Chapter 2 — The Stranger Who Remembered Her
1087 Words
The next morning, Diara woke up before her alarm.
That alone felt suspicious.
She opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling, trying to remember why she had woken so early.
Then she remembered.
The dog.
Diara sat up.
“Oh.”
She grabbed her phone.
7:01 A.M.
She had enough time today.
No running.
No screaming.
No losing one shoe.
She smiled proudly.
“I'm becoming responsible.”
Ten minutes later, she was running down the stairs because she'd forgotten her keys.
Again.
By the time she reached the street, she was already annoyed with herself.
But then she saw the little dog.
It was sitting outside the same convenience store.
Its tail started wagging the moment it noticed her.
Diara's expression softened.
“You're still here.”
She crouched beside it.
“Did you eat?”
The dog licked her fingers.
She laughed.
“I'll take that as a yes.”
“Talking to animals again?”
Diara froze.
She knew that voice.
She turned around.
The man from yesterday stood behind her.
Tian Xu Ning.
She still didn't know his name.
She narrowed her eyes.
“You again.”
He smiled.
“Good morning.”
“You were following me?”
“No.”
“You appeared suspiciously fast.”
“I happen to walk this way.”
Diara looked around.
“This is a terrible excuse.”
He laughed.
For some reason, his laugh made it difficult for her to stay annoyed.
“Do you always interrogate strangers?”
“Only suspicious ones.”
“Then I'm honored.”
Diara rolled her eyes.
She stood up.
“You still haven't told me your name.”
“Tian.”
She waited.
He smiled.
“Tian Xu Ning.”
“Diara.”
“I know.”
Her eyebrows lifted.
“How?”
He pointed toward her office building.
“Your ID card.”
She looked down.
Her employee ID was hanging from her bag.
“Oh.”
She felt slightly embarrassed.
“You could've just said that.”
“I did.”
“You said you knew my name.”
“Because I did.”
Diara stared at him.
Tian smiled.
“You're very easy to confuse.”
“I'm not confused.”
“You are.”
“I hate you.”
“You've known me for two minutes.”
“Exactly. You're making a strong impression.”
Tian laughed again.
And despite herself, Diara smiled.
Neither of them noticed the man standing across the street.
Jin Zhao had just stepped out of a black car.
His eyes briefly moved toward them.
He recognized the girl immediately.
The same girl from yesterday.
The one who had given away her money for a stray dog.
Now she was standing beside another man, arguing with him as if they had known each other for years.
Jin looked away.
It shouldn't have mattered.
He had no reason to care.
Yet for some reason, he remembered her face.
“Are you always this serious in the morning?” Tian asked.
Diara looked at him.
“I'm serious all day.”
“That sounds exhausting.”
“It is.”
He smiled.
“You should smile more.”
“I smile.”
“When?”
“When people deserve it.”
“So I don't?”
Diara looked at him.
For a moment, she didn't answer.
Then she smiled.
“There.”
Tian's expression changed.
“What?”
“I smiled.”
He laughed softly.
“Fair enough.”
Diara checked the time.
Her eyes widened.
“I have to go.”
She turned.
“Wait.”
She looked back.
Tian held out something.
A small packet of dog treats.
“For your friend.”
Diara stared at it.
Then at him.
“You bought these?”
He shrugged.
“She looked hungry.”
Something warm moved through Diara's chest.
“You remembered her.”
“Of course.”
She accepted the packet.
“Thank you.”
Tian smiled.
“See you around, Diara.”
She walked away.
But this time, she looked back.
Tian was still standing there.
Their eyes met.
Neither looked away immediately.
Then Diara turned around and continued walking.
A smile slowly appeared on her face.
She didn't know it yet.
But something had begun.
Something small.
Something harmless.
Something that would eventually become much more complicated.
That evening, Diara was sitting at her desk when Yun leaned over.
“Why are you smiling?”
“I'm not.”
“You are.”
“No.”
“You've been smiling at your phone for ten minutes.”
Diara immediately locked the screen.
“It's nothing.”
Yun's eyes narrowed.
“Who is he?”
“Who?”
“The reason you're smiling.”
“Nobody.”
“Diara.”
She sighed.
“A guy.”
Yun's eyes widened.
“A guy?”
“Don't make it sound dramatic.”
“It is dramatic.”
“He just gave me dog treats.”
Yun stared at her.
“That is your definition of romance?”
“No.”
“Then?”
Diara thought about Tian's smile.
His teasing voice.
The way he'd remembered the dog.
She looked down.
“I don't know.”
Yun smiled.
“Oh, you're in trouble.”
Diara shook her head.
“No. I'm not.”
But somewhere inside her, a tiny voice whispered otherwise.
Across the city, Jin Zhao sat in his office.
A document lay open in front of him.
He hadn't read a single word.
His assistant entered.
“Mr. Zhao, the meeting has been moved to tomorrow.”
Jin nodded.
“Anything else?”
The assistant hesitated.
“No.”
Jin looked up.
“Then leave.”
The door closed.
Silence returned.
Jin leaned back in his chair.
For some reason, he remembered the girl again.
Diara.
He didn't know why.
He didn't even know her.
Yet her voice—
I hate you.
He almost smiled.
Almost.
Then he stopped himself.
It was ridiculous.
She was nobody.
Just a stranger.
He returned his attention to the document.
This time, he forced himself to read.
Outside his window, Beijing continued glowing beneath the night sky.
And somewhere in that enormous city, Diara was smiling because a stranger had remembered something as small as a stray dog.
She didn't know that two men had already begun noticing her.
One with a smile.
The other with silence.
And neither knew how much she would eventually change their lives.
To be continued…
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