getting the hang of it. Shaving wasn't as complicated as she thought.

Things were going smoothly until Sherry noticed Jeremy getting closer to her. "Don't move!" she scowled.

Jeremy obliged and stayed put. Their bodies were already touching each other. He breathed on her forehead and his chest brushed against her.

Sherry didn't seem to notice the position they were in. She was so focused on shaving Jeremy's beard and not hurting him in the process. It was nothing like she had ever done before.

By the time Sherry finished, his chin was as soft as a baby's butt. "Wash my hair next," Jeremy demanded.

"Ah, really," Sherry said in exasperation. "You're very troublesome. You know that, right?" She turned the tap on despite her obvious annoyance. The gentleness she had while shaving his beard was all gone.

Water ran down his face, but it did not stop him from teasing her. "If you don't wash my hair, I'll feel uncomfortable." Jeremy smiled mischievously. "You don't want that, do you?"

"I can't believe you're making me do this," Sherry complained. "I didn't think you're so helpless that you couldn't even do something this simple." Sarcasm filled her every word. Sherry squeezed shampoo out its bottle and applied it generously on his hair.

"I just like it when you do things like this for me," he said slyly. When Jeremy slightly stretched his body to find a more comfortable position, Sherry's voice resounded behind him. "Don't move!" He was shocked by how loud she sounded. "If you keep on moving, the shampoo will get into your eyes."

And just like that, Jeremy didn't move one bit until she was through.

She wiped his hair thoroughly with a towel for a while. His hair hadn't dried up fully yet, but she put away the towel nonetheless.

"Why did you stop?" Jeremy complained. "Help me dry my hair!" he ordered as he sat on his bed.

"You have such short hair," she answered. "It'll dry soon enough," she added indifferently.

Jeremy clearly was not satisfied. It was careless of her to leave her task half done.

Sherry didn't mind though. She took a pile of documents out of her bag and placed them on the table by the window. Without missing a beat, she sat down and started to wade through the stack of papers in front of her.

"Sherry?" he quietly called out to her.

"Yeah?" Sherry answered without looking up.

She was completely immersed in her work. Jeremy was drawn in by her immense concentration.

She didn't say anything, nor did anything. She was just sitting there quietly, minding her own business, yet Jeremy was unable to take his eyes off her.

She had never looked as charming and as attractive as she was right now.

By the time Sherry finished her work, it was already late and Jeremy had fallen asleep. She sorted her everything out before turning off the light and sleeping on the empty bed beside his.

Morning came and Sherry went to work. She was having a chat with her colleagues about one of their cases when her phone vibrated. Steve sent her a message.

'Are you free tonight?' his message read. 'Let's have dinner.'

Everyone's eyes were fixed on her. 'I don't have time,' Sherry replied quickly.

They resumed their discussion once Sherry put down her phone.

Linda decided to invite Sherry to dinner. It was a busy day, so a dinner with her did not sound so bad. She approached Sherry and asked, "Do you want to have dinner after work?"

"Sure," Sherry answered. "But you just got hired, right? Have you been paid?" The two went inside the elevator side by side.

"I guess you don't know who I really am," Linda quipped. "I have more money than you think."

Sherry was speechless. She remained quiet until they reached the ground floor. As soon as they got out of the building, they saw Steve got out of the car.

"Mr. Song!" Linda called out to him. "Here!" She waved her hand to show Steve where they were.

There are no words to describe how Sherry's face looked like. Her frown grew bigger as Steve got closer to her.

Didn't she turn him down? She told her she didn't have the time to have dinner with him, so why? What was he doing here? Why was he still there?

"Sherry, would it be okay if Mr. Song joined us for dinner?" asked Linda. She held one of Sherry's hands, anticipating her answer.

"I don't care," Sherry answered nonchalantly. Her face now painted with indifference.

Linda was overjoyed by Sherry's answer that she let out a little laugh. Steve approached Sherry to greet her, "Hi, Sherry. Is your work done?" He then opened the car door for the ladies. "After you," he said as he gestured inside the car.

