章 9: The perfect man
"I'm Mandy, do you remember me? Six years ago, during the trip to the Himalayas, my traveling companions and I came across some difficulty. It was you who saved us."
It was not until then that Zac realized what she was referring to. Yet, this compliment didn't make him look proud. He continued to have an indifferent expression on his face. Shrugging his shoulder, he let go of the matter.
However, hearing this, Hazel walked over and patted him on the shoulder. With a playful look on her face, she said, "I wasn't aware you had gone to the Himalayas. It sounds amazing!" Mandy had repeated this story a million times in the past. It was something she enjoyed narrating every now and then. They had also named this story as the independent hero climbing the mountains and rivers. The way he had hit eight gangsters all by himself was the part she told with a relish.
Zac gently pinched the tip of her chin. "There are still a lot of things you don't know."
Looking at them, Mandy couldn't help but feel a little envious. She never expected that her dream hero would one day become her best friend's hero. " Hazel, how do you know him?" If they hadn't known each other for a long time and if their relationship hadn't reached anywhere, then it meant Mandy still stood a chance.
Thinking something was going on between the two, she was overtaken by an urge to curse. Hazel, on the other hand, quickly noticed the change in Mandy's expression and answered, "He is my roommate."
She knew Mandy too well. Her biggest weakness was her paranoia. As soon as they returned from the journey, Mandy kicked her boyfriend mercilessly and urged her to accompany her to do hymen repair surgery. Nervously, Hazel obeyed and didn't even dare tell Eva about this. She decided to keep the relationship between her and Zac as simple as possible. She couldn't let her other relationships to be damaged because of it. Apart from the fact they had a fake marriage certificate and had sex once accidentally, there was nothing between the two. After two months, they would separate and never contact each other again.
'She had told them we are nothing but roommates,' thought Zac to himself. It pained him to see the attitude with which she looked at their relationship. 'Did that sex mean nothing to her?' he wondered.
Mandy was greatly relieved when she was filled in with the reality of their relationship. Hazel was her best friend and she loved her with all her heart. She could share everything, except love. Everyone was selfish when it came down to love. She smiled and looked at the man of her dreams. "I don't know your real name yet," she said in a flirty tone.
Even though her voice was loud enough, he pretended like he didn't hear her question. Paying her no heed, he focused on the iPad in his hand. Seeing the awkward situation before her, Hazel spoke, "His name is Zac Rong, 26 years old, coming from Dragon City." That was the only thing she knew about him as well. Prying was not her thing hence she didn't bother probing him with questions. The last thing she wanted was to make a fool out of herself.
Mandy nodded, trying to look calm. But deep down, she was very disturbed. She couldn't believe Zack had ignored her. 'Wasn't I beautiful enough? Doesn't he find me attractive?' She couldn't help but wonder as her confidence went down. All her life, she had lived with the knowledge she was physically striking. Everywhere she went, men and even women would stop and stare at her. Her breathtaking beauty and perfect features could easily steal a heart. Every man she liked reciprocated her feelings. It was the first time a man had ignored her! Embarrassment engulfed her.
"Zac, can I call you like this?" She went on, trying to get his attention. Even though she was shocked, she wouldn't give up so easily. "We are not that close," he said, nonchalantly. Once again he had pricked her ego by turning her down. And the worst part was, he had no sorrow in doing so. At the moment, he was in a bad mood and her interest in him was only making it worse.
Hazel turned her head and looked at Zac. The cruelty in his eyes scared her.
'Who offended him? Why is he so ferocious!' she wondered, running out of ideas to placate the situation.
Mandy's heart was wounded. She lowered her eyes and almost cried. Hazel hurried to ease the atmosphere, "He was only kidding. You can call him as you like." As soon as she finished her words, she felt a chill sweep over her face. She chose to ignore it.
Her words hadn't comforted Mandy. His cold face showed that he wasn't joking.
"Ladies, come and eat pears. I bought them today. They're fresh,"
Hazel said, trying to brighten up the atmosphere. It was getting quite gloomy there. She took a pear from the coffee table. When she was about to peel it, Zac grabbed the knife from her and said, "Didn't I buy you a peeler?"
"Oh you did. I completely forgot." After saying this, she ran into the kitchen and took out the peeler. Last time, she had cut herself while cutting an apple. Seeing the pain she had gone through, Zac bought a peeler. He could be quite considerate at times!
She put the pear to the machine, and quipped as she rotated the handle, "Now that I have this peeling divine weapon, mom doesn't need to worry about me anymore."
"I am not worried about you. I am just worried you will use this wound as an excuse to have a rest." Zac sneered.
Hazel made a face at him and was brimming with rage! She knew he wouldn't suddenly become kind but his reply irked her nevertheless.
Next to them, Eva burst into laughter. "The more I look at you, the more I think you are not roommates instead a newly married couple."
