Chapter 139 - In The Future

Stephen glanced at his phone, and anxiously check the time every now and then. He was standing near the main gate of their school waiting for Sofia. 

His car was parked a few meters away from him and three bodyguards were watching his movements closely.

"Young master, please wait inside your car," one of his bodyguards asked him. They had never seen this man wait for someone before. In fact, he was impatient and only followed his own principles. 

"You don't need to worry about me. I have known this place for years now," Stephen responded with a cold tone. 

If they were not in that location, the place would be remotely empty. Since the tournament was finished, the hype of the district also vanished. The streets were left with the stillness of the night.

Stephen looked at the sky and stared at the moon for a while. The entire sky was sparkled with shiny stars hinting that it was a good night.

Out of the corner of his eye, a familiar figure of Sofia finally appeared at the end of the corridor and headed in his direction. Her steps were fast and there was no student behind her yet.

Seeing that Sofia was sprinting and was only looking at the ground, Stephen hurriedly waved his hand in the air.

"Sof!" Stephen quickly called. 

Sofia looked up and smiled at him. Her eyes then darted to his car and the bodyguards.

"Where are the others?" Sofia inquired and her smile widened as she got nearer to him.

For some reason, Sofia's expression portrayed that of an innocent teenager. Her sophistication and reserved demeanor was replaced by just a youthful smile. She reflected the epitome of pure bliss.

Something within Stephen's heart tugged like a string was being pulled. He took his phone and swiftly snapped a photo of Sofia. 

Sofia's eyes sparked with a charm that could enchant anyone who could see her face. And the man wanted to immortalize such great expression that he admired.

"AH!" Sofia squinted her yes when the flash from Stephen's phone blinded her for a few seconds. "You're taking a picture of me?" she asked while gently rubbing the eyelids.

"Yeah, look!" Stephen obliged and showed her the screen of his phone. But the man was cursing inwardly to the camera for flashing and ruining the beautiful moment. 

After the flash of his mobile phone, Sofia's face had returned to a formal and refined expression.

As she gazed down at her own face in Stephen's phone, she was also amazed by her appearance. 

"Ohh, wow!" Sofia exclaimed and slightly giggled at the picture. Her mind had really wandered towards their plan that her expression was also influenced by her excitement.

"You're so beautiful, Sof," Stephen subconsciously stated. He could feel the warmth that crept into his heart the moment he realized what he just said.

On the other hand, Sofia abruptly stared at him and blinked a few times. "Thank you. You're handsome too!" she said.

The three bodyguards looked away after hearing their exchange of compliments. Their young master had just complimented a schoolmate! 

"Did young master really called that young girl beautiful?" one of the bodyguards whispered towards his companion. The three of them were blushing and were completely flustered by what they had witnessed.

"Yes, the young master told that young girl that she is a beauty. This is bad," the other bodyguard slightly shook his head and his face looked grave.

"Yes. It's really bad! This is what our boss had ordered for us. That we should not allow the young master to go out with other students. What should we do?"

The three guards felt conflicted. Last night, their young master was only permitted to return to study at the university because he agreed to have a bodyguard. And his father even reprimanded him to go out with other girls.

"Let me think of what we should do!" the third guard stated and started drawing some countermeasure plans in his head.

While these guards were raking their brains of the things that they should do, Stephen was savoring Sofia's last sentence that he just heard. Even though he had heard these words from others countless times, the impact that he felt just now was totally new to him. The common words had become music to his ears.

"Yeah... We are a great pair, Sof..." Stephen murmured but his voice was too low that only he had heard what he just said.

"Pass that photo in chat. I'll make it as my profile," Sofia conveniently told him. She also admired how youthful her expression look. It should be the appropriate character that she should have and not the formal and deep eyes that reflected her knowledge of life.

"Yes, I'll send it right now! I'll also change my profile picture. Take one for me," Stephen asked and handed his phone to Sofia. 

"Ohh, okay! 1, 2, 3, smile!" Sofia stated as she also captured a perfect angle for Stephen. Then she returned the device and secretly glance at the bodyguards.

"Thanks, Sof! I'll send your pic to your inbox now," Stephen confirmed and then moved his fingers on the screen of his device to create and deliver the message. After sending the photo, his hand moved towards the setting of his phone and set the image to be the background of his wallpaper.

Sofia was no longer looking at Stephen's phone. She took out her own device and was waiting for the chat message to be delivered to her inbox. "Nice!" she chirped after receiving her picture and updated her profile.

Stephen was also doing the same. The two of them changed their social media profile image with their faces at the same time. They were flooded with comments and likes in just a few seconds after uploading their pictures.

"Err, I'll call Claire to meet us here," Sofia cleared her throat and dialed Claire's number.

Stephen on the other hand was staring at her arm where the skin had turned into a visible purple-blue color. 

While Sofia was talking with Claire, the figures of other night students finally emerged. Stephen guided Sofia inside his car and successfully avoided the students.

"Clark and Joey are already in Claire's apartment. I told them to go to the location and we will meet them there. Let's go?" Sofia recounted with her face brimming with excitement. She adjusted her seat and then placed the seatbelt on.

"Why are you so eager to go? You haven't eaten anything for dinner," Stephen frowned.

"It's fine. It's fine," Sofia repeated and watched as the three bodyguards get inside the other car which was parked behind. "Your bodyguards won't join us here?" she curiously asked.

"Yeah, there is no risk in this place. My father is just overreacting," Stephen shrugged.

"You can never be complacent," Sofia casually said. In her past life, she felt so protected that she never thought that her life would end tragically. She remembered telling her bodyguards the same words as Stephen had said before the day she was assassinated.

"It's fine. No one knew my real identity in this place. I am free to do what I want like a normal citizen," Stephen confessed. He did not know why he was telling something crucial to Sofia but at that time, he felt that she would be able to understand what he was saying. 

"Being rich is suffocating huh?" Sofia playfully asked him.

"I'm not sure. If I'll say yes, would you stop the business plans that you have in mind? You know, the path of getting rich lies also behind starting a business," Stephen stated in a serious tone.

"Nah, I'm good! I don't think I'll be suffocated. I am not aiming for getting rich. I am aiming for success," Sofia answered with full of confidence.

Their car started to move towards downtown and Sofia's last word still lingered in Stephen's mind. With the days that he had known her, Stephen was certain that he had understood Sofia. He assumed that the lady wanted to earn money and gain high financial wealth.

But now, he suddenly had doubts. What exactly is the kind of success that Sofia was chasing if not to become rich? 

"So, if I tell you that money is burdened, your business plans will still proceed to launch?" Stephen asked.

"Yes. Money is only a burden if you don't spend it properly. When those rich give value to things and money instead of themselves, that is when it felt suffocating. The technique is simply not to become a slave with money. Earning is good and it gives a satisfying feeling but the income that is being earned must be spent and not kept," Sofia spoke meaningfully.

"How do you plan to do that?" Stephen inquired.

"You'll see it when we get there. There is no rush, we have all the time to think of what we would do in the future once we earn an income," Sofia muttered.

"In the future..." Stephen trailed while specific thoughts of him and Sofia suddenly appeared on his mind... thoughts that involved more than just the two of them being successful business partners.