The man was talkative and funny, which made Melinda feel comfortable. She couldn't stop laughing at
his jokes.
Melinda didn't put on weight easily. She felt helpless most of the time. Moreover, she had a good
appetite and couldn't stop eating.
The man picked all the scrumptious desserts and placed them next to Melinda's plate. Her mouth
began to water at the mere sight of the dishes. Although Melinda had a good appetite, this was too
much for her. She had already eaten a lot and her stomach would burst if she tried stuffing more food.
Melinda happily chatted with the man. Talking to him was easy and they seemed to get along well.
They had a lot in common and Melinda felt that he had a charming personality. Her opinion of the man
grew better with their conversation.
"You seem like a very interesting person." Melinda propped her chin on her palm and smiled at him.
The man was good looking, and from her conversation with him, Melinda could tell that he was mature.
But he sometimes behaved like a child, which she felt was incredibly cute. He was affable, warm, and
capable of striking a conversation with just about anyone.
"Are you always this ambiguous or is it just with me?" he asked, chuckling.
The man couldn't tell if Melinda was complimenting or teasing him.
Melinda smiled.
The man didn't try pushing her further. Melinda was glad to have met him, or else, the party would have
been boring. As time passed, people began to leave. Melinda's eyes involuntarily searched for Queena
and Yulia.
"It's nice to meet you. I think we should be friends. My name is Leo Liu."
He smiled and reached out his hands for Melinda to take.
"Melinda Mo." She clasped his slender hand and smiled.
Leo Liu looked at Melinda's beautiful hand and smiled in return. He immediately pulled out his phone
and asked for Melinda's number.
Melinda hardly met good, interesting people, so she gave her number without hesitation.
Queena waved goodbye to her friends and was about to leave. Melinda immediately stood up as
Queena didn't bother looking for her.
"I have to go now. Bye."
She smiled wryly and scurried to catch up with Queena. When Queena saw Melinda, she turned away
and continued to walk.
The road was desolated and they were the only people to head back home. Yulia had managed to
make a lot of friends and they were already getting ready for the next party.
Queena despised Melinda and was uncomfortable to be in the same car with her. But there was only
one car to pick them up and Melinda sat on the passenger seat.
Melinda was lonely and depressed. She asked the driver to drop her at the garment store.
"Mother, I've got some work to do. You go ahead. I'll come back soon,"
Melinda said, even though she knew that Queena didn't care about where she went or what she did.
Queena raised the window and asked the driver to leave, without looking at Melinda.
Melinda watched the car breeze past her. She rubbed her arms and walked into the store.
It was late at night and there was no one in the store except for the salesgirl. Her jaw dropped in shock
when she saw Melinda. She felt that the dress looked perfect on her, just the way the designer wanted
it to be.
It accentuated Melinda's features beautifully and Melinda seemed to add an inexplicable beauty to the
dress as well.
The salesgirl inspected the dress and smiled at Melinda. "The dress looks fine. There's no damage. Let
me get the item that you have mortgaged."
She returned with the limited edition watch that Melinda had mortgaged for the dress. The watch was a
gift from Jonas.
Melinda would never wear the watch if it wasn't necessary.
"Thank you."
Melinda had changed into a simple shirt, pair of jeans, and a pink coat. The coat highlighted the blush
on her cheeks, which made her look adorable.
Melinda walked out of the shop to hail a taxi. The air was chilly and Melinda braced herself, hoping to
get a taxi soon. She stuck her hand out to stop a taxi but none of them seemed to stop.
"I'll pay twice the price, Sir. Please drop me home," she bargained to one of the drivers.
The driver's face lit up. It was a tempting offer and he couldn't refuse. "All right. It's cold outside. Get in
the car."
The driver was talkative, so Melinda wasn't bored on her way home. When she was about to get down,
her phone chimed with a message. Melinda checked the notification and found that someone had
added her on WeChat.
"Hello, Melinda. I'm Leo Liu." His message was concise, completely in contrast to the boisterous
person he was.
Melinda checked Leo Liu's picture. He was wearing a black suit and a tie, looking incredibly handsome.
Melinda quickly clicked the agreement just as the taxi stopped in front of the Gu's mansion.
"I'll get down here. How about I transfer the money to your WeChat?" she asked.
The driver took out his mobile phone and gave her the bill. Melinda transferred the money and saw that
Leo Liu had already sent several texts to her.
"You left just like that, without saying a proper goodbye. Have you reached home?"
He sent the message along with funny emojis. Melinda shook her head and smiled.
