Longing For The Heat

"You little wench, just who do you think you are"

Liling easily pried the woman's hand off using her free hand then looked up to meet her gaze,

"Please refrain from touching me. It will not end well",

The intensity of Liling's stare matched the woman's and made her subconsciously shrink, no one had ever spoken to her in that tone before and she could feel that Liling actually meant it,

She quickly snapped out of it, and just when Liling turned around to leave, she reached out again, but this time she succeeded in sinking her nails into Little Bun's left arm,

Before the woman could realize what was going on, she suddenly found herself landing on the cold marble floor butt-first,

When she looked up and finally processed the fact that she had just been pushed to the ground, Liling was soothing the confused Little Bun who had just been woken up abruptly from his nap,

She scrambled up flustered, and her confusion quickly turned to anger at having just been embarrassed in public. Seeing only red, she reached out to smack Liling's face, but her hand quickly froze in mid-air,

In her confused state, she looked up. She was met with cold darkened eyes staring down at her before her hand was unsympathetically flung away,

By now a small crowd had started to gather, and emerging from that crowd was an average-height man in glasses. He ran straight to Li Hao, and bent to catch his breath while trying to speak,

"Mr Li..., why didn't you... tell me... you were coming.., I would have personally.. greeted you at the entrance"

"Manager Tang, is this place somewhere any crude person can just come and have their way?", his voice and facial expression were nothing but stoic, but Mr tang could slowly feel the room's temperature decreasing with every word Li Hao spoke,

"Of-Of course not sir", He could feel sweat dripping down his back as he tried to respond, but even more scary was the fact that he was sweating in such a cold environment,

"Then why is she still here?"

"I-I'll call security right-right away sir", he got out a walkie-talkie with shaky hands and requested security be brought to his location,

In less than half a minute, two burly security guards walked through the doors and were directed by Manager Tang to escort the very disoriented and screeching woman out,

Through all of this, Liling stood in the corner with Little Bun watching it unfold, she had never imagined that Li Hao could be that cold, even she could feel the frost coming off him from the distance,

The sales assistant returned with the dress and the POS and Liling then proceeded to pay. The assistant thanked her once again before leaving to work on dispersing the crowd,

Li Hao re-joined them after having a one-on-one discussion with Manager Tang, and after all the drama, they could finally go home

******************************

~Li family mansion

Liling stared out the passenger seat windows and at the picturesque setting of the sun aglow with hues of orange and red. She loved sunsets, they always seemed to calm her, and it wasn't any different this evening,

They had left Little Bun back home due to the events of the afternoon in a bid for him to get a good night's rest, so only she and Li Hao were sat in the car blanketed by a comfortable silence,

They slowed down upon having reached the tall black gates at the entrance and were let in after having their identities confirmed by the security guards,

They drove in and parked directly in front of the dauntingly sized mansion. Li Hao got off and helped Liling get out, a small gesture she repaid with a polite smile,

The mansion's expansive grounds, which featured a sweeping driveway, manicured lawn, and delicate array of flowers, exuded an aura of refinement and exclusivity, setting the stage for the impressive home that lay beyond. The grandiose mansion's exterior exuded opulence with its predominantly white hue, delicately accented by hints of gold. The intricately carved pillars stood tall and proud, a testament to the family's vast wealth and impeccable taste in architecture.

While the mansion's appearance would intimidate most people, it had no similar effect on Liling, she had grown up living in a place just as extravagant until her life had come crashing down at her parent's demise and the greed of her uncle.

Thinking of the events from her past had put a lump in her throat and the dull aching pain in her heart grew, she clenched her fists and stared on absent-minded,

"Are you okay Liling?", the worried voice called and woke her from her reverie, she managed a small smile and nodded twice,

Noticing the warmth on her hand, she stared down at Li Hao's hand that had gently covered hers,

He noticed her gaze and removed his hand but had left Liling, who despite not wanting to, longing for the heat he had provided.