Chapter 244: Friends
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She unlocked her phone and saw there were two new messages.
The first one was from unknown numbers. It only took a glance for her to recognize it. From the unique last four digit numbers, she recognized these numbers were Vivian's.
The second text was from Li Xiqing. Shao Yan decided to open it first.
'I will be home late tonight, Martin arrived today. I am going to bring him out for dinner.'
Martin had been working from AG International Japan office most of his time. But for the next few weeks, he would be in Shanghai for a meeting with Ido Kanagawa in a few days.
Shao Yan quickly typed in her reply.
'Alright, I know. Don't worry about me and be careful.'
And then she opened the second text message.
'Hello, Shao Yan, I am already in the area. Take your time, I will be meeting you at the cafe later - Vivian'
....
Shao Yan unconsciously took a deep breath.
This was it.
She had read this moment a lot; from both in her novels or her TV drama.
The moment where the protagonist was finally meeting the ex-girlfriend. And then all the ugly drama resurfaced.
She shook her head lightly to disperse the ugly thoughts away.
'I hope this woman is polite enough to have civilized conversation,' Shao Yan thought to herself.
She was walking towards the escalator to go downstairs. And then suddenly she paused in her steps.
'What does she want by meeting me anyway?' She started to question inside her heart.
She shook her head again, 'Let it be," and then she sighed, 'let's just get this done and over with.'
As she reached downstairs, her team leaders started to approach her one after another.
Shao Yan did a quick discussion with each of them about the events before she left.
"I will take a break now, and be back in about one hour," she paused, and quickly corrected herself, "maybe even less. I am planning to just get a cup of coffee."
She swiped her gaze around, "Does anyone need anything?"
....
"Ice Americano."
The waitress nodded, "Anything else, miss?"
Vivan did not bother to open the cafe menu and ordered her drink right away. Upon hearing the question, she pondered for a while.
"I do want some dessert, what do you recommend?"
The waiter smiled politely, and then with her palm side up, she waved to the display cabinet at the side of the store, "Our specialty is the crepes cake. We have Chocolate, Strawberry or Matcha."
She placed her delicate chin on top of her folder arms on the desk, "Matcha, please," she said after pondering for a while.
The waitress took her order swiftly, and then she walked away.
Vivian placed her purse on the table, and opened it to take a pocket size mirror from the inside.
She inspected her own reflections from the mirror carefully, making sure her looks were presentable and stunning as usual.
She took out a lip balm, and uncapped it; Vivian swiped the cherry scented liquid onto her soft lips. Her left hand was holding the mirror, while she tidied up her hair with her right fingers. Smacking her lips together a couple of times to make sure the lip balm was spread evenly.
She was not sure why she asked to meet Shao Yan anyway. After that coincidental meeting that day, Vivian could not shake off the image of Daniel and his new girlfriend from her mind.
That was why she decided on an impulse that she had to meet this woman alone. She was curious what actually intrigued Danny to be with her.
....
Shao Yan noticed Vivian easily from afar.
And she paused on her tracks.
It was a quiet afternoon, and there was only one stunning figure sitting next inside the small cafe. The woman was sitting by the window; looking cheerful as she enjoyed the ice coffee in front of her.
Shao Yan unknowingly shuddered as she imagined the cold beverage running through her throat in this chilly weather.
She took several deep breaths to calm herself from the sudden nervousness that somehow rose up.
After Shao Yan convinced herself to just stay for a cup of tea, she continued her steps forward.
'Keep calm. No drama,' she chanted to herself.
'Remember what your professor said in the past, Yan Yan,' She lectured herself to boost her confidence, 'K.I.S.S. - Keep it simple, Shao Yan!'
With a clenched fist, one step followed by another; she pushed herself to enter the cafe.
....
Their eyes met as she was reaching the table.
Vivian smiled first, and Shao Yan slowly returned her smile.
"Hello," Shao Yan greeted her before she sat down, "Sorry, you must have been waiting for a while." She noticed that Vivian was already half into her drink and cake.
"Not at all," Vivian raised her hand to signal the waitress to come over, "I was early, remember? I know you are working anyway."
Shao Yan received the menu book, "Thank you," and she quickly flipped around.
"I will have your Lychee Honey tea," She closed the book and passed it back to the server, "No sugar, please. Thank you."
Shao Yan glanced at the purse on top of the table. Vivian noticed her line of sight; she hurriedly reached out to the clam-shaped bag and picked it up.
"Oh, look at me so clumsy," Vivian placed the purse on the seat next to her, "I'm sorry you have to see the messy me just now."
Shao Yan shook her head and smiled, "Not at all. I was just admiring your purse. It is a very pretty bag after all."
