Chapter 17.2 - I was tricked! He's a free man!

When Li XinWen reached the door, he decided to tease the man on the other side. "Rui-ge, is it cold outside?" he asked through the door. "Want me to open this door?"

"XinWen... Don't play around. You've called me, and now I'm here. If you want me to leave, just say so and I'll leave..." came Xue Rui's voice from the other side. From his tone, Li XinWen could hear how depressed the other man was.

'Teasing him like this isn't even fun anymore...' Li XinWen sighed before he opened the door. "Come on in," he gestured for Xue Rui to come in before he closed the door. "You only took ten minutes even though I gave you thirty minutes. Did you drive fast again?" Li XinWen asked as he led Xue Rui into the living room.

Xue Rui wasn't going to tell Li XinWen that he hadn't even gotten that far when he received the notification that Li XinWen followed Min XiaoYu in Donyun. "You've seen my driving skills. Getting here in ten minutes isn't that hard. Plus... I didn't want to let you wait too long."

Li XinWen hummed before he finally returned to the sofa. He stared at Xue Rui who just continued to stand. He could see that Xue Rui had a complicated look on his face when he saw Li JingHua. 'These two really are hiding something...' Li XinWen thought. 'If they broke up... How can I keep my promise to the original Li XinWen?'

"Rui-ge, go and take a seat first. I'm sure you and Hua-jie have something to tell me, right? Don't worry. I have all night, and I am patient. You can take all the time you need to prepare yourself," Li XinWen said with a smile on his face.

"XinWen, what is it that you want to know? To be honest, I'm not sure what it is that we're supposed to tell you..." Xue Rui said as he took a seat before Li XinWen.

"Not sure? Is that really the case?" Li XinWen asked as he narrowed his eyes. Then he glanced over at Li JingHua who sat beside him. "Hua-jie, explain to me why you were so hostile towards Xue Rui earlier. Don't lie... I will know..."

Li JingHua bit her lips as she looked away. "Ah'Wen... You should know why..." as she said this, she clenched both her hands into a tight fist. "He... Took advantage of you, didn't he? I found out during that future I experienced... He... And you..." Li JingHua didn't want to continue and Li XinWen could sense his sister's inner turmoil.

"Continue," he urged Li JingHua.

"He forced you to sleep with him... And you agreed as long as he kept us safe..." she said as she glared at Xue Rui as if he's the worst scum on earth. "So when I returned to this time, I decided to break off our engagement and cut our ties completely. But this man! I never thought he'd be so shameless!"

"En. Shameless indeed..." Li XinWen agreed before realizing what Li JingHua had just said. 'Wait! Break off their engagement?! My worst fear has become a reality! Li XinWen, ah! Your sister just broke off her engagement. How can I keep my promise to you??' Li XinWen wanted to say something to Li JingHua but he was cut off by Xue Rui.

"Nonsense! Even though I--" Xue Rui suddenly stopped himself. As much as he wanted to deny that he wouldn't take advantage of Li XinWen like that, he felt that what Li JingHua said he did was true. At least, the him before would do so. But now, he wanted to earnestly pursue Li XinWen so he definitely wouldn't do as such. "A-anyway, I don't care what future you saw. Whatever happened in that future of yours may not necessarily happen again! For one, I won't force Li XinWen anymore. He even promised that he'll let me pursue him!"

"I did?" now, Li XinWen was confused. 'When did I...' he went through his memories before a scene in the auction house replayed in his mind. 'This bastard! No wonder he was so happy when I told him I'm not going to get involved with someone who's spoken for! It's because he's a free man!'

Li XinWen was so deep in his thought that he didn't realize that the two people in the living room were both looking at him. When he did, the atmosphere had long turned awkward. "What? I only said that..."

"So you did agree to let him pursue you?!" it was Li JingHua who cut him off this time. "Ah'Wen! You mustn't agree!"

"Li JingHua! This is between me and XinWen! As you've said before, we have nothing to do with each other so please stop meddling!"

Li XinWen noticed that things were getting out of control and their voices were slowly rising. He was afraid that if he let this continue, it'll wake their mother. He massaged his forehead, as he felt a headache coming. 'I thought this rebirth was a blessing... but it turned out to be a disaster.'

"Alright, enough..." Li XinWen said with a heavy tone. "I now know why Hua-jie was hostile. And I also know why she wanted me to keep my distance from you, Rui-ge. Now, both of you... Listen carefully to what I say."

Li XinWen's expression turned extremely serious as he glanced over at the two. "Hua-jie, you are to let Xue Rui into your plan. You know it yourself... Xue Rui is an indispensable asset. With him around, we'll be safer. I already agreed to learn martial arts in Mr. Min's school, so you must also agree to this."

Li JingHua could only agree and Li XinWen felt one burden off his shoulder. Next, he turned to Xue Rui. "Rui-ge, I believe in Hua-jie and if she said the apocalypse is coming, then we better be prepared. So let's put everything behind us and start anew, agreed?"

"XinWen, does that mean..." before Xue Rui could finish, Li XinWen raised his hand, telling Xue Rui to stop talking.

"I still do not agree to you pursuing me. In all honesty, I still feel that you and Hua-jie suit each other better," Li XinWen responded. He could see that Xue Rui was getting even more dejected. "However, I always believed that feelings are not forced and people are free to pursue the one they love. If you truly wished to pursue someone, then I can't do anything about it. I can only tell you that you will end up disappointed if you pick me."

Xue Rui's eyes lit up once again. Although Li XinWen said he didn't agree, he also won't stop him. 'Doesn't that mean I'm being given a chance?' he thought, and a smile formed on his face.

"The future isn't set, XinWen! I will try my best to make you fall for me!" Xue Rui announced confidently.

"Ah'Wen... Are you sure?" only Li JingHua felt that this was not a good idea at all. But her brother was almost an adult now, and with his current temperament, she felt that Li XinWen will be able to make his own choices. Still, that didn't mean that she's willing to let Xue Rui pursue her brother that easily.

"Don't worry, Hua-jie. If he wants it, he must prove himself worthy. Since you are no longer engaged, do you think I'll let him have his way?" Li XinWen smirked at Li JingHua and Xue Rui suddenly felt that things were going in the wrong direction.

"XinWen..." he called out his beloved's name.

"Hmm?" Li XinWen answered with a hum as he turned to face him.

"What can I do to prove myself worthy? I'll do anything!"

"Anything?"

"Yes! Anything! As long as it's for you!"

"Good. Remember your word! This weekend, come with us to Mr. Min's martial arts school! If I have to learn martial arts from them, then you must learn too!" Li XinWen announced with a mischievous grin on his face.

'I'll show you the difference between heaven and earth! Then we'll see if you'll still have any indecent thoughts about me!'

Mini Theatre 5:

Li XinWen: Come in thirty minutes and I'll let you-- (Xue Rui's mind goes elsewhere and did not hear the rest)

Xue Rui: XinWen…

-call got cut off-

Xue Rui: … What will he let me do again? Hug? Kiss? I'll just go and find out.

-Drives at full speed-

Mini Theatre 6:

Li XinWen: Rui-ge, should I open this door?

Xue Rui: Yes.

Li XinWen: Why?

Xue Rui: So I can kneel down and propose to you.

Li XinWen: … Please continue to stand outside. Or you can propose to the door instead.

And that, was Li XinWen's first win against Xue Rui.