I raised an eyebrow and grinned. "Well, amidst all this chaos, I'm the only one not part of the drama."Daniela Barnett and I fell silent, observing the tense standoff between Evie, Briella Cortez, and the visibly displeased Quentin.Briella Cortez turned to Quentin, asking, "Quentin, why did you let such people move in?"Quentin found them both incredibly immature. Briella Cortez and Evie glanced at Quentin, curious about how he would respond.Suddenly, a noise echoed through the house, catching everyone's attention.The unmistakable sound of someone chewing popcorn.Holding a handful of popcorn, I stuttered, "..."Hahaha, this is so embarrassing...I reluctantly put down the popcorn, stood up with a guilty expression, and tried to head upstairs. But as I passed Evie, I was halted. Evie desperately signaled to me and mouthed the words "one thousand" very clearly.I glanced at Briella Cortez and Quentin, made a quick decision, and pulled Evie away."Hey, why are you dragging me? Where
I handed the five-dollar bill to the little girl. "Where is your village? What's its name?" I asked. "It's called Greenfield," the little girl replied. I remembered reading about her province during my studies. It was the region with the lowest GDP in the country, marked by rugged mountains and relative isolation, where many areas still struggled with poverty. "Alright, I understand," I reassured her, patting the little girl's head. "I'll come to visit you in the future." The village chief led the little girl away. I stood there, lost in thought for a while. Quentin Bennett, who had been seated nearby, couldn't help but approach me. "Is something on your mind?" "It's nothing," I replied. "Where are you planning to go now?" "I was thinking of buying clothes, but I'm afraid I might run into them in the clothing section." Just the thought of it made Quentin Bennett feel suffocated. I scanned the surroundings and noticed an arcade. I pointed in that direction. "How about going th
"Remember that strange video online? Ugh!" I barely got my words out before I was met with Quentin Bennett's ominous glare. "Our studio reported it," Quentin Bennett turned to scrutinize me, inquiring, "Have you seen it?" I mustered a smile, "Of course, it went viral, with tens of millions of views." "Hmm." "..." When Quentin Bennett got angry, it was genuinely terrifying. Inside my computer, there was a library of materials about Quentin Bennett. I hesitated, my hand shaking as I contemplated deleting it all, thinking about quitting this business for good. But... I stopped myself. This wasn't illegal, so why was I afraid? It wasn't that big of a deal. I forced a smile again and eagerly started going through Quentin Bennett's materials, then dragged them into my editing software. Poor Quentin Bennett was still lying on his yoga mat, completely unaware that I was at it again. I had overindulged myself; these days, I was completely engrossed in the bizarre editing business. Aft
Quentin Bennett shot her a cold look and remarked, "Nobody stays attractive forever." I playfully pointed to myself and quipped, "Well, I will." Quentin Bennett chuckled, "Is that so?" Briella Cortez sneered, clearly displeased with my interruption of their 'tender' conversation. "You don't even qualify as attractive." I widened my eyes in disbelief and retorted, "I'm not attractive? I thought I was considered a little beauty, at least!" "You're not attractive. Quentin is more attractive than you." "That's a lover's perspective. Haven't you heard that beauty is in the eye of the beholder?" Quentin Bennett furrowed his brow. "Enough, stop talking, shut up." Both Briella Cortez and I fell silent. I chose to gaze peacefully out of the window, while she obediently continued driving. --- Today, Quentin Bennett's job was to shoot an endorsement, and upon arriving at the location, I couldn't hide my disdain. "What international big-brand endorsement are you shooting? The set here i
"Did you catch the livestream today?" he asked. "Yeah, I did." I met his gaze, anticipating his next question. Quentin nodded with satisfaction, "Alright, I'm heading out." Just like that? He hurried over to knock on my door, just for this?! I intercepted him, "Just for this? Seriously?" Quentin turned around, a smirk on his lips, "Is it good-looking?" "Are you referring to yourself or the red carpet?" Quentin's amused expression gradually faded as he walked away, leaving me pondering the reason. The next day, Quentin took a break. Towards the end of the year, his job revolved around red carpets, and nothing more. However, today, Evie and the others couldn't stay home for various reasons, so only Quentin and I were at home. Yet, Quentin once again claimed my balcony, commandeering his cherished rocking chair. Covered in a blanket, he lay there, holding his phone, swaying back and forth. I was so irritated that I changed my position, turning my back to Quentin. Out of sight, out
Briella's expression tightened, and the warmth in her smile slowly faded. "Quentin, do you have to be so harsh with your words?" "If you don't want me to be harsh, then maybe avoid saying things that disgust me." Briella's face turned cold as she fixed her gaze on Quentin, as if trying to pierce through him with her eyes. Quentin quickly got under Briella's skin, and, remembering his "important business," he pushed me forward while firmly holding onto my collar. "Hey, hey, hey, don't take out your frustration on me because of Briella. I'm innocent." "Innocent? Did you forget about kicking me out earlier today? You just apologized, and now it's like you've totally forgotten." "I messed up." Admitting my mistake quickly might spare me from a lecture. Quentin led me to the kitchen, casually checking the feel of each kitchen tool—pots, spatulas, bottles, even frying pans. My eyes trembled as I watched Quentin handle the frying pan. Quentin put down the frying pan, and I let out a
