Imperfect Desires

"Ahem!" 

The sound made both Nora and Xiu look over to see Xin Zimen standing at the doorway. 

"Sorry to disturb you both but I just wanted to say that I've asked someone to clean the guest room for you both." 

"We aren-," Xiu wanted to say that they weren't staying here when Xin Zimen cut her off.

"I think your sister would like to spend some more time with her daughter," he was looking at Nora when he said those words.

Xiu also looked and saw how the little girl was nestling up to her mother. She really didn't have the heart to pull them away from each other. But... "We can take her with us." Xiu didn't know what she said wrong but Xin Zimen didn't look very amused.

"If you think I'll let you take my one and only granddaughter out of my house, you're really wrong."

"Why can't we take her? Nora is her mother! It's her right to take her daughter! How can to stop her?!"

Xin Zimen looked at her and rolled his eyes. "Is she really this clueless or she pretends to be one?"

"She is that clueless," Nora couldn't help answering Xin Zimen honestly.

"Hello! Before bad-mouthing me at least take notice that I'm standing right here!"

"We're not bad-mouthing you, Xiu'er. But you really need to stop living under the rock," said Nora looking at her best friend as if she was really disappointed. 

Xiu was still uncertain about what she did wrong. And how was she living under the rock exactly? What were they referring to exactly?!

"Okay, let me say it this way..." began Xin Zimen keeping his voice calm. "Do you know who I am?"

"Yes, you're Xin Zimen," said Xiu in a 'duh' kind of way like that was dumbest question she had ever heard. 

"Then do you know who Xin Zimen exactly is?" he asked further making her frown.

"Not exactly!" answered Xiu in all honesty. She honestly had little to no knowledge of what Xin Zimen's name even represented in this society. And to be even more honest, she didn't care at all!

Xin Zimen sighed heavily before smiling at her. "You're really..." he shook his head and went on, "Forget it. Just know that I have many rivals. In personal life and in professional life. And any single one of them can try to use my granddaughter against me. I don't want to play with her safety and that's why until I assemble a highly skilled security team for her, I can't allow you to take her out of this house."

It's not like he didn't want Nora to go out with her daughter. It was just that he had already seen what happened the moment Ava landed in this country. He didn't want to repeat all that again. Last time, he was lucky since Ying was able to save his granddaughter, the next time might not be that lucky!

He was not gonna take any risk. Not at the expense of his granddaughter's life.

"Why do you even have so many enemies?" blurted out Xiu with a deeper frown now. She couldn't imagine a person like him having enemies even if she heard things from Dylan and others, after interacting with him, she honestly didn't believe a single thing now! What terrifying? Powerful? Or even all mighty! She was not buying any of it now!

Xin Zimen looked at Xin Kuan who was standing beside him asking for help now. Why was this girl so clueless? He never had to explain or introduce himself to anyone before! But since Xin Kuan was being too amused seeing them, he stayed out it.

"You can say I'm a very accomplished person," answered Xin Zimen.

"Huh? What does success have to do with enemies?"

"The more enemies you have the more successful you are."

"Who said that?"

"My wife!"

"I wonder if you have a bad sense of humor or she did," Xiu's words made Nora tug at her sleeve to just shut up already. Why was she so insisting on arguing over such a small thing?

Xin Zimen, however, was chewing at the inside of his mouth now as he looked at Xin Kuan and asked, "Who has the bad sense of humor?"

"I think you both did." Xin Kuan shrugged his shoulders and even smiled at him. Only now he understood why Xin Zimen was acting so out of his character. This girl was really something different. 

Xin Zimen looked back at Xiu. "Brother Kuan says both me and my wife. That means we were quite similar in way too many things."

Xiu stroked her chin thoughtfully, "A female version of you? Hmm..." She grinned as if she liked the sound of that. "I think I'd love to see that."

Xin Zimen could only pass her a sad smile. "I wish that was possible." Shaking his head to shake off all the bad thoughts, he went on, "We went off-topic. So, as I said in the beginning. The room is being cleaned, you can sleep there comfortably for tonight."

"I get it that Nora has to stay but why do I have to stay?" Xiu still hadn't given up on her questioning. She was really trying to get on people's nerves now. But according to her, all these questions were necessary since she didn't know the answers. And what's so wrong with asking when you don't know the answer?

"Because I think your sister will be more comfortable with you around." He sounded as if to make it clear that she was asking a very useless question now. 

Nora held Xiu's hand as soon as she saw Xiu opening her mouth again. "Please, shut up! And stay with me. I'll feel better."

Xiu thought about it before nodding agreeably. "Fine. I'm staying."

"Good to hear that," saying that Xin Zimen walked out with Xin Kuan and muttered, "I feel like I just won a battle or something."

"She's a handful," remarked Xin Kuan.

"Don't even remind me," was Xin Zimen's simple reply. He looked rather frustrated but there was still an amused smile at the corner of his lips. He couldn't deny it, Xiu was really pleasing to his eyes.