Vivian glanced to the side; her fingers swiped over the shiny pink pearls, "This is my favorite bag. Thank you."
Shao Yan noticed a tint of sadness in her voice and the melancholic looks in her eyes.
Before the mood turned dark and gloomy, Shao Yan quickly diverted the topic, "So, may I know why you wanted to see me today?"
....
"Your tea, Miss."
Shao Yan glanced up to the server and smiled, "Thank you."
The two women tacitly kept quiet until the server was out of their sight to continue their conversation.
Vivian smiled, "I was just trying to make friends," the corner of her lips twitch nervously.
"I just moved back to Shanghai, and I do not have many friends here."
Under the table, Vivian placed one palm above the other; her right thumb was rubbing against the inner wrist of her left hand.
"Meeting all of you that day was really a coincidence," She said slowly, "So I guess it is also fate that all of us should become friends again."
She paused slightly, before continuing.
"Including you and I."
A soft sigh came out from her lips, "I'm sure you have heard my story from Danny."
Her hands reached out to the side, and took out something from inside of her purse.
"And to avoid any misunderstanding in the future, I want to start our friendship with the right steps."
Shao Yan saw Vivian was holding a box in between her fingers. It was a small, red maroon velvet box.
She placed the box gently in front of Shao Yan, "This was something that I should have returned to Danny many years ago,"
"But I have never gotten the chance to," Her eyes were locked into the box in her fingers and her voice slightly choked up, "Or maybe I did not want to?"
The last words seemed like a mumble or a whisper; but it was loud enough for Shao Yan to catch what Vivian was saying.
She looked up and met Shao Yan's eyes, "I hope you can help me to return this to him."
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She unlocked her phone and saw there were two new messages.
The first one was from unknown numbers. It only took a glance for her to recognize it. From the unique last four digit numbers, she recognized these numbers were Vivian's.
The second text was from Li Xiqing. Shao Yan decided to open it first.
'I will be home late tonight, Martin arrived today. I am going to bring him out for dinner.'
Martin had been working from AG International Japan office most of his time. But for the next few weeks, he would be in Shanghai for a meeting with Ido Kanagawa in a few days.
Shao Yan quickly typed in her reply.
'Alright, I know. Don't worry about me and be careful.'
And then she opened the second text message.
'Hello, Shao Yan, I am already in the area. Take your time, I will be meeting you at the cafe later - Vivian'
....
Shao Yan unconsciously took a deep breath.
This was it.
She had read this moment a lot; from both in her novels or her TV drama.
The moment where the protagonist was finally meeting the ex-girlfriend. And then all the ugly drama resurfaced.
She shook her head lightly to disperse the ugly thoughts away.
'I hope this woman is polite enough to have civilized conversation,' Shao Yan thought to herself.
She was walking towards the escalator to go downstairs. And then suddenly she paused in her steps.
'What does she want by meeting me anyway?' She started to question inside her heart.
She shook her head again, 'Let it be," and then she sighed, 'let's just get this done and over with.'
As she reached downstairs, her team leaders started to approach her one after another.
Shao Yan did a quick discussion with each of them about the events before she left.
"I will take a break now, and be back in about one hour," she paused, and quickly corrected herself, "maybe even less. I am planning to just get a cup of coffee."
She swiped her gaze around, "Does anyone need anything?"
....
"Ice Americano."
The waitress nodded, "Anything else, miss?"
Vivan did not bother to open the cafe menu and ordered her drink right away. Upon hearing the question, she pondered for a while.
"I do want some dessert, what do you recommend?"
The waiter smiled politely, and then with her palm side up, she waved to the display cabinet at the side of the store, "Our specialty is the crepes cake. We have Chocolate, Strawberry or Matcha."
She placed her delicate chin on top of her folder arms on the desk, "Matcha, please," she said after pondering for a while.
The waitress took her order swiftly, and then she walked away.
Vivian placed her purse on the table, and opened it to take a pocket size mirror from the inside.
She inspected her own reflections from the mirror carefully, making sure her looks were presentable and stunning as usual.
She took out a lip balm, and uncapped it; Vivian swiped the cherry scented liquid onto her soft lips. Her left hand was holding the mirror, while she tidied up her hair with her right fingers. Smacking her lips together a couple of times to make sure the lip balm was spread evenly.
She was not sure why she asked to meet Shao Yan anyway. After that coincidental meeting that day, Vivian could not shake off the image of Daniel and his new girlfriend from her mind.
That was why she decided on an impulse that she had to meet this woman alone. She was curious what actually intrigued Danny to be with her.
....
Shao Yan noticed Vivian easily from afar.
And she paused on her tracks.
