Jin Yan was reading a script in the living room of his villa when he received Xia Ning’s phone call. He felt a hand had gripped his heart when he heard her cry. “Ke, what’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. I just feel awful.”
“Where are you? I’ll go find you!” Jin Yan rose to his feet, spilling the script all over the floor.
Leaning back all the way, Xia Ning felt the cold sensation on her back. She took a deep breath. “No, you don’t have to. Hearing your voice makes me better already.”
“Just tell me what happened?”
Xia Ning looked up at the sky. “Nothing, really. Something that happened today reminded me of what happened before. That’s all.”
“Is it about Qiao Yu? Ke, leave that family. They’ll only upset you more. You’re forcing yourself.”
“Can we not talk about that?” Xia Ning closed her eyes.
“I just don’t want to see you upset, Ke. I don’t want you to feel wronged. Ever.”
Xia Ning smiled. “I know. I won’t.”
They chatted for a bit longer before the call ended.
Jin Yan looked around at the script on the floor and his eyes flickered. He then put down the cell phone, picked up the script, and went back to his reading.
After cooling her head on the balcony, Xia Ning cleaned the floor, then washed up again before going back to the bedroom.
It was still dark inside and she could hear the even breathing of the father and son, which relaxed her a little. She then went back to her side of the bed and lay down, trying to keep her distance from Enoch, for she didn’t want her cold skin to startle him.
Either the cathartic phone call had worked or she was exhausted. She fell asleep in no time.
Enoch woke Xia Ning up the following morning.
“Mummy, Mummy, rise and shine.”
Xia Ning slowly opened her eyes to find Enoch sitting next to her, already dressed. On the other side, Qiao Yu was putting up his tie. They were obviously ready to leave the house.
Grabbing her phone, she saw that it was almost nine. She had overslept.
“Are you going anywhere today?” Qiao Yu asked Xia Ning.
Sitting up, Xia Ning gave it some thought, then said, “I’m promoting ‘Shengshi Weiyang’ in the next few days and I need to be out of town. I have been able to turn some of them down, but I have to attend some of the events.”
“Alright. Mum’s coming back today, so don’t worry about Enoch. Look after yourself out there,” said Qiao Yu.
Xia Ning glanced at Qiao Yu, surprised at how calm Qiao Yu was. She had thought he would protest.
“Sure. I will.” Xia Ning replied. She then got out of bed, put on her slippers, and headed for the bathroom.
“Why did you change your nightgown?” Qiao Yu asked all of a sudden.
Xia Ning stiffened and the corner of her mouth twitched. She then looked up at Qiao Yu and said in a casual tone. “I got my period on it, so…”
Keeping his gaze on Xia Ning, Qiao Yu walked closer, took her hand, and frowned. “Your hands are so cold.”
“It’s okay. My hands get cold easily when I have my period.” Xia Ning wanted to draw back her hand.
However, Qiao Yu wouldn’t let go but held her hand even tighter. He said in a low voice. “Don’t go if you don’t feel well.”
“I can’t skip work just because I have my period. Otherwise, female employees of your company will ask for sick leave all the time.” Xia Ning suddenly stood on her tiptoe and kissed Qiao Yu on the cheek. “Lose that frown. I’ll be back before you know it.”
Fireworks seemed to explode in Qiao Yu’s head. Everything became brilliant and even his heart skipped a beat. He stared blankly into the air and savored the soft touch on his cheek. It was as sweet as he had imagined.