Chapter 369 Meeting

Chapter 369 Meeting

Wise hung his head low, like a defeated general, radiating dejection from head to toe.

Quinley glanced at him twice but didn't say anything. She pulled out her car key and pressed it, and the door unlocked.

"Get in. Have you eaten? Are you hungry?" Quinley asked with concern.

Wise shook his head, then nodded. Quinley, who was about to get in the car, closed the door again.

"Come on, I'll take you to get some food."

With that, she started walking ahead.

Right across from the police station was a restaurant. The place looked pretty clean, but business was really slow.

As Quinley and Wise approached, the owner came out to greet them.

"Please, come in."

"We'll sit outside." Quinley pointed to a lonely table not far from the entrance. From this spot, they could see Zachary as soon as he walked out of the police station.

"Sure thing. Take a look at what you'd like to eat."

"Two bowls of spaghetti with meat sauce."

Quinley ordered and sat down at the table. Wise sat across from her.

He was tall and the table was small, so his long legs were cramped up, giving him an awkward, uncomfortable look.

He didn't want to talk, and Quinley didn't start a conversation either. They just quietly waited for the food to arrive.

In less than five minutes, the pasta was served.

Wise took his bowl, grabbed the condiment bottles, and added lots of chili pepper, then lots of vinegar.

He was a kid who kept his feelings inside. Even when he had emotions, he chose to deal with them himself and would never easily let them out.

Quinley knew he couldn't handle spicy food.

So his unusual behavior now was just looking for an outlet for his emotions.

Quinley didn't touch the bowl in front of her.

Wise kept his head down, picked up some noodles and stuffed them in his mouth. After just one bite, tears streamed down his face from the spice.

But even so, he stubbornly took a second bite. This time, he almost threw up from the heat.

Quinley directly took away the bowl in front of Wise and pushed over the one without chili pepper that had been in front of her.

"If you can't eat spicy food, don't push yourself."

Her calm voice sounded in Wise's ear.

He froze for a moment, then buried his head and ate the noodles in big bites.

Soon, the bowl was empty.

"Think it through - either keep going or give up, but don't torture yourself. No woman will like a man who can't control his emotions."

Quinley stood up. Across the street, Zachary was already standing there waiting.

Wise sat still, not moving.

Either keep going or give up. It was such a simple truth - how could he not understand it?

But how to keep going? He knew very well how much Teresa rejected him. Should he become the kind of thick-skinned person who pestered others, the kind he himself would hate?

Or should he sensibly accept this love that died before it even began?

"Let's go, we're going home."

Quinley said to Zachary.

He looked worriedly toward where Wise was sitting. "Aren't we waiting for him?"

Quinley sighed and followed Zachary's gaze.

Growth always comes with painful memories - no one can escape that.

"No, we're not waiting."

Quinley was calmer and more determined than ever.

The Maybach roared away, and Wise finally stood up.

He walked aimlessly along the road in front of the police station.

Quinley was right - he really needed to figure out what to do next.

Love is crucial to everyone, but you can't force it. He could get good grades through hard work, could find a good job through hard work, but he couldn't win his beloved's love through hard work alone.

That night, Quinley didn't remember when Wise came home.

The next morning, voices from downstairs woke Quinley from her sleep.

"Mr. Elikin, you should at least tell Mrs. Jennings before you leave."

It was the housekeeper's voice.

Quinley's heart jumped. She hurried downstairs and caught sight of Wise's back as he left with his suitcase.

"Wise."

Quinley ran out in her slippers.

Wise stopped. He didn't look very good.

"Quinley, I've thought it through. You're right - either keep going or give up. But what I can do now is probably only give up. Don't worry, I won't be depressed about it. I'm planning to focus on work for a while, and when everything settles down, I'll contact you again."

In just one night, Wise seemed to have grown up.

Quinley looked at Wise with relief. "Good luck."

Wise nodded and waved at Quinley, then walked out with big strides.

