Standing Next To You-Chapter 536: Chase and Vivid dream

"Ms. Melanie, Boss doesn’t want to see anyone right now. Besides, you might catch his cold," Assistant Chen explained.

And even if you leave right now, you’re thousands of miles away from here. It’s useless. He added the thought in his mind, resisting the urge to sigh.

"I don’t care. I heard that if you catch someone else’s cold, that person will recover instead."

Assistant Chen: "...." Where did she even hear such a ridiculous lie?

"Maybe he got too stressed because of the rumors. I can’t believe my brother and the others kept this from me!" Melanie sounded furious. "Anyway, I’m coming over."

Assistant Chen felt like his world was being invaded by all kinds of bad luck. But he had known this day would come. He had been dreading the moment this person would show up after rumors of his boss dating had spread worldwide.

This was one of the few people Assistant Chen couldn’t simply brush off. And once Melanie set her mind on something, nothing could stop her—except William and his boss.

He sighed in defeat. "...Can you at least wait until he’s better? At least until he’s--" in the right state of mind. He almost slipped. But managed to get the words quick, "-good enough to meet visitors."

If Melanie showed up while his boss was like this, then all hell would break loose.

There was a sigh on the other end, "Fine...Make sure to take care of him." Then she muttered softly, "How I wish I was there to take care of him."

Assistant Chen: Please don’t.

"Anyway, about the rumor—" Melanie started, and Assistant Chen’s heart leaped to his throat. This was what he feared the most—being interrogated by this woman.

"I heard that Fei Chuan is involved with some woman. Is that true?"

Assistant Chen swallowed heavily. "...There are a lot of women my boss is involved with. He attended several banquets, and it’s unavoidable to meet them—"

"You know what kind of ’involvement’ I’m asking about," Melanie cut him off. "I’m talking about that ’childhood’ friend of his."

Assistant Chen broke into a cold sweat. It seemed Melanie had done her research. Fortunately, she had found out too late. The scandalous article about his boss and Bei Sangyun had already been erased by his boss, leaving only the sanitized version—their story of reuniting as childhood friends.

"...They are indeed childhood friends," he replied cautiously.

"How close are they?"

A chill ran down Assistant Chen’s spine. "...You know... friends."

There was a pause on the other end.

Assistant Chen felt like he was walking on thin ice. He shouldn’t have answered the call in the first place. Now, he was stuck in this difficult situation.

Unlike others, he couldn’t outright lie to Melanie. If she ever found out, his career would be over. Yet, here he was, sticking his neck out for his boss.

"You’re also his childhood friend. Then you must have met her?" Melanie finally broke the silence.

"...Yes."

"Were they close when they were young?"

"No. They were basically enemies." Assistant Chen answered this part confidently.

"Then they got close in high school?"

Assistant Chen: No. They became lovers in high school.

Of course, he couldn’t say that, so he cautiously replied, "...Yes."

"Hmm." That was her only response.

"Uhm, if there’s nothing else, I’ll have to excuse myself, Ms. Melanie. Since my boss is on sick leave, his work has fallen on me. If there’s nothing urgent, I have to... uh... end the call."

There was a sigh on the other end. "Fine. But next time, you have to tell me everything. I was only away on a cruise ship for a month, and this happened. I really can’t let him out of my sight... or else, someone might snatch him away." She muttered the last part under her breath.

Assistant Chen: "...."

Since he was given permission, he didn’t hesitate and immediately ended the call.

He wiped the sweat forming on his forehead despite the cold.

"Damn. The situation is already messy as it is. If she comes into the picture, things will get even more complicated."

His boss wasn’t even over Bei Sangyun yet, and the two of them still had unresolved problems. Their situation just kept getting worse. If someone as crazy for his boss as Melanie entered the picture, the two might never be able to fix things and could end up completely apart.

A sudden thought struck Assistant Chen—what if Fei Chuan and Bei Sangyun weren’t meant to be together? What if, in the end, it was Melanie who ended up with his boss?

Assistant Chen suddenly felt torn. He didn’t know who to root for.

After all, both women were crazy.

.....

Several thousand miles away from Assistant Chen, Melanie threw herself onto the couch and pouted.

"...So they’re close, huh? How close is he to her that he even visited her house?" Melanie grumbled.

It was yesterday, at her friend’s party, that she overheard a group of women discussing Fei Chuan. She had encountered such situations many times before. People always talked about Fei Chuan—whether it was his peerless good looks, his fashion sense, or the women he might be dating.

Fei Chuan was very popular with women, after all.

However, despite his fame, he was never involved in any scandalous rumors. And while many women tried to seduce or chase after him, for some reason, they would suddenly back away.

