Li Minghao let out a chuckle, letting his lips form a smile.
That little smile was enough to paint his stoic face a youthful and fresh image. With a smile, as small as it was, he began to look more like one of those boys one would see on a tv screen and fall for.
Chen Jingyun had to admit it was a nice look on him. In fact, she liked that look on him so much she almost wanted to learn what would make him laugh like that more often.
Her demise? Probably.
"So... you're not going to talk?"
Li Minghao shook his head.
"What you see is what get. I can't tell you anything about me yet."
"Why?"
"It is not safe for me."
Chen Jingyun furrowed her eyebrows even more.
"Are you in danger too?"
Li Minghao rolled his eyes at her, looking sassy.
"Like you? No." He poured himself another cup of tea. "I am in danger of being chased around by the whole country."
Country?
At this, Chen Jingyun arched her eyebrow, sipped what was left of her cup of tea and watched him fill it for her.
"Who´s going to chase you? Girls? They already do that."
He must have gotten used to it by how cold and rude he was towards girls.
She couldn't recall a single time he was nice to one.
"If you survive this ordeal, you will know who I am and understand why I would be chased around. For now, who I am, is not important to you." He simply said.
Of course it wasn't important. It's not like she couldn't sleep if she didn't know who he was!
"Alright, celebrity, oh-so-important person." Chen Jingyun deliberatedly teased him. "Can you at least tell me what's your deal with girls?"
"Is that really the first thing you want to know from me?" Li Minghao looked almost disappointed with the question as if it was so simple and obvious.
"As a matter of fact. Yes. I get a feeling that if I weren't in such situation, you would dismiss me like the others. Go away you little rat, something like that."
"I would rather call you a pig."
"That doesn't make it any better!"
He shrugged.
"I wouldn't completely ignore you." He started, his voice firm and sincere. "Depending on how you approach me, I will act correspondently."
Looking with interest, Chen Jingyun tested him.
"You mean, if I approach you with any romantic intentions, I will die a horrible rejection?"
"That's right." He nodded.
"And if I approach you with a business deal?"
"It better be a good pitch." He answered naturally on beat.
"And if I approach you with the intentions to be friends? Is there any requierement to be your friend?"
"There is a requirement of course."
"What is it?"
Li Minghao shrugged. Something he seemed to do a lot when he talked about himself. Not because he wasn't sure of himself but because he didn't seem to have given it a thought before.
"If I like you and want you as a friend, you can stay. If not, then I will have to be polite. Nothing more, nothing less."
"How can you discern intentions though? People can be very scheming."
"Others? Yeah. But you?" He exhaled through his nostrils, a silent laugh. "Before you might have been difficult to decipher, but now you are transparent. I can see right through you."
Chen Jingyun crossed her arms offended. "Lies!"
Li Minghao shook his head at her before turning to admire what was left of the night life. The city was turning quieter and there were less cars in the faraway streets.
"Sure, you can keep some things a secret, but your intentions are easy to decipher. When you came to us as... you were suspicious but your intentions told me you were harmless. Otherwise I would have never let you stay with us."
"...Okay." Chen Jingyun accepted his response, but nonetheless she was bummed she was called transparent. Like she was an open book.
She clearly remembered from her childhood being an open book was dangerous. That it was bad and frowned upon.
'Hide your emotions! Don't let them show in your face!' She recalled her grandfather telling her younger childish self.
The memory, albeit sad, it didn´t make her feeling anything at all. Or so she thought.
In the depths of her heart, there was an emotions calling out to her. But she didn't want to face it.
At least not now.
Shaking the memory away, she focused back on Li Minghao and his face.
Stoic, emotionless, cool face.
For a second, she started to wonder if Li Minghao went through the same childhood as her or if he was simply like that.
But she decided to refrain from asking him. Childhood upbringing could be a good or a terrible topic for some people. She would rather not risk the good ambience they had right now.
"So... to get to the point... you don't hate girls?"
Li Minghao shook his head.
"They are fine. I just hate it when they look at me like a prize."
"Do I look at you like that?"
She knew she didn't, but she asked anyways.
Narrowing his eyes at her, Li Minghao took a minute before he answered. It was as if he was studying her gaze, searching for signs in her eyes. But in the end he found nothing and shook his head.
"No. You look at me like you look at everyone else."
Chen Jingyun smiled. That´s what she thought.
"That's because you are not as handsome as you think you are! You should tone down your ego, you are not everybody's type y'know?" She turned smug. "What was it you said last time? I am the son in law even your father was? Pfft, yeah, right."
Rolling his eyes at her, Li Minghao didn't give her any mercy in his next words.
"You didn't let me finish. I said. You look ar me like you look at everybody else. EXCEPT, wen you got drunk. Must I remind you you attempted to kiss me?"
Chen Jingyun started coughing, turning her once smug self into a puddle of awkwardness.
"That was... That wasn't me."
"Yeah right."
"I truly don't have any intentions towards you!" She tried to explain. "You would be cool friend to have as a friend, but I would never, ever, ever!"
She crossed her arms forming an 'X'.
"Try to court you!"
Li Minghao didn't look offended at all, instead he encouraged her with a nod.
"Good. Because I would rather have you as a friend than a mindless girl infatuated with my looks."
Chen Jingyun nodded in agreement, but she soon did a double take.
"You would consider me a friend?"
Li Minghao pressed his lips into a flat line. It seemed like he hadn't given it much thought.
However, he made a quick decision.
"If the cirscunstances were any different, I doubt I would consider your friendship. At most, you would be a polite acquaintance considering your family's background. However, things already happened and you are not as bad as I thought you would be. So yes, I would consider you a friend."
"So... that means we could go ice skating after my ordeal is over?" Chen jIngyun smield with hope.
But Li Minghao shut that down.
"If you mention ice and skating ever again, I'm revoking what I said."
"You coward..." Chen Jingyun muttered under breath as she made a mover for her cup of tea.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing!"