There's room to wait

Episode 5

After saying that, Sibley gracefully turns and leaves, leaving Elaine with a proud silhouette.

Elaine gazes at the doorway, sorrow gradually appearing in her expression. She mechanically washes her hands, replaying Sibley's words in her mind.

What does Sibley's remark mean?

Is she disgusted by Elaine's pretentious attitude at the dinner table? Elaine stares at the mirror, trying to curve her lips into a smile, suddenly finding the fake-smiling reflection unfamiliar and frightening.

It's quite ugly; she despises this side of herself too. Elaine's lips press into a thin line as she draws a large X on the mirror.

But after she lost Sibley's protection in her previous life, she understood just how cruel this circle can be.

In this circle, on such occasions, being able to drink just a few glasses is already fortunate. Elise, her agent, is quite upright and caring, but she can only help to reduce unnecessary socializing, never allowing Elaine to be like those young men and women, still forced to smile and socialize after dinner parties.

After all, she doesn't yet have the confidence to detach herself from others like Sibley.

Elaine's eyes are filled with sadness, and her thoughts churn, recalling many unpleasant memories. But soon, she stops herself from slipping into self-pity, consoling herself. Anyway, this was Sibley initiating a conversation with her.

She touches up her makeup, standing where Sibley just stood, closes her eyes, and feels the faint fragrance Sibley left in the air. She extends her arms in a hugging gesture, showing a slightly naïve smile.

"Cough..." An awkward cough suddenly comes from the doorway.

Elaine shudders, opening her eyes without hiding her surprise, and sees Sophie with a barely suppressed smile, innocently asking as she enters, "Miss Chasey, what... are you doing?"

Even though Elaine is adept at concealing her emotions, she can't help but feel embarrassed. She clears her throat to ease the awkwardness and, maintaining her crossed-arms gesture, lifts them up and down as if naturally, saying, "Oh, nothing, just moving around a bit to sober up."

Sophie smirks, clearly amused and skeptical. Stretching joints while laughing so radiantly?

Elaine shoots Sophie a discreet glare, feeling even hotter in the face. Pretending not to notice Sophie's teasing, she picks up her bag and says nonchalantly, "I'll head back first then."

She walks a few steps, then, as if remembering something, changes her mind and adds, "Don't tell anyone about this."

Sophie laughs out loud, earnestly promising, "Okay, I won't tell anyone."

Her sincere agreement somehow leaves Elaine feeling regretful. As she walks back to the private room, she grumbles internally: Sophie's problem is that she's too honest! Doesn't she know how to cover things up? Sibley isn't just anyone, is she? Silly!

Pondering the hidden meaning behind Sibley's earlier words, Elaine returns to the dinner table more guarded about accepting toasts from others than before.

After declining a few more times, Elaine secretly glances at Sibley and unexpectedly finds that Sibley's tense facial lines, evident since their meeting, seem much more relaxed now. The tense aura around her has also softened considerably.

Elaine looks at the hairy crab in Sibley's bowl and then at her delicate, sculpted profile, a mix of tenderness and indulgence fleeting through her eyes.

She seems to be enjoying her meal so much.

"Elaine, you can't refuse Mr Graves's drink this time," a voice, annoying like a buzzing fly and laced with a hiccup, reaches Elaine's ears once again.

The man, seemingly quite drunk, even prepares to stand up and move towards Elaine but is subtly restrained by Elise sitting next to him.

"Mr Graves, fine wine is to be savored, and so is good food. Let's slow down on the drinks and try this special sauce I've prepared for you," Elise says with a smile, using the public chopsticks to pick up a slice of white-cut lamb for him, dipping it in the sauce, and placing it in his bowl.

The man thankfully halts his movement to rise, enjoying the lamb slice Elise offered, saying, "Then I must taste it well," while his gaze still lingers on Elaine.

Elaine, troubled by his attention, rolls her eyes inwardly in frustration.

She turns her head away to avoid his gaze, accidentally locking eyes with Sibley, who looks at her peripherally.

Before she can discern Sibley's emotions, Sibley calmly lowers her head, continuing to enjoy her meal.

Is she watching me? Elaine wonders. Turning back, she sees Mr. Graves finishing his lamb and raising his glass, ready to persist.

Elise sends a helpless look towards Elaine, signaling she can't do much more. Elaine frowns, her gaze brushing past the indifferent Sibley beside her. Biting her lip, an idea suddenly strikes her.

Before Graves can say more to persuade her, she shows a gentle, somewhat helpless smile, jokingly deflecting, "President Graves, I really can't drink anymore. If I do, I'll pass out. It's not a big deal if I get drunk, but I'm not very good when I'm drunk. If I make a fuss in the middle of the night, it would be bad if I disturbed Miss Reyes."

