Bill shook his head slightly and his blurry thoughts became clear. "Andy, how did I come back last
night?" he asked.
"You drove yourself here! I don't know how you managed to drive in this condition."
Just the mere thought of it brought goose bumps onto Andy's body. He turned pale with fear.
He always waited for Bill before he went to sleep. Last night was no exception. He sat in the hall,
waiting for Bill's arrival. On glancing at the clock, he realized it would be dawn in no time. Fearing
something had happened to him, he stood up to make a call. Just then he heard the doorknob being
twisted open. He caught sight of Bill staggering with car keys in his hand. Quickly, Andy went to support
him. Bill was making some weird noises. Andy didn't know whether he was laughing or crying.
Seeing his condition, Andy asked him who had dropped him here.
Bill said he drove himself back. It seemed like he wasn't able to make sense of his surroundings.
Andy was taken aback. He carried Bill to his room. Once he was asleep, he hurriedly went to the
garage. The car Bill drove today was parked there!
He couldn't imagine how Bill had managed to drive in this state.
After sleeping for a few hours, Bill felt much better. He drank the tea in one gulp and put the cup on the
bedside table. His phone rang, and it was Rachel. "Bill, are you free this evening? I have something
urgent to discuss with you."
For a second, he didn't know what to reply. After a while, he answered, "I'm kind of busy this evening."
"What about tomorrow?" Rachel asked again. He could tell she was hell-bent on meeting him.
"Forget it, we can see each other tonight."
After hanging up, he continued to stare blankly at his phone. Bill's plan was to drag this. But it was too
cowardly. Sooner or later, it had to happen.
After she got off work, Rachel received a message from Bill. She took a taxi to the restaurant he had
mentioned. Once she was there, she instantly noticed Bill, sitting alone in a corner. She sat with an
apologetic look and explained, "I'm sorry. I couldn't make it on time due to the traffic jam."
"It's okay. I have arrived only a few minutes ago. I ordered as soon as I reached." Bill poured her a
glass of water and took out a leaflet from the travel club that was opposite the restaurant. "Rachel, I'm
a bit tired of this monotonous life. I might travel somewhere. Can you help me choose my destination?"
Rachel, who was bracing herself to say what she wanted to say, was distracted by his words. She
pointed at an island and said, "How about this island?"
She put down the leaflet, looked up at Bill and added, "Actually I have something important to tell you."
Pretending like he hadn't heard her, Bill pointed his finger at another beautiful place on the leaflet and
said, "Don't you think this place is better? I am sure the sun is too strong in the island you had picked. I
care a lot about my appearance. If I get a sun burn, I won't feel confident showing you my face."
"Bill, I..." Rachel frowned and didn't understand why he was doing this.
Realizing she wasn't feeling comfortable, he said, "Rachel, can you delay it a little? I want to have a
nice and peaceful meal. Once that is done, you can talk."
Seeing the imploring look in his eyes, Rachel didn't have the heart to object. She nodded her head in
agreement.
She told herself it wouldn't hurt to put if off for a couple of minutes. Then she smiled and discussed with
him the destination that would be suitable for his next trip. However, once he was done eating, he put
down his chopsticks and looked her in the eye. The friendly atmosphere turned gloomy.
She felt it too. With a sigh, she said, "Bill, I've made up my mind to be with Jack again."
Bill had already predicted what she would say. That was the reason he had asked her to delay it.
Hence there wasn't much surprise on his face. He lit a cigarette, took a drag and asked in a low voice,
"Do you mind?"
Rachel shook her head. She knew he was hurting inside and she had lost a friend. But she couldn't
ignore the relief she was feeling. Now that she had got it out of her system, her job was done.
After a moment of silence, Bill flicked the ash off his cigarette and said slowly, "Rachel, when you left
yesterday, I knew this is how it would be. I could see how madly in love you are with him. I was buying
myself more time, just so I could entertain this fantasy. But of course, I knew sooner or later that bubble
had to burst."
His eyes were ice cold. He moved forward and touched her face. This softened his expression a bit.
"But I am glad you have found both love and happiness. I hope every day of your life is filled with
happiness. That's all I can say."
As he spoke, her vision became blurry with tears.
She put her hand on her forehead to cover her red eyes.
"I'm sorry, Bill."
Her voice reeked of sadness. She paused for a moment and continued, "I am sure there is someone
special for you. I hope you find both love and happiness as well."
