Cross Lines

Chapter 43: Breaking the Cocoon

Maggie blinked. After a few days on a business trip, she was genuinely happy to see Emily Luo. However, that fleeting excitement quickly vanished from her eyes. She sensed something was off with Emily Luo’s mood.

Dr. Luo, who was typically aloof around strangers, briefly glanced at Maggie before her gaze shifted to Lola. Her eyes slid over Lola's almost naked chest and then she smirked slightly, as if acknowledging her presence, before walking over to wash her hands.

Maggie looked at Lola and did something that even she found puzzling. She quickly draped the garment she was holding over Lola’s exposed chest, covering her skin.

Emily Luo’s eyes flicked to the side for a moment, hesitating briefly. But then she shut off the tap, gave Maggie a sharp look, took a paper towel, and exited without a word. The atmosphere in the restroom turned awkward, leaving Maggie and Lola in a state of confusion.

If Maggie didn’t react to this, then her perceptiveness would have been for nothing. Without waiting for Lola to respond, she handed her the clothing and hurried out.

She caught sight of Emily Luo’s back just as Eva’s lounge door was closing. Without hesitation, Maggie followed her in. She found Eva absent and Emily Luo bent over, reaching for her phone on the sofa. Seeing Maggie enter, Emily Luo didn’t speak, merely looked at her phone screen.

“You shouldn’t be here,” Maggie said calmly as she closed the door. Dr. Luo gave a light laugh, “Why can’t I be here?”

“I meant, you wouldn’t usually come at this time.”

Emily Luo’s sharp response was somewhat regrettable as the implication was too clear. Maggie’s eyes gleamed with a hint of triumph as she tilted her head and asked, “Are you jealous?”

Emily Luo’s expression momentarily froze, but she quickly replaced it with an indifferent look and gave Maggie a cold smirk, “Who am I jealous of?”

Maggie didn’t respond immediately but leaned in a bit closer with a faint smile on her lips. “Dr. Luo, facing your own heart might be better than clinging to the past.”

Emily Luo looked surprised. “How do you know if clinging is futile?”

“I know.” Maggie was calm and unflustered. Emily Luo scrutinized her but couldn’t discern much. After a pause, she asked, “What did Jasmine tell you?”

Maggie didn’t answer directly and took a step forward. “Sacrificing yourself to no end is sometimes meaningless, even counterproductive. You’ve poured your best years and feelings into something irretrievable. Your self-sacrifice hasn’t yielded the results you wanted and might have become a burden to others. It’s not that Mr. Gao isn’t worth your effort, but your effort is completely unnecessary to her. Why put yourself through this?”

Emily Luo was taken aback by Maggie’s sudden and pointed words. She stared as Maggie approached her. “You…”

“Have you ever faced what you truly like, want, and hope for in life? Losing yourself, no matter the relationship, only burdens both yourself and others.”

Standing in front of Emily Luo, Maggie saw her face change expression several times, her breath becoming uneven. “I don’t know what you’re talking about…”

“You do, and you understand it well. You might not like me, but you need to find what you do like. Don’t live like you’re atoning for something and making your life so hard. Life is too short to waste.”

Emily Luo’s gaze became vacant, her previous sharp demeanor softened. Maggie’s words, though heard many times from different people, had caused her to waver in her convictions. Perhaps, she was wrong?

Maggie’s face softened into a relaxed smile. “And I don’t believe you don’t like me at all.”

Seeing no reaction from Emily Luo, Maggie reached out and gently wrapped her arms around her from behind. Standing very close, Maggie’s voice was low but clear. “Give me a chance, okay?”

Emily Luo shivered slightly, seeming nervous. She raised one arm to block the contact between them but didn’t push Maggie away, only shook her head slightly. “Maggie…”

Maggie quickly released her and interrupted her, “I understand, I understand… You need time. You need to think it through.”

