Chapter 78: Chapter 78: Seems Familiar_1
The dinner was quite pleasant, although Qiao Xiaren did not get to meet the Si Family’s patriarch throughout. She had heard that he was a very strict person – once a formidable figure on the battlefield and still influential in the military and political circles even after retiring from the frontlines.
Xiaren didn’t know what Si Zhilan had said to Lady Si to endear herself to her, but as the dinner wore on, Lady Si looked at her with affection, treating her as if she were her own daughter.
“Limo, kindly see Xiaren home for me.”
When Lady Si approached the door, she seemed to remember something and looked over her shoulder at her son, Si Limo. The corners of his lips curled up in a barely visible smirk, his expression icy.
“No need, I can take a taxi at the front door.”
“How can there be no need? Do as I say.” Lady Si insisted before looking at her silent son walking towards the garage. She felt relieved; her son was finally showing some responsibility.
For some reason, Xiaren seemed oddly familiar to her, especially her eyes. They were deep and dark, making one’s heart skip a beat.
They reminded her of someone from her past.
An image seemed to flicker in her mind, only to disappear as quickly as it arrived.
Meanwhile, Qiao Xiaren no longer felt compelled to refuse and followed a few steps behind Si Limo.
The sudden question caused Xiaren’s eyebrows to flutter. She looked at the man next to her thoughtfully before replying: “Not too bad.”
“Not too bad?” He stopped in his tracks, his narrow eyes giving her a scrutinizing look. “Are you sure… that’s what you would call ‘not too bad’?”
It was clear that Si Limo was referring to the incident with Zhou Siyu.
“This is how the entertainment industry works, glamorous on the outside, brutal competition on the inside. But there’s nobody who can play me.”
Xiaren’s expression was calm and her eyes, filled with brilliant light, met his gaze steadily. She seemed as though she was about to drown him in her vast, cerulean depths.
“Nobody can play you?” Si Limo repeated her words, his eyes, now darker, studied her face closely. “Do you really think you’re that strong? Unexpected things happen all the time in this industry. Do you really think you can control everything? You’re beautiful, but still a woman. The entertainment world is like walking on thin ice, and if you’re not careful…”
On hearing this, Xiaren’s smile widened and she replied with a playful tilt of her head, “Thank you for complimenting my looks.”
“…Can you please pay attention to what I’m saying!” Si Limo frowned slightly, but deep down, he felt a strange sense of warmth towards this defiant girl.
He felt a pang of concern, even though she probably didn’t need it.
But he knew, Xiaren was far from weak. She was strong-willed, confident, and the dazzling stage seemed to be made for her, allowing her to shine in her own light and gain the recognition she sought.
“I know.” Xiaren lifted up her beautiful, radiant face, “Thank you. You don’t have to worry about me. I have held this belief all along – ‘Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown’. I’m in pursuit of a single goal, the title of ‘the King’.”
“The King?” Si Limo’s gaze softened, and the corners of his mouth twitched as his dark eyes stayed firmly on her. “The King…”
“Yes, the King.” Xiaren’s dazzling smile emanated an inner confidence and calmness, and it was hard not to believe in her.
Yes, she was determined to defy her past life and reclaim her crown.
“I believe you because the stage shines because of you.” Si Limo was captivated by the expression on her face. No woman had ever made him feel this way. It was like basking in the morning light, a feeling so comfortable he sought to be closer.
He had seen her dance and not believing, he stared at her photos for an entire night, not catching a wink of sleep.
Even his posture on the couch and the focus in his eyes remained unaltered; it was as if he could never get enough of staring at her.