: Long Time No See

2

After I'd fended off the fifth guy to hit on me in this corner and downed my fourth cocktail, Vivi Willow still hadn't come back.

I silently cursed her. 'Is she planning on moving in here or what?'

I got up, my eyes scanning the dance floor and the surrounding booths.

I didn't find Vivi Willow, but I did find the makings of my next big scoop.

'Well, looks like I'm working overtime after all. I have to admire my own dedication.'

In the most central booth of the entire bar sat Summer, the famous actor known for cultivating a public image of an innocent, pure-hearted boy. But right now, he had his arms around a flock of scantily clad beauties, looking for all the world like an ancient king lost to debauchery.

He must have been there for a while. Plenty of eyes were drifting in his direction, and some people even tried to sneak a photo with their phones. But as soon as they did, the burly bodyguards at his side would spring into action and give them a warning.

Perhaps worried about attracting too much attention, the actor and his entourage got up and headed toward the private rooms.

I slipped off my jacket and tossed it onto a barstool.

I smoothed down the black silk slip dress I was wearing underneath, then pulled out the recording pen I always carry. I clipped it to my bra and activated the miniature camera in my small purse. Grabbing the half-finished cocktail from the table, I quickly fell in behind them.

'First, I'll follow them. Then I'll just have to play it by ear.'

After the group ahead of me entered the private room, a guy with an oily, powdered face came out. He stopped a passing bartender and started speaking to him in a low voice.

I swirled the cocktail in my hand, hiked my slip dress up until it barely covered anything, and sauntered over.

After Pinky finished talking to the bartender, the server brushed past me and left. My eyes were locked on Pinky. He licked his lips and a smirk played on his mouth. He crossed his arms and gave me a lazy, insolent once-over, from my feet to my eyes.

It seems adults can convey everything about flirting with a single glance. Naturally, I decided to press my advantage.

Just as I reached him, I pretended to lose my footing, spilling my cocktail all over Pinky's chest as I fell into his arms. And just as I'd planned, he smoothly draped an arm over my shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, I think I've had a little too much to drink," I said, putting on my most delicate, helpless voice.

My hand provocatively brushed across his chest, right where I had "accidentally" spilled my drink.

Just as I was plotting my next move, a voice suddenly rang out from behind me.

"Don't move! Hands on your head! Police!"

I straightened up, shoved Pinky away, and turned my head. My gaze collided with a pair of clear, familiar eyes.

The other officers behind him swarmed into the private room beside me. Panicked screams mingled with the still-blaring music, but it felt like time had frozen as we stared at each other.

'It's been a long time, Leo Reid.'

: Awkward Reunion

3

The Police Station.

After being notified that I had to take a urine test, it suddenly dawned on me. 'Looks like this Summer character isn't content with just the entertainment section; she's trying to claim a spot in the crime section, too!'

The results of the urine test came back quickly. Once it was confirmed to be negative, a young female officer asked me a few simple questions, took my statement, and then let me go.

After getting my phone back, I sat in the waiting area of the station's main hall and called Vivi Willow to come pick me up.

I was thinking about calling my editor-in-chief to report this huge story, but before I could dial, a pair of black sneakers appeared in my line of sight. I slowly looked up. He wasn't in uniform, just wearing simple black casual pants and a black t-shirt. His face was bathed in the stark, white fluorescent light of the station's hall, making him look as remote and imposing as a god.

I was very unhappy with having to look up at him like this, so I stood up resentfully. But that didn't improve the situation much.

Right. He's 6'2", and at 5'5", I look like a dwarf next to him.

He used to always say, "This is perfect. When I hug you, you can hear my heartbeat."

He also used to say, "And I can tell how long it's been since you washed your hair."

Back when we were together, he was always like a smug, clingy little boy, not cold and distant like he was now, keeping everyone at arm's length.

'Damn it, I shouldn't have taken off my heels!' I glanced at the high heels I had tossed on the chair beside me.

