Chapter 23: That Was Close!

Li Xia woke up from the sound of the alarm after constantly ringing it several times to wake her up from her deep sleep. She reached out and switched off the alarm clock which had stopped ringing.

She made her way toward the kitchen after getting freshened up. As soon as she arrived at the kitchen Jing Xi was already setting up the breakfast on the table. She was dressed in a black silk top with a maroon blazer over it. With matching maroon pants and a pair of black heels

Her hair was tied up in claw clips and her curtain bangs were falling onto her face as she was busy preparing breakfast. She was all ready for her work. Jing Xi was the total opposite of Li Xia. She was organized, punctual, self-reliant, and disciplined.

Li Xia sat on the chair across the dining table with a bored look on her face while lazily rubbing the drowsiness away from her eyes.

She stretched her arms and yawned. She then leaned forward onto the table and grabbed a piece of croissant with her right hand while holding a glass of milk in her other hand.

"How come our sleeping beauty is up this early, huh?" Jing Xi asked, raising an eyebrow at Li Xia whose attention was currently fixated on her food instead of answering her question. 

"I have to do a live stream at 11:00 A.M," Li Xia answered nonchalantly while chewing a bite of her croissant.

"Thank God, there is something that can wake you up early," Jing Xi chuckled while taking a bite of a croissant. Li Xia nodded her head and smiled at Jing Xi before continuing to munch on her croissant. 

Jing Xi smiled at her friend and then went on to eat the food on her plate. The only sounds that could be heard around them were the clinking and crunching noise of their food. 

"I forgot to ask you about something last night,"  Li Xia suddenly said

"What?" Jing Xi asked as she gulped her black coffee. As a lawyer, she needed caffeine to maintain her energy level. Otherwise, she would be exhausted at work.

Li Xia took the last bite of the croissant and took a sip of milk. She swallowed down the contents through her throat. 

"Did you and Xiao Xian work out? Li Xia inquired while wiping her mouth with the napkin.

Jing Xi choked on the coffee she was drinking and spat it all out while coughing. Her eyes were fixed on Li Xia while still coughing.

"Stop coughing, I still haven't mentioned the word breakup yet," Li Xia asserted while curling her legs on the chair and taking a sip of milk.

Jing Xi knew what Li Xia meant by the word 'breakup'. Xiao Xian and Jing Xi have broken up about 5 times since they confessed their feelings for each other.

"I am getting late," Jing Xi abruptly said while standing up from her seat and placing her cup on the table. She brushed the crumbs off of her black top and smoothened her maroon skirt. Taking her bag that was beside her chair, she walked towards the door.

"You haven't answered my question yet!! !" Li Xia wailed after Jing Xi who was walking away.

"I have a meeting with a client," Jing Xi casually reponded and left without looking back.

"How long will you escape from reality?"  Li Xia murmured while picking up the glass and gulping down the rest of her milk. She placed the empty glass on the table and pushed her hair behind her ears. And took the dishes to the sink and began to clean the table. 

.............. 

After changing her clothes she wore a bucket hat, sunglasses, and a mask to hide her face again. She still wanted to avoid her interaction with Luo Yuan. Because she was still embarrassed about her actions. 

She hailed a cab towards the apartment building where she lived. As soon as she entered the apartment complex. She saw Luo Yuan coming out of his apartment and walking towards her.

Seeing him coming towards her way, her breath caught in her throat and for a brief moment, she stopped dead in her tracks as she couldn't make her limbs move anymore. She felt so nervous. Even her heart started beating faster.

She managed to gather her scattered thoughts together when she realized he can't possibly recognize her with the mask on her face.

Gathering up her courage she started to take a bigger step toward her apartment's entrance. Just as she was taking her step further. Luo Yuan came nearer to her.

She unconsciously moved towards the right side. At the same time, Luo Yuan did the same thing. She moved left to let him pass her. He unconsciously followed after her. After doing this for three rounds, she moved aside the wall and leaned against it making a way for him to pass her.

He passed by her and went outside the apartment complex. As she watched Luo Yuan withdrawing figure, she took a deep breath that she was holding in and released it slowly. She rubbed her forehead.

"That was close," She whispered. She ran her hand through her hair as she exhaled deeply. She looked at her watch which showed 9:00 A.M. on the screen and realized she had only two hours to get ready for the live stream.

Without wasting any more time she continued to walk toward her apartment. There she noticed some PR packages at the side of her door. She took the boxes with her hands and carried them inside her apartment.