Imperfect Desires

"I meant between me and my boyfriend, who is on the top? You didn't even have to tell me that Regi is always at the top of your heart. I think the whole world knows by now!"

While Zhao Huan wheeled her close to the window to get some sunlight, Xiu said, "The whole world has yet to know though."

"Why don't you broadcast it then?" suggested Ying.

Xiu looked like she was really contemplating her suggestion seriously. "That's not a bad idea."

Ying facepalmed herself and turned to Zhao Huan for help, "Aunt, say something to your daughter."

"What?" questioned Zhao Huan leaving Ying speechless.

Ying rubbed her temples and said, "Actually, I shouldn't even bother with this. With my experience, I can already say with certainty that every person in this family loves deeply. It'd be pointless to ask any one of them to be less flashy about their love. And since Xiu also has the Xin blood, how can I expect anything different from her?"

Zhao Huan held a hairbrush in her hand as she said to Xiu, "Don't listen to her nonsense."

Xiu smiled in reply, "I wasn't planning on doing it, mom." She took a pause and asked, "Ying Jie, you didn't give me an answer."

"Huh?"

"Where is your boyfriend?" Xiu asked again. Xiu was actually waiting for her Xiao Bobo, she had a fuzzy memory but she couldn't tell if it was her dream or was part of reality. Since he was part of the fuzzy memory, she thought if she saw him, something might clear up. However, if her memory was serving her right, then he knew who she was. 

The idea of Han Bohai knowing about her being Chen Xiu was scary and yet she anticipated it as well. A part of her wanted him to know but the other part wanted to let him stay in the dark. She couldn't tell herself what she wanted. Without meeting him again in this life, she was certain she didn't want him to know anything but now that he walked back into her life, she was getting greedy. She wanted her Xiao Bobo back. 

Ying looked at Darren and asked, "You really don't mind her being this curious about someone else's man?"

Darren responded, "If she is asking where is he, why don't you just tell her?"

Ying let out a heavy breath before answering Xiu, "He had a press conference to attend. He'd be here in the evening. Do you want me to send him to meet you?"

"Why not?" was Xiu's reply. "I think I'll feel better just looking at my favorite star's face."

While Ying sat there in silence, Zhao Huan blow-dried Xiu's hair, brushed her hair, and then even braided her hair. And all this while, Ying's eyes were on this pair of mother and daughter. Recalling something, she chuckled all by herself.

"What's so funny?" asked Xiu as she was appreciating her braid made by her mother. "Won't you share it? We can laugh together."

Ying looked at Zhao Huan and said, "Aunt, do you remember Aunt Ai's attempt to braid Ah-Lin's hair?" Zhao Huan couldn't help laughing as well. "My mom made so much fun of her back then."

Zhao Huan said, "Ah-Lin bugged her all day and insisted to have a braid like her Ying Jie. And she even wanted her mother to do it for her. Poor Ai was in a bind. But she tried her best."

"Ying Jie, were you very close to Ah-Xin's daughter?" questioned Xiu after listening to their conversation. 

"No," Ying shook her head. "Ah-Lin was only close to one person; her father! The rest couldn't even enter her eyes. Even her own mother had to come up with all sorts of ideas to get her daughter's attention."

"I can't even blame her for that," said Xiu. She thought even if it was herself, she would also only look at Ah-Xin. Like who wouldn't? "By the way happened to your leg?"

Ying looked down at her leg, she had been sitting all this while so how Xiu notice something was wrong with her leg? She couldn't possibly see the bandage through her trousers. 

"Nothing. I wasn't looking so I fell down the stairs," was Ying's excuse.

Xiu scoffed at her, "Just because I look like an idiot, you don't have to actually treat me as one. Because I ain't falling for that lame excuse of yours."

"If you're not gonna fall for my excuses, don't ask me things I'd have to come with an excuse for," retorted Ying.

After Xiu's hair was done, Zhao Huan helped her back to her bed, and settled her in, covered her with a blanket, and asked, "Do you need anything else?"

Xiu shook her head with a smile, "Nope. Thanks, mom!"

Zhao Huan pinched her nose, "You don't have to say thanks to mom."

"No, we should say thanks where it's needed. Even mothers need to be appreciated. Just because someone is a giver, we shouldn't abuse that quality of theirs."

"Look at you talking so big," said Zhao Huan. "When you talk like this, I feel like I'm talking to Xiao Zi."

Xiu frowned at that, "Oh? My dad doesn't talk like this?"

Zhao Huan shook her head, "Your dad is a very simple man. While Xiao Zi is a serious man, my husband is a smiling person. He doesn't even have a temper. He is too nice."

"Isn't that why you both compliment each other?" said Ying. "You both are so nice that people around you had been able to easily manipulate you both."

Zhao Huan was silent for a moment before agreeing, "Maybe. But it's not our loss. Being good doesn't make us weak, it means we are strong enough to keep the real us in the cruel society."

"This is why Zizi gets annoyed by both of you," said Ying. 

Zhao Huan smiled at her, "That's because the way Xiao Zi looks at life is different than us."