It was funny but with Dylan beside her, Xiu suddenly had a feeling that she wasn"t alone. Even though he was the most annoying person in her life but his presence was welcomed. At least, unlike some other people, she didn"t wish to remove him from her memory.
Looking back Xiu could say that she and Dylan only interacted about either business or something to annoy the other person. But somehow, those annoying moments made her laugh and that was why Dylan"s presence wasn"t as despiteful as she was trying to show with her expressions.
"What are you doing here Uncle Dylan? Which of your younger generation is getting married tonight?" Xiu teased him with a straight face but the mischief was clearly dancing in her eyes.
Dylan"s face twitched and he tried hard to keep his mood leveled. At some level, he managed to accomplish his task as he said, "I really wonder what my best friend saw in you."
"Right back at you bro," said Xiu with a sweet yet sarcastic smile. Dylan was silent again. Xiu observed him for a while before asking, "On a serious note, who do you know at this wedding?"
"The groom," said Dylan casually.
"Oh, the broom," Xiu repeated with a nod.
Dylan looked at her face and repeated himself, "I said the groom. Not broom."
Xiu snickered, "What"s the difference? Don"t all grooms turn into brooms under the rein of their brides?" Dylan choked as her words registered in his mind. When his coughing looked troubled, Xiu rubbed his back to soothe him and even pa.s.sed him a gla.s.s of water saying, "Take it easy. No one will be able to turn you into a broom. Since you"re already one."
"Has anyone ever told you how despicable you really are?" asked Dylan after his coughing stopped.
Xiu played with her curls with her finger as she had a thoughtful look before saying, "Yes, almost every other person who worked with me." The way she honestly told him about how she was labeled as an outcast in her professional life, Dylan couldn"t find words to say anything. Dylan"s eyes were stuck to her face while hers were wandering around in the hall to look for Nora. "Don"t look at me like that," she broke Dylan"s daze.
"Now I can"t even look?"
Xiu tilted her face to look at him and said, "You can. Of course, you can look. The eyes are yours I can"t have a say in that but..." she took a dramatic pause as if she was in a dilemma and went on, "If you kept looking, I"m afraid you"ll fall in love. Then don"t come looking for me to take responsibility for your feelings. Honestly, I can"t afford that right now. And even if I could, I wouldn"t want to."
Dylan gaped at her in disbelief yet again and raised his hands to strangle her but a voice stopped his action, "Dylan!" As he heard his name being called out, Dylan turned around and his expressions changed. Zhou Jinhai came to Dylan"s side and said, "When Huang Ming said you"d be coming to his wedding, I thought he was just messing with me. It"s really a surprise seeing you here."
Dylan took a deep breath and replied, "Huang Ming is my middle school friend as well. Why would I not come? Just because you"re here?" He laughed but in a way that it didn"t seem funny as he went on, "Please, get off your high horse. I am Qiu Hedi. I don"t have to avoid a place just because you"d be there. It"s not like I care."
Xiu"s brows raised slightly as she looked at Dylan"s face curiously. How come this man never talked like that with her? He hated her and he was very vocal about that as well. Then why was he like a child around her?
"Besides, I"ve dropped you out of my life like... Er... Yeah, like an Uber driver would drop his rides," as Dylan was laughing at his own joke, Xiu was having difficulty keeping a straight face as well. Dylan took a step close to Zhou Jinhai and said in a voice that could only be heard by Zhou Jinhai, "Jin Ge, you and I stopped being friends the day, you chose your mother"s side. You believed in her rather than the evidence. Our friends.h.i.+p was at stake that night. Clearly, you lost. Or perhaps, our friends.h.i.+p did."
Dylan intentionally shoved him before walking away. Xiu saw Zhou Jinhai"s clenched fists and frowned. He didn"t seem angry rather he looked defeated. His innocent eyes had filled hers with dreams, but it was his demonic lies that left no way for her desires to redeem. All that left was an imperfect heart"s daydream.
Looking at him for the second longer, Xiu had a desire to laugh. Not because he looked pathetic or devasted to her. Nope, but because her illusion was finally broken. She once thought she"d be devasted without him, she thought she"d be ripped apart. But the irony was that only now did she realize that just because of one person, the world didn"t stop at all. The sky didn"t come cras.h.i.+ng down like she used to believe.
Her blood was still surging through her veins. Xiu actually smiled. She smiled so brightly that it seemed dazzling. But a realization had come to her. It was late but she finally understood how Zhou Jinhai wasn"t a part of her life anymore. And anything related to him did little to nothing. Her heart, mind, and she herself had completely wrapped themselves around this notion that he was gone.
All of a sudden, Xiu"s eyes caught sight of Darren standing behind Zhou Jinhai and that"s when she wondered, "Right, I always deserved better. Why was I so afraid to accept it? I have mourned my past self enough. Now, I"m gonna give my all to this person who is always trying to be there for me. I hungered for love all my life but was starved to death. My heart is certain this time, this one won"t let me starve the way everyone did."
Darren raised his brows at Xiu inquisitively in surprise and Xiu shook her head before running past Zhou Jinhai and wrapped her arms around Darren"s neck. On instinct, Darren"s hands had lifted to hold her. "I"m ready." "He wasn"t ready for the love I could give. But... This time, I"m ready to allow my heart to love again. I don"t want any part of me to have any lingering longing for the past that wasn"t mine."
Xiu left her long elaboration to herself and she knew Darren won"t even ask. Because he would never force her to say something she didn"t wish to. She pulled away from him a bit to look at his face and said, "Aren"t I a good girlfriend? I came looking for you all the way here."
Darren caressed her head and said, "But someone told me you"re here for the free drinks."
"Oops, Busted!" Xiu smiled sheepishly at him making him throw his head back slightly to laugh out in a carefree manner.