Mingxia's face became crimson red as her cheeks burned in embarrassment since she had not expected him to compliment her in such an odd way. To her, he was simply being too cute and reserved, even when flattering her. Mingxia smiled and gave a simple 'thank you'. She brushed past him and picked out some outfits, which included an evening, ocean blue gown. She placed it on her body and blushed. If she was right, Lixin was going to use this as an opportunity to introduce her to his family. Unless why would he invite a stranger to his cousin's birthday party? A smile appeared on her face, knowing that her presence was having a great impact on Mu Lixin. Bai Yuming's words rang in her ears, and she blushed even more.
"What are you thinking about?" Lixin cleared the discomforting situation as his arms reached behind his ears and gave it a little scratch. "You can head off to sleep. I will take a shower and be with you in a minute." Lixin mumbled, taking his steps into the bathroom. The door closed, and both of them simultaneously let out the sigh they had been holding.
Soon she was finished choosing the best outfit. She lay on the bed and watched Lixin as he dried his hair. If there was one thing glorious about him, it was his facial beauty. The first time she met him, Mingxia was swayed by his extraordinary beauty. Simply put, he was gorgeous. Mingxia admired him from afar, and the moment she was about to close her eyes, something unexpected happened. Mingxia stared at Lixin's face with no mask while she yelled in horror, and immediately, her hands reached for her mouth, covering it in shock. His face… His face had a scary scar on it.
Mingxia closed her eyes, wondering why there was a long scar on his face. Could it be the reason he wore a mask every time? Her brain could not comprehend it. Mingxia's body stiffened as she felt his warm presence on the bed. Afraid to be caught, Mingxia did not make a sound, lay down quietly, and became a corpse on the bed. What if it was a mistake and the mask fell off? Mingxia thought about forcing herself to let it go. And so what if he had a scar? Mingxia scolded her thumping heart.
"Are you having trouble sleeping here?" Mingxia heard his hoarse voice speak while revealing to Lixin that she had seen him without his mask. He felt her awkward attitude and faced her. Lixin heard her nervous heartbeat, touched his face for his mask, and, sadly, he knew the reason for her silence. She was scared, was she not?
Mu Lixin's beautiful, godly face had a deep, long, stitched cut from his nose down to his left chin. So many things ran through Mingxia's mind, and she was unable to use her words. She only hummed in response to his question. The light came on, and she was met face-to-face with Lixin's face. "Are you afraid of me sleeping here? I can go to the spare room if you feel uncomfortable." There was a hint of sadness in his voice as if he were somewhat disappointed in her response. She had not said anything, and just like that, Lixin was gone.
Mingxia wanted to chase after him but suddenly felt her heart sinking in pain. Her menstrual cramps kicked in, and she groaned in pain. Gradually, she folded herself into a kitten and drifted off to sleep. Meanwhile, Lixin stood in front of the white porcelain, absorbing himself in the sweet, sour wine in his glass. He bitterly gazed into the darkness. His mind was clouded with so many thoughts, yet Mingxia's distressed face was the one that kept popping up in his mind.
He hissed, swallowed the wine, and laid himself on the couch. Lixin's mind retracted itself to the fire accident—the day when he had that scar. Years passed, and not even the best dermatologist could heal him of that scar, which is why he ended up wearing a mask. Lixin was accustomed to being feared by his classmates and was called all manner of names. He hardly cared; nonetheless, he still somehow felt disappointed at Mingxia's reaction. Was he expecting too much from a woman he had recently met?
Aside from his mother's last wish, Mu Lixin was a stranger to Zhou Mingxia, and the same was said the opposite way. Both had no single connection. They were, frankly speaking, termed as outsiders. Maybe she had ignited hope in him for a better life. Lixin rose and went back into the room to see Mingxia sleeping.