I brushed my stray hair back, trying to shake off the effects of the alcohol and pull myself out of my memories. Only then did I notice he was holding a jacket in one hand and, in the other, a pair of pink slippers that were completely at odds with his vibe.

Just as I was wondering what was going on, he bent down and placed the slippers at my feet, then casually tossed the jacket to me.

"Does your job require you to go this far?"

His tone sounded somewhat irritated.

I was about to ask him what he meant by that when I suddenly remembered what had happened in the interrogation room. In my haste to prove I was just a reporter, I had pulled open my clothes and taken out the recording pen clipped to my bra.

For a moment, I couldn't decide which was more mortifying: the cliché, melodramatic reunion with an ex I'd parted with on bad terms, or this current situation. But one thing was for sure—having both happen at the same time was unbearable.

I gave an awkward cough and nonchalantly slipped on the slippers. They were a perfect fit.

"Just a regular citizen trying to make a living," I said casually.

Just as I was hesitating, debating whether to make some awkward small talk with my ex or just turn and say goodbye, Vivi Willow appeared at the station entrance, a whirlwind of commotion.

"Mona Linden, what is wrong with you! You drank yourself right into a police station!"

Vivi Willow rushed over to me, probably ready to unleash a barrage of questions, but she seemed to fall silent after seeing the person standing next to me.

Before she could have a bigger reaction, I quickly grabbed my bag and the heels from the floor and dragged Vivi Willow out of the station.

"How dare that bastard show his face in front of you again!" Vivi finally exploded after we got into a taxi.

"It was just work," I said nonchalantly.

Too much had happened in one day. My brain felt overloaded, so I leaned against the car window, closed my eyes, and forced myself to stop replaying everything. Vivi Willow didn't say anything more either.

4

My breakup with Leo Reid wasn't some high-drama scene out of a TV show. There was no cheating, no catching him in the act, no physical brawls or red-faced screaming matches.

In fact, there were no warning signs at all before it happened.

A simple text from him—"We're not a good fit. Let's break up."—was all it took to end our four-year relationship, a length of time that felt neither long nor short.

I immediately started typing out a long, incoherent jumble of questions, pleas, and raw emotion.

But then I deleted it all. I knew he wasn't the type to say things lightly, and once his mind was made up, a team of wild horses couldn't change it.

I deleted his phone number, his WeChat, every way I had of contacting him. It was the only way I could stop myself from reaching out, the only way to hold on to what little dignity I had left.

Vivi Willow had been a witness to our relationship from beginning to end. So, in the months after we broke up, she also witnessed my complete breakdown. She saw me living in a daze, crying my eyes out in the middle of the night, and pathetically throwing myself into work just for a distraction, numbing the pain a little more each day.

I don't hate him. He gave me a perfect relationship, four dazzling years of my life. Perhaps I was just too greedy. Having had something so wonderful, I couldn't accept that it wasn't meant to last forever.

...

I first met Leo Reid on a perfectly ordinary afternoon at the end of my sophomore year.

"There's a basketball game on campus this afternoon! Wanna go? I heard they're playing against the guys from the Police Academy next door!"

Vivi Willow was my best friend, my ride-or-die since childhood. By some bizarre twist of fate, we'd gone to the same kindergarten, elementary, middle, and high school. We couldn't even escape each other in college. We'd gone from not being able to stand the sight of each other to being practically inseparable.

Vivi Willow's one and only hobby was scouting for cute, young pretty-boys. So there was no way she'd miss out on a basketball game—a place practically overflowing with testosterone.

"Plus, I heard the campus heartthrob from the Police Academy is on their team and he'll be playing today."

Vivi Willow's eyes held the glint of a predator stalking its prey. She was practically drooling.

"You have to come with me! We need to put that pretty face of yours to good use!"

"All you ever do is study, study, study! We're juniors already, and you don't have the slightest interest in dating! Don't you know you're missing out on the full college experience?!"

I frowned, noncommittal, but I couldn't stand her endless pestering. I gave in and agreed to go.