Yan Xiuchen didn't want to raise his expectations of Xiao Rufeng, to spare himself from being disappointed once she turned away from him. She was someone that he couldn't be with, as she belonged to the world of the brightest stars.
Still, he had to admit, only to himself, that he was glad that she wasn't appalled by his appearance. He wasn't sure why their paths had crossed or perhaps this was a reminder that he had been wrong in assuming the worst out of most people.
No — he corrected himself. Xiao Rufeng wasn't like the rest of the people. From the look of her eyes, he could see that she wasn't lying when she said that she wasn't afraid of him. For the first time since forever, he had met someone who wasn't repulsed by his looks and wasn't lying to get their hands on his wealth.
"I guess I should say thank you then." He muttered, his eyes trying to imprint this memory in his mind.
"What for?" Xiao Rufeng raised a brow, confused as to what he was trying to point out.
"For not being repulsed by my appearance." He looked away and there was a slight hint of blush on his face from embarrassment. Yan Xiuchen suddenly felt like a teenage boy being complimented by his crush for the first time.
Xiao Rufeng smiled, but she dared not laugh in fear that she would offend him. She was telling him the truth anyway. There were far handsome men around who nursed a malicious heart and she didn't deem him as one.
Yan Xiuchen saw her smile and he briefly thought how that smile felt like a burning sun in his wintery misery. She was like the first flower that bloomed, announcing that the seemingly long winter had reached its end.
He didn't want to drown himself in his misery and self-pity for now. He would do so when he was alone, because he knew that after this, there wouldn't be any chance for them to meet again.
Was it odd for him to say that he was enjoying her company? That he wasn't ready to part with her just yet and return to his usual, boring life after this?
"Humans tend to be selfish and arrogant, you know. It makes you wonder how shallow their thoughts could be that it made them blind to see what matters the most." He heard Xiao Rufeng say.
"And that is?"
She shrugged in response, wrapping her arms over the white robe that covered her nudity.
"I dunno. It probably depends on the person."
Yan Xiuchen thought that she might be thinking of her own worries, seeing a slight frown appearing on her face. He realized that she looked so much better smiling than like this.
"Everyone has their own troubles already. It might not be obvious for some that they are actually suffering in silence, but wouldn't it be better to be kind to one another than to inflict injuries upon others?" She continued, "a little kindness could go a long way. Even a slight ripple could change the whole picture. As for us, wouldn't it be better if we try to stretch the boundaries and learn how to adapt with the situation?"
What she said struck Yan Xiuchen. He had never met a person like her in his thirty two years of living. He had always made an excuse of being too scarred, too frightening to broaden his views, but he'd learned the hard way that life wasn't always sunshine and smiles. He had met so many people in his life that only gave him disappointments, one after another.
These past years for him were filled with shadows and uncertainty to the point that there were times that whenever he woke up in the morning, he hoped to never open his eyes again.
While it was true that he had a grand wealth that could sustain several generations of his family, there were still things that money cannot buy and Yan Xiuchen knew this.
Of course, Yan Xiuchen kept these thoughts to himself and didn't bother to share them with Xiao Rufeng.
"You seem hopeful despite what you've experienced last night." He commented. "But I have to agree with what your manager told you. You can't afford to get involved with your sister if she has a tendency to retaliate dangerously towards you."
Xiao Rufeng gave him a weak smile and nodded. She could only be this lucky once, she knew this. If Xiao Yunyao plotted against her, who knows if she would be able to avoid the calamity for the second time.
'When emotions overrule us, surely disaster would follow. Your impatience and rash attitude could be your downfall.'
This was what Su Xiaofei used to tell her with a faraway look on her face, her eyes shrouded with memory that only made her sad. She spoke as if it was based on her experience.
It was the only time Xiao Rufeng would see such a reaction from her beautiful and always composed manager. She had always wondered what kind of memories her manager was reminiscing to react like that.
However, now, she could grasp and understand better what her manager meant by those words.
"Perhaps I need to start to pretend like she isn't part of my life. That she's nothing but a shadow trying to lure me into the dark."
"Yes, you are right." She nodded in agreement. "I owe you a great deal, Mr. Yan. I thought that I would end up miserable last night and I was so ready to cease my life, but I wake up to another day, knowing that I still have a chance in life. This is all thanks to you."
So aside from Su Xiaofei, Yan Xiuchen was the second person she owed great favor and respect to at the same time.
Yan Xiuchen cleared his throat and looked away, the tip of both his ears reddening, much to Xiao Rufeng's amusement. His heart was suddenly filled with indescribable warmth, which was surprisingly not unwelcomed.
Visit freewe𝑏no(v)el.𝘤𝑜𝓂 for the best novel reading experience