While Yue Ling finished solving her own problem, in another part of Imperial, Liu Shan’s black car slows to a stop in front of his apartment complex. He turns the engine off but does not step out right away.
Ever since the incident with Chu Li Xiang, he had not come back here until now. This place is where he lives, but looking at it now, all it does is give him a painful ache in his chest.
Exhaling a long sigh, he grabs his things and opens the door. Even if he doesn’t want to come back here, he has no choice but to come fight the feelings inside him.
Whether he runs into Ling Ni or not, they are still neighbors and Yue Ling was right.
If he wants to move on, he needs closure.
Taking another deep breath, he picks himself up and head for the stairs to go home. Maybe there’s a possible chance that he won’t run into Ling Ni.
Slowly climbing up the stairs to the top, he sighs in relief when there was no one standing in the hallway to his door.
Just as he arrived in front of his apartment door, a voice calls out to him and a nervous feeling burst inside him. It was a voice he had once liked listening to, but now, it was like a dagger that stabs him in the heart.
Closing his eyes, he steadies himself and reopens his eyes. Turning his head in the direction of the stairs, he puts on the best and natural smile he can make.
Ling Ni had just returned from visiting her parents. She had not seen Liu Shan since their encounter at Glory. So when she saw his car parked downstairs, she ran as fast as she could in hopes of catching him in time.
When she saw that he hadn’t entered his apartment, she was relieved, but also sad. However, when she called out him and he forced that smile, her heart ached so much.
She sighs a faint smile as best as she could and takes a step forward.
Liu Shan stares at the woman in front of him. He doesn’t answer her but ponder in thoughts.
Usually she would wear a pretty dress, but at this moment, she was dressed more casually. A simple black jumpsuit with a tan trench coat over.
Even after what happened between them, she was still as pretty as always.
However, knowing that things cannot go back to how they were, he sighs a smile.
"Let me put my things away."
In the past, he would have invited her inside, but now was different. If he lets her in, there’s a chance he won’t be able to move on because the feelings of her will still linger in his home.
After putting his things away, Liu Shan and Ling Ni walked to the side of the apartment building. There was a man-made lake that held a stunning view,
It was also the reason why Liu Shan chose to live here. That way, on his days off, he could enjoy the view from inside his house or take a run around the lake.
Sitting down on a bench that faced the lake, Liu Shan could see that the sun would be setting behind the lake. Just from the thought of it, he could already picture a beautiful scene.
However, beautiful or not, at this moment, it is only a sad painting for him and Ling Ni.
The two individuals had not spoken a word since they sat down.
Liu Shan had always wished that time would slow down for him when he was with Ling Ni, but now... Now he just wish that time would speed up so he can move on.
Thinking this, he decides to break the silence without looking at her.
"What is it that you want to talk about?"
Ling Ning was staring down at the grass in front of her. When she heard his tone full of indifference, she felt another stab to her heart. She couldn’t help but look at him.
It hurts to see him treat her so coldly, but she cannot blame him. It was her who hurt him first.
Shifting her gaze away from him, she looks back down at the grass.
"The woman from that night, she is very pretty. Is she the person you are seeing?"
It was her first time seeing Yuanyuan, and even she finds the woman very pretty and attractive. If she were man, she would also pursue Yuanyuan too.
"Whether I am seeing her or not, I don’t have to answer to you."
Liu Shan didn’t care and retorted her words. However, only he knows how hard it is for him to act this way. He is trying his best to not lash out at her and ask her why.
Why did she give him false hopes? Why couldn’t she just tell him that she was already with someone? Why did she have to go and make him fall for her? Why did she take his heart and smash it to bits of pieces?
Ling Ni press her lips tightly together at his response. She scoffs a sarcastic chuckle in self-pity.
"You are right. I am no one to you and you don’t have to tell me anything."
Liu Shan doesn’t respond to her words and the atmosphere became quiet again.
She sighs a smile full of regret, pain and sadness. When she saw Liu Shan enter the room with the pretty woman, she felt a suffocating feeling inside her. It was a feeling she never felt before until she met him.
However, she kept telling herself that she cannot have these feelings because these feelings are out of her reach.
Glancing up to the clear blue sky, two birds suddenly soar over the lake. The one behind follows the one in the front. Like two lovers chasing after one another.
"I never told anyone, but the truth is, I envy those who have the opportunity to choose how they want to live and who they want to be with."
Hearing her words, Liu Shan slightly furrow his brows.
When he was moving to Imperial, he had done a background check on the families here. From what he can remember, Ling Ni is from a wealthy family. However, as the only daughter and child of her family, what can she possible envy?
Then again, he didn’t go into further details of her and her family’s life because he thought it wasn’t necessary.
"Liu Shan, I want to tell you my story."
Her words fell, but Liu Shan still remains quiet. Taking it as his way of approving her to go on, she proceeds to tell him.