“Why are we here?” An Xin asked as he parked his bicycle outside a restaurant and brought her inside. She saw him ushering her to the table and he passed her the menu.


    He gently knocked on her head. “Little blockhead, why do people go to the doctor?”


    “To get treatment for sickness, ” An Xin replied as she blinked her eyes.


    “Why do we go towyers?” He asked once again.


    “You know why we do, ” An Xin said. “But the question is why are you asking me these questions? I know we both know the answer to this question. Isn’t it stupid to ask the questions?”


    “Exactly, “Han Zixin said. “If you know they are stupid questions, then why do you ask one?”


    An Xin pursed her lips. She just realised that he called her stupid for asking what they were doing in the restaurant. What she meant by the question was why they were in a restaurant and not his house. She had parked his car in his building and he could have gone home and cooked. She would have seen him in action. Every time, she would see him cooking on video calls but this was the time she could see him live and it seemed she missed the chance.


    “Fine. Fine. You win, Mr Secret Superstar, ” An Xin rolled his eyes.


    “You still sticking to that nickname?” He asked her, amused.


    “Yep, ” She smiled. “It makes me feel as if I know something that no one else does. You know, I’m the person with your deepest and darkest secret.”


    Han Zixin leaned in and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and whispered in her ear, “You know two can keep a secret if one of them is dead.”


    An Xin’s eyes widened as she looked at him in horror. “Did you just threaten me?”


    Han Zixin had the audacity to shrug. Yes, he actually shrugged at her as if what he did was not a big deal at all.


    “You are deputy chief Han, ” An Xin reminded him. “Behave like one instead of a gangster.”


    “I’m a gangster?” Han Zixin asked, amused.


    “Of course, “She said without waiting.


    A grin spread on his lips as he went on, ” Tell me what kind of gangster am I. What did I do to you to have you call me a gangster?”


    An Xin opened his mouth to reply but when he saw his whiskey eyes shining with mischief and he was biting his lip to stop the smile from spreading on his lips. Gosh, he was evil.


    She pointed her finger at him and said putting a hand on her heart, “You…you…you just flirted with me?”


    “Did I?” Han Zixin blinked his eyes innocently.


    “That’s morally wrong, ” An Xin said. “We are best friends.”


    A waitress came to serve them food and she ced the food on the table, he turned to look at her and asked, “Miss, do you think it’s morally wrong to flirt with your best friend?”


    The womanughed as if it was her favourite kind of question. She showed him her left hand and went on saying, “Known him for thirty years in total. Best friends for ten years before he confessed his feelings. Ten years of being married. Have two kids in school. Say, you think it’s morally wrong to flirt with your best friend?”


    An Xin was as red as a ripe tomato as she buried her head in her te and dared not to look up. This Han Zixin made a fool out of her in front of the waitress. She would avenge this for sure. Her time woulde and all they had to do was wait patiently.


    She pouted and began murdering the steak that he had ordered. He sighed and took his te and put his own in front of her. When she saw that he had cut the steak for her, she reluctantly forgive him for teasing her.


    “Do you know Nanxian is nning to expand to China?” An Xin asked after a while.


    Han Zixin nodded his head. “He told me about it. Actually, I asked him toe home. He is so far from me and Yeye. His father used to care but ever since the man found his dead wife’s doppelganger, he had been obsessed with her.”


    “You asked him to return?” An Xin asked, once again shocked.


    Han Zixin nodded his head. “If he has a family, why should he suffer in a foreign country all alone?”


    “Can I ask you something?” An Xin asked.


    “Go ahead, ” He said.


    “Are you and Nanxian fine now? You don’t hate him?” An Xin questioned. She knew one thing for sure that only she could dare to ask him this question and if anyone ever did, he would break their face.


    “When you fell from the stairs in the examination venue and were taken to the hospital, ” Han Zixin said in a trembling tone. “I saw your helplessness. You were so desperate to be alive. At that time, I realised how Nanxian would have felt. I reached out to him because I didn’t want him to be desperate for love like you. My parents were good people. They raised me with love and care but the bond I have with Nanxian was something that was beyond anyone’s understanding.”


    He paused for a moment and then went on, “He was barely five when we met. The teenage me would be ashamed to me a kid for what happened to me but the teenage version of me was just angry at everyone. That me didn’t know how to deal with the mess that Yeye’s son made in our lives. It took time for all of us to forget and forgive everything and start a new life together.”


    An Xin smiled through teary eyes. She knew that this man always had a heart of gold. How could someone hate him? She couldn’t imagine why Mr Han and Ms Yang did what they did to her. She never told him that she was the reason why Miss Yang was taken away from his life.