Chapter 14: It Was Him...

Ellie didn't want to stay long in such a situation, so she ate a little, said something to her parents, and quietly left.

Since there were so many guests waiting for her cousin's attention, her parents were still there, and she had already shown her face, her cousin and cousin-in-law wouldn't notice when she left.

To her surprise, as soon as she stepped out of the restaurant, she saw her cousin standing at the entrance making a phone call. And her cousin happened to spot her too. She couldn't hide.

What surprised her even more was that before she could say anything, her cousin showed a slightly awkward smile and continued speaking on the phone.

"Mhm, I just came out. I'm waiting for you at the entrance. That's all for now."

Upon hearing these words, Ellie's heart relaxed. Obviously, not only did she leave early, but her cousin also left early, and even earlier than her.

She walked over and greeted with a smile, "Allie."

"Heh..." Allie chuckled lightly. "You're leaving too?"

"Mhm." Ellie nodded. "I caught a cold and I'm feeling a bit uncomfortable, so I want to go back and rest."

"Cold? Did you take medicine?"

"I already did."

Oh, I see," Allie exclaimed, "I have to rush to class, and a friend is coming to pick me up. If you go back now, it's right on the way, I can have her drop you off."

Allie was selling favors while implying that she indeed had something to attend to.

Ellie understood perfectly well and quickly declined, "No need, really."

"It's no trouble, it's on the way."

"No, really, it's not necessary. By the way, you mentioned class? What class are you taking?" Ellie declined once again, swiftly changing the subject.

"I joined a Latin dance class, I've been learning for over a month, didn't you know?"

Ellie chuckled and shook her head.

She was about to say that she needed to go ahead and wait for the bus, but Allie suddenly started babbling about how great it is to learn Latin dance, how handsome their teacher is, all in an excited manner, as if she was getting a commission from the dance class.

Watching her cousin go on and on without a pause, Ellie felt unable to interrupt, not even to say that she had to go.

She could only listen quietly, occasionally displaying a surprised expression to show that she was still paying attention.

While Ellie was thinking about why her cousin's friend hadn't arrived yet, a silver-gray sedan suddenly came to a stop in front of them.

Allie finally stopped her sales pitch, and a woman popped her head out of the car window.

" Allie —"

"Hey, my friend is here!" Allie said, tugging at Ellie as she walked towards the car and introduced her to the woman, "This is my cousin, Ellie."

"Oh... hello, hello," the woman looked at Ellie, smiling warmly.

Ellie quickly nodded at the woman, bending her lips into a polite smile, "Hello."

"Linda, my cousin is going home, her home—"

“Allie," Ellie quickly called out to her cousin, "You really don't need to give me a ride."

Seeing Ellie's furrowed brow and serious expression, and looking at her friend as well, Allie no longer insisted.

After all, it wasn't her car, and saying too much would only make everyone uncomfortable.

"Alright then, I'll be on my way."

"Yeah, hurry up and go, don't be late."

Allie smiled, opened the back door, and Ellie let out a sigh of relief as she stepped back two steps.

When she turned her head, she saw the woman who was driving looking at her.

Their eyes met, and the woman lifted her lips, "Actually, it's not a bother for me to drive you."

"No, really, I appreciate it. Thank you."

The woman didn't say anything more, just nodded lightly and started the car.

Watching the silver-gray sedan slowly drive away, Ellie let out a heavy sigh and walked towards the bus stop on the side.

It wasn't that she enjoyed rejecting other people's kindness, she just wanted to be alone today...quietly, without having to deal with anything.

Ellie waited at the bus stop for about five or six minutes before the bus arrived.

It was 6:30 in the evening, the perfect time for dinner, and there were only a few scattered people on the bus.

Out of habit, she walked inside and found an empty seat by the window near the back door. Her mind kept revisiting the events of last night.

She didn't know how long had passed when the bus slowed down and came to a stop at a station. A black figure darted past Ellie's gaze, appearing both unfamiliar and familiar, causing her heart to skip a beat.

She instinctively wanted to turn back and chase after that figure, but the bus had already stopped, and they were wearing black...