In another part of the city, Lu Zhaoyang had finished her dinner early, showered, and went to bed. She took out her pocket watch and gripped tightly onto it, but could not find the courage to open it. Her forlorn expression betrayed the emotions she tried to hide from everyone else.
When she was working overtime last night, she had wept longingly for him. Huo Yunting must have seen her.
The bedroom lamps warmed her body. She brought the pocket watch closer and stared at it quietly for a long moment before uttering a quiet whisper.
"Goodnight."
Goodnight, Chen.
Sleep came swiftly. The thought of Huo Yunting's late return gave her peace.
Suddenly, she felt a hand gripped around her waist through the confusion of her sleep. She felt a bite on her neck, and sensed a faint smell of cigarettes.
He was back.
Her sleeping gown was removed without effort. As the thin silk gown slipped off her shoulders, she felt his warm touch burn onto her skin.
This had happened before, and Lu Zhaoyang had learned not to resist. As she continued pretending to be asleep, his body became tightly intertwined with hers. She tried desperately to remain silent, but in the end her body yielded to his familiar machinations.
She soared high into the clouds with him.
The next day, Lu Zhaoyang got a message from her group of university friends for an annual gathering. Even those overseas were coming back to attend it, so she had no excuse to be absent.
She promptly completed her duties for the day and left work early.
When she left, Huo Yunting called her desk telephone.
Since no one replied, he approached her desk to find her gone. When one of her colleagues told him that she had left for the day, he hastily left the office as well, and reached the parking lot just in time to see her car speed away.
He drove and followed her. It was rare for her to not work overtime, so he was naturally intrigued.
Lu Zhaoyang's car stopped outside a high class restaurant. Huo Yunting slowed down his car and parked at the side of the road. He watched her enter the restaurant, and then texted Huo Li to arrange their meeting tonight to be there as well.
Lu Zhaoyang let down her long hair before she stepped out of her car. She was still wearing a white blouse and short black skirt, but her shoulder-length wavy hair transformed her completely.
She looked sexy and bewitching in her office uniform.
In the spacious private booth, her university friends all flashed her a look of admiration.
It had been years since they've met, but she still looked as beautiful as ever.
"Lu Zhaoyang! Over here!"
Someone waved at her, and she walked towards them with a smile.
"How are you?"
Her friends immediately started chatting as she sat down.
"Oh, same old, same old." The truth was, she wanted to say that her life was miserable, having to face Huo Yunting every single day.
"We're the same. Work is busy as hell, but we finally get a chance to relax and have fun today." Another friend joined in the conversation.
She was used to socializing like this. She continued chatting with a smile.
When everyone was finally here, dinner was served. She focused on eating, feeling isolated from all the hubbub around her.
Suddenly, a man blocked her view and said to her, "Lu Zhaoyang, it's been so long, come, let's have a toast to this!"
She held up her cup, filled with orange juice. "I'm driving later, so please accept this instead."
"Come on! You can always get someone else to drive you home, right?"