Close Yet Far

Elena walked down the steps of the front yard and threw her bag into the passenger seat. She entered the car and leaned her head back against the headrest.

It was only a little past seven, and filming started at 8:30. Elena decided to find a nearby coffee shop and grab a cup of coffee before going to the set.

She started the car and drove out of the neighborhood.

The closest coffee shop was surprisingly busy in the morning. Elena waited patiently in line, debating on whether she should order an iced americano or a caramel macchiato.

The line went by quickly, and before long, Elena had to order.

"Hello, can I get a medium-sized caramel macchiato." Elena decided that she needed something sweet in her life, and the americano was nothing but bitter.

The young girl taking the orders seemed like she was still in college. The girl widened her eyes at the sight of Elena before entering her order into the monitor.

"Medium-sized caramel macchiato. That would be 25 yuan. Will you pay using your phone or your credit card?"

"Credit card please." Elena pulled her wallet out of her bag and inserted the card into the machine.

As Elena was putting her wallet back and waiting for her receipt, the girl worker leaned in and asked, "Miss, can I ask you a question?"

Elena looked at the girl's curious eyes and slightly red cheeks and laughed, "Sure, although what you just asked was also a question. I'll allow you a second question."

The girl smiled, "Are you a celebrity? If you are, can I take a picture with you to show my friends? Miss, you're very pretty."

Elena smiled and looked behind her. The crowd seemed to have died down, and there wasn't anyone waiting after her.

"I am a celebrity, but why would you want to take a picture with me if you don't even know me?"

The girl pouted, "I know you now."

Elena looked at the girl's eyes and tilted her head, "What if I'm not famous?"

"You will get famous."

Elena couldn't help but laugh at the girl's remarks.

"Come out of there, I'll give you a picture. But in return, I want you to go make my drink quickly."

The girl happily nodded and ran out from behind the counter.

After taking a selfie together, the girl thanked Elena and hurried away to go make the drink.

"Order number 37, your caramel macchiato is ready."

Elena looked up from her phone and grabbed the drink.

"Miss, before you leave, can I ask you what your name is?"

Elena sighed, "My name is Elena. Next time, before you ask for a picture or a signature, remember to ask for their name first."

The girl nodded before bowing down 90 degrees, "Thank you for visiting, please come again!"

Elena pushed the door open and entered her car. Were all teenagers as innocent as her?

The simplest things in life could really make a difference. When she had left the house, she was still feeling sad and angry.

Now, the short interaction with a complete stranger she didn't even know, and a cup of delicious coffee was already making her feel better.

Elena took a sip of the coffee and smiled, 'Boys are stupid. Food is so much better.'

With this thought in mind, Elena happily drove to the warehouse, arriving just on time.

There weren't many days until the filming of this drama would be over. The last people to finish filming would be Su Yan and Zhang Bing, but Elena only had about two weeks left of filming.

Elena finished filming Scene 124 and sat down on her chair, stretching her neck. She thought about yesterday night. She hadn't slept alone in a long time.

Elena hated awkward situations, and having Chu Hua in the house was definitely going to make everything more awkward.

Elena pursed her lips and looked down, taking a sip of the caramel macchiato. There really was no point in living with Lu Chenjun any longer.

Although Elena didn't have the power to propose breaking up, she did have the power over where she lived.

She bit down on the plastic straw and nodded silently.

'Tomorrow, I will make the decision tomorrow.'

Elena decided to give it one more day before telling Lu Chenjun that she didn't want to live in the Jinlu Complex anymore.

"Jin Yinghui! Scene 98 is starting!"

Elena quickly put down her cup of coffee on the table and stood up.

"Coming!"

---

Chu Hua paced around her room in an effort to get rid of her boredom. She had moved here so she would be able to spend more time with Lu Chenjun.

Who would have known that Lu Chenjun would be out all day? Plus, she couldn't go visit him at his company now, so the chances of her seeing him became even slimmer.

Chu Hua threw herself onto her bed, her lips turning into a frown. Lu Chenjun only ate three bites of the breakfast she made before going to work.

Chu Hua knew that her cooking was bad, but couldn't Lu Chenjun at least have eaten a little more.

She rolled onto her back and looked up at the huge chandelier hanging down from the ceiling. She reached her hand up, trying to touch one of the beads.

Chu Hua squinted her eyes together and brought her hand down, 'It's so close. . . yet so far.'

She sat up. She couldn't just lay here and do nothing. As of now, she didn't know how she was going to get Lu Chenjun to love her again, but sitting here doing nothing was definitely not the way.

She exited her room and looked around the second floor. Only one door was open, the door to Lu Chenjun's office.

Lu Chenjun always kept that door open, as it was easier and faster to just walk straight in instead of having to open and close it all the time.

Chu Hua looked around, making sure that no one was there. Swiftly, she walked into the room and closed the door behind her.

There was a huge wooden desk in the center of the room, and behind the desk, there was a huge bookshelf, filled with books of all topics and genres.

Although she didn't know why she entered his office, she stayed there for a while. Chu Hua sat down on the huge chair behind the desk, looking at the pile of papers and folders in front of her.

She rested one hand on the table and picked up a piece of paper. It was just information about the company.

After reading only one paragraph, Chu Hua got bored. She yawned and put the paper down.

Chu Hua stood up and opened the door quietly, walking out of the room as if she had never been in there.

She looked around, checking one more time to make sure that no one was there, although only Auntie Qin was in the house.

Chu Hua tiptoed back into her own room, closing the door behind her.

Once the door clicked into place, Auntie Qin walked out from behind a wall. She glared at Chu Hua's room, disgust evident in her eyes.

Auntie Qin made her way quietly down the stairs and locked the door after entering her bedroom.

She opened her phone and dialed a number into the keypad.

"Mr. Lu, Miss Chu Hua entered your office and came out a minute ago. She stayed there for about half an hour."

There was a momentary silence on the other end of the phone, "Thank you, Auntie Qin. Continue keeping an eye on her."