Six Years Later:
After years of compet.i.tion and gaining some recognition, word spread around, and Summer-Autumn became a world-wide high-end fas.h.i.+on brand with boutiques in six out of seven continents.
Xue Teegan and Xue Liena are in charge of the stores in East Asia, while Xue Guangli travels to other countries with Long Huojin and Long Jie by her side.
They often return to China, once every three months for two weeks, where Long Huojin would work diligently with his team in the company before he"s off again. He communicates and conferences with his executives over the phone or webcams, while he had been networking in the countries they visited to expand Long Group.
Xue Guangli wrapped up after the performance she organized to showcase her new collection in Melbourne, Australia. She had been congratulated and complimented by her guests and other fas.h.i.+on designers for her hard work. And afterward, she stepped from the stage, where she saw Long Huojin wearing a full-pressed grey suit, holding Long Jie"s hand. Long Jie wore a matching outfit, carrying a rose in his free hand.
Xue Guangli was thrilled from the performance, but she can"t get over the feeling of being greeted by her two boys. It was more thrilling than displaying any of her collections.
She kissed Long Huojin on the lips as he smiled at her, proudly. She then lifted Long Jie and carried him in her arms despite being a heavy growing boy. His auburn hair had grown long enough to cover his pale-blue eyes, so she pushed it to the side.
He offered her the rose. "Thank you," she said to him before kissing his cheek. Long Jie flushed from his mother"s affection.
"Are you ready?" Long Huojin asked as he stepped to their side.
Still holding Long Jie, Xue Guangli faced him. "I"m ready," she said with a subtle smile.
Xue Guangli placed Long Jie down, holding his hand as Long Huojin took her other one. The three of them walked out of the venue, towards the car, heading to the airport.
They flew back home, and once they arrived, they went over to Xue Teegan and Yin Shou"s home, greeted by two little ones at the door. Xue Teegan was holding the third and youngest one in her arm, towards her side, a girl with black hair and hazel eyes.
"Shou, can you hold her? I need to speak with Guangli," asked Xue Teegan once she noticed Xue Guangli had arrived.
Yin Shou stepped to her side, taking his daughter to join her siblings. Yin Shou also took Long Jie and Long Huojin with them to the living room.
Xue Teegan hugged her sister and guided Xue Guangli to the kitchen, where she prepared snacks and tea.
"You guys came a bit earlier than expected, is there anything wrong?" she asked, pouring tea into a cup.
Xue Guangli glanced at her husband with their son in the living room. "No," she responded. "But there"s something I need to ask of you."
Xue Teegan arched a brow. "I will do anything," she said.
Xue Guangli smiled. "I want Long Jie to stay here during the summer."
Xue Teegan listened.
"But I want him to stay without Long Huojin and I," she said. And Before Xue Teegan could respond, Xue Guangli continued, "He doesn"t have any friends. He barely knows any of his cousins. I worry for him, socially. He continually moves with us and goes along with it because he"s a child."
"He may think you abandoned him," Xue Teegan warned her.
Xue Guangli"s lips thinned. "I know. But he could make friends if he stays, and visit them every year."
Xue Teegan smiled. "Then, I will have him here," she said. "I will treat him as one of my own. My fifth."
"What?" Xue Guangli asked.
Xue Teegan sighed. "Shou knocked me up again."
Xue Guangli"s mouth hung open. "Your fourth child?"
"Mhm," Xue Teegan responded. "It"s been three weeks."
Xue Guangli smiled, "Congratulations."
Out of all the Xue women, Xue Teegan indeed had the most children. She didn"t have any complications with her births, and it got easier after the first because she knew how it felt, and she knew her own body.
"Thank you," Xue Teegan said with a smirk. She rose from her seat, and Xue Guangli followed after her. They went to the living room, finding their husbands playing with four children.
Xue Guangli glanced at her older sister. "Who knew that we would grow to love these men, and have this?" she asked more to herself, almost unbelieving.
Xue Teegan smiled softly, agreeing. "They are brothers because of us. Shou is good to me, and it still surprises me every day that we"re together."
Xue Guangli chuckled. "I"m sure he"s even more surprised you"re with him," she said, causing her sister to laugh.
She then glanced at Long Huojin, staring at him. He was sitting on the floor, playing with Yin Shou"s youngest daughter. He looked up, locking eyes with her. Indeed, it was still surprising to both of them, just how far she and Long Huojin gotten.
He didn"t stop her from pursuing her dreams, and on some days where she felt upset, he coaxed and hugged her, a.s.suring her what she felt was legitimate. At all major shows, he was there with Long Jie. They both learned to balance work, raising their son, finding time to be affectionate with each other when they can.
There were good days, and there were bad ones, but in the end, Long Huojin never stopped proving how much he loved her, in body and words.
Xue Guangli stepped towards him, kneeling on the floor, pecking him on the lips briefly before sitting down, and spending the rest of the evening with her family.
