Me After Meeting You

The restaurant owner’s wife knew her. “She’s just an old woman who lives alone right around here. She used to have a son, but he was spirited away by Elly’s mother when they were young. Then, Elly’s mother found another man to live a good life with, where as her son ended updying in an accident. Thus, she hates the gutsof the Brown family. I don’t know who told her that you were serving as Elly’s defense attorney, but she was so angry that she came right over to cause trouble.”

After hearing the background, Amber was rendered speechless.

The restaurant owner’s wife then tried to persuade her, saying, “If you’ve already cleared things up, then leave quickly. That old lady’s really stubborn, and she might come back again later. Given how old she is, regardless of whether you win or lose againsther, it won’t end up well for you.”

This was true. Amber’s scalp felt numb when she glanced back at that old lady whose frail body belied her surprising attack power. She thanked the woman, and then told Ian, “You guys can leave first.”

She was still drenched in the disgusting slop, so she couldn’t get in the car with them.

Ian didn’t say a word. He seemed to be in a daze, thinking about something.

And it was then that he looked different from regular people.

Amber didn’t want to disturb him, and only wanted the chauffeur to take him away quickly. She didn’t know if the chauffeur knew about Ian’s unique disposition, as he was a bit anxious, even asking her, “What about you?”

Before Amber could respond, Ian said, “Go on ahead and find a hotel, get a room, and buy a set of new clothes.”

Once he finished speaking, Amber and the chauffeur looked at each other, exhaling simultaneously.

His plans were thoughtful and Amber had no problems with them. The chauffeur followed his orders and drove off. Only then did Ian look in the direction of the old lady again before directly leaving.

He walked quickly. Because Amber was scared of bothering him with her smell, she didn’t rush to catch up with him, and instead walked slowly behind him.

As they walked, even though Amber had discarded her totally ruined jacket long ago, she still attracted all sorts of attention. As she shivered in the cold, she had to continuously tell herself, “Don’t worry. Only random strangers who don’t know you are looking at you.”

It was just that there were a few by standers who were also taking pictures of her with their phone, so she had to lower her head and hope that her face hadn’t been exposed.

Luckily, the hotel that the chauffeur made a reservation at wasn’t too far away, and he was back in ten or so minutes.

***

The hotel wasn’t large, but the lobby was very new; the hotel had probably opened quite recently. Ian waited at the front of the hotel, watching her walk over while covering her head and face.

“Here?” Seeing him standing still, she asked.

Ian nodded.

The chauffeur had just finished checking in and was about to buy a new set of clothes for her. Seeing her, he quickly said, “The room card is at the front office. Please go up first, and I’ll have someone bring the clothes over when they’re ready. Right, what sizes do you wear?”

Letting a random man buy her clothes made her somewhat want to go ‘Ng.’ “Thanks, just a small jacket will do, please.”

The chauffeur nodded. After Amber entered the room, she heard him ask, “Director Axton, will you be finding a place to stay too?”

She didn’t pay too much attention to Ian’s reply. The only thought in her mind now was to take a shower and change her clothes.

Her body was simply … too smelly!

Amber took the longest and most careful bath she had ever had in her entire life, even washing her hair thrice. When she finally came out, she was unable to smell even atrace of sourness.

After picking up her phone, she saw an unread message from Ian. “Your clothes are at the door.”

When she opened the door, she indeed found a large paper bag outside. She took it inside, opened it, and noticed that the inside contained not only a jacket, but also a pair of jeans, a warm undershirt, and a box of disposable underwear.

When she remembered that a man had bought all of this, Amber felt uncomfortable from head to toe. But since it had already been bought, no matter how she felt, she had to change. Her original set of clothes was too smelly and oily, completely unwearable.

Besides her new jeans being slightly too large, the rest of the clothes fit her well. After Amber finished changing into her new set of clothes, she went around in a circle downstairs, and then finally found Ian’s car parked outside. The windows were down; Ian sat inside on the phone, his laptop on his knees as normal.

His chauffeur, on the other hand, seemed to be gone.

Amber waited for Ian to hang up before approaching him. As she came closer, Ian unconsciously moved away from her.

She felt slightly embarrassed. She stood still, smelling herself delicately. “Do I still smell bad?”

Ian looked at her. Perhaps it was because she had just taken a bath, but Ian’s whole body exuded a warm and inviting feeling. It was as clear as a polished crystal, and so clean that it made others want to take a bite out of her.

It was a pity that she didn’t realize that herself, instead turning around to gaze at her surroundings. “Is it just you?”

Ian ignored her.

Amber continued, saying, “The chauffeur, Mr. Charlie, bought the clothes, didn’t he? Where is he? I’ll pay him back.”

“That’s not necessary.” Ian said coolly. He looked at her. “This is your payment for helping me avoid a calamity.”Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“Er,” Amber stuttered. “Shouldn’t it be mereaping what I’ve sown?”

Ian shut his laptop, casting side long glances at her. “But you seem to be happy about reaping what you’ve sown?”

Amber shrugged her shoulders. “Then what should I do? Cry? Unfortunately, crying can’t solve my problems. Further more, after cleaning myself, I’m as good as new again. So what’s there to be mad about?”

Her words were humorous, and Ian couldn’t help but curl up his lips slightly upon hearing them.

“It’s getting quite late. When are the two of you planning to return?”

Ian’s hand, which was resting on his laptop, shook. He raised his head. “You two?”

“Yes, I plan on staying here for a night because I keep feeling like there are still some questions that I haven’t investigated fully.”

“Of course there are problems,” Ian said with a laugh. “At the very least, that old widowed grandmother who tossed a bucket at you has problems. If she were really living by herself, then her bucket wouldn’t have been filled with so much stuff.”

Amber blinked. “What stuff?”