After Discharge, You Won’t See Her Again

Sometimes, being extremely bold and losing control of your emotions happens in a split second. After stepping on him once, she wanted to step on him a second time, then a third... and it still wasn't enough, so she hit him with her purse.

"The more I didn't want to see him, the more he insisted on dragging me. You don't know, at that moment, my anger shot straight to the top of my head. I said I'd let Franklin pick me up, but he insisted on taking me home."

In the noodle shop, Aria forced herself to swallow the noodles, feeling a lump in her chest, and then took a sip of water.

"Anyway, he didn't fight back. I beat him up badly, and after I was done, I ran. I didn't realize I had run into the street, and then... well, it was tragic. I had already run past, but he, limping, didn't dodge that car. Stupid."

Fortunately, the driver was experienced. Although the car hit him, the driver braked in time, so the collision wasn't too serious.

"It was too late then, and the doctor said there was no life-threatening injury, so I didn't call his parents. I stayed with him all night. In the morning, I couldn't hold on any longer, so I called Edmond to take over."

"When he came, he said you weren't feeling well today and told me not to disturb you, so I didn't tell you. Later, he took a call and left, then called someone else to take his place."

...After leaving the noodle shop, Aria didn't want to go upstairs. Lily accompanied her as they walked along the street. Confirming she really wanted to end the engagement, Lily asked her what her plans were afterward.

Aria had thought about this while keeping watch over Alistair the previous night.

"I want to quit."

She majored in Business Management in college. Her father wanted to arrange a job for her in Yangcheng, but she refused. She interned at Alistair's company, working overtime every day in the Marketing Department.

Alistair never disclosed their relationship, and as a newcomer, her time in the company was tough.

She endured it for Alistair's sake, but now that they were ending the engagement, she didn't want to put up with it anymore.

"If you don't want to endure it, then don't."

Lily wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Tomorrow, write your resignation letter and throw it in Alistair's face. Such a crappy job with so little pay and constant overtime—whoever wants it can have it."

The cool wind brushed against her cheeks. While Aria was still hesitating, Lily brought up Franklin.

"For so many years, Franklin hasn't had it easy either. He's always tried to be a laid-back rich second-generation, not competing or fighting. But young people—who doesn't have dreams and ambitions? He's actually very smart; he's just been hiding his talents for his parents' sake. He's afraid to compete."

"But today, Edmond said he would give him a chance to join the group. He won't have to lead a muddled life anymore. Franklin will only get better from now on."

Lily rubbed Aria's wind-blown hair, her eyes reflecting both darkness and light.

"Aria, before, Franklin was trapped by his parents, I was trapped by Royce, and you were trapped by Alistair. Now, Franklin is pursuing his dreams, and we should live for ourselves too."

"In that studio before, I was muddling through, not putting my heart into it, trapping myself in a cage, losing inspiration. Recently, I've been looking for a new place to start over. I need a partner—would you like to join me?"

Aria didn't know why she started crying, but the tears wouldn't stop.

Maybe it was because her years of obsession had come to nothing, or maybe it was because of Lily's words, 'live for yourself.'

By the roadside, she hugged Lily and cried for a long time, finally muffling her voice in her friend's arms.

"I'll go back and write my resignation letter and throw it in Alistair's face."

In the hospital room, Edmond had been there for half an hour, and Alistair had spent thirty minutes cursing at him.

"Why didn't you answer my calls? Why didn't you reply to my messages? Why didn't you come sooner?"

"When you need something, I always rush over immediately. And you? I almost died, and you were at home cuddling your wife to sleep!"

"Do you know how embarrassing it was for me? It was my first time using that stupid urinal, and a woman had to hold it. Damn, she was staring... damn it!"

"Edmond, I hate you. I want to break off our friendship!"

Alistair vented all his frustration on Edmond, thinking about Aria's gaze, feeling like he wanted to die.

Usually, if she stared, he had confidence. But during such an awkward situation as relieving himself...

How would he face Aria in the future? His lifetime of reputation was ruined! Frustrated, he pointed at Edmond's clothes and sneered, "What are you wearing? A sweater with sweatpants. You look like a fashionable beast."

Edmond didn't interrupt him, letting him vent, letting him curse. Then he explained.

"Lily wore it this morning. She didn't have clothes, so she wore mine."

He looked down at his clothes. The sweater was for lounging around at home, the pants were for running in the morning. They matched well; Alistair must be jealous.

"Lily wore it for a bit. What's wrong with couples wearing each other's clothes? Oh, you don't have a wife; you don't get that joy."

Alistair: "..."

This was unprecedented. Seeing Edmond flaunting his relationship was unbelievable. Who would have thought? After showing off, Edmond adjusted his jacket to half-cover the sweater and began analyzing the problem.

"You're this angry because you don't know how to face Aria. But actually, you don't need to worry. By the time you're discharged, you probably won't see her anymore."

Alistair was still fuming but paused, "What do you mean?"

What did he mean he wouldn't see Aria? Edmond knew about Alistair's accident details from Aria this morning, so he knew they had agreed to cancel the engagement.

"Previously, no matter how cold you were to Aria, she never gave up on you. This time, without much persuasion from you, she proactively approached you for a talk. What does that indicate?"

What did it indicate? Alistair knew it meant that last night's incident with Misha truly hurt her.

"Do you think she'll quit her job and avoid me after we cancel the engagement?"

Edmond didn't respond.

Alistair didn't believe Aria would quit. Her current job was going well; she never complained and worked diligently. If she didn't want to return to Yangcheng, working at his place was the best option.

Moreover, "Lily was entangled with Royce for over twenty years. After they fell out, she didn't avoid him. Now they're even a family. Aria hasn't liked me for that long, so she won't avoid me."

Caught up in his rebuttal, Alistair didn't realize he mentioned Royce until he finished, then quickly apologized.

"I didn't mean to bring it up; I was just making a point."

Lily and Royce's history couldn't be erased, and Edmond couldn't smooth it over, but he didn't get angry.

"Aria is different from Lily."

The Meng family wasn't prominent in Jiangyu City, but in Yangcheng, they were the richest. Aria was the little princess of Yangcheng's richest family.

Edmond looked at Alistair.

"Aria grew up spoiled by her family—parents, siblings, everyone. You're the only one who's ever made her suffer. You're the only obstacle in her life. If she can't overcome it, she won't want to see you again."

"Lily... after her grandmother passed, her family favored Zoya. Her days were hard, even Royce betrayed her. She endured all that, even the events of those years."

At this point, Edmond paused, gazing out the window at the heavy twilight and oppressive darkness.

"Aria can't compare to Lily. No matter how big the hurdle, Lily can overcome it herself. Aria can't."

"I'm not saying Aria is bad, as you often say, it's the environment. Aria has a way back; she's tired and has her family as her support. Lily doesn't."

The room fell into a long silence.

After a while, Alistair finally spoke, "What are you getting at?"

Edmond: "Praising my wife."

Alistair: "..."

Edmond sat down, uncrossing his legs.

"Alistair, I can't interfere with your marriage; it's your life. But as a friend, I want to tell you two things."

Alistair put on a serious face and turned to him.

"First, you should resolve the issue with Misha quickly. She knew last night was my setup, yet she still caused trouble, which means she's confident you'll always protect her no matter what happens. If you let her continue, there will be problems."