Arya had a strong sense of time; she was always very punctual and would rarely be late.
When she reached the appointed venue, the Bamboo Maple Forest Tavern, it was 3:30 p.m. on the dot. Although it was time for tea, because this place was remote, and it was a very high-class venue, there were not many people at that hour.
Arya soon found the meeting place, the First Suite of the Bamboo Maple Forest Tavern.
She politely knocked on the door before pushing it to enter. A whiff of light and refined tea fragrance reached her nostrils. She looked up and what entered her line of sight was the silhouette of a man.
He wore an all-white tailored suit. In his seat, he steeped the tea with a relaxed composure as he was on the phone. From afar, one would unexpectedly pick up hints of hostility from his back.
Arya inhaled slightly, then finally broke her stare and picked up her pace as she walked over. She sat down on the soft cushion opposite the man. She pushed the things aside and was about to look up when, unexpectedly, the man across from her glanced up at that instant too...
He was extremely handsome with profound eyes that were like the ocean, carrying an immense depth and wisdom in them. He also had a pointed nose, thin lips, and an extraordinarily noble aura around him, yet it was quite low-profile and not displayed ostentatiously. He seemed reserved and he bore hints of gentleness and apathy.
For a heartbeat, they shared a moment of absent-mindedness...
Arya very quickly returned to her senses. Her beautiful and slightly blushing face was stunned for a moment as pure admiration flashed in her clear eyes.
This man was rather charismatic.
Xavier Knight took one look at Arya Johns, and something also flashed briefly in his unfathomable eyes. He nodded slightly at Arya he said plainly to the person on the phone. 
“As for how to resolve it, do as you see fits.”
That low voice of his was like a cello; it was distant, extremely charming, and very soothing to the ears.
With that one sentence, he ended his call.
Actually, after he had just finished lunch earlier, Xavier Knight's grandmother kept nagging him at home. Every three to five minutes, she would remind him about this meeting. Initially, he wanted to get out for a breather, but the phone beside him had not stopped ringing. Helplessly, he could only attend this appointment to stop his grandmother, Ms. Lillian Knight, from pestering him further.
He looked up and calmly looked at Arya who sat before him.
She wore a light cream mid-length coat and had a delicate and elegant appearance. Her beautiful, long hair was already done up, while a few thin strands fell across her forehead in an unruly manner. She had clear eyes and seemed quite charming.
“Hello, I’m Arya Johns.”
Only when she saw him keeping his phone away did Arya speak up calmly. A hint of dry raspiness tinted her refreshing voice.
Her grandfather had only simply said that the person he arranged for her to meet was the grandson of his old comrade-in-arms. He informed her that he looked pretty decent and had a good temperament too. In fact, he had previously mingled in the armed forces, and just like her, had gone to the military academy. Sadly, she did not finish her studies there. Instead, she had transferred to study abroad while the man before her seemed to have stayed in the force for quite a few years before retiring and moving abroad for quite a few years.
Xavier politely served Arya a cup of tea. His handsome face was at ease as he replied, 
“Hello, Ms. Johns.”
Arya smiled. She picked up her cup, took a sip, and then asked, 
“Did you wait for long?”
“I just reached as well,” Xavier answered simply. Then, his long fingers pointed at the menu beside them. 
“Want to order something to eat? The desserts here are popular.”
Arya took a glance at the dessert menu that was flipped open and displayed all sorts of desserts. She lightly shook her head and said softly, 
“No need. I’m not hungry.”
“You don’t like to eat sweet stuff?”
Xavier looked at her curiously. Even though his low voice held a questioning tone, his eyes were filled with confidence.
Arya nodded slightly as she lowered her gaze and took another sip of tea. She thought for a moment before she decided to plainly explain, 
“When I was younger, because she was worried about my teeth, my mother limited my intake of sweet foods. When I grew older, I became used to it and my taste has always veered that way.”
Xavier smiled. Just as he was about to say something, his handphone by his side suddenly buzzed again. He looked apologetically at Arya before picking it up to answer the call.
The call was from Lillian Knight, who was asking Xavier Knight whether he had made it on time for the appointment.
When he heard Lillian's anxious tone, Xavier could not help but frown. He listened to Lillian grumble for a while before he answered exhaustedly and indifferently, 
“I’m already meeting her. We’ll talk again when I get back.”
