551 Simply Happiness

Hung Ko once wrote, 'The contented man can be happy with what appears to be useless.'

Xiu certainly was that content person who was happy with just simple gestures that held overwhelming emotions and feelings. This must be the first time in her life that she was reluctant to open the windows to let the fireflies free. 

In the past whenever Han Bohai got these lightning bugs for her, she'd immediately set them free. And she would do it with the biggest smile as well. However, it never stopped Han Bohai from getting fireflies for her repeatedly. If she was a fool who set them free, he was the fool who loved seeing the expression of pure joy whenever she opened the jar to let those fireflies fly away.

But tonight these fireflies represented something entirely different to her. That's why she was hesitating. But no matter how reluctant she was, she still opened the French windows and watched as the little balls of light flew away.

Her sadness of parting with those balls of light didn't last that long since she soon jumped back on the bed and snuggled up against her human heater while constantly playing with the ring on her hand. 

"Do you like it?" Darren asked when he noticed how lovingly she kept looking at the ring. "Don't you find it too simple?"

"Not at all," replied Xiu happily. "I love it." Although the ring was indeed quite simple since it's preciousness was in the intricate design. But Xiu never paid attention to any of that. It looked good on her hand and that's all she could think about.

"Will you stop looking at the ring? Why do I feel like the ring has become more important than me?"

Xiu giggled at his words, "It's indeed very important."

Darren pushed her slightly to look at her face as he asked with knitted brows, "Then who is more important? Me or the ring?"

"Can I say both?" retorted Xiu while blinking at him innocently. He didn't seem happy to hear that answer, so she poked his chest saying, "Oh, come on! The ring is important because you gave it. Why else would I look at it for so long?"

Darren's expressions eased up and even a hint of a smile could be seen on his lips as he said, "Then pay attention to me."

"That I always do," answered Xiu without hesitation. Then she held Darren's left hand and placed her own beside his. Looking at the rings that somehow matched perfectly she grinned. "No matter how I look at it, this seems to be the most perfect dual proposal ever."

"You really don't think it was too simple?" asked Darren.

Darren shook his head at her saying, "Only you would call it the perfect proposal." He pinched her nose making her scrunch up her face as he added, "You're really very easy to please."

Not letting the bitterness of her past get to her, she hurriedly shifted the topic. "I want to tell someone about this. Who should I tell?"

"Is it that hard to contain your happiness?"

Xiu firmly nodded her head, "Of course! I just want to scream it to the whole world!" She nudged him saying, "Give me your phone!"

"I lost my phone. I'll get a new one in the morning. But why do you need it?"

"I want to take a picture of our hands together," smiling happily she continued, "I want to show off how perfectly in sync we are." Suddenly her smile turned sinister as she added, "Something tells me Dylan will end up jumping in the sea of vinegar."

"You and Dylan can never let go of these petty fights, can you?"

"How else will I have fun? Don't forget, I'm still jobless. Finding trouble with Dylan is the only thing that brings me peace of mind. It makes my day!"

"I suddenly feel pity for my best friend," said Darren.

Xiu didn't say anything regarding this anymore. After all, the ring in her hand was a lot more interesting than the talk about how pitiful Dylan was. No matter from which angle she looked at it, she seemed to like the view. And yes, we are still talking about the view of the ring that had become a new addition on her body. Looking at it, Xiu seemed to have fallen in love with this sweet, blissful feeling that was surging within her heart.

Seeing her grinning again, he hugged her even more tightly as if wanting her to merge with his own body. "Sometimes you act so simple-minded that it's impossible to see how deep this mind of yours is. But it really doesn't matter how simple or how deep you are. I still feel so blessed to have you here with me."

"I really can't believe that you feel blessed to have a lazy person like me."

"Stop talking nonsense!"

"Okay!" 

Maybe she was so happy that she didn't wish to close her eyes but when Darren kept stroking her back, she felt her eyes getting heavier. And it didn't take long before she easily fell back asleep.

At peace; that's the only way Darren could describe his feelings at this moment. Even though it wasn't the first time he was holding her in his arms as she slept, he still found a newly discovered joy and pleasure in this feeling.

Even now, Xiu had not changed out of her clothes. In fact, she didn't even bother washing her face. She had literally been acting as the epitome of laziness. Her shirt was still stained from her little 'incident' in the cafe earlier and yet she didn't care about it. Why would she? She had long thrown her image out the window before Darren.

And she honestly believed that Darren had seen her in even worse conditions so he wouldn't mind it at all.

"Nom... Nom..."

He thought he heard something and asked, "What did you say?"

"Sweet soup balls... Almond jelly... Dim sums... Yummy!"

Darren rolled his eyes when he clearly heard what she was mumbling. Poking her head, he said, "I can't believe you're thinking about eating even in your sleep." However, his gaze held no frustration. Instead, his gaze had softened as he added, "I'll buy it all for you in the morning."

After a moment of silence, he smiled helplessly. Kissing the top of her head, he whispered, "You really are a weirdo."