Yan Xiuchen arrived home late in the evening. His head was aching from the prolonged meeting he just attended. He was supposed to come home earlier, wanting to welcome Xiao Rufeng upon her return, but it was impossible to ditch everything to his subordinates.
'She must already be asleep by now.' He thought as he strode towards his study, wanting to clear his mind before retiring for the night. It was a pity that he wasn't able to see Xiao Rufeng today, now that she was here. If only time would pass faster, so he would be able to see her early in the morning.
He took off his jacket and placed it on his arm, while his right hand fiddled with the top buttons of his dress shirt. He opened the door of his study and stood frozen on the spot when he found Xiao Rufeng seated on the couch, browsing the latest newspaper. She lifted her head and broke into a smile when she spotted him.
"Hey. You look tired. Long day?" Xiao Rufeng asked.
Yan Xiuchen blinked and nodded, realizing that he wasn't imagining things and that Xiao Rufeng was really here in front of him.
"I thought you've already turned in. Aren't you tired?" He asked in return.
He joined her on the couch and smiled weakly. While he was glad to see her tonight, Yan Xiuchen was also worried about her.
"Not tired." She smiled at him. "I was hoping to see you as soon as I arrived, but Elder Meng said that you were out."
"So you decided to wait for me?" He asked in confusion. He had never experienced having someone waiting for him at home. Xiao Rufeng was making him feel things… emotions that he wasn't familiar with, but he didn't mind it at all.
Xiao Rufeng lowered the newspaper on her lap and tried to suppress her smile. There it was again, the same blush and expression that was making Yan Xiuchen catch his breath, enthralled by her beauty.
"I couldn't sleep without seeing you first anyway. I miss you." She admitted quietly.
"As I, you." Yan Xiuchen replied, and the two were trapped in a staring battle.
Yan Xiuchen wanted to reach her, touch her, kiss her, but he stopped himself from doing so. However, Xiao Rufeng noticed the sudden change in him and moved closer to him, invading his private space.
"W-what…" He wanted to ask her what she was doing, but Yan Xiuchen sucked in a breath when her hand touched the scarred side of his face.
When he flinched at her touch, Xiao Rufeng pulled her hand away, but he grabbed it.
"Sorry. I couldn't stop myself." She apologized to him and stared at him for a moment before continuing, "but you won't touch me…"
Yan Xiuchen was rendered speechless at that. He had never thought that someone like Xiao Rufeng would come his way one day, and here they were.
"You want me to touch you?"
Xiao Rufeng pulled away, but remained seated close to him. She knew that they were attracted to each other, but they had their own personal issues they had to deal with on their own.
"Yan Xiuchen, what are we?" She probed him. "Are we.. Are we together?"
She didn't think she would be able to endure it if Yan Xiuchen was just playing with her feelings. After the heartbreak she went through because of Jin Qiu, she never thought she would be able to open her heart to someone else ever again.
"What do you mean?" Yan Xiuchen furrowed his brows, not sure what she was trying to convey to him.
"Are we together?" She repeated her question. "Can you be mine?"
Xiao Rufeng had never thought she would say these words again. The last time she uttered them was when she was still in love with Jin Qiu and had confessed her feelings to him years ago. She suddenly felt guilty, saying the same words to Yan Xiuchen.
'I cannot be owned by anyone.' Jin Qiu told her with a laugh, clearly not sensing that she just laid her heart bare only for him to break it into pieces.
Of course, she knew that she couldn't own him, but that wasn't what she meant when she asked him that. After that incident, Xiao Rufeng had decided to cut her ties with him in order to get over him, but it was proven hard.
"I can't stop thinking about you. These past weeks, my days were filled by you." She chuckled, but averted his gaze. "The week that I wasn't with you felt excruciatingly long that I couldn't wait to return to your side and speak with you again."
Here she was, trying to bare her heart once more. Couldn't she be any more foolish than this? Xiao Rufeng thought. But she didn't think she could continue not knowing what she was in Yan Xiuchen's heart, not when her heart was betraying her and falling in love again.
Then she lifted her head, meeting his shocked gaze, an emotion that was apparent all over his face.
"I like you. I like you a lot." She clenched a hand over her chest. "But I don't want to get ahead of myself and assume that there's more than the friendship that we have now."
Good lord, why did she feel like her heart was breaking all over again? Xiao Rufeng had no idea. If Yan Xiuchen turned her down, she wasn't sure what to do after this. However, it would be wrong to push him for something that was against his wishes, even if it was her.
'Leave and never turn back.' She mocked herself. 'Pretend that it doesn't hurt despite the fact that you are dying inside.'
Yan Xiuchen turned his face away, hiding his scarred side away from her, and Xiao Rufeng felt her heart drop. He didn't want to have anything to do with her.
"I see. So this is your answer." She smiled and was about to rise from her seat when he stopped her.
Updat𝓮d fr𝙤m fre𝒆webnov(e)l.com