"Yes, I'm home now. Talk to you later," she replied.
The Gu's mansion was enormous and it took about twenty minutes to walk from the main villa to the
gate. The security guard saw Melinda and asked one of the servants to arrange a car for her.
Melinda didn't refuse. She had been wearing high heels all night and her feet were throbbing in pain.
As soon as Melinda entered the villa, she headed straight to the bathroom and took a soothing, hot
bath.
By the time she walked out of the shower, it was already nine o'clock. Since Jonas hadn't returned,
Melinda plopped on the sofa with the phone in her hand. She turned the TV on and switched to a
random channel that was playing a soap opera.
The conversation of the characters faded in the background when Melinda checked her phone.
She opened WeChat and saw the message from Leo Liu.
"Why were you in such a hurry to leave home? Call me if you need any help!"
"I had an important thing to do. It's sorted now, don't worry."
Melinda was referring to the dress that she had to return. But Leo Liu's eyebrows furrowed as he
thought that she was in trouble.
He had seen the way Queena and Yulia treated Melinda and felt that she must have been having a
hard time in the family.
"Anyway, can you recommend good movies to watch? I'm tired of watching new ones and it would be
great if you suggested some good, old classics."
Leo Liu was good at keeping a conversation. He could talk to anyone, about anything at ease. Melinda
began to think about all the good movies that she had watched.
Melinda had watched many old movies to get inspiration for her writing.
"Why do you want to watch old movies? What's wrong with the new ones?"
Melinda felt that it was weird for a trendy guy like Leo Liu to watch old movies.
"Movies these days have no stories. They are just focused on showcasing the brilliance of technology.
Whereas, old films have amazing actors backed by wonderful stories. They have worked hard to bring
the characters on screen and we shouldn't forget them."
Melinda was shocked by Leo Liu's articulate answer but she couldn't help but argue.
"Actors of our generation are equally talented. The filming process has evolved over the years and has
managed to make realistic movies."
Melinda continued to give examples from movies to support her statement. The two of them continued
to chat about movies, film making, and their favorite films. Moreover, Leo Liu had watched almost all
the movies that Melinda suggested.
The conversation soon took a different course as they began to discuss the hidden meaning behind the
film. They had different opinions but the argument became more interesting and intellectual. But they
finally gave up as there was only limited information about the movie.
"Let's have dinner someday," Leo Liu sent.
He grew nervous after sending the message. He was afraid that Melinda would refuse the offer and
stop talking to him altogether. As expected, Melinda politely declined the offer but he was glad that she
didn't admonish him for asking her out.
Leo Liu looked at the message and smiled awkwardly.
"No, I'm married."
Melinda could guess that Leo Liu had a crush on her. He was finding excuses to talk to her. Melinda
was also fond of him but he was just a friend to her.
Leo Liu could be a great friend. He had an amazing personality that made her feel at ease.
"I know that you are married and that your husband's name is Jonas Gu."
Melinda was yet again surprised by Leo Liu's message. Her face flustered with embarrassment. She
wanted to take back what she had sent but it was too late. She didn't know what to reply.
Fortunately, Leo Liu saved the trouble by sending another message.
"Melinda, I'm your fan. Can't you fulfill a fan's wish?"
Melinda couldn't help but chuckle. But she was confused. How did Leo Liu know so much about her?
He was aware that she was a writer and that she was married to Jonas. Melina wondered if he was an
old schoolmate.
Melinda became curious and started to look at the website of her alma mater to find any information
about Leo Liu. She soon realized that he had studied in the same school as her.
He was two years younger than she was. There were a lot of information about him, all of them were
compliments about his immense talent and good conduct.
"Oh, we are from the same school."
she said, beaming with joy.
"Yes. You have no idea about how much I admire your writing. But it's a pity that my knowledge of
literature is limited and I cannot write. Otherwise, I would have joined you and Kent to write wonderful
stories. I'm sure we would have explored the world of literature together."
Melinda burst into a fit of laughter. She felt that Leo Liu was a little child at times. Melinda bonded well
with him after she found that they were from the same school.
When Jonas returned home, he couldn't take his eyes off Melinda. She looked incredibly happy and he
felt as if he were traveling in time. Melinda had been depressed lately and Jonas felt happy to see her
smile. He wanted to carefully preserve her precious smile and protect it at all cost.
Melinda's eyes were fixed on the phone. Jonas pushed the door until it squeaked loudly. He removed
his suit and looked at Melinda to check if he had caught her attention. However, Melinda did not turn
her head to look at him, as if she had not heard the door open.
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