Xiao Lan didn't plan to return to the bar.
She told herself it was coincidence. That she was nearby. That Senior Manager Liu didn't need her for the rest of the evening.
None of those reasons mattered once she pushed open the door.
Wong Tian Rong looked up immediately.
She smiled—not wide, not teasing. Just warm.
"You're back," Tian Rong said.
Xiao Lan nodded. "Yes."
She hesitated, then added, "I wasn't instructed to."
Tian Rong laughed softly. "Good."
Xiao Lan took the same seat as last time.
Same posture. Same careful stillness.
Tian Rong didn't comment. She slid a glass of warm tea across the counter instead of alcohol.
"You remembered," Xiao Lan said quietly.
"I pay attention," Tian Rong replied.
That made Xiao Lan pause.
The bar wasn't crowded tonight.
Soft music. Low voices. The kind of night that didn't demand performance.
Tian Rong leaned against the counter, watching Xiao Lan sip her tea.
"You don't relax easily," Tian Rong said.
Xiao Lan considered the statement. "Relaxation implies inefficiency."
"And you're afraid of inefficiency?"
Xiao Lan shook her head. "I'm afraid of being unnecessary."
That was unexpected.
Tian Rong's expression softened—not pity, not surprise. Recognition.
"You're not," Tian Rong said simply.
Xiao Lan looked up. "You don't know that."
"I do," Tian Rong replied. "People who think they're unnecessary usually work the hardest to stay."
Xiao Lan's fingers tightened slightly around the glass.
No one had ever said that to her before.
Later, Tian Rong closed the bar early.
Not because she had to.
Because she wanted to.
She walked around the counter and sat beside Xiao Lan, close enough that their shoulders almost touched.
Almost.
"You stay with Kai Ying because she's consistent," Tian Rong said.
"Yes."
"And because she needs you."
Xiao Lan frowned. "She doesn't need—"
"She does," Tian Rong interrupted gently. "Just not loudly."
Xiao Lan went quiet.
"And you?" Tian Rong asked. "Who needs you when you're not working?"
Xiao Lan didn't answer immediately.
"I don't know," she admitted.
Tian Rong smiled faintly. "You could."
That wasn't a confession.
It wasn't a promise.
It was an invitation.
Outside, the night air was cool.
Xiao Lan stood by the door, hands folded behind her back.
"Thank you for the tea," she said.
Tian Rong tilted her head. "You don't say thank you unless it matters."
"…It mattered."
Tian Rong stepped a little closer. "You don't have to be efficient here."
Xiao Lan met her gaze.
"I don't know how to be anything else," she said.
"That's fine," Tian Rong replied. "I have time."
Something shifted then.
Not dramatic.
Not explosive.
Just… steady.
Xiao Lan nodded once. "I'll come again."
Tian Rong smiled. "I know."
As Xiao Lan walked away, she realized something unfamiliar settled in her chest.
Not obligation.
Not duty.
Anticipation.
Meanwhile, across the city, Chen Le Xin glanced at Kai Ying and smiled faintly.
"Your assistant seems… different lately," Le Xin said.
Kai Ying looked up from her work. "She's always been capable."
Le Xin hummed. "I meant happier."
Kai Ying paused.
Then, quietly, she said, "Good."
Some connections didn't need pushing.
They just needed space to grow.
---
Thank you for reading my novel