Lin Nuan’s fists tightened around the papers she was holding. Apart from the slight shock, she surprisingly didn’t feel anything else.
Probably, just as Wen Moshen had said, it was all in the past.
“Wen Moshen said from the start that he’s never one to make the first move when it comes to relationships, and he almost just called on you later on. Nuan Nuan… I don’t believe that you don’t understand what Wen Moshen was hinting at?” Bai Xiaonian said as she observed Lin Nuan’s reaction.
Lin Nuan understood, which was why she was sitting there looking through the papers for the afternoon interview instead of going to find Wen Moshen to reminisce.
If it were four or five years ago, Lin Nuan would probably still have the courage to confess to Wen Moshen.
But right then, Lin Nuan didn’t know when it happened, Wen Moshen… Was no longer the person she desired for but could never attain.
Inside the waiting room, Bai Xiaonian stared at Lin Nuan’s face, and she knew… That Lin Nuan was over it.
Bai Xiaonian gradually calmed down from her excitement and placed a hand on the dressing table as she leaned over in front of Lin Nuan. She asked probingly, “Gu Hanyan stole your experience, but you’re not planning to tell Wen Moshen that either, right?”
“What’s the point of saying that, I’m not planning to be together with Wen Moshen anyway…” Lin Nuan replied as she tidied up the pages in her hands and looked downwards at them. “Since I’m not planning to be with him, why should I say it and put him in a difficult spot. Or perhaps, following the course of his flight to find traces of him was simply an excuse he found to forgive Gu Hanyan.”
“If you’re not planning to be with Wen Moshen, who do you want to be with? Fu Huai’an?”
Hearing Bai Xiaonian mention his name, Lin Nuan’s heart panicked and she flipped through another page as she tried to steer away from the topic, asking, “Why haven’t you gone back to rest?”
Immediately after she spoke, there was knocking on the door of the waiting room.
“Please enter…” Lin Nuan called out.
It was Miss Xia who pushed the door open with a to-go cup of coffee in her hand.
She stood at the entrance and didn’t enter, simply holding onto the door handle as she told Lin Nuan, “Su Manman’s manager just called to say that Su Manman got into a small accident on the way and can’t make it for today’s program, so we’ve shifted it to tomorrow. Lin Nuan, pack up… Follow me to lunch later at noon to accompany a female leader from the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television…”
Bai Xiaonian was about to open her mouth, but Miss Xia spoke first and quickly rebutted whatever Bai Xiaonian was about to say, saying, “I know you two are close, but this time, Bai Xiaonian—you better not go. The leader is a woman, and seductive beauties like you won’t please her.”
Bai Xiaonian was clearly pleased by Miss Xia referring to her as a beauty.
Lin Nuan believed Miss Xia saying it was a woman, so she packed up the information in her hands and replied, “Ok…”
The phone in Miss Xia’s pocket vibrated, and she took it out to glance at it, before looking up at Lin Nuan and saying, “Meet you at the carpark in 20 minutes!”
Miss Xia picked up the call and turned to leave once she saw Lin Nuan nod her head.
…
Lin Nuan just boarded Miss Xia’s car when she saw Miss Xia, with a thin ladies’ cigarette between her lips, holding the steering wheel with one hand as she reached over the backseat to pass a kraft paper bag to Lin Nuan.
“What is this?” Lin Nuan asked without opening the bag.
Miss Xia started up the car’s engine and put out the cigarette in the ashtray in the car. She rolled up the car windows and turned on the air conditioning before saying, “Your reward for helping me last time.”
Lin Nuan opened the bag to see 30,000 dollars in cash inside.
“Miss Xia…”
“Don’t reject it. If you do so, I’ll think that you won’t help me keep the secret. You can take it as bribery for you to keep quiet about it. Once there’s money involved, there’ll be interests involved, and only then will I feel at ease.” Miss Xia spoke with a hint of a smile in her voice as she looked straight forward. “I only believe in interests, not relationships.”
