Chapter 321: Love Me

Shui Xian cooked the two dishes and even poured wine in two goblets. He set up the table for two and even placed a candlestand in the middle. Raelle didn't ask what he was doing. It was actually obvious. He was trying to make the atmosphere more romantic. 

It seemed Hyson was right about Xian. 

Her husband had a romantic soul which was so not like hers so found these things tedious and troublesome. 

When she thought of this, Raelle even got to realize that lately, she didn't found things as troublesome as before. There weren't many changes in her life if one didn't include the addition of Shui Xian. But did this one addition really managed to change the way she perceived things?

That can't be possible, right?

Raelle had never given someone the right to change her. Even Hyson was not allowed to do so. But Shui Xian was doing some changes to her. But it was not like Shui Xian wanted to change her at all. However, he still was able to make a change in her life by just being there. Those changes weren't really obvious but for someone critical like Raelle, all these minute changes were already too much.

Shui Xian pulled out a chair for Raelle as he said, "Have a seat, m'lady!"

Raelle didn't want to know why he was acting this way. She chose to just take the seat. If you're ever offered a chair, just take it. No need for questions.

Then he also sat opposite her and lit up the candles one by one, all three candles started burning with a passion. Shui Xian took a remote from the side and turned off the lights completely. Now, only the light of candles and the moonlight falling in from the tall windows accompanied these two.

"Baby, why don't you look outside?" 

Raelle did as he said and turned her head. And then she couldn't move her eyes away. The lakeside that had been calm earlier was now crowded with fireflies. Those tiny moths gave off lights as they flew around as if dancing on the surface of the lake. Or perhaps, they wanted to kiss the moonlight that has become a part of the lake at this time.

Whatever it was, it was beautiful. 

"It's beautiful," she said. 

"Is it more beautiful than me?" he asked with a cheeky smile on his face.

Raelle looked back at him and said, "For some reason, I don't want to answer that question."

Shui Xian pouted, "How can that be? Can't you say that your husband is more beautiful than any sight?"

"Do I even have to say it?" was Raelle's response.

Shui Xian was stunned by her words. It took him a while to process her words but when he did, a new wave of a loving and helpless smile bloomed on his handsome face.

Argh! He was really getting obsessed with compliments. But he only wanted to hear those compliments from her. 

"Why don't you try the food now?" suggested Shui Xian. "I can't compete with your professional chefs but I have always been quite proud of my art."

"Art?"

"Food is also an art, darling," he told her in all seriousness.

"Then I'm definitely the wrong person to appraise this art," said Raelle. "For me, food has always been a necessity of life. Nothing more. We eat to stay healthy. There is hardly any other meaning to me of food. But if Hyson had been at my place, he'd certainly be able to appreciate this art." She picked up her fork as she added, "Your wife is pretty clueless in this department."

"But I still like this clueless wife," was Shui Xian's answer. "I don't need you to praise me. I just want you to have a hearty meal."

Raelle took small bites as she focused on eating. Shui Xian's attention was on her. She unhurriedly continued to take bite after bite and would also take a sip of the red wine. Although it was hard to hear what she thought about the food, the way she ate made Shui Xian believe that she liked it.

Sigh! He hasn't paid this much attention to someone before. 

With Raelle, he had to pay attention to every single little thing to read between the lines to understand her a little more. This needed patience that he seemed to be learning from his wife lately. She was extremely patient. She wasn't patient only when it came to her own principles.

Raelle finished her meal and wiped her mouth. She looked at Shui Xian and said, "Thank you for the meal! I liked it."

"Really?" Shui Xian's eyes twinkled like little stars.

"Yes, really!" she reassured him. "Don't ask why I like it. I just do."

Shui Xian chuckled at her, "No, I won't go into details."

Raelle thought about something, "So... should I wash the dishes?" Shui Xian was baffled by her question. "Isn't that how it goes? One does the cooking and the other does the dishes? It'd be too cruel of me to let you do it all."

Shui Xian laughed out. "Are you afraid that you'd be called cruel for doing that?"

"I'm not afraid of anything," she told him clearly. "But I just want to help you a little."

"Have you ever done this before?" he inquired.

"Obviously, no."

"Then why is there a need to do it now? I'm here for it," Shui Xian was quite easy-going about it all. "I'll do it myself. Besides, I love washing dishes."

"Liar!" 

Shui Xian's smile stiffened and he ended up clicking his tongue, "You actually saw through me."

"It wasn't that difficult to do so," she said.

Shui Xian stood up to take the dishes and leaned over to kiss her forehead as he said to her, "Even if I don't like it, doesn't mean I'm willing to let you do it."

"If I try once, I'll eventually learn."

"This is not something you have to learn," he said. "But if you do want to learn something..." Raelle continued to look up at him, waiting for him to end his dramatic pause. And he did end it with a kiss on her lips saying, "Then learn to love me. That'd make my whole life worth it."