To Live Again, For the First Time!

It wasn't every day Grace would see this friend of hers asking for help, and so she was actually quite eager to lend a helping hand.

Then the question is, why was she being so dismissive if she actually really wanted to know what was troubling Noah?

Well, the answer is actually quite simple.

If Noah had already resorted to coming to her for advice and help, even though he was clear about her personality, then his desperation was implicit.

Then if she had the upper hand, why couldn't she enjoy her time and play around first?

As for Noah, even though he knew that he would most likely have to haggle an answer out of Grace, aiyo, he really didn't have any more options.

Grace was rather knowledgeable, she was similar to himself in age, and she was also trustworthy.

Sadly enough, she was his best option.

Noah looked at the other girl who looked to be shyly standing to the side, his gears turning, thinking of his options before sighing.

"If you're going to stay here, you should at least give me a way to address you right?" Noah conceded to having one more person learn of his troubles.

Convincing himself by thinking, 'the more the merrier' and 'maybe she can give some useful imput' and so on.

Sigh.

...

..

.

Emilin had already noticed that Noah didn't recognize her from yesterday, then again she had barely recognized herself with this getup, she wasn't expecting anyone else to recognize her either.

"You can call me We-Wei."

She came up with something on the spot, which led to a little stutter.

Emilin herself didn't know why she gave her surname rather than the name these people knew her by, but she also wanted to listen in, and she felt like it would be a waste of time to explain things now.

Not to mention she also wanted to test out her previous theory.

"Weiwei is it? Okay, can you promise me that you won't tell another soul what you hear here?" Noah spoke as if he was about to reveal some life-threatening secret.

'Well, Wei, but I guess that's close enough. Weiwei huh? What kind of character setting should I have?' Emilin thought to herself, 'eh, let's just wing it.'

"En, I won't tell anyone."

Grace looked at the two bemusedly as if things had just gotten a whole lot more interesting.

Which they had.

This little fledgling that was Emilin was slowly spreading her wings and learning her (Grace's) ways! Grace felt like a proud parent.

"Come on then 'Weiwei'" Grace patted the sofa seat next to her.

"Come quick or this big buddha may just run off. It's not every day you get the great Noah to come looking for you!"

Noah rolled his eyes at Grace before looking at the Emilin who had already made her way over, "pleasure to meet you."

Emilin nodded softly, still not lifting her head as if she were in contemplation. However, one difference from when she was a few steps back was that there was no more fidgeting.

"So there's this thing that--" Noah was about to start.

"Tsk, tsk, stop right there." Grace shook her head slowly and disapprovingly, giving Noah a 'you know better than that' look.

"Fuck, are we really going to do this again?" Noah asked, knowing very well the answer.

He had wanted to get right into it, hoping that Grace's curiosity would act as a barrier, slowing down her reaction speed so that she wouldn't start bargaining before it was too late.

Well frankly, he was just hoping for too much this time.

"Well, since I'm giving you my time, isn't it only right that you do the same?" Grace lifted an eyebrow at him nonchalantly.

"Aren't we friends? What kind of friend bargains with the time we spend together?" Noah said through his gritted teeth, cursing Grace in his head.

'Wow, I'm jealous,' Emilin inwardly thought while watching their carefree interactions.

"Are you sure you want to go through that route, my friend?" Grace said with a smirk that gave Noah the chills, "then as a good friend of mine, you must remember your words carefully the next time I demand, no, ask for your time, right?"

"Fine," Noah bit the bullet, "how much?"

"Seven," Grace opened the negotiations.

"You're crazy!" What was left of Noah's calm demeanor flew right through the window, "two!"

"You know, you're wasting time right now, the longer you spend negotiating with me, the higher my lowest price will rise," Grace said calmly as she twirled her hair.

She had tied up her hair back when she was doing Emilin's makeup, and simultaneously lost all of her high society womanly gentleness and grace.

Those green streaks in her hair seemed to serve as a reminder to all those who knew and approached her, just who was in control here.

A 'go' sign that allowed her to let loose.

Noah didn't fail to notice that.

There was no playing around with this Grace, she would eat you alive if you weren't careful enough. This was the true her.

The intensity of her personality sent even Emilin and Noah for a loop.

In fact, the first time he had seen Grace with her hair down at a birthday party that his father had told him was mandatory, he had thought he had been hallucinating.

In fact, he was sure of it.

That girl he met back then surely looked like Grace, but they were two different people, no doubt about it, no matter what others said.

Now once again, he reminded himself that that Grace he had met that day was a mear illusion.

There was no way this cunning old fox in front of him right now could be that tame little rabbit back at that ball!

He wouldn't believe it until he went to hell!

He wouldn't believe it even if he went to hell!

"Then state your minimum price right now." Noah finally gave up the struggle.

It was pointless.

He was the only one losing brain cells here.

"Nine."

"Fuck you!" Noah nearly spat out blood.

The starting price had been seven, yet now the minimum price was nine.

She was clearly trying to mess with him.

As if being able to read Noah's mind, Grace said pitifully, "Just so you know, back then seven was my minimum price, seeing as you are my good friend, I gave you a discount right away, but my good intentions seem to have flown right over your head," emphasizing the words 'good friend.'

"Fine, deal."

Noah had enough experience dealing with Grace. Since she said it was the minimum price, then there was no way she was going to lower it ever again.

Chances were, if he said another word, it would skyrocket right to 10, 11, or even 12.

There was no more point arguing, even if he felt like he was being taken advantage of.

"Do you guys mind explaining?"

Emilin had already composed herself in that short time, finally raising her head confidently.

She was no longer that shy girl that Noah saw when he first came in, but rather someone else entirely.

But then again, perhaps that was just a misunderstanding on Noah's part at the beginning, so he didn't think too much about this change. It wasn't as if he knew her.

Noah turned his head to Emilin, about to expose Grace's scheming ways to her friend 'Weiwei', but then he stopped midway with his mouth half-open.

His eyes widened as they met Weiwei's as if electricity ran through them.

Then, the very next second, his eyebrows closed in, scrunching up.

'Why does she look familiar?' Noah questioned himself, but even as he searched through his memory, there was nothing.

'Is this another one of Grace's tricks?'

As for Emilin, she was also slightly stunned when she saw the young man's reaction.

Was she seen through?

Relaxing the very next moment, 'probably not.'

As for Grace, seeing as Noah wasn't rushing to slander her.

Yes, slander, defamation, she hadn't done anything wrong. Humph, she would punch anyone who said otherwise.

She went on to explain first.

"Well, this guy is taking up our time, right? Then isn't it only right that we take up some of his?" Grace put everything both mildly using her 'it's only reasonable' tone.

"As for what we are bargaining, well, we're bargaining the number of hours he'll be with me as I help him put some makeup on," there was a slight pause as she thought carefully about her next words.

"Honestly, I'm the only one on the losing side from this deal, this is clearly a win-win for him! I mean, I'm using my precious time to do his makeup, if this isn't a steal for him, then I don't know what is!" Grace said in a piteous tone.

Noah's eyebrows twitched.

'If it's really like that then I'd really rather not impose on you!'

There was not a guy he knew that liked to go shopping for hours, walking about while accomplishing nothing.

This was the same for spending hours on end just sitting and or standing there doing absolutely nothing and also accomplishing absolutely nothing!

He was super handsome okay? He didn't need makeup!

He was clearly being abused as a lab rat for Grace's experiments on his face!

So if she was going to make him spend nine hours on this, couldn't she be a little less shameless about it?

Well, clearly the answer was no, but a man can always hope.