It was torture for Liam, but he knew that he was at fault. He should’ve been honest with her about the whole situation with him meeting her parents and finding out that they had no plans to see her on her birthday. He just didn’t want to upset her. He wanted to let her have another week of happiness before everything was ruined.

His intentions had been good, but it hadn’t been a great idea overall. She had deserved to know immediately when he had found out. He had made a mistake, and he was paying for it in the worst way possible. He couldn’t stand being away from her for so long, and he just wished that things got better between them.

Liam heard noise from the kitchen, prompting him to hop off of his bed with a nervous sigh. Maybe he could get her to say something to him today, but he didn’t get his hopes up. It wasn’t likely, but he still wanted to try. He walked out of his room and to the kitchen, seeing Ying Sheng make herself coffee to go.

”Morning,” he said quietly, a hopeful look appearing in his eyes. He just needed a chance.

Ying Sheng glanced at him, but she didn’t say anything. She merely cast her eyes down and continued to get her coffee ready. She poured it into an insulated mug before emptying a few sugar packets into it.

Liam sighed softly as he remained at the entrance of the kitchen. Despite her lack of response, he didn’t want to give up yet. She meant so much to him, so he had to fix this. He couldn’t keep going on like this or it would drive him even crazier.

”I’m sorry,Ying Sheng . I wish you’d let me explain everything,” he told her. He hadn’t gotten the chance to fully apologize yet, and he wished that she would let him. Maybe she would forgive him later on, but she needed to hear the full apology first.

Ying Sheng still didn’t say anything. She put the top onto her mug before grabbing it and walking past him to leave the apartment, shutting the door behind her.

Silence rang out through the apartment, a cold feeling seeming to settle. She had taken all of the warmth with her. Liam could hardly stand to stay in the apartment now. It was just a reminder of how broken apart they were now. He couldn’t knock on her door and ask her if she wanted to watch a movie with him. They couldn’t cook dinner together. He felt all alone here.

He decided to leave for a few hours. There was nothing keeping him here, and he really didn’t know what to do next. He needed help, but who could help him with Ying Sheng ? It took a few seconds, but a thought struck him. It was a little odd for him, but maybe it would help him out.

Liam took out his phone and texted a familiar number before heading out of the door and to his car. He hopped in his car and pulled away from the apartment, already having his destination in mind. He wasn’t a hundred percent sure of his idea, but he had to try something.

There was nothing that he wanted to do more than to fix his relationship with Ying Sheng . It was one of the most important relationships in his life, and he couldn’t stand to lose it. That meant taking measures that he didn’t think he would ever take.

Once he pulled up to Neon Heights, one of the modern bars in town, he checked his phone before walking through the front door. LED lights lined the walls and bar with a blue and pink glow, illuminating the dark space that was filled with round tables and an arcade area.

It didn’t take him long to spot a familiar head of blonde hair, prompting him to walk to one of the tables near the bar.

”Thanks for meeting me,Dong Yishan ,” Liam greeted her as he leaned close to give her a quick hug. He was his close friend, so maybe he had some insight that would help him. Dong Yishan could have a different perspective for him to look through, and he would take any help that was offered to him at this point.

”Of course. You have some explaining to do,” Dong Yishan told him as he sipped on her vodka cranberry. She waved her hand to flag down the waitress. “Jack and Coke.”

The waitress nodded and hurried away to put in the order.

Liam flashed her a grateful look before crossing his arms on the surface of the table. Dong Yishan didn’t know what was going on, but she did know that Ying Sheng randomly stormed off from her own birthday celebration. That was enough to make her curious about what was going on. He wasn’t going to spill all of Ying Sheng’s business, but he did need some advice.

”I made her upset. I went behind her back to do something, heard bad news, didn’t tell her about the bad news, and just let her find out on her own. She found out I did that and won’t talk to me,” Liam explained, giving her a short rundown of what had unfolded. He figured she could still help him, even if she didn’t know the full story.

Dong Yishan hummed as she listened to him, tapping her chin thoughtfully as she peered at him.

”Well, you definitely messed up. She’s never just stormed off like that before,” she told him as she leaned forward.