Chapter 68 : Complicated

Xiulan pulled away a little from him to create some space and she unbelievably gawked at Hongqi for a few seconds before she regained her senses back.

"How about my love? Don't you want my love?" That annoying statement rang through her ears, like a huge golden gong, the sound it created vibrated inside her head and might cause an incoming headache.

Yes, absolutely she doesn't want any of his love! His possessive attention was already tiresome, what more when romance is involved? Oh the horror!

With a calm demeanor and a stiff smile, she answered sarcastically. "This is a first that I encountered someone offered his love like it was charity."

Her teeth was gritting. He sound so arrogant! She can't explain but she's really pissed and mad right now.

"Conceited son of a bitch!" She can't help but secretly curse him. He's so haughty!

Her hands became sweaty and cold. It must be because she was anxious, nervous of his sudden question and add that she was frustrated and angry.

She was just happy a while ago because of the good news regarding the company representative. He was the cause of that good mood yet he was also the one who eventually made her angry.

"This man is playing with my feelings for the whole day, ah! Happy just a few minutes ago and I want to murder his arrogant ass!" Xiulan held onto the contract and realized she was gripping it too hard. It already crumpled. She tried to calm herself but being close to this annoying husband made her breathing hitch.

Hongqi saw through her anger. Even though she was smiling, the burning anger inside her can be felt through her words and the obvious shaking of her shoulders. Her breathing's rhythm was also becoming abnormal.

"Charity? Did I really sound like I was offering my love as charity? That's quite awful. No wonder she's mad." Hongqi subconsciously bicker to himself. He also realized how conceited he sounded.

Hongqi eventually turned apologetic a quickly tried to smooth out the tension. It was obvious that she didn't like what he offered.

He obviously didn't want to make her mad. It was just natural for his mouth to say something so arrogant and pompous. He didn't think much of the words he said. He's not good at chivalrous words. He's a natural gentleman but that mouth of his was from hell.

"I'm just kidding. It's not like that, I'm sorry. I understand what I said was really off-putting. It was childish and irrelevant." He sincerely apologized to her. He held her hand and tried to use his alluring smile to get out of this situation.

He now understood that the both of them still doesn't have any romantic feelings for each other. He likes her and cherish her but not enough to call it love. She tolerates him and very kind but not enough to call it love as well. 

He was somewhat relieve that it was the case but also bothered for unknown reasons. 

They'll be celebrating their first anniversary soon and here they are, friend zoning each other but with benefits. "I think that's for the better. I am not even sure why I suggested to give her my love." He realized he may had sound so stupid saying that a while ago.

Xiulan scowled at him for a little while but eventually her mood calmed down.

"Apology accepted." she sighed. "But Hongqi, don't ever mention anything about love or romance when you are around me. We are family now and we take care of each other. I think that's enough for the both of us, right? Romance is not our priority. Don't ever try to find romance in this marriage because it's futile." She coldly added. It was such a savage remark but she wanted to say her point to him.

"Once you are bored with me and that runaway lover of yours came back, I don't want my first love to go to waste. Also, it's really not included in my priority." she subconsciously remarked. Being his wife was like a ticking bomb. She don't want to admit it but there's a possibility in the future that she may love him. She already gave him her v-card after all. It is possible to give her treasured love as well. 

All the things she said that she will never ever do are crumbling one by one. It's scaring her. She should make a new promise to herself. Something that she should never ever break. She will think about it later, tonight.

Hongqi left Xiulan's office with a stiff smile plastered on his face. He never thought that petite wife could say such cold words to him. He thought only haughty men could do that.

"The wife is right, romance is not their priority. Also, romance should come to them naturally." He deduce while he sat on the backseat of his new car while Secretary Yang Bo was on the shotgun seat.

"Why am I even thinking about this? I should concentrate on the security business since that was the main reason why I married my wife." He tried to convince himself to go back to square one. 

He calmed himself and tried to think of other stuff but his annoying mind kept on repeating the encounter with his wife a while ago.

"Don't ever try to find romance in this marriage because it's futile." Hongqi remembers the cold declaration of his tiny wife.

"That woman... how can she say such frosty words. She should at least said it in a nicer way." He can't help but be bothered by it. It kept repeating inside his head until it annoyed him. He took his laptop and started working on pending documents. He must remove her from his thoughts. This is not a good premonition.

When Hongqi met up with the other businessmen inside a tall pagoda in K city, he didn't expect to see that annoying Mo Dejiang.

He knew that casino heir would be here but he did not expect that Mo Dejiang to actually look at him straight without any reservation. There was an obvious disgust and anger in his expression.

Hongqi already marked him as an enemy and not someone to be friends with. To avoid blatant revelation of their enmity, they both greeted each other with a smug nod and eventually then ignored each other's existence.