He silently hung up and then looked at the person opposite him. He watched her with her teacup in his hand as her apathetic eyes gazed at the gloomy sky outside the window. The speakers started to play some familiar tunes —
Maybe love blinds us;
It’s a passion that makes one undaunted by dangers...
Who did love captivate?
Who surrendered to love, invading loneliness besieged by the blaze?
If the warmth of a kiss can conquer resentment...
A cool wind blew in from the window, the chilliness abruptly invading their moment of silence. Arya could not help but shiver slightly. She subconsciously clasped both her hands together, but just as she released them, she heard a loud crash. A scorching heat burned the back of her hand. In an instant, she felt her wrist being pulled away by a large hand.
“Careful.”
His concerned tone revealed sensitivity.
At that moment, Arya also retrieved her gaze. Then, she realized that the back of her hand was scalded a little by the spilled tea. A dimness flashed in her still eyes as she felt embarrassed. She wanted to hide her hands, but before she could move, a pure white handkerchief was slowly extended to her.
She hesitated for a moment, then slowly accepted it. She lightly wiped the tea that stained the back of her hand.
“Thank you.”
Once again, she thanked him softly and an apologetic smile spread across her beautiful little face.
“Did you get hurt?” He frowned and looked at her slightly reddened hand as he asked.
Arya lightly shook her head. The light in her eyes seemed to be quite faint, yet she smiled and responded with some difficulty, 
“No worries. I’ll just go back and ice it.”
“What’s so interesting about the sky, so much so that it made you this absent-minded?”
There was a glow in Xavier's eyes as he nonchalantly looked outside the window that Arya had gazed out of earlier. What entered his line of sight was the murky sky. It was boundlessly gray. The cold breeze that entered through the window seemed to bring some humidity, and one could vaguely see the drizzle that fell.
“I actually don’t like to watch this kind of sky. The dripping rain makes me a little uncomfortable.” Arya lightly covered her scorched hand and then followed his gaze and sighed softly, 
“It seemed like spring for New York has come especially early this year. It isn’t even Spring Festival yet and the weather’s already like this.”
“Mmm... Earlier, when I passed by the plaza, I heard them say that Spring is beginning in another two days,” 
Xavier responded, and then abruptly turned away. He was about to pick his teacup up when he saw her still holding the back of her hand. His huge hand suddenly crossed over and pulled her other hand that was trying to cover up. He immediately caught sight of the angry red skin on her hand...
Xavier's brows furrowed even further. He was silent for a while, then finally he smoothly stood up and picked up her bag that she had put aside.
Arya was stunned. There was some suspicion in her eyes and she was about to say something when his low voice was heard —
“Let’s go and take a look at the hospital. Otherwise, it’d be you who suffers.”
Then, without waiting for Arya to agree, he started to walk out.
He had just walked out of the Bamboo Maple Forest Tavern when his subordinate, Mr. James Knight, had driven his car over. Although it did not look like a luxury car, it was rather similar to her Passat; it was a Phaeton.
It was the kind of car that was luxurious on the inside while being low-profile and reserved on the outside, just like its owner, who was reserved in a way that made him hard to fathom.
“Brother!” James quickly stopped the car and swiftly got down to respectfully greet him.
However, when he saw Arya beside Xavier, his eyes lit up. He could not help but show hints of a stifled smile on his face. Remaining calm, he carefully took a sidelong glance at his brother, yet he realized that his brother still looked apathetic and downcast as usual.
He pointed at James. “This is James Knight.”
Arya nodded slightly. “Hello, I’m Arya Johns!”
“Nice to meet you, Ms. Johns!” James smiled in response as he opened the car door.
Xavier pointed inside nonchalantly, indicating for Arya to enter.
Arya remembered that her car was parked in the parking lot, so she said softly, 
“There’s no need to trouble you. I drove over myself.”
Xavier lowered his eyes and looked at her hand, which was already red and swollen. He skirted the car and rumbled in his low voice, “You sure you can still drive right now?”
Arya looked down at her hand. The searing pain made her frown involuntarily. When she saw that James had already put her things into the back seat before getting into the driver’s seat, she thought about it for a moment prior to getting into the car.
James immediately started the car. “Brother, where are we going?”
“Hospital,” Xavier plainly said before he picked up a magazine from the side pocket and started flipping through it.
Arya did not say anything either. She just shrunk slightly into her seat and gently put her injured hand on her knee while her other hand lightly held it down. Then, she leaned her head against the window and looked outside.