[CONTENTID1]Chapter 40[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]Sorry[/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3]

"So...how have you been?" Mei Li asked cautiously.

Luhan sat up on the bed and looked at her, causing her to turn away. She didn't want to make any eye contact, so she pretended to be distracted by Kris's room. Sure, she might eb able to make some small talk, but for her to look into his eyes again – she’d fall for those in a heartbeat.

"Okaaay...you?" he asked back.

Mei Li looked at the picture frames hung up on the walls of Kris's room and replied, "Same."

Mei Li tried to think of something else to talk about. "Did you guys get a new translator?"

Luhan shook his head, "Nope."

"Really? I hope President Lee isn't mad at me even though I wasn't your official translator anyways. Sorry if you guys got into trouble because of me," she apologized.

"Sorry about everything," he countered.

Mei Li flinched, knowing what he was talking about. She shut her eyes tightly and spoke. "It's fine. You don't have to apologize for something like that. Don't worry about me."

She knew how he must've been feeling since it was the same way she felt to a lot of the boys that confessed to her. She believed Luhan felt pitiful for her – sympathetic. But she didn't want that from him – she didn't want to be a burden to him.

"But I—"

She cut him off, "I know you pity me and feel sorry for everything, but don't."

She put on a stern expression, "I'm over you, so let's not be awkward with each other and just be friends now."

Luhan’s jaw dropped a bit and just as he was about to speak, the door flung open again. "What are you two doing here alone? The others are in the living room chatting," Ayi said.

"Oh, I thought—"

She didn't bother letting her finish as she dragged the two of them out, "Now you two go and join them! Go on!"

They obeyed and went downstairs to join the others. "Yah! You ditchers!" she shouted jokingly at them.

They were sitting on the couches, watching her every move – studying her. "What?" she asked, clueless.

They blinked at her without saying anything. "You guys are weird," Mei Li mumbled.

After about fifteen more minutes of talking in the living room, she felt a vibration in her pocket. She got a text.

From: Umma

Mei Li, where are you? Come back home before I go out there and look for you myself! It's getting late; a young girl shouldn't be out by herself at this time of night.