The September night was a little chilly.
A cold breeze blew into the car, and Cassian Jennings couldn’t help but shiver. He closed the window and drove aimlessly, circling the ring road.
Before he knew it, he had driven to Arboria Park in the Westwood District.
Arboria Park was a property of the Jennings Family. It contained exactly ten thousand apple trees, which is how it got its na.
He leaned against the body of his car, looking down at the orchard below, a mocking smile playing on his lips.
’What’s wrong with ? Coming out to this desolate place in the middle of the night...’
Just then, the phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated. He frowned slightly, pulling it out to see a QQ ssage from Alia. But when he opened it, all he saw was a notification: The sender has retracted a ssage...
His brow furrowed, a complex mix of emotions in his eyes. ’Why did she retract it? Did she send it by mistake?’
At this thought, he couldn’t help but let out a self-deprecating laugh. Ever since Alia left, she had never sent him a single ssage. The old Alia used to pester him almost every day. But now, without her pestering, he actually found it... unfamiliar.
He always felt an emptiness in his heart...
As if with a mind of its own, his hand tapped on Alia’s profile picture and entered her QQ Zone.
When he saw the first post, his hand froze. His eyes were glued to the man standing next to Alia in the photo.
The man’s hand was resting on Alia’s shoulder, their heads touching. The photo was accompanied by an unmistakably intimate caption...
["Thank you, my dear Ziyi. You found out I love apples and had them specially mailed all the way from Valerim. I’m so touched. Mmm, it tastes like ho."]
Furious, Cassian Jennings was about to leave her page, but a quick glance downward made him freeze completely.
First comnt: "My dear girl, happy birthday. If you’re hosick, just co back. I’ll be waiting for you at ho..."
Second comnt: "Happy birthday, Alia."
Third comnt: "For seventeen years, we’ve celebrated every birthday together. You’re so cruel this ti, Alia. WAHHH, please co back soon, I really miss you." Both of these comnts were from Tiana; Cassian had Tiana’s QQ, so he knew it was her.
Below that were a few comnts from Aiden Avery...
Just as Cassian Jennings was about to scroll down further, a notification suddenly appeared on his screen: [The user has restricted access. You can request permission to view.]
Seeing this, Cassian Jennings’s face instantly darkened. He hit the back button, closed QQ, and shoved the phone into his pocket.
’That girl... she actually dared to set permissions to block from her Zone.’
God knows he was angry, but mixed in with the anger was a strange and complex swirl of other emotions.
’Today is Alia’s birthday??? No wonder I drove to a place like this. Every year, on her birthday, Alia Avery would pester relentlessly, making co to the orchard to pick apples for her as a gift. It had practically beco a habit for to co here on this day every year. So, even though Alia didn’t demand it this year, I ca on my own???’
At this thought, he suddenly found himself ridiculous. He had truly been conditioned by her constant pestering.
As he chuckled at himself, Cassian’s thoughts drifted back to the man in the photo. His hands imdiately clenched into tight fists. ’So, she has a new boyfriend now?’
For months, he had been weighed down by a sense of guilt toward her. What happened that night was like a fishbone stuck in his throat—he could neither speak of it nor swallow it down. For months, he had even been afraid to touch another woman. And her? She had clearly forgotten everything that had happened between them, clean slate, and even found a new boyfriend.
’In the end, I underestimated Alia Avery. How could a woman with her kind of personality truly be devoted to and only , as if I were the only one in the world for her...’
’How could I have taken the words of a re kid so seriously?’
User Comments
0 comments from readers