Measure It Yourself

I went to the airport with my best friend to support her favorite celebrity, but I ended up crushing on his manager instead. While everyone else was screaming for the idol, I wolf-whistled at the manager in the black suit. "Hey handsome, how long are you?" Realizing the accidental double entendre, I panicked and tried to fix it: "I meant your height! I was asking how tall you are!" The Manager: "..." I chased him for a month, until he finally sighed and told me, "Stop wasting your time on me. I have no intention of dating right now." So, I listened. I moved on and started chasing an indie rocker instead. But the man who "had no intention of dating" ended up pinning me against a wall in a dark alley. "Didn't you want to know how long I am?" he growled. "Then measure it yourself." 1 The VIP arrivals hall at LAX was absolute chaos. My best friend, Chloe, was gripping my arm so hard I was losing circulation. "Oh my god, Maya! He's coming! He's coming!" I stood on my tiptoes, trying to see over the sea of heads. "Where? I can't see anything." Chloe pointed, practically hyperventilating. "Eight o'clock. The hottest guy there." I squinted. A man in a sharp black suit rounded the corner. Gold-rimmed glasses perched on a high nose bridge, and a luxury mechanical watch peeked out as he tucked his phone into his pocket. "The guy in black? Damn, he is hot!" As soon as I said it, the group of superfans next to me shot me a look of pure disgust and shuffled away. "Not him!" one hissed. "That's Noah Thorne, Evan Jiang's manager. The one in the mask is Evan!" Sure enough, Noah waved his team of assistants forward. They formed a protective circle around a tall figure in a baseball cap and mask. The fans surged forward like a tidal wave. I hung back, dragging my feet. Noah had hung back too. He checked his watch with a frown. I stared at the way his collar button strained slightly. My brain completely short-circuited. Over the deafening screams for Evan, a sharp, flirtatious wolf-whistle cut through the air. Mine. "Hey handsome! How long are you?" The tunnel went dead silent. Noah Thorne's hand froze on his phone. Through his lenses, his narrow eyes squinted slightly. He pursed his lips, and his ears—visible thanks to his short haircut—turned a bright, furious red. I clapped my hands over my mouth, realizing what I'd just yelled. Chloe looked at me like I was a criminal. I frantically tried to backpedal. "I-I-I-I meant your height! I was asking how tall you are!" Noah pushed his glasses up his nose, gave me a flat look, and walked away, his pace significantly faster. Further ahead, Evan Jiang, who was signing autographs, had clearly heard the commotion. His eyes, visible over his mask, crinkled into a smile. He looked at Noah’s retreating back and raised an eyebrow, clearly enjoying the show. "Bro~" he teased, dragging out the vowel. "The lady asked you a question." Noah shot him a cold glare. "Shut up." Some fan site admin caught the whole thing on video. It trended on Twitter for three days. #HowLongIsEvansManager became the internet's new favorite mystery. "What do you actually know about Noah Thorne?" I tossed my phone onto the couch and looked at Chloe expectantly. "You're seriously crushing on him?" I nodded shamelessly. "Maya, you're asking the impossible. He’s a ghost. All anyone knows is he's the industry's 'Ice King'—an asexual workaholic machine. He literally sent a group of stalker fans to jail last month." I sighed, debating if I should give up. But my brain kept replaying his cold face and those red ears. I searched him online. Nothing. Besides knowing he was a manager, his digital footprint was cleaner than a burner phone. "So mysterious..." I muttered, ready to dig deeper, when my phone rang. It was my brother, Liam. He needed a ride. The background noise was loud—clinking glasses and chatter. I sighed and grabbed my keys. When I pushed open the door to the VIP lounge, I saw my brother, already drunk. "Maya! Over here!" he waved. I frowned and walked over, ready to scold him, but stopped dead. Sitting opposite my brother was Noah Thorne. He was still wearing the same clothes from the airport, but the room was warm, so he’d undone the top two buttons of his shirt. Seeing me, he raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised. "This is my baby sister," Liam slurred, introducing me. "Total bookworm. Super introverted. Never leaves the house." He looked at Noah. "Since you know everyone, Thorne, you should introduce her to some nice guys when you have time." I nearly tripped over my own feet. I stood there, guilty as charged, not daring to speak. Bro, I read smut, not literature. And I only stay home during the day because I'm out all night! "Introverted?" Noah chuckled softly. He took a sip of his drink, his gaze lingering on me for a few