December 27, 20XX (Wednesday)Zhao Manor
Once again, the circular table at the Zhao Manor"s dining room that has a lazy susan on the center was once again filled with warmth. The members of the Zhao family were chatting with each other while eating breakfast. Suddenly Yang appeared, dragged Yue"s chair, place an unoccupied chair on the s.p.a.ce between the two women, and sat on that chair with the enormous grin before he turned to his family with a "Good morning" that was drawn out.
The youngest CEO at the table looked at Mei Li, his eyes roaming from her head to toe. He raised one eyebrow and asked, "Why are you dressed up?"
Mei Li froze mid-bite, and her eyes s.h.i.+fted towards him when she answered, "I"m going out..."
"Where are you going?" Yang asked as his hands started to play with the ends of her hair, bouncing it with his palms again. He had been continuously bouncing her hair for the past days they were together as if it was the first time he had seen hair.
"To look for a condominium..." Mei Li replied with hesitation. She didn"t want him to come with her because she knew how absurd Yang could be with her safety. She disliked his overprotectiveness a little.
"Can I come with?"
Mei Li felt a sense of deja vu happening. Didn"t this set of questions from Yang also happened yesterday?
"Yeah, you should go with her, big bro. She wants to repurchase one downtown." Yue told Yand causing Mei Li to elbow Yue with a glare. Yue shrugged at her best friend and stuck her tongue out before saying, "What? Big brother has contacts that can help you find a cheaper one here in the city proper. You might even buy on sale, or he"ll gift you with one."
"Sure, I can buy you the new condominium in the high rise next to mine." Yang immediately agreed without pause or hesitation.
"That"s exactly why I don"t want you to come!" Mei Li scowled at the CEO. She appreciated the fact that he was willing to buy her a condo, but she wanted to be the one to finance herself. Although it was amazing to be spoiled by him, she needed to stand with her own two feet.
"How about me? Can I come with you?" Yue asked while given her brother a smirk. She knew Mei Li would not deny her this.
"... sure!"
Yue"s smirk turned into a full blow grin, matching the crazy ones of Yang"s when Mei Li replied with an affirmative to her but denial to Yang"s.
"If I behave, can I come? I am willing to be your bodyguard again like yesterday."
Yue took this words that he had uttered as a sign to make whipping noises at the background.
Yang"s hand that was on her hair lowered to the small of Mei Li"s back; his eyes scanned the back of her neck and saw the burns on it still reddish and the clot that had formed yesterday was always the same in quant.i.ty. Shouldn"t it be clotting in every red spot by now? Why is the healing so slow?
"Don"t you have a company to run?" Mei Li"s eyes briefly glanced at him before she returned to eating. She was still hesitant with him going with her. She knew how overbearing he could be and that might inconvenience ordinary people.
"I"m the CEO; I make my schedule."
Mei Li rolled her eyes at the overbearing comment; proving to her why she shouldn"t let him come with her.
"Can I come with you, please? I"m still worried..." Yang murmured to her, his lips close to her ears so she could only be the one to hear him. Mei Li froze as she watches the people at the table eyeing them with curious looks. Her cheeks were once again tinted with the familiar reddish hue. He was unfair this way, and he knows how to use the words that would make her crumble to his whims. He probably knows that Mei Li would let him go with her if he uses the reason of him being worried because he was the person that was the one to comfort Mei Li when her thoughts were occupied by the fire accident. He had always been the first to wake up and cradle her in his arms, letting her feel same with his presence.
"CEOs are annoying," Mei Li thought to herself, helplessly as she nodded her head to Yang"s direction. This caused all the members of the Zhao family to be even more curious. What did Yang say to make Mei Li given in so easily? Their question was left unanswered as Mei Li stood up fast with a hasty farewell to them and walked out of the room. Yang followed after her before grabbing a plate of food that he would probably eat on his way like he usually does when he"s too busy to sit.
Mei Li was surprised when Yue had not come, but only her brother followed after her, carrying a small plate stuffed with fried rice and meats. She stopped walking, took the plate out of his hands, and letting him eat using her hands as a temporary table.
Yang couldn"t help but fall madly in love with her a little more deeply than before. He knew she was a little irritated with his constant following, but it did not stop her from understanding the root cause of his worry. If she had trauma with fire, Yang had a trauma of letting her out of his sight because he felt that if he did, she might be lost.
Mei Li wasn"t the only one suffering from nightmares. He was a man that could be considered psychotic. He had killed people, lied, cheated, and had done more evil deeds yet he hadn"t felt that much guilt nor fear, but when he saw the flames raises inside from her studio unit, Yang felt the greatest fear he had ever felt.
At that time, He knew he was madly and irrevocably in love with her.
He was not afraid for himself, anymore.
He was afraid for her.
The thought of spending his whole life without Mei Li to tease, without her hair to play with, without her eyes to look at in the mornings, without her lips to taste, without her little fingers intertwined with his, without her little bell-like laugher, and without her as a whole... That moment was where he felt that living would be useless if she didn"t exist.
Yang realized at that time where she was in his arms and pa.s.sed out and could have been endangered by the smoke she had inhaled that he wouldn"t care if she would break his heart into pieces, he wouldn"t care if Mei Li choose another man- heck! She could choose his other friend to be her husband if she wanted! As long as she was alive, and as long as she was happy, he"d bare every heartbreak. He was more willing to pick every piece of his heart and scarring his hands in the process with the sharp edges than to lose her completely to death.
When they had arrived at his condominium after Mei Li had been cleared and had sought comfort in his arms did he knew what love"s face looked.
Love, for him, was her; her smile, her frown, her lips, her eyes, her giggles, her soft touch, her being, and her every breath. Love, for him, was not owning her. Love, for him, was just Mei Li in her raw self. To love her was not to own or possess her but to accept her natural unfiltered self.
Yang would choose to lose everything he owns as long as he wouldn"t lose her, even if she doesn"t belong to him. Loving someone was scary, but when it"s her, he found a strength within him that he hadn"t realized existed.
Hastily stuffing the fried rice on the plate she carried for him to his mouth, Yang"s eyes had not left Mei Li"s and his heart beat like a raging thunderstorm. Right now, with a mouth full of food, he was staring at love"s lovely light brown eyes.
After a while, Mei Li received a text from Yue when they had got inside the black bulletproof car and was getting ready to drove off to their destination. Mei Li"s face blushed blood red when she read the text, 「I"ve delivered my brother to you. Now, make him put on the leash by himself. But first I recommend buying one, I heard Louis Vuitton had a famous dog collar and leash.」