Li Nuxie went inside the bathroom, clutching the blanket that covered her whole body. As she locked the door and turned around, her body went stiff at the sight. The floor-to-ceiling windows provided her a view of the landscape of the City S. The bathroom was twice as wide as hers. The bathtub which was round in shape was placed near the windows. The lights that illuminated the area were set on the side of the floor. Not far from where Li Nuxie stood was the shower area.
Taking a step towards the shower area, she noticed that the flooring was made of irregular-shaped stones. It was designed like an outdoor shower, with the walls made of bamboo. Li Nuxie chuckled bitterly. Never in her life that she imagined this.
Even the bathroom design was really imitated. What a shock, she thought. The things people without talent do.
Her fingers ran through the surface, feeling the rough edges of the bamboo. She took a deep breath before she went to the bathtub. She bent over as her hand sank on the water, trying to test its warmth.
Satisfied, she stood up and let the blanket fell on the floor. She stepped inside the bathtub and plunged her body. She sighed, closing her eyes. She stayed that way for a long while. When she opened her eyes once again, gone was the bleak gaze. All left was the resolve to prove her worth.
Meanwhile, Xu Wei was in the kitchen. Once in a while, he was glancing at the kitchen door, half-expecting Li Nuxie to emerge. He wore an apron over his black shirt. His hair was tied carelessly with some strands escaping from it. This made him look like a Greek God that went down from the Mount Olympus. This was the kind of man every woman wished to bring to her parents. Just removed the black mask then it was good to go.
He just finished frying the leftover rice. Next was to cook the main dish which was? His lips formed a straight line when he opened the fridge. Aside from the bottles of water, there was only a tray of eggs. Eggs? Seriously?
"Men will always be men," a voice said from Xu Wei's back. He turned his head and there she was at the kitchen door, leaning with arms crossed.
Xu Wei's heart pumped faster. Li Nuxie has already changed into the clothes he brought. It was just a plain collared shirt and skinny jeans but she still looked elegant.
"This is not my house," Xu Wei said, sounding defensive.
Li Nuxie stood up straight as she took a step towards him. A small smile was hanging on her lips. Xu Wei was a nice specimen to look at. Since, she knew how he looked like without the mask, it doesn't bother her anymore. "I hope you did not crash into some random unit?"
Xu Wei shook his head. "Of course not," he watched Li Nuxie brought out from the fridge the tray of eggs and put it on the kitchen counter. "What are you doing?"
"I'll cook," she replied, bending down to look for other ingredients. "You don't even have potatoes? Goodness," she turned around. "You need to make do with the eggs, then."
Xu Wei didn't speak. This was Xu Ming's fault. His younger brother told him that it was not good to bring Li Nuxie to his own house so he settled on one of the rooms in the hotel. What would Li Nuxie think? That he cannot provide enough food? He pressed his lips as he decided that Xu Ming will not have a vacation for one year.
Still, Xi Wei's gaze just followed Li Nuxie's moves from the time she beat the eggs to frying it on the pan. Her movements mesmerized him.
As for Li Nuxie, Xu Wei's gaze made her uncomfortable. The kind that made a woman blush though. She transferred the fried rice onto the serving plate as well as the scrambled eggs. The table was already set when she went inside the kitchen. She looked at Xu Wei who has still that look in his eyes.
She cocked her head. "Aren't you going to eat?"
But Xu Wei just stared at her.
Li Nuxie's eyes flickered with annoyance as she pulled a chair and sat down. If the man in front of her just wanted to stare at her all day long, she doesn't care anymore. She was too hungry to care.
Xu Wei blinked, realizing that Li Nuxie started eating without him. His forehead creased as he pulled a chair near her. "Why did you eat without me?" he asked, pouting.
She rolled her eyes as she took a spoonful of rice. "Oh? I thought all you want to do is stare at my face all day long," she said, perfectly masking the nervousness she felt. Xu Wei was too closed that her comfort zone was being threatened.
"You're just too beautiful. Can't help it," he said, putting rice and egg on his plate.
Li Nuxie smiled. "Why, thank you." It felt so good when someone was praising her. It doesn't happen every day. Growing up, people praised her because she was the Young Miss Li. Not because she was good in this or that.
She continued chewing when she remembered something. Reaching for a glass of water, she took a gulp and wiped her mouth with a table napkin. "Wait, what would you tell me?"
