Another person Nicole liked to meet was Lai Xuting. That was why she sat next to him at the long bar table, where he drank his whiskey alone with eyes thinking about something else.
"Hello, Director Lai. I am Nicole." She greeted the man first. "Do you mind if I sit here?"
Lai Xuting's face looked surprised, never expecting to see the woman there, because for him it would never be Nicole but Xiu Xieshan. "What do you like to drink?" He asked.
"Can I have a glass of coke?"
Lai Xuting called one of the bartenders and gave him the woman's order. Then while waiting for the drink, he looked at Shanshan again. "Are you really okay?"
Shanshan returned the man's gaze, and she still saw the anxiousness on his face. "I'm fine, Director Lai. You don't have to worry about me."
Even though the woman's voice and gaze tried to calm him, there was something still stuck in his heart. "Don't you remember me?"
At that moment, the bartender standing behind the bar put down the glass of Coke that had been ordered earlier and placed it in front of the woman. Staring at the glass filled with black soda water, Shanshan replied. "Remember," her voice hung in the air. "The boy I saved from Jicheng in the empty classroom back then."
There was something uneasy in Lai Xuting's feeling when he heard the painful memories she talked about. "I thought you would become a doctor," Shanshan continued her words casually, then took a quick sip of her drink, letting the electric sensation in her body.
"Are you disappointed that I became a businessman, not a doctor?" Lai Xuting tried to confirm Shanshan's argument, "Or are you more disappointed that you saved me ten years ago?"
Shanshan was staring at her drink when she answered Lai Xuting's next question, "Would it have been different if I hadn't saved you back then?"
When She thought back to that incident over and over again, Shanshan felt that it was one of the decisions she had to make. Because, even if Shanshan didn't sacrifice herself for Lai Xuting, there was no chance for her to pursue her dream anymore because she already had a baby. So, saving or not saving the boy would not change her life drastically.
"I'm sorry," Lai Xuting said sincerely, "Also, thank you for saving me back then. Shanshan."
The woman finally turned to look at the man. The boy's bookish appearance somehow returned for a moment, which brought Shanshan a nostalgic feeling. "You're welcome, Lai Xuting." She replied in a low voice, "Thank you for all the help you've given me, back then."
Both of them seemed to be immersed in the past they were talking about, "Just remember, I never regretted helping you." Shanshan didn't realize that her confession actually made Lai Xuting's heart beat faster. "In fact, I know that one day you will be a successful person, no matter what you do."
Lai Xuting asked carefully, "Why do you think that?"
Shanshan took another sip of her drink, "Because someone once told me that, there are no miracles in achievement. It's all about hard work, choice, and persistence." Then she smiled at the man who was sitting beside her, "Those are the words I always remember whenever I feel really tired from doing something."
The man's facial expression changed to a mixture of shock and embarrassment, because the intention of Lai Xuting's words to her was to mock Shanshan about her grades that never improved at all. Moreover, at that time he did not know that Shanshan was an athlete because she often skipped class and was always late when they had extra classes at night. In addition, they were paired as study buddies which made Lai Xuting feel more annoyed with her.
However, after knowing the truth, he felt very ashamed of her. Although Shanshan's grades were also slowly improving, he realized that she was not actually lazy. It was just that their dreams for the future were different.
"Shanshan," Lai Xuting called her name again. "Are we friends?"
Honestly, she was at a loss for how to answer that question. But, considering that Lai Xuting had helped her in many ways before, then that meant they were friends. "I guess so," She took another sip of her cola that felt cold in her throat.
"Then, can we be more than friends?"
The question made the coldness in her throat disappear quickly. When she looked at Lai Xuting's eyes, it only gave her a serious look that confirmed that this was not a joke. A sudden question popped into Shanshan's head, since when did this man like her?
As a man and a woman continued to stare at each other, waiting for an answer. Not far away, at one of the tables sat another man who was listening to their conversation.
Picking up the glass in front of him, Wu Zhaoyi drank all of its contents and placed it back on the table as an empty glass. Then he slowly got up from his chair and without waiting any longer walked out of the bar without looking back at all, as if he did not want to hear Shanshan's answer.
In the end, he also needed time to move forward like Shanshan. Although, Wu Zhaoyi knew that love always wins, but which love the woman chose he did not know.
"You're becoming more like a national athlete than a professional one." Shanshan's voice broke the silence of the night, in the small outdoor pool where Wu Zhaoyi floated alone while looking at the night sky full of stars.
The statement was actually meant to offend Wu Zhaoyi because it was something Shanshan always did when she was tired after training or when something was bothering her.
The man's eyes stared at the woman sitting not too far from him, while his mind drifted to Lai Xuting's question that was still ringing very clearly in Wu Zhaoyi's ears. "Professional athletes have also been national athletes." He answered lightly.
Nodding her head, Shanshan replied. "Good answer."
After a while, Wu Zhaoyi spoke again. "Tomorrow the cruise will stop at one of the cities, we'll get off there and return to Macau."
Shanshan slowly lay down on the chair and her eyes stared at the dark clouds as she took a slow breath. Based on Wu Zhaoyi's statement, it meant that the man had successfully gained Director Xiu's support. "Good job, Wu Zhaoyi." Which also meant that they would be flying back to Shanghai soon.
"Director Xiu invited us to come to their club after he returns to Shanghai." Wu Zhaoyi tried to summarize his meeting with Director Xiu this afternoon while Shanshan was talking to Kylie in the room.
Shanshan, who seemed to be lost in her own thoughts, felt mixed feelings. On one hand, she was happy that she had managed to help Wu Zhaoyi. However, on the other hand, it meant that her time was up. After she opened the door for Wu Zhaoyi to get to know the four Directors, it also closed the door for her and Wu Zhaoyi again.
It was time to return to Paris and focus on her own business again, which Wu Zhaoyi was no longer involved in. Besides, this would probably be their last meeting, right?
Getting up from the chair, Shanshan suddenly dove into the pool and surprised Wu Zhaoyi for a moment. "What are you doing?" he asked when the woman stood in the middle with her clothes wet from the water.
"I just wanted to see the star up close," Shanshan said as she raised her head.
Confused by the woman's behavior, Wu Zhaoyi slowly tried to approach her and said with worried eyes. "You just recovered from the flu last night, it's not good to stand outside for too long, and in this condition too." He grabbed one of Shanshan's wrists and tried to pull her out of the pool with him.
"Wu Zhaoyi, do you remember the promise I made to you when you won the gold medal in the Tokyo competition?"
Wu Zhaoyi stopped in his tracks, then turned to look at Shanshan who was soaked there. His brows furrowed trying to recall the memories Shanshan had said.
"It seems like you forgot what I promised you," the woman sighed helplessly. Then she walked past Wu Zhaoyi to leave with a feeling of disappointment, "It will be your loss, not mine."
However, before Shanshan could really stand up, one of her hands that was held by Wu Zhaoyi pulled her towards him. Which made the two of them stare at each other very closely now. "How could I forget it?"
Shanshan stared intently at Wu Zhaoyi who was just staring at her. "Then what is my promise?"
Wu Zhaoyi tucked the woman's hair behind her ear, "You want me to do it here?"
Hearing the man's words made Shanshan narrow her eyes. "Why does it sound like the promise I made to you is something dangerous?"
This time it was Wu Zhaoyi's turn to narrow his eyes and exhale heavily. "I think you're the one who forgot that it wasn't me."
Shanshan looked at him in confusion, "What did you say?"
"Then let me help you remember."
***