The next day, Xue Guangli received word that it was Qian Meigui"s thirtieth birthday. Even though it had been years since the trial, she never felt indebted to anyone else besides her lawyer and friend, who defended Long Huojin in court, thus saving her family from being torn apart.
w.a.n.g Weimin was still rotting in jail, and Xue Guangli had received word that he may have lost his mind. But she didn"t care about his fate.
Once they arrived, Qian Meigui greeted them enthusiastically, welcomed by the large and lively atmosphere.
Long Jie found some children and began to play with them.
Xue Guangli and Long Huojin knew no one else from the party until they found Song Ren sitting on a couch. She rose to her feet once she saw them.
"Ah, well, if it isn"t my favourite s.h.i.+p," she said, crossing her arms.
"s.h.i.+p?" Xue Guangli asked, not understanding.
"You know, when you want two people to be together," Song Ren responded.
Xue Guangli smiled bashfully. "Oh," she responded.
Song Ren approached her swift, taking her hand. "Come. There are food and drinks in the dining hall," she said.
"All right," Xue Guangli responded. Long Huojin felt left behind, but he followed the two women.
In the hall, there were many people, nearly overcrowded. They ate and met some people from different companies, some compet.i.tors, some not. Even when they were supposed to be relaxing, they never took a break from networking with people.
Long Group grew exponentially, and so did Summer-Autumn. When it comes to inheritance, Long Jie will have everything they owned, and it may be too much to handle, but they would never doubt his capability from taking on their legacy, successfully.
After eating and having a few drinks, Xue Guangli and Long Huojin went to search for Long Jie.
He was found carrying a little girl with cropped black hair and brown eyes.
Xue Guangli was stunned. "Long Jie, you"re not supposed to be carrying her," she scolded him gently. The girl looked about three years old, young and adorable, and Long Jie was almost seven, but still too young to be carrying her.
"But she"s so cute," Long Jie said.
Xue Guangli placed her hands on her hips. She knelt to their level. The young girl was clinging onto him, circling his shoulders with her stubby arms, and it was rare for him to attach himself to anyone since he wasn"t good at making friends.
"What"s your name?" Xue Guangli asked the little girl.
She was shy and spoke softly, "Song Luli," she said.
It hit her then. She was Qian Meigui"s youngest daughter, and Xue Guangli hadn"t seen her since she was a baby. The girl"s hair had grown, and she was bigger than the last time, inevitably.
Long Jie let Song Luli down, holding her stubby hand. "Can I play with her more?" he asked his mother.
Xue Guangli smiled warmly. "Of course," she said.
The two then ran off to another room, one that she was not familiar with. Long Huojin stepped behind her, witnessing everything. "He"s made a friend," Xue Guangli told him. Long Huojin smiled, pulling towards with a half-embrace. "I saw everything," he told her.
Xue Guangli grinned sheepishly, "I"m happy for him."
"I know," he told her. "Come with me." Long Huojin took her hand, entwining with his. He guided her through the dining hall, towards the balcony. Night had fallen, and the stars twinkled silver light. They were the only ones outside on that chilly evening.
He embraced her from behind, warming her up. Beyond, they could see a clear pathway, lit with street lamps.
"How are you feeling?" he asked her, wanting some rea.s.surance. They returned home early because they wanted to ask Xue Teegan to take Long Jie in for the upcoming summer. It would be the first time they were apart from him, and since he was their only child, he could sense her anxiety, he felt it, too.
"I think I feel fine, better than I expected," Xue Guangli said to him.
Long Huojin squeezed his embrace on her tighter. "I"m glad," he said.
Long Huojin spoke with Yin Shou earlier, and he fully had their backs, promising to look after Long Jie and taking care of him well.
They fully trusted them, and it would give Xue Guangli and Long Huojin the chance to give themselves to each other more often, to confide in each other more since they were always so busy.
"I feel selfish for leaving him here," she said to him.
"It"s only for two months, a year," he a.s.sured her. "He needs to build those relations.h.i.+ps with friends and family, or he"ll grow more disconnected than he already is," he said.
Xue Guangli turned to face him. She cupped his face, leaning in closely, staring into his pale-blue eyes. She was grateful for him. He always knew what to say without making her feel guilty or unloved. She kissed him, and he captured it, deepening it. The kiss was intense, conveying the feelings they mutually shared.
Xue Guangli had known Long Huojin since they were infants. They had grown up together, as friends and enemies, as friends again to lovers. And deep in her chest, Xue Guangli felt that her heart only beats for him, and she knew, there wouldn"t be a day where she stopped loving him.
Long Huojin broke off the kiss, lingering a breathless and heated glance on her face. "Let"s go home, wife."
Xue Guangli smiled near his lips. "Let"s go home, love."
Long Huojin grasped her waist, finding Long Jie inside with Song Luli.
Long Jie waved at the little girl good-bye, but she began to cry as he parted from her, affecting Long Jie"s mood.
Xue Guangli picked up her son. "You"ll see her again," she said to him.
On the way, Xue Guangli received a phone call from Xue Liena. She was in labour with her second child with Long Bolin. The three of them hastily went to the hospital to welcome a new addition to the Xue/Long family.
[THE END]