514 My Father

But even when Darren noticed that everyone was looking at them, he wasn't fazed. Embarrassment? No way! Why would he be ashamed of hugging his Sweets? He barely managed to hold her in his arms after two weeks. It was torture all along. And now that she came all the way here to see him, and was in his reach, how was he supposed to keep his hands to himself?

"Mr. Salvay, how about introducing this young lady?" Someone from the group around him suggested.

Darren pulled Xiu in his embrace before he pointed at the group of people and one by one introduced them to Xiu. Because of seniority, he had to introduce those old people first before he presented, "And this is my Airen[1]."

Xiu couldn't help looking up into his eyes while he lowered his head slightly to look back reassuringly. Xiu felt like her heart was gonna burst up. This man really knew how to melt her heart, no, even her soul with his simple words. 

Although introducing her as his 'Airen' seemed very normal at this point, they were still surrounded by business moguls, not by family. So, it had an even better effect at touching her heart. Her mouth felt like it was filled with sweets and ironically, he was the one talking sweet here. So, did it mean he was feeding her sweet words?

The group of people around Darren grew large considerably as everyone was curious to find out the identity of this young lady who ran inside without even caring about the place or occasion. 

"When did you get married?"

"Why haven't we heard about it?"

"Mr. Salvay is really low-key even when it comes to hiding his gorgeous wife."

Xiu didn't pay attention to any of these words. And she really wasn't all that interested until...

"Oh, I didn't know Mr. Salvay is already married. I was about to introduce you to my granddaughter."

Xiu's eyes darkened as she heard that woman talking nonsense while she stared at Xiu with visible disdain. Xiu could understand the meaning of her look. She had faced many of those in her previous. The only difference was back then, she wanted to fit into that circle, this time, she didn't even give a damn about their opinions.

What mattered was that Darren's hand had been wantonly rubbing her waist while he smiled at her and said, "I appreciate your concern, Mrs. Yin but fate brings people together from afar." He really used that proverb to high-key emphasize that he was just meant for his Sweets. And no other person was allowed between them.

Smart people could hear the dark tone of Darren's even though he sounded very polite. And only a blind won't be able to see the doting look on his face when he looked at Xiu. 

Another person laughed softly as he said, "No wonder, Mr. Salvay was looking out of sort all this evening. It seems you're missing your wife."

The old man was not bothered at all as he said, "Yes, it's young love. Enjoy while it lasts. Soon, she'll be nagging like my wife."

Everyone joined the happy atmosphere as Darren replied, "She already nags a lot though."

Xiu gasped while hitting his chest softly, "When did I nag?"

Darren pinched her nose as he exposed her, "Wasn't you just about to say, 'Baobei you look thin? Did you eat well? Did you sleep well? Why do not care about your health?'" Xiu closed her eyes and hid her face in his chest. He was definitely exposing her thoughts before so many people on purpose. And Darren was indeed doing it on purpose, he loved seeing that flustered look of hers. She looked too adorable.

Even if she had all those questions at the tip of her tongue, he shouldn't just say it like that.

"How adorable!"

Someone gushed looking at the way these love-birds were acting. While the husband was teasing, wife definitely had the look of 'I'll deal with you later in our room.'

The woman who earlier reprimanded her husband couldn't help saying, "You both remind me of that proverb..." She tapped her finger impatiently at her temple before continuing, "Birds flying in the sky as one; Branches growing on the Earth as one.[2]"

Darren's smile broadened even more as he replied, "CEO Shang is really wise and insightful." It was obvious why Darren was so pleased to hear that. Even he knew that the harmony between his and his Sweets' souls was exemplary. How could he not be happy to hear someone pointing it out?

It took Darren a while to get out of the circle of people who were way too curious about his love life. It really made him wonder how these gossipy people were actually managing their businesses all this while. After a while when he found a quiet corner, he thought he finally had his Xiu to himself. But...

"I was wondering what caught everyone's attention here."

Hearing that voice Darren's face stiffened. Xiu also looked up and when she saw that familiar face, she was a bit surprised. However, her surprise was only palpable through her brows that knitted up ever so slightly. The rest of her expressions didn't even shift.

Seeing Zhou Xichen standing before him, Darren could only curse inwardly. Looking at Xiu, he completely forgot that his father was also around.

Zhou Xichen first looked at Darren and then at Xiu who was still held in Darren's arms. He smiled gently as he said, "Won't you introduce us?"

Darren pursed his lips together hesitating while Xiu noticed his internal struggle. However, Darren had already decided to come clean and felt like right now was good enough. So, he held Xiu's hand tightly before he bit out, "Sweets, this is Zhou Xichen... My father."

[1] (àiren): (ài)" means "love," and "(rén)" means "person." The combination of " (ài)" and "(rén)" literally means "the person you love." And it can also refer to "wife/husband." So the introduction "(Zhè shì wŏ de àiren) This is my husband/wife" can be used both by wives and husbands.

[2] (Birds flying in the sky as one; Branches growing on the Earth as one.) It means... The birds signify kindred and lively spirits, united by love and peace. Branches signify stability, growth, and perseverance. Each element is described in its plural form, but as they move closer together they become one in a way that describes conjugal bliss. This Chinese proverb about love, then, becomes a perfect symbolic metaphor to describe the harmony of souls in a relationship.