I would not let my feelings get in the way again. Eyes on my douchebag-free prize.

I took a bite of cookie, then immediately spit it into the sink. “Oh my God, way too sweet,” I said with a cringe.

“Blech, yeah,” Andrew agreed, swallowing his but with half a cup of water. “Guess the creamer was too much.”

“These are fantastic!” my mother exclaimed, her eyes bugging out. “Good job, you two.”

Andrew and I burst into laughter that was heightened by both the inside part of the joke and the tension bubble bursting.

“What?” my mother asked, taking another cookie. We just kept laughing. “What is it?”

Chloe CHAPTER 26 THE PRICE OF PEARS

As my mom disappeared to freshen up post-work, I couldn’t meet Andrew’s gaze. I cleaned the kitchen like my life depended on it. For once, I was relieved when my mother returned.

“So, Andrew,” my mother said, trying to sneak another cookie off the pan without us noticing. “I heard about your shadowing… fun at the dental office last time. Have you given any more thought to my lǎo gōng’s wise advice?”

I looked at him questioningly, but despite what he’d said earlier about being distracted, he was ready.

“Of course, but I’m not worried,” he said easily. “It was my first time, and I’ve already made plans to shadow my parents in a few surgeries over spring break.”

My mother raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. But our house rumbled as the garage door opened and she hurried away to greet my father.

“What happened when you shadowed?” I asked.

His gaze dropped in embarrassment. “Um, it was the closest I’ve ever come to losing my cover. Dentistry is disgusting!” He winced, then joked, “Are you going to drop my rating down to four stars?”

I laughed. “Hey, I hear you. There’s a reason I’m not following in their footsteps, which they’re disappointed about. They’re still pushing me to apply to dental school, ‘just to see.’ ” I mimicked my mother’s voice: “ ‘It’d be perfect, Jing-Jing! The economics classes will help you run the business—you’d be unstoppable! How easy would your life be, inheriting Wang Dental Palace and all our hard-earned patients?’ ”

Andrew lowered his voice and said, “Well, I followed in my grandpa’s footsteps, and it’s what caused the rift between my parents and me.”

My mind filled with questions. What did your grandfather do? What happened to him? What happened with your parents? Do you regret your decision? Are you okay? What… do you think of my situation based on your experiences?

But then I remembered: If I didn’t get rid of Hongbo now, the outcome was so bad I couldn’t even think about it.

Eyes on the douchebag-free prize. Even if it gutted me. “Sorry, but I think you were right before. We need to stick to your rule. To prevent confusion.”