She draped on her clothes and walked to the windowsill, where, by the moonlight, she seemed to see a familiar figure interspersed with a sprinkle of starlight.
Her heart stirred, and she turned and walked out.
In the quiet of the deep night, her footsteps scratched softly at his heart like a cat’s paws.
"Brother, it’s so late, why aren’t you sleeping?"
The girl asked softly.
Discarding the cigarette butt he held, the man leaned against the flower trellis, squinting as if lost in thought. His handsome profile was even more striking and profound under the clear moonlight, radiating a chilly and solitary aura.
Kang Jinxian’s heart skipped a beat.
Ten years ago, Bai Ran got stabbed at that banquet, and the child was nearly lost. After spending over a month in the hospital, upon discharge, she returned to the Yun Family to pack her clothes, then went back to the Bai Family and stayed out of sight until just before the baby was born. Yun Shen and Yun Shu acted as if she no longer existed. As such, a year passed until Bai Ran came back with the child in her arms, claiming the child was Yun Shen’s and that she was his rightful, wedded wife, whom nobody could force out.
This tangle lasted for years as the child grew. However, the child was premature and frail by birth, needing meticulous care to avoid early demise. During that time, Bai Ran stayed close day after day, while the couple themselves were like water from separate wells, their marriage in name only.
Bai Ran had taken the child to visit the Bai Family in the past few days, which was why the house was so peaceful.
Although Bai Ran was Yun Shen’s wife, he held no affection for her. Despite her disdain for this woman, she was not jealous. But even without a formal title, her sister was the only woman by Yun Shen’s side over these years. Under the pretense of visiting her, her sister would sometimes stay the night at the Yun Family. Even if Bai Ran was home, she could boldly come and go with Yun Shen. Even when they made love at night, Bai Ran would pretend not to hear and go about her business, greeting Kang Jinse with a warm smile when they met.
Her sister was busy filming with the crew recently and had no time to accompany Yun Shen. So, was he thinking about her sister?
At this thought, Kang Jinxian’s heart suddenly ached. She watched his profile, almost obsessively, and unknowingly drew closer.
"Brother...." The girl’s low call had a desperate bewilderment like that of a small creature. The man furrowed his brows slightly and turned to look her way.
Moonlight spilled onto her face, highlighting her delicate features and gentle disposition even more. Those thin shoulders seemed all the more pitiable.
He frowned, "Why did you come out wearing so little? Go back."
Kang Jinxian suddenly felt an impulse; she was willing to go through fire and sword just for a sliver of his pity...
The man took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. Her nose filled with the scent of cigarettes from him, causing her heart to beat more fiercely, as if beyond her control, about to leap from her chest at any moment.
She suddenly flung herself into his arms, hugging him tight, "Brother...."
The man stiffened for a moment, then his body became rigid.
"What sister gives you, I can give too...." She closed her eyes, mustering all her courage to say that.
She didn’t see the man’s eyes darken in an instant, as if swirls drawing in one’s soul.
The night breeze passed quietly by, the distant chirping of insects and frogs suddenly quieting the heart.
A broad palm rested upon her shoulder, so frail it seemed it might crumble with a gentle squeeze.
"It’s late, go back to sleep."
The man’s cool voice arose by her ear, touched with the chill of the night air, and though it reached her ear, it felt as heavy as a thousand-pound rock.
Bai Ran, too, was unable to sleep that night, watching her son’s tranquil sleeping face, she heaved a deep sigh.
Xi’er was born prematurely, weak from the start. The doctors had said he required meticulous care until the age of three, that he should never be left alone, or he might succumb to an unfortunate, early death. Because of this, she had hardly closed her eyes at night during the first few years, waking instantly to any slight disturbance.
Now nine years old, the child had survived the most dangerous period, yet she could not afford to be careless.
Looking at the child’s face, growing more and more similar to that man’s, a certain place in her heart seemed to tug painfully.
Just then, her phone on the table began to vibrate. Anxious not to wake her son, she grabbed it and answered without even a glance at the caller ID. Read complete version only at novel★fire.net
"Hello? This is Bai Ran, may I ask who’s speaking...?"
No one spoke. Bai Ran looked at the screen— an unfamiliar number.