Lin Nuan’s fists tightened around the papers she was holding. Apart from the slight shock, she surprisingly didn’t feel anything else.
Probably, just as Wen Moshen had said, it was all in the past.
“Wen Moshen said from the start that he’s never one to make the first move when it comes to relationships, and he almost just called on you later on. Nuan Nuan… I don’t believe that you don’t understand what Wen Moshen was hinting at?” Bai Xiaonian said as she observed Lin Nuan’s reaction.
Lin Nuan understood, which was why she was sitting there looking through the papers for the afternoon interview instead of going to find Wen Moshen to reminisce.
If it were four or five years ago, Lin Nuan would probably still have the courage to confess to Wen Moshen.
But right then, Lin Nuan didn’t know when it happened, Wen Moshen… Was no longer the person she desired for but could never attain.
Inside the waiting room, Bai Xiaonian stared at Lin Nuan’s face, and she knew… That Lin Nuan was over it.
Bai Xiaonian gradually calmed down from her excitement and placed a hand on the dressing table as she leaned over in front of Lin Nuan. She asked probingly, “Gu Hanyan stole your experience, but you’re not planning to tell Wen Moshen that either, right?”
“What’s the point of saying that, I’m not planning to be together with Wen Moshen anyway…” Lin Nuan replied as she tidied up the pages in her hands and looked downwards at them. “Since I’m not planning to be with him, why should I say it and put him in a difficult spot. Or perhaps, following the course of his flight to find traces of him was simply an excuse he found to forgive Gu Hanyan.”
“If you’re not planning to be with Wen Moshen, who do you want to be with? Fu Huai’an?”
Hearing Bai Xiaonian mention his name, Lin Nuan’s heart panicked and she flipped through another page as she tried to steer away from the topic, asking, “Why haven’t you gone back to rest?”
Immediately after she spoke, there was knocking on the door of the waiting room.
“Please enter…” Lin Nuan called out.
It was Miss Xia who pushed the door open with a to-go cup of coffee in her hand.
She stood at the entrance and didn’t enter, simply holding onto the door handle as she told Lin Nuan, “Su Manman’s manager just called to say that Su Manman got into a small accident on the way and can’t make it for today’s program, so we’ve shifted it to tomorrow. Lin Nuan, pack up… Follow me to lunch later at noon to accompany a female leader from the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television…”
Bai Xiaonian was about to open her mouth, but Miss Xia spoke first and quickly rebutted whatever Bai Xiaonian was about to say, saying, “I know you two are close, but this time, Bai Xiaonian—you better not go. The leader is a woman, and seductive beauties like you won’t please her.”
Bai Xiaonian was clearly pleased by Miss Xia referring to her as a beauty.
Lin Nuan believed Miss Xia saying it was a woman, so she packed up the information in her hands and replied, “Ok…”
The phone in Miss Xia’s pocket vibrated, and she took it out to glance at it, before looking up at Lin Nuan and saying, “Meet you at the carpark in 20 minutes!”
Miss Xia picked up the call and turned to leave once she saw Lin Nuan nod her head.
…
Lin Nuan just boarded Miss Xia’s car when she saw Miss Xia, with a thin ladies’ cigarette between her lips, holding the steering wheel with one hand as she reached over the backseat to pass a kraft paper bag to Lin Nuan.
“What is this?” Lin Nuan asked without opening the bag.
Miss Xia started up the car’s engine and put out the cigarette in the ashtray in the car. She rolled up the car windows and turned on the air conditioning before saying, “Your reward for helping me last time.”
Lin Nuan opened the bag to see 30,000 dollars in cash inside.
“Miss Xia…”
“Don’t reject it. If you do so, I’ll think that you won’t help me keep the secret. You can take it as bribery for you to keep quiet about it. Once there’s money involved, there’ll be interests involved, and only then will I feel at ease.” Miss Xia spoke with a hint of a smile in her voice as she looked straight forward. “I only believe in interests, not relationships.”
