At around seven in the morning, Xue Jinxu was woken awake by a mobile phone that kept on ringing.
Wrapped only in a blanket, and still tired from their pa.s.sionate, intense love-making the night before, she propped her self up with her elbow and sat up on their bed, sleep and utter annoyance both mixed in defined proportions and were quite strongly imminent on her flushed countenance. She found herself alone in the room.
Xue Jinxu reached at the other side of the bed, towards the bedside table where Chen Linyun"s mobile phone was positioned, with the intent to answer it.
"It"s another anonymous number." She stared on the mobile phone"s screen unable to answer it, fear dominating and getting the better of her. Her list of "what-if"s" resurfaced in her mind.
At this point, Chen Linyun who was noticeably wearing an ap.r.o.n, entered with a wooden tray clasped in both hands. "He must have been cooking breakfast earlier that"s why he"s gone. Ugh, what time is it?" She scratched her sleep-dominated eyes.
Supposedly, the husband wanted to surprise the wife with a hearty home-made, superbly prepared breakfast-in-bed after their reconciliatory, sizzling love-making, but it turned out that it was he who was in for a surprise, instead.
He hurriedly and safely placed the perfectly prepared breakfast tray on the tabletop and grabbed his cellphone from the wife"s hand. He squeezed her hand first before slowly untangling each of her fingers on the phone, as if gesticulating, "Excuse me, honey, may I?"
Chen Linyun saw his reflection on his wife"s eyes and he did not at the very least like what he saw in them. He could sense the doubts Xue Jinxu was currently having inside her head. He could sense her sentiments of betrayal penetrating his very bones.
Baffled, he handed the mobile phone back on her hands. "Answer it if you want to." He challenged confidently, nonchalantly.
"…" Xue Jinxu was speechless. He"s shoving the phone back to her hand. In the end, the situation was reversed. Now, she"s forced to answer it. "But I don"t want to! What if…"
"Answer it so that you"ll know who"s calling at this hour. I know you"re doubting me all this time." He confronted.
Xue Jinxu searched Chen Linyun"s face intently for any signs of alarm, but he was calm instead. Staring at him in disbelief for a while more, she heeded his advice and answered it.
She pressed the answer b.u.t.ton and waited for the other line to speak up. She was surprised that it was someone she knew, and she rather knew well!
"Sir."
"Butler Lee?" Xue Jinxu stared back at Chen Linyun in utter disbelief, eyes wide with unexpected shock. Chen Linyun only shrugged. "Looks like he became confident upon seeing the caller"s number." She squinted her eyes. "He isn"t absolved yet. It made me all the more suspicious."
"Young Miss, can I speak with Mister Chen Linyun?" Butler Lee requested curtly.
"Oh, alright. I"ll give the phone to him. Is something the matter?"Butler Lee seemed uneasy at the other end of the line. "Some potential threat, young miss. If I may…"
"Of course, of course! It must be important. I shouldn"t delay. He"s right here. I hope it isn"t much of a threat, whatever it is. Hang on." Still staring at her husband, her eyes scrutinizing him closely, she handed the phone back to the eager innocent-looking husband. His façade had been calm, but his sentiments were betrayed by his increasingly blus.h.i.+ng face.
He cleared his throat. He kept his gaze on the wife. He admitted that he felt quite agitated under the wife"s piercing glare.
*ahem* *ahem*
"Butler Lee…" He greeted. He finally tore his gaze from the wife and looked elsewhere. After a few minutes, he scowled, looked at the wife again, who, by the way, had never torn her eyes from him. She was watching him with eagle eyes. Chen Linyun started perspiring from unsolicited attention. He motioned with his hand that he"ll move away to somewhere more private. The lady narrowed her eyes even more and sighed. She went back on lying down on the bed, still wrapped only with their bed"s comforter. She snuggled close around it and curled into a ball.
Some minutes pa.s.sed, Chen Linyun hadn"t returned yet. Xue Jinxu had already put on some clothes she thoughtlessly picked and had even finished the breakfast he had prepared.
Xue Jinxu went downstairs with the breakfast tray, deposited it first on the sink in the kitchen, and then roamed around the house in search of Chen Linyun. She found him in the garden, deep in thought.
"What"s wrong?" Xue Jinxu stood beside him and gazed at the horizon. She"s worried about the unknown.
Chen Linyun nearly jerked from her presence. He was in too deep in his thoughts that he had not noticed her arrival.
"Nothing much… for now." Chen Linyun oriented her although partially. "It"s about Guangxi, actually."
"For now? Why? What happened to Guangxi?" Worry was evident in her eyes. Horizontal lines invaded her forehead. The husband planted a soft smooch on it.
"They"ve tailed w.a.n.g Xi Fu, now they have them in custody but he"s badly hurt. It"s not their fault though. Another group found w.a.n.g Xi Fu first and hurt him terribly. The boy was nerved badly."
Chen Linyun intertwined his hand with hers. "Guangxi didn"t want to tell you but told Butler Lee to inform me. Someone older in the family has to know… I hope you aren"t offended." He kissed the back of her hand, the one intertwined with his, as his eyes flashed with sincerity and solemnity.
"Sad, perturbed eyes…" The wife thought glumly. "It hasn"t been like that before. When has it become like that?" With her free hand, she caressed his cheeks.
"I"m not offended. You"re doing well as his brother-in-law." She smiled her signature genuine smile, showing her dimples and almond eyes. Her jet-black hair danced in the morning breeze. She clung onto his strong arm and rested her head on his shoulder. "What are you doing here alone?"
"Hmm… Contemplating about this and that." Chen Linyun s.h.i.+fted and faced the wife. "Honey, I hope you trust me. I know you are aware that there are things I do not tell you. But dear, in due time, I will."
"We can figure it out together." She suggested as she flickered her eyelashes in an attempt to sway him. "What do you say?"
"Alright? I just have to figure it out first."
Chen Linyun laughed a little and after much deliberation, he decided to give in. "Okay, I"ll let you into a secret since I know that you won"t have any peace of mind and will bug me until I give in. But honey, brace yourself because it"s outrageous."
"I"m ready. Try me."
He wrapped his free arm around her and closed their distance. "Are you sure about this? Ignorance is bliss. There"s no turning back once you"re made aware about it."
"Sure. Sooner or later you will have to inform me anyway. Why not now?" She retorted bravely.
"Alright, Jinxu."
The lady clenched her fists and took a deep breath.
"Well…"
"I found out recently that…"
Chen Linyun scowled in concentration as he locked his gaze with her expectant eyes, full of antic.i.p.ation.
"I have a sister."