You Are The Apple of My Eyes
Chapter 745 Another Man's Coat

Despite her reservations, Michelle didn't dare to say anything. She quickly put on the coat and then heard Tim say, "Remember to wash it after you wear it. Wash it with your hands, then give it back to me in person."

"What?" Upon hearing this, Michelle quickly took out her arm out of the sleeve.

Out of all chores, she hated washing clothes the most.

She thought it was best not to wear it.

When Tim saw her taking off the coat, he stretched out his hand and pressed down on her shoulder, keeping the coat attached to her body. "Don't take it off! Either you take off all your clothes, or you put this coat on."

Michelle's back started to buckle from the weight of Tim's hand on her shoulder. She gritted her teeth and dared not to breathe heavily. With utmost reluctance, she silently slid her arm back into the coat. "Okay I'm putting it on."

Tim noticed that she sounded quite aggrieved and became slightly irritated. 'I'm not bullying her, but why is she making it so hard to make herself wear that coat?' "Okay, go home."

As soon as he removed his hand from her shoulder, Michelle ran as fast as her legs could carry her.

"Mr. Shen, you scared her away," Victor said, watching from afar. He wanted to help him but couldn't hold back his laughter from what had just unfolded.

"Why is she so timid?" Tim asked, who sounded annoyed.

"She's not like the girls in the Silverhall Nightclub. Unlike her, they're brave and would want to hang out with you every day. But they're not your type. She is. So who's really there to blame?" "Shut up!" Tim kicked Victor in his gut, making him wince in pain. Then, Victor turned around and hid inside the car. "I didn't say anything wrong, though," he muttered.

Meanwhile, Elaine stood at the door of her home, staring at the road with a pair of worried eyes. It was almost eleven o'clock, and yet her daughter still hadn't come home. She tried calling her, but she wasn't answering.

When she finally saw Michelle, she ran towards her and asked, "Mimi, why did you come home so late?"

Michelle looked to the direction where the voice was coming from and saw her mother. She hurriedly met her halfway and held her hand. "Mom, you're not asleep yet. Why did you come out? It's cold out here, so let's go in."

"You got me worried sick about you. It's almost midnight, and you hadn't come home yet." Elaine noticed the beads of sweat rolling down the side of her daughter's face. She wiped Michelle's forehead and asked, "Have you been running? You're so sweaty."

Michelle wiped her forehead as well. "No, I'm just wearing too many clothes."

Elaine looked closer and noticed that her daughter was wearing a man's coat. It was wide and big enough to hide her daughter's hands underneath the long sleeves.

'It must've come from a tall man,' she thought.

She ran her fingers down the coat. 'Judging from the texture, this one must've come from a rich family.'

"Michelle, who drove you back? Was it a man?" Elaine asked curiously.

"Yes, one of my fans." Michelle paused for a while and took a deep breath. "He's also my friend that I just met. He felt that I was cold and insisted on giving me his coat." 'And he also wants me to wash his coat.' The prospect of it made her want to cry.

Upon hearing this, Elaine smiled. "Oh, your friend. I must say, he's quite a considerate fellow."

As soon as both of them entered their house, Michelle bent down to change her slippers. While looking, she found a pair of shoes that didn't belong to her father. "Mom, do we have a guest at home?"

Only when Michelle asked did Elaine remember about this. "I forgot to tell you a while ago. Nina's brother, Leon, is also here. He's also your friend, right?" The mention of Leon's name made her heart jump.

"Why is he here?"

"You were not answering your phone, and no one had any way of contacting you." Then, Michelle suddenly realized.

"Oh my God! I forgot to tell Leon that I left to work overtime. It's all my fault. I was in such a hurry that I forgot to tell him. While I was working, my phone ran out of battery and I couldn't turn it on. Sorry I got all of you so worried."

"Okay, okay. I guessed as much that your phone ran out of power. But what happened tonight? Usually, you're already home before nine o'clock. Michelle, you don't have to work so hard. Remember that your dad and I can support you." Elaine furrowed her brows as she looked on worriedly at her daughter.

Michelle couldn't tell her mother that the reason why she had to work overtime was that she had asked for a leave in the afternoon. She averted her eyes away from her and looked down. "It's not that I want to make more money. I just like working there."

"If you like it, then just do it. Are you hungry? I'll make you some night snack." Before Elaine could walk to the kitchen, Michelle grabbed her hand and stopped her.

