Mingxia reassured Guan Te, giving her a bit of persuasion before she opened up entirely to her. It all began twelve years ago, as uttered by Guan Te. As she kept pouring out the details, Mingxia took them down.
In the end, Mingxia encouraged her to go undercover for a few days before the court trials in case Suyei dared to threaten her. She also gave her a guaranteeing smile that she would help free her from Suyei's clutches. Guan Te nodded in agreement, exchanging her contact details with Mingxia's own. In a little while, they were both saying their goodbyes to each other.
"You hardly listen to me, don't you? Mingxia's hair stood upright in the air, shivers running down her spine. Her face paled a little bit. She steadied herself for his lashing and gawked at the owner of the voice. It was Mu Lixin. His steps further increased towards her. "Get in the car. Mingxia bluntly smirked, walking as fast as she could to the car. She pulled open the door, strapped on her seatbelt, and closed the door, silently expecting his judgment.
"I can explain..." She broke the stuffy atmosphere, preparing her mind to endure whatever he had installed for her. While he was so focused on his thoughts, Mingxia stole glances from him, wondering how far he could give her the silent treatment. Since he had picked her up from Guan Te's apartment, he had not spoken to her, and now that they had driven one kilometer from there, was he intent on putting her in tension as a punishment?
As soon as she was about to retract her stare from his side, Lixin glanced at her, and their eyes locked together. They could feel each other's worried minds, and just then, Lixin broke the news to her.
"I met your father today, Mingxia's reaction darkened; her fingers on her lap trembled in terror; sweat formed on her forehead; and most of all, her face whitened a bit. Billions of assumptions flew through her mind, all having her father's image written on them. She dared not move; she was frozen!
Lixin parked the car and quickly shook her out of her trance.
What did he ask of me? Mingxia's tune tottered while she compelled herself weakly to pop out a fake smile to show she was all alright. She felt the penetrating gaze Lixin had on her and assumed the worst. "I am sorry if he came to talk to you because of me. He must have said a lot about me. I do not want to be a burden for you."
Lixin's lips twitched at her response. He had not expected her to blame herself for everything her father did, whether wrong or right. Was that how she grew up? He patted her head and continued driving. His lips pursued her coldly, and occasionally he met her eyes to see if she was doing okay. Her face was a little dull. He called out to her,
"Just be extra careful when you go out, okay? Lixin's palms and words were very comforting to Mingxia. Her mood lightened, and all her dark past, which almost swallowed her up, disappeared. She stared, perplexed, at how he was able to do that. "Mingxia, one more thing: I want you to know that you have me."
Her heartbeat intensified, resulting in harsh breathing. She tried to calm her throbbing heart and, at the same time, took a glimpse at Lixin, whose gaze never left her for once. It was really good to have someone backing you. Mingxia relaxed a little bit.
"I want to ask you something.
"What is it? Lixin's brows furrowed, and his eyes strained to get a better picture of what Mingxia was about to say. He was surprised to see her a little bit worried and gave her permission to proceed with whatever favor she wanted to ask of him. "Go on…"
"Why do you treat me so well?" You know I am broken, yet you cherish me as a gem. Every day, I cannot seem to forgive myself. It appears as if I am cheating on you. I do not deserve your kindness. Mu Lixin, I do not deserve the care you shower me with. I…" For once, Lixin saw through her—a brokenhearted little girl in Mingxia's eyes. He had never seen her this sober since the time they met. She had always tried to be strong, but in reality, she was nowhere near strong.
He saw things he had never seen in anyone—the desperation to be loved so dearly by someone, even if it was anyone. He gulped it in, and instantly, his eyes spun red in anger. A surge of protectiveness engulfed his heart. Lixin exhaled aloofly, looking away from Mingxia. What was he feeling for her? Was it only a mere admiration or disgust for a weakling like her?
"You are too weak to avenge anyone. The world is cruel. You are never going to make a comeback like this. Mingxia coldly agreed to his words, wiped her tears away, and calmed her broken heart. Yes, she might be weak, but she was willing to be strong for him. He gave her hope when no one else did. He never abandoned her, although he knew her ugly past.
Should she not be thankful for meeting him rather than dealing with her past?
"I have no father as far as I am concerned. The soft Mingxia changed into a voracious wild tiger; her sad look drifted into an angered, revenge-seeking one; her fingers balled firmly; Mingxia gazed into Lixin's eyes and encouraged herself to be tough like him. Not everyone in the world would care about you; she noted that and braced herself for the future.
If she was going to get even and avenge her mother and sister's deaths, then acting weak would only give them a chance to trample on her. She did not want to be a disappointment to Lixin after all he had done for her.
"I might have been soft in the past, but I promise you, I will have a good comeback, a face-slapping moment no one would be able to predict! Because I, Zhou Mingxia, never give up!"
.........
Dragging her feeble legs, Mengyao stepped into her house and slammed the door loudly. She slumped onto the couch, sobbing as loud as she could. Her clothing was a mess, and her hair was tied into a rough bun. Her gaze fell on her protruding stomach, and she cried again. Mengyao's face was mooched up and dripped off her makeup.
Gradually, she cried her heart out with one name in her mind, which was Zhou Mingxia! Why could Yuxuan not love her as he did Mingxia? What was so special about her, who only climbed into men's beds to satisfy them? She was far better than Mingxia in all aspects! Yuxuan could not see the good in her. To him, she was a blemish. A good-for-nothing ugly thing
Mengyao exhaled vociferously, her fingers holding tightly to the hem of her gown. Today she wanted to give Yuxuan a surprise, which was one of her original reasons for being with Katie; apart from that, she had no other reason for picking a fight with Mingxia. Yet she felt substandard to Mingxia any time she was around. The feeling of Yuxuan being snatched away provoked her to the core; she had lost her self-control and made sure to even out with Mingxia. She had not anticipated being banned from one of the top-quality brands in the US.
"I will make you pay, Mingxia!"