CHAPTER 118: CHAPTER 118: WHY DO YOU LIKE ZANE THORNE?

Jay Sterling, being young, didn’t know about the history between Shannon Rhodes and Zane Thorne. Seeing Shannon approaching, he leaned over to Natalie Vaughn and softly asked.

"Nina, why don’t you ask Shannon? She’s much better than me when it comes to motorcycles."

Besides, being of the same sex makes teaching much more convenient. Unlike other things, teaching someone to ride a motorcycle inevitably involves some physical contact.

It was true that Jay could not refuse a request from Natalie, but if Zane found out that he was the one who taught her, wouldn’t he be drowning in jealousy? He’d definitely peel off a layer of his skin!

Natalie did not answer but instead looked at Shannon, who was already seated nearby. Shannon casually tossed her long hair, and the scent lingered around her.

Frederic Malle Portrait of a Lady.

A queen with an innate assertiveness, commanding and glamorous. Few could manage this imposing aura, but on Shannon, it fit perfectly.

Natalie sipped her drink, her fingers played idly with her glass.

Shannon spoke up.

"Can we talk?"

Natalie’s brows flickered slightly, straightforward and direct, a trait she admired.

"Sure."

Shannon flashed a gentle smile at Jay, who was somewhat slow to react, blushing under her gaze before understanding the hint.

"Alright, you two beautiful ladies chat, we’ll head over to play some pool."

With that, he herded the other young guys next door.

Natalie’s waist injury hadn’t fully healed, so she couldn’t drink alcohol. From the moment she entered the room, Zane had someone prepare milk for her, from the brand she often drank.

The service staff here were highly professional, and the milk was at just the right temperature, warm and soothing as it went down.

Natalie drank half a glass, then set it down and slightly turned her head to look at Shannon.

"What do you want to talk about?"

Shannon smiled as she took out a pack of cigarettes, deftly rolling a cigarette between her fingers.

"Talk about you, do you mind?"

Natalie gave her a somewhat surprised glance.

Talk about her? She had thought Shannon came to talk about Zane, what was there to say about her?

"I don’t mind."

As soon as she spoke, there was a sound, and Shannon lit the cigarette. Natalie’s nose twitched, picking up a familiar scent.

She smoked the same brand as Zane.

"This cigarette was too harsh when I started smoking it. I often coughed my heart out; it took me half a month of sneaky smoking to slowly get used to the taste."

At this, Shannon chuckled, squinting slightly as she took another puff.

"Now I’m used to it. The taste is etched in my bones. It turns out the harsher it is to inhale, the blander it is in the aftertaste, but it’s this bland aftertaste that lingers on your mind."

Shannon hadn’t understood before why Zane would like such a cigarette, but now she seemed to get it a little.

This cigarette was a lot like Zane.

No matter how wild a person is, there’s always a soft spot inside. But the soft part of Zane’s heart she pursued was reserved for Natalie.

Natalie’s brow furrowed slightly; she didn’t understand why Shannon was suddenly talking about this cigarette. She didn’t mind the smell because of Zane.

"Yes, it’s quite harsh."

She still remembered the last time she took a puff snatched from Zane’s mouth and how it stung all the way to her lungs.

Hearing that, Shannon turned her head to look at her, leaving an enticing trace of red lipstick on the cigarette.

"You smoke too?"

Natalie shook her head, took a sip of milk to ease the discomfort.

"Tried it once, too strong, he doesn’t let me smoke."

Though the "he" wasn’t named, the intimacy made others envious.

Shannon suddenly found that her cigarette had lost its appeal. Her brother had told her not to pick up the habit of smoking. Back then, she was blinded by obsessions, absorbed in experiencing everything Zane loved.

"Indeed, once you’re addicted, it’s hard to quit. Best not to try it lightly."

Natalie understood what Shannon meant and downed her glass of milk, satisfied, her eyes squinting. She was wearing a fluffy white sweater today, looking just like a cat napping by the winter stove.

She was at the age of youthful passion, couldn’t tell herself to cut losses in time. Whatever she wanted, she would try her best to get it.

"It depends on what you’re addicted to. If you enjoy it, there’s no need to quit."

Shannon tugged at her lips, smiling bitterly.

If Natalie knew what Zane was like back then, she probably wouldn’t have said that. But Natalie would never know because she had Zane’s response.

"You’re right."

Shannon extinguished her cigarette and downed her drink.

"I’m curious, why does he like you?"

Natalie’s lips curled slightly at those words.

Zane, look, everyone knows you like me.

"Then I’m curious, why do you like him?"

Shannon was taken aback for a while.

Why did she like Zane?

That required recalling a long time ago. Back in college, she went out with her brother once and met Zane, who had just returned to the country and was passionate about bikes.

Like every woman, she fell for Zane’s handsome face, his sexy physique, and that irrepressible rebelliousness.

Who wouldn’t like someone as dazzling as Zane? When he rode, that ease and passion, that fierce zeal for life. A casual smile from him could capture all girls’ hearts.

So she often skipped classes to watch Zane practice, having heard somewhere that Zane liked those who were good at biking. She started from scratch, pestering her brother to teach her to ride bikes.

Although she learned to ride, she still couldn’t catch Zane’s attention. It was like she was bewitched, obsessively infatuated, entangled, losing herself, following Zane.

When her persistent entanglement finally got her the girlfriend title, she thought she could see light at the end of the tunnel. But Zane remained distant, colder to her than an ordinary friend.

Those three months, hardly meeting face-to-face, let alone holding hands.

They never did any of the close things couples do. Her brother, who spoiled her a lot, finally couldn’t stand it and slapped some sense into her.

It was time to wake up from the self-deceptive dream. She broke up, expecting Zane to react somehow, but he didn’t even bother to look at her and just agreed.

She fled this heart-breaking place, went abroad. Even after completing her studies, she couldn’t let go of motorcycles. Moving around a few times, she picked it back up and made it her profession.

Life had been pretty good over these years, except for those dreams at night of that spirited man.

"Who wouldn’t like Zane?"

Natalie smiled subtly, fully agreeing with her.

"I can’t give you the answer you want. If you’re curious, you should ask the man himself."

Shannon’s eyes flickered; yes, to know why Zane liked Natalie, she needed to ask Zane himself.

She had been foolish.

"Then may I ask, do you know how to ride a motorcycle?"

Natalie shook her head.

"I don’t."

In fact, her driving skills were dreadful, terrible enough to be mocked by Zane. However, Natalie wasn’t about to tell Shannon that.

Hearing this answer, Shannon’s remaining obsession shattered.

Feelings are mysterious, they can’t be forced. If there’s no love, there’s no love; if there is, there is. It didn’t matter that Natalie couldn’t ride a motorcycle; Zane still liked her.

Shannon exhaled deeply, planning to leave.

Before leaving, she said one last thing.

"If you want to learn, you can come to me, I’ll keep it a secret."

She had overheard Jay and Natalie’s conversation.

Natalie was very much like her younger self, but also different. This time, should Natalie choose to learn motorcycles, she’d likely have a very good outcome.