Ling Xie watched helplessly as his older sister waved goodbye, walking toward her car. Their meeting had been so brief that it felt like a fleeting dream.
Just moments ago, they were chasing each other and laughing like they always did, when suddenly, Cao Lie's phone rang. Her manager was calling, asking her to return as soon as possible. Ling Xie had felt an intense urge to smash the phone then and there.
"Don't worry, she'll be back soon," Chen Yi said, gently patting Ling Xie's head in an attempt to comfort him. 'Sooner than you think,' Chen Yi thought to himself.
Ling Xie didn't respond, only nodding slightly. He stood silently, watching the car start and slowly roll toward the gate. His gaze remained fixed on it until it disappeared from view, its engine's hum fading into the distance.
He glanced at the now-closed gate one last time, holding onto a fragile thread of hope, before Chen Yi gently led him back into the living room. His sister was off on tour again.
In the living room, Uncle Liang, Auntie Cao, Chen Yi, and Ling Xie sat in pairs across from each other on pristine white leather couches. Between them rested a luxurious mahogany coffee table, an elegant yet unyielding divider.
This scene stirred an indescribable feeling in Ling Xie and his mother. Ling Xie simply thought the atmosphere in the room felt... strange.
Auntie Cao, however, who understood more than her son, found the situation almost laughable. Two domineering alpha males had barged into their family, and the odds of them staying seemed remarkably high. It took all her restraint not to laugh outright.
"Xie'er, how do you feel?" Auntie Cao asked softly, taking Ling Xie's hand in hers and resting them on the table. Her worry was evident in her expression.
Ling Xie gave his mother's hand a reassuring squeeze. "I'm feeling better, Mom."
In truth, Ling Xie felt an unshakable sense of security with Chen Yi by his side, unlike anything he had ever known. The thought of relying on one person entirely was intimidating, yet the comfort it brought was undeniable.
Auntie Cao, however, remained unconvinced. She resolved to speak with Chen Yi later about taking Ling Xie for a proper medical examination.
"By the way," Ling Xie said, his gaze awkwardly darting toward the ever-silent "gentleman" sitting beside his mom. "Why is Uncle Liang here?" His tone was curious, with no trace of suspicion, as he asked the question—momentarily forgetting that he was not "Churong" at the moment.
The room grew quiet, but a faint flicker of amusement lit up everyone's eyes. Ling Xie had unwittingly drawn their attention.
To them, he seemed like a hopelessly naive child unsuited for the harsh realities of life. They couldn't help but imagine him thriving in a whimsical world of rainbows and unicorns—a place free from schemes and human flaws.
Chen Yi, meanwhile, found himself genuinely wondering if he should shield Ling Xie from the rest of the world altogether. In his mind, he even entertained the thought of locking them away together, where they could spend every day side by side for the rest of their lives.
Ling Xie flinched under the weight of their collected stares, his nervous eyes darting between the three pairs fixed on him. What unsettled him the most was that Chen Yi wore the exact same expression as the others. 'What did I do?' he thought, his confusion mounting.
Chen Yi finally chuckled, unable to contain himself. The sound made Ling Xie's cheeks flush a deep red, though he still had no idea what had just transpired.
Auntie Cao, noticing her son's nervousness, felt a pang of guilt for keeping him in suspense. She reached out and took Ling Xie's hand again, her mind racing as she tried to find the right words to say. How could she share the news without overwhelming him? In the end, she decided that honesty was the best approach.
Patting his soft hand lightly, she waited until she had Ling Xie's full attention. His wide eyes were locked on hers, brimming with curiosity. Drawing a steady breath, Auntie Cao lifted her left hand, angling it so the back was fully visible. A glint of light reflected off the metal object on her ring finger.
Ling Xie's gaze shifted, catching the glimmer. It took him a moment to process what he was seeing. His eyes widened, his mouth falling open as realization struck. 'AN ENGAGEMENT RING?!!'
His disbelief was evident, his thoughts swirling chaotically. 'Can somebody explain this?!'
Shock rooted him in place, his mind struggling to keep up. Yet, amid the whirlwind of emotions, there was no bitterness or resentment. Instead, Ling Xie felt an unexpected sense of relief.
He'd always worried that his mother would remain fixated on his father, spending the rest of her life heartbroken and alone. Don't get him wrong—he loved his father as much as he loved his mother and deeply respected the love they once shared.
But life could be unbearably lonely without someone by your side. If this was her chance to find happiness again, who was he to object?
He didn't want his mother to suffer from loneliness. At first, he thought it was fine—after all, he would probably stay with her until they both grew old.
But then Chen Yi happened.
It was only after realizing his feelings for Chen Yi that Ling Xie began to worry about his mother's love life. He was, in a way, a matchmaker. He had witnessed enough about love—its bright, hopeful side and its darker, painful one—to understand that being alone was never easy.
As they say, love is all-powerful. It can be both the cure and the destruction of a person.
Uncle Liang studied Ling Xie's expression with a concentration sharper than when he had plotted to seize control of the underworld. He was anxious.
The boy looked thoroughly shocked. But then, in a startling turn, Ling Xie's stunned eyes brightened for a moment before narrowing sharply. In an instant, Ling Xie's head whipped around, and his piercing gaze locked onto Uncle Liang. The man stiffened, swallowing hard as he straightened his posture instinctively.
"Kent's matching," Ling Xie began, referring to Uncle Liang's second son by his English name, "was never because of that reason, was it?"
Uncle Liang caught his breath, his emotions a tangled mess. A bead of sweat slipped from his forehead to his ear, betraying his inner turmoil. Guilt gnawed at him for involving his son—asking Kent to reach out to Ling Xie as "Churong" under false pretenses. But at the same time, he felt a glimmer of relief that Ling Xie wasn't so naive as to miss the obvious hints he had left.
With a sheepish smile, Uncle Liang admitted, "Yes." His voice was subdued, apologetic—entirely unbefitting an emperor.