153 Why Didn'st You Reply the Text?

Lin Nuan spoke politely, but Liu Mingchen heard the hint—he was being rejected in a nice manner by Lin Nuan.

Her meaning was clear. She took the flowers he gave as a normal present, that was why she was giving a gift in return.

Lin Nuan seemed accustomed to rejecting others politely, and Liu Mingchen's gave a slightly bitter smile as he reached out to take the bag.

Liu Mingchen received excellent gentlemanly education in England and understood that if a lady rejected him, he should respect them; pestering them not only lowered his own status, but was also desecration to the lady he liked.

Even though he had liked Lin Nuan for many years, after being rejected, he had to respect Lin Nuan.

"Then… What about being friends?" Liu Mingchen's grip tightened on the ropes of the bag; his voice was barely concealing his sadness.

"Of course!" Lin Nuan smiled and nodded.

The limited edition Parker Pen was originally Lin Nuan's gift for Lin Chen's upcoming birthday as a return gift for the one she received from him. She had asked her friend overseas to deliver it to her.

Coincidentally, Lin Nuan had received the delivery right before Liu Mingchen arrived, so she gave it to him instead..

Liu Mingchen opened the pen's packaging in front of Lin Nuan and said, "Your pen is much more valuable than the roses I gave. This pen is limited edition so it should be impossible for you to find this gift in such a short time, and you couldn't have predicted this and prepared it in advance…"

Liu Mingchen raised his head and asked, "This is your gift to someone else, right?"

Liu Mingchen didn't panic when exposed by Lin Nuan, nor did she feel awkward, simply nodding her head.

Liu Mingchen closed the box and tried to give a bright smile, saying, "Then I'll be a villain for once and steal from someone else."

"He doesn't know about it, so it doesn't count as stealing." Lin Nuan smiled and spoke relaxedly.

The light wind blew across Lin Nuan's airy bangs. She wasn't wearing any makeup, her bare face looking clean and smiling. There was a slight tilt to the corner of her lips, enough to make hearts race.

The scene was like that of a painting, and Liu Mingchen's Adam's apple bobbed slightly, as he said, "Thank you for your present, then, I'll leave first."

"Drive carefully."

Lin Nuan placed her hands in the pockets of her jacket as she watched Liu Mingchen's car drive away. Just as she turned around to head upstairs, Fu Huai'an's car that was parked a short distance away, entered her line of sight out of nowhere.

She paused.

The tall and broad man leaned against the car door with his dark-colored suit unbuttoned, revealing the stiff white blouse underneath. He stuck one hand in his pocket while the other was delivering a cigarette to his lips, his dark eyes following Lin Nuan.

It was different from Liu Mingchen's clean and comfortable aura.

Fu Huai'an's strong and impossible to ignore aura was formed from his years of experience and training, carving his maturity and firmness into his bones.

Her heart suddenly picked up pace, making her breathing unstable.

Lin Nuan didn't know how long Fu Huai'an had been there since he arrived quietly without her notice…

She remembered that she hadn't been replying to the text from Fu Huai'an for the whole day and wondered if she should walk towards him.

Lin Nuan felt an instinctive fear when she faced Fu Huai'an.

Just as Lin Nuan was hesitating, Fu Huai'an had already straightened up and was walking towards her.

She panicked and tucked her stray locks of hair behind her ears, walking down the stairs and taking a few symbolic steps in Fu Huai'an's direction.

She thought that Fu Huai'an would ask about Liu Mingchen, but Fu Huai'an asked in his deep voice, "Why didn't you reply to the text?"

"I haven't thought of what to eat…" Lin Nuan's answer was insincere, her gaze evading his.