January 2016, the weather is deadly cold. Considering the low temperature of this friday morning, it's such an unfriendly weather to start the work. Today is a lazy day because tomorrow is a gathering day of Hanlim Food Corp. which means a free holiday from the company. Everybody wants to locked themselves inside the warm room and continues their sleep, but not for this one girl, Lixian.

Early in the morning she already arrives at her office, sitting comfortably infront of her laptop, scrolling down the homepage of her Facebook. It's her daily ritual to start the day, stalking over her overly-handsome ex, Luhan.

"He looks so gorgeous, but he is still a jerk" Lixian whispers softly to herself as she stares at Luhan's new profile picture. Slowly she cringes her face as she reads the comments for his update. Those damn comments complimented him and those 100++ comments came from girls' account.

"Of course, popularity is his shadow, following him everywhere he goes" Lixian talks sarcastically but there is a little bang deep inside her heart. It's her jealousy.

Their relationship started with a hate first. Lixian always got the first place in class, but when she got into the same class with Luhan, she defeated by him. Luhan got the first place and he started the bully thing to her. She hated him so much that time but one event changed everything.

"Damn those sluts, I don't care anymore" She yells to the laptop screen as she closes the internet application. A sigh leaves her lips as she throws her back to the pillowy chair. She closes her eyes frustratedly as she takes a deep breath to calm herself down. It always ended up like this, feeling the nausea because of the stomach flipped and of course feeling the emptiness because of the fast beat of the heart. Lixian always called it 'The Pre-Stalking Sickness'. Eventhough she knows it will end up like this, she can't help stalking over Luhan.

It has been years since she last saw him. That time, their relationship was falling apart, they burried every dreams that they built together, and gave up on each other. But up until now, Lixian still remembers that moment, a moment that broke her heart over and over again.

"I hate him" Those words slip Lixian's lips, along with a painful sigh. Lixian actually confused about her feeling. Sometimes she feels like she is still in love with Luhan, but another times she feels like she wants to hit him with a truck. Pingping, her friend since highschool always said she is in a love-hate relationship with Luhan, but this is a one-sided. After that sentence, Pingping will give her a long lecture about how to move on from a man called Luhan.

Lixian kicks her feet randomly on the floor as she curses lowly to herself. She always feels mad everytime she remembers about Pingping's word. She hates it when Pingping or anybody else states she is not moving on yet. It feels like she loses the invisible battle.

"What are you doing?!" Suddenly she hears a familiar loud shout and immediately sits straight on her chair. Eyes look to the man infront of her and lips form an awkward smile.

"Good morning" Lixian talks as she looks down.

It's Mr. Huang, the corporate manager of Research and Development department. He is still young, the age gap with Lixian is 4 years. He once liked Lixian and confessed, but Lixian rejected him. Start from that day, Mr. Huang really hates her and that was the reason why Lixian never got a promotion, she is stucked in her supervisor position.

"Such a useless worker" Mr. Huang talks coldly at her and leaves to his separated office. When he slams the door and disappears completely, Lixian starts mocking him.

"Useless? That shitty division manager you promoted last month is more useless than me" Lixian talks as she crosses her arm.

Mr. Huang really is a spiteful man who couldn't differentiate the personal life and the professional one. Lixian has a great performance at office but he always promotes another person because his love being rejected by Lixian. Honestly, Lixian really knows that he wants to expel her but he can't. There is a bigger power behind Lixian's back. It's Luhan's father's power, the CEO of Hanlim Food Corp.

***

Luhan walks to his father's office in hurry because his father called for him. He knows what his father will say, of course it's about that company gathering again. This past week, his father convinced him to join that annual gathering. Just like the other year, he really has no interest in it. That 3 nights gathering is a holiday gift from his father to the workers for their loyalty and hard work a yearlong.

"CEO Lu is waiting for you" His father's secretary talks immediately when she sees him. Luhan nods as he smiles to her, after that getting in to his father's office without knocking.

"Han, sit" His father already waits for him, sitting on the couch as he sips the warm tea.

"So, what do you want to say?" Luhan asks as he takes a seat infront of his father.