Her breathing was steady, and aside from that, she was very pretty. She pursued her lips into a thin line while some incomprehensible words were muttered. They were very hard to understand, so Lixin let it slide. He lay down beside her, facing her closely, the gap between them becoming very invisible. Lixin studied her facial properties for a while, admiring her, and suddenly jerked up with alertness. What if she had come into his life for this? People were not to be trusted! Lixin coldly glared at Mingxia's sleeping face, recalling the times he had trusted people and things did not work out as well as he had presumed for them. With that, he drifted off to sleep.
......….
Next Day,
Mingxia rose to meet an empty bed void of Lixin, leaving her a bit upset. She brushed off her upset mind, stood up, and went for a shower. The next thirty minutes, she came out appearing so dazzling with an ocean blue mermaid tail gown, off shoulders, and a little bow on her waistline. Mingxia applied some makeup and went straight to the living room, where she found it empty too.
"Young madam… You are ready? I…" Skyler announced his presence as he came from the dining room. After stating his identity, Mingxia shook her head and looked at her watch tiredly. It was almost time, and Lixin was nowhere to be found. She grew worried. "I forgot to tell you, I dropped off Lixin at Young Master Yang's party. He said I should tell you." Skyler halted, unable to finish Lixin's words. He did find Lixin a little pissed off when he came to get him, and most of all, he told Skyler strictly not to allow Mingxia out of the house. "He doesn't want you to attend."
Her face whitened while her palms fell to her side; her happy gaze had drifted into a slight frown, and her fingers became cold. She sadly glanced at Skyler and went back to her dress. He deliberately left her! Mingxia sniffed in her tears and bit her lips from crying. He was truly cruel to her!
"Take me there." Mingxia insisted, causing Skyler's annoyance to increase. He could not refute her request and only submitted it by driving her there. The Mu estate was the biggest in Wuhan; it could easily be mistaken for an entire city. With a landmark of over four hundred and fifty-five plots of land, Mu's estate was crowned the most luxurious.
Skyler dropped her off, informed Lixin she was there, and drove off. Mingxia stood far away from the mansion gate, not knowing how to address herself. Lixin had ditched her like she was trash! Did he have second thoughts about bringing her to see Mu Luyang? Mingxia braced herself and walked to the entrance. She was greeted warmly by a butler who took her into the house.
How did she forget she had involved herself with the wealthiest man in Wuhan? The mansion was far from luxury, and if there was anything more than luxury, that would be the best description for it. Her eyes stared at the large, two-foot hanging chandelier, the interior design, and then the crowd. As she walked down the red carpet, she felt glares from behind her. Her gown swept through the red carpet. Some of the stares were either envious or confused. The butler stopped her, told her to wait, and went ahead to meet Lixin. The butler bowed his head and delivered his message.
"Young boss, a woman is out searching for you. She identifies herself as Zhou Mingxia." Butler Ke spoke in whispers, afraid of worsening the young boss's mood. Lixin had dropped by not so long ago and had not cared about greeting the crowd or Mu Luyang himself; he stormed into his room and banged on the door. Butler Ke sighed impotently at not understanding what was going on in Lixin's head.
"Also, Xiao Yang is still throwing a tantrum in his room. Grandpa Jialing cannot handle him. He orders you to come up." He reported it before dismissing himself. Lixin, with a bored mood, strode into the crowd. He pulled Mingxia into his embrace, taking her far away from the people. His gaze was too cruel, and Mingxia dared not speak while she was hauled away. It was painful, yet her voice croaked as she did not have the nerve to complain.
"Why are you here? I thought I told Skyler not to bring you here." Lixin's firm gape softened seeing how beautiful she was. Instantly, his eyes turned cold when he remembered he had seen Luo Yuxuan; was that the reason why she dressed up so nicely? He made so many assumptions and ended up concluding that she was here because of Luo Yuxuan. Moreover, was he not the original reason why Mingxia wandered off from the hospital?
"Why are you on heels? Do you not care about your walking issue?"