Games That People Play

Chapter 20 All About Lia

Xinli closed her eyes and tried to shake off her thoughts, those only brought painful memories. She turned her eyes back to Yuanrou who was closely watching her changing expressions.

He was intelligent and he knew that Xinli was going through some emotional upheaval and he wanted to be part of it. This was the right time, it was now or never.

"Lia, i know that we haven't known each other that long, but i want to let you know that i have made up my mind..." Then, he held her hand and said, "May i formally court you, Lia?"

She was taken aback at his sudden seriousness. He was always easy going and joked most of the time, and she has not seen this side of the serious and formal Yuanrou.

Her cheeks blushed like a school girl's and she turned her eyes to her hand between Yuanrou's large palms. She gently withdrew her hand and looked at him.

"Yuanrou, you are a good person. I can tell and feel it. I don't know if it's a good idea, but it is up to you. It's just that right now, i am not ready for any commitment."

She didn't want to hurt his feelings by dumping him right away so she chose to let him court her. Who knows, in the long run, she just might fall in love with him.

Yuanrou was so happy that he hugged Xinli and kissed her hand. Xunan and Houbin understood what was happening and they both cheered.

Xunan brought out a bottle of champaign to celebrate. "Finally, you two are having a life!" she laughed.

"This calls for a celebration!" Houbin exclaimed.

"Guys, it's not what you think... Lia just allowed me to court her, nothing deeper than that... yet," Yuanrou added. He didn't want to scare Xinli with seriousness, so he wanted to start things in a good light, and carefree way.

"What's so special about courtship anyway? She pretended to be non-chalant. We just want to know a little bit more about each other..." Lia was actually shy.

She has never tried to entertain suitors in the past, she and Xiaotian would always find ways to escape the boys who tried to follow them at school, and later, in the university.

She felt a little excited at the prospect of having someone to court her and consider her special to him. Her spirits were uplifted and she regained a little of the joy that she thought was lost in her life.

The following weeks were not very hectic for Xinli. Yuanrou didn't slack off, he would always find time to see her and take her out to quick lunches even during his busiest time. For Xinli, she was trying her best to feel closer to him, after all, he was a good catch, so to speak.

Xinli observed that Lu Jinian was really back to his old self. They worked together silently, he seemed to be more quiet and didn't talk much. She would steal glances at him and not once did their eyes meet. He would always look away with knitted eyebrows as if he disliked the sight of her.

She could still feel that familiar pain invading her chest everytime it happened. She also noticed that Han Jin was invited to a family dinner twice and was escorted by Lu Jinian himself. They were a good match. But did she care? Of course not, she told herself.

Xinli wanted to end the agreement between her and the old man. She managed to talk to him and both agreed to finish their agreement in two months. There was a strange light in Huang Lu Yue's eagle eyes as he observed Xinli's facial expression.

For some reason, the old man liked Xinli, he especially appreciated the way she handled Lu Jinian's business... and she could hold up to that rascal's temper! He chuckled with a knowing look in his wise eyes. The two months left will be very interesting now that his grandson was back to his old self. He crossed his fingers and smiled.