653 Self-Absorbed?

"Regan, before I tell you what's on my mind, can you answer one of my questions honestly?"

"I have always been honest with you, Sweets."

Xiu had no words to refuse that. Indeed, he had always been too honest with her. Perhaps that's why she earlier told Zhou Jinhai that her husband was a straightforward person. He would never hide anything from her. 

"Do you think Chen Xiu was self-absorbed?"

Darren's brows furrowed up. He was too used to her addressing herself in third-person but calling herself, self-absorbed? Where did that come from? He had never met someone as selfless as her. And to be very honest, he kinda hated that about her. How she always would be thinking about others instead of herself. It really gave him a headache. 

He shook his head in all honesty, "I have never thought of Chen Xiu as self-absorbed. Where is this even coming from? You have always put others' feelings before your own."

What he didn't say out loud to her was that instead of being self-absorbed, as Chen Xiu she had let her depression rule her emotions and life to the point that even today, she could only remember the bitter parts of her life. It wasn't that there weren't any good memories, it was just her brain that remembered only the bitter ones.

"But I still wasn't able to know people," she said in a soft voice. Looking into his grey eyes, she went on, "Take your brother, for instance, I suddenly feel like I never really knew him."

Darren's eyes darkened a little as his hand tightened around hers. "Sweets, just because I don't say it doesn't mean I'm not jealous."

"Fine, fine. I won't say anything about him but..." her eyes wandered around the hall as she continued, "I'm a little taken aback right now. When Zhao Huan said she knew about my pregnancy, I was surprised but considering how she was a part of the Xin family, I wasn't really shocked as such. But when Zhou Jinhai congratulated me on our marriage, it was shocking. I don't know why but I don't remember him being so... Well-informed."

Unlike Xiu, Darren's reaction was rather unexpected. He didn't even flinch when he heard about this as he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "Sweets, you only need to know one thing. Every person in this hall is not a normal person. They all are as sinister as amiable they appear to be. This is a circle where people love to hide behind masks of perfection but every single one of them has skeletons hidden deep in their closets. Apart from that, every person in this hall has his or her way to know what they want to know. For instance, you must have seen Xiao Li's grandparents?"

"I did," replied Xiu.

"Be careful. By the end of this wedding, they'd find you."

Darren shook his head in reply, "It's not because of that. If they knew that, you'd have already been taken to the Xin Mansion in the Capital." Xiu wasn't happy to hear that. Not even a little. Neither did she want to go to the Capital, nor did she want to be 'taken away' against her will. Darren's thumb rubbed the back of her hand reassuringly as he continued, "Not like I'd let them take my wife. But anyway, the reason they'd be finding you isn't that. It's because right now, you are a very intriguing person to them."

"How so?" questioned Xiu.

"Dear wife, who told you to enchant Xin Zimen? That cold man hasn't even smiled at his parents in decades much less speaking to them. But Uncle Zi seems too human around you. It'd be a surprise if the Elder Patriarch of Xin Clan hasn't heard about this abnormality in his second son's life."

Xiu scrunched up her nose saying, "But I don't want to talk to them."

Darren chuckled at her softly, "Sweets, do you know how many people desire to even get a glimpse of Elder Patriarch and Matriarch of Xin Clan?"

"Well, I ain't one of them," was Xiu's plain reply. "It'd be too hard for me to appear polite around such parents who have the nerve to ostracize their own son."

Darren looked at her face for a while before sighed heavily. "I don't know what to do with this habit of yours. I guess I just have to make peace with the fact that my wife loves to fight others' battles for them or with them. But please, can you stop getting hurt in the process?"

"Is it wrong that I want to protect everyone I care about?"

"No. But it's wrong to do it at your own expense."

Xiu continued to look into his eyes and the intensity of his gaze made her nod her head. It's not like she wanted to get hurt again. This time around she had way too many people to protect.

"Even at a wedding, you both are busy in your own world."

Darren got up to hug Cali while Xiu just waved her hand to greet her before asking, "What are you doing at this table? Shouldn't you be sitting with Dylan?"

Cali took a seat opposite Xiu and smiled at her saying, "Dylan is sitting with his family. I don't have an official title to sit with him."

Xiu gaped at her, "Being a girlfriend is not an official title? Tsk. Tsk. This society really knows how to separate love birds."

"If you're trying to get a reaction from me, don't bother," said Cali, and Xiu decided not to continue. Meanwhile, Nora also came back to her seat right beside Xiu. 

"Now, why are you back? Didn't I tell you to go find your boyfriend?"

"Ah-Si is sitting with his grandparents, uncle, and aunt. I can't just go and sit there."

Xiu looked at Darren and asked, "What's wrong with these girls?"

"Sorry, Xiu darling but no one is as shameless as you are." Xiu glared at Nora in return for that remark which was conveniently ignored. "Just concentrate on your husband. Stop focusing on others."

Xiu crossed her arms over her chest saying, "If this attitude of yours continues, I really won't be focusing on you ever again."