Lu Lian sat in her car and checked herself in the vanity mirror of the car to make sure she was fine to get back home. She set her hair properly, applied the compact powder, lipgloss that was gone from her lips to make herself look fresh and not how she looked when Ming Rusheng messed with her. ;

She set her dress and pulled the jacket from the back passenger seat which she kept with her because it was cold these days. She wore the jacket and zipped it up till the top of her neck. Now she was ready to go. ;

Reaching the home, she straight went to her room and didn't even come down for dinner saying she was not feeling well. ;

While getting fresh, in the mirror, she saw what that cold man had done to her. Looking at her colorful neck and mostly to the top of her chest, she frowned, "That ass hole. How dare he?"

Though she cursed him, her mind went to how good she felt at that time, "Sigh! I am so pathetic. Still thinking about it. I should have just kicked his ass," she got angry at herself.. "Next time I won't fall for his tricks. What does he take me for? I am human too. If he touches me like this, my body will surely react. I am not dead yet to not feel anything. If someone else had done the same with me, I would have felt the same," she tried to console herself but then looked at herself carefully and said, "If someone else had done this to me, I would have killed that person before he could even touch me." ;

Deep down she knew, she still loved him and only he could do all this with her and she could never resist him. ;

"With each passing day, I am turning even more pathetic. Nothing can help me," she concluded. "Whatever I try, seems like I can not take him out of my heart but I can't let him know it. We can never be together or I will just disappoint my brother. After he is gone, I can at least do this for him. I can not be with a person who hated my brother and didn't even care if he would die or anything. I should just hate him."

Lu Lian decided but again a person's mind could never stop drifting between the two things that they try to pretend and the one they try to hide. ; By now Lu Lian knew her true feelings for him would be hard to change despite how much she tried to hate him. ;

Getting out of the bathroom in a new set of pajamas, Lu Lian tucked herself in the bed as she sat resting at the headboard and pulling the blanket over her.

She remembered his last words to her when he said- ; 'he was hurt and he was never so hurt before.'

"All the time he acted cold and never showed anything that affected him. How can he be hurt so easily?" she remembered his sincere eyes that said he still loves her and he only waits for her. 'A tough man like a mountain, was he really that hurt?' she thought and immersed in her world thinking about Ming Rusheng.

-------

Ning Jiahui went to see her daughter to check what happened when she heard Lu Lian was not coming downstairs for dinner. ;

There was a knock on the door and Lu Lian spoke, "Come in."

Ning Jiahui entered the room, only to see her daughter sitting in her bed leaning back at the headrest as she covered herself with a blanket. ;

It worried Ning Jiahui, "Are you not well?"

"Just tired and feeling a little cold. I will be fine after a good rest," Lu Lian replied.

Ning Jiahui checked her temperature by touching her forehead but it seemed normal. "Just a little bit. I will send dinner to your room. After that make sure to rest."

"Yes mother," Lu Lian replied. She was relieved that her mother didn't insist on much. ;

Ning Jiahui stared at her daughter for a moment and asked, "Is there something that is troubling you?"

"Huh?...N-No mother. It's just my work," she replied. ;

"Don't overwork. If something is troubling you, you can tell me."

"I will, mother."

"Rest now," Ning Jiahui left and Lu Lian felt relieved.

-----

Ming Rusheng returned home. Just like Lu Lian, he was also disturbed by everything. Ming Lan was waiting for her brother to return as she had already guessed why Ming Rusheng stayed back in the office. ;

When he returned, she didn't disturb him but after dinner, she followed him to his room. "Brother Rusheng, I want to talk to you."

Ming Rusheng who was silent all along nodded and let her inside his room. ;

"What is it?" he asked.

She didn't answer but said, "First let's go to the gallery. It's cold feels nice," smiling Ming Lan went to the gallery of the room. ;

Ming Rusheng followed his sister and stood beside her at the railing of the gallery. "What do you want to talk about?" he asked, knowing his sister is trying to ease the situation before she will talk. ;

Ming Lan cleared her throat, "Brother, you like Lian, right?"

"Hmm!" he agreed. ;

"She liked you too?"

"I guess."

"Then what happened between you two? "Did you two fight over something?"

"Hmm."

"What happened?"

"Nothing much."

"Why does it look like she is angry with you? Is it something serious? You can tell me. I know you have a habit of keeping things to yourself but this time I want you to not be so silent. Your sister is grown up now to be able to share your worries." She insisted. ;

Ming Rusheng looked at her and her sincere eyes and replied, "Something from the past, affecting our present now," he commented. ;

"What exactly?"

Ming Rusheng explained everything and heard his sister. "I would be angry too just like Lian but I can't. The difference is I know my brother really well to know he is a good person but Lu Lian doesn't know it. But I can't blame her either. Just like how I feel for my brother she loves her brother too."

Ming Rusheng patted her head, "You have really grown up now."

Ming Lan smiled, "Everything will be fine soon," she assured as if she was sure it will be. ;

"I hope so."

"I will go to my room now. Good night, brother."

"Good night," Ming Rusheng wished her.

Ming Lan returned to her room and sat in her bed. She was worried for her brother wanted to help him. She remembered what Wen Zac said to her and mumbled, "If I marry him. will she go back to brother Rusheng?"

---------

Lu Lijun and Noah were in the other city for their project work where they had to visit different sites, ; offices, and already built bases of the partnered companies to start over the work. ;

They were staying in the hotel and had dinner together in the restaurant of the hotel. ;

"Why are you so calm?" Noah asked. ;

"My wife didn't contact me yet though I left without saying bye to her."

Noah sighed and said in an annoyed tone, "It was you who didn't say bye. I don't understand you guys, why can't you just tell others why and where you are going, when you will return. So irresponsible?"

Lu Lijun stared at the annoyed guy and said, "Bro chill. I know you are annoyed because your husband didn't tell you where he went but you..."

It turned Noah even annoyed, "What the hell! Why would I care where he goes. He can go to hell or wherever he wants. I don't care."

Lu Lijun didn't mind his annoyed friend and said calmly, "Well it's good progress. At least you know who I was referring as your husband and you didn't deny it."

It angered Noah, "What the hell.....why he is the husband. Do I look less manly to you?" he pointed at his biceps, "Do you still doubt?"

"The one who plays to get hard is always a wife. Look at my wife, she is the master of this game," Lu Lijun replied calmly. ;

Noah glared at him, "You and your shit logics..."

Just then there's a message on Lu Lijun's cell phone and he pulled out his cellphone, "Ahh.. finally Jake's message."

Hearing it, without a moment delay, Noah grabbed Lu Lijun's cellphone saying, "Let me see where that ass hole has gone?"

Noah checked for the message but there was a message from a bank. ;

"Where is his message?" Noah mumbled and looked at Lu Lijun only to get a silent glare from his friend. ;

Noah understood, Lu Lijun had tricked her. Feeling caught with something, Noah put Lu Lijun's cell phone on the table and cleared his throat, "Okay, I am just worried about where he has disappeared. If you had gone like this, I would have been the same."

Lu Lijun said nothing and resumed eating, "I hope at least you know the truth deep down your heart."

Noah didn't reply and continued eating. "If he contacts you, let me know."

Lu Lijun nodded and the two friends turned silent for a while. ;

"If she didn't call me even once during this week, she will be in trouble for sure," Lu Lijun mumbled. ;

"If that ass hole didn't call me in this week, I will kick him out of my home," Noah mumbled too.

======== ;

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