Chapter 122 - Sleep Now. I Won't Go Home.

After a little while, when Matthew Xi recovered more strength, he carried her to bed. At first, it went smoothly as Zoey fell asleep like a baby, snoring which sounded like a baby's lullaby in his ears. 

He didn't find it annoying. If anything, sharing the same peaceful silence, glancing at her peaceful sleeping face, embracing these newfound feelings that confused him every once in a while, and even breathing the same air as her was beautiful. 

Actually, everything seemed beautiful to him at the moment. It was perfect; she was perfect. 

However, just as he gently lay her down, Zoey slowly regained half of her consciousness. The moment she spoke, the beautiful harmony cracked. 

"Darling, are we making babies?" Reeking of alcohol, Zoey's lashes slowly fluttered as her vision slightly shook. Yet, the familiarity of his scent and breath calmed her heart. 

Matthew Xi, who was on top of her with his one arm under her neck as he lay her down on the bed, couldn't help but feel his eye twitch. "Do you want to?" Letting out a distressed sigh, he asked on the spur of the moment. 

"Hehe." Alas, Zoey only gave out a meek chuckle for no reason as she hooked her arms around his neck. 

"I'm kidding." For a brief second, he rested his forehead against hers as a short breathy laugh slipped from his lips. "Go to sleep." He added, pulling his arm that was under her nape. 

"Hmm!" Zoey protested by a hum, shaking her arms that were resting on his neck. 

"Zoey..." Matthew Xi retracted his head, adding a tiny bit of distance between their faces. "I'll be back tomorrow morning." He promised, reassuring her even though she wouldn't even notice that he was gone the whole night. 

Staring at his honest front, Zoey pursed her lips together. "Why don't you recognize me?" She asked, causing a crease to form in the space between his brows. 

"I —" Zoey attempted to lift her head, but to no avail. She didn't have enough energy as her body felt heavier than usual. "I give up." She frowned.

"Have we met before?" 

Zoey only stared at his curious front. She could not help but admire his looks and shunned the world where even his words couldn't break her trance. 

"What's my name?" Her silence after those last words left a huge impact on him. Matthew Xi's russet eyes turned darker as his subconscious mind went a little paranoid. 

"Is she thinking she's with some other man?' Just that single thought easily triggered him. 

"Browny..." Unaware of the danger enveloping around the room, Zoey's frown grew deeper as she sighed.

Alas! Even though she already stated the nickname she used to call him with, Matthew Xi's hysterical subconscious mind wasn't convinced. 

Perhaps, she used to call someone else with that nickname too? 

"That's not my question." At this point, there was a sudden drop in the temperature as he gazed down at her intently. His jaw tightened, unprepared for an unprecedented explosion. 

"My Browny who took care of Zoey in the hospital even when she was not sick. Browny patted my back when he saw Zoey during her panic attacks. Browny doesn't judge Zoey. Browny is cold but warmer than anyone else..." One after another, Zoey meekly listed down all the good deeds Matthew Xi had done to her which had provided her the warmth she had never received before. 

Even in such a state, her heart wouldn't mistake someone else as him. After all, only Matthew Xi was able to reach the part of her heart that even Ezekiel Tang didn't attain.

The twenty three days she had known Matthew Xi couldn't compare to her two-year relationship with Ezekiel Tang. Why? Zoey couldn't explain it either. 

All she knew was that the deepest part of her heart acknowledged him. At the same time, it scared Zoey because the part of her which had acknowledged him, would never acknowledge her own self. 

Matthew Xi listened how she viewed those instances with great value; how she especially focused on the simple details slowly pacified his mind. 

"But... Browny forgot all about me." After her series of notes, Zoey murmured the same sentence which raised the initial question again inside his mind. 

"You..."

Just as Matthew Xi was about to continue, he felt his phone vibrate inside his pocket. Despite the urge to not answer it, it kept vibrating to the point that it was annoying. 

Hence, Matthew Xi answered it despite being in such a situation and an uncomfortable position. Ala!, what he failed to do was check who was the caller first. 

"Xi Matthew, I've been sitting inside your house for almost an eternity now. Mr. Qian said that you cleared your schedule for the day, but he doesn't know your whereabouts! Have you gone for a walk in a deserted place again?!" As soon as the line connected, Vivian Xi's complaints came like a wild boar. 

Matthew Xi had to put his phone away from his ear as his own mother would be the cause of him being deaf if he didn't. 

"What island did you go to this time? What time? Which country? Are you even focusing on your love life?!" Vivian Xi continued. One could feel the alarming vibe from just hearing her yapping. 

"Browny, are you cheating on me while we're in bed?" Suddenly, Zoey asked after she vaguely heard a woman's voice as her eyelids grew heavier. 

At that instant, there was a sudden moment of silence from the other end of the line. Matthew Xi slowly placed his phone next to his ear because he knew it's safe for his ears now. 

"I'm busy." His deep voice coupled with his words intensified his mother's misunderstanding. 

"Right! Sure, sure! Do what needs to be done — I know you're working hard! Go on, I won't interrupt anymore~! Don't use protection, okay?" With that said, the line got disconnected. 

Matthew Xi stared at his phone in disbelief. His mother... he didn't know if it was the right decision to let her misunderstand or he needed to clarify it with her. Nevertheless, all that mattered was that Vivian Xi wouldn't bother him that night anymore… or so he thought. 

"Sleep now. I won't go home." Shaking his head, Matthew Xi tossed his phone somewhere on the bed as he collapsed by her side. 

"Hehe...." Feeling his weight balance on the mattress as his warmth grew stronger on her side, Zoey giggled as she snuggled him with a satisfied smile.