After speaking, Elaine looks at Sibley, who directs her gaze at Elaine, having been mentioned. Under her seemingly carefree mask, her heart is anxious. She makes eye contact with Sibley, and only after confirming there is no annoyance or disgust does she continue her playful jesting: "You don’t know, when I shared a dorm with Miss Reyes during a program, she was particularly..." She deliberately leaves them hanging.

One of the younger investors, unable to contain his curiosity, jumps in: "Particularly what?"

Elaine’s smile widens, turning to Sibley for approval. "Miss Reyes, would this ruin your image? Should I not say it?"

Sibley knows Elaine is sensible and wouldn't share anything too embarrassing. She is just surprised that Elaine would bring herself up to divert attention.

Sibley withdraws her gaze from Elaine, gently shaking her glass with a faint smile on her lips, intrigued. "Go ahead; I’m curious to know what I’m like in your eyes when I haven’t slept well."

Elaine feels a sudden warmth upon Sibley’s cooperation.

In her mind, she replies, "Adorably cute, like an agitated kitten, making one want to pet and soothe." But aloud, she says, "Especially fierce."

She vividly describes, "I don’t know if Miss Reyes remembers, at the beginning of the program, when we weren't all familiar with each other. The neighboring dorm was noisy in the middle of the night, waking us all up. No one dared to say anything; only Miss Reyes got up, went to knock on their door, and spoke a long string of French, scaring them into silence."

Memories flood back, bringing a genuine sense of nostalgia to Elaine’s eyes.

"Ha, she switched to her native language when angry." President Garrett laughs.

Graves shifts his gaze to Sibley. "I didn’t expect Miss Reyes to be like that."

Sibley remains noncommittal. She glances at Elaine, her expression briefly brightening with a stunning smile.

Resting her chin on her hand, she teases, "Then she probably doesn’t know I’m even fiercer now. If she wakes me up, I might hit her with a pillow."

Elaine feels a sense of warmth, like witnessing melting snow, touched by the hidden warmth and tolerance beneath Sibley’s cold exterior.

Suppressing the sourness and emotion within, Elaine forces a smile, dramatically pleading with her hands clasped, "Did you hear that, everyone? President Graves and Miss Reyes have already warned me. I really can’t drink anymore. Please spare me."

Her sweet, gentle words lighten the mood, and laughter fills the room.

Sibley’s cooperation in rejecting drinks for Elaine is apparent. She's not untouchable; it's just unnecessary to provoke.

Men aware of Sibley’s background reassure themselves internally. They think, "Never mind, there are other people to have fun with." And indeed, no one dares to pester Elaine with drinks anymore.

As the clock strikes ten, the joyful dinner finally concludes.

Sibley, having not touched a drop of alcohol, is the most sober. As Elaine is still in the doorway saying goodbye to Elise and a few investors, Sibley, supporting a slightly tipsy Sophie, leaves first.

Elaine, politely engaging with Elise, keeps her gaze fixed on Sibley’s departing figure, slightly dazed.

Once in the car, Elise removes her glasses, massaging her temples, planning to chat with Elaine, only to realize she’s been distracted since Sibley left.

"What are you thinking about? You seem out of the world," Elise casually asks, pulling out a cloth to clean her glasses.

Elaine gathers her thoughts, shakes her head, and deflects, "Nothing; maybe I drank too much; I got a bit of a headache; just spacing out."

Elise, seeing she’s not keen to talk, jokes, "Then you should thank Sibley, or your headache might be worse."

After saying this, recalling the rumors she had heard, Elise coughs awkwardly, correcting herself, "I talked with Cary Willis this afternoon. The accommodation arrangement is, due to the limited environment, a necessity. The three parties have no intention of stirring up old news about you and Sibley. As you've seen, the media has been quiet. There won't be any related press releases once the program starts, although there might be some rumors, but don’t worry, we’ll handle them."

Elaine looks out at the fast-moving night scene, lips pursed, silent for a few seconds, then softly says, "It’s okay, we don’t have to stir things up ourselves, but there’s no need to be too deliberate either."

Elise pauses, surprised, looking at Elaine.

Elaine sees Elise's expression reflected in the glass, turns her head, and smiles lightly. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Elise smirks, replying, "If you don't mind, then it's better to let it flow naturally. It won't cause a big stir, and if directed properly, it can even bring some attention to you. But…"

She says frankly, "When I took over as your agent, I did a thorough investigation and understood you. As far as I know, since you debuted, you’ve been very deliberate in distancing yourself from her, and you seem to mind rumors about clinging to her for fame. The two of you haven’t had any form of contact for these past years, and you’ve been linked with male celebrities, almost erasing the past from everyone’s memory. Aren’t you worried that one wrong move might bring up the past again?"

Elaine looks out the window, lost in thought, picturing Sibley’s forced smiles from those days.

Her heart aches dully.

After a while, Elise hears her chuckle bitterly, full of self-mockery and sadness. "I was just foolish back then."