Imperfect Desires

As Xiu had closed her eyes, the scene from earlier replayed in her mind. It was out of her expectations. Especially because of Zhou Jinhai's presence. She really didn't expect he'd be willing to pay for the crimes that two women committed in the name of protecting him and loving him. Maybe he felt like he really owed it. 

As for what he owed Chen Xiu, even Xiu herself couldn't understand it at this moment. 

She just sighed out as she caressed her stomach and whispered, "Little Tiger, do you think mommy is heartless?" She never thought there would come a day when she wouldn't feel bad for others. She had always been a sympathetic person and always found that kindness was the grace. And yet, today, she was unable to show that kindness. "Death has left your mommy a little cold. I can't bring myself to show warmth to those people who hurt your dad and me." She smiled softly as she went on, "But don't worry. I'll make sure to remove this coldness from this world so that I can give you a beautiful, warm, and kind world. You'll never have to fear these people."

Bo Jiu craned her neck over to the front seat and said, "Boss, you're really awesome!"

"You've said that already," replied Xiu.

"I am not able to forget that scene. You're too handsome when you raised your bat. I have fallen in love with your bat. I feel like it's a mighty sight!"

Han Bohai also looked at Xiu briefly before he turned his attention back towards the road. He finally could understand why Ah-Si seemed so traumatized by Xiu's mighty bat. It was truly a sight that he won't ever be able to forget ever in his life.

"Xiao Bobo, keep an eye on Zhou Jinhai's condition," said Xiu.

"You want to know whether he survives or not?" 

"Of course," replied Xiu. "It's not like I want him dead."

"His condition isn't very optimistic though. It's hard to say if he'll be able to survive or not. He got two bullets."

"That's why I said, just let me know about his condition."

After that, Xiu didn't say anything at all. She hadn't been able to sleep for so long and now that she found sudden relaxation in her heart, she instantly fell asleep. 

"She fell asleep?" inquired Bo Jiu as she lifted her eyes from her laptop screen. 

"Hmm..." Han Bohai hummed in reply.

"I heard that pregnant ladies like to sleep a lot but she hasn't been sleeping at all. So, I was quite worried about her."

"She was forcing herself," replied Han Bohai. "Let her sleep now."

.....

While Xiu had gone through this ordeal, Darren got the detailed report of the incident from the people he had left around Xiu. And the more he heard, the more his expressions turned ugly. He really regretted not being there with her. He couldn't even imagine what would have happened if she had been the one to get shot there. That's why he had been so against her decision to go there all alone. 

But he had no way to stop her either. For now, he could only relax over the fact that she was safe. As for Zhou Jinhai...

"Keep an eye on his condition and keep me posted. Get the best doctors for him. No matter what, you better save him at any cost." He instructed his subordinates before he hung up the phone. He really didn't think that his brother would get involved in this. 

But he truly felt thankful that Zhou Jinhai saved Xiu. Even if it was unnecessary, he was still thankful. No matter what kind of relationship he had with Zhou Jinhai, he couldn't deny the fact that they were brothers. And he honestly never wanted to hurt Zhou Jinhai. It was because he never wanted to hurt his brother that he had never gone to confront Niu Peizhi for what she did to him.

Now hearing that his brother was fighting for his life, he felt complicated in his heart. As for Liu Nuan's death or Niu Peizhi's end, he felt nothing. Not even a hint of sympathy!

*Slam!*

Suddenly the door of the room was slammed open and Darren's daydreaming was broken by the sound. He looked towards the door and saw how Xin Zimen and Xin Zemin walked inside with furious looks on their faces.

Darren gulped down as he saw their appearance. It seemed like he couldn't hold these men back any longer. 

Actually, two hours ago he was asked where Xiu was. And he had responded with, she is somewhere in the house. And that was clearly a lie. But after that, every single person in this house looked for Xiu around the house for two hours and still didn't find her anywhere. 

Even an idiot would understand at this point that Darren had lied to them. 

"Where is she?" questioned Xin Zimen trying to keep his voice as low as possible. He didn't want to let out his anger. Not in front of Darren since he quite liked him. He was just unable to understand why he lied to him.

"You didn't find her? She clearly went down," answered Darren as he continued to pretend to be ignorant. 

"Regan!" Xin Zemin's voice raised slightly. "Don't try to play games with us. She isn't at home. We have looked for her everywhere. No one has seen her. Not a single servant saw her since last night. And neither of the people on patrol outside saw her leaving the house. So, tell her clearly where she is?!" 

Darren rubbed his forehead as he watched the worry in those two men's faces. They weren't even trying to hide their worried expressions. One could see how scared these two were just with the idea of not seeing Xiu. He suddenly didn't know how to lie to them.

Clearly, these two were Xiu's fathers. One way or another, they both were indeed her fathers. He couldn't choose to offend either of them for her sake. And he couldn't lie to them any longer because he was scared that they might end up losing their sanity from worry.

"I can't tell you both," he finally voiced out helplessly. "Just know that she is safe."

"She left this house?" asked Xin Zimen and Darren nodded in reply. "How?" That's what he had been curious about. With such strict surveillance, she still managed to get out of here without a single person noticing it? Just how did she manage to do it? He had to know it!

"That... I don't know," answered Darren while avoiding his gaze.

"Regan, do you think I won't be able to find her just because she left this house?"

"No," said Darren. "I know you'll find her sooner than the sun goes down today. But I have to tell you, she doesn't want either of you to find her. If she did, she wouldn't have sneaked out of here like this. It was because she wanted to leave alone that she took this risk. So, I hope you both don't get involved in this."

"She is my daughter!" said Xin Zemin. "How am I supposed to not get involved when I know that her life could be in danger outside? Do you know how many have found out that she is my daughter by now? And do you know how many enemies I have? How am I supposed to be at ease knowing that she is out there all alone?"

"She isn't all alone," said Darren. "I have already arranged people to keep her safe. You don't have to worry about it. She is your daughter, I know. But don't forget, she is my wife as well. Also, she is going to be the mother of my child. Do you really think I don't care about her safety? You have no idea about how anxious I am here! But I can't do anything. She wanted to go alone. That's her decision. Because what she is up to, it's something she has to do herself."

Xin Zimen calmly sat down beside Darren as he asked, "Why don't you tell me what she is up to? I have to know to understand why she has to take such a risk with her life in this condition. Clearly, you also know that she isn't perfectly fine."

"She is," said Darren. "Sweets is absolutely fine now. Her mind is clearer than ever. And she is courageous than ever. For the first time in her life, she knows what she wants." He held Xin Zimen's gaze and went on, "Uncle Zi, just give her some days. Once she comes back to you, she'll have a lot to say to you both. Something that might be life-changing for you both."

Xin Zimen didn't know why his heart felt so uneasy listening to his words but there was also a hint of expectation in his heart. He didn't know what his heart was waiting for but he knew it was looking forward to what Xiu had to say.

"I won't get involved, just let me protect her," said Xin Zimen. "Please!"