Admiration blossomed into yearning, and the elusiveness of the desired only heightened its allure. Someone like her—someone Arden had already slept with and who dared to embarrass him so openly in broad daylight—yet he still found the time to think about her.

Arden and Ryo accidentally locked eyes. Arden quickly turned his head away, grabbed his glass of whiskey, and downed it in one gulp.

Moya watched the two with great interest and, for the 103rd time, asked curiously, "What's going on with you two?"

As expected, her question earned the 205th and 206th synchronized eye rolls.

Unable to break the tension, Moya decided to tackle them one at a time. She propped her chin on her hand, tilted her head toward Ryo, and asked, "Where's your girlfriend? Didn't you say you'd bring her for a drink?"

Ryo growled angrily, "Don't mention her!"

Moya turned to Arden, whispering, "What's with him? Did he break up with that girl?"

Arden didn't respond, just glanced at the back of Ryo's head.

Moya took his silence as confirmation and exclaimed in disbelief. "No way. A girl Ryo couldn't win over in more than a week? She must be seriously out of this world. And he just let her slip away?"

Arden responded with a sarcastic chuckle, "Not just out of this world—she's like the ultimate catch."

Ryo, feeling provoked, spun around and shot back, "Your girl isn't just the ultimate catch—she's in a league of her own. In fact, her whole family must be top-tier!"

His rant descended into nonsense, and Moya laughed, giving Arden a sympathetic pat. "How did you get tangled up in this too?"

Ryo, pleased to see Arden's face turn ashen, gleefully exaggerated the story, "The girl he's been obsessed with for months—after just one night—gave him an epic over-the-shoulder takedown today. Hit him so hard, she'd practically pop his hemorrhoids!"

Arden smacked him on the arm. "You're the one with hemorrhoids, you clown!"

"Whoa!" Moya gasped dramatically, covering her mouth in mock shock. She looked at Arden with playful admiration and asked excitedly, "There's actually a woman bold enough to treat our Prince Charming like this?"

Ryo pulled Moya closer and asked jealously, "Why is it always him who's the Prince Charming, not me?"

Moya playfully slapped his hand away. "Look like both of you have finally met your match."

"Match? What match?" Ryo scoffed.

Moya leaned in closer, her tone coaxing, "If you let her go just like that, it's like admitting that you, Ryo, aren't as impressive as you think. If the men of the Chin family keep declining with each generation, unable to win over a no-name model, how will you survive in the modeling world, let alone inherit your father's entertainment company?"

Ryo straightened his back. "That's just a stubborn fool who won't budge no matter what— ungrateful and unreasonable. Am I supposed to use force?"

Moya smiled with the allure of a captivating snake charmer. "We all know you're a gentleman. If you had intended to use force, it wouldn't have taken this long. If she were truly worthless, she wouldn't have caught your eye in the first place. She must be a diamond in the rough—polish her, and who knows how brightly she might shine? After all, great things take time."

That made sense. Ryo leaned forward, propping his elbow on the bar as he began to ponder.

Arden pushed Moya's drink toward her and shook his head helplessly. "You really enjoy stirring things up, don't you?"

Moya took a sip, glanced at Ryo, and replied seriously, "I'm doing it for his own good."

Arden raised an eyebrow. "Do tell."

"He's been pampered by women his entire life. Everything he's ever eaten, drank, or slept with has been handed to him as if it fell from the sky. His life has been so smooth, it's left him practically feeble. He doesn't even know how to hunt for himself—how could he possibly take over his father's business?"

"Here, here." Arden nodded in agreement.

Finding an ally in her argument, Moya didn't forget about Arden. "And what about the girl who tossed you over her shoulder? How do you plan to deal with her?"

"Deal with her?"

"Yeah."

Arden smirked coldly. "A barbaric woman like that?"

"That's exactly why you shouldn't let her off the hook!" Moya interrupted with a mischievous smile. "I'd love to see what would happen if you two ended up fighting it out in bed—who'd win?"

A shiver ran down Arden's spine at the thought. To think he had once reminisced fondly about her, now, just recalling it made him feel... a strange twinge.

🎬🔀

Arden wasn't the only one feeling the twinges.

Sandra glanced at her mangled, bloodied hand, a sharp pang of worry twisting in her chest. Would her hand be permanently ruined? She relied on her hands to make a living.

April had once asked Sandra—who was so passionate about Sanda—if she ever feared injuring her hands and losing the ability to paint. Back then, Sandra hadn't given the idea much thought.

When people love something, they often subconsciously downplay the risks, convincing themselves that the things they cherish won't harm them. But smashing a door wasn't something Sandra had planned. If her hand ended up ruined over something so trivial, it would feel unbearably unfair.

As April carefully pulled splinters from Sandra's hand with tweezers, she pouted and complained, "I just wanted to be alone for a bit. Did you really have to punch such a big hole in the door? Now we'll have to get the landlord to fix it, and it'll cost us part of our deposit!"

