Chapter 9
The question, "Can we be friends?" was like a spell, carefully knocking on a tightly closed door. The light shining through the door, though faint, was enough to illuminate the chasm between the two that had been filled with silence and avoidance.
Percy still comes to "Corner" every day, still sits in that corner, and orders a cup of black coffee. But some things are indeed different now.
He no longer dared to gaze at her only when her back was turned, fleeing hastily the moment she turned around. Now, when Lin Xiaotang's gaze inadvertently swept across the corner, it more often met a gentle gaze, even one tinged with a slightly awkward smile. Although the smile was faint and fleeting—often just a slight curve at the corners of his mouth before he quickly lowered his head, his ears flushing a barely perceptible red—the change was drastic.
He would occasionally try to speak. When Lin Xiaotang placed the coffee on his table, he would whisper "thank you"; if there were few people in the shop, and she stopped to ask him "how was your day?", he would briefly reply "not bad" or "not bad," although his voice was always very low, with a hint of barely perceptible tension, but no longer completely silent.
Lin Xiaotang noticed that he still often drifted off into thought. He would often stare out the window, lost in thought, and a mist of confusion and heaviness would once again cloud his deep eyes, as if the momentary ease he had just experienced was merely an illusion. But she no longer felt offended or annoyed; instead, she felt a vague sense of inquiry and… a subtle, almost imperceptible, concern.
Even Xiaowei noticed this subtle change.
As soon as Bai Sinian left, Xiao Wei sidled up to Lin Xiaotang, who was cleaning the coffee machine, and whispered with a wink, "Xiaotang, something's up! This Mr. Bai has been looking at you differently lately! Is he pursuing you?"
Lin Xiaotang paused, the water from the tap gushing out, and she feigned composure: "Don't talk nonsense. They're just ordinary customers."
“A regular customer?” Xiao Wei was clearly skeptical. She lowered her voice, a hint of excitement in her voice. “I saw the documents he left on the table. He’s a partner at Baijia Accounting Firm! That’s a top-tier firm! Bai Sinian, I even secretly looked up that name later. His resume is incredibly impressive, a true elite! He’s handsome too, although he’s a bit introverted… With such great prospects, Xiao Tang, you absolutely mustn’t miss out!”
Xiao Wei spoke with her eyes shining, as if she could already see the plot of an idol drama.
Lin Xiaotang turned off the tap, picked up a dry cloth to wipe her hands, and said in a calm tone, but her ears were slightly burning: "This is getting more and more outrageous. What he does is none of my business. Get back to work."
She sent Xiaowei to wipe the table, but she couldn't help but look at that empty corner.
Percy Byrne, a partner at Baijia Accounting Firm.
So that's how distinguished he is. But why would a man who should be so adept in the business world look so pained and struggling in her little coffee shop? Why is even a simple conversation so difficult for him?
"Be friends"...
Are they now considered friends?
Lin Xiaotang's heart was stirred by Xiao Wei's words, like a pebble thrown into a still lake, creating ripples of subtle unfamiliarity. She shook her head, trying to ignore the strange feeling in her heart and focus on her work, but that name and those eyes, sometimes painful and sometimes gentle, lingered in her mind.
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