The next morning came and Lan Tian saw Eleanor's sleepy face on his sofa. He moved her hair strands behind her left ear and kissed her, "I'm sorry for last night. I was selfish." Eleanor woke up feeling groggy, "Is it morning already?" Lan Tian enjoyed looking at her cute face while sleeping, "Yes, Sleepy head. You're gonna be late for work." Eleanor looked at phone and panicked, "Why didn't you wake me up earlier? I didn't brush my teeth yet... I'll be back." Lan Tian laughed and shook his head. He got his work ready and dropped off Eleanor' breakfast in her office. Lan Tian went to Professor Xu's office to talk about work.
Eleanor was so embarrassed, thank goodness her clothes were still on. She smiled because she knew Lan Tian wouldn't do that to her. She thought about that kiss and shook her head. Why was she even thinking about that?
She went back to her office and saw a note from Lan Tian, "Take your time, I'll let Professor Xu know you are going to be a bit late." Eleanor smiled and opened the bag. Inside the bag was her favorite bread and a bowl of congee. She took her time to finish up and got ready, They were meeting in the lecture room this morning so she ran as fast as she can. When she got there, she found a seat beside Luna.
"This is your first time being late, where were you last night?" Luna asked curiously. Eleanor whispered to her, "I was in Dr. Lan Tian's office." Luna eyes widened, "You what?!" Eleanor didn't want her to scream so she told her to whisper, "He... kissed me but we didn't do anything, I swear." Luna looked at her and nodded, "Sure... but your face is red. Did you like his kiss?" Eleanor whispered, "Pay attention to the meeting."
Eleanor was in a daze and she kept on staring at Lan Tian. He looked at her and smiled while he continued to speak to the audience. After the meeting, Lan Tian went over to Eleanor and placed his hand around her waist and whispered, "I'll drop you off after work, come meet me at my office after you're done." Eleanor shifted a bit to the side and smiled, "Thank you! I'll see you later." She shifted away from Lan Tian because she knew she isn't the one for him. They were just acting like they were in a relationship. She wavered a bit but right now, her feeling for Lan Tian remained as just friends and nothing more.
Later that day, each of them got their own plane ticket, Eleanor's group will be leaving the next day along with Professor Lan Tian. She waited for Lan Tian as he finished up with his last lecture. It was a long day indeed. She had to organize her personal items for the trip tomorrow as well when she get home. After he was finished, Eleanor went in to see Lan Tian. He was carrying loads of papers so Eleanor went to help him.
"Thank you for helping. I'll be ready in a minute, wait for me." Lan Tian quickly went into his office and dropped his stuff. Even though Lan Tian was very busy with his work, he's still very thoughtful. Eleanor was thankful.
Lan Tian dropped Eleanor back to her apartment and waved bye to her. He'll be picking her up tomorrow morning. After they said goodbye, Lan Tian drove away. Eleanor checked her watch and thankfully it wasn't too late. When she got back, there was a small envelope on the table, "2020 Christmas Gala, Bali Grand Hotel." Luna came out of her room and told Eleanor that they will be presenting their research at this hotel. There will be a lot of famous people coming as well.
Few days later, Cameron got back home quite late and since his parents and brother were out, he quickly packed up his belonging before the trip. Mai Ke waited for Cameron to be finished. Mai Ke still couldn't believe they will be on the cruise tomorrow. He couldn't wait to sit on the beach in Bali and enjoying the sunlight rather than the cold air in Shanghai. Everyone else in the office today were all hyped up and many of their loyal customers will also be on the cruise with them. It will be awesome.
Next day, the people boarding the ship came right on time. Signing in and getting their cards took a while but all the wait was worth it. Mai Ke finally got into his room along with another colleague of his. Cameron doesn't like it when other people sharing his room so he got one all by himself. In other words that other people would say, he's a loner.
The cruise stopped at Bali's biggest port, Benoa Cruise Terminal, after a few days. The weather was warmer in Bali than Shanghai during this time of the year since it was winter when they first got on the ship. Many people were excited to stay in the resort while some chose to stay in the hotel. When they finally got to their resort, everyone was free to do whatever they want.
Eleanor and the rest of the research group arrived in Bali a week earlier to get a head start of the project. They will be living in Bali for two weeks and near the end of the week, they will participate in a special Christmas gala hosted by Ocean of Dreams. Luna and the others were at the resort relaxing while Eleanor was working on her topic. Lan Tian came down from the cafe and brought cold drinks to them. One of them, Flower Mojito, was Eleanor's favorite.
Lan Tian sat beside Eleanor and watched her working on her presentation. He was leaning in a bit closer to Eleanor using his hand to protect her eyes from the sun's ray. Eleanor was getting a bit sleepy and slept on Lan Tian's shoulder. He gently wrapped his hand around her arm. Luna and others were back from their beach volleyball and she saw Eleanor sleeping on Lan Tian's shoulder. She quietly left and joined another group who was playing cards.
Lan Tian took Eleanor back to his room since his room was the closest. He carefully tucked her into his bed and closed the curtains. He sat beside her on the bed and gently caressed her face and neck, he went a bit closer and kissed her on the forehead. Before he left the room, he whispered in her ears, "I wanted to protect you."