Zac glanced at her. He wanted to agree.
However, Hazel frowned on listening to Eva's words. Pretending like she didn't hear it, she continued to work on the pear.
Eva's words didn't make Mandy happy. She found that the coldness in Zac's eyes disappeared every time he looked at Hazel. 'Was it because they were familiar with each other, or because the relationship between them was more than that of two roommates?' she wondered.
Either way, she swore she would figure it out!
" Hazel, we thought you would be devastated because of Hanson's upcoming marriage. You seem well though, and we didn't expect you to be so cheerful like now. Have you really moved on?" Mandy asked deliberately.
At the mention of Hanson's name, Eva suddenly coughed as if to remind Mandy not to aggravate Hazel.
Hazel's eyes darkened instantly. It was true that she didn't have much time to think about Hanson after spending the last few days quarreling with Zac. She realized just now that Zac's troublesome attitude was actually a blessing in disguise. Since there was no chance for her to end up with Hanson anyway, it would be a waste to think about him.
"I've decided to concentrate on my work. I won't date someone before the age of 25." She vowed solemnly.
Eva wagged a disapproving finger at her. "You can't miss the opportunity to pursue love just because of career! Your youth and good looks are wasted on you if you keep that up. Don't think that you'll be pretty forever. The best time to look for love is now!"
Hazel let out a sigh. "Not everyone is like you, changing boyfriends within a week and treating love as a game." Mandy turned her gaze at Hazel. With a pitying look, she said, "Hanson is Hazel's true love. I don't think Hazel will ever forget Hanson."
While speaking, she sneaked a look at Zac. The man on the other side was looking at the iPad in his hand and didn't seem to listen to them at all. She couldn't see his eyes well, so she didn't notice that his eyes had dimmed at the mention of Hanson.
Hazel chomped down on the pear and finished it in a few seconds. Annoyed, she wiped the juice off her mouth and replied, "It's hard for me to forget my feelings just like that. It's such a waste to make such a perfect person as Hanson marry Sunny. Cupid must have been drunk when he shot his arrows at those two."
"Well, maybe your Mr. Right is more perfect." Eva tried to comfort her.
Hazel wasn't convinced. She shook her head. "The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. I might be destined to be alone for the rest of my life." She lowered her head and sighed, completely ignoring the piercing gaze from the other side.
Out of the blue, Zac stood up from the sofa and said coldly, "I have something to deal with. You guys have fun." After that, he walked out without waiting for their response. When he heard Hanson's name, he felt a little irritable. He was even more annoyed that he couldn't explain why he would feel that way. He thought it was better for him to leave than hear their discussion.
The moment Zac closed the door, Eva made a face towards Mandy and said, "I don't think you can handle that guy. He is too cold, I can't figure him out."
Mandy glared at her, but didn't respond. She picked up the lemon tea on the table and drank it as if deep in thought. After a while, she whispered, " Hazel, what does he do?"
"He said he was involved in construction work before this. He must be a construction worker and now he is out of work." Hazel shrugged.
"Construction worker?" Mandy had stopped drinking her lemon tea. She was shocked. Hazel understood what she was thinking, so she smiled and said, "Well, as for him, he was blessed with good looks but he was not born with a silver spoon, if that's what you're thinking."
"Well, construction workers are not only the ones doing construction in the site. He must be a real estate developer or an architect." Mandy couldn't believe what she just heard. He was a regal king with elegance and nobility all over his body. How could he be an ordinary man?
Eva poked her forehead, "Let's face the reality. A truly rich man lives in a villa, and drives a luxury car. If he's well-off, why would he rent an apartment with Hazel?"
"Maybe there is some special reason. Maybe he is hiding his identity on purpose." Mandy cast a sidelong glance at her. Right now, she was imagining that he was a prince pretending to be a frog. It often happened in TV dramas.
"Mandy, he really is an ordinary person with no house, no car, no savings, no background, and no employment!" Hazel changed to a straightforward tone. Although it was cruel to shatter Mandy's beautiful fantasy, she had to face reality sooner or later.
Mandy lowered her head and didn't say anything. The disappointment in her eyes was obvious. In her mind, there was a huge difference between being rich and poor, even if they were handsome. Only the most eligible bachelors of the city would match a beautiful woman like her.
But on second thought, what if Hazel was lying? 'She's convincing me to give up, so she could take advantage of her favorable position! Even if she was my best friend, I can't trust her,' thought Mandy.
"Do you like him?" Mandy looked square at Hazel's eyes and asked seriously.
"Are you kidding me? We are just flatmates." When Hazel said the word "just", she felt very guilty.
"Although you are just flatmates, you still live under the same roof. You should be careful around him. What if he is a bad guy?" Mandy said half-jokingly. Besides, Hazel was not clever enough. She believed that she could get what she wanted to know soon.
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