She didn't know what else to say.
Bill shook his head and laughed like she had cracked a joke. "No, I can assure you it won't happen."
He took money from his wallet and put it on the table. Then he stood up to leave. Before leaving, he
turned one last time and said, "Rachel, like it or not, I will always be here, waiting for you. If things don't
work out with him, I want you to consider me. If ever he tries to hurt you, I will punch his face. Do you
hear me?"
However, he left before she could give a reply.
Now that he was gone, she could let her guard down. Sitting on her own in the restaurant, Rachel
began to weep her heart out.
On the other hand, Jack was bored and hungry. Every two seconds he would glance at his phone. But
there was no message from Rachel.
It was already past dinner time
and his stomach was already growling with hunger, but Jack didn't make an mention of dinner. Several
times, Austin went to him but Jack merely said he wasn't hungry. Now he was tired of asking, so he
picked an apple from the fruit basket and started eating it.
"Mr. Fu, didn't the doctor say that you can leave the hospital this morning? Why are you still here?"
Austin asked.
"You don't understand," Jack replied indifferently, frowning at his phone. Quickly, he typed something
on his phone and sent out the message.
Continuing to chew on the apple, Austin said, "Yes, you are right. I really don't understand. Didn't you
hate hospitals?"
"Yes, but now it's different,"
he said glancing up at Austin. Suddenly, his eyes fell on the fruit basket in his hand. "Go home. Don't
bother coming here again."
"But what about your dinner?" Austin insisted.
"It's okay. I will be having it with someone."
Now Austin understood he wanted to be left alone.
It looked like Jack had some other plans which didn't require his intrusion. He left silently.
After composing herself, Rachel called the waiter. She asked him to pack a bowl of noodles. It was for
Jack. By the time she reached the hospital, he was in a sour temper. After all, he had waited for so
long.
He kept complaining how hungry he had been. Rachel brought her hand to his lips and said, "Shush!
You are talking too much."
"You are right. I was just mad at you for making me wait," Jack said realizing he had said a little too
much.
Once he began eating, he enjoyed it. It was quite tasty. Sitting near him, Rachel rested her chin on one
hand and looked at him. She couldn't help asking, "Aren't you curious to know with whom I had
dinner?"
"With Bill," Jack replied without raising his head.
"How did you know?" she asked. But before he could answer, she murmured to herself, "Of course, It
must be one of your friends who saw and told you about it."
Jack wiped his mouth and patted her head. "Yes, you are smart."
Pursing her lips, Rachel asked, "But do you have any idea what we were talking about?"
"No," Jack said truthfully. "Although a part of me really wants to know, I won't force you. It's your
personal matter."
His words made her really happy. Just to tease him, she asked, "Aren't you jealous?"
A sly smile flashed across his eyes at her question. He grabbed her arm and in a blink of an eye her
body was against his.
He smiled and said, "How can I not be jealous? When I am jealous, the consequence will be really bad.
I hope you know that. You will have to pay for it tonight." His voice was both teasing and seductive.
He lowered his head and was about to kiss her, but she covered his lips with her hand.
Rachel raised her eyebrows, looked straight into his dark eyes and said, "I asked Bill out today to tell
him that I won't be seeing him anymore. I told him I am getting back with you."
Jack, who normally had the upper hand, was at loss of words today. At this moment, he could only hear
his own heartbeat. He slowly fixed his eyes on her face and asked, "What did you say just now?"
He thought his ears were playing some tricks on him. What he heard was too good to be true. He
wanted her reassurance before he could be completely happy.
Rachel made a face at him and said, "Forget it. I won't repeat it." However, there was a smile on her
face which didn't go unnoticed by him.
She seemed a bit shy as well. Jack was a man who never let his guard down, but today his face
flushed with delight. Every sorrow he had felt in his life disappeared.
Even though she always looked beautiful, today her beauty was at its peak. She represented the
definition of life and hope to him.
His deep eyes were glimmering with happiness. He slowly approached her and whispered, "Rachel, I
love you."
She felt hot on her face. Just when she was about to speak, she was stopped his warm lips. It pressed
against hers. Speaking was the last thing she wanted to do now.
"Mindy, where is Rachel?"
asked the director. He had been searching for Rachel but she was nowhere to be found. Disappearing
during work hour was very unlikely of her. She was quite a punctual girl.
Mindy smiled and said, "She asked for leave today."
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