Chapter 22: You Said He Died, What a Shame

Xu Si'an’s cold lips pressed against her tear-stained eyes.

His question went unanswered. He held her for a long time before laying her back on the bed and tucking the quilt around her. His thin lips brushed against her soft ones, and Qiao Xu didn't even dare to breathe too heavily.

The lights went out. Qiao Xu’s hand tightened around her nightgown beneath the covers. He was leaving, wasn't he? That was fine, too. She would just treat it as a dream.

Xu Si'an picked up the bag he had discarded on the floor and went into the bathroom. Fearing he might wake her, he didn't even turn on the light. Qiao Xu opened her eyes, staring toward the bathroom. It wasn't a large room, and she could still see his silhouette inside.

"Xu Si'an, I missed you too."

Qiao Xu had to admit, Xu Si'an was far more effective than any medicine the doctor had prescribed. After her father passed away, she had been consumed by self-blame, helplessness, anxiety, and fear. Yet, there was no one who could truly help her. Her mother’s health was also poor, and to keep her mother from worrying, Qiao Xu had always suppressed her feelings, which only caused her anxiety to worsen. Gradually, in every lonely, dark night, her psychosomatic symptoms had trapped her in a dead end.

When Xu Si'an finished his shower and walked out, he saw Qiao Xu’s face turned toward the bathroom. He was afraid—afraid of being discovered, afraid of being driven away. The man slowly crouched by the bedside and lightly pecked her lips. "Goodnight, Qiao Qiao."

Qiao Xu had been drifting into sleep, but she woke up the moment she heard the bathroom door open. She felt him crouch before her, and she felt his kiss. The other side of the bed dipped slightly, and an arm draped over her waist. Xu Si'an didn't dare to hold her too tightly, terrified of startling her awake.

When Qiao Xu woke up, there was no one left beside her. On the nightstand sat a glass of water that had already gone cold. She picked up her phone to check the time: 1:00 PM. Today was the final overseas meeting, and she didn't need to be at the office until 6:00 PM.

She hadn't slept this comfortably in a long time; her complexion looked much better. After cooking herself a simple bowl of noodles, she opened the playback of her home security footage. She saw that Xu Si'an had left at 8:30 in the morning. He must have stayed until nearly dawn.

"Forget it. What does it have to do with me?"

After lunch, with no desire to sleep, she watched the footage of the living room from the night before. She had originally bought the camera to keep an eye on her cat, Cherry. Now that Cherry wasn't interested, the "dog dad" had used it instead.

Qiao Xu watched as Xu Si'an emerged from the bedroom and pulled open her drawer: "Stealing my cigarettes again."

She fast-forwarded until he left and the door opened again. The living room had a motion-sensor light, and the footage captured his expression clearly upon entering. Was he upset because he had known the door code?

"Read too many books and lost your mind," she murmured.

Qiao Xu’s lips curled into a faint smile, and she called her mother. As she sat by the door putting on her shoes, she said helplessly, "Oh Mom, stop worrying about me. If you have time, find yourself a companion. Before Dad passed, he was most worried about you being alone."

Her mother scolded her over the phone, "If you find a boyfriend, I won't have to worry about you. Xiao Zhe said you had another fever a while back."

Qiao Xu swore silently at Meng Zhe; one day, she would let Cherry bite his tattletale mouth. "Xu-xu, listen to Mom. I'll only be at ease if you have someone by your side."

Qiao Xu brushed it off, "Got it, I'll find one. I'll find one for you right now."

It was still early, so Qiao Xu walked to the bus stop. "What are your requirements? How tall? How handsome? Does he need to have money?"

Her mother laughed in annoyance, "I told you to find a boyfriend."

"Isn't that what I'm asking you—the criteria for finding one?"

"Someone you like."

Hearing those words, a face surfaced in Qiao Xu’s mind. She chuckled, "Well, there’s no one for now. Why don't you introduce someone?"

The bus stop was only a few hundred meters from her apartment complex. She sat on the bench, watching the traffic go by, feeling somewhat dazed. It had been four years; she didn't think she had ever felt this relaxed for a single day.

"Mom, do you remember the boyfriend I said I was going to marry back in college?"

Her mother replied, "I remember. You said you were planning to get married, and your father and I even had your dowry ready. Then you said he died. What a pity, the young man was quite handsome."

*Xu Si'an: ???*

For a split second, Qiao Xu felt guilty toward Xu Si'an. "Mom, I lied to you and Dad. He didn't die."

Her mother exploded, "Qiao Xu! Your father and I must have spoiled you rotten. Are you allowed to just go around cursing people like that?"

The bus arrived, and Qiao Xu took the opportunity to hang up, "Mom, I have to go to work, I can't talk anymore. Love you, Mom, bye!"

In the CEO’s office, Xu Si'an sneezed three times in a row. Song Jia quickly poured him a glass of hot water. "Mr. Xu, have you caught a cold?"

Xu Si'an sniffled, "I'm fine. Did you book the tickets to Los Angeles?"

Song Jia nodded, then hesitated. "Mr. Xu, may I ask if you and Sister Qiao knew each other before?"

He couldn't be blamed for being gossipy. Half an hour ago, Xu Si'an had ordered him to book tickets for himself and Qiao Xu to Los Angeles. Just as he was about to contact the HR department for Qiao Xu’s ID number, his boss had rattled it off from memory. This... it was hard not to overthink it.

Xu Si'an took a sip of water. "What if we did? What if we didn't? What, are you interested in her?"

Song Jia scratched the back of his head. "No, it's for my cousin. He’s coming back to the country soon, and my aunt is worried he won't find anyone, so she asked me to keep an eye out for him." His cousin was also one of Xu Si'an’s subordinates.

The man’s smile deepened. "Tell your aunt: he isn't coming back."

"Huh? But Mr. Xu, isn't my cousin coming back to take over the sales department?"

Xu Si'an chuckled softly, "Did I ever say that?"

When Qiao Xu got off the bus, she passed a dessert shop near the office. Their signature lime Basque cheesecake was something you had to be lucky to get. Seeing two left in the display case, she had them packed up.

As Song Jia walked out of the executive office, he bumped into Qiao Xu. "Sister Qiao, why are you here so early? Isn't your shift at six?"

"Nothing to do, so I came early. Oh, by the way, this cake is delicious. You just got back, so you probably haven't tried it."

Qiao Xu put the other cake in the breakroom fridge for the other assistants to share later. Song Jia happily headed back to the office.

Xu Si'an was flipping through a contract. "Anything else?"

"Mr. Xu, Sister Qiao bought me a cake. Do you want some?"

The black contract slammed shut. "Bring it here. Put it down."

Song Jia thought he wanted to eat it and reached to open the box. "Don't touch it."

Xu Si'an pulled out his phone and sent him a WeChat red packet. "Go buy your own."

"Mr. Xu, this is..."

"I bought it. It's mine now."

Song Jia opened the red packet and stared. "Mr. Xu, you're too stingy. Fifty bucks won't even buy this cake." If he’d known, he wouldn't have come in.

Xu Si'an transferred him another fifty. "That enough?"

Song Jia didn't give up. "Mr. Xu, I recall you don't eat sweets."

"You remembered wrong. I like sweets very much."