Upon hearing Charlie’s words, Mia felt a surge of reluctance in her heart.


    Feigning a carefree demeanor, she smiled and replied, “Alright, I’ll take you there tomorrow night.”


    However, after saying this, she realized that she and Charlie seemed to have run out of things to discuss.<fn062d> ???? ????s? ???????s ?? find?novel</fn062d>


    She hesitated to revisit the previous topic and found herself at a loss for conversation starters with Charlie.


    In truth, she had many questions she wanted to ask him, such as where he originally came from in the Maind, whether he got married at 28, or if he had a girlfriend he was seeing.<h3 style="background-color:DodgerBlue">


    Or perhaps she could inquire if he nned to stay longer on Hong Kong Ind, as there were still many ces he hadn’t explored and wanted to share with Charlie—ces to stroll through, sights to see, and local delicacies to taste.


    Yet, none of these inquiries felt appropriate for her to voice.


    For one, shecked the courage to ask, and secondly, she feared what Charlie’s answers might reveal.


    Consequently, an ufortable silence enveloped the car.


    As it rained on Hong Kong Ind, droplets began to cascade from the sky midway through their drive. Mia, still ncing at Charlie from the corner of her eye, found herself lost in thought while watching the raindrops slide down the car window.


    Charlie asionally stole nces at her, and noticing her distracted state, he instinctively asked, “What’s on your mind?”


    ”Huh?” Mia snapped back to reality, smoothing her hair and smiling at Charlie. She replied softly, “Oh, it’s nothing. I’m just watching the rain.”


    Charlie, intrigued, asked, “What’s so captivating about the rain? Do you actually enjoy rainy days?”


    Mia shook her head, “Not at all. I actually dislike the rain.”


    With a grin, Charlie responded, “Well, with it raining on Hong Kong Ind, it doesn’t seem very weing for someone who hates rain.”


    ”True,” Mia admitted with a slight, bittersweet smile. “A lot of unfortunate events seem to happen on rainy days, which only adds to the frustration and makes one despise the rain even more.”


    Charlie appeared to understand her sentiment, nodding slightly before shifting the conversation. “By the way, Miss Mia, your doctorate is nearingpletion. What are your ns after graduation?”


    Caught off guard by Charlie’s new topic, Mia blinked for a moment before realizing he was steering the conversation away from somber thoughts. With a smile, she said, “I’ll graduate this summer, and after that, I intend to stick to my original n of going to Africa to further the charity work I’ve been involved in. Once I return, I’ll look for a job rted to my field, and while working, I hope to continue engaging in charitable activities as much as I can.”


    Charlie, curious, asked, “Why not just work for your dad? As the eldest daughter, his business will likely be yours to inherit someday.”


    Mia shook her head and smiled, “I’m not really interested in his business affairs. I’ve dedicated my studies to Chinese, culminating in my master’s and doctoral degrees.”


    Then, with a touch of self-deprecating humor, she added, “Besides, look at me. I’m not exactly cut out for business. To this day, I still have a monthly deficit of 200,000 Hong Kong dors that my father has to cover. If he were to hand the business over to me, I fear it wouldn’t be long before he loses the family fortune.”


    Charlie, intrigued, inquired, “How long have you been running the snack street?”


    Mia paused to think before responding, “I’ve been involved for over ten years. My father purchased it the year he got married.”<h3 ss="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading" id="chapter-list"><strong></strong>