"Come to the gathering with me, no rejection" Luhan's father smiles but Luhan just makes a duck face to his father.

"Come on dad, that's so boring" Luhan whines to his dad.

"You don't want to come, huh?" His father asks and he nods with a happy smile.

"I get it, I will cancel the purchasing of your dream car then" His father smirks evilly to Luhan, who is sulking right now.

"You threaten me? How rude" Luhan frowns as he looks away. He can't believe his father did that.

"I get it, I will come with you" Luhan sighs and stands up from his seat.

"You win today dad" Luhan jokes to his father and leaves the office. He needs to work hard today because he will be off for 4 days 3 nights.

Luhan is the CEO's son but he really starts from the bottom, he takes step by step with his own sweat. Start from the supervisor to the division manager to the corporate manager of Research and Development department, all because of his hardwork, never in his life tries to use his father's position. It's pure from his performance. He spends most of his time for working, no time for party and nightlife, he is the true workaholic. The only time for having fun is saturday and sunday, and he always spend his saturday and sunday with his father or sometimes with his friend, Laogao. Luhan is really close to his father, since her mother's dead.

March 2006, all of the sudden, Luhan's life fell apart. His beloved mother got into an accident, along with the driver, she passed away. Both Luhan and his father felt so depressed, their only angel left forever.

The day of funeral, Luhan's classmates came and gave him support. But all he felt is they gave him pity. The look of their eyes and the words they said, all based on pity. Then this one girl who he used to bully, Lixian, she showed him the different look, it wasn't a pity but empathy. From all the classmates, it was just her who secretly dropped the tears.

When all the classmates left, Lixian didn't leave with them, she walked to the other side of cemetery and without her realization, Luhan followed her. He witnessed every single word that she said infront of her mother's graveyard. That point, the hatred that Luhan felt for her, gone away.

"Mom, it's me, your Xian" Lixian started with her soft voice.

"Life is hard without you mom, I miss you so much" She continues with the trembling voice. Somehow it broke Luhan's already broken heart, he never knew that Xian's mother was gone.

"Mom, my friend lost his mother today, I know you meet his mother there, in heaven, right? Please take a good care of his mother" Lixian's tears fall from her beautiful eyes as she closes her eyes to pray.

Lixian was taken aback by how broke Luhan was. He always acted all mighty at school but when she watched him in his lowest point, she was broke as well. Now she felt like she connected to him, all her hatred disappeared, it changed into a deep empathy feeling.

"Mom, I love you" Lixian then whispered after she ended her prayer. Turned around on her heels, she froze on her place as she saw Luhan. He slowly walked closer to her, said nothing but his gaze looked deep into her eyes. When they were a step apart, Luhan pulled her into his embrace and hugged her tight.

"Thank you" Luhan whispered to her, holding back his tears but failed. He started crying loudly and slowly but sure, Lixian's arms lifted to hug him back. There they were crying together because they felt the same feeling, a feeling of losing mother.

"Thank you for praying for my mother" Luhan talked between his tears. Never in his life, he felt so safe on a girl's arms.

That day, he realized Lixian is his another home. That bitter memory was a bridge to their new relationship, noone between them ever thought, they will fond into each other. Not that long, they started dating and completed each other's life.

***

Not half of the workers come to work today, of course, who will come? Tomorrow is the gathering day, maybe they busy preparing the things to bring. For Lixian, she will do the packing after work. She always loves this gathering because she will meet Luhan's father. She is close with his father, she already considers him as her father. Since her biological father left her alone with her grandma, Luhan's father always took a good care of them.

Luhan's father really cares about Lixian. Just like when her grandma passed away in 2012, he was the one who cares about her eventhough she wasn't Luhan's girlfriend anymore. The idea of moving to Shanghai is his father's idea, because he saw her so depressed living alone in her grandma's house. For Lixian, it was an opportunity to get a nice place for work and a nice escape from Luhan.

Right on 5, Lixian leaves the office to Hanlim's housing. She lives there alone, since she joined the company. Actually Hanlim's housing provided houses for Hanlim's managers and officials. But Lixian got a special treatment from Luhan's father. Because of this reason too, so many workers hate her and sometimes talk behind her back. If really want to say, Lixian has no friend at office. She is used to being alone, to the point where she enjoys it.

