Bitter Sweet Symphony: Miss Every Moment With You

It was a hot summer day in B City.

The sound of the cicadas' loud chirping was like that of a restless heartbeat.

Aria Yan was sitting in the garden of the Yan Mansion. A huge tree shielded her from the harsh sunlight, and yet her forehead dripped with sweat as she read the day's newspaper.

It crumpled under the tightness of her grip, but one could clearly make out the headline and the photo on the front page.

It was a lewd photo of a couple. And it just so happened that the woman in the picture was her.

Lennon Yan, head of the Yan family, regarded Aria as the apple of his eye. And in the eyes of the public, she was also the only daughter of Milton He, CEO of the Yan Group.

She had just come back from abroad, and already, she had brought with her a huge scandal.

But the lady wasn't shedding a tear. After she arrived at the mansion, she merely sat in the garden, lost in thought.

It had been late when the servant called Aria back to the hall. There sat Milton with an angry expression on his face.

"Aria, how did you turn out like this after just a few years abroad? When people told me that you were living a decadent life overseas, I refused to believe it. But now, look at yourself! How could you have behaved like this?" Milton scolded her. He pointed a remote at the TV and switched it on. The news was broadcasting an interview of the man on the newspaper with Aria. It was Reid Qin, the third son of the Qin family.

Onscreen, he was wearing a pair of sunglasses that obscured most of his face. And yet this didn't conceal his dignified aura. When he curved his lips into a faint smile, he gave the impression of a playboy.

"Mr. Reid, what do you make of this issue?" asked the reporter.

"I was so drunk. I didn't know how Miss Yan and I... Honestly, I don't know how it happened. Maybe she threw herself at me?" Reid's smile turned into an even wider grin, and yet no one saw the meaningful glimmer in his eyes.

Naturally, the headline was written in a scandalous tone to entice people to read the whole story. The title of the news read, "Aria Yan Throws Herself at a Man, Keeping Two Lovers at the Same Time."

Everyone in B City knew that Aria was already engaged to another man. But she didn't expect that Reid would go so low as to say she threw herself at him.

It was he who actually took away her virginity, but now he pretended like he knew nothing!

Despite the news spreading all over the city, her fiance didn't bother to show up. He didn't even give her a call.

"Dad, I..." Aria wanted to defend herself. But before she could say anything, her father interrupted her.

"You've humiliated me! How can I face others after this? How could you have been so shameless? You're just like your mother!" Milton shook with fury.

Hearing his words, Aria merely chuckled bitterly.

He could say whatever he wanted to say about her, but he had no right to say anything against her mother.

"Dad, you don't think of me as your daughter, do you?" She sneered. "Yes, what the report said was true. I already have Dominic Chu, but I still slept with Reid Qin. There, I admit it. Are you happy now?" Aria raised her head arrogantly and threw her father a stubborn look.

All of a sudden, Milton raised his hand and slapped her hard across the face. "I've wasted so much on you all these years, haven't I?"

"Did you even care about me after all this time? I know that in your heart, the only person you consider to be your daughter is Vicky He!" Had Aria remained the same clueless girl she was years before, she would not have said those words to him. But people changed with time, and so did she.

With a snort, Milton turned around and went upstairs without saying anything.

Inside the YMG Club, Reid sat on the sofa with a couple of beautiful women in his arms.

"How can you look so calm, Reid? You've stirred up a big scandal and yet you're here, relaxing," Shawn Qiao said as he took a sip of wine.

"Why not?" Reid merely shrugged his shoulders before going back to his drink.

"Didn't your grandfather say anything?" Ezra Mu didn't think that Reid's grandfather Roland Qin would just ignore this matter.

Reid shook his head. "Let's drop the topic. We're here to relax."

And yet he himself couldn't feel at ease despite the beautiful women he was with. Every now and then, Aria's stubborn gaze would flash through his mind.

That morning, when she saw the red stain on the white sheet they slept on, she just clenched her fists and said nothing.

Reid might have had too many drinks the night before, but he definitely knew what he was doing. If only he had been with an ordinary woman, it wouldn't have caused so much ruckus, would it?

But Aria was anything but ordinary. She was from the Yan family. Incidents like this were bound to blow up.

Reid put down his glass before irritably shoving away the women beside him. After draining his whiskey in one gulp, he announced, "I have to go. I'm leaving now."

"Hey, hey, Reid! You invited us here. Why are you leaving now?" Alden Gu stopped him.

"Enjoy yourselves. I'll pay for all your expenses tonight!" After saying that, he walked out of the private room and headed straight to the garage.

Reid drove his car slowly down the road. At this hour, there was not a soul in sight. Only a few vehicles were left out on the streets.

It was then that a white figure standing by the bridge caught his attention. The lonely aura of the person rendered him stunned.