"I already ate dinner out, Mom. But thank you."

"You already ate dinner? With the man who drove you back?" Elaine looked at her daughter.

"Yes."

Elaine patted her daughter's hand with a smile. "Oh, I see. If you've already eaten, then there's nothing else to worry about."

Michelle didn't like her mother's reaction when she told her that, but couldn't dwell on it for too long. "Where's Leon? Also, where's Dad?" She looked around but didn't see either of them. "They're playing chess."

"Playing chess? Leon can play chess?" Michelle took off her coat and placed it on the sofa.

"And he's really good at it too. I think your dad has finally met a worthy opponent. They're in the study right now. You can go and have a look if you want. But it's already late. I'll go upstairs to clean the guest room," Elaine said.

"Okay, Mom." Michelle tiptoed towards the study, pushed the door ajar, and poked her head inside.

Opposite each other, Adams and Leon were sitting by the window. On the table between them, there was a chessboard with white and black pieces clashing with one another. Adams was rubbing his chin, deep in thought. It looked as though he was backed into a corner and was about to lose.

On the contrary, Leon looked relaxed. He sat tall and straight in his chair, looking at the chessboard with a calm smile.

When he heard the gentle squeak of the door behind him, he slightly turned his neck to see who was there. From the corner of his eye, he saw Michelle, tiptoeing her way towards them.

He smiled and pretended not to have seen her. Even though his eyes were directed towards the chessboard, he could still feel her presence beside him.

After racking his brain for a long time, Adams picked up a white chess piece and put it down. Confident about the move he made, he looked up and smiled at his opponent. Then, he saw that his daughter was already back home.

"Why are you home so late?" Adams asked her in a gentle tone.

Michelle giggled. "I'm sorry, Dad. I came home so late because I had some work."

Adams glared at his daughter, but his face quickly softened. "Next time you have to work overtime, call your mom or me. Send us a message and let us know that you're safe, okay?"

"Don't forget to tell me as well," Leon butted in as he held a black chess piece in his hand. "Michelle, before, you told me that I should tell you whenever I had something urgent to do. You have to do the same with me. I brought Van and Don to their grandpa, and when I came out, you were no longer there."

Although he sounded calm now, that wasn't his disposition when he found out Michelle was no longer in the car. Thankfully, there was a surveillance camera outside the Shi family's house, which showed that she got out of the car by herself. Otherwise, he would've suspected that there was a kidnapper somewhere in Lexingport City who was brave enough to cause trouble in front of the Shi family's house.

"I'm sorry," Michelle apologized. Fearing that they might continue scolding her, she quickly changed the topic. "Leon, you should focus on playing chess with my dad first."

"Okay," Leon answered in a low voice. He wanted to know what happened with her, but now wasn't the right time to ask.

He wasn't particularly interested in why she suddenly left. Rather, he wanted to know something else.

As both Leon and Adams continued to play, Elaine quietly walked in and stood behind her husband.

Michelle was about to greet her mother when Elaine immediately placed her index finger on her lips and shushed her. Then, she pointed at the chessboard, indicating not to disturb them.

After ten minutes, Adams finally won. For him, Leon wasn't an easy opponent and was incredibly impressed by his skills. "You're really good at playing chess, Leon. Who taught you? You must've had a teacher at home, right?"

"My father taught me." Leon smiled as he put away his chess pieces.

Adams was a little surprised. Knowing their family background, he thought it was rare for Leon's father to spare some time to teach his son how to play chess.

"Leon, it's already late. It's not safe to drive home anymore. You can stay here at our house tonight. I've already cleaned up the guest room and changed the bed sheets. Hopefully, you'll get used to it," Elaine said.

Since she already knew his real identity, she was worried that he might not get comfortable sleeping here.

"Thank you, Mrs. He. Don't worry, I'm not that picky. You can treat me like any other child from an ordinary family," Leon replied politely, putting away the chess pieces.

Michelle helped him put away the chess pieces and added, "Yes, Leon's a very good person."

Adams and Elaine nodded, but they still kept it in mind to take care of him well.

When Leon walked out of the study, he saw a coat he had never seen before on the sofa. Since the tag hadn't been taken off yet, he assumed it was brand new. What struck him the most was the design. It didn't look like something Adams would wear at his age.☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