Su Yicheng?
It was strange. During this time, Luo Xiaoxi hadnât been missing him crazily like she was when the car accident just took place.
It was not because she was too busy, nor it was because her parents finally recovered.
She just carefully placed Su Yicheng at the safest place in her heart, just like Su Jianan used to hide her love for Lu Boyan deep inside.
On that day, as usual, Luo Xiaoxi set off to the hospital after work.
Lao Luo actually was able to be discharged but stayed because he wanted to keep her wife in company. Therefore, Luo Xiaoxi naturally saw the hospital as her second home as well and didnât go home until 11 oâclock at night.
However, today was a bit different, because the moment she stepped out of the elevator, she frozeâ
At the other end of the hall, her mother, who seemed to have awaited her for long, was walking toward Luo Xiaoxi.
After confirming again and again, she was finally sure sheâs not imagining things. Her mother had been in a wheelchair after she woke up, and now, she could finally stand on her feet!
âMom!â
Luo Xiaoxi screamed out of happiness and rushed to hug her mother.
Mrs. Luo smiled tenderly and patted her daughterâs back. âXiaoxi, it must be hard for you during the past few days.â
âNot at all!â Luo Xiaoxi jerked her head, her eyes tearful already. âAs long you and Lao Luo recover, Iâll do whatever it takes!â
At the moment, Luo Xiaoxi felt that lady luck might start to favor her again.
Her parents were both discharged from hospital and Lao Luo started to get his hands on the company affairs. Therefore, when she did not know what to do, Luo Xiaoxi wouldnât have to worry like she used to, because she could just throw the case to Lao Luo.
Sometimes, she would even discuss s certain company project with Lao Luo, and they would get so heated up in a discussion till their faces redden if they had different opinions. However, in the end, they would always end up bursting into laughter together.
âNasty girl.â As if he were scolding her, Lao Luo poked on the space between his daughterâs brows, but his poking carried a parental tenderness. âIâve just been discharged. Why wonât you yield to me?â
âCut it! outâ The scattered files swished on the surface of the table, it was Luo Xiaoxi putting them aside. âYouâve recovered long ago! Plus, itâs about the companyâs interest. I canât be careless about that.â
â...â Lao Luo sighed as if he had been badly hurt.
Luo Xiaoxi chuckled and wished that her life could always be like this.
On Friday night, Luo Xiaoxi was invited to an evening banquet.
In the past, if attending an occasion like this, Luo Xiaoxi would dress so sexily and glamorously to make sure that no man on the scene could take their eyes off her.
However, after getting used to black, white, or grey suit, she turned to keep a low profile as Su Jianan did. Now, in choosing dresses, she would pick elegance over sexiness. Thus she put on a black strapless gown, accompanied by a set of diamond jewelry.
After making herself up, she skillfully took a selfie in front of the mirror and sent it to Su Jianan on Wechat.
Su Jianan had gone off work and stayed at home now. So, soon, she responded with a question mark, along with a sentence: What are you trying to say?
âIâm the âjunior Director Luoâ in Luo Enterprise, so I gotta be composed and elegant!â After typing that, Luo Xiaoxi added a coy emoji behind it, so Su Jianan had to reply with a series of dots.
Having just arrived in time at the hotel, Luo Xiaoxi handed their invitations to the receptionist with her arm in Qin Weiâs. Qin Wei joked. âWill people take us as a couple seeing us like this?â
âWe nearly became a couple.â Luo Xiaoxi compressed her lips and smiled proudly as she used to. âBut you missed your shot.â
âWell.â If it were on another occasion, Qin Wei would have rolled his eyes at her words already.
Having taken a few steps with Luo Xiaoxiâs arm in his, Qin Wei suddenly slowed down. He lifted his chin to someone in front of them, signaling Luo Xiaoxi to look in that direction.
It was Su Yicheng, without a companion.
Luo Xiaoxiâs smile froze at that moment, and suddenly turned around grabbing Qin Weiâs hand. However, Qin Wei calmly stopped her from fleeing.
âAre you afraid?â Qin Wei smiled as if he had seen her through.
âAfraid, my foot!â Luo Xiaoxi hurridly denied, looking into Qin Weiâs eyes, and her eyes betrayed her guilty feeling.
She felt a little mad and embarrassed, so she jerked her head away to hide her feelings.
However, the truth was she was lying. Now, she felt like when she saw Su Yicheng for the first time in her teens. She couldnât even control her heartbeat back then. Now, when he didnât bring a companion with her, she also secretly felt elated.
âAdmit it, Luo Xiaoxi, youâll always be a wimp in front of Su Yicheng.â
Qin Wei glanced at Luo Xiaoxi. âIâm going to meet with a few friends. Are you going with me?â
Luo Xiaoxi quickly pulled her arm from Qin Weiâs. âI donât want no toxic friends of yours. You go ahead.â
The moment Qin Wei left, Su Yicheng headed straight to her.
Luo Xiaoxi secretly clenched her fists and her racing heart seemed to pop out of her throat. She almost wanted to escape.
Nevertheless, before she had a chance to put her thoughts into actions, someone dragged her away by hand.
It was crowded in the ballroom, so Luo Xiaoxi didnât dare to yell. She kept struggling but couldnât get rid of Su Yichengâs hand at all, which was like a secure lock.
Su Yicheng brought her into a room.
The chandelier of the room was not lit, only dim sconces were on, leaving the atmosphere suggestive. Su Yicheng pinned Luo Xiaoxi onto the wall, his chest slightly heaving. She could smell the familiar scent of his.
Luo Xiaoxi swallowed and tried to sound as calm as possible. âWhat do you want?â
Su Yicheng fixed his gaze on her.
His gaze appeared more intense against the dim lights, almost burning Luo Xiaoxi.