Linda grew more excited by the second. She was getting giddy when she got in Steve's car with Sherry.

"Mr. Song, where are we going to eat?" Linda asked. It was the first time any of them spoke since they all got in the car.

"I have a friend who just opened a restaurant." Steve beamed as he drove attentively. "Let's go there."

"Oh, are we talking about a girl or a guy friend here?" Linda teased.

Sherry's face dimmed upon hearing Linda's question. Why would she ask such a thing?

"A guy friend," Steve clarified. The two talked coolly and casually with each other.

It was only Sherry who didn't speak the entire commute. An ominous thought filled her mind.

If she recalled correctly, it was only the second time the two met. How come Linda and Steve were very close now? They talked to each other so casually like old friends.

What game was he playing now?

Sherry remained silent through dinner. Linda, on the other hand, kept talking and talking. She was a chatty woman after all. She brought cheeriness wherever she went.

Steve was also a talkative man. The two talked the entirety of their meal that Sherry had no chance to butt in the conversation.

The conversation between Linda and Steve only stopped when the former went to the restroom. Sherry put down her utensils and stopped eating to look straight into Steve's eyes.

Steve was looking back at her, smiling.

In fact, his eyes never left Sherry the whole time they were eating.

"Mr. Song," she started calmly. "I don't know what game you're trying to play, but Linda is my best friend. I can't let you hurt her."

Sherry was never the one to beat around the bush and she never minced her words.

Steve poured her a glass of water. "You think I'm playing with your friend, huh?" he asked, his eyebrow raised in curiosity.

"Yes," Sherry answered. Her voice was calm and composed.

"Do you really think of me like that?" Steve asked once again. "I thought you know me better by now since we've spent an awful lot of time together in the past." Hurt could be heard from Steve's voice. He took a sip of water and waited for Sherry's response.

Sherry's cheeks turned red. "I don't care what you do as long as you don't hurt my friend," she uttered reluctantly.

"Do you think I'm interested in your friend?" Steve asked her. "We've only met twice," he said. "If it helps put your mind at ease, I do not like her that way."

'As if I'd believe you,' Sherry thought begrudgingly. 'It's not like you didn't enjoy playing with women's hearts.'

Sherry stared at him coldly. "Since you're not interested in her, I hope you leave her alone," she uttered. "You don't have any excuse to hurt her now, but if you do, god help me, I will never let you off," Sherry warned.

"It looks like the two of you have a strong friendship," Steve noted. "Don't worry. I don't have a crush on her. I just want to get close to her so I can get close to you," he reassured her. "Ah, who made you like that? Who made you so distrusting?" Steve teased.

"Get close to me?" Sherry glared at him.

"You always turn me down, so I have to get creative. I had no choice but to use Linda so I can have dinner with you," he explained.

"Don't you think you're going too far?" Sherry snorted. She looked at him in disbelief.

"We're going to have to work together in the future, so there's no harm in getting to know one person from your circle," Steve said a-matter-of-factly. "Did you see how happy I made your friend? It's not like she has any complaints against me, right?" Steve leaned back his chair and shrugged. He seemed too pleased with himself and Sherry was not enjoying a bit of it.

'What a wretched man you are, Steve,' Sherry pondered bitterly.

He filled her with so much anger that she decided to not talk to him anymore. An awkward air of silence filled their table. Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

Meanwhile, Linda was touching up her makeup in the restroom.

She was preparing to get off work when she got a call from Steve.

Not once in her wildest dreams did she think a man as fine as Steve would ever invite her out to dinner. He might not remember the first time they met, but she would never forget it.

What a great coincidence! Having him as their client was the kindest thing the universe had ever done to her.

She finally finished with her makeup then checked herself out in the mirror. 'Not bad at all,' she complimented herself.

Linda was from a rich family. Ever since she was still a student, a lot of men pursued her. Her situation didn't change even after graduation. Sherry had always told her how alluring and how big of a catch she was.

Someone as smart as Steve would never miss her worth, and so, he must have fallen for her. That would be the only logical explanation he invited her out to dinner.

Linda flashed herself a smile one last time before walking out of the restroom.