The house was quiet until Nova and Steve entered, bringing a bit of noise.

"Do you live here alone?" Nova asked.

"Yeah, like I told you before, I live alone." Steve replied.

"I thought there might be a housekeeper or domestic help living here."

"I don't like anyone disturbing my life. The cleaning service comes regularly while I'm at work."

"There are drinks in the fridge, help yourself. There's no food in the house, but you can have the dessert I packed."

"Thank you." Nova thought, Steve is really an awkward person. He's so good to others but always keeps a cold and distant demeanor.

Steve then showed Nova around the house: the bedroom, study, wine cellar, billiard room, movie theater, gaming room...

"Your house is really big. Living alone here seems like a waste," Nova commented.

"Then help me make full use of it."

Nova went to the gaming room and downloaded a few popular games; she needed some entertainment to relieve work stress.

When Steve entered with a glass of water, Nova asked, "Is this your first time entering this room? There aren't any games here."

"I hardly ever play games."

"So what do you do in your free time besides eating with friends?"

"Work, read, work out."

"That's really boring," Nova remarked.

Steve saw Nova playing a restaurant simulation game where she acted as a chef, handling tasks like food preparation, cooking, plating, serving customers, and washing dishes within a set time.

"This is your entertainment? Working in a virtual restaurant? Acting as both chef and waiter? How is this different from working during your free time? It's really boring," Steve threw Nova's comment back at her.

Nova wanted to argue but realized Steve made a good point. "But I feel relaxed when playing games."

"Working out relaxes me."

Nova was completely defeated and had nothing more to say. The teammates Nova matched with were not coordinating well, and they lost the game. Nova looked at Steve.

"You want me to play with you, don't you?"

"You guessed it! Come on, it's fun, and we'll make a great team!"

Under Nova's request, Steve picked up a game controller. Nova's mention of "we" touched him.

At first, Steve was a bit rusty, and their coordination was off, causing some customers to leave impatiently. But as Steve got the hang of it, he started playing faster than Nova.

"Yeah, we finally passed this level!" Nova was excited.

"But it wasn't a perfect score. We only got two stars," Steve pointed out, staring at the missing third star on the screen. "Wait here, I'll be right back."

A moment later, Steve returned with a whiteboard and wrote a title: "Overcooked Three-Star Strategy."

"It's just a game. No need to take it so seriously. Steve is definitely a perfectionist," Nova thought to herself.

"First, we must serve dishes in order. This way, we'll get more tips from customers," Steve wrote down "1. Order is crucial."

"Second, wash dishes promptly," Steve continued, writing the second strategy. "Even if we prepare the orders, we can't serve them without clean plates. This will make customers wait longer, wasting more time."

Although Nova hadn't seen Steve in a meeting, she imagined he would be in a similar state.

Steve wrote down the third point: "3. Use the dash button frequently."

"This will save us more time. That's all I can think of for now. Do you have anything to add or any other ideas?"

"No, sir."

"Great," Steve said, returning to his chair. "Now let's put it into practice."

With Steve's strategy, they finally achieved a perfect score. Steve's smile indicated he was pleased with the result.

They continued playing for a while, but the fun was in the challenge. When every game was perfect, the excitement faded for Steve and Nova.

"Want to do something more thrilling?" Nova suggested.

"What do you have in mind?"

"Let's watch a horror movie. An empty big house and a quiet environment make for the perfect horror movie atmosphere."

So Steve and Nova found a recently released horror movie to watch. When the scary scenes appeared, Steve turned to see if Nova was frightened, only to find her jotting something down on her phone's memo.

"What are you writing?" Steve was curious.

Nova seemed startled by Steve's question and looked at what she had just written.

"It seems like I'm noting down some inspirations from the horror movie on how to make things scarier. It feels like a subconscious act; I wasn't even aware I was doing it until you asked."

"A subconscious act? Maybe it's a habitual behavior," Steve speculated.

"I think so too. I'm increasingly curious about what I did before losing my memory. Was I a horror novelist?" Nova wondered aloud.

