She Thought of Him as a Friend

Silence fell in the room.

He Xiyan focused on eating the pizza on her plate. She knew that the man seated across her was staring at her and had been staring at her for some time.

After she finished the pizza, she heard his voice, that sounded hoarser than before, say, "Have you… been well?" 

He asked the question that he would always ask each time they met.

He Xiyan pulled out a piece of tissue, wiped her mouth, and shot him a small smile. She looked at his haggard face and could even see the dark circles that rimmed his eyes. She couldn't help but say, "I'm doing well! And you?"

He Xiyan looked at him calmly. After many years had passed, her love and hatred toward this man had faded and she now treated him like a friend.

"I've had trouble sleeping over the past few days and haven't been sleeping well," Ye Hao said as he cast his eyes downward. A flash of disappointment crossed his eyes as he looked down.