Song Ren held Su Feng"s hand as they left the dining hall. Su Feng appeared to be dazed and speechless. Song Ren felt her throat tighten.
"Where in this house can we go and get some privacy?" she asked him, trying not to choke from the lump in her throat.
"Downstairs is where my old room is," he responded quietly. Song Ren nodded, grasping his hand with hers, and he told her where to go.
Behind the marvellous, grand staircase, there was a door. Song Ren opened the ordinary door and flicked the lights on. She walked him down the stairs. It was a ma.s.sive s.p.a.ce, but there were small windows and only simple furniture and shelves of books — his bed laid in the middle with a television screen on the wall.
Su Feng"s room was typical for a bachelor pad, but it did not scream wealth in comparison to her brother"s bedrooms during high school.
It was late. Song Ren found the remote and turned on the television, turning off the bedroom lights. She placed on the local news, and it was a replay of her addressing the public.
"You were so brilliant," he said with a voice full of anguish. Song Ren"s heart paced rapidly.
"When you faced the reporters," he continued, "and just now with my half-brother. You were so brilliant." Su Feng paused, his face disheartened.
Song Ren waited for him to continue. Her eyes glazed with a softness that she rarely showed to others, even her family. She turned off the television to hear his piece.
"I think that I am not worthy of you," he said.
Song Ren furrowed her eyebrows, "Why do you believe that?" she asked unkindly. She wanted him to reveal what he was thinking, what he was feeling.
"I am the son of a mistress. My mother was seeing my father behind his wife—Madam Su"s—back. I lived with my mother for years, and we lived peacefully. It was not until I was eight and Yuying was born that we were found out. They called my mother a wh.o.r.e. My father loved her, but because she was not what the Su Family wanted, they forced her to marry a woman of their choice. Therefore, I am a few months older than Su Guiren."
Song Ren stumbled. She approached him, but he stepped away from her.
"My father still saw my mother through his marriage with another woman. He visited me only when he wanted to see my mother. He left here and there, but when she died of childbirth, that"s how we were found out. My father took us in, and the word spread. I then met Su Guiren, a boy my age. He hated me right away," Su Feng said as he sat on the edge of his bed.
Su Feng ran a hand through his golden hair. "I wasn"t supposed to inherit the company, but the Elders thought that I should, as they considered me the eldest. For eight generations, every firstborn son inherited. Then on purpose, I did terrible in school, I skipped cla.s.ses, and I made a lot of trouble for my father. He also hated seeing me; I reminded him of her. But my father hates Yuying more, for she is the doppelganger, a stark mirror of my mother."
Song Ren gasped slightly after hearing those words. Su Yuying was such a soft and innocent girl.
Su Feng continued, "Then in Senior High School, I was suddenly motivated to do well. I wanted the company; I wanted to establish myself. My father gave me the inheritance after I told him what I wanted."
Song Ren stepped closer. She had a hunch of what he was about to say next, but she had to know, had to ask. "What did you want?" she whispered.
Su Feng smiled grimly. "You," he breathed.
Song Ren felt as if her knees were going to wobble. Years ago, she wanted him, but he mistreated her terribly. Then when Song Ren felt that all hope was lost, she gave up on him. Years after, she ignored him. But when they saw each other, she stole glances at him when he wasn"t looking. He always wore a beautiful, wicked smile.
As a joke, she always told him to f.u.c.k off, as she desperately wanted to cross him off her heart. And so he left her alone. But some part of her wondered, would she see him again in a fas.h.i.+on where they could be friends? But never did she imagine that he wanted her, longed for her. She truly believed that he was obligated to take her hand in marriage. It was their duty and destiny.
Song Ren felt so much sorrow. She could not help the welling tears in her eyes. Su Feng hung his head low with his hands covering his face. Song Ren stepped closer to him, then paused. She dared herself to keep going.
It took but ten steps to stand in front of him. Slowly, Song Ren climbed onto the bed, pa.s.sing him, laying by the pillows against the headboard. She called out to him, "Feng."
Su Feng turned around to see her lying down. She left s.p.a.ce and invited him to come over with a gesture of her hand. He climbed from the edge, getting closer. He laid next to her.
Song Ren smiled at him with a sad expression. She propped her head on an elbow, and her other hand reach out to him. Su Feng gazed at her gently, and he followed her lead. Su Feng reached out as Song Ren grasped his fingers and intertwined them with hers. They both stared at their locked hands, their hearts sad yet warm.
After a few moments, both their breathing deepened, their heart beasts fastened. Song Ren s.h.i.+fted closer while their fingers remained entwined. She could see how Su Feng gazed at her with scalding heat. Breaking their locked hands, Su Feng reached out to caress the strands of her black hair from her face. He ran his fingers through playfully. "You"re so beautiful," he whispered.
Song Ren"s breath hitched. She then reached out to grasp his face; she then hastily leaned onto him and kissed him hard on the lips. Su Feng met her with an equal pa.s.sion. He sat up, propping himself up with one elbow while using his other hand to grip her face and kissing her.
The air around the room heated, their bodies merged as they both wrestled around the bed, fighting for dominance. Su Feng surrendered, allowing her to do as she pleased with him.
Song Ren kissed him furiously and teased him by leaving pecks on his chin and jawline, and on the Adam"s apple of his throat. Song Ren was on top of him. Su Feng gritted his teeth in antic.i.p.ation, admiring her. He d.a.m.ned the family that partied upstairs. It felt as if it were only the two of them alone in this household.