Imperfect Desires

*Flashback Continued*

Since she said it was a physical assault, he hit her head on purpose with his hand. "Since it's a physical assault, I should be doing it properly, no?"

"Husband, I can file a case on you for domestic violence!"

"Oh? Go ahead!" he responded as if challenging her.

She stared at him for a long moment before she picked up a small piece of gauze and tied it around his pinky finger before tying the other end with her own pinky finger. Xin Zimen raised his hand and hers also lifted along, "What is this now?"

"Handcuffs," she replied plainly. 

"What?" 

Wen Ai shook her head at him, "Husband don't you already know? They say marriage is already a prison. And you're already married to me. If I have to file a complaint about you, I'd do it to myself. And being the judge of my own destiny, I just sentenced to life imprisonment with me! Whether you like it or not, who cares?"

"Do you ever have something nice to say?" he questioned.

"I'm a nice person, do I have to add nice words as well? Wouldn't that be too fake? I can only do one; either being a nice person or being the person who says nice words. There is no such thing as the best of both worlds!"

Xin Zimen clutched his neck saying, "I feel like my blood pressure is shooting up!"

She dragged him out saying, "Let's eat something. Everything will get better!"

"How can you even think about the food at this time?" he questioned in annoyance and yet he followed her to the restaurant.

"Is there time to think about food? Isn't it up to me when I want to eat or not? What does time have to do with it? Besides, I just did some heavy exercise. I'm famished after that."

Xin Zimen decided to just stay silent and let her do whatever she wanted. That was the best solution. As they entered the restaurant, she ordered for both of them and asked, "Ah-Xin, is it true that Suyin is the first girl in the Xin family's last three generations?"

"Why are you bringing that up all of a sudden?"

"I'm just curious," she retorted. "Answer me!"

He was cleaning the chopsticks with a napkin as he answered, "It's not that she's the first girl in the past three generations. It's just that she's the only living one in the past three generations."

"What does that mean?" 

"Before her, everyone either was born dead or died at a young age. She's the only one who managed to survive till adulthood."

Wen Ai nodded her head and muttered, "And yet she is such a person?"

"What kind of a person? I warned you before, don't say anything about my sister."

She raised her hands in defense, "I didn't say anything." She smiled at him as she thought to herself, 'I'd never say anything until I have a shred of evidence of what kind of a monster Suyin really is.'

As the food was served, she looked at her piping hot bowl of beef noodles and salivated at the sight. This was the real thing!

As he mixed his noodles with his chopsticks, he noticed her eyes stuck to his face. "What? What do you want?"

She opened her mouth wide, "My hands are hurt. I can't eat on my own."

"So?" he pretended like he couldn't understand her meaning at all.

She looked wronged, "I just said I can't eat. Just feed me."

"Why should I?" he responded.

"Because I'm your one and only wife!" 

"Is it necessary to add 'one and only'? Obviously, you're the only wife I have!"

She shrugged her shoulders, "I'm just making it clear that no one can take my place!"

He took a brief pause as he saw her giving him pleading looks. "It's not that I can't feed you, but I have a condition." Her brows raised up inquisitively. "You have to stop getting into these useless street fights."

Her shoulders slumped, "Why are you so mean? You know I can't do that."

"Then forget about it."

"Ah-Xin!" she called out to him. "You know that I'm the person who only thinks about today. Life isn't that complicated to me. It's neither about yesterday nor about tomorrow. It's all about today! So, I need to make my today worthwhile. I don't want to wake up tomorrow with a stupid regret. That's not my style!"

"Then eat yourself," he said calmly. "I think your hands are not that injured anyway. You can definitely hold the chopsticks."

She moved her hand and because of the gauze that was tied to both their hands, his hand felt a tug and his noodles dropped back down into the bowl.

When he turned his head to look at her, she started with a pitiful look, "How can you do this to me? We just got married about a month ago and this love is already faking? You can't even feed your injured wife? You're already finding me a burden?" She faked a sniffle as her voice got a little louder, "Everyone said marriage is a grave for love but I didn't listen. But now... Aiyo! What should I do?"

Seeing how everyone was now staring at them, Xin Zimen placed his hand over her loud mouth and gritted out, "Stop being dramatic! This pitiful look doesn't even go with their gangster image!"

Wen Ai happily flipped her hair saying, "Ah-Xin, no matter what kind of woman it is, the pitiful look always works!"

Xin Zimen exhaled a long breath and put the noodles on the spoon before blowing on it and bringing it to her mouth. Wen Ai greedily opened her mouth and ate with a nom-nom sound. His eyes didn't look away from her face as she ate with her eyes twinkling. Before others she would always have a dark look in those eyes of hers, how did her eyes always seem so bright around him?

*To Be Continued*