"I just hope that heartless wench has left or else I will show her how mean I can be. I will make her regret ever knowing me and my cousin," Wen Min said coldly, as they both approached the restaurant.

Shiyi who wanted to have an uninterrupted conversation with Wen Min heaved a sigh of relief when he did not see Zhao Liying sitting in where he left her.

​​

"We have been here for two minutes. Isn't it time for you to talk?" Wen Min asked in an indifferent tone. The way she spoke to him was as if he was a stranger to her.

"I am curious, how did you do it?" Shiyi spoke up for the first time since they set foot into the restaurant.

"How did I do what?" Wen Min questioned impatiently.

"How were you able to avoid me for entire 2 months?" Shiyi asked, staring at her curiously. Although she was facing him, he could tell that she wasn't staring at him, but she was staring into space.

"You are very resourceful and influential, I guess the reason you couldn't meet me was because you didn't try your hardest," Wen Men said, with an indifferent expression.

"I tried my best, it's just that you were too good at avoiding me," Shiyi said seriously. He hated that she wasn't sparing him a glance, but he couldn't bring himself to scold her.

"Will you believe me if I tell you I have been here over ten times? Every time I dropped by, my heart was always filled with expectations, expectations that I would run into you. Each time I went back without getting to meet you, my mood always hit rock bottom. I have also visited our usual spot over 20 times but luck wasn't always on my side...,"

"Why did you do all that? Since I decided not to keep in touch with you, you should have got the hints that I don't want to have anything to do with you, Mr Luo," Wen Min said emotionlessly. She perfectly masked her genuine feelings with her cold facade.

"Because I was in desperation to speak with you," Shiyi said firmly. He controlled the urge to get angry at her.

"Wen Min, why do you act as though I am the bad guy here. As far as I can recall, I didn't say any abusive words to you or get mad at you for confessing your love for me. Despite knowing my stance, why do you make me feel like I am a coldhearted jerk?" Shiyi asked fiercely.

"Because of your attitude, everyone thinks that I made you upset," Shiyi spoke his mind boldly.

"Are you sure you are doing this because of what others think of you or because of what Zi Er solely thinks of you?" Wen Min asked, mustering up the courage to look at him. She wasn't surprised to see him quiet after the question she asked him.

"Like I said that day, I am cool with you loving Zi Er, but I also hope you will respect my decision too," Wen Min said cool-headedly.

"Getting closer to you will make me fall deeper in love with you each passing day. I don't want it to get to the point where my entire world revolves around you, just like your love for Zi Er," Wen Min said emotionally.

"Zi Er has been nothing but good to me. If I continue clinging onto you, inevitably, I will not only get jealous of your love for her, but I will also come to hate her and I don't want this. I don't want to ever repay her kindness and love for me with evil," Wen Min said, tearing up.

"But..," Shiyi could not find the right word to say to comfort her.

"I know it will be hard for me to get over my feelings for you but, for everyone's safety and peace of mind I will do it. I can live without you, Luo Shiyi," Wen Min said, forcing on a smile as tears flowed down her eyes.

Other customers on seeing Wen Min shed tears began mumbling in low tones, thinking that it was Shiyi who made her upset.

"Wen Min, the reason I almost went crazy trying to get in contact with you wasn't because of Zi Er or anyone. I went through all those troubles because I missed having my new buddy with me. I felt empty and incomplete after you abruptly cut me off from your life," Shiyi said honestly. Wen Min just stared at him in awe after hearing his confession.

"At the moment, you are the only person who understands my feelings. Even without me voicing out my feelings, you always understood my pain. Despite being in pain, you always tried your best to console me. In this lifetime I might not be able to give you the love you deserve, but please don't keep your distance from me," Shiyi said, stretching to clean her tears with the handkerchief in his hand.

"Let's continue being buddies like we used you to be, before I learned about your feelings," Shiyi pleaded with his eyes.

"I know I sound selfish but, if I don't learn to be selfish this once I am afraid I will go crazy. I need someone who understands me and you are the only person I could think of," Shiyi said, sitting back properly in his chair.

"I can't....,"

"Wen Min, please don't say no. Help me, hmm. Help me so I can let go of my unrequited love for my best friend," Shiyi pleaded.

Wen Min stared at desperate Shiyi for three minutes without uttering a word. She was surprised to see that he was even more dejected than her.

For him to have loved one woman for more than a decade, without reciprocation from the lady's part, she could feel his pain and desperation. But she could not blame Zi Er for not reciprocating his feelings because at the end, no one can teach his/her heart of whom to love.

"Ok, I will help you but I want some form of compensation," Wen Min finally spoke up.

"Whatever you want as your compensation, just name it and I will give it to you," Shiyi replied instantly, without taking a second to think properly about her words.