Imperfect Desires

*Knock! Knock!*

Darren was so lost in staring at Xiu's sleeping face that he didn't even realize that someone was knocking at his door. Since Xiu fell asleep while talking, the video call was still going on. And was Darren ever the person who was gonna hang up on his own? When it came to his Sweets, he certainly wasn't that person.

His trance was only broken when a hand appeared before his eyes. He lifted his eyes to see his secretary giving him a look that said all about her feelings.

"Don't you know how to knock?" 

"I did," replied Paige calmly. "But someone was too busy being a desperate and creepy boyfriend that he didn't hear me."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I honestly never thought you'd be one of those people who stare at their girlfriend's face while they are asleep."

"Okay, I am that creepy boyfriend who loves to wake up in the middle of the night just to see my girlfriend's face. What's wrong with that? Is it my fault that I find her absolutely gorgeous? Or is it my fault that seeing her face puts me in a good mood? Or is it my fault that I can't believe I have someone like her in my life? Which one is my fault?"

Paige closed her eyes trying to hold back her temper. Show-off! "Stay a creepy boyfriend then." Saying that she extended a phone towards him.

"Why are you giving it to me?" he asked.

"Your dad's been calling for the whole day," she informed him.

Darren's brows quirked up, "What for?"

"He said he's also in the city and would like to have dinner with you."

Darren waved his hand saying, "I don't want to have that dinner with him."

"He knew your answer maybe that's why he asked me to inform you that if you didn't come to this address..." she pointed at the phone screen which she had been waving before his eyes and went on, "Then he'd have to come here. And as we all know, you wouldn't like the media learning about who your father is."

"Is he threatening me?"

Paige shook her head, "No. I believe he is just stating the obvious. And if you ask me, I still don't understand why you're so scared of letting the media know about your father. I mean, do you realize how much your father wants to tell the world you're his son?"

"Are you working for me or him?" 

Paige cleared her throat before she began, "I work for you but I just wanted to say my piece. The rest is up to you. But I do hope you go for that dinner tomorrow. You and I both know how much your father loves you. He'd be heartbroken if you didn't go."

"Get out!" was Darren's reply as he pointed towards the door.

Paige sighed out, "It's so difficult to speak up your mind in this corporate world."

"Paige!"

"I'm going," with that, she left his room not before sending him the address for the dinner place.

Darren spent the next few minutes just staring at Xiu's sleeping figure before he put the video call on mute and picked up his other phone to dial a number. 

....

Ying was gulping down the juice straight from the carton when her phone rang. She looked at the called id and ignored it. When the phone rang again, she groaned before taking the call, "What do you want?"

"I heard you're getting a boyfriend," teased Darren making her curse at him.

"If you're calling to irritate me, I'm gonna hang up."

"Wait!" Ying brought the phone back to her ear and he continued, "I actually have a very serious question to ask."

"Go ahead."

"You had been following my Sweets for a few days now. Did you notice anything odd? Around her or maybe about her?"

Ying tapped her chin thoughtfully before replying, "The only odd thing I noticed is that Xiu is outlandishly adorable and loyal. No wonder you fell in love with her. She is so random and unexpected that she keeps you on your toes. It's fun being around her."

Darren shook his head with a smile playing on his lips at the way Ying described his Sweets before saying, "I think I know about that already. Anything else you noticed?"

"Yes."

"What?"

"She is a very caring person as well."

"Ying!"

"What?"

"I'm asking if she's okay or not?" asked Darren in frustration.

"Oh, that. She is absolutely fine except that I think she misses you a lot. According to her, she's overreacting but I can tell that it might be her first time getting attached to someone to the point that she finds the distance between you and her a little too overwhelming."

Darren was quiet for a while when he heard her. "Ying, did uncle Zi ask you to follow her?" Ying hummed in reply. She had no point hiding it from him. "Why?"

"That's something even I don't know about," replied Ying honestly.

"There is something that Yan Ying doesn't know about?"

"I might act like it all the time but I'm not Ms. Know-It-All. I also have limits to what I can or can't do." She took a pause before adding, "But it has something to do with her your girlfriend's father."

Darren straightened up, "Do you know who he is?"

"Nope. But I have a hunch."

"And what is your hunch?"

Ying dropped the empty carton of her juice in the bin and said, "I think instead of focusing on her father, you should be worried about yours."

"Mine? What is wrong with mine?"

"You don't know?" 

Darren frowned at her words, "What do you mean? What is it I don't know?"

"Just how estranged are you trying to be from your own father that you don't even know he had a heart attack last month?"

"What?!" Darren stood up. "But... I just heard from Paige he wants to have dinner with me. Are you lying to me?"

"Why would I do that? I have no reason to lie to you at all! I'm just informing you something I heard from my grandmother." She took a moment to add, "I think you should go to that dinner then. Don't push him into dead corner again."

"I'll talk to you later," with that, Darren hung up the call and fell down on the couch, closing his eyes.