Xiao Churan forced a smile, shaking her head, “No need. No matter how much I hate to go, we must. This is just a stop on our journey, not our life.”
Ye Chen, missing the deeper meaning in her words, smiled, “If you want to come back, we can anytime.”
He figured White Horse Island and JD Island would soon be under his control. Though he couldn’t tell Xiao Churan, he could find excuses to bring her back often.
Lowering his voice playfully, he said, “Darling, I heard the group’s boss is into feng shui. Maybe I’ll ask Miss Sweet to introduce me. Who knows, I might land a feng shui director role here.”
Xiao Churan’s smile grew more strained and helpless.
Thinking of Tawana, she asked curiously, “Miss Sweet’s on the island too. You worked as her feng shui director for so long, but you haven’t met up. Since we’re leaving today, shouldn’t you at least say hello?”
Ye Chen had been avoiding meeting Tawana with his wife, but Xiao Churan’s point was reasonable. Given their supposed work history, not greeting each other on the same island might seem odd.
So, he asked, “Darling, shall we go see Miss Sweet together, have a quick chat, then head back?”
Xiao Churan shook her head, “I won’t tag along and complicate things. You go say hello.”
Ye Chen said, “If you’re not going, it’s no fun for me either. Why don’t we just leave without her knowing we were here?”
“No,” Xiao Churan said earnestly, “Meeting someone thousands of miles away on a small island is quite a coincidence. Not saying hello would be improper. If she finds out later, she’ll think you’re standoffish. Go on, I’ll pack our things.”
Seeing her insistence, Ye Chen nodded, “Alright, I’ll message her on WeChat.”
In truth, Tawana knew Ye Chen was leaving today.
She missed him dearly but, with Xiao Churan on the island, restrained herself from seeking him out.
Lost in thought, she was out of sorts.
Her parents, shaken by the recent terrorist attack, were similarly distracted, often sitting in silence. Her mother had suggested returning to America, but Tawana hadn’t responded.
Over two days, her parents emerged from the attack’s shadow. Then her mother noticed something odd and said to Tawana, “Darling, something feels off.”
Staring at the glassy green sea, Tawana asked absently, “What’s off?”
Her mother said, “The whole world knows what happened here. Trevor must know too. You two were inseparable before. I get that he’s training for a match and couldn’t join us, but after such a big incident, he hasn’t visited or even called. Isn’t that strange?”
Trevor and Tawana had once been inseparable, like conjoined twins, a famously smitten couple in the entertainment world.
But lately, their time together and communication had dwindled.
Her mother found it odd that, after such a major incident, Trevor hadn’t come to comfort her or even called.
Tawana didn’t know how to respond.
Before Trevor left China, they’d vaguely agreed to marry, partly because she’d accepted she couldn’t be with Ye Chen and wanted to settle to quash other thoughts.
But as her interactions with Ye Chen grew, and he repeatedly saved her, Tawana realised she’d never emotionally move on from him.
For her now, even if she couldn’t have Ye Chen, she didn’t want to settle.
Trevor was that settling option.
Continuing with him meant suppressing her true feelings.
But if she didn’t want to settle, there was no point dragging it out.
She’d considered breaking up with Trevor directly.
But, after much thought, as he was her longest relationship, she didn’t want to seem heartless. If he could let go on his own, that’d be best.
So, at her concert, she kissed Ye Chen and planned to sing *Assassin*, the song tied to that kiss, on the island, to signal to Trevor that she couldn’t let Ye Chen go.
Trevor hadn’t contacted her, even after the incident, showing he’d got the message and chosen to let go.
When her mother brought him up, Tawana hesitated, then murmured, “Mum, Dad, Trevor and I, we’re done…”
