In the morning, Lina woke up with a throbbing headache. Groaning, she pressed her hand to her forehead, trying to piece together what had happened. "What on earth did I do?" she wondered.
Sitting up in bed, Lina glanced down at herself and realized she was still wearing the clothes from the night before. As she rubbed her temples, trying to ease the pain, fragmented memories from the previous evening began to come back. She remembered Bo Qiang picking her up from the restaurant. Slowly, she stood and walked over to the mirror, where she saw her lipstick smeared across her face. She couldn't help but laugh softly at the sight of her disheveled appearance. But then, a rush of clearer memories hit her—she had kissed Bo Qiang and had clung to him, not wanting to let go. Shocked by the vivid recollection, Lina groaned and smacked her forehead. "Oh my God, Lina, what were you thinking?"
She never would've thought that she'd be so weak when it came to alcohol now. After all, her old self could drink without a problem. As Lina tried to process everything, she chuckled to herself, thinking, "Well, at least I kissed someone good-looking like Bo Qiang." She didn't really see him as a brother; to her, he was more of a friend. So, she didn't feel guilty about the kiss. In fact, he was handsome, and she had nothing to lose from it. Besides, she was certain Bo Qiang would never be interested in her romantically. After all, he hadn't wanted to see her for two years, so the idea of him falling for her seemed impossible. What Lina didn't realize was that people change, and sometimes, things happen when you least expect them.
After showering and getting dressed, Lina picked up her phone and noticed a message from Zhang Rui, the president of the math club. The text read: "Lina, we have a competition in two days. Everyone is traveling to another city tonight, and we'll be there for a week. Are you coming?"
Lina thought about it for a moment, then decided to join. She packed up her things in her room, preparing for the trip later that night, and headed downstairs for breakfast. To her surprise, the house was unusually quiet. She made her way to the kitchen and found the cook, Auntie Fei Fei, busy preparing the day's meals.
"Auntie Fei Fei, where's Bo Qiang?" Lina asked curiously.
Fei Fei turned to her with a kind smile. "He left for work very early this morning," she said, pausing before adding, "He arranged for the driver to take you to the university today." Lina blinked in surprise at the mention of Bo Qiang's gesture, but when the events of the previous night flashed through her mind, she decided not to ask any more questions. Instead, she thought to herself, "It's probably best if I give him some space for a while." She quietly ate her breakfast and then finished packing for the upcoming trip.
Meanwhile, at his office, Bo Qiang sat at his desk, staring blankly out the window. His mind kept wandering back to the night before. The memory of Lina kissing him made his heart race, and he found himself muttering under his breath, "Bo Qiang, you need to stay away from her." He wasn't sure why, but for as long as he could remember, he had always struggled with understanding his emotions.
His secretary, Yuan, noticed his boss's distraction and asked, "Sir, are you alright? You seem... off."
Snapping out of his thoughts, Bo Qiang nodded and replied, "I'm fine." After a pause, he added, "We won't be going home tonight. Bring me all the overdue work; I want to catch up."
Secretary Yuan looked at him in surprise but complied. As he left the office, he couldn't help but wonder, "What could have happened to him?"
That night, Bo Qiang didn't return home, and Lina didn't see him again. As she prepared to leave for the airport to meet up with the math club, she took one last glance at the empty house, sighed softly, and left.
The next morning, Bo Qiang found himself awake earlier than usual. As he sat in his office watching the sunrise, his thoughts drifted back to Lina once again. Deciding he needed to check on her, he grabbed his keys and drove home.
When he arrived, he took a quick shower and went to bed, assuming everything was normal. It wasn't until hours later, when he came down for breakfast, that he noticed the house felt unusually quiet. Something felt off. After a few moments of silence, he got up and asked Auntie Fei Fei, "Have you seen Lina today?"
Auntie Fei Fei smiled innocently and replied, "She left for a trip yesterday evening. Didn't she tell you when she'd be back?"
Bo Qiang froze in shock. "What?" he asked, disbelief lacing his voice. A wave of worry and pain washed over him, but what troubled him most was that he couldn't understand why. "Lina left... she's really gone." The thought hit him hard, leaving him unsettled, confused by his own emotions.