The food was as amazing as Xiao Rufeng expected. Conversation flowed freely, despite Yan Xiuchen only answering the questions thrown at him. Song Yiran led their conversation, and he and Xiao Rufeng laughed and chatted animatedly. For the first time since her kidnapping, Xiao Rufeng felt at ease with her companions today.
Once the main course was done, tiramisu was then served and Su Xiaofei dug into hers before others could have theirs. She took a small forkful of the delectable dessert and closed her eyes, savoring the delicious treat her husband made that morning in pure bliss.
Lu Qingfeng chuckled at her, but Xiao Rufeng could see how his eyes softened as he looked at his wife with adoration.
'Oh, I would love to have a man who looks at me like that.' Xiao Rufeng thought.
The idea was so sudden that she immediately stumped on it, ashamed that she was having such thoughts. She was so mortified by it that she failed to notice a pair of eyes that were watching her intently.
Once lunch was finished, the three men moved to the living room to play the mobile game Ning Xuan's company had developed and to talk privately, leaving Xiao Rufeng in her manager's company. They moved to the balcony, far from everyone's earshot.
"I heard the news from your assistant. I know you are experiencing the after effects of what happened. Do you want to talk about it?" Su Xiaofei asked her.
Xiao Rufeng shook her head. What was she supposed to say? That she was afraid of meeting others' gazes now, especially those of strangers? Heck, she was an actor, and it was normal for people to look at her, but it was starting to freak her out.
"I can't say I'm fine, because obviously I'm not." She sighed as she clasped her hands together over the table and lowered her head in shame. "I should have known better."
"No, you don't. You wouldn't have known that your sister was harboring such nefarious thoughts towards you. Do you want me to file a restraining order against her or report the incident?" Su Xiaofei questioned her.
Xiao Rufeng shook her head vehemently. She couldn't possibly do that to her own sister.
"Can't. My father would surely be devastated if he knew what Xiao Yunyao did." She grumbled.
"And you didn't think he would be equally devastated that his eldest daughter was almost raped, courtesy of the other child?" Su Xiaofei scoffed. "Since when did you become a softie, Xiao Rufeng? You used to face challenges with your head up, now you are cowering in fear? I'm not asking you to put everything behind you, but you need to make a stand for yourself once and for all."
"I-I thought Xiao Yunyao is better than that…"
Su Xiaofei shook her head and sighed dejectedly. She also blamed herself for not protecting Xiao Rufeng enough. However, since Xiao Rufeng had declared war, how could she possibly stay still and do nothing?
Xiao Yunyao dared to ruin her own sister's life. It was only natural for Su Xiaofei to return the favor, regardless if Xiao Rufeng approved of it or not. What Su Xiaofei wanted to know though was who had pulled Xiao Yunyao and dragged her name to the mud lately? Like Lu Qingfeng told her, the motive was to defame Xiao Yunyao and make sure people wouldn't easily forget her sin.
She stared at her talent, sensing Xiao Rufeng's hesitation to make a move against her younger sister.
"No, Miss Xiao. She's like that, whether you believe it or not. It's your false optimism, trying to see good in people, that is blinding you to see what they truly are. It's not your fault that Xiao Yunyao acted rashly towards you, but your words might have fueled her desire to get rid of you. She did it despite the consequences she might face later on."
Xiao Rufeng fell silent at that and tried to absorb and understand what her manager had just said. Su Xiaofei might be able to get rid of any attachment or familiarity towards Ye Mingyu because the latter wasn't her real sister, but she was different. Xiao Yunyao was still her sister, no matter what.
'And yet, she dared to scheme against you.'
She had foolishly thought that because she and Xiao Yunyao were half-siblings, the latter would at least keep a certain level of boundary, but clearly it wasn't the case. In the end, she was nothing but an obstruction in Xiao Yunyao's eyes.
"Give it a good thought and tell me what you want to do once you've made a decision. This isn't just about plain sibling rivalry anymore. You can't just simply overlook and shrug this away."
Su Xiaofei left her with those words and decided to check on her husband and her friends. Song Yiran's laughter could be heard from where she and Xiao Rufeng were and she wondered what the guys were up to.
Xiao Rufeng was left alone to her own thoughts as she stared at the cityscapes from the balcony. She knew that Su Xiaofei was right, and she had to abandon this thought that she and Xiao Yunyao could remain the same after the latter attempted to ruin her life.
The cool breeze ruffled her hair and also made the empty void in her heart more prominent than ever. She wanted to burst into tears at that very moment, but a familiar tune reached her ears. Someone was playing a piano inside the penthouse, and she wondered who it was.
Walking back inside, she saw her manager seated next to Lu Qingfeng as the latter's focus was on his phone, clearly playing a game with Song Yiran. That only meant that the one who was playing the piano was none other than Yan Xiuchen.
She made her way to where the sound was coming from and found the scarred face man, seated in front of a grand piano with an inexplicable expression on his face.
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