Xu Wei peered at her. "About what happened last night?"
"What about it?" Li Nuxie was afraid to know that something happened to her grandmother. Last night, she was too angry to even glance back. She felt as if her kindness has been taken advantage a thousand times.
"Your grandmother disowned your cousin," he said in between bites.
Li Nuxie tilted her head, thinking hard about what Xu Wei has told her. The Old Madam Li disowned her favorite cousin?
"Where is my cousin?" she asked after a while. She needed to know the details why her grandmother did that.
Xu Wei swallowed the food in his mouth before answering her. "At her house. Don't worry, she's a strong woman. Plus, Xu Ming is with her."
Her shoulders tensed when she realized what Xu Wei has said. "Xu Ming?"
She has met Xu Ming and, on both occasions, her impression did not change. Xu Ming was a first-rate Casanova.
Xu Wei noticed the change in Li Nuxie's aura. He chuckled, patting her head. "Xu Ming will not do anything to your cousin. Unless your cousin does the first move, you have my word on it."
Li Nuxie raised an eyebrow. Li Chanying was not really into men because of what happened a long time ago. Hence, she was sure Ying would not make the first move if ever. "Stop patting my head. I'm not a dog," she said but didn't remove his hand. His mouth broke into a smile.
"You're not," he withdrew his hand. "Finish your breakfast then we'll visit your cousin."
She nodded.
=0=
On the way to Li Chanying's house, Li Nuxie dialed a familiar yet foreign number in her phonebook. The last time she talked to this person was five years ago. Xu Wei just glanced at her before focusing his eyes on the road.
With the phone on her ear, Li Nuxie listened to the ringtone, waiting for that person to pick up the phone. After five rings, the call went through.
"Xiexie? Is that you?" It was a woman's voice.
"Hello, Mother. I want to talk to Father," she said. Her voice lacked the warmth which a normal daughter should feel.
"Oh. He's still at the bathroom. Oh wait, he's already here."
Li Nuxie heard a shuffle on the other side before a man's voice greeted her. "Xiexie? How are you?"
"I'm good," she said. Her fingers gripped on the phone tightly.
"How is your brother? And your grandmother?" her father continued.
"I didn't call to give updates," her voice became sharp. She closed her eyes when she felt the corners burned. She removed her eyeglasses and put it on her lap.
The other line went silent. Then, her father sighed. "Okay. What is it?"
"I want to sell all my shares in Li Textile," she said, a little bit straightforward.
"Sell your shares? Are you serious?"
She pressed her lips. "Yes, I want to sell it."
"Give me a reason. A valid one for you to do it," her father said from the other line.
Li Nuxie opened her eyes as she took a deep breath. "The Old Madam Li disowned my cousin. Isn't that enough reason?"
"So, your grandmother disowned your cousin and that made you decide to sell the shares? You can't sell the shares, Xiexie," her father said, a hint of finality laced his voice.
She exhaled, clenching her fists on the side. She knew it. Her father would always side with his mother, of course. She knew that very well.
"Xiexie, the shares are your birthright. It was the same with Li Chao. Unless you died, which heaven forbids, the shares remain under your name and no one can take it away."
Li Nuxie didn't speak. How hard was it to sever ties with the Li Family? She thought it was easy. She can just say it. But reality proved otherwise.
"Besides, your cousin is a strong woman. Disowning her would not kill her, right?" her father continued.
Her expression hardened when she realized what her father told her.
"Of course, Father. Coming from you, Li Chao and I didn't die when you left us in the care of other people, right?" her voice was full of mockery.
"Xiexie, your grandmother is not other people. How could you say that?" her father's voice went a notch higher.
"This is the last time I'm calling you. I'm severing ties with this dysfunctional family," her voice was soft.
Her father sighed helplessly. "When you have your own family, you'll understand why we did that."
"No! You're selfish," she broke down into tears. "When I get married and have kids on my own, I will never abandon them just like what you did to me and my brother!" she cut the call before the other side can respond.
She covered her face with her hands. A while later, she stopped crying when two arms went around her, enveloping her with warmth. She raised her head and saw Xu Wei's worried face.
"If you want to cry, then cry. I have a lot of tissues. You can also use my shirt," he said, rubbing her back.
With that, she whined like a banshee, throwing her arms around his neck.
Xu Wei only smiled. There were times when his woman was obedient. And he liked that.