Sandra turned her gaze away, trying to shift her focus, and hesitantly asked, "Are you okay?"

April paused her work, glancing at Sandra's exaggeratedly apologetic expression. She sighed, then responded, "Would you believe me if I said I was fine?"

Lowering her head, Sandra took April's hand in hers, holding it gently as she offered a sincere apology. "I'm sorry."

April didn't pull away. After a moment of silence, she carefully chose her words, mindful not to embarrass her roommate.

"Sasa, I know you mean well. I've always been timid and bad at saying no, so I keep asking you to play the bad guy for me. It's really unfair to you."

"We're like sisters. Don't feel bad about it," Sandra said, her injured hands patting her chest with unwavering loyalty. "Just one look from you, and I'd go through fire and water for you."

"That's not necessary." April lowered her head. "Sasa, you can't protect me forever. I need to go out there, face the world, and maybe take a few tumbles."

"Oh? Has your heart grown wings?" Sandra teased. "But if you're going to stumble, at least pick a safer spot. Jumping straight into the frying pan? I can't just stand by and watch."

"I know, I know." April carefully wrapped gauze around Sandra's fingers, her hands moving with practiced precision. She had plenty of experience, thanks to the countless minor injuries Sandra had needed tending to.

"Do you even know your boyfriend's background?"

April nodded.

"And you know what he's like as a person?"

April nodded again.

"He's not a Mr. Perfect," Sandra said, trying to ensure her naive friend wasn't being fooled.

"His dad owns the Ryo Entertainment Agency. He's surrounded by women—all of them supermodels from his family's company," April replied calmly, as though she were talking about someone else's business.

"Then why did you choose to be with him?" Sandra asked, stunned. April didn't seem like the type to go for that sort of thing. Had she been reading too many romance novels about "rich man falling in love with me?"

April, now cheerful, quickened her movements. "It's rare for someone to pursue me, so I figured I'd give it a chance. Besides, Ryo is really handsome, isn't he? Every time we go for coffee, lots of girls secretly glance at him."

Sandra quickly yanked her hand away from the love-struck girl's grip, worried April might wrap her fingers until they resembled radishes.

"You don't want to pay such a steep price for a bit of vanity."

April flashed a confident, "everything's under control" smile. "I won't, I won't."

Sandra suddenly leaned in conspiratorially and whispered, "Has he... you know... tried anything?"

April burst into laughter, then mimicked Sandra's posture, leaning in to whisper back, "I'm still as pure as you."

Sandra broke out in a cold sweat, thinking, If you end up like me, that would be a disaster.

"Relax," April said smugly. "I haven't let him succeed yet. But he's really pushy. Are all men like this?"

Sandra thought to herself, If not all, then definitely most.

"Sasa."

"Yeah?"

"How do you know Ryo isn't a Mr. Perfect?"

Now, this was a tricky question. How was Sandra supposed to answer? She couldn't exactly admit that she'd been picked up by Ryo at a nightclub and lost her virginity to one of his friends. That wasn't a story she wanted to brag about.

So, she vaguely replied, "You can just tell by looking at him."

"Really?" April seemed unsure but didn't press further. Then she hit Sandra with another headache-inducing question. "By the way, why were you there? Were you following me?"

"You think I was following you?" Sandra stood up, shocked.

"Weren't you?" April looked up at her innocently.

"I was just finishing practice with Yao and happened to see you there."

"Really? What a coincidence."

Eager to clarify, Sandra said, "Yes, really! We were leaving the gym, and from a distance, I saw you sitting there."

"And then?" April asked.

"Then..." Sandra hesitated, reluctant to admit she'd hidden behind an utility pole to secretly check up on her. She opted for another vague response. "Then I saw that creep getting handsy with you, and, well... you know the rest."

"Do you know that guy?"

"Which guy?"

"The one you put down."

Sandra felt sweat slowly trickling down her back. "No, of course not. How could I know him? No. I don't."

April looked at her, silent for a moment. Just as Sandra was about to crack, April suddenly said, "But he's so cool."

"Huh?" Sandra wasn't following April's train of thought.

"Even without my glasses, I could tell he's better-looking than Ryo," April said.

A bead of sweat slid down Sandra's temple. She had to admit, April had a point. But the look in April's eyes made her feel like her secret was on the verge of being exposed.

"But I still like Ryo better," April declared after a moment of thought, resting her chin in her hands. "The cute, sunshine boy suits me more."

Sandra nearly choked on her frustration. She glanced at April's slightly swollen eyes. "Are you really okay?"

April followed her gaze, touched her eyes, then waved her hand dismissively. "I was wearing too little, caught a chill, and got a stomachache. Nothing serious. Don't worry."

Hard not to worry.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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