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Back then, Xia Ling had smiled and said, “What’s there to be afraid of, I love you, and that’s all that matters to me.”

That man had stroked her cheeks gently. “You promised me that you’d be a world-renowned Diva; if we get too intimate in public, imagine the gossip that would get around... Xiao Ling, I’m your partner, your boss, and also the person who adopted you, the reporters can write all the awful things about it and it’ll break our deal.”

Little Xia Ling was not too happy. She furrowed her beautiful brows but said, “Alright then, low-profile it is, but you can’t have a change of heart!”

“I won’t.”

“Pinky promise?”

“Pinky promise.”

These images from the past still remained clear — a beautiful thirteen-year-old girl in her white-as-new princess gown, barefoot and leaning on a man. That man was lying sideways on a black leather couch, some of his shirt buttons undone. One of his hands was resting on her waist, while the other gave her the pinky promise she asked him.

“Xiao Ling,” His face was glowing from the sunset, his deep and rich voice saying, “my most beautiful butterfly.”

She was immersed in that memory for a long while. She had liked him since she was very young and had learned to hide their relationship. Yet, hard as she tried, she still lost him eventually and ended up with nothing but betrayal and pain. She ached in the depths of her heart, and with a “clank,” the glass she was holding slipped out of her hand and shattered on the ground.

Sister Mai Na got a fright. “Xiao Ling? Are you alright? Goodness, you’re an adult, how could you be so clumsy?” She pulled Xiao Ling back a few steps away from the glass shards.

Xia Ling was shaken and snapped back to reality, trembling.

“Why have you turned so pale?” asked Sister Mai Na concernedly.

“It’s nothing.” Seeing Sister Mai Na’s worried look, she tried to regain her composure. “I’ve probably been too worn out these few days because of the preparation for the Nebula Music Festival. I should be fine after some rest.”

Sister Mai Na saw her back to the apartment, helped her into her bedroom, and got her some warm water before leaving.

Xia Ling held her blanket and daydreamed for a long time. If... If this time, her relationship with Li Lei was revealed, would he be completely alright with it like he had promised initially? Did he really not mind at all that she was just a commoner from a humble home, with no power nor authority? And...

She had so much in the past that she dared not face.

Could someone like her match up to him? Would he... despise her one day?

The thought of it was enough to wrench her heart.

As the sky was turning dark, a call from Li Lei came. “Xiao Ling, what are you doing now? Have you been well today?”

Xia Ling kept silent for a while before softly asking, “Li Lei, will there come a day when you no longer like me?”

He was evidently stunned on the other end of the line before he spoke with all gentleness. “What are you thinking, silly child. How could I not like you? We’ve made a pact to be together for the rest of our lives.”

“These are all lies.” She thought about the time the man and the little girl latched their pinkies in a promise against the sunset. As her head began to throb, she curled up on the bed and bit her lip.

“Xiao Ling...” Li Lei sounded worried now. “What’s the matter? Are you feeling unwell?”

Xia Ling could not say a thing until the pain had subsided. “No.”

He asked, “What happened today?”

“Nothing much.” She did not want to elaborate any further.

Li Lei kept quiet for a moment before he spoke, “Xiao Ling, no matter what happens, I’ll be with you. You’re my lover, my lifelong companion. We’re a team, alright?”

She did not reply to that, but in her mind, the image of the couple in the sunset had faded in the distance, until she could no longer make out the both of them.

She smiled a little. “Li Lei, it’s so nice having you around.”

After speaking for a bit more, she fell sound asleep.

In her sleep, she vaguely felt a weight on one side of the bed and a warm embrace around her. She adjusted herself a little and found a comfortable position before falling into a deep sleep.

Morning came.

Xia Ling opened her eyes groggily and found something a little amiss. She looked down and actually saw an arm around her waist, lightly tanned and well-toned, like one from an Ancient Greek statue. On the back of her neck was a familiar and rhythmic breathing.

She blinked her eyes in disbelief. Turning around, she saw that it was indeed Li Lei by her side.

Li Lei seemed to have been awoken by her movement. He opened his eyes and blinked several times before focusing his vision on her. Breaking into a wide grin, he greeted her. “Good morning, darling.”

“Weren’t you overseas?” She could not understand what was happening and had to pinch him to ensure it was not just a dream.

He called out. “It hurts.” And went on to grab her and pull her close. “I missed you, so I came back.” He had sensed something off about her emotions the day before and got worried, hence taking the midnight flight back to see her. Only when he saw her fast asleep on her bed was he finally relieved. Then he joined her on the bed and held her carefully as she slept.

But, he would never reveal his worries to her.

Xia Ling said, “But Su Tang said you’re very busy these days.” Xia Ling had asked Su Tang about how he was doing overseas, and she had said that Li Lei was incredibly busy, so much so that he had not had proper sleep nor meals in a while, and she advised Xia Ling not to bother him.

She looked at him in the eyes. It had been close to a month since she last saw him, and he appeared slimmer than before and had some dark eye circles on his eyes. She wondered how many days of broken sleep it took to cause them.

“What got you so worried you ended up in this state?” She stroked his face gently. She had known him as someone who was always calm and composed; sometimes even lazy. It sometimes seemed like all he ever did was eat, sleep and laze about, so Xia Ling never realized that he also had his fair share of busy days and haggard looks. It pained her to see him look this way.

Li Lei smiled, his eyes gentle as he gazed at her. “Does your heart ache for me?”

“... You wish.” She took her hand back and wanted to turn away.

He held her tight and kissed her. “It’s nothing much, just some miscellaneous business.” It regarded triad matters, killing and the like. His Xiao Ling was pure and innocent; it was better if she was kept out of the loop.

He tried to get it over with simple, but the bags beneath his eyes told Xia Ling things were far from simple. He was not one who got flustered easily. Even if he had an important business matter at hand, his calm and cool self never wavered one bit. The fact that he was so busy with handling these matters personally just said how important and urgent they were.

“Come on, Xiao Ling, give me a smile. You won’t look good with a frown,” he told her.

She was not relieved yet, however, and had doubts about his words. He had already kissed her on the face in an attempt to reassure her and calm her down.

“Xiao Ling...” his voice was now low and hoarse. His lips were searching as he tossed around in bed, over and over.