At the same time in Chen villa, Zixin opened the door to a room which was just beside his own. He wheeled her suitcase inside and kept it leaning against the cupboard.
Guiying dumbly stared at her suitcase which she didn't understand when it got shipped to the Chen villa. She hurriedly grabbed his arm and said breathless, "W-wait, wait! Y-you mean I am seriously going to live here!?"
Zixin nodded, his expression gleaming with a golden brilliance.
Guiying once again felt blinded by the glitter.
Grandma's genes are really strong in him...
Zixin couldn't express in words how joyous he felt over his mother's proposition. Before Guiying would protest, Chen Liling already sent Yunru on his way to fetch all her belongings.
"This is crazy! I...I am meeting your family for the first time! How can I suddenly impose upon them like this...?"
Zixin tilted his head. "Impose? It's nothing like that. Since they know my feelings for you, they naturally treat you as family," he leaned and said with hopeful eyes, "They wish we get together sooner."
Guiying blushed hard.
"Th-that..."
Zixin smiled and gently held her hand in his. "But you don't have to feel pressured in giving an answer. Actually, it's the second part. They want to get to know you and spend lots of time with you."
"But it's so...sudden...I mean..."
Zixin gave it a thought and slowly said, "Honestly, they don't want to see you lonely."
She blinked.
"Since I lost my memories, everybody always stayed by my side and never..." his gaze softened, "let me feel vulnerable. They gave me a balance between space and belonging. I used to feel stressed because I didn't remember anything. But they made my life so colorful."
His black orbs shone as he stared into hers. "They want to make your life colorful too."
Colorful...
She always thought of her life as an endless pitfall of a dark and gray abyss. All black and monotone.
But now she felt as if a tiny beam of light cracked through that abyss as if wishing to pull her out of it.
"They also know about your brother's situation and his abuse."
She stiffened. Her expression paled. "T-they know about...'her' too?"
"No."
Guiying let out a sigh of relief but also felt conflicted at the same time.
Was this all love, warmth and laughter temporary?
Was it only until they misunderstood her to be 'normal?'
If they realized about 'her' existence, would they still treat her the same way?
Zixin could read her concerns and questions in her worried gaze all too well. But as much as he wanted to assure her, he felt that Guiying wouldn't be comforted no matter what he said.
The fear and doubts taking root in her heart would only disappear when she would experience how it felt like to have real familial love, unconditionally accepting her.
Zixin held her shoulders and said, "As I said before, you don't need to feel pressured for anything. Can you please give it a chance? If you don't like it, you can leave. We won't stop you."
But he was sure that it would never come to that day.
Guiying gave it a long thought and nodded as her answer. Living with such warm people under one roof felt like a very tempting offer even if it might not be permanent.
"Okay."
Zixin was satisfied.
"Should I help you with unpacking?"
"No, no. I will do it myself..."
pαndα`noν?1~сoМ How can I let Zixin see my personal stuff? She felt abashed.
"Okay. If you need any help, you can call Yubi or ask for any maid's help."
"Yes, thank you."
Zixin took three steps ahead to leave and then stopped. He walked back to her.
Guiying blinked in confusion. He was making awkward hand movements in the air as if he wanted to do something but hesitating on how to. Then he would bend his face towards her but pull back once again, pressing his lips.
...What is he doing?ραпdα `n?ν?| сom
Guiying said, wanting to ease his predicament, "Please feel free to say what you want."
It's your house, after all. Why is the master being so shy? She coughed.
Zixin pondered over it for a long time, and Guiying started to feel uneasy soon after.
What is he thinking so hard about? Did I make a mistake somewhere?
Coming to a decision after much deliberation, Zixin stood straight before her. He gradually extended his arm towards her and of all the things she guessed him to do - he pinched her cheek ever so softly.
"..."
"I look forward to living with you," Zixin conveyed with a dazzling yet elegant smile.
"A-Ah? I mean thank you! I look forward to living with you too!"
She blushed a second later, thinking it had such an ambiguous meaning as if only they two would be living together all alone.
"But why are you...pinching my cheek?"
Zixin promptly replied. "Because I wanted to kiss you, but I concluded that it's inappropriate to do so until you give your answer and make our relationship official. I don't want to make you uncomfortable..." his voice fizzled out, thinking about the in-the-heat-of-the-moment kiss that day. "So I pinched your cheek. I hope this is admissible," he asked, slightly panicked.
That felt like an arrow which struck her heart through and through.
Guiying's lips parted in utter shock as she stared at him, dumbfounded.
That was what those awkward movements meant?
She couldn't believe how thoughtful Zixin was. Whenever she felt that she was beginning to understand Zixin, he would always do something that exceeded her expectations.
"You..." she was at a loss for words.
W-well it's true that I would have gotten a heart attack if you had kissed me now, but...
"...Not in a bad way. It would have been fine...," she mumbled.
"Not in a bad way, what?" He tilted his head.
His ears are too sharp!
"Nothing!" She looked away, her cheeks heating up.
Unknown to them, Zixin's family was shamelessly spying on them outside.
"Ahhhh what a bummer!" Serena and Chen Liling pouted. "I thought he would kiss her for sure," they whispered amongst themselves.
Yubi complained. "I was totally excited for it!"
Yunru snorted. "You should have closed your eyes. You are too young."
She was speechless. "Excuse me, we are the same age. Why were your eyes so wide open then!?"
"S-Shut up!"
Jianyu proudly nodded. "He made a good decision."
Chen Guiren agreed.
Serena glared at him. "It was a perfect moment to kiss!"
"Like a pervert?"
Chen Liling smacked his head. "Idiot son. You don't understand a woman's heart at all! Are you really married?"
"..."
Chen Guiren felt personally attacked as well.
The ladies grew more excited. "It's just the beginning anyway so I will let this slide for now."
"But, but! We will definitely create more opportunities for them to be alone."
"The more the better so that it quickly becomes official!"
The trio of women laughed among themselves while the trio of men felt a shudder in their backs.
They look like a bunch of villains making evil plots...
Good luck, Zixin, Guiying. You two are at their mercy from today, Jianyu silently gave his condolences.
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