Bab 27: Sadness

An Xiulan was sitting on the stairs beside her class quietly with her hands supporting her face. She didn't go inside the class for as long as Han Zixin was playing his musical instrument. Surprisingly enough, he was playing the instrument very skillfully.

At this time, she believed that he needed to be left alone. No person likes to be disturbed when they are sad and alone. Sometimes, it's better to be left alone than having to share their grief with someone.

Although he wasn't good to her, it still didn't mean that she would make him lose his dignity by crying in front of a person he considers his nemesis. Dignity is a fragile thing, especially a teenager's.

Enmity was better than awkwardness sometimes.

As for how she knew that he was sad…

She just knew that he was sad because she could understand his sadness and unexplainable pain in the music he was playing. He was using music as an outlet for his emotions.

When she was in Duke's household all alone in darkness and pain, she used to sing herself to sleep and sometimes she would wake up with tears in her eyes. Oftentimes, she would sing to make her feel less lonely. After her only friend in that world died, she had lost her will to live but Qiao Wei's happy song would keep her going.

Han Zixin was sad. She could understand his sadness as she was extremely sad once upon a time too. She had spent seventeen years of her life in a place where she wasn't wanted or loved or cared for. She was conceived because having a child with the emperor's sister would make Duke An's status, even more, higher than any nobleman in the empire. She would be the connecting string between the flourishing Duke house and the mighty royal family even though she was the most unwanted person in the entire family.

Such sadness and gloom, An Xiulan wouldn't even hope for her greatest tormentors– Duke An's family, much less than for the boy she had a beef with.

It was only when Han Zixin stopped playing music and more students started coming to school, did she stand up but she didn't directly enter the class.

She was going to delete what she saw today from her memory as it wasn't meant to be shared with anyone. She would never say in front of anyone that the school tyrant has a weak side too. Just because he was not good to her didn't mean he wasn't good to anyone.

Tens of students in school followed him like a leader, they must have seen a part of him that she hadn't. So what if he was a school tyrant?

She hadn't seen him bullying students. He might be a tyrant but he never hurt any student in school.

An Xiulan and Han Zixin had classes together. They didn't say anything to anyone as An Xiulan was still pretending that she didn't see anything and Han Zixin was not in a good mood to talk to anyone or tease her for being adorably slow. He was thankful that little blockhead didn't annoy him today with her dumbness. If she had tried to annoy him, he might have shown her his real temper and for some reason, he didn't want to yell at her.

[School tyrant can't see tears in girl's eyes.]

"Xiuxiu?"Qiao Wei came to her desk. Placing her elbows on the desk and chin on her hands, she said, "I didn't bring lunch with me. Let's join Song Ci and Mona for lunch in the cafeteria."

The reason why she didn't bring lunch was – School Cafeteria would be serving sour and sweet pork ribs.

"Umm..what about this?" An Xiulan showed the homemade lunchbox that her mom had packed.

Qiao Wei's eyes fell on a languid figure and an idea struck her. In a fawning manner, she said, "Boss Han, you don't like cafeteria food, right?"

Han Zixin gave her a look saying speak quickly or scram.

Qiao Wei placed An Xiulan's tiffin box before him and said, joining her head, "Can you please finish this?"

"What am I a pig?"Han Zixin asked, raising his brow arrogantly, "Why should I eat something you don't like? I don't eat leftover food."

"Boss Han, it has everything you like. I have seen your buddies bringing you homemade food every day. Please take a bite first?" Qiao Wei asked him.

Before Han Zixin could say anything, Qiao Wei took the chance and stuffed a piece of meat in his mouth. His eyes went wide in anger and then he forgot about the anger as food melted in his mouth. Surprisingly, it tasted good.

"Boss Han, since you ate with this chopstick, you have to finish the tiffin box, " Qiao Wei said, dragging An Xiulan out of the class.

"What?"An Xiulan pouted as she saw Qiao Wei staring at her.

"You didn't say anything when I gave your lunch box to Boss Han," Qiao Wei said. She was looking at her friend suspiciously. Normally, An Xiulan and Han Zixin were like Tom and Jerry, fighting with each other all the time.

"I don't feel like eating homemade food." An Xiulan said. Lies. She liked the food packed by her mom the most but she had decided not to fight with him today even if he provoked her. As for letting him eat her food, it was only for today as she couldn't bear to look at him without remembering the event of this morning.

As long as he does pull that face that says his honey has also been eaten by a cat, he can eat her lunch box.