Chapter 542 - Stuck!
"Why are you holding a scissor though?" asked Shui Xian. "Planning a murder?"
Mu Chenyan gave him a lopsided grin, "Oh, my innocent son-in-law, I never needed a weapon to murder someone. My hands are enough to do a better job."
"Violent," commented Shui Xian.
"Just because I called you innocent doesn't mean you are one," Mu Chenyan appointed out. "You and I both know what you have done in the past few years." She took a dramatic pause to add, "There is nothing innocent about that."
Shui Xian still kept his innocent but charming smile on. What he was, of course, he knew. He knew it all too well. But as he said the other night, everyone had a skeleton in their closet. Hidden. He was no different.
"Yanyan, let's go," said Raelle. "The haircut has already been delayed for a while now."
Mu Chenyan shrugged and followed Raelle. They went to the patio which Mu Chenyan had turned into a whole hairdresser shop. She had all the professional tools one would need. But for some reason, the woman was carrying her scissor in her hand all this while. Shui Xian was willing to bet that she did it on purpose just to scare him.
Raelle's pure black hair reached below her shoulder blades now. And she usually kept the length just above her shoulder blades. Her hair was thick and shiny and grew very fast. Surprisingly, she usually didn't do anything to take special care of her hair as she did with her skin. At least, her skin enjoyed her special care but her hair didn't.
Yet, her hair stubbornly grew fast.
Raelle washed her hair on her own before coming to take a seat and allowing Mu Chenyan to do her magic. What kind of a haircut she'd be getting was all up to Mu Chenyan. Raelle wouldn't waste her time on deciding that.
Seeing how Shui Xian was following her every move, Mu Chenyan's scissors paused and she looked at him, "Xian, what are you up to?"
"Nothing," he replied innocently.
Mu Chenyan's eyes narrowed but she didn't say anything and continued to work attentively. However, Shui Xian still didn't leave her side and continued to look at her work carefully.
Mu Chenyan's eyes flashed as she thought of something and asked, "Don't tell me you're trying to learn how to do this?"
"Can't I?" he questioned.
"Why should you?" she asked in return. "This is my job, stop trying to take everything from me! Isn't it enough that I gave you my Elle?"
Shui Xian shrugged, "You're the one who chose me for her."
"Who said that? It was all Elder Xiang!"
"No, no, no!" Shui Xian shook his finger before her eyes. "If you said a simple no, he'd never choose me for his dearest granddaughter." He gave her a smile as he went on, "And that means, you gave the green light for me." Taking a pause, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "But makes me wonder, why did you choose me? Clearly, I'm not the kind of a person you'd like."
"You're right," said Mu Chenyan. "When I first saw you, I definitely didn't like you. You're too soft for my taste." She continued to work as she added, "But that was back when you're in high school. After that, I saw you at an auction and I liked what I saw back then."
She obviously wouldn't specifically tell him that it was that determination in his amber eyes that caught her attention. She definitely didn't like his playful personality back in the days. But knowing that even after all the setbacks, he never blamed anyone for his failures changed her impression of him. And that's when she thought he wasn't all that bad.
If Shui Xian hadn't grown up from his phase of being the nice guy. Mu Chenyan would have never let him enter Raelle's life. Certainly, her Elle didn't need a good guy in her life. But neither did Raelle need a bad one. She needed someone who was capable of being both. Good and bad according to the situation.
Because if Shui Xian had been a stubborn person who stubbornly followed his views and ideas, he'd have never been able to bond with Raelle whose ideas had always been out of the ordinary.
"I'm still alive," said Mu Chenyan. "And as long as I'm alive, there are some things I won't let you take over!" She glared at Shui Xian as she added dangerously, "At the end of the day, my Elle is still mine!"
Shui Xian smiled at her comment, "I never had a doubt about that. She'll always be yours." He took a pause and added sheepishly, "Besides, if I start learning now, it'll take me years to even get the basics. So, don't worry. I definitely ain't stealing anything from you."
"It's good that you are self-aware," said Mu Chenyan.
Shui Xian lowered his head and continued to smile. Of course, he was self-aware. He wasn't omnipotent. Surely, he could learn a new skill like hairdressing but he won't be able to pick it up as fast as someone who really had a talent for it.
Meanwhile, Raelle didn't even bother to add a word to their conversation. The silence was best in this situation. Because whether she spoke up for Shui Xian or Mu Chenyan, it won't end well. They both were gonna feel sour which was actually out of her understanding. But just because she didn't understand, she'd never comment on it.
It was better not to comment and hurt their feelings. In the end, even she knew it was all because of her. She felt like how lettuce would feel in the middle of bread slices. Stuck! Wait. That sounded weird. Something was wrong with that sentence but she didn't dwell on it. After all, the point was made already. She was indeed stuck between two people who loved her too much.
Raelle only looked at her reflection in the mirror and stopped her mind from wandering off.