Chapter 174 - Does Your Face Hurt?

Before she was Da Xia, a popular model in the North continent, she had been Dai Xiaodan, a beautiful teenager with rich parents and girlfriend of Qing Chen, the heir to The Kingly Empire.

The latter title was something that had been hard to acquire. Dai Xiaodan had lived in a little bubble that her parents had prepared for her—maids at her beck and call, the latest fashion items, gadgets, trips to whichever country that she wanted… the list could go on and on.

She was not the type of girl who was mean and nasty to other people. In fact, she had been kind. She was generous and understanding.

When she was twelve, she had witnessed one of the greatest events in her life. Her family was out in the neighborhood park and Dai Xiaodan spread a huge blanket on the grass, plugged her earphones, then started to read the fashion magazines that her mother owned.

She got lost in her own little world. She was even putting little post-it notes on some of the pictures and items that she liked the most. She also noted some of the things that she would've changed.

As she was so busy, she had not noticed the commotion that was happening until it caught the corner of her eye. She stood up so fast that her phone dropped to the ground and her ears finally heard everything.

She rushed over and saw that the parents were trying to break up a fight. People were screaming around and she saw her five-year-old sister crying whilst covered in sand. She quickly wiped her sister's tears and dusted her, asking what happened. But the little girl was too preoccupied with the tears coming that Dai Xiaodan did not receive any answer.

When she straightened up, the fight was already over. The parents were shouting over the kids, clutching their wrists, lecturing that they should not get into another fight. Dai Xiaodan's mother quickly steered them away and they walked the short trip back home, during which she had been filled in as to what happened.

Dai Xiaodan scratched at the back of her neck. At first glance, she thought that the slim boy above the huge one was the one who started the fight as he seemed to be the most able-bodied to do so, taking on three. She thought it was just another case of bullying when it was her sister who was the victim and the kid only saved her. Now, she felt ashamed just thinking about it.

Her sister, Dai Ning already stopped crying and was asking for some ice cream. While her little sister was being cleaned, she went to her room and turned on the television and was watching until she had been called by a maid as her mother was looking for her.

Before she could even enter the kitchen, she already smelled the sweetness in the air. "Did you cook?" she asked.

"Of course not," her mother replied as it should've been obvious.

Dai Xiaodan looked around and saw the wrapper from the store that was far across town and her mother was transferring the pie to an expensive plate. "You should just give it to them as is."

"And how would that make me look like?" her mother snapped and put a film of foodwrap on top of it. "Now, take your sister and give this to that nice boy's family as a thank you."

Dai Xiaodan pouted but followed anyway. A maid tagged along as she walked at the side of the road holding hands with her freshly showered younger sister.

"Are your eyes okay?" she asked.

Dai Ning nodded her head. Her hair had clips at the side with small flowers on them. "I feel fine."

She looked at the address that her mother had written on a piece of paper and started counting the houses. Most of them were gated and were far separated from one another. She heaved a breath of relief when she finally saw the huge house at the middle of the street.

They rang the doorbell and spoke to the intercom, recalling that they were the family at the park earlier. The gates mechanically opened and they made their way to the front of the house. Before she could even knock, the door swung open and a beautiful foreign woman stood.

"Hello, there," she greeted, her blue-green eyes reminded Dai Xiaodan of the glass windows on some church.

"Good afternoon. My mother sends this pie as a thank you for what your son did for my sister," she began with a smile.

"Oh, you mean Chen?" the woman asked and called for his son. "Would you like to come in?"

"Thank you but we don't really plan on staying," said she.

They heard footsteps and a voice. "Mom?"

"Come here," the woman beckoned and a moment later the boy was beside his mother.

Dai Xiaodan was taken aback with his face, it had bruises turning purple and yellow at the edges. She had never met someone with eyes as blue as his. It was not very common in this country.

"They came to thank you," said the mother.

"Oh," this CHEN said. "It's not a big thing. I just wanted to help."

Dai Xiaodan was lost for words. He was far from the men she saw in magazines but there was something about him… it was like she could see how he would look like in the future, and he was handsome.

"Does your face hurt?" Dai Ning asked in her small voice.

"Not at all," he answered. "I'm glad you're no longer crying."

"Thank you!" Dai Ning let go of her hand and walked to hug Chen. She reached his waist. "Let's be friends, okay?"

The Chen boy knelt and touched the colorful pins on her sister's hair with a wide smile. "Of course. What's your name?"

"Dai Ning."

Her heart jumped when his eyes flicked to her. "And you?"

She bowed her head a little. "Dai Xiaodan."

"I'm Qing Chen. This is my mother, Hao Suyin."

"It's nice to meet you," she said. "Is there anything else we can help you with? Buy his medicine perhaps?"

"Don't think too much about it. Are you sure you don't want to come in?" asked the mother. "His father and brother is about to come home soon."

She politely shook her head. "Our mother is also waiting for us to be back. Maybe next time."

"Be sure to visit again," the mother said and took the food from the maid. "Heavens know I need to see more pretty faces."

Dai Xiaodan blushed and tugged on her sister. "Let's go, Ning."

"Thank you for the pie," Qing Chen said with a nod.

Her sister raised her little hand. "Bye."

Dai Xiaodan left that property with a new plan in her life.