While she was sound asleep in the guest room, Cree endured a bout of insomnia. Ever since undergoing therapy to forget his former pains of being hurt by a woman, he had not anticipated that he would be emotionally injured once again. Why had this happened just when he had been looking forward to her answer? Cree took out his smartphone and scrolled through the photographs in the gallery of his smartphone.
He had about fifty photographs, of which thirty-two were candid shots he had taken of Qiao Ruo when she was asleep or occupied with other matters. If loving was so painful, what he could he do to forget all his pain?
He didn't understand what had caused her to go binge-drinking suddenly and as Lu Hanyang had said, she had even thrown herself into his embrace. Cree had figured that he and Qiao Ruo had a deep emotional bond, but everything that had happened that night had been out of his expectations. He didn't like how she tended to take risks that endangered her safety. This time, her poor decision making had created so much displeasure and discomfort when he believed he could have given her everything to ensure her happiness.
The sight of Lu Hanyang was revolting, and he wished he could call upon a magic spell to rid his existence from the world.
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An intense pain radiated through her head, inhibiting her from getting up from the bed. Qiao Ruo realized that she must have had a drop too much the night before. Nevertheless, She struggled to pull herself up, clutching the side of her head. After a long battle with her headache, she finally managed to get up. She noticed the wet towel that had dropped beside her on the bed. She was also aware that someone had helped her change out of the clothes she had worn the night before. In this place, such a person could only be Cree Ye.
She was alone in the mansion, as Cree had already left for work. She knew it was not like him to go without a word, in spite that he had left her breakfast, a couple of painkillers and a note.
"Xiaoruo,
I have an urgent meeting and some clients. Not sure if I'll be back for dinner tonight. Don't wait up.
- Cree."
She knew that he had to be hiding something from her to avoiding her this way, and if she had not doubted him as well, she would have marched herself to his office and discovered the truth.
But in fact, this was the first day that Cree, as Ye Qi, would formally step into the publisher to familiarize himself with its operations. It would be a long day, and he had a lot of work to do to accustom himself to the ways of the company. Qiao Ruo had called in sick and would be continuing her work from home. Perhaps, she thought, it was a good thing that she would have to not deal with their faces.
After hours of lying in bed without anything to do while resting after taking her painkillers, Qiao Ruo grabbed her smartphone and was about to dial Cree's number stopped while dialling his number when she recalled how she had a night of heavy drinking. Following that, she had woken up back in Cree's mansion. Had Cree gone himself to pick her up? If so, why were they sleeping in separate rooms? Why was he avoiding her?
Previously, Cree had been sweet and caring, but just in the span of one night, he had evolved so much. She didn't know if he was still the Cree she knew. Had it all been due to Yueling's appearance? She shivered as she remembered how the day before, he had smiled at her. Things had transformed so rapidly that she couldn't see the future between them any longer.
She didn't know if there was a point in her remaining, now that Yueling had returned. If Cree liked her, and vice versa, couldn't she carry out the plan that Cree had wanted? Unless, if it was Yueling who didn't like Cree in that way yet. If that was the case, then it was just a matter of time before Yueling started falling head over heels for Cree, only as Qiao Ruo herself had experienced.
