Chapter 78 - My Secret Lover

"I'm off." Lewis looked back at Devon, who stood in the entranceway with her hands behind her. 

She smiled, closed-lipped, nodding as she still sent him off despite what happened last night. Lewis stared at her briefly before he headed out for work.

When the door closed, Devon let out a deep exhale, as the atmosphere between them was… thick. She tried to ignore it, and it was obvious Lewis tried to ignore it as well and acted like normal. Still, both couldn't help but notice that something changed. 

"Well, well, well." Ghost Lin shook her head, clicking her tongue continuously as she floated beside Devon. "I thought you two made up, but it seems it just made things worst."

"You knew?" Devon turned to her side, frowning as she furrowed her brows. She dragged her feet back to the living area. "I also thought we're alright, but it feels like he is drawing a line."

That's how Devon felt about it. Not that Lewis was completely distancing himself. It just felt like he was too close, but at the same time, too far.

"Oh, he drew the line again?" Ghost Lin jumped on the couch, joining Devon as the latter faced her. Devon nodded with a frown, a bit dejected, as she couldn't explain the emotion she was feeling.

"Well, I can't blame him." Ghost Lin shrugged nonchalantly. "He likes you."

"If he likes me, why must he draw the line? I can't understand."

"Err… because he likes you?" Ghost Lin's answer made Devon frown even more. That didn't make sense.

Ghost Lin smacked her lips as she rubbed her chin, pondering how she should explain it to Devon.

"Right!" Ghost Lin clapped, catching the dejected Devon's attention. "When you like and respect someone so much, you tend to create a respectable distance between them. Especially, if you don't want that person to feel uncomfortable around you."

"But I feel more burdened now."

"That's not the point." Ghost Lin clicked her tongue, irritated as she gazed at Devon as if criticizing her entire being. "Do you know who is Bae Qin? What he does and his life?" 

Devon blinked cluelessly. "He's a merchant, is he not?"

Ghost Lin took a deep breath as she face-palmed. How could Ghost Lin forget Devon didn't know that Lewis was not just an ordinary merchant? They might consider him to have the same standing as the emperor in Devon's previous life with Lewis and the Qin Family's reputation.

"Ghost Lin, did he lie to me?" Devon asked, pursing her lips as she tilted her head to the side. "Is he not a merchant?"

Ghost Lin peeked at her and sighed. "No. He is a merchant," she answered, as she thought there's no need to scare Devon with the information she was holding back. "But you see, Merchant Qin is raised to be a leader."

"For his laborers?"

"Yes." Ghost Lin's expression died down as she stared at Devon dead in the eye. "He lived his life to inherit their family business, so there's always a distance between him and the people around him. It's not that he didn't trust them, but errr… ask that brother of his."

"Dion?" 

"Mhm!" Ghost Lin hummed strongly, nodding as she couldn't explain it in words. She only understood Lewis because Ghost Lin was a little perceptive to people and she spent a good few months with him, so she had an idea of Lewis' attitude. 

"Alright?" Devon reluctantly agreed.

"I want to tell you about it, but it's better to know someone from other people's perspective as well," Ghost Lin explained nonchalantly. "But it's still best to get to know him personally. I mean,  what else do you know about Merchant Qin?"

Devon remained silent. Ghost Lin's words got into her. Although Devon had asked a lot of questions to Lewis the other night, she didn't really know the man that much. Lewis had been very transparent to her, but now that Devon thought about it, she didn't spare time to really get to know him.

"See?" Devon snapped when Ghost Lin spoke. "Since transparent Qin is very transparent to you, you don't even spare time to get to know his heart. I mean, he is a perceptive man and it would be more strange if he didn't notice your lack of interest in him."

"Oh." Devon nodded. "But that was because there's nothing I could ask him anymore." That's the problem. Lewis was too transparent he would tell her everything before she could even ask.

"I mean HIS HEART!" Ghost Lin stressed in a low, almost manly tone. "And YOUR HEART!"

"You sound scary…" Devon bit her lower lip as she drew away from Ghost Lin. "… and I already know my heart."

"You're a player." Ghost Lin clicked her tongue, making Devon pout. "You should be careful about the game you're playing at."

"I'm not playing."

"You are, unconsciously." Ghost Lin collapsed on her back against the couch with her hand under her head. "Living for yourself doesn't necessarily mean you need to be selfish and not being considerate of another person's heart, but whatever girl."

Devon looked at Ghost Lin in silence. Was she being selfish? Devon didn't completely understand Ghost Lin's words at the moment, but she would eventually.

"Poor Qin. He shouldn't have called you baby, now you're really like a baby." Ghost Lin sighed heavily as she truly pitied Lewis. "I guess that fourth brother will never get married. He'll soon be single."

"Where have you been, by the way?" Devon asked, diverting the subject since it seemed they were only going in a circle about her matter with Lewis. 

Ghost Lin stared at the ceiling. "To a bar and then to Assistant Wang."

"Assistant Wang?" Devon furrowed her brows, as she didn't expect that. "Why would you visit Assistant Wang? Are you two friends?"

"No," Ghost Lin answered nonchalantly, staring at the curious Devon before she added, "Derek and I are secret lovers."