Chapter 5

"What's the matter with Hans?" Calvin asked, inching his butt a little closer toward Zach after glancing at Hansel, who kept drinking solemnly by himself.

Hansel had had a dark look on his face ever since he'd stepped into the room. Even the lively atmosphere in the room had cooled down because of him.

"It's probably because he got blocked by a certain someone," Zach said. Being the only one who knew, he still continued fanning the fire as if he wasn't satisfied with the ongoing drama.

Hansel's expression became stormy when he heard Zach's sentence.

He slammed the beer mug onto the glass table and rolled up his sleeves in frustration. There was a violent look in his eyes.

"I told you not to bring her up anymore! Do you not understand what I said?"

Zach just shrugged and said nothing more.

With the sudden mood change, everyone in the room immediately shut up and stopped talking. Even those who'd been merrily singing with the karaoke machine had stopped.

Calvin nearly choked on his wine. Was Miranda serious about leaving this time?

Sam felt a little light-headed from all the drinking. After snapping out of his daze, he asked Calvin in a soft voice, "Has Miranda gone back to him?"

Calvin shook his head and said he didn't know. Of course, he didn't dare to say anything more.

Sam understood at once. This could only mean that Miranda still hadn't returned yet.

The servers brought in several dozen packs of beer just then, and someone suddenly shouted, "Let's play truth or dare!"

The people in the VIP room were mostly players who often brought along their latest fling or newest girlfriends to show off. They all exchanged a few glances with each other and agreed, trying to reduce the tension.

"Alright, let's play. I love this game."

A woman walked into the room just then.

"Queenie! Over here. Hans is the only one missing a partner…"

Queenie was immediately pushed toward the seat right next to Hansel. She was one of the most popular hostesses in this club, and this wouldn't be the first time she'd be sitting with Hansel.

"Mr. Johnson…"

Hansel immediately jumped to his feet and said in an uninterested tone, "You guys go ahead. I'm going back."

Then, he left, leaving everyone in shock and Queenie feeling upset about losing out on a huge tip.

Once Hansel left the bar and got into the car, Dan asked him where they should head. Hansel had had two shots of brandy, and he was feeling extremely dizzy at that point.

When he thought about his empty mansion, Hansel replied, "Take me to the company."

…

"Mr. Johnson? What are you doing here?"

It was 10:00 pm, and his assistant, Joe Levine, had just packed his things up when he suddenly saw Hansel coming out of the elevator.

Joe's surprised expression made Hansel feel even more agitated.

Usually, around this time, Miranda would often remind him to go home and rest early out of concern for his health. And if he refused to go home, she'd throw herself into his arms and start nagging at him.

Although Hansel often told her that she was annoying like that, he'd still eventually give in and go home to bed afterward.

"Are you leaving?"

"Yes, Mr. Johnson. Is there anything else you need me to do?" Joe asked.

Hansel wanted to dismiss him for the night. However, he hadn't eaten dinner, and he'd drunk two shots of brandy just now too. His stomach hurt a lot, and his face was growing deathly pale.

"Get me some soup," he said. After thinking for a bit, he added, "Make sure it's from the best restaurant."

Joe was very efficient. 20 minutes later, he brought back an elegantly packed to-go container and gave it to Hansel.

However, Hansel frowned as soon as he opened the container. "Is this lobster bisque? Why did you buy me that?"

Joe was confused. "Blossom Bistro is famous for their creamy lobster bisque, Mr. Johnson. You—"

"Never mind. You may leave."

The lobster bisque smelled wonderful and tasted delicious. The taste of lobster wasn't too overpowering, and it wasn't too salty either, so every mouthful of the bisque was like heaven to the tastebuds.

But Hansel only took a few bites of the soup before setting his spoon down. He'd completely lost his appetite. He just couldn't stop thinking about the soup Miranda used to make for him.

"Fuck!"

Why was he so obsessed with it?

…

Miranda had just come back to Winter's condo after visiting the hospital. She felt around for the light switch in the dark and turned it on just as she heard a few soft moans.

The lights turned on immediately. Winter, wearing a sexy, revealing lace nightdress, was busy kissing the living daylights out of a young man as she backed him against the couch.

