Chapter 10 An Encounter

After two hours, Rose finally went out of the prison. It was already dark.

Actually, she felt that the visiting hours were too short. She wanted to spend more time with her father.

The big iron door behind her slammed shut, separating her and Ray's worlds again.

Much to her dismay, the taxi driver that had promised to wait for her wasn't there anymore. As the night was getting colder, Rose couldn't help hugging herself and sighing.

She looked around, but she didn't see any vehicles nearby. It was almost impossible to hail a taxi in this kind of place. When she took out her phone to make a call, she found out that there was no signal.

Rose gently slapped her forehead and sighed. It seemed that she was destined to encounter a lot of awkward and embarrassing situations recently. She was still pondering on what to do when she saw a beam of light flashing towards her. It was coming from an approaching vehicle.

She was dazzled by the headlights, so she covered her eyes with her hand. But she squinted through the gaps between her fingers.

A few moments later, a silver-gray Bentley halted not too far away from her. Then a well-dressed man got off the car and walked towards her step by step.

"Hello, Rose. Long time no see," the man said in a low voice.

"Austin?" Rose asked hesitantly. But she was able to confirm that it was really Austin Yuan when she had a clear view of him in front of her. His face fitted the handsome young man in her memory.

"Still remember me, huh?"

"Of course! How can I forget you? But I thought you're still abroad. I've heard that you were studying overseas. And you didn't want to come back here anymore because you were too overwhelmed by the kindness of the people in the capitalist country," she jested.

Somehow, she felt relaxed now that she had met an old friend here.

"Well, I've suffered a lot there, but I've also secretly learned many things that I can use to serve my homeland," Austin Yuan replied with a smile.

"If I'm not mistaken, you still have one month to finish your course abroad, right?"

"Supposedly, yes. But I came back home in advance," Austin Yuan explained. He then asked, "By the way, what are you doing here?"

"I visited my father."

Although Austin Yuan had been living abroad for quite a while now, he still heard the news about Rose's father. For a moment, he didn't know what to say. But then, he uttered, "What a coincidence. I came to visit my mother."

Austin Yuan's mother died when he was still small, and she was buried in the old cemetery here.

"So we're like two old friends fated to meet again," Rose commented. She felt relieved that Austin Yuan came as she could have a ride back to the city.

Rose pulled her coat, wrapped it tightly around her body, and leaned against her seat. She then turned to look at Austin Yuan, who was now driving attentively next to her. She couldn't help but notice that he had become more outstanding than she had imagined. After living abroad for some years, he was now well dressed and well mannered. He looked like a real elite returning to his country.

"You know what? I feel lucky that I ran into you here," Austin Yuan said.

"Well, I'm actually luckier. If you didn't come, I would probably spend the night on the road," Rose replied while shaking her phone, hoping to catch some signal.

Austin Yuan was amused by what she was doing, so he couldn't help commenting, "You haven't changed a bit. You're still as cute as ever." He then slightly pinched her nose.

He used to do this when they were still kids. At that time, such a gesture didn't seem inappropriate. But now, there was already a sense of awkwardness.

When he withdrew his hand, he noticed the unnatural look on Rose's face. It was only then that he realized that he had crossed the line.

He had almost forgotten that she wasn't his little schoolmate anymore, who used to depend on him as a bother. She was now a married woman.

For a moment, the atmosphere inside the car became stiff.

Rose subconsciously touched her nose. To hide her embarrassment, she looked down and adjusted her mood. She then said, "I'm surprised that you still remember how I looked before."

"Of course. I remember everything about you." Austin Yuan paused for a moment before he continued, "You used to have baby fats on your face, and you looked so cute when you pouted. You loved to laugh, and you were very energetic."

"Really?" Rose asked in surprise. She couldn't help recalling the past. Yes, she used to laugh a lot. She was loved and well taken care of by her parents, so she didn't know what hardships meant. All she had to worry about was what to request for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, so her mother could prepare them. Thinking about her life now, she felt that her past was so surreal.

"Do you remember that time when you couldn't pass the 800-meter race test? You went to our P.E. teacher with tearful eyes. He was so annoyed with you that he called your parents to come over. And your mother was so protective of you that she helped you plead to that teacher." Austin Yuan couldn't help but laugh at that memory. "At that time, we finally knew why you were always cute and lovely. It turned out, you had a mother who protected you so well..."

He suddenly paused upon realizing that he had said something wrong again. He turned his head and glanced at Rose.

"I'm sorry, Rosy," he said remorsefully upon remembering that Rose's mother had already passed away.

"It's all right, Austin," Rose replied with a smile. "It has been more than a year since she passed away, so I have gradually learned to accept it now."

At this time, Austin Yuan's car pulled over in front of the courtyard of Burke's villa.

"Rosy..." Austin Yuan murmured her name while looking outside. He then continued, "I wish you weren't that strong."

He turned to look at her eyes. 'I don't want to see you like this either. You have to bear all the pain by yourself, and there's nothing I can do to help,' he thought.

"Austin..." Rose took a deep breath, not knowing what to say. Eventually, she unbuckled her seatbelt and said, "Thanks for the ride."

"Is Burke treating you well?" he suddenly asked, holding her hand that was unbuckling the seatbelt.

"He is good to me," Rose replied while gently withdrawing her hand from his grip. She then lowered her head and wrung the hem of her dress. Only she knew whether Burke was really good or not. Saying the truth would just make people who cared for her worry.

"Rosy, you still don't know how to lie. Every time you lie, you habitually twist the edge of your clothes."

Rose was rendered speechless this time.

Austin Yuan smiled wryly and added, "I think I came back too late."

'You are now trapped, and I am too late to rescue you,' he thought.