KIND BUT SELFISH

Diara hated mornings. Not because she hated waking up. She hated the person she became when she woke up late. “Seven minutes.” Her sleepy voice came from somewhere beneath the blanket. “Just seven more minutes.” The alarm on her bedside table continued ringing. Diara blindly reached for her phone, knocked over a glass of water, and finally managed to silence the alarm. Peace. She smiled beneath the blanket. Then she opened her eyes. 8:07 A.M. Her smile disappeared. “Oh, shit.” She threw the blanket aside and jumped out of bed. Her foot landed directly on the floor. “Ouch!” She looked down. A shoe. “Why is one shoe in my bed?” There was no time to investigate. She ran toward the bathroom. Ten minutes later, Diara stood in front of her mirror, trying to make her shoulder-length dark hair behave. It didn't. Her hair had apparently decided that today was the perfect day to rebel against her. “Fine.” She grabbed her hair tie. Then stopped. She looked at herself. Her face still looked sleepy, her clothes were slightly wrinkled, and she had somehow managed to put one earring in while forgetting the other. She sighed. “Professional enough.” She grabbed her bag and rushed outside. The moment she stepped onto the street, the cool Beijing air hit her face. The city was already alive. Cars moved through the roads, people hurried toward work, and bicycles passed between them. Diara checked the time. 8:26 A.M. Her office started at nine. She could still make it. Probably. She began walking quickly. Then she heard something. A small whimper. She stopped. The sound came again. Diara turned toward the side of the street. A small stray dog was sitting beneath a bench. Its fur was dirty, and one of its front legs looked slightly injured. Diara stared at it. The dog stared back. “No.” The dog tilted its head. “Don't do that.” Its tail moved once. “I have work.” Another tiny whimper. Diara closed her eyes. “Why are you doing this to me?” The dog looked innocent. She checked the time again. 8:31. “Fine. Five minutes.” She crouched beside it. “Are you hungry?” The dog cautiously moved closer. Diara opened her bag. Nothing. She checked her pockets. Nothing. Then she remembered the sandwich she'd bought for breakfast. She looked at it. Then at the dog. Her stomach growled. The dog looked at her. “You're lucky you're cute.” She broke the sandwich into pieces and gave it to the dog. It ate quickly. Diara smiled. “There you go.” She gently touched its head. The dog leaned into her hand. Her smile softened. “Someone should take care of you.” For a moment, she forgot about work. Forgot about being late. Forgot about everything waiting for her at home. Then her phone rang. Yun. Diara answered. “Hello?” “Where are you?” “On my way.” “That's not an answer.” “I'm walking.” “Diara, your office is ten minutes from your apartment.” “I know.” “So why aren't you here?” Diara glanced at the dog. “I got distracted.” “By what?” “A dog.” There was silence. Then Yun sighed. “Of course.” “I'll be there soon.” “Don't tell me you fed it again.” Diara didn't answer. “Diara!” “I have to go.” She hung up. She looked at the dog. “I'll come back.” The dog continued eating. Diara stood. “Seriously. I will.” She turned and walked away. After several steps, she looked back. The dog was still watching her. She smiled. Then forced herself to continue. By the time Diara reached the office, she was five minutes late. Yun was waiting near her desk. “You're late.” “Five minutes.” “Five minutes is still late.” “Good morning.” Yun handed her a coffee. Diara smiled. “You're the best.” “I know.” Diara sat down and opened her laptop. Her smile slowly disappeared when she saw the number of emails waiting for her. “Oh.” Yun laughed. “Welcome back to reality.” Diara groaned. For the next several hours, she barely looked away from her screen. She worked quietly, occasionally exchanging messages with Yun and pretending she wasn't checking the clock every twenty minutes. Around lunchtime, her phone vibrated. A message from home. She opened it. Her mother's words were short. Are you coming home this weekend? We need to talk. Diara stared at the message. Her chest tightened. She didn't reply. She locked her phone and placed it face down. Yun noticed. “Everything okay?” “Yeah.” “You sure?” “I'm fine.” Yun studied her for a moment. She knew Diara well enough to recognize that answer. But she also knew better than to force her to talk. “Okay.” Diara smiled. “Thank you.” After work, Diara didn't go straight home. She returned to the place where she'd found the dog. The cardboard box was empty. Her heart sank. “Where are you?” She looked around. Nothing. She searched behind the nearby shops. Still nothing. Then she heard barking. Diara followed the sound and found the dog sitting outside a small convenience store. A bowl of water was beside it. She smiled with relief. “There you are.” The dog immediately stood and wagged its tail. Diara crouched. “Did someone feed you?” A middle-aged shopkeeper came outside. “You know this dog?” “Not really.” “He's been here for a few days.” Diara looked at the dog. “He needs a vet.” The shopkeeper nodded. “I know. But I don't have the money.” Diara looked down at her wallet. She counted what she had. It wasn't much. She sighed. Then handed the money to the shopkeeper. “Please take him to a vet.” The man looked surprised. “You're sure?” Diara smiled. “No.” She looked at the dog. “But do it anyway.” She stood and walked away. She had barely taken a few steps when someone spoke behind her. “You shouldn't give away money you need.” Diara turned. A tall man stood a short distance away. He wore a simple black shirt and dark trousers. His expression was calm, almost unreadable. Diara frowned. “Excuse me?” He nodded toward the shopkeeper. “You gave him your money.” “And?” “You might need it.” Diara shrugged. “Maybe.” “You don't seem concerned.” “I am.” “Then why did you do it?” Diara looked at the dog. “Because he needed it more than I did.” The man's expression changed slightly. Not enough for her to notice. Diara picked up her bag. “Besides, it's not your money.” For the first time, something almost resembling amusement appeared in his eyes. “You're right.” “Good.” She walked away. After a few steps, she turned around. “Wait.” The man looked at her. “Do you work around here?” “No.” “Oh.” She looked at him suspiciously. “Then why were you watching me?” “I wasn't.” “You were.” “I noticed you.” “That's basically the same thing.” He didn't answer. Diara narrowed her eyes. “Whatever.” She turned and left. The man watched her disappear into the crowd. His name was Tian Xu Ning. And despite their strange first conversation, he found himself smiling. Diara reached her apartment that evening exhausted. She dropped her bag onto the sofa and collapsed beside it. Her stomach growled. She hadn't eaten properly all day. “Tomorrow,” she whispered. “Tomorrow I'll take better care of myself.” She closed her eyes. Her phone buzzed. Another message from home. She didn't open it. Instead, she looked out of the window. Beijing stretched endlessly beneath the evening sky. Millions of people. Millions of lives. And somewhere among all those strangers was a man she'd just met. A man whose name she didn't even know. She smiled faintly. “What a weird day.” She had no idea that the stranger she'd met today would eventually become part of the biggest love story of her life. And she had no idea that another man would soon enter that story— A man whose feelings would become far darker. For now, however, Diara knew only one thing. She was tired. She pulled the blanket around herself. “Tomorrow will be better.” She closed her eyes. She believed it. She had to. Because sometimes, believing tomorrow will be better is the only thing that keeps you moving forward. And Diara had no idea that tomorrow was going to change everything. END OF CHAPTER 1