seconds before shifting away. 2 I felt prickly under his gaze and quickly changed the subject. "Liam, you're drunk. Let's go home." Liam waved me off. "Not yet. Sit." I sat down helplessly and stole a glance at Noah. He leaned back in the leather sofa, collar open, exposing a sharp collarbone. Under the dim lights, his profile was dangerously sexy. "Bro," I tugged Liam's sleeve. "Is he your friend?" "Yeah." "Why didn't you ever mention him?" "I did! I told you about him last month. Remember? The guy you said sounded 'pretentious and stuck up'!" "You're drunk!" I lunged to cover his mouth, but it was too late. My brother doesn't know the meaning of 'inside voice.' He even pointed a finger right at Noah. The whole table looked at us. My face burned. I waved my hands frantically. "I didn't! I don't! Don't listen to him!" Noah let out a light laugh, put down his glass, and looked at me with a half-smile. I wanted to dig a hole and die. I decided to throw my drunk brother under the bus. "He forced me to say it!" I sold him out without hesitation. The table laughed. I wanted to apologize to Noah properly, but as I stood up, my heel got stuck in the carpet. I lost my balance. As the world spun, a warm hand firmly caught my waist. My mind went blank. I was staring straight at a small mole next to Noah's Adam's apple. The room went silent. You could hear a pin drop. Until a confused voice came from the floor. "Huh? Why am I on the ground?" My brother rubbed his forehead, stumbling to his feet. "Maya, why is your face so red?" "Thanks! Bye!" It was the perfect chance to get close to him, and I ran away like a coward. Back home, I realized I forgot to get his number. Lying in bed, my brain was full of Noah's face. His scent, that mole, that smile. I covered my face and rolled around. I was done for. I was obsessed. I jumped out of bed, heated some milk, and knocked on my brother's door. "Liam, you awake?" He was breathing evenly. I shook him hard. "What?" He put on his glasses, looking confused. "You drank too much. I was worried you couldn't sleep. Here's some milk." Liam: "..." "Oh, were you sleeping? I thought you were awake." Liam: "..." "Drink the milk." I smiled sweetly. My brother sighed. "You have three seconds. Tell me what you want, or get out." I pursed my lips. "You haven't texted Noah to tell him you got home safe." Liam snorted. He grabbed his phone, sent the message, and pushed Noah's contact card to me. I grabbed my phone and ran back to my room, happy as a clam. 3 My phone buzzed in my hand. I jumped up like a carp. I screamed silently at the ceiling three times, then tremblingly opened the chat. [Hi Noah, it's Maya. Liam's sister.] [We got home safe.] [Thanks for saving me tonight, otherwise I would've had a concussion.] I pressed send and clutched the phone to my chest. Three minutes later, he replied. [1.] ...One? As in "Okay"? Outside, the wind rustled the leaves. I rolled over and tried again. [When you helped me, I think my lipstick might have smudged on your white shirt.] [Should I pay for dry cleaning?] [Or maybe I can buy you dinner to apologize?] [Also, sorry about the airport thing today. Really.] This time, I waited five minutes. [No need.] [It's late. I'm going to shower. Goodnight, Miss Vance.] How do I reply to that? I opened the "Flirting 101" guide Chloe sent me. I confidently typed: [Shower?!] [Sending me a message like that in the middle of the night... feels a little flirtatious.] Almost immediately, the "typing..." indicator appeared. A minute later, Noah deleted the last message. [It's late. I'm going to boil water. Goodnight.] Me: "..." Well played. He successfully piqued my interest. I spent the whole night drafting "Operation: Seduce Noah." Using my brother's connections, I got an internship at Noah's agency. As for how much I begged and pleaded... let's not talk about it. The result is what matters. I stared at my new ID badge: Maya Vance. Today was the monthly trainee evaluation. A group of teenage boys were auditioning. Noah stood there, arms crossed, frowning. "Stop." He knocked on the table. "The chorus sounds like a goose being strangled. And you—too many unnecessary body rolls. It looks greasy." When I pushed the door open, a dozen eyes shot toward me. My brother must have called ahead, because Noah didn't look surprised. "Hi everyone, I'm Maya, the new intern." Noah nodded and pointed to the chair next to him. "Sit here." Then he addressed the staff. "She'll be shadowing me for a while." Everyone nodded, but they looked at me... weirdly. Me: ??? I thought it was because I was a nepo baby. Half an hour later, I understood. That look wasn't judgment. It was pity. Noah Thorne was scary! He was like a precision machine. His insults were toxic and accurate, leaving no survivors. "You call this dancing? The toddlers at my nephew's