Si Hongqi didn't know how to react upon hearing her words at that moment. She was engrossing but at the same time… adorable, especially with how she looked at him with her tearful gaze. Her cheeks were flushed because of her cries earlier. She was like a small hamster that triggered his… sadistic side.

Upon realizing the thoughts that entered his mind, he quickly brushed them off. Why was he even thinking that way towards her?

​​

Tian Ruyi whimpered as she continued to wipe off her tears. "What's wrong with me?"

Just then a hand reached out to her and held her by her shoulder. In the next second, she was pulled against the man's hard chest. Tian Ruyi was so startled by Si Hongqi's sudden embrace that her tears finally stopped.

Si Hongqi didn't say anything when he moved to her side and suddenly pulled her inside his arms. Seeing her cry was enough to comfort his broken heart. It was as if she was weeping for him since he didn't have any tears to let out… or so he thought. The moment he hugged Tian Ruyi, his sight became blurry and his cheeks became wet. It was as if a dam inside him had been broken. Not wanting for the woman in his arms to notice his tears, he buried his face on her shoulder.

Tian Ruyi was stiff in her place as she was hugged by him. She didn't know how to react but as she continued to be quiet and still, she could feel the cloth on her shoulder part was slowly becoming wet. Was he crying?! She inwardly panicked. She noticed his shoulders trembling a bit as he sobbed. She slowly raised her hand to gently pat his back to comfort him.

Minutes felt like hours as the two stayed in their positions. It was Tian Ruyi who decided to break the silence between them. "I may not know what you are feeling right now or what made you cry like a baby right now."

He pulled away from the hug and hurriedly faced his back on her. "I'm not crying," he quickly said in his defense. Despite his retort, he refused to give her a glimpse of his crying face.

She looked at him for a second before she turned and faced forward. Her eyes filled with melancholy upon remembering her best friend's situation and how useless she felt at that moment for not being able to save him right now.

"Orange may be an old song but it is one of my favorite songs," she started. "Bai Jingye was my first ever friend, that's why he means a lot to me. she'll accept him however he is. Whether he's the same as he was in our childhood or is a new man, I'll always be there to support him. I may interpret the song this way but every listener could have their own interpretations so… I'm quite curious about how you understand it."

Si Hongqi finally turned after he stopped crying but his red eyes were enough proof to show that he cried. He picked the bottle and drank from it. After he did, he stared at the TV that had random music videos playing on the screen. "For me, the song is not entirely negative, but neither is it full of positives. Instead of griping about how her supposed first love would not be fulfilled, it blends emotions and talks of moving on, wishing her beloved well. It's the kind of love that endures even when it's not entirely reciprocated."

Tian Ruyi faced him, watching him finish another bottle after he had said those words. She had never thought of the song in that way so it piqued her interest when she heard what he said. This time she picked a can of beer and drank from it. She had told herself that she wouldn't drink until she got Si Hongqi drunk but now that things turned out this way, it would be rude not to join him. "Why don't we sing another song"

This time, Si Hongqi agreed. He was not the type of person to easily open up with others. It even took years before he was able to confess his feelings to Lu Mengjie but for some unknown reason, opening up to Tian Ruyi was easy even if he didn't know her at all.

As they continued to spend time with each other, they shared many things with each other from Tian Ruyi's childhood to Si Hongqi's years of feelings for Lu Mengjie.

Once again, Tian Ruyi got drunk first and it was Si Hongqi who supported her after leaving the place. He had paid for everything and was not heading towards the parking lot. He looked around and didn't see her car so he decided to bring her in his car.

He opened the back door and made Tian Ruyi lay down on the back seat. Not knowing where her place was, it seemed like he had to bring her to his place this time. It was not like he had another choice. Besides, he couldn't just leave her in a hotel just like last time.

Arriving at his Suite, he carried her to one of his guest rooms and gently placed her on the bed. Si Hongqi stared at flushed face for a moment. It must be the alcohol working in him but at that moment, she looked more enticing than ever.

He sat at the side of the bed and reached out to brush off the stray strands of her hair away from her face. She was unguarded. If he was to do something, no one would know… but he shouldn't. He should control his manly desires from clouding his mind. Taking advantage of that moment would make him lose her forever so before he could lose control of himself, he walked out of the room and headed straight to his bedroom for a cold shower to help him sober up.

…

Tian Ruyi woke up with a terrible hangover. She could feel a pulsing in her head. She had drunk too much last night and it was not a part of her plans. Once again, she found herself inside a strange room, Her clothes were replaced into a clean set of pajamas.

Was it Si Hongqi again? She tried to remember. She got out of the bed and left the room. Entering the living room, she saw Si Hongqi, taking a sip from the coffee he had made for himself.

Noticing her presence, Si Hongqi turned to look at her. "Good morning."

"Not too good for me…" she groaned. This time she didn't complain about having her clothes changed. She didn't feel any weirdness on her body so as long as she wasn't defiled, that was enough. Despite having such thoughts, she couldn't help but ask, "did you take a peek?"

He blinked a few times in confusion. "Huh?"

A small blush appeared on her cheeks as she continued, "did you see my body when you changed my clothes?"

"..." It was a good thing that he was not in the middle of taking a sip from his coffee or else he would have choked from her sudden question.

Si Hongqi cleared his throat to regain his composure. "No, I didn't. I turned off the lights," he confessed.

"D-did… you touch?"

"I'm not interested in flat-chested women."

In an instant, Tian Ruyi's face turned red. "It's not flat!" she quickly denied.

He turned away and faced the TV in front of him before saying, "Cute-size then."

Tian Ruyi suddenly felt another headache upon hearing his words. This man sure knew how to infatuate her!

"There's chicken noodle soup on the table. You can reheat it. It will help with the hangover," Si Hongqi said before taking another sip from his mug of coffee.

Not wanting to argue with him about her breast size because of her embarrassment, she went to the table. She sat on the chair before she removed the cover of the bowl. "Did you cook this?"

"Hn." He glanced at her from his position. "Aren't you going to reheat it?"

"My tongue is sensitive to heat so I'll have it this way." She began eating the food. Her eyes sparkled upon having the first sip. It was delicious. "You don't look like someone who knows how to cook."

"Why is that?"

"Well for starters, you're a rich man. You can just hire someone to cook for you."

Si Hongqi took the remote and lowered the volume of the news he was watching. "I don't like eating someone else's cooking."

"Eh?" She looked at him in surprise. "Why not?"

"To avoid being poisoned." He didn't hold back from sharing this information from her. After what happened last night, he felt something change inside him. It was as if somewhere inside him, he knew that whatever he would say, whatever he revealed, Tian Ruyi was someone who would listen and not run away.