You Are The Apple of My Eyes
Chapter 829 I'll Pick Up Anytime!

It was late night in Lexingport City. Michelle, having just finished her shower, sat in her bed and let out a heavy, tired sigh. Her hair was still dripping wet when her phone started ringing. Her eyes lit up when she saw the caller ID.

This was Leon's private number on C Island. She had saved it on her phone yesterday.

Michelle answered the phone immediately.

"Good evening, Michelle." Leon's voice, albeit over the phone, sounded so pleasant that Michelle found herself smiling.

In a cheerful tone, she answered, "Good evening! But isn't it afternoon on C Island? Is it cold there? Leon, wear thick clothes even if you don't feel cold, okay? I don't want you to get sick." Michelle's nagging made Leon's expression soften. "Michelle, I can't take it here anymore. I want to go back to Lexingport City."

Michelle opened her mouth to say something, but a lump in her throat blocked any words that wanted to come out. She remained silent for a while, her eyes glistening with tears.

The truth was, she didn't go to see him off this morning, not because she wasn't able to ask for a leave at work, but because she couldn't bring herself to go.

She didn't want to see Leon leave. It would've felt like watching a loved one fade away, as though she was going to lose something-even though this was just a temporary separation.

If she didn't physically see Leon leave, then she could just console herself by pretending Leon was too busy to see her these days and she wouldn't truly feel his absence.

In her eyes, it was fine that she was deceiving herself.

But when Leon came back, she would definitely be the first one at the airport, waiting to pick him up.

Michelle sniffled and forced a smile. "Leon, I'll be waiting for you. But I'm usually very busy by the end of the year, so I won't have that much time to spend with you. So, come home after the New Year." Leon came back his senses. "Okay, I will," he promised.

"Good! Leon, please call me whenever you have the time. It doesn't matter where I am, I'll answer your call!" Michelle started to giggle.

Hearing her cute laugh made Leon smile, too. It was as though she was standing next to him, giggling into his ear. He could almost see her bright eyes turning into crescent moon shapes from laughing too hard.

He imagined her cute teeth whenever she smiled.

He began to miss her terribly.

He could do nothing but watch the servants come and go, moving things around the magnificent castle. But it still felt very desolate and alone, and Leon missed her more and more with each passing minute. He wanted her in his arms and he wanted to kiss her. Only in this way would his empty heart be filled again.

"Michelle, I'd prefer it if you called me." At this point, Leon was resisting every urge to just hop into a car and drive back to the airport to fly back to Lexingport City.

"I'll also pick up any time."

Michelle was excited, but she tried to think sensibly. "But Leon, you are different from everyday workers like me. You must be very busy with national affairs. I wouldn't know if I'm disturbing you when I call. So it'll be better if I wait for you to call me instead.

Most importantly, I'm too lazy to take the lead. Can't you do it?"

Leon smiled devilishly. "That's true. You never take initiative. You always want me to take the lead, and I know you enjoy it."

Michelle was confused. 'Why does he sound weird?' she thought to herself.

Just then, Wynn happened to pass by and overhear Leon's last sentence. Even though he didn't know the context, he was positive Leon was talking about something obscene.

Wynn's eyes nearly popped out of his head, too speechless to say anything.

Hearing footsteps behind him, Leon turned around and saw Wynn's contemptuous look.

'Did he hear what I said just now?'

Leon wondered, feeling a bit guilty. After a pause, he turned around calmly and continued his conversation on the phone.

Wynn shut his mouth and waited, his ears pricked up to eavesdrop.

"Then I'll be the one to lead," Leon said.

The two of them reached an agreement. Leon said goodnight to Michelle and urged her to go to sleep, but he didn't hang up until he heard the sound of her heavy breathing on the phone. When he hung up the phone, Michelle, who was just about to step into dreamland, suddenly opened her eyes.

Even if she had fallen asleep, she instantly remembered that she was on the phone with Leon just now. Now that he had hung up, she was wide awake.

Michelle didn't sleep that night.

This was the first day with Leon gone.

The next morning, she went to work with heavy bags under her eyes. Her colleagues shot her a couple of concerned glances but ultimately decided to leave her be.

Three days later, her eye bags had evolved into dark circles under her eyes. Everyone in the studio was shocked.

While everyone thought it was normal in their office to have dark circles under their eyes, Michelle was the exception.

It was widely acknowledged that her sleep quality was a cut above the rest. Some had even asked her for advice when it came to sleeping soundly, and she had asked, "If you eat well, you'll sleep well."

On the fourth day, Gray looked at her up and down with furrowed brows and asked, "Did you eat well last night? Or did someone stop you from eating?"

Michelle was stunned. Pursing her lips, she started to explain herself slowly. "I had a good dinner, but..."

The truth was, she couldn't fall asleep ever since Leon left.

But she was too embarrassed to say that aloud. She knew there were other people in the studio who were in long-distance relationships, but they didn't lose sleep over such a trivial thing. Caroline mad a bold guess. "Are you having relationship issues?"

"No!" Michelle retorted at once. Her sudden outburst startled a few people who were nearby, so she lowered her voice. "Leon calls me every day and helps me fall asleep."

But every single time she fell asleep, whenever Leon hung up the phone, she'd wake up instantly.

Moreover, she didn't want to bother Leon, so she never called him back.

Thus, she would stay up until dawn.

She explained this to them in a sad voice, and the others, while sympathetic, felt somewhat jealous of their affectionate love for each other.

The other colleagues who were in long-distance relationships all sighed with her sympathetically. "Are you in a long-distance relationship, too?"

"Yes," Michelle answered truthfully. "I'm sorry. I came to work with my messy emotions and it's affected all of you."

Gray waved his hand dismissively. "Never mind that. You didn't do anything to hurt us. But your dark circles make me want to send you to the Bamboo Garden."

There was a bamboo grove near the studio that had a big wooden sign at the front that read "Bamboo Garden."

The Bamboo Garden was not a place to work, but a spot to shoot.

In July of this year, the best actress May had been there to shoot the cover of the magazine.

Michelle had only started working in the studio recently, but she knew every spot they shot at. Of course she knew there were real bamboos in the real Bamboo Garden, so she instantly understood what Gray meant.

"Am I really like a panda? Are my dark circles that bad?" Michelle held her face in her hands. She never noticed the gravity of her appearance.

Everyone nodded in unison.

Caroline couldn't stand it anymore. "I'll give you a day off. Go home and rest."

"A day off?" Michelle shook her head. "My salary will be deducted if I take a day off."

The corner of Caroline's mouth twitched and she said crossly, "Why didn't you sleep well if you were afraid of a salary deduction? You came to work with two dark circles under your eyes. If you make mistakes in your work, believe it or not, I can deduct more from your salary!"

"I'll go back to sleep now." Michelle swiftly picked up her bag and headed for the door.

Her colleagues all burst into laughter.

Just as Michelle was walking out of the studio, she ran into Tim, who was walking towards the studio.