Next One Is a Babe

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When Aurora returned to her room, she shut the door and stood still for a moment before she burst into laughter. She had been young once, so she completely understood the frustration that Ian was going through. It’s tough for one to be honest and open about their love for another person. Ian’s always suppressing and hiding his love. I wonder what’s keeping him from being more expressive, Aurora thought.

Aurora’s predictions were right—Ian had indeed headed out to stroll around the neighborhood. He deliberately planned the paths he took so that he wouldn’t walk past the fitness park where Cindy was. As the sky darkened, more of the residents began to step out of their houses. However, most of them were headed to the park for a workout or a chat with friends, while Ian was just walking around aimlessly. The streets Ian walked past were, therefore, relatively quiet.

After strolling for a while more, Ian stopped under a tree to catch his breath. When he looked up and gazed in the direction of the fitness park, he felt the sudden urge to lose his temper. Right then, an old couple walked past him. They were chatting and laughing as they walked toward the park.

Ian clenched his jaw as he finally came to a decision. He had been going through an internal conflict for the whole day, but seeing the old couple had caused something within him to shift. After he made up his mind, he walked to the park.

The park was full of people—Ian could already hear the sound of laughter before he was even close to the park. Kids were running around, middle-aged men were doing their workouts, and some older women were gathering around for a Zumba dance class. Most of the young adults gathered in one corner of the park, and it didn’t take long for Ian to spot Cindy among them. Beside Cindy was the guy that Ian had disliked from the very first sight—Peter.

As Ian continued to look around the park, his gaze landed on the young lady who had offered Peter a drink earlier. The young lady had a drink in her hand and she was glaring in Peter and Cindy’s direction. Although Ian was still some distance away from the young lady, he didn’t have to see her expression to understand the resentment that she felt.

On the contrary, Cindy and Peter looked like they were enjoying their time together. Cindy had never been one to smile a lot, but Ian caught her laughing heartily as she spoke to Peter.

Ian could tell that she was laughing out of genuine happiness. Peter looked just as happy beside her, and he even patted Cindy on her shoulder at one point. Ian curled his lips into a cold smirk as he strode over to them.

Cindy hadn’t expected Ian to show up at the park. She had been listening to Peter’s funny stories about the club, and her cheeks were sore from laughing at all the hilarious incidents. After spending some time with Peter, she was starting to relax a little. However, right when she was in the midst of laughing, she heard a familiar voice from behind her. “Why didn’t you tell me that you were going out?”

She froze and spun around to find Ian walking toward her. He didn’t seem like he was in a good mood, but he didn’t look like he was furious either. There was a hint of iciness in his gaze, but he didn’t look completely unapproachable. Ian made his way to Cindy before he glared at her and repeated his words. “Why didn’t you tell me that you were going out? My mom was asking about you. Are you having dinner at home?”