Next One Is a Babe

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Gary merely raised his eyebrows at that. “I saw on the news that the two of you have been in a relationship for ages. Do you still keep everything separate as such?”

He sounded like he was joking, so Cindy went along with him and smiled upon hearing his words. “It’s a good idea to keep everything separate before we’re married. We’re both on the same page about this.”

Upon hearing that, Gary grunted. “It’s important for a couple to have aligned values, otherwise it will create havoc on their relationship.”

Cindy considered his words for a moment and pondered, Are my values aligned with Ian’s?

Before she got lost in her train of thought, she suddenly caught herself and realized that it wasn’t even something that she should be concerned about. After all, they weren’t actually in an actual relationship. Everything was just a pretense and it would never become reality either.

Therefore, she would just be making life tough for herself by overthinking things.

In the end, Cindy scrolled through her phone as she waited for the food to be served. Just then, Naomi sent her a text to let Cindy know that she was done with her matters. She also asked what the latter was doing at the moment.

Cindy quickly typed a reply and mentioned that she was having her meal. Then, she hastily placed her phone aside.

Gary was about to pour himself a cup of tea and he saw her gestures from the corner of his eye. Nonetheless, he wasn’t too fussed about it. “If you have something urgent and need to make a phone call, I’m perfectly fine with it.”

Cindy laughed awkwardly and responded, “It’s alright.”

She was not that familiar with Gary, but she somehow sensed that it would be quite disrespectful to talk on the phone or send a text message in such an environment.

Gary, on the other hand, took a sip of tea. “You don’t have to be overly courteous around me. If I was just trying to be civil, I wouldn’t have seen you today.”

Cindy responded by licking her lips as she remained silent. Just then, Gary seemed to have recalled something so he mentioned, “I saw you in the studio that day and I suddenly recalled the past. I can somehow see the young me in you right now, which is also why I was willing to see you. Instinctively, I’ve accepted you as one of my own so you shouldn’t feel shy in front of me.”

Upon hearing that, Cindy blinked her eyes a few times and she was seemingly at a loss for words. In the end, she murmured, “Oh—okay.”

Gary leaned against the back of his chair and his arms were crossed in front of him. He had one leg atop the other and he placed his hand on his leg. “When I came fresh out of school into my first job, I was exactly like you—tentative with each step I took. Come to think of it, I can’t quite remember the feeling I experienced back then anymore. I’ve been too jaded after being out in society for so long. Honestly, I don’t think that this is a good thing because it makes it easy for one to lose their true self.”

…

Ian had just ended the filming of a program and he was instantly identified by the bystanders as soon as he walked out of the studio. Two young girls, who were waiting by the side, rushed forward and surrounded him.

One of them asked gingerly with a shy look, “Ian, can I have your autograph please?”

It was no big deal for Ian, so he stopped and took the pen and paper from the girl.

In response, the girl placed her hands under her chin and exclaimed happily, “Your girlfriend’s so lucky.”

The other girl standing next to her then scanned Ian’s surroundings and asked with a surprised tone, “Is your girlfriend not with you today?”

Ian grunted and replied politely, “She’s resting at home today. I can’t bear to order her around like any other personal assistant; I would be pained to see that even if no one else cares.”