Chapter 85

Nina raised her head to the sky, it was a very sunny day. It had been three days since Aiden left and every time they talked on the phone, he would definitely act like a kid who always whined because he couldn't be away from his mother. 

In fact, even this morning Nina had to face her spoiled nature, her activities had to be postponed in order to serve Aiden, who always said that he missed and really wanted to hug her. While Nina's answer was nothing more than "Hum?" or "I know!" 

Annoyed, Aiden hoped her would respond better. But apparently, she can't show clearly that she misses him too much. 

"Nina? You're Nina, right?" said a woman standing beside her. 

Nina gasped in surprise, even though this was not the right time for her to run into someone she might know. Meanwhile, her hands are busy fighting the eco-friendly bag containing plastic bottles that she deliberately collects to be resold. 

"Tsk, why does anyone recognize me here?" She thought. Slowly, she turned to the side, looking at a tall, slender woman wearing a formal suit. 

"That's right. Nina, don't you? You still remember me, right?" 

"Uhm, Cindy?" 

"Yeah, thank goodness you still remember me. What are you doing here?" 

"Erm...I, uhm I was-" Nina stuttered, how could she explain that she was busy looking for used bottles to collect. 

While waiting for an answer from Nina''s mouth that never came, Cindy glanced at the two large bags containing dozens of used bottles. Although she didn't want to make assumptions, it seemed that Cindy knew what Ninawas doing and her silence indicated that she might be feeling embarrassed. 

"How about we chat there?" Cindy said while showing a bench in front of the park. 

"But, what are you doing here?" 

"I work in that office!" She answered while pointing to a large skyscraper across the street. 

"Oh...wow!" Nina muttered stunned. On second thought, she realized that she had entered an area lined with large buildings. 

"Come on, let's chat a bit!" Cindy smiled as she stepped towards the park bench. Right next to it, there is a vending machine that sells canned drinks. Cindy took money out of her wallet and pressed the button for the drink she wanted to buy. 

"What would you like to drink?" 

"Oh...just me, orange juice is fine too!" 

"All right, orange juice?" 

After getting two cans of drinks, Cindy immediately took a place beside Nina who somehow felt awkward with this sudden meeting. Especially in the part where she is picking up used bottles near the trash can, right in front of the office where Cindy works. 

"Is it alright for you to chat with me here?" 

"It's fine, it's break time now, so I still have 25 minutes left. What are you doing here?" 

"That- hahaha...as you can see, I'm collecting used bottles to be resold. Not bad for extra money, hahahaha..." she said, laughing bitterly. 

Nina felt very embarrassed to compare herself to Cindy at this time. Cindy looks very beautiful and charming in that white shirt, suit and black skirt. Not to mention her blonde hair that was left loose, further adding to her charm. In addition, the scent that emanated from her body was that of a very fragrant flower, as if flowers were blooming from head to toe. 

Nina saw herself sweating and slightly smelling of the sun, even though she was already wearing perfume, because of the cheap price, the scent also didn't last long. Not to mention her messy ponytail, very far from attractive. 

"So, even used bottles can be used as money, right? It turns out that everything has a use, right? If I knew I could resell them, I would definitely keep the used bottles in my house, hahaha..." Cindy said with a very beautiful laugh. 

"Oh my gosh, the sound of her laughter even sounds like that of an angel. It's so different from my thug-like laughter!" Her heart is getting tormented. 

This is stupidity that Nina did, comparing herself to others. However, no matter what, anyone who is in her position must either intentionally or not do the same thing. 

"Nina!" 

"Yes?" 

"You still see Aiden often?" 

"Aiden?" 

"Yeah, do you guys still see each other often?" 

"Erm...yes, quite often too, hahahaha..." she laughed awkwardly. Suddenly discussing Aiden like this really made her uneasy. 

"Is that so? Do you also know that Aiden is dating a famous designer? If I'm not mistaken, her name is Samantha!" 

"I know, why?" 

"No, nothing. I only found out about the news yesterday while reading a magazine. There was an article that had news about Aiden and it turns out there is a lot of news about him on the internet too." 

"Maybe because he's a model who is currently famous, so I think it's normal." 

"But, is Aiden okay?" 

"Hum? Why? Of course he's fine!" 

"When he was little, Aiden's mother told me that he had an anxiety disorder." 

"What? Anxiety disorder?" 

"Yes, he panics easily and gets worried about things that don't necessarily happen. However, I don't know how he is now. I hope he's fine, because he-" 

"Anxiety disorder? But, how come he never said?" Nina thought. 

Nina was shocked, considering that she knew absolutely nothing about Aiden's further life. Despite what they've done and how they feel about each other, shr definitely doesn't really know Aiden. 

"But what causes him to have an anxiety disorder? Has anything bad ever happened to him?" 

"Aiden didn't tell you?" 

"No, he never told me about his past and I never asked him either." 

"Oh, I see?" 

"Has he been through hard times?" 

"Yeah, he went through a lot of bad things when we were at school. He was always the victim of bullying from boys who were stronger than him!" 

"Bullying? Aiden? H-how come?" 

"But now, is so different from the Aiden I used to know. When I first met after so long, I almost couldn't believe it was Aiden. He's really changed, changed a lot. Like two different people." 

"Then, how about the old Aiden?" 

"He is a very kind and gentle boy. Smart in studies, but weak in PE. He doesn't like violence, that's why he can't fight. What he likes is eating, it makes his body very fat. But for me even then, he was already very sweet.” Cindy smiled gently, as if the words she said sounded so sincere. 

Cindy knew Aiden when he was little, of course she knows a lot about him, including his family. For some reason, Nina felt a little envious of her. 

"So, he used to be like that, huh? I want to see what he looked like before!" 

"You want to see it? I still have one photo from the school festival!" 

"Really? I want to see it!" 

"All right, just a minute okay?" Cindy took her cell phone out of her bag and searched for her childhood photo with Aiden. 

"This is the photo, apparently I still have it!" Cindy said while showing a photo on her cellphone screen. 

"Is this Aiden?" Ninawas completely shocked. She could hardly believe that the boy with the round face and chubby body was Aiden. 

"Yes, very adorable, right?" 

"Wow I really can't believe it, is this really him?"


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