Evie's emotions are like a whirlwind, shifting swiftly. After waking up from her alcohol-induced slumber, she was ready for a confrontation, arguing with Briella early in the morning. Even I, who had sympathized with Evie yesterday, couldn't help but roll my eyes; she's truly single-minded, with a brain capacity comparable to a dried booger. As the year-end approached, everyone was immersed in their own busyness. Quentin was captivating the red carpet, I was engrossed in my studies to secure my future, Daniela was preoccupied creating challenging exam papers, and Briella and Evie were swamped with their respective work commitments. Days passed in a blend of mundane routines and occasional conflicts. The day of my postgraduate entrance exam arrived unexpectedly, and suddenly everyone at home assumed the roles of concerned parents. Even Briella, who typically showed little interest, expressed her worry for me: "You have to give it your all. People like you can only elevate your status
"I know this area well, and at this hour, it's pretty deserted," he mentioned. Casually, I tugged at Quentin's coat, counting the pieces of his outfit from the collar. "It's freezing, and you're dressed too lightly, don't you think?" Quentin stayed silent, his gaze fixed on me, lost in thought. Feeling a bit uneasy under his scrutiny, I bent down and offered a pair of new slippers. "Here, put these on; they're fresh out of the box." "Thanks." It wasn't Quentin's first time here. He strolled into the guest room with familiarity. "It's pretty chilly; I'll grab a quick shower." "Sure, go ahead. I've got towels, bath towels, and a toothbrush in the bathroom for you. Pajamas are in there too." Quentin entered the bathroom and spotted neatly folded towels and pajamas on the shelf. "Got it," he acknowledged. I shrugged awkwardly. Just then, the doorbell chimed again—this time, the actual delivery had arrived. After taking the takeout to the kitchen, I remembered Quentin might be hung
The night was dim; I pulled down the curtains, shutting out the streetlights and faint moonlight outside, leaving only a bedside lamp glowing in the bedroom. I returned to the bedside, sat down, and looked down at Quentin, who was peacefully asleep. I sighed and then chuckled. "I wonder if it hurts." I touched Quentin's neck. This dramatic person actually used broken glass shards to stab into his neck. The tattered book from earlier, like a door of memories, sealed memories deep in my heart, suddenly lifted that barrier and surged unbridledly. "I..." Quentin grasped my hand in his sleep, tightly, as if afraid that I would run away. "I can't run. Wherever I am, you can find me." I smiled gently, lifted the blanket, lay down on the bed, and then placed my head on Quentin's shoulder. Smelling the fragrance of the person beside me, I slowly entered dreamland. The next day, when Quentin opened his eyes, he saw me lying beside him, looking at him.Quentin blinked slightly, and after
I smiled, "And then what?" She sighed, "And then I figured out that what's amiable is just because I'm an outsider, plus my uncle's friendship with dad, but you're different." I hmmmed, "I know." She finally laughed out loud and reached up to poke me in the head, "Just say 'I know'." When she finished she sighed, "You're really not leaving this time, are you?" She sniffled, "You did the same thing last time, acted like nothing happened in front of me and then left without saying a word." I shook my head, "Not leaving, really." She stared at my glasses for a long time, as if trying to see through me. After a long time, she sighs slightly and says to me, "Zephyrine, do you love me?" I looked at her glasses in the same way, at the tears hanging under her lashes, and the seriousness of the moment unlike any other. Without hesitation, I reached up and hooked my hand around her pinky and said, "Love." I really like her. The first time I saw her, I was about 10 years old
The lift was on the upper floors, and not wanting to wait, I took the side stairs. What was there to say to her, what else was there to say. I lowered my head and didn't say anything. His intention was for me to talk to Shelby, but I couldn't open my mouth when I saw Shelby. My father drove me to the airport, and at the last minute, I pulled out my phone and sent her a text message, "Let's break up." So after leaving from the house that day, I was resenting her in my heart, but on the one hand, I still liked her a lot, making me conflicted. On the way back, my mind was still a little foggy as far as what I had just said and done, and what my father had said and done was even more of a mess. She sniffled, "You can't lie to me in the future." It was slow going, the sound of my slippers touching the floor after the living room, chugging, and it didn't take long for my eyes to adjust to the light as I eased over and took a seat beside her. I patted her head and told her, "I'm no