Aria had left the Yan Mansion and had wandered alongside the river alone. Standing on the edge of the bridge, she braced herself against the cold evening breeze. A few minutes later, she opened her arms and let the wind carry her hair and her skirt's hemline.

Just then, a powerful arm grabbed her slender arm.

"Ah!" She felt a sharp pain as Reid yanked her down. She turned around and unintentionally threw herself at him. The two staggered and fell down together.

"Miss Yan, you really are an enthusiastic woman. We were together just yesterday, and now, it seems like you can't wait to throw yourself at me again," Reid blurted as he stood up and helped her get on her feet.

"Why is it my fault again? You're the one who came here and scared me. Otherwise, I wouldn't have..." Aria bit her bottom lip before she could say anything more. She thought that nothing good would come out of dealing with him.

"What did you want to say?" Reid fixed his eyes on her and asked, "Did you take that issue too hard? Were you about to throw yourself into the river because of that?"

If he hadn't seen a woman with her arms spread open and her dress blowing in the wind, he wouldn't have come to the bridge. He wanted to save her out of kindness. He didn't expect that the woman was Aria.

"Why would you think that?" She glared at him before dusting off her clothes.

"I didn't expect that you actually have a strong heart," said Reid as he stared at her.

Last night, she had put on a lot of makeup, tricking him into thinking that she was just an ordinary girl. But now, as he looked at her fair, clear face, he thought her bright eyes, long lashes, and delicate red lips particularly attractive under the moonlight.

Recalling what had happened between them the night before, he felt a tightening in his throat. But seeing Aria gaze back at him, he coughed to cover up his feelings.

"I'm not like someone who only puts the blame on others." Thinking that she might have said more than she should, Aria turned around and was about to leave when a large hand gripped her wrist.

Aria looked at the hand gripping her wrist before turning to Reid. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Are you saying I put the blame on you on purpose?" Reid smiled faintly.

"How you understand my words has nothing to do with me. I have to go now, so I won't be bothering you anymore. Thank you for saving my life, Mr. Reid." Aria gritted her teeth and deliberately emphasized the words "saving my life."

A smile spread on Reid's face when Aria turned around. This girl was more interesting than he thought.

"Since we've run into each other like this, how about I play the good guy and drive you home?" He then walked up to her and dragged her to his car.

Knowing that struggle was useless, Aria let him lead the way.

But deep down, she didn't want to go home, knowing that her father, Milton, was entertaining the woman she didn't want to see the most.

"I don't want to go home," Aria said meekly after a while.

"Then, would you rather come to my place? I'm afraid it's not convenient. My grandfather is still furious about the scandal we made," Reid replied calmly as he drove.

Aria glared at him and said, "Don't bother. Just drop me off at any hotel."

Reid merely continued to drive forward. "It's late. Why aren't you going home? Will you really be staying at a hotel? Are you sleeping with another man tonight?"

"I have nothing to say to people like you." Aria then turned her head and looked outside the window.

It didn't take long before the car stopped at the gate of the biggest hotel in B City.

After thanking Reid, Aria immediately got out of the car and headed straight to the front desk. Only then did she realize that she left her bag in the car.

She was about to turn around when someone dropped her bag on the counter. It was Reid, who bent over and whispered to her ear, "If you want me to join you so bad, you could've just told me instead of leaving your bag in my car. This trick is a little old, don't you think?"

Aria had initially planned to come out to take her mind off things, but after meeting Reid, she was in an even worse mood.

She fished out her ID from her bag and handed it to the receptionist. "I need a room, please."

"I'm sorry, Miss Yan. We have no vacancy at this time," the receptionist said, giving the ID back to her.

Aria could only sigh as she placed the card back into her bag. Suddenly, Reid grabbed her hand and blurted, "Let's go!"

"Where are we going?" Before she could protest, she was already dragged into the elevator by Reid.

Without answering her question, he pressed a button and the two of them went straight to the hotel's top floor.

"Wait!" Standing at the elevator door, Aria asked, "Reid Qin, what on earth are you doing?"

"Don't worry. I won't do anything to you. But if you throw yourself at me again, I don't think I'd be able to resist of course. I'm just a man after all, right?" Reid led the way and stopped in front of a room. It swung open as soon as he used a room card he took from his wallet.

Aria felt that the right thing to do was refuse him, but for some reason, she followed.

"This room is reserved to me. I'll let you borrow it for the night. You don't have to thank me," Reid said as he leaned against the door frame.

"Are you really this kind?" she asked, putting up her guard.

"If you want me to stay here with you, I won't mind." Reid was about to walk in when Aria rushed to the door, slammed it close, and locked it.

Surprised, the man could only scratch his nose. He then turned around and left.

He wondered if this kindness would pay off in one way or another.