Standing Right Next To You - Chapter 442

Seeing that Lina was already done with what she had come here for, she and Benji decided to take their leave.

Old man Hitoshi and his team would have to get to work if they wished to complete their job ahead of schedule.

Therefore, Lina and Benji bid them farewell before heading out.

However, before she left, she glanced at Aya and winked at her, indicating that they would have more time to speak later on.

Aya chuckled as the pair left them and headed out in the direction of the elevator.

Once Benji was in the elevator with Lina, he found her staring at him all over again.

“What?” He groaned when her unblinking eyes were fixed on him.

He knew what she was about to say yet he asked her, hoping that she had something else in mind.

However, he was dead wrong as what Lina said next was exactly what he wished to avoid all along.

“Why won’t you meet your brother on Sunday?” She inquired while leering at him.

She had seen how sincere Kirk’s attempts were at trying to get closer to his little brother.

It was true that they had been separated for a long time and had their difference in opinions.

However, she could see that Kirk was trying his best to reconnect while this young man was avoiding him with all his might.

At the thought of the elder brother who was doing his best to get in touch with Benji, Lina recalled her elder brother whom she had not heard a word from.

“You should cherish what you have…” She muttered with a bitter smile.

“You never know when it might be snatched away from you.” She whispered before looking away from him.

In the past, she too had taken her brother’s presence for granted.

She knew that he would call once in a while and that he was busy all year round.

Hence she had not bothered him by reaching out to him.

However, now she was struggling to contact him but found no means to do the same.

Every time she called him, the number was said to be unreachable or disconnected which was bringing her a dreadful sense of unease.

While she did not wish to harbor such ominous thoughts, she could not stop her mind from spiraling down that rabbit hole she had already visited one too many times.

She did not cherish the moments she had with her brother and now she was eager to see him but wasn’t able to.

Therefore, she did not want Benji to feel what she was going through right now.

Benji sighed when he saw her drooping spirits.

‘Why do you think I rejected his offer for this weekend?’ He shook his head while staring at the young lady’s back which was turned in his direction.

The only reason Benji had declined his brother’s offer was that he truly was busy on that day.

As much as Lina was worried about her elder brother and curious to know his whereabouts, he was the same.

This Sunday, he had plans to seek out more clues in an attempt to locate where his Master Wind had disappeared to.

Since this was supposed to be kept a secret from everyone, including Lina, he could only say no to his elder brother, Kirk’s, plans which coincided with the same date.

“I will reschedule with him, Nana. I really have some work on that day.” He revealed, hoping to placate her.

Lina had been saddened by the lack of contact she had with her brother so his aim, for now, was to cheer her up.

‘That guy also told me to keep things a secret for now.’ He did not add anything more as it would be better if he could reveal this matter to her once he got more information.

This weekend was an important day for him for which he had made plans a long time back.

Under no circumstances could he push it back to accommodate Kirk’s plans.

Therefore, he had rejected his elder brother and did not reveal his true plans to Lina as well.

If all went well then he hoped that on the coming weekday, he might be able to come clean to his boss and close friend.

Hearing his confession which seemed to be true, Lina decided to drop this matter as she was still in the workplace, and mulling over her dark thoughts would only depress her further.

“What plans?” She inquired instead, not even trying to hide her nosy attitude from him.

Benji rolled his eyes but was glad that she was back to normal.

“Secret.” He smirked at receiving her glare and looked away, not willing to explain any further.

Lina’s eyes narrowed at his lofty behavior before mischief twinkled in her eyes.

“Oh~!” She drawled before stepping close to her tall and muscular assistant.

Benji looked at her with a weird expression forming on his face but she did not let it affect her.

“Is it a date~?” She wiggled her brows at him while he gazed at her with a deadpan look on his face.

His expressions shifted between amusement and disbelief which brought out a loud and hearty chuckle from her.

Benji blinked silently before shaking his head at her strange antics but was secretly pleased to see that her mood had been elevated.

Lina, however, wasn’t affected by his reproaching response as she continued to chuckle without a care in the world.

*Ding*

The sound of the elevator reaching its destination woke them from their reverie but it was too late for Lina.

As the doors opened in the next second, she had yet to control her laughter and thus had given those present on the other side of the door a clear view of her pearly white teeth and the sample of her pleasant laughter.

Lina coughed in embarrassment before she regained her composure soon after.

Benji let out a scoff as he passed her by and waited for her on the other side of the elevator.

Since Lina had promised Stephen Jin that she would come to meet him after she was done with her work, they had now reached the eighteenth floor which belonged to Steph and his team.

Now, Steph’s team, most of whom had helped her quell the rumors that Maxene Kang had spread in the past, were the ones she found here.

Supervisor Tim concealed his smile at what they all had just witnessed as he came forward to greet their guests.

Their Boss, the Little Devil, had already informed them of Lina and her assistant’s arrival and hence they had been expecting them to appear soon.

Therefore, when these two exited the elevator, he did not waste another second lest he angered his boss and guided them to his workspace.

Lina and Benji nodded at the hardworking Supervisor before they entered Stephen’s room.

Stepping inside this room, Benji felt his skin itch when he saw the number of papers scattered all around on the floor.

Supervisor Tim only gave a sheepish smile before turning around and leaving as though he had seen nothing.

This left Lina and Benji standing at the door, trying to find a path through this mess so as to not step on any papers.

When Stephen heard the knock on the door, he was sure that it was his Noona so he looked up with a wide smile.

However, seeing that she and Benji were still at the door, he was confused for a second before realizing what was stopping them.

His smile transformed into a troubled frown as he stared at the scattered papers everywhere.

“They are trash anyway, Noona. Just step on them and come over.” He waved to her, asking her to come over and take a seat next to him on the couch.

Lina did not walk over right away, instead, she bent forward and picked up one of the numerous papers lying everywhere.

Benji peeked to catch a glimpse of what was on the paper and just like his boss, he too had a bewildered look on his face.

“You call this trash?” Lina muttered in a dumbfounded tone.

She rolled her eyes before turning the paper around to show what she had just seen to her cute little puppy who seemed to have gone blind in the short while that they had been separated.