A taxi took him to the airport. Somehow, memories suddenly came flooding back.

He remembered Teresa's heartless words again, and her cold, distant figure.

This was the last place they'd seen each other. Now, there were only endless memories.

Not long after Wise left, Quinley received a call from Elise.

"Cindy, why can't I get through to Wise? It keeps saying his phone is off." Elise was very worried.

"Mom, Wise went back to school. He's about to start his new job, and they're pushing him to start soon."

Quinley made an excuse for Wise.

Elise was very disappointed. "Oh, I shouldn't have gone on that trip. Wise said he'd wait until I got back before leaving. It's so hard to see him, and now I don't know when we'll see each other again."

Having become a mother herself, Quinley really understood how Elise felt.

"Mom, don't worry. When Wise gets settled, I'll take you to see him. Then you can see him whenever you want."

Wise didn't get back to school until the next day, then went to report to his new company.

But he never expected that right after starting, he'd have to go on a week-long business trip.

At first he wanted to refuse, but in the end, he chose to accept.

A new environment could help him get over his heartbreak.

However, Wise never expected that as soon as he arrived in San Francisco for the business trip, he'd run into Teresa again.

That day, he followed his supervisor to a partner company to handle business issues.

As a newbie, he naturally wasn't qualified to participate in negotiations, so when his supervisor and the other party's representative were having heated discussions, he walked out of the meeting room.

Originally, Wise just wanted to get some air. But then, he unexpectedly caught a familiar jasmine scent in the break room.

The scent was very familiar - he seemed to have smelled it somewhere before.

At that moment, like a dog with a keen sense of smell, he searched for the source of the fragrance.

As if possessed, he walked into an office. There was no one in the room. The computer was still on, and on the desk sat a large pot of lush jasmine flowers.

The white petals were like snow, blooming freely. The fragrance, carried by a breeze from the window, teased the part of his memory he didn't want to open.

Yes, he remembered the jasmine scent.

Because that night with Teresa at the hotel, he had smelled that same fragrance.

He remembered asking Teresa why she liked jasmine, but she never answered him.

Now, smelling the familiar scent again, all of Wise's memories came alive.

He realized he missed Teresa more than ever before.

Suddenly, footsteps approached from behind.

Wise immediately turned around and saw Teresa walking toward him in a sharp business suit.

Their eyes met. Hers showed surprise.

Wise's eyes widened in shock.

"Teresa."

He called out, overjoyed.

Teresa frowned, displeasure creeping across her face. She walked over in her high heels and sat down at the computer.

"You really are like a ghost that won't go away."

With that, she grabbed the office phone and made a call: "Get this harasser out of my office."

Yes, in her eyes, Wise was just a harasser.

His emotions suddenly exploded. "I'm not here to harass you."

Teresa leaned back in her chair, her delicate face showing no emotion whatsoever.

"I think I made myself clear. We're both adults - why make this ugly? You're really not my type. Uncomfortable shoes are fine to wear once, but I'm not going to torture my feet for a lifetime."

Teresa's words were as harsh as they could be.

Wise had never been so humiliated.

He just kept looking at Teresa until security appeared behind him again.

"Sir, please leave."

One of them said sternly to Wise.

"Why should I leave?"

Wise shot back.

The atmosphere in the room grew tense.

Just then, the person who had been meeting with the supervisor walked in.

"Ms. Winters, please take another look at this partnership agreement."

Teresa took the document, quickly scanned it, then grabbed a pen and signed it with a flourish.

"Pleasure doing business."

She looked up at the supervisor, her face still showing no emotion.

"Pleasure doing business." The supervisor extended his hand to Teresa.

As their hands clasped together, the supervisor's gaze turned to Wise.

"We'll need your continued support going forward. From now on, this project will be handled by our company's senior engineer, Mr. Wise Elikin, working directly with your company."

As the supervisor's words fell, Teresa couldn't believe her ears.

