Hello Love, Goodbye Billionaire

Throughout the first half of dinner, Daniel Yan and Stephanie Ruan were seen to be happily chatting and enjoying their delicious food.

“Oooh, this is so nice!!… It has been a long time since I’ve had this!”

“Daniel, try some of this meat! It literally melts in your mouth!”

Stephanie Ruan was only focused on having a conversation with Daniel Yan that she has completely forgotten about Javier Zhong’s existence.

On the other hand, Javier Zhong, who is sitting opposite the two of them, is just eating silently with a solemn expression.

No one knew what he was thinking about…

Daniel Yan is already used to Javier Zhong’s aloof character, so he did not think that anything was amiss.

In fact, trying to engage him in their conversation would make him feel more uncomfortable and Daniel Yan is very clear about this point.

-Cell phone ringing-

Seeing his secretary’s name on the screen, Daniel Yan quickly excused himself from the table. “Sorry, I got to take this call. Be right back!”

“Mmm go ahead!” Stephanie Ruan nodded as she picked up her chopsticks to continue eating.

However, from the corner of her eyes, she could see that Javier Zhong has stopped eating.

Has he already eaten his fill?? But she didn’t remember him eating much…

“You can’t take spicy food?” Stephanie Ruan made a rough guess and asked him.

After staring at her for a few seconds, Javier Zhong finally responded succinctly. “I’m full.”

Such a healthy grown man telling her that he is full after barely finishing a few spoonfuls of food??…

She definitely wouldn’t believe this lie!

“…”

This hotpot restaurant is popular for only serving spicy soup bases. As such, Stephanie Ruan could only think of other alternatives to make him eat a little more.

Well, it is not that she is concerned about him but… he is Daniel Yan’s good friend after all… so she still has to treat him a little better right?

“Excuse me, can I have a bowl of hot water please?” She raised her hand and requested from one of the waiters who is standing nearby.

She then cooked a few slices of meat in the spicy broth before transferring them into the bowl of hot water which has just arrived.

After leaving the meat inside for a few seconds, she carefully took them out and placed each one of them on Javier Zhong’s empty plate.

While doing so, she urged him with a gentle tone. “Try it, it should be less spicy now.”

“…”

Seeing that he is simply staring at her with his complicated eyes, Stephanie Ruan casually waved her chopsticks at him in confusion. “Are you not eating it? It’s not going to be good for your stomach if it remains empty until you reach home.”

“Take a few more bites. A man shouldn’t be picky with his food.” She added with a ‘kind’ smile.

It is unsure if he was actually listening to her, but he soon picked up his chopsticks and started to finish the food that she had placed on his plate.

Witnessing this scene, Stephanie Ruan is said to be extremely satisfied with Javier Zhong’s obedient behaviour.

Well, it seems like this man is not as annoying as she had imagined him to be – but only when he isn’t talking…

In the next moment, she caught Daniel Yan rushing towards them from the entrance.

Before he even reached the table, Stephanie Ruan has already called out to him, “What happened??”

He panted, “I’m so sorry guys, I have to leave early… I need to return to my company for an emergency meeting now. And I’ve already taken care of the tab, so don’t worry about it!”

After which, Daniel Yan massaged Javier Zhong’s shoulders while whispering into his ear, “Buddy, I’ve got to trouble you to help me send her home later!”

“Thanks a lot, I love you!!” He cheekily added.

Upon hearing his cheesy words, Javier Zhong shot him with a death stare, “Get lost!”

Knowing that Javier Zhong did not actually mean what he had said, Daniel Yan broke out into laughter and quickly shifted his attention to Stephanie Ruan.

“Stephanie, text me when you’re home later! I got to run now!” He gave her a hand signal while slowly moving away from them.

Seeing that he is already in a rush, Stephanie Ruan simply nodded her head and did not say much, “Mmm, drive safely! I’ll text you later!”

“…”

With dimmed eyes, Javier Zhong could not bring himself to look away from Stephanie Ruan’s enchanting smile.

What exactly is going on with him?!

To be honest, a part of him is already secretly hoping for her to look at him the same way she looks at Daniel Yan…

“Chairman Zhong… Chairman Zhong??… Are we ready to go?” Stephanie Ruan’s voice had brought him back to reality.

“Mmmph.” With a cold response, he returned to his indifferent look, stood up from his seat, and left the table without waiting for her.

Puzzled with his sudden change, Stephanie Ruan thought to herself as she followed after him, “What’s the matter with him today?”

…

It is already dark when they left the restaurant. Stephanie Ruan looked up and saw several stars in the clear sky.

However, she is unable to get a complete view of the sky as there are too many tall trees around.

“I’ll send you home.” Javier Zhong told her as he held onto his phone to contact his driver.

“You can leave first, I’m not going back yet. See you tomorrow.” With a slight smile, Stephanie Ruan turned and walked away from him, towards a public park nearby.

But after taking a few steps, Stephanie Ruan realised that Javier Zhong is following behind her.

“??…”

She paused in her footsteps and asked him with a surprised tone, “Why are you here? You’re not leaving??”

Loss for words, Javier Zhong could only use a lame excuse, “Daniel told me to send you home.”

Well, this was what he had told her but deep down inside, it is obvious that he just wanted to spend more time with her.

With a chuckle, Stephanie Ruan responded in disbelief, “Oh, what a loyal friend you are. Okay then, suit yourself.”

Who knows what this guy is up to??

But it didn’t matter to her as she only wanted to go stargazing for a short while. And it doesn’t hurt to have another person joining her anyway.

As soon as they have arrived at the park, Stephanie Ruan excitedly walked toward an open deck which gave her an unblocked view of the sky.

“Wow! This is so beautiful!!”

Being completely captivated by the numerous stars in the sky, Stephanie Ruan had unknowingly let out a joyful smile.

It has been a while since the last time she came out to stargaze. But each time she has a chance to, she could not help but always become emotional.

“You know when I was young… my dad used to tell me that the people whom we love very much will eventually turn into a star when they pass on. This way, we can still look at them whenever we miss them, and they will also watch over us from above.”

Stephanie Ruan glanced at him briefly before continuing, “Then as I grew up, I found out that this was not true and I remember getting really mad at my father for telling me such a lie.”

She sighed softly, “But now that my family is no longer around, I can’t help but wish for this story to be real. At least if I can still see them in the night sky, I might feel less alone in this world… and it probably will never feel as though they have really left my side…”

“…”ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

Hearing what she has shared, deep thoughts ran through Javier Zhong’s mind as he remained silent while looking at her face with a softened gaze.

He could absolutely resonate with her feelings at this point in time…

After all, he has also lost someone dear to him.

“How about you, Chairman Zhong? Have you ever lost anyone whom you love?”

After a few moments of silence, he responded to her, “My mother.”

With his head slightly tilted down, he shared, “She left me when I was 16. My family members believed that she had committed suicide. But…”

He added with certainty, “I knew she was murdered.”

As soon as he finished talking, Stephanie Ruan looked at him with furrowed eyebrows, “You witnessed it?”