Nacy waved her hand and explained quickly, "Mandy, what are you talking about? Bruce and I are just
friends, nothing more than that. There's nothing else between us."
"I'm not judging you, don't worry. You don't have to explain anything to me. Both you and Simon are
tired of your relationship. It's good for you to have fun with Bruce so that you can forget about your
worries and your unhappiness with Simon for a while. Just be careful not to go too far." Mandy smiled
warmly. She only wanted to give her a friendly bit of advice.
"We're not going too far. Bruce isn't interested in me like that."
"So, did you want to go out with him for a barbecue just to make Simon jealous?"
Lowering her head, Nacy thought for a moment before answering, "Yes, I would like that. He deserves
it, doesn't he? But I don't really care. Anyway, I have nothing to do with him now. I don't care what he
feels about me. I will just follow my heart."
"You mean you wouldn't be jealous even if Simon was with another woman?" Mandy asked bluntly.
Sometimes a woman could understand another woman's mind better than a man could.
Mandy tried to put herself in Nacy's position in order to understand what Nacy was going through. If
Mandy herself had had a quarrel with Nathan that day, she wouldn't want him to mess around with
other women. There was a very simple reason why couples quarreled with each other: it was just
because the woman was jealous and wanted to vent her anger.
In most cases, if a man was willing to coax a woman, the woman would become as docile as a rabbit.
"No, I wouldn't be sad at all. If he can go out and have fun with other women, then I will also enjoy
myself with some other handsome guys. I don't care if I make him sad or angry." Nacy smiled bitterly.
Her anger at Simon was pretty obvious.
Mandy wasn't sure what else to say, so she just smiled and took hold of Adrian's hand and said softly,
"Adrian, it's time for us to go to kindergarten now. Say goodbye to your aunt."
Adrian blew a kiss at Nacy from a distance and said sweetly, "Goodbye, Aunt! Love you."
"Love you too, Adrian." Nacy smiled back.
Hearing that, Mandy couldn't hold back the goose bumps that sprang up all over her body. She
wondered how Adrian had ever learned to say goodbye in such a way. She and Nathan seldom
exchanged terms of endearment such as "love you" with each other in public. Actually, as far as she
could remember, she had never said it to Nathan before, nor had Nathan ever said it to her.
Nacy stood outside the villa, waiting for Bruce. Bruce drove a Mercedes SUV today. He had put many
fresh ingredients in the trunk. He sat in the driver's seat. His handsome face was covered with a pair of
delicate brown glasses which concealed his deep eyes.
"Hey, beauty, who are you waiting for?" Bruce rolled down the car window. His clean white shirt was
shining in the sunshine. He looked as fresh and clean as an angel.
"I'm waiting for you." Nacy smiled and went to the passenger seat. Although it was late autumn, the
sunlight was still very strong. It was a perfect day for having a barbecue outside.
Bruce drove through the streets and crowds. Going along the curving mountain roads, they arrived at a
resort with beautiful scenery.
The resort was serene and quiet, not bustling with people like downtown. The pace of life there seemed
to be slower, and the air in the mountains had a fresh breeziness that was soothing and invigorating.
Nacy hopped out of the car in excitement. She wore a pink cap, a white polo shirt, and a light pink short
skirt. On her feet, a pair of simple canvas shoes matched her youthful and vivacious personality.
Bruce told the staff to take their food to the barbecue area. After getting out of the car, Nacy found a
stone bench and sat down. There was a sunshade above it, which gave her just enough cover from the
hot sun above.
"I wasn't sure what you would like to eat. I just prepared some food casually." Bruce smiled warmly at
her, which made her feel as if a lovely spring breeze had blown against her body.
Nacy was captivated by his smile. As the feeling spread across her face, it felt as if time had gone back
to three years before. In those days when she had a crush on Bruce, everything seemed so wonderful.
She had no idea what would have happened to her if she had chosen to be with Bruce instead of
Simon.
Three years ago, Nacy almost made Bruce fall in love with her. In fact, Bruce also had a little affection
for her, but it was not a strong feeling. It was more like a candle that could be extinguished at any
moment. After a gust of wind, it would never revive again.
But now, when Nacy was feeling blue, Bruce could take her around, and this was enough to cheer her
up. They got along with each other like two friends, which was actually quite good because neither of
them felt any emotional burden. They both knew it was impossible to be with each other. Even if they
enjoyed each other's company, they wouldn't feel the same way about each other as they did three
years before.
"Do you know how to make a barbecue?" Nacy teased. From her point of view, Bruce's social status
was too high for him to know how to cook well. But she felt that she did a good thing when she
promoted him to be the director of the Education Bureau.
Bruce's temperament matched his current job perfectly. He was a man with a strong dedication to work
and a strong sense of responsibility. In addition, his major was education, so he was very well qualified
for the position of deputy director of the Education Bureau.
She hadn't seen him for a long time. He had gradually faded away from Mandy's world and forced
himself to forget about her. But how could it be so simple to forget someone he had loved so deeply? It
was not that easy to forget a loved one.
Bruce knew that he couldn't bring her any happiness. She was on the same side with him four years
ago, but now she was shining like a star. In other words, he didn't feel that he was good enough for her.
He worked hard to obtain his current position, just in order to take care of her in secret, and let her live
a good life, free of worry.
He was a stubborn man, and he didn't want to fall in love with another woman.
"Of course. I often barbecued in high school. After graduation, I worked as a teacher, and I also took
my students to have a barbecue every month. I'm pretty good at it. You can have a taste today," Bruce
said with a big smile on his face, looking quite confident.
"I'm looking forward to eating a big meal." Nacy laughed and applauded.
Bruce placed the carbon on the stove and the tin foil on the barbecue rack. Then he smeared oil on the
kebabs, looking very competent.
Staring at these delicious kebabs, Nacy quickly felt hungry. She squinted and smiled. "What do you
think these kebabs will be like if they are roasted twice?"
"If you roast the kebabs well and then roast them again, they would be burnt. Why do you ask such a
silly question?" Bruce took the brush and smeared oil and pepper on the kebabs, then he stared at the
kebabs in front of him and answered her question carefully.
"This theory also applies to human feelings. If our feelings go too far, they can make us lose everything
we cherish." Nacy turned her eyes to Bruce and watched his profile, noting the side of his face and his
thin lips that were slightly pressed. His eyes were deep and impenetrable so that his thoughts couldn't
be easily read by her.
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