When she gets home, she immediately takes shower. After that she starts packing her things for tomorrow's gathering. The home is too quiet and Lixian doesn't like it. So she turns on the TV and the first thing pops out is a soccer match. She hisses so hard as she turns off the TV and throws the remote harshly to the bed. She hates soccer so much.

September 2011, the second half semester started. Luhan and Lixian's relationship got colder. Last semester, they had a lot of little fights because of childish things. Sometimes it was because of Luhan's flirty fangirls or maybe because of Lixian's fanboys. Sometimes it was because of Luhan's friends who tried to steal him from Lixian.

Those little fights cut down their love for each other. Those little fight grew hatred inside their heart. It was right in the middle of the semester, where tasks piled up and exams came up. They had their usual fight that was leading into an unusual end.

Luhan promised Lixian to have a study together after their Food Safety class. When the class ended, Lixian went to the toilet and Luhan waited infront of the class. After finished her urge, Lixian hurriedly back to Luhan. She saw him standing alone with his eyes fixed on his phone. She smiled softly and ran to him.

"Han" She called him up as she linked his arm.

"Done?" Luhan asked her with smile on his face. His eyes stared deep into her eyes, lovingly.

"Let's go" Xian talked cutely as she pulled him with her.

"Xian, wait" Suddenly Luhan stopped her. She turned to face him with her brow raised.

"I need to go somewhere, how about study tomorrow?" Luhan asked. Lixian stared at him with an upset look.

"You promise me" Lixian pouted to him but Luhan sighed at her with his stern look.

"What's wrong? Why so rude? Where do you wanna go?" Lixian started raising her voice.

"Stop raising your voice" Luhan talked as he pulled away his hand from hers.

"Why did you change the topic? Where do you want to go?" Lixian yelled to Luhan, started breathing heavily due to the anger.

"Whatever" Luhan coldly spoke to her and walked away. Saw him like this, Lixian ran after him and grabbed his wrist.

"What again?!" Luhan yelled at Lixian as he flinched her hand away.

"Where-------"

"I'm going to the soccer field! Satisfied?!" He cut her off and yelled loudly to her. She was taken aback by his answer, she couldn't believe.

"Han, you promise me, so why-----"

"I have a practice for the next league" Luhan cut her again, but he lowered his tone.

"So, you choose soccer over me?" Lixian looked deep into Luhan's eyes. She felt tired of this thing, he never put her second, he always put her first. But now he started putting her second.

"Lixian, stop------"

"You disappoint me!" Lixian cut him with her harsh tone as she looked away.

"Okay! I choose soccer over you, what are you going to do now?!" Luhan yelled at her as he grabbed her shoulders, gripping tightly until it hurted her.

"Really?" Lixian whispers to Luhan as she heard his shocking answer. The look on Luhan's eyes changed as he saw her broke slowly.

"You change a lot, you always put me first Han, but what now?" Lixian smiled pathetically as she removes Luhan's hands from her shoulder.

"Luhan, I'm tired" Lixian stated as she lifted her face, making an eye-contact with Luhan.

"Let's end it here" She whispered softly. Her heart broke into pieces, just like their relationship. For a while, she froze there, hoped Luhan will say something to convince her to stay, or maybe say his apology.

"Hm, let's just break up" His words really surprised her. She looked at him in disbelief but he just turned around and walked away from her, and from her life as well. Start from that day, Lixian got a severe heart break.

Up until today, she still remembers how does it feel to lose him. But as days pass, she stops crying over him and starts smiling. She stops crying not because she already moves on, but because she is used to live alone without him beside her. She starts smiling not because she already forgets about him, but because she is worth to be happy.

***

Note: So this is the first chapter, maybe a little bit boring but I hope you all like it. For the next chapter, I will give a spoiler, it's about the gathering. So wait for it, and give a lot of loves for this story.

Thank you for the supports you gave me, thank you for reading this story too, I hope I could give you a better story ahead, I love you all ^^