Imperfect Desires

*Flashback Continued*

"Xiao Zi," Zhao Huan called out. "What's your opinion regarding their argument? Do you want your son to marry Xixi's daughter or just be a best friend?"

He shrugged his shoulders in reply, "I'll be happy as long as they are happy."

"Ah-Xin, are you going against me?" questioned Wen Ai.

"No, he is giving his unbiased opinion," answered Su Xixi for him.

"By the way, Xixi, what are doing here? Did you come for a surprise visit?"

Su Xixi facepalmed herself, "I almost forgot because of your wife's nonsense. I'm here to give you both an invitation."

"Invitation?" Xin Zimen opened his eyes and sat straight to look at her. "For what?"

"For my best friend's surprise birthday party," she replied.

Wen Ai furrowed her brows, "I'm your best friend though."

Su Xixi grinned, "Exactly!"

Xin Zimen pressed his lips together as he saw them staring at each other and added, "Xixi, you and your best friend share the same birthday though. So, are you inviting us to your birthday or her birthday party?"

"Both!" replied Su Xixi.

"Wait," said Zhao Huan. She looked at Su Xixi and Wen Ai as she asked in surprise, "You both share the same birthday?"

Wen Ai nodded her head in reply, "We were born on the same day. Only I was born in the morning, she came in the evening."

Su Xixi snorted, "Our Ai was eager to come to the world that's why she was born in the morning. After all, she had so many people to beat."

"Are you making fun of me?" 

Su Xixi shook her head, "I'm being very honest. Don't you remember? Mom even told us how you loved to kick everyone who held you in their arms."

Xin Zimen laughed out loud, "That sure sounds like something my wife would do."

Wen Ai was gonna say something to Su Xixi but stopped when she saw Xin Zimen laughing like that. Forget it! She'd just look over it this time around since this idiot best friend made her husband laugh even though it was at her own expense. 

"Jokes apart, every year we arrange the birthday party for each other but this time, I decided to just do it together." Su Xixi told Wen Ai. "Feifei is also coming. There won't be many people."

Wen Ai nodded, "Sister Huan, you should also come."

Zhao Huan pressed her lips together in hesitation and Xin Zimen voiced out, "Sister-in-law, just come to the party. You'd be surprised to see what these two can do."

"We can't do anything, Zizi," said Su Xixi. "At least not in this condition."

He stood up and said, "I have no trust in both of you. Anything can happen when you two are together. No, no. Anything is possible when any of you is around. But when both of are you around, then it becomes a whole different story of chaos."

"We always have control of the chaos," argued Su Xixi.

"Your husband would definitely disagree with that," said Xin Zimen and left them.

Zhao Huan followed him out and called out, "Xiao Zi!"

"Yes," Xin Zimen looked back at her.

Zhao Huan hesitated a little before saying, "Your brother..."

"Let's not talk about him," said Xin Zimen.

"If you talk to him, I believe that everything can be fixed," was Zhao Huan's opinion.

Xin Zimen looked at her face carefully before saying, "Sister-in-law, if we sat down to talk, a lot of things will change. Your husband will have to learn about everything that he had been kept away from. He had been given such a protected environment that he never realized that something was wrong around him."

"And you want him to continue living in the deception?" 

"At least, he is living well," he replied. "I don't know what Wen Ai said to you but please, don't take it to heart. Whatever kind of relationship I or my brother have doesn't matter at all. What matters is that we are both happy where we are."

Zhao Huan was silent for a minute, "Do you really think that he can't feel that something is wrong around him?"

Xin Zimen smiled at her, "He is a smart person. Of course, he can see it. But the question is, whether he is ready to ruin what he has or not? I have nothing to lose because I never had anything, to begin with. He on the other hand has a lot he is scared to lose. And you just became a part of something he is scared to lose."

While they were discussing, they were oblivious to the conversation between Wen Ai and Su Xixi. The playful aura about both of them was lost as soon as they were alone.

"Xi, you have something for me?" asked Wen Ai. "You definitely didn't come here for that birthday invitation. Even I know the birthday party is thrown by my godmother."

Su Xixi gave her a small smile before taking out a stack of photos from her purse and passing it to Wen Ai. When Wen Ai looked at the photos before her, her eyes went wide in shock. 

"The whole clan has been wiped out within a night," told Su Xixi.

"What?" Wen Ai blinked at the grotesque photos. "Who did it and why?"

Su Xixi sighed out, "Mastermind: Xin Suyin. The motive for the crime: Love." Wen Ai stared at her best friend as the latter went on, "As always, it's always for love."

Wen Ai covered her mouth and didn't speak for a long while, "No one survived?"

"The one she desperately wanted dead actually survived," said Su Xixi. "I had people send her to the hospital. She was in a critical condition but her will to live was stronger. She managed to live." She took a brief pause and added, "You better keep your husband away from that psychopath. If she can go this far for love, you and I both know what she can do for revenge."

Wen Ai closed her eyes and groaned, "I really don't want to ruin her cute image that Ah-Xin seems to believe."

Su Xixi patted her shoulder, "It's about time you make him wake up from his dream."

*End of Flashback*