Winter's hand was freely roaming under the young man's clothes, revealing part of his abdominal muscles. The young man returned Winter's kisses earnestly, leaving red hickeys on her neck.

It was plain that they were lost in their own little world before the lights had turned on.

Winter was startled when the sudden light shone into her eyes. She looked rather confused as she tried to stop the man from continuing to chase after her lips.

"Oh, it's you, Mimi. You're back."

The corners of Miranda's mouth just wouldn't stop tugging upward. She coughed lightly and said, "Uh, it's fine. You can both put on some clothes first."

She then hurriedly turned around so that her back was toward them, giving them some form of privacy. Miranda sighed, thinking that she probably wouldn't be able to continue staying here in the long term.

Even though she was best friends with Winter, the latter still deserved her own privacy. It wouldn't be convenient for either of them if Miranda continued living with her like this.

Meanwhile, Winter grinned widely. She didn't seem to mind that Miranda had walked in on her at all.

She adjusted the fallen straps of her nightdress and pulled a cover over her shoulders. She also picked up the man's jacket and threw it at his body.

Her lipstick was still smudged across the young man's face. His eyes were a little red as he stared at her.

Winter tapped him on the cheek and said, "Be a good boy and wait for me in the bedroom."

The young man immediately grabbed the jacket and covered his exposed chest with it, revealing his shoulders that were entirely covered in hickeys. He smiled at Miranda and greeted her. "Hi. Pleasant evening, isn't it?"

Miranda replied to him on instinct. "Oh, hi, Kevin."

The man smiled and said nothing. Then, he disappeared into Winter's bedroom.

Winter poured herself a glass of red wine and took a sip. It was sweet, with a hint of bitterness in the aftertaste that swept across her tongue.

Sighing in satisfaction, she then slowly corrected Miranda. "His name is Steven. Kevin was from before."

Miranda didn't know what to say.

"Where did you go that you came back so late?" Winter saw that Miranda's eyes were slightly tinged with red. She frowned and asked, "Have you been crying?"

Miranda poured herself a glass of water and said in a daze, "I went to the hospital to visit Dr. Young today."

Winter vaguely knew about Christine's hospitalization since she and Miranda had both been Christine's students, and Miranda was still in the old alumni group chat. She peeked at Miranda. "You…"

Just as she opened her mouth, however, she hesitated to continue her sentence.

Back then, Miranda had been Christine's favorite student; the latter had seen the most potential in Miranda.

Their other classmates may not have been aware of it, but as Miranda's best friend, Winter had known and witnessed how Christine had personally tutored Miranda and even helped her with her thesis.

Most importantly, Miranda had still been an undergraduate at the time, and Christine hadn't even been her supervisor. But that hadn't stopped Christine from giving Miranda all of the best academic resources she had to offer.

If Miranda had gone down the path Christine had intended for her, she would've most probably been the country's youngest PhD holder in biological sciences within five years.

Until now, Winter still couldn't understand why Miranda had given up on her studies. She remembered how much Christine had favored Miranda in the past and couldn't stop herself from sighing in pity.

Maybe some people didn't know how to cherish things because they came too easily to them.

After all, Miranda was a genius, and geniuses had a right to do whatever they felt like doing.

"I heard that Dr. Young was quite seriously ill this time. How's she recovering after the surgery?" Winter asked.

Miranda shook her head.

Winter was speechless. "Did you even visit her? How could you not know about her condition?"

"I didn't dare to go in."

"Did you get cold feet?" Winter looked at Miranda's expression and blurted, "Serves you right!"

Miranda's eyelashes quivered. She didn't dare to reply.

When Winter saw the aggrieved look on Miranda's face, something suddenly clicked in her head. The food Miranda had prepared in the morning must've been for Christine!

"Are you planning to be like this forever?"

Miranda had always been assertive and confident about her decisions. However, she was now acting like a scared goose who didn't even dare to show her face.

She was well aware of her situation. She replied, "I'm going to have to meet Dr. Young someday. There are some people and some things that can't be solved if I keep running away from them."

One second later, she looked up and said, "Winter, can you accompany me to see Dr. Young?"

"What are you planning to do?"