It was late at night when Li Xiran returned home. His meeting with Lu Qingfeng took longer than expected. If Su Xiaofei didn't barge into his study earlier and glared furiously at her husband for being late, Li Xiran knew that he wouldn't be able to leave sooner.
He walked into the dimly lit hallway and sighed. It seemed that everyone was asleep now, aside from the guards that were stationed at their posts.
As he removed his jacket, he remembered that it was Xi Qian's last day living here with them. It hadn't been too long since their encounter, but he hadn't expected that Xi Qian would come to a decision so soon and would choose to terminate her contract early.
Thinking about it, perhaps it's also time for him to leave his father's estate and live alone again. It wasn't like he would have a hard time on his own. Even before he returned here and took over their family business, Li Xiran had been living on his own since he was sixteen.
"And here I thought you were avoiding me."
Li Xiran didn't expect that he would meet Xi Qian at this time. She was dressed in a blue bunny printed pajamas and was holding a water bottle.
Ah, it seemed that Xi Qian had a routine she strictly followed before going to bed and that was to make sure she had something to drink beside her bed. His lips curled into a slight smile.
"Were you waiting for me?" He asked in a teasing tone.
"You wish." Xi Qian scoffed and walked past him, intending to get a refill in her water bottle.
Li Xiran's smile widened as he decided to follow her to the kitchen.
Xi Qian didn't seem to mind that he was tailing after her, but she tried to fight the slight blush creeping on her face. She didn't know how she would face Chairman Li and the rest of them if she truly decided to pursue a relationship with Li Xiran after this.
"Do you have a place to stay after leaving us?"
Li Xiran then remembered that he didn't know Xi Qian's personal number. How would he be able to keep in touch with her after she leaves?
"I'm fine. Don't worry about me. Feifei lent me an apartment she owned in Qiying City. It's where I have lived all this while."
Going back to her previous place, Xi Qian wondered if that meant that she would also return to her boring and predictable life. Her best friend was already happily married to Lu Qingfeng and Xiao Rufeng was obviously head over heels with this Yan Xiuchen guy she had yet to meet in person. Those two had content smiles on their faces, making Xi Qian wonder if love could truly make one happy.
"Then would you mind if I go visit you sometime?" Li Xiran asked, looking flustered. "If you need my help, I will come even if it's at ungodly hours."
Xi Qian turned to him and raised a slender brow. She noticed the bashful look on his face and chuckled. She had to admit, he was quite cute when he was acting like this.
"Sure. Just make sure to bring drinks and some snacks with you, but I doubt that you would have any spare time to spend with me." She shrugged as she pulled the fridge's door open. "I heard from Feifei that Lu Qingfeng and you are about to reopen the beach resort soon."
"Indeed, but it won't be that soon. Don't worry about it."
Li Xiran stood behind her and was about to take a can of beer from the fridge and when she turned to face him. That single move was enough to leave the two in a trance as they stared at each other.
"Li Xiran, why do you like me?" Xi Qian suddenly asked, not budging from her position.
Up close, she could tell that he was a nice man. Tall stature, firm body, good looks. He also smelled so good. Xi Qian couldn't fathom what made him interested in someone like her. Surely, it wasn't because of her cynical attitude.
"Huh? Do I really need a reason to like you?"
"There could probably be a reason, no?"
A woman like her couldn't give him anything. Well, her body was one thing, but people can have sex without having feelings for their partner, right?
"That… Let me think about it." Li Xiran said after a moment. "Do you need anything else?"
"The fridge. I will close it if there's nothing else." When she said nothing.
Xi Qian blushed at their proximity and nodded.
Li Xiran then gave the fridge door a slight push to close it, trapping Xi Qian in between.
She clutched her water bottle on her chest and looked up at him. Even with the dim lights, she could see the passion in his eyes. She swallowed the invisible lump in her throat and held her breath.
"So our date…"
"Whenever you are free."
Li Xiran said nothing and stared at her. Xi Qian could tell that he was hesitating to tell her something.
"What is it?" She asked impatiently. It seemed like she needed to confront him if she wanted some clear answers from him.
"Huh?"
"You look like you wanted to tell me something. If you are going to say that you're backing out, that's fine. You are not under any obligations to protect my feelings."
He frowned and hardened his expression.
"It's not like that, Xi Qian." He spoke as if it hurt him to be so close to her. "It's just that I…"
"You what?" Xi Qian narrowed her gaze on him.
"I want to kiss you." He blurted out, much to her shock.
Xi Qian stared at him and none of them said a word. A few seconds later, the can in his hand and the water bottle she was holding fell on the floor as they started kissing each other.
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