026 Turning a Blind Eye, Returning to the Starting Point

The night was clear with a thin, pale moonlight. We chatted aimlessly, and I asked Yun Yushu a few more questions about what to watch out for while studying and living in Dubai. He answered in detail, and I nodded along.

By the time Yun Yushu left, the sky had turned completely dark. Outside the window, neon lights shimmered brilliantly, while inside, the glow was soft and subdued. It was only because I had fallen asleep in class today that two men had visited my room. Just a few days ago, I was envying the tender care Jiayi showed Lianpian. Now, it seemed that although I had no suitors, the friends I had made were equally heartwarming.

Yes, with Musa, it could only ever be friendship. I warned myself of this deep in my heart.

And as for Yun Yushu... I looked at the box of lamb soup still steaming before me, then touched my full, rounded belly. I simply couldn't eat another bite.

Morning came, another day of bright, piercing sunlight. Outside, all of Dubai seemed to be waking from its slumber, the faint, familiar rumble of endless traffic beginning once again.

Dressed in my nightgown, my long hair draped over my shoulders, I stood before the wardrobe, hesitant.

What should I wear today?

I pulled out a beige short-sleeved shirt and a pair of purple cropped trousers—my usual style: simple, tasteful, and casual.

I took off my nightgown and was about to change when I suddenly froze.

My gaze landed on the other side of the wardrobe, where a delicate blue dress hung. I knew that some traditional locals frowned upon exposed arms or shoulders, so I had only brought floor-length dresses; yet, this one was quite exquisite and beautiful.

A flicker of a thought quietly welled up in my heart.

Suddenly, I felt a strong desire to make myself more beautiful, a longing to capture a deeper, more intense gaze.

Perhaps, his gaze.

Despite a sense of trepidation and shyness, I eventually changed into the beautiful dress in silence.

I walked to the mirror, tied back the long hair that usually fell over my shoulders, and felt refreshed and serene. I put on a pair of strappy, thin-heeled sandals, opened my parasol, and headed to school.

When I entered the classroom, Ayoub and Musa were still sitting in the back row. With a few minutes left before class, I walked over naturally and greeted them with a smile.

I had expected that after our conversation last night, Musa and I might be closer than before. But when I finished speaking, only Ayoub looked up and grinned at me. As for Musa, he just kept his head down, fiddling with his phone, and gave a vague, soft hum in response.

My heart sank. In the presence of others, Musa was pretending as if I meant nothing to him! Yet even when we were mere strangers in the past, we would at least nod in greeting when passing by.

A dull ache washed over me. My eyes stung, but I didn't want to cry; I only felt a profound sense of desolation.

I didn't understand. If we were friends, we were friends; if we were strangers, we were strangers. Why make things like this?

"Why won't you even look at her? How are we supposed to discuss problems in the future if you don't?"

I was bewildered. What had Ayoub and Musa been saying just now? I had no standing to ask, so I could only press my lips together in silence. Just as I was about to walk away, I finally saw Musa look up. His eyes darted away, and his magnetic voice sounded slightly raspy as he finally offered a belated response under Ayoub's prompting: "Hi."

It was just like that first, polite, and reserved greeting from when we met last night.

Everything had returned to the starting point—or perhaps, even worse than where we began.

Indifference is the greatest insult one can offer another. I began to feel immense regret for the effort I had put into dressing up before leaving today. I had started to care, but he had not.