As Jun stirred the curry in the pot, his thoughts wandered off to a while ago. He looked back and saw Ai sincerely writing something in her notebook sitting on the couch.
It was going to be a lonely evening for me, she had said.
Jun poured some salt in the curry.
It was going to be a lonely evening for me too. He smiled sardonically.
On the other side, Ai was busy making notes about her next story. She still didn't know what she was going to write about, but she definitely knew she was going to base her story's male lead upon Jun.
She looked around, thinking about her story and saw a big swing near the large glass windows. It was shaped like a beautiful crescent of a moon and inside was like a mini bed with a pillow. It was easily big enough to fit Jun's tall figure.
This swing wasn't there when I first came here, she tilted her head. Maybe he bought it later. It is such a pretty swing, her eyes sparkled.
She had an urge to have a ride on it, but the swing was quite high up from the floor. Her fear of heights promptly made her give up on that idea.
Resting in the swing and enjoying books in silence with the city view by the side on a rainy day must feel so beautiful...
Ai was lost in her stupor.
Her phone buzzed and her daze broke, seeing another message from Yating. She quietly ignored it and went back to her work.
She tapped her pen on the points she jotted down.
His eyes were intense.
His words were sarcastic.
His aura emanated possessiveness.
She recalled Jun killing that thief in cold blood.
He is dangerous.
Then she remembered the time at the book signing event.
But he is-
Suddenly a plate slid in front of her eyes with the smell of curry wafting up to the tip of her nostrils. There was a good portion of rice beside it.
She furrowed her brows and looked up to see Jun casually sitting on another couch fiddling with his phone. She looked at the plate and back at him.
"This…"
"Your dinner," Jun said without looking up from his phone.
She blinked.
"But it's past 8 PM now."
He narrowed his eyes on her. "It's just an exception for today since you got your house blown up."
Oh, so he made dinner for me. I thought it was for himself.
"Thank you."
Ai looked down at her notebook and wrote as she softly smiled.
But he is caring in his own way.
Jun seemed to be the least bothered and the last person who would ever help her in a pinch, yet it was only him who pulled her out of trouble every time.
Jun sneered in disdain. "Why are you smiling like that? You are acting creepy."
Ai's beautiful brows slightly creased. But then her light brown pupils smiled. "Isn't it alright? Everybody has a hidden side. Like you. You act indifferent and unapproachable all the time, yet you are the same person who demands an ice cream with chocolate and blackberry scoops when he is sick and secretly gifts chocolate boxes to children he supposedly doesn't like. You have a hidden cute side."
Jun's face turned as black as a burned pot. He didn't understand if Ai was praising him or getting back at him for his comment.
Okay, maybe bringing her here was a bad idea, after all, he clenched his jaw. Let's just get through this month without talking to her at all!
Ai pursed her lips.
I was praising his cute side. Why is he mad?
A few minutes later when Ai was putting all her stuff back in her bag, Jun's eyes caught a book, and he stared at it. "That book."
Ai followed his gaze and took out the book he was referring to. "This one?"
He widened his eyes. "You know about that book?"
Ai was surprised as well. "Yes. You do too?"
"The hell I do! They are a late Chinese author who never exposed themselves in the public. To the world, it was a ghost who would just suddenly write a book when it was the least expected. They are not generally known to anyone. That's why very few people read his or her books or even know about them. They didn't get that popular either. The one you have is a historical book, right? It's a story about two people falling in love during a bloody war."
Ai's irises sparkled in delight. "Yes. And it's not a regular war story. Here, it's the Queen who goes to the war instead of the King. She falls in love with a servant who has feelings for her too. She goes to war, and he waits for her while he manages the kingdom in her absence. Usually, it's always the other way around."
Jun straightened up and eagerly leaned. "That's why I like it so much because it has a different take. The war goes on for three years, and it shows their struggle of how they fight their own battles while waiting to reunite."
Ai's fingers trembled in excitement as she clenched the book. "The servant Yao Qiang was so witty. It would be impossible for a servant to take the reins of a nation, but he skillfully handled it without causing a civil rebellion. He used his own class to gain control and peace."
"What was more amusing was how the Queen, Zhao Su, formed strategies to defeat the enemy! The part about digging a hole under the enemy kingdom's grounds and they don't even get a whiff about it was ingenious."
Ai furiously nodded. "They fought their own battles with such skill and intelligence. In the end, Zhao Su returns victorious and they get married."
For the first time, Jun had a very different expression on his face. "The author captured the essence of the war really well. The blood, violence and the sacrifices made the story feel so alive. It's such a fulfilling story!"
She couldn't help but smile in helplessness. "I know. People don't know what they are missing out on just because it's not popular," she bit her lip in disappointment.
Jun sneered. "They have their brains in their knees if they cannot find real gems. Real readers don't just chase after popular books."
Ai sincerely agreed with Jun.
He asked, "How did you get this book?"
"Oh, I found it in an old library in the city where I grew up and went to school. I still remember how I felt when I read it for the first time…My heart raced so fast as if I was Zhao Su myself. I always liked books, but this was the one that properly got me into reading," her gaze softened, "That's why I always carry it with me. It was what secretly inspired me to become a writer."