Chapter 21: Get Away From Me

I proudly sent two beautiful photos over to Sera.

Sera replied with a row of ellipses, probably afraid of discouraging me, but then she added another line: There is still plenty of room for improvement.

The corners of my mouth curled up as I began to picture the look of surprise and admiration on Christian's face when he saw the cake. Just as I was thinking about him, my phone rang. He had lowered his voice significantly, saying he was over at his wife's place and would have to wait a few more days before he could return, reminding me to go to sleep early.

I said it was fine.

Christian sharply picked up on the shift in my mood. "Are you unhappy?"

Adopting a relaxed tone, I dumped the cake I had spent the entire afternoon laboring over straight into the trash can, my voice entirely indifferent. "No, go ahead and focus on your work." With cream and jam smeared all over my hands, I turned on the faucet, trying to wash away the suffocating tightness in my chest.

But this wave of emotion quickly surged up to my chest, completely impossible to suppress. I opened the refrigerator, pulled out some alcohol, and knocked back a few gulps, yet I still felt deeply unsatisfied. Changing my clothes, I headed out to a bar.

I didn't dare go to a prominent club, terrified of running into someone who knew Christian, since he despised it when I drank. I ordered quite a bit of alcohol that night; since Christian wasn't coming back tomorrow anyway, it didn't matter if I ended up with a hangover. By the time I stepped out of the bar, the night was already deep. Walking down the street with a cool breeze brushing against my face, my steps were still relatively steady.

My alcohol tolerance had always been quite good, and after accompanying Christian to countless banquets over the years, it had only grown stronger. The only frustrating thing was discovering that my wallet was missing. I hadn't brought my phone, and with absolutely no money on me, I had no choice but to walk back. Frustratedly running a hand through my hair, I thought, so be it.

After walking just a few paces, a sports car sped past me, only to reverse back almost immediately. The headlights flashed unceremoniously across my face, piercing my eyes with a sharp glare. Thoroughly irritated as the alcohol rushed to my head, I kicked the side of the car. "How the hell are you driving!"

Of course, daring to speak like this was largely due to the fact that I was quite drunk.

Kicking the sports car caused me to lose my balance. Stumbling, I almost fell, quickly using the car to steady myself. The headlights cut out, and someone stepped out of the vehicle, leaning against the door. "Oh, we meet again."

The streetlights were dim, preventing me from making out his face clearly. Two other people were still sitting inside the car, letting out a provocative whistle toward me.

"What, did you forget me so quickly, Chloe?" The streetlights flickered across the man's sharp features, and I finally saw clearly—Julian.

He spoke faintly, "What's all this? Have you lost favor, or are you just being neglected?"

Julian leaned in closer until his nose was nearly touching mine. I caught the subtle scent of tobacco mixed with the crisp fragrance of the roadside trees at night, a scent that wasn't repulsive at all. He arched an eyebrow. "Have you been drinking?"

I turned my face away. "Get away from me."

This time, he was quite sensible. He tilted his head back slightly, leaving a safe distance between us. Yet his deep eyes remained fixed intently on me as a slow smile spread across his face.

I had no idea where the sudden surge of boldness came from, causing me to utter words I would never say while sober. Letting out an alcoholic hiccup, I extended my hand toward him. "Give me some money, I need to take a cab back." My body swayed slightly, and Julian quickly caught me to steady me again.

He clearly hadn't expected this remark from me, freezing for a fraction of a second before reaching into his pockets. Turning around, he tapped on the car window. "Do you guys have any cash?" Laughter drifted out from inside the vehicle. "Why would we need cash, Julian? Isn't there a perfectly good car right here?"

Julian shot a glare backward, silencing his friends instantly. He took a few hundred-dollar bills from his friend and stuffed them into my hand. "You owe me another one this time, I'm putting it on your tab."

Chapter 22: The Ideal Type

Before the bills could even warm up in my hand, he tried to pull them back. Was he seriously regretting it this quickly? Guarding the money like food, I dodged Julian's hand. He told me not to misunderstand, adding that since I was this drunk, he might as well drive me back, as it wasn't worth the gas money to argue.

I told him to leave me alone, insisting I would go back by myself.

I extended my hand to hail a cab. When I arrived home, the driver handed me my change and asked, "That's your boyfriend, right? A car has been following us the entire way, completely impossible to shake off."

Only then did I realize Julian had followed me the whole ride back, terrified for my safety.

The next day, I was awoken by Sera's relentless, frantic phone calls. Opening my eyes and sliding my phone open, I let out a yawn while complaining, "It's barely past four, what kind of episode are you having?" Sera's tone was filled with shock. "Four in the afternoon! You need to wake up, I'm almost downstairs at your place!"

Glancing out the window, the sky was completely bright, with a few rays of sunlight creeping through the gaps in the curtains. I really had slept myself into a daze.

Sera didn't arrive empty-handed, carrying a massive insulated food container. She arranged the dishes on the dining table, turning to look at me as I stepped out from washing up. "My mom made it. I originally intended for it to be your dinner, but looking at you now, let's just count it as breakfast." I nodded, taking a seat.

Sera leaned in to sniff my clothes, asking with a look of distaste, "Did you drink yesterday?"

This girl's nose was sharper than a hound's.

She had sought me out today because she wanted me to accompany her to get her hair done, mentioning she had a date tomorrow. Sensing something was up, I asked, "A blind date?"

Usually, whenever her mother arranged blind dates for her, Sera would avoid them like the plague, ducking out whenever possible. This time was an absolute anomaly. Sera didn't hide it either, her face radiant with a brilliant smile as she claimed she had seen his photo, and he was practically her ideal type.

A total fangirl.

"Give it a rest, you can't just look at a man's appearance," I couldn't help but remind her. Sera countered defiingly, "True, not everyone can be like Christian—handsome and wonderful to you. A man like that is impossible to find even if you search with a lantern."

I didn't have many aspirations left in this life, but among the few I held, there was one—hoping Sera would find a clean, decent family to entrust her life to, so her future kids could take care of me in my old age or something. I used to joke about this with her frequently.

Sera's family was well-off, and this particular blind date's family owned a small company, making them a perfect match on paper. It was clear Sera was highly satisfied; whenever she brought up the man, the smile never left her face. Since she had been cheated on by her ex-boyfriend, I had rarely seen her this happy.

After finishing the meal, I sat in front of the mirror applying makeup while Sera lounged on the bed, chatting with me idly. Just as I was drawing my eyebrows, she suddenly piped up, "There's actually another reason I came today. Your man called me, telling me to check on you."

Sera and Christian had absolutely zero connection under normal circumstances. But on one occasion when my chronic stomach issues flared up so severely I was rolling on the floor in pain, Sera rushed me to the hospital and, out of concern, contacted Christian. He was incredibly busy during that period, so he begged Sera to look after me. I wasn't surprised they shared contact information.

Sera added, "To be honest, this food was actually ordered by Mr. Christian, it wasn't made by my mom."

My face remained blank. "I tasted it from the very first bite. You constantly complain about how bland your mother's cooking is, so how could she suddenly make dishes with such heavy flavors." Sera let out a giggle. "So don't be angry anymore, my mission is officially accomplished."