Chapter 59: The Missing Person
Adam had booked a table in advance, choosing one of their regular restaurants. The food there was excellent, and it was known for its privacy. When Chloe arrived and walked up to the entrance, Adam enthusiastically waved from inside.
This time, instead of choosing a private room, Adam had opted for the main dining area. It was all part of his plan to orchestrate an “accidental” encounter between Chloe and Julian. In a private room, there’d be no chance for a spontaneous meeting.
As Chloe sat down, Adam immediately started talking excitedly. “I heard you finished your exams! Congratulations! I already ordered a bunch of dishes you like. Let’s enjoy a meal together and have a drink to celebrate.”
Adam had a good background, with a cheerful and easygoing personality. When they first met, he had helped Chloe a few times, and that’s how they gradually became friends.
Chloe smiled and replied, “Thank you!”
Adam grinned. “What are you thanking me for? Just because we haven’t seen each other for a while doesn’t mean we should be distant now, right?”
Since Chloe didn’t have any additional requests for food, Adam signaled the waiter to start bringing out the dishes. Everything had been pre–arranged, so the food quickly started arriving at the table.
At that moment, they suddenly heard another voice.
“Adam, what a coincidence! What are you doing here?”
Hearing the voice, Adam’s heart raced with excitement. *It’s happening! Finally!*
But when he looked up, his smile froze. It was Daniel, and he was alone. There was no sign of Julian.
“What’s going on? Wasn’t this supposed to be an accidental encounter? Where’s the person I was waiting for?”
“It is quite the coincidence,” Adam said, trying to keep his smile from faltering. He didn’t want Chloe to sense that something was off, so he stood up to greet Daniel.
Daniel smiled and nodded to Chloe before turning to Adam. “Are you two here for dinner? Mind if I join?”
“Of course not!” Adam replied, though internally he was confused. *Where’s Julian?*
After sitting down, Daniel glanced at Chloe. “I didn’t expect to see you here today.”
“Yeah, Adam invited me out to celebrate,” Chloe replied.
As Adam continued trying to subtly signal to Daniel, Daniel acted as if he didn’t notice. *Where’s Julian? Why isn’t he here?*
Daniel ignored Adam’s looks and continued, “So, what are you celebrating?”
Chloe, who wasn’t keen on answering at first, felt it would be impolite to stay silent since Daniel had asked directly.
“I just finished my exams, so Adam invited me out for dinner,” she explained.
Daniel paused for a moment, then asked, “Did you just finish your grad school entrance exams? Which school and major are you applying for?”
“H University, focusing on bioinformatics,” Chloe replied.
Chapter 59 The Missing Person
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Daniel smiled. “I’ve heard about that. It’s an interdisciplinary field based on mathematical biology, right?”
Chloe was a bit surprised. It was rare for someone to be familiar with her field of study.
“That’s right,” she nodded. “Do you know much about this field?”
“Not too much, but I took an elective on it during school, so I know a little. I’m curious, though–what’s the difference between applied life sciences, bioinformatics, and biology?”
This was a topic Chloe was well–versed in, so she began explaining, “Applied life sciences focus on practical applications, especially the study of how biomolecules function in various disciplines. Biology is broader, covering the general study of life and its processes. Bioinformatics, on the other hand, uses computational methods to analyze biological data on a large scale.”
After finishing her explanation, she realized she had spoken in a rather technical way, which might be difficult to understand.
But after a moment of thought, Daniel said, “So I can summarize it as biology being a broad concept, applied life sciences being more specific, and bioinformatics focusing on computational analysis?”
Chloe laughed and nodded. “Exactly, that’s pretty much it.”
“Got it. Not bad, huh? My summary skills are pretty solid,” Daniel said with a grin.
Chloe’s perception of Daniel began to shift. Initially, she thought he was unreliable, given how he often spent time in restaurants and bars, always seeming to be having fun.
But now, she was surprised by his knowledge of academic subjects. Even Julian, after all their years together, didn’t seem to understand what she was studying. They could never talk about these topics, and their time together was mostly spent at parties or lounging around, which felt like a waste of time.
Meanwhile, Adam sat there, staring blankly as Chloe and Daniel talked. He had no idea what they were discussing. The technical terms and academic talk left him feeling completely lost.
After they finished eating, Adam quickly excused himself to go pay the bill, feeling like he was escaping the intellectual conversation.
As soon as Adam left, Daniel smirked. *Now, this is better,* he thought.
With Adam gone, Chloe and Daniel ended up chatting more and more.
Daniel checked his phone and said to Chloe, “Adam told me he had some urgent business to take care of and asked me to take you home. Shall we?”
“That’s not necessary. I can go home by myself,” Chloe replied.
Daniel gave her a charming smile. “My dear lady, as a gentleman, if someone has entrusted me with the responsibility of seeing you home, it would be disrespectful to let you go alone. So, please, grant me the honor?”
Seeing as he put it that way, Chloe couldn’t refuse and agreed..
They left the restaurant together, and Daniel opened the car door for her as she removed her gloves, which he took from her hand with a smooth gesture.
The whole series of actions was gentlemanly, and Chloe found herself relaxing. On the ride home, they didn’t talk much, and the quietness felt comfortable, with no pressure from Daniel. Chloe realized that if he had spoken more, she wouldn’t have known what to say anyway.
