The 3 B's- Beauty, Brains and Bravery

Chapter 455: Her adorable dork

It was a fourteen-hour flight from Country X to Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. In normal circumstances, Xi Yuan would've utilized this time to go through Xi Corporations' financial files. But this time was different. This time, he had the most riveting partner of all, accompanying him. And for the first time in his life, he wasn't a speck exhausted through a journey as tedious as such. 

She'd binge-watched about seven episodes of FRIENDS's first season with him, consuming about two and a half hours for it. Initially, Xi Yuan was taken aback by how finely she remembered each and every dialogue from it. But then he'd come to enjoy it himself. Both the series and her sudden interferences. She'd laugh at every hilarious bit from it as if she was watching it for the first time, and that was just so endearing to look at. 

Then, she'd taught him how to make swans and monkeys out of towels, followed by an elaborate yet immensely august faux calligraphy class with the help of the fine-point black fountain pen in his office. She even told him about her love for baking and cake decorating, and that she'd always wanted to own a small bakery of her own one day. That was the first dream of a person who'd grown up to become an awe-inspiring and influencing role-model for millions of souls. 

Had he fallen for her, though, if she would've been a baker, he'd thought then. Had they even crossed paths throughout their lives? Who knew...

She was in the washroom now, exfoliating herself, relaxing in the warmth of the lavender salt-infused water of the bath. Staring at the structure of the night sky pattern ceiling, he lied on the bed as waited for the girl to step out of the restroom. 

"I am hungry.", Rong Xinghe's voice reached him a few minutes later, making him turn his head to look at her. She had her gray hooded bathrobe wrapped around her damp and soft skin, her ears and nose red in response to the steam.

The man gulped, his ears turning hot, as his gaze stopped at the waterdrops over her slender neck and the delicately thin collarbone below. Damn it, he cursed internally. And at once, he sat back up, climbing down the King-size bed, fixing his eyes to the ground. "I'll see to it.", he nodded, as he stormed out of the room. 

As the door behind him closed shut, Rong Xinghe blinked at it, confused. What was up with him suddenly? But then she let go of it. Men could be more confusing than women sometimes. She'd grown up with Six weirdos to have known that by now. A minute later, she put on her maroon set of undergarments, followed by one of Xi Yuan's Emporio Armani gray sweatshirts and her regular black lounge pants. 

Standing in front of the washroom's mirror, she smiled to herself. Perfect! She had never paid attention to her looks before. Part of it was because of her job. For the past few years, she hadn't woken up to a bruiseless face. She was more used to her injuries than she was to the national position that came with it. 

But most of it was because of him. Her Yuan. He never demanded anything of such sorts from her. No makeup. No 'top-notch' clothing articles. He'd never let her feel that she needed to change herself in order to stay by his side. He was probably the only person in this world who'd joked to her about marrying her whilst she walked down the aisle in her pajamas. Such an adorable dork, he was.

"What do we have?", the girl walked into the living room wherein her darling sat. 

"Sliced fruit platter, first. In appetizers, we've got Mushrooms Fricassee with Thyme Cream on toast. And for the main course, we could go for Lasagne Bolognese.", the man answered, "They are preparing the dining area right now."

Rong Xinghe leaned against the rounded-edge entrance, her lips pressed against one another, eyebrows raised, "And what about the deserts?"

"Double Fudge Chocolate brownies.", Xi Yuan answered, his tone suspicious. He knew that look. The 'freaking rich' look she had. "What?", the man smiled at the girl, pulling her to sit beside him over the white leather sofa. 

"Nothing.", the girl shook her head, resting it over his lap, stretching her slender legs to the end of the settee. It was now that the man noticed the clothes she'd changed into. His shirt. It suited her more than him, honestly. Either that or he'd gotten used to this habit of hers. 

"What is it, Xinghe?", the man's lips curled up as he ran his fingers through her freely falling jet black hair. 

"I am just curious.", the girl said, her expression blank, "Have you always had such an affluent lifestyle? Like a royalty or something."

"Kind of.", the man replied, "I mean... having Xi family's legacy passed down to you has its perks."

"Oh... how unfortunate."

"Huh?", Xi Yuan glanced at the girl, puzzled. How come... People out there dreamt of leading a life he had. And yet, his Queen thought of it as unfortunate. Just how did her mind work, really? 

"Well... yeah. You've got hundreds of skyscrapers beneath your foot and you've got a wealth that's just straight up unmatched. But that's the point. You are so high above everyone else that you've never enjoyed the little wonders of the world. The things that really matter do not matter to those on the top of the human chain. And it's so hurtful, you know.", the girl explained calmly. 

Xi Yuan listened to the girl attentively before his fingers stopped their movement as his mind wandered off in the thoughts of its own. She was right. He'd never seen what she'd seen. She, on the other hand, was an explorer. She loved interacting with commoners, local vegetable vendors, and roadside food stall owners, despite the fact that she was just as much a prominent a personality as he was. She was like water, able to blend into his crowd and into hers. And he admired her for that. She knew his world. But did he knew hers?

"Show me, then.", the man finally broke the silence, his expression earnest.

"Hmm?"

"Show me the things you've seen, and the things that fascinate you, Xinghe.", Xi Yuan said, "Show me the world that shaped your personality into this; into this deadly mix of beauty, brains, and bravery."