Imperfect Desires

With his elbow propped on the desk, the man's hand was supporting his face. His eyes were closed as the orange rays of the sun caressed his side profile ever so gently. His features were gentle and not even for a second one could guess how old he was.

In fact, the years had only polished down his features and enhances his handsome face. 

*BANG!*

A frown appeared between his beautiful brows when he heard the loud noise which disturbed his rest. He didn't even open his eyes to see who dared to open the door of his office with such force. He already knew.

"Ying'er, have some mercy on the door," he spoke softly while his eyes stayed shut even now.

Yan Ying exhaled through her mouth and closed the door as calmly as she could. Not making any sound now. But after that, her voice was enough to give Xin Zimen another headache.

"Zizi, how can you be resting here?" Ying's voice was high-pitched which didn't sound like her at all. "Throwing me in the pit of fire, you're relaxing here? How could you?"

Xin Zimen's fingers tapped the side of his face as he opened his eyes slowly and looked at the girl who was pacing around his office as if it was the city park. 

"I threw you in the pit of fire? Ay, that sounds... Interesting."

Seeing the way his lips curled up slightly in a smirk, she glared at him.

"Zizi, don't play jokes on me like this," she slammed her hands on his desk as she leaned over staring right into his eyes without any fear as she went on, "I'm a law-abiding citizen. I'm gentle like wind and soft like a flower. I'm good and honest. I'm a quite naive and guiltless good girl. How can you even bear to see me in pain?"

Xin Zimen's eyebrows raised then his expressions cracked as she kept stringing those words of praises to describe herself. Finally, he covered his mouth and laughed heartily at her face. Ying crossed her arms over her chest as she huffed at him.

When he stopped laughing, he turned serious as he intertwined the fingers of both hands and looked at her with a lazy look, "Just because your face is that of a naive, innocent, harmless and adorable girl, you're turning into a thick-skinned person." Ying avoided his eyes as he went on, "If I didn't know you any better I might actually fall for this outrageous 'self-promotion' of yours."

Ying stomped her foot before thinking something. She sat down at the chair and started again, "Zizi, I need your help."

"If I remember correctly when we are at work, you're supposed to address me as..."

"Sir!"

"Good girl. Now, tell me how can I help you?"

"Get me out of this punishment," she was pleading now trying to use every tactic she knew. "You know how much I despise books. I can't deal with paperwork. I'm willing to do anything except for being glued to that desk for the whole day. That is so not me!"

From the moment she entered his office, he knew this was her agenda. From a young age, she was like a free bird who loved soaring. How could she bear to sit for the whole day before a desktop computer?

"But I certainly remember you as a bookworm," he began making her gape at him in disbelief. "You always stayed in the top 5 back in school."

Ying facepalmed herself, "That's your smart son's fault. If only he wasn't in the top 3, I wouldn't have to study so hard to keep up. How could I stay in the same class if my grades dropped?"

"It's just as Yi always say, love can make you do foolish things." One could hear the disdain in Xin Zimen's voice quite clearly. 

"Haven't you done anything foolish for love?"

"I have done plenty of foolish things but love had never been the reason," answered Xin Zimen calmly before sighing out. "I do have a job for you. Are you really willing to do anything?"

Ying was in the alert mode as her eyes sparkled, "Yes, yes. Anything is good. I'm even willing to be a sweeper at this point." Xin Zimen brows raised at her and she laughed awkwardly, "Not that I want to be a sweeper. I was just trying to show you my desperation."

Xin Zimen looked at her thoughtfully, "But I certainly find that idea very amusing."

"Zizi!!!"

Xin Zimen winced while rubbing his ear. "Stop shouting."

"I won't shout only if you stop teasing me now." She rubbed her hands together and asked eagerly, "So, what's the job?"

"The job is pretty simple," he said. "You just have to protect someone."

"Like a bodyguard?" 

"Hmm... More like a shadow."

"Like a guardian angel?" she sounded really excited while grinning at him.

Xin Zimen was at a loss to see her behaving like this. Being a bodyguard was definitely the lowest of the ranks in their organization and yet she seemed like she won a lottery. "Whatever you wanna call it."

"I always wanted to be a guardian angel. Protecting the beauty in secret, hiding, and loving in secret. Aiyo! I'm already thrilled."

Xin Zimen coughed and when she looked at him worriedly he said, "You're confusing the genders here."

Ying replayed the words she just said and looked horrified, "I didn't mean it like that. I mean that's what I saw in those movies."

"When did you start watching movies?"

"I had a very interesting subordinate once. She was obsessed with movies. And she took me to watch some movies as well. So, I think I got this habit from her." Ying was babbling without caring that Xin Zimen had no interest in her reminiscing. "Although I no longer know where she is, I certainly am stuck with this habit of hers."

"Ying'er!"

"Yes?"

"I don't care."

"Oh..." she felt wronged when he said he wasn't interested in listening to her talking about good old memories. "So, who is the beauty I'm protecting?"

"How are you certain that it's a beauty?"

"Just an intuition."

"Your intuition is as scary as ever," said Xin Zimen before telling her the name of the 'beauty' as she called it.