Cross Lines

Chapter Twelve: Joy and Sorrow

Despite the great opportunity, Maggie decided to remain polite and didn't directly grab Emily Luo's hand. She had mentioned before that she had a slight aversion to touching unfamiliar people. It seemed more appropriate to touch her arm instead. Emily Luo, however, was relieved to have Maggie's timely intervention to get rid of the annoying man. The two shared a conspiratorial smile as they walked away together.

"Why go through so much trouble dealing with him? You could have just dismissed him," Maggie said, naturally letting go of Emily's hand and slinging her sports bag over her shoulder.

Emily shook her head. "He's a government official’s son; you can't afford to offend him."

Maggie nodded understandingly and then raised an eyebrow with a half-smile. "Is he pursuing you?"

Emily blinked. "What do you think?"

"I think he is."

"Then that's that." Emily's expression was a bit innocent, making Maggie smile.

"Who introduced him? Isn't there quite an age gap?"

"Is there?" Emily widened her beautiful eyes. "I heard he's only three years older than me."

"Three years older?" Maggie looked surprised. "Are you forty already?"

Emily didn't answer, squinting with a smirk and poking Maggie's shoulder with a slender finger. "Hey!"

Maggie laughed, and Emily couldn’t help but laugh along. She felt relaxed around Maggie, finding her to be pleasant and not off-putting, despite the occasional jokes. Emily couldn’t understand why Qiqi disliked her; she seemed like a genuinely nice person.

As Maggie was about to say goodbye, Emily surprised her by asking, "Do you have time?"

"Yes, why?" Maggie was a bit taken aback.

"If you don’t mind, would you like to grab a drink? Just to thank you for today."

Emily suggested, although she seemed a bit uneasy, perhaps unaccustomed to making such invitations. Maggie's heart leaped with joy, but she maintained a polite smile. "Dr. Luo, you’re too kind. I haven’t even returned your last invitation. Are you thanking me again?"

Emily cleared her throat and put on a serious face. "So, are you coming or not?"

Maggie, slightly stunned, quickly agreed, "Sure!"

To Maggie's further surprise, Emily took her to a place called "Topos." When they arrived and Maggie saw the entrance, she stopped in her tracks.

"Hmm? What’s wrong?" Emily asked, looking at her.

"Do you come here often?"

"Not really," Emily replied, "It’s just that the environment here is nice—quiet, not too crowded. And it’s open long hours, so you can come anytime."

"Oh..." Maggie nodded, feeling an intuition about Emily. She thought, Emily might really be like what she suspected...

"What’s the matter? Is there a problem? I remember you came here before too, right?"

"Oh, no, nothing. I come here with colleagues often."

Maggie quickly shifted her mood, putting on a bright smile as she pushed open the bar's door. The bell rang pleasantly, and the bar was not very crowded in the afternoon. Customers were relaxed, and the two servers were chatting lazily at the bar.

With most of the seats open, they chose a sofa. Maggie, familiar with the place, ordered drinks after asking Emily and stretched comfortably on the sofa.

Emily smiled, clearly more at ease. "You also go to Lio?"

"Not often. Just started going," Maggie said. "Their sales team came to our company and spoke highly of it, so I got a membership."

Emily, who had been at Lio for two years, said it was a good place. Maggie responded, "I’ll definitely go more often now."

"If you have time, we could go together," Emily suggested, surprising Maggie with her proactive stance.

"Being alone, you sometimes meet all kinds of people," Emily continued, showing a hint of frustration. Maggie picked up on this, understanding the challenges faced by someone like Emily who attracted attention.

"Usually, when do you go?"

"Sometimes I’m lazy and don’t go," Emily said, showing a touch of vulnerability Maggie hadn’t expected from someone who seemed so aloof.

As they talked, the bar's bell jingled again, and Eva walked in. Upon seeing them together, Eva looked momentarily surprised but soon donned her usual knowing smile and went to the back room.

Maggie smiled back at Eva but focused on the conversation with Emily, asking, "What were you saying?"

Emily sipped her drink, and Maggie found her actions, though natural, quite tempting. Emily continued, "I was wondering if it’s too forward of me. Maybe you’d prefer to go with your boyfriend?"

"Heh, I don’t have a boyfriend," Maggie replied lightly to the sensitive topic.

Emily was surprised. "How come?"

Maggie widened her eyes, "Why wouldn’t I?"

Emily was about to say more when Maggie interjected, "Dr. Luo, do you have a boyfriend?"

Emily froze, caught off guard. She instinctively said, "No..."

Maggie remained calm, raising an eyebrow. Emily quickly added, "But there’s someone I like."

Maggie smiled, her eyes showing no emotion, seemingly both unsurprised and slightly smug.

Emily stared at Maggie, confused and unsure of what Maggie’s words implied. She seemed to sense a probe but couldn’t pinpoint it. Unsure how to respond, she remained silent.

Maggie sipped her apple juice, her gaze steady on Emily.

"I’m waiting for someone," Emily’s voice was very soft, almost inaudible, "Waiting for her to notice me."

Maggie fell silent, sensing the underlying meaning. Rationality suggested she should distance herself, but curiosity urged her to probe further. She made a risky decision, wanting to test the waters.

"Dr. Luo, is the person you’re waiting for Manager Gao?"

Emily’s face changed instantly, her eyes narrowing with a cold, hostile glare. "What did you say?"

Maggie met her gaze steadily, not flinching. She knew Emily had understood.

"How did you know..."

"Women are usually quite perceptive, especially—among their own kind."

Maggie emphasized the last two words, and Emily’s eyes widened slightly, showing surprise but remaining silent.

"I mean no harm. It just seems that frequent visitors here might..."

Maggie tried to explain, hoping to ease Emily’s hostility. Emily, fully understanding the situation, quickly gathered her things, standing up and addressing Maggie directly.

"Whether or not you mean any harm, I think it’s best if we don’t meet too often."

Without waiting for a response, she left, not looking back. Maggie shrugged as the bar’s bell rang, "Do we meet often? I didn’t think so."

Eva, behind the bar, observed the entire scene without comment, exhaling smoke and looking away.