It was a quiet afternoon, and there was only one stunning figure sitting next inside the small cafe. The woman was sitting by the window; looking cheerful as she enjoyed the ice coffee in front of her.
Shao Yan unknowingly shuddered as she imagined the cold beverage running through her throat in this chilly weather.
She took several deep breaths to calm herself from the sudden nervousness that somehow rose up.
After Shao Yan convinced herself to just stay for a cup of tea, she continued her steps forward.
'Keep calm. No drama,' she chanted to herself.
'Remember what your professor said in the past, Yan Yan,' She lectured herself to boost her confidence, 'K.I.S.S. - Keep it simple, Shao Yan!'
With a clenched fist, one step followed by another; she pushed herself to enter the cafe.
....
Their eyes met as she was reaching the table.
Vivian smiled first, and Shao Yan slowly returned her smile.
"Hello," Shao Yan greeted her before she sat down, "Sorry, you must have been waiting for a while." She noticed that Vivian was already half into her drink and cake.
"Not at all," Vivian raised her hand to signal the waitress to come over, "I was early, remember? I know you are working anyway."
Shao Yan received the menu book, "Thank you," and she quickly flipped around.
"I will have your Lychee Honey tea," She closed the book and passed it back to the server, "No sugar, please. Thank you."
Shao Yan glanced at the purse on top of the table. Vivian noticed her line of sight; she hurriedly reached out to the clam-shaped bag and picked it up.
"Oh, look at me so clumsy," Vivian placed the purse on the seat next to her, "I'm sorry you have to see the messy me just now."
Shao Yan shook her head and smiled, "Not at all. I was just admiring your purse. It is a very pretty bag after all."
Vivian glanced to the side; her fingers swiped over the shiny pink pearls, "This is my favorite bag. Thank you."
Shao Yan noticed a tint of sadness in her voice and the melancholic looks in her eyes.
Before the mood turned dark and gloomy, Shao Yan quickly diverted the topic, "So, may I know why you wanted to see me today?"
....
"Your tea, Miss."
Shao Yan glanced up to the server and smiled, "Thank you."
The two women tacitly kept quiet until the server was out of their sight to continue their conversation.
Vivian smiled, "I was just trying to make friends," the corner of her lips twitch nervously.
"I just moved back to Shanghai, and I do not have many friends here."
Under the table, Vivian placed one palm above the other; her right thumb was rubbing against the inner wrist of her left hand.
"Meeting all of you that day was really a coincidence," She said slowly, "So I guess it is also fate that all of us should become friends again."
She paused slightly, before continuing.
"Including you and I."
A soft sigh came out from her lips, "I'm sure you have heard my story from Danny."
Her hands reached out to the side, and took out something from inside of her purse.
"And to avoid any misunderstanding in the future, I want to start our friendship with the right steps."
Shao Yan saw Vivian was holding a box in between her fingers. It was a small, red maroon velvet box.
She placed the box gently in front of Shao Yan, "This was something that I should have returned to Danny many years ago,"
"But I have never gotten the chance to," Her eyes were locked into the box in her fingers and her voice slightly choked up, "Or maybe I did not want to?"
The last words seemed like a mumble or a whisper; but it was loud enough for Shao Yan to catch what Vivian was saying.
She looked up and met Shao Yan's eyes, "I hope you can help me to return this to him."