As for Fei Chuan himself, though he was polite, gentle, and always smiling around women, Melanie had noticed the guarded look in his eyes. He never truly let anyone into his heart. That was why, as far as she knew, he had always been single.

It was only her—the only woman who had remained by Fei Chuan’s side the longest. And she was confident she would be the only one left standing.

However, she had never considered his past.

"What are you pouting about?" William James arrived and messed up her hair. "Are you still upset about yesterday?"

Melanie glared at him. "How dare you keep it from me? If I had known that Fei Chuan had a childhood friend who was a woman, I would have gone with him when he returned to Country C. But you suggested I go on the cruise instead!" She bit her lip, her fair cheeks flushing red with frustration. "If I had been there, no one would’ve been able to get close to him—not even that childhood friend."

"Aiyoo." William squeezed her cheeks. "How many times have I told you to stop liking Fei Chuan? He’s not meant for you. There are plenty of handsome men in the sea. Don’t fix your eyes on just one fish."

Melanie slapped his hand away. "But he’s the most handsome fish. The most special one."

William shook his head. "I’m telling you—you two won’t end up together."

"Why are you always so negative? Why can’t you support me?" Melanie huffed, suddenly thinking about the cruise ship her brother had suggested. Because of it, a woman had come between her and Fei Chuan.

"Because of you... I..." She gritted her teeth and harrumphed. "Anyway, I won’t believe you anymore. I’m going to Country C as soon as flights resume."

The only reason she had agreed with Assistant Chen earlier was because she couldn’t go to Country C even if she wanted to. Because of the storm, all flights was canceled.

"Little sister, I’ve warned you. You can choose anyone but not him."

"I’m not listening to you."

"He..." William James hesitated, unsure whether he should say it or not. In the end, he decided against it. "Anyway, I have a few friends to introduce to you. Are you free today?"

He figured it would be better to let his little sister meet other handsome men—perhaps that would help her shift her attention away from Fei Chuan.

After all, while William admired Fei Chuan and valued their friendship, he couldn’t let his precious little sister love someone who already had someone else in his heart. It would be too painful. Too lonely.

But Melanie merely harrumphed. "I’m busy. Besides, I have no interest in meeting other men."

She had already made up her mind—she would chase after Fei Chuan. This wasn’t just some fleeting infatuation or love at first sight. To her, Fei Chuan was the one destined for her, the only man she wanted as her husband.

And no one else.

.....

It was raining heavily. The surroundings were hazy, shrouded in thick fog.

Fei Chuan wandered aimlessly. He wasn’t sure where he was—his vision was obscured, and he couldn’t even feel the ground beneath him. Yet, he kept moving forward, one step at a time, until the scene before him slowly cleared.

And then, he recognized it.

That grave again.

The desolate graveyard stretched out before him, bleak and lonely. And there, standing before a nameless tombstone, was a man grieving in silence, alone in his sorrow.

But this time, the man was younger.

He had always dreamed of this grave and this man. But this was the first time that he felt the dream so vivid.

From behind, the man looked eerily familiar. Too familiar.

Fei Chuan took a step forward. Then another. And another.

His breath caught.

As the figure came into full view, his appearance became unmistakable.

It was him.

A wave of confusion twisted in Fei Chuan’s chest. How could this be? How had he become the man in his own dream?

And yet... something about this felt familiar. As if this had happened before.

But he didn’t remember this.

He was sure this never happened.

"...I... I hated you..."

The young man’s voice trembled. The words should have been filled with hatred, yet they weren’t. Instead, they carried a deep, aching remorse.

A sharp pain suddenly tore through Fei Chuan’s chest, as if his heart had been hollowed out, gripped, and ripped apart.

"So... suffer there for me," the young man continued, his voice breaking. "Watch me grow, live well, and achieve everything you couldn’t—because you were weak... and you died first."

He was cursing the dead.

To any outsider, it would sound like he was standing before the grave of his greatest enemy.

But Fei Chuan could feel it—the deep sorrow and unbearable pain that struck his heart like a heavy blow.

There was no triumph in those words, no satisfaction in his so-called victory. Only an unbearable, unexplainable regret. An ache that seeped into his very soul.

That man... never meant it.

He was sad.

He was in pain.

The fog rolled in again, swallowing the scene whole.

And when it cleared, the grave remained.

The same grave.

But the man before it had changed.

Years had passed. His face was older, his shoulders heavier with time.

Yet, just like before, he stood before the tombstone, speaking to the one beneath it. Year after year, he returned.

Always alone.

Always grieving.