Feng Kun gave her a friendly hug. “Come and look for me whenever you need, I’ll always be on your side.”

“Mm.” She nodded her head and felt tears coming. If not for Feng Kun, she would not have any idea how she could face the challenges ahead.

The bedroom door opened and Rao Rao walked out onto the balcony. “It’s been settled.” There was a little laziness in her voice, but she was already neatly and properly dressed. She looked the same as before — in a dark-colored security officer outfit and a cap that covered part of her face.

“We’ll be off then. Take care.”

Xia Ling nodded and walked them to the front door downstairs.

When she returned to the bedroom, she saw that Pei Ziheng was on the bed. The incredibly charismatic man was still sound asleep on the messy bed, and there was a faint scent of rain and alcohol in the air.

Xia Ling found the smell rather revolting and had to hold her nose as she dashed to the washroom. She took some time to catch her breath as she squatted by the toilet weakly. She had heard that some expectant mothers had no difficulties, but this child of hers seemed to be rather playful. It had only been slightly over a month and she was already having problems eating and sleeping, and the nausea was frequent. “Baby,” she stroked her stomach and whispered. “You have to be good, we can’t let anyone find out. Daddy’s not with us, so we have to protect ourselves. You must be as smart as Daddy and survive even in the toughest of situations, okay?”

Almost as if the baby had heard her, she was slowly relieved of the discomfort.

Xia Ling rested for a while before mustering the courage to return to the bedroom.

The air of obscenity was still lingering in the room, and Xia Ling refused to open the windows for ventilation for fear that their deeds of the previous night would be found out. She could not bring herself to lie on the bed either, just knowing that another woman had lain there with this man made her uncomfortable.

She changed into a nightgown and sat by the window through the night.

The first light of the dawn crept in.

Pei Ziheng woke from his sleep and felt a throbbing headache. His memory of the previous night was a blur — yes, he had gone to get some drinks with Xiao Ling, and they had gotten drunk, but what happened after that?

He rolled over and realized that he was completely bare, and on the bed sheet was remnants that evidenced the passionate fun he had last time. Shocked, he scanned the room and spotted Xia Ling’s silhouette by the window in no time. She was in a clean, white nightgown, long hair over her shoulders, while the dusty light of dawn revealed the hurt that had found its place even on her side profile. She looked almost like a goddess, so fragile and ephemeral as if she would vanish upon touch.

“Xiao Ling.” He called out to her hoarsely.

It was not clear whether she heard it or not, but she kept her gaze out the window, silent and unmoving.

Pei Ziheng got up and dressed in the only set of pajamas within reach. The black satin complemented his toned physique well, and he looked no less attractive. He walked towards her and turned her head to face him, only to be shocked by what he saw — the pain written all over her face, that hurt expression… it wrenched his heart.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

“You’re asking me what’s wrong?” Xia Ling demonstrated all her acting skills and looked into his eyes with accusation. “Pei Ziheng, I didn’t know you were such a horrible beast when you’re drunk!” She looked genuinely mad — she was shaking in anger, there were signs her lips of having been bitten, and there were some red marks on her neck. There was evidence of infidelity.

Pei Ziheng looked at her, recalled the traces he saw when he just woke up and understood everything. After he had gotten drunk, he actually… forced himself on her?

He was a little frustrated at himself, this was not going according to plan. He had planned to get closer to her slowly until she was used to his presence and company, and then to make her his woman without hurting her. And yet, everything was ruined after his drunken stupor. But it was alright, he could always bring the plan forward.

He looked at her with an unreadable expression in his eyes. “I’ll be responsible for you.”

“Responsible? How?” She smiled coldly to appear ashamed of herself. “Pei Ziheng, after all that happened and the damage done, you’re telling me about being responsible. Don’t you find it funny?”

“Marry me.” He said abruptly.

Xia Ling was stunned. “Wh-What?”

“Marry me.” This time, he looked at her with a calm, steady determination. “Xiao Ling, I will give you a grand wedding and invite everybody to witness it. We can have that chocolate cake tower on the beach that you like, leave a trail of roses for miles, and even have 999 pairs of flower boys and girls.”

This was the dream wedding she had always talked about in her last life. Pei Ziheng often laughed at her idea for being too extravagant, and she would say, “Yes, I’m extravagant and superficial like this, but so what? I want all the other girls to be envious of me. I want to let the whole world know how much you love me.” She had planned for this wedding and bugged him about these details for a long while, yet it never occurred to her once that holding a wedding for her was never in his plan.

Only now did it hit her.

She had fallen hard, but finally, she had awakened from that dream.

And now, when she finally saw things more clearly than ever, he was telling her about a wedding?!

Xia Ling felt pathetic and threw all that acting and pretense out the window. “Pei Ziheng, do you remember what you told me in the past? You said that the Pei family would never accept my status, you told me to give up, to accept that I’ll be nothing more than your secret lover my whole life! Pei Ziheng, do you know how hurt I was when you stepped all over my love for you?! Now, after so long, I’ve finally given up on you. And you decide to tell me that you want to marry me and hold the wedding of my dreams?!”

She was shivering now, and tears welled up in her eyes.

What a joke. Back then, wasn’t it all for the status and title? If he had been willing to marry her, they would have led such a happy life, and all the chaos that followed would never have happened.

If only they had married…

By now, their child would be running about and playing.

Tears rolled down her face continually.

Pei Ziheng was hurt to see her like this and wanted to hold her close, but all she did was push him away.

“Too late, Pei Ziheng, it’s all too late.” She shook her head and backed off. “I don’t love you anymore, I’m already in love with someone else. This wedding came too late, you know? I’ve spent my whole life waiting for you to propose to me, but that was all in the past life. In this life, I expect nothing more from you, so why, why do you have to tell me something like this now?”