Zero to Peak: Ascension Online

A pair of elegant feet stepped out of the shower. The faint ringing of the doorbell echoed through the apartment. Daiyu sighed, deeply irritated by the disturbance. She wondered which of her neighbours had come calling at this late hour.

She swung the door open, then stepped back in shock at the sight of who was there.

"Ivan, I wasn't expecting to see you." Her heart raced as a warm smile crept up her face.

A gentle, warm smile beamed on his face. "I'm sorry I didn't let you know I was coming. I just wanted to surprise you."

She felt disoriented, unsure of what to do next. All she could do was stare at Ivan, with an unmistakable glee in her eyes. She didn't notice that his right hand was hidden behind him, clutching a bundle of rose flowers.

"I got this for you." Ivan presented the bundle of flowers.

Daiyu received the flowers, momentarily speechless. "Thank you. That's so sweet of you."

At that moment, she regained her thinking faculties. "I'm sorry. I just stepped out of the shower and wasn't expecting to see you at the door… come in, please. It's so good to see you again." Her voice became soft and affectionate towards the end.

"I also got you something else." Ivan reached to the floor, beyond the right side of the door frame. He presented her with a meal box, which she received happily.

He continued, "I figured you would be stressed and probably resort to eating whatever was in the fridge. So, I decided to treat you to a meal you love."

With the meal box in her hands while she listened to Ivan, her thoughts raced, stringing together the sensations around her, and she realised that the rich, sweet aroma she had noticed on her way to the door wasn't coming from her neighbours' apartments. Ivan had treated her to her favourite dish, Hong Shao Rou served with rice and stir-fried vegetables.

Daiyu walked to the table in the living room and set the items she received on it. Ivan had entered and closed the door. She turned, approached, and hugged him affectionately, appreciating his effort. Daiyu had only one sofa in her living room. She and Ivan shared the seat.

"I'm so happy you came to see me. I miss you," Daiyu expressed her feelings.

"I miss you too."

She stared into his eyes. It was clear she was restraining herself from acting further. She wanted to kiss him but was unsure of herself because of the guilt she felt. She knew she had hurt him and felt that he hadn't fully forgiven her. Ivan understood the desire in her eyes and took the initiative. The couple shared a brief, tender kiss.

They sat quietly, staring at each other, their thoughts unknown to one another. Suddenly, they both broke into laughter.

"This is so awkward," Ivan said, stifling his laughter.

"I know," Daiyu said. "I was wondering why we had to act like this. It felt like we were protagonists in a romance series. I guess the cliché awkward moments that romance protagonists share are real."

"Yeah. We must have looked so silly." Ivan leaned back against the sofa's backrest. "Aren't you hungry?"

"I am. It's just that I feel exhausted, and I was going straight to bed after my shower."

Ivan sighed, conveying that he related to how she was feeling. "Life isn't easy. We get up every day and we have to work just to sustain ourselves, or we could starve and be homeless. We end up overworking ourselves every day, with no time to live. We just come home exhausted and go straight to sleep."

The duo sighed.

"I've seen you driving past my workplace twice in two days. Do you still work for Bangyu Restaurant?"

"I still work for them. My team and I work for them on-demand."

"Does it pay well?"

"Not really. The pay isn't fixed, but with the information I've been given, we could get a bountiful reward from the higher-ups."

"Is there risk in the work?"

Ivan had planned ahead for this question. He didn't like lying, but he was okay with weaving words to tell the truth while concealing the deeper truth. "There is risk. It's work that requires muscle and heavy lifting. There is a risk of dying during transport—a heavy item could come loose and a life would be lost. The greatest risk appears when we're handling a heavy item.

"What about you? How is work?"

She recalled her experiences at work and rolled her eyes in exasperation. She shook her head and said, "It's draining. I don't know what happened, but we've started getting a steady, infuriating influx of annoying, stubborn customers who don't understand the products they've purchased. The worst of it is that they don't understand that I'm just a cashier and not a member of customer service. They stupidly lay their frustrations on me! Why can't people learn and understand the differences in jobs?"

"Take it easy," Ivan said, calming her.

She sighed, easing herself from her tensed state.

"Go change, so you can have dinner."

She had been wrapped in a towel when she stepped out of the shower. She went into her bedroom and changed into her night clothes. She emerged from her bedroom in a soft, pink, short, V-neck nightgown that clung just enough to hint at her ample cleavage.

She lifted the table with the box on top and brought it closer to the sofa.

"You're in my place. So, I insist that you eat with me. Refusal will get you kicked out of my apartment."

Ivan thought she was joking. They shared a light laugh, but Daiyu's face became stern.

"Ivan, I'm not joking."

"Oh… okay." Ivan reluctantly accepted to eat with her.

She offloaded the contents of the meal box onto the table. The meal consisted of four generous bowls: two bowls of rich, braised pork chops, a large bowl of rice, and a bowl of fresh, stir-fried pea shoots. The pork chops were deeply seasoned. Daiyu got a pack of milk from the fridge and got two cups.

Daiyu and Ivan ate in silence. Ivan didn't take frequent scoops from the bowl; after all, the food was meant for her. She choked on the spicy heat. Ivan was quick to hand her a cool glass of milk. She drank from it and cleared her throat.

Daiyu sighed in relief. "It's nice to have someone around."

Ivan rubbed her back.

"I wish we could continue like this from now on," Daiyu said, her tone and mannerisms conveying her deep desire. "I feel empty and alone staying by myself in this apartment. I know we've only been together for a brief while, but I've grown a strong emotional attachment to you. I'm being honest when I say this: you're the first person I've had such a strong attachment to in a very long time."

"I don't doubt that. We used to be just friends before we reached this point. It was bound to happen that we'd grow a strong emotional attachment to each other." Ivan paused, his thoughts turning to his own life. "Daiyu, the thing is, I have some goals I want to achieve before I can consider fixing the rift between us."

Daiyu drifted closer and placed her right palm on his chest. "But there's no rift between us. Whatever barrier you think exists between us is in your heart. I know that I hurt you, and you haven't healed. And I'm suffering from the emotional distance you've created between us..."

Ivan held her hand and assured her, "It's more than a barrier in my heart. There's no distance between us. We're closer to each other than you imagine. I want you to put your guilt behind you and be rational. We have flaws that could grow into a big problem if we rush to be together again. Trust me, when the time is right, we will fix things. I have a feeling that might happen faster than we expect."

Ivan kissed her and hugged her. Daiyu felt a profound sense of relief and assurance, perceiving the sincerity in Ivan's eyes.

'He's not like the others,' she assured herself.