Dazed, Luo Xiaoxi only saw a dark figure shadowing her, and then a familiar touch hit her lips...
âStrange. He looks so cold but his lips still feel as soft as before.â
All of a sudden, Luo Xiaoxi found that she remembered all things about him: his kiss, his fragrance, his hug. She never had forgotten any of them.
Something electric ran from her spine to her entire body. She nearly collapsed in Su Yichengâs arms.
Luckily, she had learned how to stay rationalâThe next second, she placed her hands on Su Yichengâs chest and pushed him hard. She mumbled some protests, but could not stop him from going further.
She didnât know how long it had been before Su Yicheng released her. He pressed his forehead on hers. âXiaoxi...â
His voice was husky but still attractive, full of helplessness as well as affections. Luo Xiaoxiâs feisty hands froze in the air, and her heart softened bit by bit.
During the past months, Su Yicheng did have crossed her mind.
Su Yicheng was not the only one who had been hurt.
âI didnât mean to hurt you or try to hide it from you for the rest of my life.â Su Yicheng caressed Luo Xiaoxiâs cheek with his coarse thumb, but she tossed it away.
She avoided his touch. âZhang Mei has told me that her father helped you and I know you had to save Zhang Meiâs name back then.â
â...â
â...â
âIâve done and said everything I could.â After a long while of silence, Su Yichengâs voice betrayed his despair.
Luo Xiaoxi suddenly dived at Su Yicheng and blocked his lips, kissing him without any skills, like a revengeful little lion.
Su Yichengâs limbs froze and didnât come around until seconds later. Then, he circled one hand around Luo Xiaoxiâs waist, and another at the back of her head, seizing the initiative to kiss her hard.
Luo Xiaoxi didnât surrender either. She untied Su Yichengâs tie and unbuttoned his shirt. Before long, the two had shifted from the living room to the bedroom.
It was more like a game where no party wanted to be the passive one or admit defeat. They both went all out.
When they finished in the early morning, Luo Xiaoxi was already exhausted.
She kicked Su Yicheng. âWhen... was... the last time you...?â
âWhat?â Su Yichengâs eyes looked appealingly languid, and he asked her in an unruffled voice.
Luo Xiaoxi gritted her teeth and snapped three words. âTouch a woman!â
Su Yicheng stared at her. âHow long have you been avoiding me?â
Luo Xiaoxi fell silent. She turned around, and Su Yicheng couldnât read her mind.
âXiaoxi.â Su Yicheng reached out, trying to touch Luo Xiaoxiâs back. However, she seemed to have expected it and stumbled out of bed. She picked up the clothes on the ground and staggered over to the bathroom.
Soon, she got dressed and walked out. âIâll be off.â
However, she didnât go far before Su Yicheng clutched her wrist from behind. âLetâs get this straight.â He couldnât stand the ambiguity anymore.
âI donât see the need. Itâs people getting what they want if you ask me.â Luo Xiaoxi turned back, smiled charmingly as if she hadnât given a damn about him. âWeâre all grown-ups. You donât think itâll mean anything, do you?â
Su Yichengâs chest suddenly heaved up and down, and he spat two words through his teeth. âLuo Xiaoxi!â
âIâve told you before, we... canât go back anymore.â Luo Xiaoxi broke free from Su Yicheng. âThis is the last time. Su Yicheng, goodbye.â
She galloped out the door, collected her coat to wrap herself up, and got on the taxi to home.
Her parents were already asleep and Luo Xiaoxi snucked into her room, but she couldnât sleep.
She swooshed open the drawer at the bottom of the bedside table and fished out some photos. Su Yicheng and she took those photos in the ancient town.
...
For several times, she wanted to shred these photos and threw them into the trash bin. However, when she thought these were their only photos, she couldnât do it no matter how determined she had been.
She stuffed the photos back into the drawer, threw herself onto the bed, and finally fell asleep when the dawn was breaking.
She dreamed Su Yicheng in her hazy dreams.
In her dreams, he resolutely let go of her hand and said, âXiaoxi, goodbye.â
Then, he left, without so much as a backward glance.
Her heart seemed to get entangled in thin threads. It cut her so deep that she lost her voice and could only squat in pain, holding her knees.
She shrank into a lump as if she could minimize the damage.
When she woke up, Luo Xiaoxi involuntarily wiped the corner of her eye and actually found tears all over the back of her hand.
âDamn! I even cried in dreams.â
Looking at the time, she found it was already past 10 oâclock.
She gasped but then realized it was Saturday. Then, she calmed down again and dragged herself to the washing room. She put on turtleneck to hid love bites on her collarbone and neck and went downstairs in a composed manner.
Lao Luo was drinking tea in the living room. Seeing her have woken up, he asked her to have breakfast.
Luo Xiaoxi shook her head. âIâm not hungry.â
âCome here.â Lao Luo patted on the seat beside him. âSit. I want to talk to you.â
Luo Xiaoxi had to sit down by Lao Luoâs order.
Then, Lao Luo smiled first. âWhen did you came back last night?â
âEarly morning.â Luo Xiaoxi was feeling guilty. âYou were asleep when I came back so I didnât wake you up.â
âI thought you wouldnât come back.â Lao Luoâs smile suddenly became meaningful.
Luo Xiaoxiâs sense of guilt turned stronger.
Lao Luo raised his hand to say that Luo Xiaoxi didnât have to justify herself. âSeriously, now that Iâm fully recovered and can take charge of Luo Enterprise any time. Do you still want to work in Luo Enterprise? If you do, Iâll arrange a suitable job for you to improve yourself. And of course, you have the right to say ânoâ.â
â...â
Luo Xiaoxi had long known that she had to make a choice sooner or later.