After Qiao Meixia finished completely filling her stomach at the restaurant, she left the establishment and headed to a nearby park to relax for a while. Since it was right in the middle of the day on a weekday, the park grounds were practically empty and beautifully bathed in warm, bright sunlight. She walked over to one of the vacant benches nestled beneath the cool shade of a large tree and sat down comfortably.
Her next self-appointed mission was to buy some proper clothes. She had absolutely no interest in going to a crowded shopping mall or walking into an upscale clothing boutique in person. Dealing with overly attentive salespeople was always a massive hassle. Buying clothes online was much easier, far more efficient, and cut out unnecessary human interaction entirely. All she had to do was click on the specific items she liked, add them to her digital cart, check out, and pay.
Simple and easy.
True to her usual nature, her fashion choices were as predictable as ever. Black. Grey. And absolutely no dresses under any circumstances. The entire online shopping process was efficiently completed within less than ten minutes.
Next came the various essential items and high-end equipment she needed for the private workspace she planned to set up in her new penthouse. A few more quick, precise clicks later, and that critical task was completed as well.
Then, she suddenly found herself with absolutely nothing left to do for the rest of the afternoon.
Qiao Meixia leaned her head back against the wooden slats of the bench and quietly looked up at the vast sky above her. It was a beautiful, completely clear shade of blue. It had been a very long time since she had last felt this free, peaceful, and entirely relaxed.
Without even realizing it herself, she spent the next four hours sitting there in complete, deadpan silence, staring fixedly up at the drifting white clouds as time slowly passed by around her.
"Young Miss..."
A cautious, trembling voice suddenly called out from nearby, breaking the quiet atmosphere.
At first, Qiao Meixia did not even realize that the person was speaking directly to her. As a result, she neither reacted nor moved a single muscle, remaining completely still like a statue. It was only when the stranger lightly and hesitantly tapped her on the shoulder that she finally responded.
Qiao Meixia slowly shifted her gaze away from the open sky and looked at the middle-aged man standing right beside her bench.
The stranger immediately appeared immensely relieved the very moment he saw her eyes move and focus on him.
"Thank goodness, you are actually alive." The man said, patting his chest several times in sheer relief as he let out a long breath.
"Huh?" Qiao Meixia tilted her head slightly, feeling both confused and mildly curious about his bizarre, exaggerated reaction. "Why exactly are you acting like this?"
"I... I seriously thought you had died or passed away because you hadn't moved a single inch for almost two hours." The man explained awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Oh... I see." Qiao Meixia nodded in calm understanding, unbothered by how strange she must have looked to a bystander.
"Well, I will be leaving now. Take care." The man said, bowing his head slightly before quickly walking away, eager to escape the awkward situation.
Qiao Meixia quietly watched his retreating figure leave the park.
Well, she had completely lost track of time simply because it had been so long since she had truly allowed herself to relax. She had spent the vast majority of her life constantly working under high pressure and rarely ever had any personal time to herself. For the very first time, she felt slightly grateful to the biased Jiang family for unintentionally creating this rare, quiet opportunity for her to do nothing.
Her gaze shifted downward toward her watch to check the time. It was finally time to go back.
***This novel is a work with w e b n o v e l. c o m. If it is not read this novel on w e b n o v e l. c o m, then it has been stolen. Thank you, from your shameless author, ZerahNeko***