Chapter 371

Three minutes later, Alarieka lazily scanned the street, her gaze instantly locking onto a tall young man by the sidewalk.

Squinting, she confirmed it was Shi Yao.

He wore the same black hoodie as last time, standing motionless against the wall, head bowed. His gloomy aura created an invisible buffer, passersby instinctively giving him a wide berth.

Alarieka’s eyes remained cool and detached. Just as she started to look away, Shi Yao jerked his head up. Under the sunlight, his deep eyes held an icy blue glint.

His gaze swept the surroundings with wary intensity.

Even when rude to her before, he’d never shown such visceral disgust.

A split second before his eyes could meet hers, Alarieka tried to avert her gaze. But Shi Yao seemed to sense it–he turned abruptly. Their eyes collided.

Alarieka’s stare faltered, then she looked away indifferently.

Shi Yao was wary of something–or someone.

In the bustling crowd about a hundred meters behind Shi Yao, Alarieka spotted two or three plainly dressed men anxiously scanning the crowd.

Just as the cafe server brought three coffees over, Alarieka reached for hers. The moment she lowered her head, she missed the commotion outside.

Across the street, Victor’s dark expression flickered with subtle discomfort when he spotted Alarieka.

As she looked away, he simultaneously averted his gaze.

But while withdrawing his stare, he noticed two men searching for him a hundred meters away.

Victor’s face instantly turned stormier.

He spun into the bustling crowd, using bodies as shields while scanning for escape routes–somewhere to shake these pursuers completely.

These men had tailed him relentlessly for days, an infuriating game of cat and mouse.

To evade them, he’d holed up in that ramshackle rental apartment downtown.

Yet fearing they’d track his current hideout, he’d barely returned, spending days drifting between hotels.

This morning, spotting suspicious figures near his hotel entrance, he’d bolted out the back without hesitation.

Unlike previous bumbling trackers, these two were sharp–wherever he turned, their shadows followed.

Frustration boiled in him. He itched to confront them, his scowl so fierce it scared off girls asking for his WhatsApp earlier.

Now tucked in their blind spot, Victor swept hair from his forehead, gaze locking onto Alarieka inside the glass-walled cafe.

Through the transparent panels, he traced her figure from head to toe, oblivious to passing pedestrians.

He watched her silently, scowling, unaware of the stiffness tightening his own posture.

Since their stairwell parting weeks ago, they hadn’t crossed paths.

He’d scarcely thought of her–until now. That chance sighting resurrected the memory: Alarieka banging her head against the wall after his rejection. Victor snorted softly.

He’s not like most men. He won’t accept any woman’s confession lightly.

Rubbing his nose, he thought proudly: Hopefully these days cooled her obsession. She should move on.

Victor lifted his chin.

Though impossible between them, he wished she’d find someone else—stop clinging to him like a lifeless tree.

Suddenly, his eyes widened.

A man and woman entered the cafe. The girl slid beside Alarieka while the guy sat directly next to her.

The trio laughed and chatted, radiating intimacy.

Victor’s expression darkened more.

He hadn’t noticed three coffee cups on Alarieka Huston’s table earlier.

Shi Yao focused intently, watching Alarieka and the man beside her.

He saw Alarieka laughingly slap the guy’s shoulder, the guy grinning back as they exchanged words.

Shi Yao’s expression turned darker than the trash can beside him.

This Alarieka…

Before he could ponder further, Shi Yao spotted the two men who’d been tailing him across the street.

His face hardened as he ducked behind the trash can, crouching low to conceal himself.