A week passed and Li XinWen was well enough to be discharged from the hospital. As was planned, Manager Su picked him up and they went directly to where they were holding the press conference. Upon arriving, they were met briefly by the CEO of Oracle Entertainment company to welcome Li XinWen back and they proceeded to the hall where the reporters had been waiting. In all honesty, Li XinWen could care less about the press conference and decided to let Manager Su handle everything.
The press conference proceeded accordingly. Several reporters asked their questions directly at Li XinWen and as a foreigner in this world and the profession, he tried his best to answer them politely and as best he could, drawing from the original's memory. This went on for a good 2 hours and the flashing cameras made Li XinWen dizzy and before long he felt sick. It was a good thing that Manager Su was quick on her toes and noticed his demeanor. She signaled for the company's head of production to take over. She made a brief statement to the reports and assisted Li XinWen over to the exit.
"Are you okay?" Manager Su asked and without waiting for Li XinWen's response ushered him towards the car parked in the back entrance of the building. "Take care and rest," and with that, the driver left for Li XinWen's address.
It was a considerable drive from the company building to his address. As he was not familiar with the world he was in, he looked out of the car window with astonishment. Skyscrapers lined the road and there were numerous vehicles weaving in and out. 'So, this is the mortal world of the lower realm!' his astonishment trumped any discomfort he was feeling from the press conference.
The car finally stopped in front of a two-storey house with a well-maintained lawn. The driver alighted and opened the car door for him. He said his thank you to the driver and walked slowly towards the front door, one hand placed just below his right rib taking care not to exacerbate his injury. It felt familiar and yet foreign to Li XinWen. The original's memories in this home came rushing into view and tears started running down his cheeks. "So, this was how it felt to have a family," sniffing he managed to laugh a little and continued walking until he reached the front door. It seemed that no one was home as the lights were out.
He reached for the handle and turned the knob. It wasn't locked. Li XinWen was suddenly filled with anticipation and excitement as he stepped into a dimly lit living room when the lights suddenly switched on and confetti poppers were released. It was a delightful surprise to have his entire family throw him a welcome home party. He was overwhelmed with happiness and he couldn't help but feel touched.
"Welcome home, Ah'Wen!" both women of the Li family said warmly.
"This is a congratulatory party for your safe discharge! Mom cooked all of your favorites. Come and eat!" Li JingHua said as she led Li XinWen to the dining table. On top of the dining table, there were a variety of foods, all of which were the original's favorite.
"Xin-gege, congratulations! And welcome home," Sun Xiao said with a smile on his face.
Li XinWen grinned and patted Sun Xiao's head. "Thank you, Ah'Xiao. Thank you, mom. And thank you also, Hua-jie."
"Don't be polite. Hurry up and eat before the food becomes cold," mother Li said urging Li XinWen to start eating.
It wasn't until they were finished eating and mother Li went to wash the dishes did Li XinWen realize that someone was missing. "Hua-jie, where's Rui-ge?"
"He's busy with work so he couldn't come," she lied. Li Jing Hua had not yet told her family about the matter regarding their engagement. "Why? Are you worried?"
"Oh, no... Not at all. It just... It feels weird not seeing you together," Li XinWen replied. Knowing how infatuated Xue Rui is with the original, he was certain that that man wouldn't miss this party for Li XinWen.
"Why is it weird? He isn't family," Li JingHua grumbled unhappily.
"But he will become Hua-jie's husband in the future, so he is already family," Li XinWen said. Even though he's a scum, the original was willing to go through lengths to make sure his sister was happy. So he, as the replacement, should try his best too. Of course he wasn't going to be sleeping with that scum any longer. He already planned to use his injury to his advantage, and by the time he's fully recovered, he'll be able to use spiritual energy to knock him out.
"He won't be," Li JingHua said in a very low voice. But since Li XinWen had already reached the 3rd stage of Houtian, he could easily hear it.
"Hua-jie, did you have a fight with Rui-ge??" Li XinWen asked worriedly. "I... I'll go talk to Rui-ge so you two can make up!"
"No! No need!" Li JingHua quickly stopped Li XinWen. "It's fine. For now, your health is the top priority. You should go and rest and let Jie talk to him, alright?" Li JingHua said before asking Sun Xiao to help Li XinWen to his room.
After Li XinWen and Sun Xiao disappeared upstairs, Li JingHua finally let out a sigh of relief. She thought about her plan once more. Somehow she felt it'll be hard to tell Li XinWen and Sun Xiao. "I guess I'll wait until Ah'Wen is fully recovered..." she said as she took out her phone and sent a message to Xue Rui. With how Li XinWen acted earlier, it seems that she needs to revise her plan a little bit.
