Imperfect Desires

When Xiu woke up, she had no idea that her sneak plan had been exposed, and not only her, even Han Bohai was also under the fire along with her. And the fire cannon was in the hands of Yan Ying who wanted to burn these two people who dared to trick everyone like that. 

And she also didn't know that she had actually had a phone conversation with Xin Zimen since she seemed to have woken up from a dream that had Xin Zimen in it. With that dream and what happened in reality, it was hard for her to distinguish which one was real and which one was fake.

Besides, she had slept for the whole day, it was already afternoon when she woke up, and now, her brain was quite disoriented. 

"Sister Xiu, you're finally awake!" said Han Bohai when he saw her coming out of the bedroom while scratching her head like a crazy person. Her whole appearance was something that could give people a headache. But she didn't care how bad she looked after she woke up, she only knew that her stomach was protesting.

"Food," that was the only word she said as she sat down on the high stool that faced the counter and perched her face on her hands.

"I knew you'd be hungry after waking up," said Bo Jiu as she hurried to arrange the dishes that she had been keeping warm all this while. "Eat a lot, Xiuxiu. You need a lot of energy to stay the coolest Xiu!"

"Why is it that even after going through so many punishments, you still have the nerve to butter me up?" Xiu was really baffled that even after she had taught so many lessons to this girl, she was still the same girl who tried to curry favor by offering her coffee on her first day at work. She didn't change even one bit!

"I'm super shameless!" retorted Bo Jiu.

Han Bohai spurted out the coffee that he had yet to swallow. He coughed a little and looked at Xiu saying, "Sister Xiu, she is really your apprentice."

"What are you trying to imply here?" 

Han Bohai shrugged his shoulders carelessly, "You always attract people like yourself. Since you're shameless, even the people surrounding you are shameless. There is no doubt."

Xiu took a bite of the meat in her bowl and chewed patiently. "There is nothing wrong with my attraction energy. I think the problem is with the people being attracted to me."

"Oh, so something is wrong with your husband as well? Is that why he is attracted to you so much?"

Xiu turned her head to glare at him, "My Regan is a part of my soul. Soulmate! He isn't attracted to me at all. He is in love with me."

"Show-off!"

"Jealous!"

Bo Jiu silently observed these back and forth attacks of words and commented, "Xiuxiu, I never knew you had a childish side as well."

Xiu didn't want to continue this either, she chose to silently eat and replenish her energy before starting again. An empty stomach, she couldn't even argue. 

After she was done eating, she leaned back in her chair and rubbed her stomach before letting out a burp in a completely unladylike manner. However, both the people around her didn't have any reaction to what she was doing at all. 

Bo Jiu was focused on her laptop while Han Bohai was still immersed in the taste of his coffee. Xiu decided to take a walk on the open terrace of the presidential suite to digest the food. 

And while doing so, something came to her mind. "Xiao Bobo, did anyone come here when I was sleeping?"

"No," replied Han Bohai. "Why are you asking?"

"Are you sure?" Han Bohai nodded. "So, my father didn't come, right?"

"Which one?" questioned Han Bohai and saw how Xiu paused for a moment at that question.

Bo Jiu also chose this moment to chime in, "Doesn't everyone have only one father?"

"No," replied Han Bohai. "Some people are fortunate enough to have more than one father."

Xiu narrowed her eyes at him, "Or maybe they are so unfortunate that they can't even say it."

Bo Jiu observed these too keenly before pointing out, "When I was young, I was told that computer language is the most difficult language in the world. My inner competitiveness took over and today, I find even binary language a lot easier than the game of words that people play with each other. What kind of code language is this? And why am I not able to understand it?"

"Maybe because you've spent too long trying to connect with the computers that you've forgotten how it felt to connect with humans," said Xiu without any change in her expression.

Bo Jiu's shoulders slumped down, "I think you're right."

Xiu shook her head at this eccentric piece and went back to her room before saying, "Get ready. We are leaving."

"Where to?" questioned Han Bohai.

Xiu halted in her steps as she replied, "Obviously, we are going to check up on Xin Suyin. Since she is already scared of the ghost of her guilt, let's allow her to actually meet this ghost in real now."

Han Bohai furrowed his brows at her but didn't ask further.

It didn't take long for Xiu to come out of her room dressed up in a white dress. Her silky long hair fell over her shoulders. Her bare face looked hauntingly beautiful at the moment.

"Are you gonna play the role of the ghost yourself?" questioned Bo Jiu when she looked at Xiu's attire.

Xiu was looking at the phone in her hand when she looked up and glanced at Bo Jiu, "I'm the real ghost around here."

Han Bohai could only shake his head at Xiu's remark of being a ghost. He didn't know when she was gonna call herself a human again. 

"But you don't even resemble Chen Xiu," pointed out Bo Jiu. "In this way, how are you gonna act this play? That's why I sent you the pictures of four candidates who had an uncanny resemblance with Chen Xiu's appearance."

"But none of them was Chen Xiu," that sentence came from Han Bohai who stood up to follow Xiu without any question.

Bo Jiu frowned at him, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Sometimes, you shouldn't be so curious," replied Han Bohai.

"Huh?" Both Bo Jiu and Han Bohai turned to look at Xiu who was just standing at her place with her eyes focused on the phone screen. "When did I get a call from this number? Why does this number seem familiar?" Xiu was mumbling to herself. "Oh, fish! That's Daddy's phone number! So, he actually called? And I actually answered the call?" Xiu looked up at Han Bohai with wide eyes, "What did I say to him?"

Han Bohai was startled by her question and shook his head, "I don't know."

Xiu almost cried out in panic. She knocked on her head repeatedly, "Stupid head! Why can't you recall it?!" Then she slapped her mouth, "And what did you spout?"

"Sister Xiu, stop it. Maybe you didn't talk about anything important," said Han Bohai when he saw her acting like this.

"But I know myself!" exclaimed Xiu. "I always say something necessary even when I am awake. I'm sure I said something worse when I'm half-asleep! I hope I didn't let out all the truth before him. I don't want to come out before him in this manner."

"Xiuxiu, you're looking worried as if you're coming out of the closet before your family." Bo Jiu laughed at her own joke but the other two gave her a hard stare! So, the poor girl decided to zip her lips and put a lock on it before throwing the key away. 

*Ring!*

Suddenly the phone in her hand rang again and Xiu was so startled that she almost dropped the phone. But seeing who was calling, she didn't want to pick up the call. If Xin Zimen had the number it meant that her husband had spoken the truth before others. Now, she couldn't hide at all. So, she couldn't escape this at all. She had to take this call now.

Taking a deep breath, she picked up the call and tried to maintain her usual cheery persona, "Hey, Ah-Xin! What's up?!"

Xin Zimen paused for a minute when he heard her voice and didn't say anything for a minute. He didn't know what to say. He was wondering why he called. Because his mind had gone blank again once he heard her voice. And that voice had actually made him recall the way she called him 'Daddy' earlier. 

Now, his whole body was trembling from the aftereffects of that. Even though it's been so many hours since then.

"Ah-Xin!" Xiu called out again. "Why aren't you saying anything?"

Xin Zimen took a deep breath, "I'm just surprised at how shameless you are, little lass. You actually dared to sneak away and yet, you're speaking to me as if nothing happened!"