"Him?"

She laughed coldly, questioning.

The supervisor, unaware of their history, looked at Wise approvingly. "Although Mr. Elikin is young, he's already highly accomplished in this technology. I believe having him as our technical lead will greatly benefit our partnership."

Teresa's gaze slowly settled on Wise.

Her eyes were complicated - Wise couldn't read what was hidden in those deep, pool-like eyes.

But in this moment, his heart felt relieved, even relaxed.

It seemed like fate had specially arranged another chance for him to reconnect with Teresa.

"I'd like to speak with Mr. Elikin alone."

Teresa spoke up.

The supervisor looked at Wise suspiciously, then tactfully left Teresa's office.

As soon as they left, Teresa spoke: "Lock the door."

He could have refused her command. But Wise found he couldn't say no to Teresa, including her orders.

So he did as she asked.

Now only the two of them remained in the room. Teresa leaned back in her chair, her gaze never leaving Wise.

If before she had only seen him as a wet-behind-the-ears kid, now she was reassessing Wise.

But this assessment had nothing to do with feelings.

When she decided to become a woman without heart or love, she stopped being emotional. Now they were business partners, and what she needed to do was make sure this project ran smoothly.

"Can you leave?" Teresa asked bluntly.

Wise was stunned, though he knew this was Teresa's style.

"Leave where?"

He played dumb for a moment.

Teresa crossed her arms, a smile playing at her lips. "Leave the company you just joined. With your education and abilities, you can get a better job. If you don't have anywhere better to go right now, I can give you some recommendations."

Teresa sounded very sincere.

Of course Wise knew Teresa's intention - she didn't want to see him, so she hoped he would leave on his own.

But since fate had let him see Teresa again, Wise had no intention of leaving.

"Thanks, but I really like this job. If you mind so much, you can consider leaving."

This time, he completely changed from his simp nature.

Teresa was surprised. She hadn't expected Wise to contradict her. She narrowed her eyes and continued to study Wise.

"As long as you leave, I'll agree to any condition you name."

Teresa began bargaining with Wise.

But she didn't realize she was falling into Wise's trap.

"Sure. Agree to be my girlfriend right now, and I'll resign immediately."

Wise said.

This time, it was Teresa's turn to be speechless.

She realized she had underestimated this young man.

"Fine, stay if you want. Either way, you're the one who'll be embarrassed."

Teresa shrugged, looking helpless.

Seeing she had run out of tricks, Wise secretly felt pleased.

"I'm thick-skinned, I won't be embarrassed."

Teresa proudly spun her chair around, turning her back to Wise.

"Teresa, I'll go now. But I'll be back often."

Walking out of Teresa's office, Wise's steps felt much lighter.

His mood had never been as sunny as it was now.

Teresa, on the other hand, felt particularly uncomfortable.

Having to work with a man she'd had a one-night stand with - even thinking about it was awkward.

Walls have ears. What if Wise told others about this? How embarrassing would that be?

For a moment, she overthought things, and her mind became even more chaotic.

Wise followed the supervisor back to their hotel. After chatting about work for a while, the supervisor handed Teresa's business card to Wise.

"Add Ms. Winters' contact info. You'll need to coordinate with her on a lot of things going forward."

Just like that, Wise had Teresa's contact information.

He quickly tried to add Teresa on WhatsApp, but she rejected it without a second thought.

In that case, Wise had to call her.

"I'm warning you, don't try to harass me, or I'll call the police."

Teresa's threatening voice came through the phone. Seeing her ruffled, Wise actually felt a bit happy.

"Ms. Winters, I'm following my supervisor's instructions to add your WhatsApp so I can send you today's partnership plan. Please don't misunderstand."

He was polite and professional, maintaining perfect distance.

When he tried adding her again, Teresa accepted.

Wise quickly opened Teresa's profile to check her posts, only to discover she had set her posts to be invisible to him.