kindergarten have better coordination." "Is this a pig farm? Keep eating like that and we'll debut you as 'The Missing Abs'." "You submitted this proposal? Do you get paid to manufacture garbage?" ... The posters on the wall seemed to pale under the fluorescent lights. The room was dead silent. Luckily, I was new, so the fire wouldn't burn me today. I carefully took out my phone under the table to text Chloe. [Noah looks like an Angry Bird when he's mad.] [So hot. Want to kiss.] [I must have him!] [Cat heart emoji] Chloe, who usually replies instantly, was silent. I looked up, confused. My colleagues were staring at me in shock. I followed their gaze to the giant projector screen at the front of the room. There, massive and bright, was my Cat Heart Emoji. Me: "..." I forgot I was texting him last night. I clicked the top conversation by mistake. Haha. Mystery solved. Chloe didn't reply because she never got it. I shrank into my chair, trembling, not daring to look at Noah. "It does look like him." Evan Jiang was leaning against the doorframe, trying not to laugh. "Sister has a way with words. Though her taste in men is questionable." I buried my head lower. "That's all for today," Noah announced, ignoring Evan. Everyone exhaled and fled. Noah turned to me, still quail-ing in the chair. "Not coming?" I squeaked "Oh" and scrambled to follow him. His leather shoes clicked on the tiles like a countdown timer. I counted the marble patterns, heart in my throat. He stopped suddenly. I slammed right into his back. "Miss Vance." Cedar and sandalwood filled my nose. I stumbled, but he caught my elbow. I looked up. I could see my reflection in his glasses. "Does your seduction plan include following me into the men's restroom?" I jumped back. The sign clearly said MEN. "Sorry! I spaced out!" "My office is that way." He pointed. I nodded to leave, but he called out. "Miss Vance. I have contracts to handle, brands to manage, and teams to coordinate. I really don't have time to play romance games with you." My grip on my shirt tightened. His voice was deep, like a cello. He thought being harsh would scare me off. But I wasn't listening to his words. I was staring at that mole near his Adam's apple. "Miss Vance, do you understand?" His cold voice snapped me back. "Mmm... mumbling something... want to kiss." Noah: "..." 4 From that day on, I chased him openly. He hated mixing business with pleasure. So I worked diligently, and then tried to get close during breaks. But Noah was avoiding me. After finding his office empty for the 108th time, I went to the breakroom to drown my sorrows in coffee. I stood on the terrace by a lemon tree, spamming his WeChat. [Noah, are you really not interested?] [Toads can dream of eating swan meat, right?!] [Think about it. Once I fly away, don't regret it!] ... No reply. I sighed. I heard hushed mocking from the kitchen. "The boss went crazy again today. Made the intern cry over a typo in the PPT." "He's a Gold Medal Manager. Eyes only for data, no humanity." "How long do you think the Princess will last?" ... My nails dug into my palm. I threw the terrace door open. "Wondering if I'll last? Why not ask me?" The three employees jumped. I poured an iced coffee. "That 'typo'? The intern wrote Evan Jiang's name as 'Evan Chang' in the press release. Do you know the fan war that would cause? The studio would be torn apart." The youngest girl turned red. "But he was too..." "Too what? Too harsh? I don't think being strict about work is a flaw. But making a mistake, letting others clean up the mess, and then badmouthing the boss? That's just stupid and mean!" The breakroom went silent. "Well said!" A voice startled me. Evan Jiang was leaning against the doorframe. I realized Noah was standing right behind him. His glasses reflected the light, hiding his eyes. I didn't know how long they'd been there. The gossips turned pale. "Back to work," Noah said. They fled. Evan winked at me and left too. It was just us. "Thank you for speaking up. But you don't need to do that next time." His voice was flat. "Why?" "It's unnecessary." "It is necessary!" I spun around, glaring. "What right do they have to talk about you like that?" He handed me a tissue, looking at my reddened eyes. "I've heard worse. You don't need to make enemies for me." "But it hurts my heart!" I yelled it before I could stop myself. Noah's breath hitched. He took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Maya..." "You want to say I'm meddling, right? I don't want to hear it!" He was silent for a moment. He went to pour coffee. "Go back to the office." "You go back yourself!" I slammed my cup down and stormed out. At the elevator, I heard him on the phone. "Don't cancel the meeting. I'm on my way." Noah Thorne never stopped for anyone.

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