Xue Rui was working in his office when he received the text message from his former fiance. After reading the text message, Xue Rui couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. 'How precious,' he thought. He decided to call instead of replying back with a text. JingHua answered on the second ring.
"JingHua, what a pleasant surprise. Didn't you say that I should stay away from your family?" Xue Rui asked in a mocking tone. "It's only been a week and it seems that you already miss me."
"You haven't changed Xue Rui. This is for Ah'Wen. He's worried about our 'relationship' and I'm afraid that it might affect his recovery. So, work with me here."
"Ah~ of course. For Xiao Wen, I am willing to agree with this," he said, a smile forming on his lips. "Then, I will see you at dinner."
After that exchange, he ended the call and looked forward to dinner. "But before that..." Xue Rui stared at his computer. "I should finish this quickly," he sighed as he continued his work. It was probably because he was too focused on his work that he didn't realize how late it was. If his secretary had not reminded him, he may have worked until late into the night.
After leaving his office, Xue Rui made a quick stop to buy a gift for Li XinWen. When he told Li JingHua that he was going to pursue Li XinWen, he actually meant it. The moment he laid his eyes on Li XinWen, he knew he had to have him.
He went to a high end antique shop and with his status; he was immediately led to the VIP room. "Young Master Xue, is there something you need from our humble shop?" the store manager asked.
"En. I'm looking for a gift for my future wife. Do you have anything that might be fitting? The price won't be an issue," Xue Rui answered.
"Well, you're in luck Young Master Xue! We just recently acquired a very rare jadeite stone."
"Oh?" this news suddenly piqued Xue Rui's interest. "How big is the stone?"
"Although it is not that big, it would still be enough to make a jade pendant," the manager answered.
"Alright. Please make it into my family crest. How long will it take? I plan to give the gift tonight."
"No problem, Young Master Xue. It will be done in an hour. In the meantime, how about Young Master Xue look over the rest of our items? Maybe there is something else that might strike your fancy?" handing Xue Rui a booklet to browse through before heading to the back of the shop to prepare the pendant Xue Rui wanted.
Though Xue Rui knew that it was only a marketing strategy, he indulgently browsed the booklet. After all, it was better than doing nothing. By the time he reached the last page, he had unconsciously added three more items to his purchase. He reasoned that since he bought one for Li XinWen, it would look suspicious if he didn't get gifts for the rest of the family.
Xue Rui is going to join for dinner! He even got gift for Li XinWen. How do you think Li XinWen will act when he received it?
1) Thank Xue Rui
2) Throw it away
Tell me your answer in the comment section!
Sun Xiao and Li XinWen reached the latter's room found at the second floor of the house. His room was located immediately to the right of the staircase. 'This is a rather generous space!' Li XinWen thought. Comparing to how they lived in the Soaring Heaven sect where the hallways to the living quarters were narrow and bare. Of course, after he had become a peak master for Soaring Heaven Sect, he had a courtyard of his own. But the size of the hut he had within that courtyard was still not comparable to this!
'Just how big is this house?' Li XinWen wondered.
In the middle was a smaller version of the living room found downstairs and two other rooms can be seen on the far side of the floor. Referring to the original's memories, the room to the right belonged to Sun Xiao and that on the left belonged to JingHua. Their mother, owing to her age slept in the master's bedroom downstairs. Sun Xiao opened the door to Li XinWen's room and led him to his bed to rest.
"Thank you Ah'Xiao," Li XinWen said smiling.
Sun Xiao merely nodded before excusing himself and closed the door to Li XinWen's room. "This is quite a cozy room," Li XinWen mumbled to himself as he surveyed his new surroundings. The room had wooden floors and a simplistic layout, giving off a zen atmosphere. Clean lines and the combination of the rich brown and black tones added to the subdued and tranquil atmosphere of the room. The bed was soft and large enough to fit two people. At the foot of the bed was a small Recamier divan and on either side were bedside tables illuminated by light fixtures secured against the wall.
A carpet accentuated the middle of the room. Immediately to the right was a walk-in closet of considerable size with glass walls acting as partition. Shirts and trousers were hung neatly and were organized according to colors. With rows and rows of shoes and plenty of drawers.
At the corner of the room, an accent chair and small coffee table can be seen near the shelf lined with books, scripts and decorative items all arranged in a stylish manner. It seemed that the original Li XinWen used this part of his room as his workplace where he studies his script or read his books. In a way, it looks like a small library.
The curtains were drawn but it was easy to make out the sliding glass doors behind them which lead to a small terrace.
"So this is how an actor's room looks like?" Lin XinWen expressed. "The room even has its own toilet and bath. This would have been unheard of in the Soaring Heaven sect! Even the highest ranking masters' quarters cannot compare to this extravagance!" shaking his head in the process.
