Olivia Foster ordered two vegetarian dishes and a soup; Edward Clark did the same. The two of them ate in silence, clearly having nothing in common to talk about. They really lived in completely different worlds—not the world of the living and the dead, of course, but there are many ways to divide the world, and many different levels!

It wasn’t until they were almost finished eating that Edward Clark finally looked up and smiled, “The food here tastes pretty good.”

Olivia Foster was silent for a moment. “Your standards seem rather simple?”

In Olivia Foster’s eyes, the food here was far from being described as “pretty good.” From her perspective, it was a complete mess; she had to force herself to eat it. But looking at Edward Clark, he actually seemed to be enjoying it. Thinking of his theory about ten-yuan gourmet takeout, David Bolton, three million, even twenty million yuan orders, Olivia Foster just felt this person was very strange!

Edward Clark patted his stomach and smiled, “It’s not that my standards are simple, it’s just that you all imagine things too complicated.”

After saying this rather idiotic yet somewhat philosophical line, he left Olivia Foster behind and walked toward the door. Halfway there, he turned back, gave an apologetic smile—he’d gone the wrong way, that wasn’t the exit, it was the other side!

Olivia Foster stared dumbfounded at Edward Clark’s back, not knowing how to describe him—genius, or fool?

Section Eleven: Dreams and Reality

When Julia Cooper rushed home from work, for the first time, she felt a real sense of anticipation.

Before getting off work, she had checked the time several times. In the past, she always left late, sparing no effort to verify a client’s information. But today, she just couldn’t focus; for the first time, she realized that work wasn’t her whole life.

She felt that her place was already like her home, and at home, there was a man waiting for her.

Even though the man didn’t have a job yet, he had already prepared a delicious meal, waiting for her to come back, and then would say, “You’ve worked hard.” She felt very content with such days.

This is a city overflowing with material desires, yet she could keep herself clean. With her looks, finding a man with good prospects would be no problem, but she still preferred to build her own happiness with her own hands. She wanted to find a man she liked and marry him, and of course, she hoped that man would love her too.

But she soon realized that all this was just her ideal, or perhaps a dream.

The door was locked from the inside. Julia Cooper paused for a moment, and when she opened the door, her hand was actually trembling a little. She knew Edward Clark very well—honest, simple, a bit dull, but liked to help others. And when he helped people, it was always from the heart, not for any ulterior motive.

After two months of living together, Julia Cooper liked many things about him, but what she liked most was that he treated her as an equal. Yet she didn’t really understand him. She didn’t understand why he would voluntarily give up a good job, didn’t understand why he didn’t strive harder, why he was so lazy, and even more, she didn’t understand why he seemed so heartless, ignoring her hints, leaving just like that, even changing his contact information.

So when she opened the door, she was worried, afraid that Edward Clark had suddenly left again. When she saw his luggage was still in the room, Julia Cooper let out a long sigh of relief, put down the groceries she’d bought, and could only wonder if Edward Clark had found a job. He’d been gone so long—was he out job hunting, or had he already started working?

“Ajun, I’m back! What good food do we have today?” Sarah Baker came in, shouting, and glanced toward the kitchen. Seeing Julia Cooper sitting there absent-mindedly, she couldn’t help but ask, “Ajun, what’s wrong? Where’s that colleague of yours? Why didn’t he come back with you?”

“He probably went out looking for a job.” Julia Cooper pulled herself together. Thinking she could still call him, she rushed out of the kitchen, grabbed her phone, worried that Edward Clark’s number might be out of service. Luckily, the call went through, but no one answered. Julia Cooper was a bit anxious, not knowing what had happened.

“You like that guy?” Sarah Baker had come over at some point and suddenly asked.

“What are you talking about?” Julia Cooper blushed a little. “He used to be a colleague of mine, now he’s unemployed. As a friend, can’t I care about him?”

“Care? Look at you, all lost, like your soul’s gone.” Sarah Baker grabbed her by the shoulders. “Still won’t admit it? Little girl, you’re lovesick, aren’t you?”

“That sounds awful.” Julia Cooper’s face turned red. “From now on, you’re not allowed to eat my cooking.”

“No way!” Sarah Baker quickly begged for mercy. “That would be the end of me. The food at the company? Might as well be pig slop. If I don’t eat some of our chef’s good dishes, I really won’t have the energy to work.”

“Go pick the vegetables,” Julia Cooper ordered. “You eat every day but never help out. Do I owe you or something?”

Sarah Baker burst out laughing. “I never saw you ask Edward Clark to pick vegetables. In the end, best friends and boyfriends really are different.”

“Don’t talk nonsense,” Julia Cooper said, a little annoyed. “If you scare him off, I’ll kick you out too.”