She unlocked her phone and saw there were two new messages.The first one was from unknown numbers. It only took a glance for her to recognize it. From the unique last four digit numbers, she recognized these numbers were Vivian's.The second text was from Li Xiqing. Shao Yan decided to open it first.'I will be home late tonight, Martin arrived today. I am going to bring him out for dinner.'Martin had been working from AG International Japan office most of his time. But for the next few weeks, he would be in Shanghai for a meeting with Ido Kanagawa in a few days.Shao Yan quickly typed in her reply.'Alright, I know. Don't worry about me and be careful.'And then she opened the second text message.'Hello, Shao Yan, I am already in the area. Take your time, I will be meeting you at the cafe later - Vivian'....Shao Yan unconsciously took a deep breath.This was it.She had read this moment a lot; from both in her novels or her TV drama.The moment where the protagonist was finally meeting the ex-girlfriend. And then all the ugly drama resurfaced.She shook her head lightly to disperse the ugly thoughts away.'I hope this woman is polite enough to have civilized conversation,' Shao Yan thought to herself.She was walking towards the escalator to go downstairs. And then suddenly she paused in her steps.'What does she want by meeting me anyway?' She started to question inside her heart.She shook her head again, 'Let it be," and then she sighed, 'let's just get this done and over with.'As she reached downstairs, her team leaders started to approach her one after another.Shao Yan did a quick discussion with each of them about the events before she left."I will take a break now, and be back in about one hour," she paused, and quickly corrected herself, "maybe even less. I am planning to just get a cup of coffee."She swiped her gaze around, "Does anyone need anything?"...."Ice Americano."The waitress nodded, "Anything else, miss?"Vivan did not bother to open the cafe menu and ordered her drink right away. Upon hearing the question, she pondered for a while."I do want some dessert, what do you recommend?"The waiter smiled politely, and then with her palm side up, she waved to the display cabinet at the side of the store, "Our specialty is the crepes cake. We have Chocolate, Strawberry or Matcha."She placed her delicate chin on top of her folder arms on the desk, "Matcha, please," she said after pondering for a while.The waitress took her order swiftly, and then she walked away.Vivian placed her purse on the table, and opened it to take a pocket size mirror from the inside.She inspected her own reflections from the mirror carefully, making sure her looks were presentable and stunning as usual.She took out a lip balm, and uncapped it; Vivian swiped the cherry scented liquid onto her soft lips. Her left hand was holding the mirror, while she tidied up her hair with her right fingers. Smacking her lips together a couple of times to make sure the lip balm was spread evenly.She was not sure why she asked to meet Shao Yan anyway. After that coincidental meeting that day, Vivian could not shake off the image of Daniel and his new girlfriend from her mind.That was why she decided on an impulse that she had to meet this woman alone. She was curious what actually intrigued Danny to be with her.....Shao Yan noticed Vivian easily from afar.And she paused on her tracks.It was a quiet afternoon, and there was only one stunning figure sitting next inside the small cafe. The woman was sitting by the window; looking cheerful as she enjoyed the ice coffee in front of her.Shao Yan unknowingly shuddered as she imagined the cold beverage running through her throat in this chilly weather.She took several deep breaths to calm herself from the sudden nervousness that somehow rose up.After Shao Yan convinced herself to just stay for a cup of tea, she continued her steps forward.'Keep calm. No drama,' she chanted to herself.'Remember what your professor said in the past, Yan Yan,' She lectured herself to boost her confidence, 'K.I.S.S. - Keep it simple, Shao Yan!'With a clenched fist, one step followed by another; she pushed herself to enter the cafe.....Their eyes met as she was reaching the table.Vivian smiled first, and Shao Yan slowly returned her smile."Hello," Shao Yan greeted her before she sat down, "Sorry, you must have been waiting for a while." She noticed that Vivian was already half into her drink and cake."Not at all," Vivian raised her hand to signal the waitress to come over, "I was early, remember? I know you are working anyway."Shao Yan received the menu book, "Thank you," and she quickly flipped around."I will have your Lychee Honey tea," She closed the book and passed it back to the server, "No sugar, please. Thank you."Shao Yan glanced at the purse on top of the table. Vivian noticed her line of sight; she hurriedly reached out to the clam-shaped bag and picked it up."Oh, look at me so clumsy," Vivian placed the purse on the seat next to her, "I'm sorry you have to see the messy me just now."Shao Yan shook her head and smiled, "Not at all. I was just admiring your purse. It is a very pretty bag after all."Vivian glanced to the side; her fingers swiped over the shiny pink pearls, "This is my favorite bag. Thank you."Shao Yan noticed a tint of sadness in her voice and the melancholic looks in her eyes.Before the mood turned dark and gloomy, Shao Yan quickly diverted the topic, "So, may I know why you wanted to see me today?"...."Your tea, Miss."Shao Yan glanced up to the server and smiled, "Thank you."The two women tacitly kept quiet until the server was out of their sight to continue their conversation.Vivian smiled, "I was just trying to make friends," the corner of her lips twitch nervously."I just moved back to Shanghai, and I do not have many friends here."Under the table, Vivian placed one palm above the other; her right thumb was rubbing against the inner wrist of her left hand."Meeting all of you that day was really a coincidence," She said slowly, "So I guess it is also fate that all of us should become friends again."She paused slightly, before continuing."Including you and I."A soft sigh came out from her lips, "I'm sure you have heard my story from Danny."Her hands reached out to the side, and took out something from inside of her purse."And to avoid any misunderstanding in the future, I want to start our friendship with the right steps."Shao Yan saw Vivian was holding a box in between her fingers. It was a small, red maroon velvet box.She placed the box gently in front of Shao Yan, "This was something that I should have returned to Danny many years ago,""But I have never gotten the chance to," Her eyes were locked into the box in her fingers and her voice slightly choked up, "Or maybe I did not want to?"The last words seemed like a mumble or a whisper; but it was loud enough for Shao Yan to catch what Vivian was saying.She looked up and met Shao Yan's eyes, "I hope you can help me to return this to him."
