9. HE FLIRTED WITH HIM?

As soon as he arrived at his flat, Brielle Park had been waiting for him at the door. She crossed her arms in front of her chest. Her eyes stabbed into Alain’s eyes; demanding an explanation.

Zhou Yongliang could only sigh at the sight. He had expected it, so he wasn't surprised by the girl's appearance.

“At least, let me go in first. There’s no way we can talk outside like this, right?”

The girl still glared dangerously at Alain even after the man had voiced his request. Alain knew that his best friend was so stubborn, so he patiently waited for the girl to relent.

After contemplating it for a moment, Brielle finally shifted her body from the door, letting the owner of the flat open the door before leading the way to the residence.

The owner of the residence entered the room, took off his shoes, and put them on the shelf. Brielle followed closely behind him.

It wasn't the first time the pretty girl visited the flat, so she felt like she was at her own home now.

Alain ignored his best friend as he put his black backpack on the sofa and went to the kitchen.

Without uttering any words, he took a bottle of water from the fridge, then moved to grab two empty glasses from the cupboard, and then brought them back to the living room.

Brielle Park was waiting for him with an annoyed expression in the room.

The residence wasn’t big, but it couldn’t be said to be small either.

Inside the flat were a bedroom, a living room, a bathroom, and also a kitchen that was connected with the dining room.

The atmosphere was calm in the humble residence. The arrangement was also quite neat. At least, Alain was comfortable living there for the last three years.

“So, can you explain it now? What were you talking about with the painter earlier?”

Alain had not even sat down on the sofa, but his best friend already showered him with questions.

He did not immediately answer his friend’s question. What he did was pouring the water into one of the empty glasses, then gulped it slowly. He was thirsty, but his best friend didn’t seem to give him time to just quench his thirst.

"If you were that curious, then you shouldn't have left us alone earlier. You could've listened to our conversation directly."

Alain was so indifferent when he spoke, and Brielle fumed when she heard the tone.

"I'm not such an insensitive person like you, Alain!"

Alain raised his eyebrows when he heard his best friend's word. He was about to question what his friend meant, but when he looked at the girl's expression more intently, he could see that the girl was not in the mood to elaborate on what she meant.

Alain finally chose to give in.

“We didn't talk about anything important earlier,” he finally answered after thinking for a while. But, the answer didn’t seem to satisfy his best friend, so he added, “He just asked if I knew a girl named Park Ah Reum. I said no, but he kept forcing me to remember the girl.”

Brielle looked confused after Alain told her the truth.

“Who is that girl? Is she his girlfriend or something?” The long-haired girl asked confusedly.

Alain sat down beside his best friend before answering, “I don’t think the girl is his girlfriend. He said that the girl’s face is similar to mine. He asked if I have a relative with that girl.”

Brielle, who was sitting beside him, didn’t give any response to his explanation. It was quite unusual, and Alain couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable.

“Even though you two just knew about each other lately, he’s already done that to you?”

“Huh? He did what?”

Really, Alain didn’t understand what his best friend’s question meant.

Realizing that the innocent man didn’t understand what she meant, Brielle turned her body to face Alain, then started to speak seriously, “That’s the classic way, Al. In line with: ‘You are similar to someone who always appears in my dreams,' or ‘Have we met before? Your face is familiar to me.’ I didn’t expect a famous painter like him to use that ancient method to flirt with you.”

Alain blinked slowly as he tried to comprehend the series of explanations from his best friend.

And, as soon as he understood it, his eyes immediately widened. “It is impossible!” Unconsciously, he screamed at the girl. “He can’t possibly try to flirt with me! We’re both men, so how could he be interested in me?”

Suddenly, Brielle’s index finger rose right in front of his face. The slender finger swayed to the right and left rapidly. “Homosexuals are not uncommon in this era, Alain,” she said confidently. “Besides, there has never been any news about him dating any girl. He is a famous painter, but there’s no scandal about him for years. He may be gay, right?”

Alain hastily pushed Brielle’s finger away from him. “You say you admire him, but you can easily call him gay? What a loyal fan!”

Brielle shrugged and turned her body again, no longer facing the handsome man. “I’m just thinking realistically. Even so, I know that it will be difficult for me to accept the reality if he’s really gay. Especially, if it turns out that the person he likes is you, Al. I really don’t want to accept the possibility!”

Alain snorted loudly. How could his best friend have such thoughts? What was so special about him that made René ‘bend’? It seemed impossible.

Choosing to dismiss Brielle’s completely absurd hypothesis, Alain’s brilliant brain suddenly realized one strange thing. “Hey, Brielle Park,” he called softly. “Could it be that the girl Mr. Huang was referring to is your relative? Brielle Park and Park Ah Reum. You two share the same surname, right?”