Imperfect Desires

This night was bound to be restless for some people but unexpectedly, it became torture for Han Bohai instead. He thought he'd be able to set free his restlessness after clearing up everything with Xiu. And he indeed felt great just thinking about his Sister Xiu.

Whether it was her rebirth, her new family, her husband, or the unborn child. Everything made Han Bohai feel especially grateful towards the higher power who gave his sister Xiu another chance. He had always wished for her happiness and now that he could see her genuine happiness, he couldn't be feeling more elated. No one knew just how much it meant to him.

Everyone around him usually told him to forget about Chen Xiu. They told him to stop living in the regrets of the past but none of them understood that he just couldn't bring himself to forget anything related to Chen Xiu. She was more than just a sister to him. She made him who he was. Forgetting her was like forgetting that part of himself which he wasn't capable of doing. 

And only now, he could live in peace knowing that his Sister Xiu got what she deserved. 

However, Xiu had nothing to do with this torturous night he was experiencing currently. From the time, he came back to Ying's room, he was going crazy. He had intended to ask her about the bracelet but the said person never even showed up.

He tried calling her repeatedly but to no avail. It was as if Ying was hiding somewhere and he couldn't find her. And he definitely didn't like this feeling at all. He was pacing around in her room impatiently but even when the clock hit midnight, she was still nowhere to be seen.

With Han Bohai's overactive mind, he had come up with a thousand scenarios in his mind and not even one of those scenarios had a good ending. He was just that paranoid about his own luck.

"What's taking her so long?" he muttered to himself. "Come back already!"

He had thought about asking other people in the house if anyone had any clue regarding Ying's whereabouts but he decided not to step up. It was too late and rarely anyone in this house would have a good sleep. Now that it seemed like everyone was resting tonight, he couldn't just go and ruin their peaceful night.

He constantly calmed himself with different positive words but it had little to no effect on him. Once he got stuck in the spiral of his whirlwind thoughts, there was no way out unless Ying appeared before his eyes.

He leaned his back on the headboard as he closed his eyes to rest his mind for a while. He was hoping that once he wakes up, she'd be right before his eyes. 

Finally, his prayers were answered when it was close to the break of dawn. The door opened and a lethargic person dragged her body's weight inside. Coming close to the bed, Ying looked at Han Bohai's tired look and couldn't look away. She had been the one wandering around, why did he look like he was having a hard time?

There were not only dark circles under his eyes, his eyes were obviously swollen as well. Did he cry? She thought to herself and frowned. But soon, her eyes fell on the bracelet that he held tightly in his hand and as if everything became clear to her. As clear as day.

Han Bohai shifted slightly and while doing so, his eyes fell on Ying's figure. Almost immediately he leaped to his feet and held her shoulders as he looked her up and down. Only after seeing that nothing seemed wrong with her did he felt relief wash down his senses. But almost instantly, his anger flared up, "Where the hell have you been? Do you even know what time it is? Is this the time you're supposed to come home? Where is your sense of responsibility? If you had something important to do, you could have called me! If you didn't want to bother, at least, you shouldn't have turned your phone off! Half of my life is drained thinking about what could have gone wrong!"

Seeing him acting like this, Ying's lips curved up slightly.

Han Bohai noticed that and his anger burned like a volcano now, "Is this funny to you? My worry seems funny? Am I a joke? Or maybe I am a joke to you since you don't even want to take me seriously! You don't even wanna realize someone is waiting for you at home. Someone might be worried about you!"

Ying didn't say a word to him in reply and let him vent all his pent-up frustration. She didn't mind his harsh words. She found it actually quite touching. Because behind all his harsh words was his immense worry. And that really struck her heart right where it mattered.

"Are you done?" she asked seeing when he quietened up for a minute. Han Bohai took deep breaths and nodded his head. "Good," was all she said before she wrapped her arms around his body, taking him by surprise.

She pushed him a little and since he was standing right beside the edge of the bed, it was easier for her to push his body down. As his back pressed against the soft mattress, he instinctively embraced her body. In the silence of the room, her body laid on his hard one. 

Without any movement, she just continued to stay like that with no intention of moving as she said, "Hai, I'm tired."

Han Bohai's brain had a short circuit from the moment she called him 'Hai'. It was the very first time, she had called him with such intimacy. And this much was enough to make him breathless.

Maybe he was used to giving all his love to her and that's why even with her returning a very little affection, he was so deeply moved that he'd forget what he wanted to do.

"Let's just stay like this for now, hm?"

How could he refuse her when she spoke with such obvious gentleness. There was a charm in her tired voice. They say a person is most honest when they are tired. And currently, Ying was definitely exhausted and maybe that's why her body and her mouth were being so honest.

He took a deep breath and placed his hand on the back of her head as he said, "Just go to sleep if you're tired."

She turned her head and put her chin on his chest as she tried to see his expressions, "Hai, why are you so good to me?"

"Don't you already know?" he retorted. She shook her head as if she really didn't know. He sighed as he tucked her hair behind her ear and answered, "Because I love you. Don't ask why because I also can't tell how or why I fell so deeply in love with you."

Ying was again silent for a while before she pressed her cheek against his chest and closed her eyes. All of the things that had been running through her mind for the whole day suddenly disappeared from her mind. All that was left was his obvious scent that was overwhelming her senses slowly making it impossible for her to focus on anything besides him. It was like, not just his arms were embracing her, even his scent had engulfed her in a cocoon. 

And it was a warm place. So warm that she didn't feel like getting up to face the coldness of the world. This was good. This was very good. 

"Where have you been?" he finally asked what he had been bothered about.

"Can we not talk about all of that for now?" she pleaded. "I know all about your questions. And I know I have to answer them as well. But not today. Not right now. I really don't want to talk about any of it for now. So, let me just forget about the rest for now."

Han Bohai could hear the unwillingness in her voice clearly. He felt distressed for her. He was really upset with her but he couldn't bring himself to maintain his temper when she acted like this. It was rare for her to let her guards down around him. Although she had been slowly accepting him, today it seemed like she had really allowed him into her heart.

Just how was he supposed to stay cold with her being like this?

As the exhaustion got to him, he also closed his eyes to rest. He didn't know whether it was his dream or reality but he heard her soft voice saying, "Hai, I think I also fell for you." He tried to open his eyes to confirm but he just couldn't seem to do so. It was as if a heavy boulder was weighing down on his eyes that didn't allow him to open his eyes again.