" I can't believe you were abroad and were working for me. How can you be so thoughtful?" She was touched upon finding out that he went to arrange the money from the cars for her but unfortunately, all the efforts went in vain. 

  But it doesn't matter to her. She has her plan ready and she will return to the same glory with a bang. 

  Lin Hui shook his head and said, " I didn't go there only for you. While I was abroad, I got the opportunity to meet other famous directors and even attended the most anticipated fashion show, which helped me to make a lot of connections. The entertainment industry is all about connections and opportunity after all." 

  " You're right. There are many talented people out there but only a handful of them get the opportunity to showcase their talent," she said. 

  She took a sip of wine from her glass when she heard him say, " Xu Nuan, there is something that I was meaning to ask you."

  " What is it?"

  He pursed his lips and looked at her hesitantly before asking, " While I was away, did you think of me?"

  The time he was away, he was holding himself from asking this question to her. He wants to know what kind of value he holds in her life. In these two months, many things have changed. 

  The group that debuted under her, started to receive everyone's attention, meanwhile, she got admitted into the top-most university in the city. She did all of this without him. 

  Can he find a place of his in her life?

  He remembers seeing her getting close with Han Zihao before leaving. That's why he went to arrange the money, enough for her to invest in her entertainment company and shift her to another house that will be away from Han Zihao's condo. 

  He wanted to be her support system. He wanted to be capable enough to support her and give her the best of the world. 

  Xu Nuan looked at him with a smile and giggled before responding, " Of course, I did. You're my best friend, how can I not miss you when you were out of touch for two months?" 

  Lin Hui's smile dimmed as he stared at her with serious expressions. "Best friend? Just that?"

  Xu Nuan frowned seeing the change in his expressions. Did she say anything wrong?

  "What about it? Aren't you, my best friend?" She laughed. " To me, you're just like Jia Fei and Luo Dan. I can't think about my life without you at all." 

  Upon hearing her words, Lin Hui felt something piercing through his heart. This was nothing new for him, but her words still hurt. So he was just like Jia Fei and Luo Dan for her?

  He has always known that she doesn't feel the same way he does. Not when she was in a relationship with Qin Ju, not after that. For her, he has always been her 'best guy friend.'

  He pursed his lips and asked in a low voice, " Have you……ever considered me more than friends?"

  Xu Nuan stopped laughing at his words. She stared at him and blinked in confusion when she heard him say, " Have you….ever thought of me as a man? And not just as a guy friend of yours?"

  Facing the sudden question, Xu Nuan was at a loss for words. The atmosphere suddenly turned awkward and solemn. He was looking at her with his clear eyes and was waiting for an answer expectantly. 

  "I……For me, you have always been the pillar of my support. You're my best friend….but….I……I am sorry." she said while looking at his dull eyes. 

  She couldn't bring herself to say that she never thought of him more than a friend. He looked hurt but she didn't want to give him false hopes. 

  It will only hurt him even more. 

  Lin Hui didn't look at her but could feel her worried gaze at him. He knew it, he knew that she never thinks of him the same way as he does, but it still hurts. 

  She didn't say it aloud, but her meaning was clear. She never thought of him more than a friend. Not even once. 

  So……all this time, it was only him who was in love with her? He thought that his efforts and love for her might bring a change in her feelings, but unfortunately, some things can never go as one expects them to be. 

  After a few moments of suffocating silence, he picked up the bottle of wine and poured it in a glass for himself. He chucked down the drink in one go and coughed before wiping his mouth with the tissue paper, looking vulnerable. 

  He looked up at her and smiled, " That's great. It would have been awkward if you did. Haha, isn't it?" 

  Seeing him trying to laugh it off, Xu Nuan couldn't bring herself to laugh this time. He hadn't touched the alcohol because he said that he needs to drive later to drop her off at her place. 

  But now he is drinking. It was clear how uncomfortable he was with her response. 

  She has hurt the person who has always been good to her. For his genuine feelings, she gave him heartbreak. 

  " Lin Hui, I……am so-

  " If you're done eating, should we go? You should sleep early since you have work tomorrow." He smiled at her while trying to hide the suffering in his eyes. 

  She stared at him when he interrupted her words and sighed. She nodded and picked up her bag before following him out. 

  Sometimes, not explaining is a better thing to do. 

  He helped her take a taxi since he had a drink too. It was for the better. 

  It would have been uncomfortable for both of them to ride the same car, after what happened at the hotel. 

  Time is what they need right now. 

  Lin Hui didn't leave until he couldn't see Xu Nuan's taxi anymore and sighed weakly, " Jiang Yue, why can't I be the person in your heart? Why is it so hard?" He mumbled while trying to hold the tears that were fearing to fall from those clear eyes. 

  It's so painful that he can't even bring himself to cry since it will make him even more miserable. The love that he was holding onto for years has finally come to a point of end, a painful end. 

  Despite expecting her answer, why is it so difficult to digest it? Just……where……where did he go wrong?

  ***

  Jia Fei was still in the cafe and was checking the old photos on her phone. It was almost midnight, everyone left except her. 

  Luo Dan is at home and here, she was going through the old memories of them together. 

  The fan videos and pictures are the only things from which they can keep Jiang Yue in their memories. 

  After Jiang Yue left, they are trying to go along with their life, but the emptiness in their lives is obvious. The group of four has been broken and only two of them have left now. 

  While she was going through the fan website and was looking at the picture, her eyes fell on a certain picture. The picture has been taken at one of the fan signing events where hundreds of cameras are ready to capture every moment of them. 

  In the picture, Jiang Yue was talking to a fan who came to her to get the album signed and even brought a gift for her. Jiang Yue was smiling and was staring at the fan with bright eyes, while she failed to notice the man behind her, who was looking out for her. 

  While Jiang Yue was looking at the fan, Lin Hui who was standing in the background was staring at her, with a subtle smile on his lips. This picture has been spread among the fandom as a means to admire Jiang Yue's beauty. 

  Because of this many tried to ship Jiang Yue with Lin Hui, who always looks out for her and takes care of her at such events. While some tried to make a point that Jiang Yue's beauty is so blinding that even their manager couldn't help but admire her. 

  However, she knows the meaning behind this smile of his. This was the smile that she never gets to see for her. 

  " I wonder how he is doing now." she sighed while touching her phone's screen gently, staring at the picture longingly. 

  A few days ago he came to the cafe, but she wasn't present at that time. He met Luo Dan but she couldn't get to see him. 

  " He should have at least waited for me…" she murmured in a low voice. 

  After the Press Conference incident, the chances of them meeting became less to none. It's been more than three months since she has last seen him. 

  " Should I give him a call?" A crazy thought came into her mind as she stared at his picture. She opened her contact list and dialed his number. 

  Her eyes widened in shock when the call went through and it started ringing. " Oh Shit, O shit.!!" 

  " It's fuc*ing midnight. Who calls this late to someone?" she said while clenching her chest which was racing crazily.

  She immediately hung up the phone as she couldn't take the tension anymore. 

  " What if he thinks that I am being too clingy? It's not like we work together anymore."

  " There is no reason for me to call him anymore." She sighed upon realizing that she was running out of excuses to reach out to him. 

  ~Ring~Ring~

  Her eyes widened in shock when her phone suddenly started to ring. She stared at the familiar number and gulped nervously. 

  " Relax, Jia Fei.  Take a deep breath and be normal. Just say that you dialed it mistakenly. Yes. By mistake. " she repeated and took a deep breath before picking up Lin Hui's call. 

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