"Possibly."

As the night grew darker, Nova, who had been excited about watching the horror movie, fell asleep. The movie continued playing on mute. Steve seemed deep in thought.

Nova's head jerked forward, waking her from her slumber. "Sorry, I just fell asleep. Is the movie over?"

"No, but the plot has become boring. If you're tired, you should go to sleep. Good night."

Yawning, Nova said goodnight to Steve and went to bed.

When Nova woke up to get a drink of water, she found the living room light still on. Steve was sitting on the sofa, his back looking lonely and desolate in the empty room.

"Hey, were you scared by tonight's horror movie?" Nova joked.

"No, it just reminded me of some past events," Steve replied.

Nova's drowsiness faded. "Do you mind telling me about it? You look like you're thinking of something unpleasant. Maybe talking about it would help. I promise to keep your secret."

Steve had never shared his past with anyone, not even his best friends. He believed revealing his vulnerabilities was like a bee losing its sting or a beast losing its sharp teeth and limbs.

But now, Steve felt willing to share with Nova, perhaps because of the alcohol or a deep-seated need to talk. Facing Nova, he was ready to open up about his past.

Then, Steve began to tell his story: He talked about his wealthy family, where he could have anything he wanted.

He talked about his childhood without any leisure, where all his free time was taken up by business training, just so he could inherit his father's company and continue the family's legacy.

He talked about his envy and jealousy towards his younger brother, who didn't have to inherit the company, who was freer and happier, who could do anything he liked—learning instruments, painting, even daydreaming. If Steve did any of these, he would be scolded for wasting time. Steve always felt that his brother received more care and love from their parents.

Despite Steve's jealousy towards his brother, their relationship was always good.

Gradually, Steve learned to numb himself: he imagined himself as his free-spirited brother, pretending it was him traveling the world, it was him surfing and skiing, it was him choosing college courses based on his own interests.

Only in this way could he find a bit of sweetness in his fantasy to soothe his tormented soul and keep going.

"When my younger brother grew up, he began to show a talent for business. Our father arranged for him to work at the company.

At that time, our father's health was declining, and he couldn't handle the company's affairs, so most of the work fell on me. It was a time of fierce market competition, and I was overwhelmed.

My brother told me he wouldn't compete for the CEO position; he just wanted to help ease my burden.

There's no better partner than a brother. We worked together to get the company through tough times, and he gained the board's recognition. Some company veterans even suggested to my father that my brother should be the next CEO, saying he was more suitable. When my brother found out, he immediately reassured me he had no intention of taking over the company."

"I was so naive to believe him," Steve said, taking a sip of his drink.

"Not long after, we had a car accident. He was driving, and I was in the passenger seat. I was seriously injured and in a coma for months. When I woke up, everything had changed. My father had passed away, and his will stated that my brother would inherit the company, with me as his assistant."

"What did all my years of hard work mean? I was groomed from birth to be the company's heir, never allowed a moment's respite. I worked tirelessly to earn my father's approval.

I envied my brother for getting more parental love, but I buried that jealousy and tried to be a good brother. I never did anything to harm him. He knew my lifelong dream was to inherit the company, yet he took the CEO position!

When I woke up, he pretended to offer me the CEO role, but I refused his charity. A bet is a bet. He used underhanded means to win the CEO position, so I wouldn't stick around. I left the place that brought me so much pain and came to New York, building my current career."

Nova wanted to comfort Steve but didn't know where to start. No matter what Steve achieved, he just wanted his father's approval, which he could never get from a deceased person. All she could do was be a good listener.

"Thank you for listening. I feel much better," Steve said, checking the time. "There's still a long time until dawn. Do you want to get some sleep? I'm feeling a bit tired too."

After wishing each other goodnight, they went to bed.

Steve lay awake, staring at the ceiling until dawn. Little did he know, Nova was also tossing and turning, unable to sleep. The events and emotions of the night played over and over in both of their minds, preventing any real rest.