The light inside the study room was on, an indication its owner was in. Senja yanked the door open.

The moment the door opened; she could see a shocked Xiao Tianyao standing beside the desk as her lips curled into smile from the joy of finding the man she was looking for.

"There you are!" Senja clapped her hands happily as she hobbled across the room. "My Tianyao." She threw herself into his embrace and was giggling while wrapping her arms around his neck.

Xiao Tianyao was pleased to hear her call out his name like this. He hugged her to keep her from falling.

"My Tianyao… My Tianyao…" Senja sang his name in a way that made Xiao Tianyao laugh.

"I am here…" Xiao Tianyao replied softly in her ear.

She was the first girl who had caused him much trouble, she was the first girl who had so boldly kissed him, she was the first girl who had courageously slipped inside his room, she was the first girl who had so brazenly threatened him and cursed him right in front of his face, she was the first girl who had many facets to herself.. she was the first girl who was very unpredictable and, she was the first girl who was quite amusing even when she was so wasted.

Nevertheless, Xiao Tianyao immensely admired every aspect of her personality. He cherished her unique ways of expressing herself. There were moments when she could be downright honest and those when she got her claws out for anyone who crossed her bottom line. She could cry like a child, but she could even kick and hit without scruples. A mere gesture here or a word there could flip his mood.

She was volatile, he never really knew what to expect from her. She was innocent as she was feral. She awed him at every turn. She was like a spark in his insipid life that was nothing but webs of intrigue and malice. She was a free spirit who made him feel complete in his bridled life.

Xiao Tianyao was puzzled. **Was this the real her?! **

Senja who was still giggling in his arms, took her arms off him and looked at him intently as she stopped giggling.

"Cancel your engagement with my stepsister and marry me." Senja said brazenly.

Xiao Tianyao looked at the girl in front of him in amusement, "But, why should I marry you?"

Senja tilted her head to one side and smirked coquettishly, "Because I am smart and beautiful." She raised her chin in a proud manner as Xiao Tianyao looked at her helplessly. Her rosy cheeks made her look very attractive in his eyes.

"Only that?" Xiao Tianyao teased her.

Senja's clear eyes looked right into his as she spoke, "I know how to find Gong Xu."

The smile on his face faded and his body stiffened. He glowered at her; his countenance indiscernible.

"Why do you think I care about this Gong Xu guy." He asked in a cold voice.

"Of course, you care! He was the one who killed your wife." Senja said definitively.

Xiao Tianyao dropped his hands from around Senja's waist and glared at her menacingly. His thin lips pressed tight before he spoke in a low and hoarse voice, "Are you threatening me?!"

Senja was bewildered before she smiled harmlessly, "I wouldn't dare."

The insecurity that had set in from the conjecture that for Xiao Tianyao, she had been nothing but a chess piece to gain access to information, overpowered her clouded mind and in the process emboldening her to declare, " Let's call this - 'relationship with benefit'."

Senja was quite uncertain about the feelings Xiao Tianyao had towards her and the inebriation muddled her further. All in all, she finally knew the reason behind Xiao Tianyao's hostility towards her before and now, he had bridged the gaps in a manner most unacceptable and unexpected to her.

She didn't want to let go of him, but she didn't want to be used either. Senja woefully looked at Xiao Tianyao's savage countenance.

"Benefit?" he spat out with bitterness, "I don't want that!" He snarled.

And with one crude move he cupped Senja's face and kissed her deeper than ever. He bit her lips bitterly. Senja complained even as she was reeling in shock from his sudden act.

Senja's attempt to push him away only incensed Xiao Tianyao further. He tightened his grip on her hips and pulled her hard enough until she lost her balance and pressed against him. He kissed her wildly, venting the frustration her words had incited. Even when she said she knew about Gong Xu and his whereabouts, Xiao Tianyao knew better than to believe her words, Senja was drunk after all. But he wasn't in the right mind either to think about it any further.

Senja tasted his anger, "No… stop." The words managed to escape her lips.

Xiao Tianyao could feel the girl's weak attempts to stop him and with a dark face he trailed kisses down to her collarbone as he spoke between his gritted teeth, "This is it?"

He had been suspicious about her for long time, and now that he was finally willing to let bygones be bygones, Senja had spoken those words. He didn't know how he actually felt about this revelation.