Chapter 198 - Silly & Whipped

Xin Xiaosi and Darren had one thing in common, they both liked to keep their feelings bottled up. Perhaps, that was the reason why Xin Xiaosi lost Nora and Darren lost Chen Xiu. However, these two also were the best when it came to expressing their feelings with actions. They were from that minority of people who actually believed that actions speak louder than words.

But who knew that their actions were in vain since they were in love with girls who couldn't understand their actions at all.

Just like Darren never told Xin Xiaosi about Chen Xiu, the latter never really revealed the identity of Nora as well. He didn't want to bring up something that was already left in the past. After all, Xin Xiaosi and Darren grew closer in the years Xin Xiaosi was living in New York. And at that time, Nora had become his bitter and painful past.

Now that for the first time Darren asked, Xin Xiaosi decided to just come clean and was about to say Nora's name. But only, "Nor-" left his mouth and the rest was stuck in his throat because of Dylan's sudden visit which interrupted him.

"Hey, Ah-Si! Hello, my traitor-best friend!" Dylan huffed like a kid seeing how comfortably his best friend was chatting with Xin Xiaosi forgetting all about his existence.

"Traitor?" Darren gave him an inquisitive look. "How did I become a traitor?"

"Aren't you? You didn't inform me that you're coming yesterday then you ran off with your girlfriend. Even now, you came to meet Ah-Si but you didn't bother giving me a call. You betrayed your best friend by choosing a girlfriend over him." Dylan's list of complaints was quite long and after a while, Darren and Xin Xiaosi both had stopped paying any attention to him. 

Dylan felt a tug at his pants and looked down at his cute little niece who said, "Didi, that's not betrayal. That's called setting your priorities straight."

Dylan gaped at little Asteria while Xin Xiaosi and Darren burst out laughing at her sharp reply said in an adorable way. Darren picked that little doll in his arms and asked, "Little Star, where did you learn that?"

"Uncle Li taught me that. When I asked him why mom always avoid him, he said she isn't avoiding him. She's just prioritizing me over her own happiness." Asteria replied in her clear and adorable voice. Those words didn't suit someone of her age at all.

Darren kissed her forehead and said, "Little Star is really smart."

"She sure is smart," agreed Xin Xiaosi as he poked her chubby cheeks. "Did our little Star come to see her grandmother?"

Asteria shook her head and said, "Nope. I came to see Uncle Li. Because I'm upset, he left without a goodbye last night."

Darren placed her back on the ground and said, "Then run along. Your favorite Uncle Li is in the kitchen with your grandmother." Asteria beamed as she heard that and ran inside the house with her short legs.

"Sister Mei really let her come with you?" asked Xin Xiaosi in surprise.

"Don't bother asking. When she woke up and learned that you both left last night. She screamed for an hour and fought with sis as well saying that she didn't let you both stay for the night. Later, she refused to eat anything. After struggling for hours, Sis was the one who gave up and asked me to bring her to Li bro." When Dylan explained what had transpired since the morning both Xin Xiaosi and Darren were shocked.

Even though Qiu Meihui avoided Xin Xiaoli at every chance she got, her daughter, on the other hand, was obsessed with him. Even though Dylan lived in the same house, Asteria always called for Xin Xiaoli whenever she needed something.

"I don't understand, she rarely sees him. Then how come she's so attached to him?" The words came from Xin Xiaosi who knew very well how much his brother avoided seeing that little girl because of Qiu Meihui. Even though Xin Xiaoli had come to love Asteria more than he loved Qiu Meihui. But for Qiu Meihui's sake, he would always keep his distance.

Darren leaned close to him and whispered, "You didn't see your first love for years. Why are you still in love with her?"

Xin Xiaosi really wanted to smack Darren for that reminder but he held himself back as he said, "I guess you make sense."

Seeing how Darren and Xin Xiaosi were engrossed in whispering even in his presence, Dylan was irked, to say the least. "You both are making me feel unsolicited by doing this."

Realizing their mistake, both of them stopped talking. "Would you like some coffee?" asked Darren to loosen the tension between them but before Dylan could open his mouth to reply, he went on, "Right, you're a boring person. You don't drink coffee."

"I can if you add some sugar in it," said Dylan stubbornly taking a seat beside them.

"You and your sugary obsession," Darren shook his head at his best friend who was busy adding sugar in the cup.

"How would a diabetic person know how yummy sugar is?" Dylan decided to get bitter with words being the childish person that he was and went on, "Your life is colorless without sweets, I'm telling you."

Darren leaned back in his chair and smiled in content as he said, "You're right. My life was colorless without My Sweets. I didn't know it before but now my Sweets is enough to paint my life with colors of rainbows."

Dylan who was about to swallow his sweetened coffee halted. He felt like the sweet taste of his coffee had vanished and a bitter taste took its place. How did he never realize that his best friend was this cheesy? Nah! It must be Xiu's fault for turning him into a cheesy person. Obviously, Dylan was gonna blame Xiu for that as well. How can he not?

"Your 'Sweets' is the most bitter person I have ever met in my life," said Dylan to provoke Darren and it worked against him.

Because shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly while replying, "She has to be bitter for unimportant people. I wouldn't want everyone to fall for my Sweets' sweetness now. Can't let that happen."

Dylan placed the coffee cup on the table, stood up, pulled out a white napkin and waved it in defeat saying, "I'm done!" After that, he walked towards the house to avoid the cheesiness.

"Someone has wrapped you around her fingers," said Xin Xiaosi who had been silently observing the bickering of two best friends.

Darren laughed at him and said, "I'd be happy if she did that. But that silly girlfriend of mine is too slow on things sometimes."

"She's silly and you're whipped!"

Darren had a thoughtful look on his face as he said, "Hmm... I also think so."