With some effort he made his away to draw the curtains open to let some of the afternoon light into the room. Li XinWen decided to continue cultivating. He sat on the carpet cross-legged as if in meditation and closed his eyes to sense the spiritual energy in the surroundings.
Somewhere in his consciousness, Li XinWen heard a knocking against a wooden surface. It was soft yet persistent and was enough to bring his awareness back. When he opened his eyes, Sun Xiao was peeking in and had opened the door to his room.
"Xin-gege, it's almost dinner time…" Sun Xiao informed him timidly as if to apologize for the interruption. Somehow it made Li XinWen feel that Sun Xiao's timidity was also a defense mechanism on his part to put some distance between himself and those around him.
"Ah'xiao, you know you don't have to be afraid of me right?" Li XinWen asked as if to reassure the boy that it was okay.
"Not afraid…" Sun Xiao's short response was to be expected.
"Alright, alright" Li XinWen said smiling "You're not afraid…are you here to help Ge?"
Sun Xiao did not give an answer but made his way over and helped Li XinWen stand up from where he was seated. Gently taking Li XinWen's arm and placing it on his shoulder for support.
"You've become quite strong and have grown so much Ah'Xiao. Gege appreciates you supporting me like this." he said fondly to Sun Xiao as they made their way downstairs to the dining room. And Li XinWen did not notice the slight blush that adorned Sun Xiao's cheek.
When they arrived downstairs, Li XinWen immediately noticed a difference in the air around the ground floor. It felt different from when he first arrived home from the press conference. Something was abuzz. It wasn't dark or menacing. It felt more electric and energized, but he couldn't seem to locate the source. 'I wonder where this energy is coming from,' he thought distractedly and didn't notice the man sitting in the living room, looking at him expectantly.
It wasn't until Xue Rui cleared his throat and made a coughing sound that Li XinWen's averted his gaze towards where Xue Rui was seated. For a split second Li XinWen saw a faint green light flickering around Xue Rui which quickly dissipated. 'It must have been my imagination,' Li XinWen thought before greeting Xue Rui.
"Good evening Rui-ge. Welcome to our home. To what do we owe the pleasure of your company?"
Sun Xiao helped Li XinWen sit down on the sofa opposite Xue Rui before sitting down beside Li XinWen quietly.
"JingHua invited me for dinner to celebrate your discharge from the hospital," Xue Rui responded smiling broadly.
'Didn't Hua-jie and Rui-ge have a fight? Perhaps they've already made up with each other? Well, that was fast. I guess a woman in love can easily find it in her heart to forgive,' Li XinWen thought while looking for Li JingHua. 'If it were me, I would've let the cold war lasts for a very long time...'
The sounds and smell coming from the kitchen indicated that Li mother and Li JingHua were busy preparing dinner. Li XinWen was looking forward to dinner having tasted the sumptuous spread they prepared when he arrived during lunch. In the world where he was from, eating was considered more as a form of indulgence instead of a need.
As an immortal, he didn't need to eat for sustenance. But the food he had for lunch, made a lasting impression and just thinking about it made his mouth water. Smiling at the thought Li XinWen's attention was again caught by a faint flicker in Xue Rui's direction.
A vibrating energy seem to be drawing his consciousness but he couldn't put a finger on it. As if a pulsating force was surrounding the very space they were occupying. Li XinWen's attention was brought back to the present when he felt someone tugging at his sleeve.
It was Sun Xiao who wore a worried expression on his face as if he was about to cry. "-in-gege…Xin-gege…" Sun Xiao said in an almost tearful voice. It seems that he had been calling out to Li XinWen for a while. Xue Rui watched this with a look of concern.
"What is it Ah'Xiao? Are you okay?" Li XinWen asked while looking over the boy to make sure there was nothing wrong.
"Rui-dage…" Sun Xiao replied "Xin-ge wasn't paying attention?"
"Huh? Uhm…No? I'm sorry," as he directed his attention towards Xue Rui. "Apologies Rui-ge. Did you say something?"
Sun Xiao fidgeted before glancing over at Xue Rui nervously. Xue Rui did not let Li XinWen's behavior affect him. He was going to exercise patience to win Li XinWen's affection this time around.
"Think nothing of it XinWen," He took out a small box from the elegant paper bag beside him and placed it on the table in front of Li XinWen. "I prepared a small gift to celebrate your discharge from the hospital," gesturing for Li XinWen to open his gift.
You may also Like
Paragraph comment
Paragraph comment feature is now on the Web! Move mouse over any paragraph and click the icon to add your comment.
Also, you can always turn it off/on in Settings.
GOT IT