"Verdan Zhou . " Attendance was being checked and there was no response .

Midori barely saw him during the rest of their vacation days for he declined invitations to go out with their friends . If not for his occasional messages, Midori would think that there was a problem between them .

As cla.s.smates began to whisper, Midori looked down on her desk, pondering what happened to Dan . Since phones were not allowed at school, she cannot contact him for the time being .

When Miss Huang was about to start her cla.s.s, Dan came rus.h.i.+ng in .

"Mr . Zhou, it's a first for you to come in late . " The teacher is not mad about this, rather curious as to the cause .

"Sorry, Miss Huang . It won't happen again . " Dan bowed apologetically and took his seat next to Midori .

Come lunchtime, Midori tried to ask him what was bothering him, to the point of being late, but Dan seemed to be dodging the question .

"Hey, what's for lunch?" He was flas.h.i.+ng his brightest smile and he seemed like a puppy wagging its tail .

Midori spread out the bento for them to eat . As they were having their meal, she tried to question him again .

"Dan, what happened . . . "

"Oh! This is so good! Did Aunty Lan help you prepare this? We should have it more often!" He cuts off her question with his enthusiasm over the food .

Midori sensed that he does not want to discuss it so she shut her mouth and observed him .

After cla.s.ses, Dan was taking Midori home . Inside the car, she noted that they were going towards another route .

She furrowed her brows and turned to him . "Where are we going?"

Dan kept staring outside, not answering her .

After almost an hour of silence, the car went to a stop . As they arrived, the air was noted to be cooler .

Dan went out and opened the door for Midori . He held her hand and led her away .

The view and cool mountain breeze greeted Midori in a while . This brushed away some of her anxiety .

As she was appreciating the view, Dan moved to hug her from behind, burying his head between her neck and shoulder .

She held his arms which were hugging her waist, but she did not speak . She was waiting for him to tell her, to tell her everything .

"I will send my application to H International Business School . My choice of campus would be the one in City B . My father had already arranged accommodation . I will also work part-time in our company branch as additional training . " He paused .

Midori was still bringing together the pieces in her mind . She also wanted to enroll in that school but she preferred the campus in City C . Though still in the same country, traveling in between these cities will not be easy .

"Midori . . . " he whispered to her ear .

Her shoulders shuddered a bit . He turned her so that she will look into his eyes .

"Come with me . " Dan's voice sounded like a declaration rather than a request . However, his eyes were pleading her to agree .

She has already discussed with her mother regarding studying in City C . With this decision, Midori would have to negotiate with her all over again . 'But why does he look like he wants me to go with him so badly?' she thought . 'I get that we are together now and that distance may affect the relations.h.i.+p, but he looks so desperate that there might be a bigger picture into this . '

"Midori . . . " he repeated . This brought her back from her thoughts .

She looked into his eyes, searching for answers, but could not find any .

"Okay . " she finally answered . She contemplated how she is going to tell her mom of this change of plans . "But you need to tell me what's bothering you, okay?"

Before she finished her sentence, he already embraced her tight . He nodded as he again buried his face on her shoulder .

Midori smiled and hugged him back . She already decided that she will be with him no matter what .