First he looked at me, then he smothered his head in the covers, and after a few seconds of silence, because he wasn't breathing well, he reached out and poked holes in his face and the quilt pieces again, propping himself up with his arms. I smiled and asked in a low voice, "What time did you go to bed yesterday?" She mumbled a few times, "I don't know." No longer bothering her, patted her bottom hidden in the quilt, whispered to her that I went to work, and left the study. The summer days were a bit hot and lazy, and the day was over, but looking back I kind of don't remember exactly what I did, even though all the work was done. Went home as usual and Shelby wasn't there when I got there. Got a Snapchat from her a few minutes ago and she told me that her work was completely finished and figured she was on her way home now. I was a bit lazy tonight and didn't feel like cooking, so after playing on my phone in the living room for a while, I heard a noise coming from the doorway
She hmmmed, then moved a little closer to me and grabbed the collar and pulled it down, "Nah, take the edge off." I laughed, "Tell me more, we're not discussing this right now." She frowns, "Knowingly." When she stopped, I asked, "Is she swearing at me?" I let out a low chuckle and moved up, not biting, but kissing gently and looking up at her, "There." I nodded. She didn't look at me, and I didn't comment on her remark, heading towards the kitchen. She shook her head at me, "No, I won't go without Master Gu's permission." I reached out to touch her face, "Good boy." I gave a long drawn out, quizzical oh and looked at her and asked, "What if your mum, forces you to go?" She oh'ed and got off of me and sat to the side, continuing to pick up her phone. She looked up at me slightly, "Going somewhere?" Alanna laughs and adds, "I just told her we were on the phone, ugh, do you think she'll be listening on the door right now?" Alanna wails, "Yeah, scolding her for being nice."
"I heard that Shelby was competing a few months ago?" My father's words broke my thoughts and I looked up at him, he was smiling at Shelby, "How did it go?" I turned my head to look at him. I reached out and poked her collarbone, "What do you think I'm afraid of?" The living room of the house separates me from my dad's room, and if there are no other guests, this bathroom is for my sole use, so to speak. She stepped forward and said softly, "Didn't you hear my mother say, I was called there by her." I jerked my foot back and silently pulled my chair back and stood up, heading towards the bathroom. Shelby smiled and replied, "Took first place." She gave me a look that was more like it. Shelby's mother laughed, put her chopsticks down, and said in a serious and slightly flirtatious manner, "It's rare that you're interested in matchmaking today, I really do have quite a lot of photos and profiles of various single youths on hand." She poked Shelby in the barrel, "Go get the mobi
Good to know. I turned my head and looked at her a little, "Hard to hear." The owner smiled, "Miss Zephyrine had a great idea, we just followed it." Old auntie smiled at me, big red lipstick while her teeth white bright, eyes winking said: "Dear, do not think I am very cute?" After that she asked, "Can I really not go tomorrow?" I assumed it was another guest, but to my surprise, half a minute later, it was Shelby, and her mother, who walked into the house. I'm afraid I can't say any more words of blessing, Shelby is better at this kind of thing. After waiting in the shop a little longer for the owner to finish touching up my handwriting, we left. Alanna had taken the guy after all, and she had borrowed this car from him for the night, and had just had a long discussion in the car park about who was going to be the driver, before finally letting me be in the driver's seat. The next day was Sunday, and when I took a taxi to the house, it was just about dinner time, so I went
She said with a faint oh and a look of death, "Sofia said you're a quiet person, very much to her liking, and you're reliable in your studies or in your work, and you also have a tacit understanding with you and have a lot to talk about." She shrugged her shoulders and didn't move on, just fed me a bite and she took a bite of her own. I was puzzled, "How come I didn't know that." I interrupted her, "Sofia is treated as an old friend in my case, in my opinion it's normal for friends who haven't seen each other for years to have dinner." I smiled, "Of course, it's also a fact that she's my ex-girlfriend, so I told you as soon as I got back, and if you think this needs to be a pissed off tantrum, then the prerequisite for that should be that Sofia and I are still coupled up, and that I'm still having a fling with her, but the fact that it's not is not the case, so this is not something that needs to be a tantrum." "But I'm still hung up on the fact that you two were alone, so what d
Just a few metres away, I was torn between saying hello and not saying hello, but finally chose the latter and walked straight towards the side away from her without moving. She was standing over at one of the department's presentation boards, looking up intently without being disturbed by people coming and going. I looked at her from a distance, I hadn't seen her for a few years, but she seemed to be the same as before, her hair hadn't grown, and her clothes were still in the same style. Shelby is a person who lives a very casual life, a lot of places to make do, not too concerned about the details, a lot of trivial things she listens to me, but also rest assured to let me, no matter what kind, she has no objections. The waiter served the first course, which suddenly reminded me of the person still sleeping at home, and I couldn't worry about her, so I picked up my phone and ordered takeaway for her. We walked together in the direction of the lift, but on the way, met a person.