Maggie nodded, retreating a few steps, spreading her hands to show she wasn’t pushing. Her face bore a slight stiffness. “Of course, no problem. I don’t want to pressure you.”

Reaching the door, Maggie paused, smiled, and said, “I’ll leave now.”

Without waiting for Emily Luo’s reaction, she opened the door and exited swiftly.

Closing the door, Maggie held back her rapid heartbeat and took a deep breath, feeling a bit drained as if she had just run a sprint. Her back felt cool, as if she had broken into a sweat. She stood there for a moment to calm herself before slowly returning to the main area.

Lola had come back, dressed and almost unnoticeable. She watched Maggie with a penetrating gaze, as if trying to discern something. Maggie returned a slightly weary look and said nothing.

The rest of the evening was lively, but Maggie was somewhat absent-minded. She hadn’t expected to encounter Emily Luo here, and her words had been a spur-of-the-moment decision. She noticed Emily Luo’s shifting feelings but couldn’t grasp their underlying cause. Thus, she sought to explore and find an answer, hoping it might align with her expectations.

She observed the comings and goings in the bar, noting the arrival and departure of many guests. By late into the night, Emily Luo had not reappeared. Maggie grew anxious.

Zachary glanced at her and extinguished his cigarette. “It’s getting late. Shall we head out?”

A group of disheveled individuals stood up, beginning to search for their coats and phones.

“Maggie, since you just returned, don’t worry about sending anyone off. Go home and rest early. I’ll see Lola and Poppy back.”

Zachary said as he patted one of the people beside him. “Young men, take a cab and be careful on the way.”

Maggie thanked him, “Then you all go ahead. I’ll say goodbye to the boss.”

Lola didn’t comment on the arrangement, and Poppy, who had drunk a bit too much, didn’t look at Maggie as she helped him. Maggie, preoccupied with her thoughts, didn’t pay much attention.

Eva was at the bar, watching Maggie approach while exhaling smoke. Maggie sat down opposite her.

“Has she left?”

Eva seemed amused and shook her head. “Maggie, what did you do earlier?”

Maggie raised her eyebrows and stayed silent. Eva finished her cigarette slowly and then said, “The first push is strong, the second weak, and the third exhausted.”

Maggie stared at Eva, shocked. Five minutes later, she stood at the lounge door again.

She knocked lightly, but there was no response. Maggie hesitated, then turned the handle and opened the door. Inside, Emily Luo was alone, sitting on the sofa with her legs crossed, watching TV.

“Need a ride home?”

Maggie tried to sound as natural as possible. Emily Luo glanced at her without speaking, then lowered her head to spit out a cherry pit into her hand.

Maggie, feeling a sudden irritation at seeing Emily Luo so relaxed while she was anxious outside, walked in and stood next to Emily Luo. “What have you decided?”

Emily Luo looked up, clearly surprised by the question. After a moment of silence, she returned her gaze to the TV.

Unable to bear it any longer, Maggie’s breath became rapid. “Give me a conclusion. If you really don’t like me, I will step back to being just a friend and won’t bother you again.”

Emily Luo’s movements faltered, her eyes showing a brief flash of panic. Maggie, in a state of emotional turmoil, couldn’t focus on details.

Dr. Luo stared at the TV for a while, then looked at Maggie with a rolled eye. “What about your assistant?”

Maggie was momentarily stunned. “Lola? She’s not my assistant, but the chairman’s. She went home.”

“It’s so late—don’t you want to see her off?” Emily Luo’s slow, significant tone made Maggie impatiently brush her hair from her forehead.

“The boss is seeing her off. Why should we bother?”

Emily Luo popped another cherry into her mouth. “Then what should we talk about?”

“I’m asking you!”

Spitting out the pit, Dr. Luo pouted in displeasure. “Do you have to be so aggressive?”

Maggie stood still, pondering the remark. She bent down, grabbed a few cherries from the glass bowl, and plopped down next to Emily Luo. With a cheerful tone, she asked, “What are we watching?”