Guiying beamed upon reading the note.
It's from him...He would be coming to the Summit?
A flutter set in her chest, and she jumped up in the air in joy. Her heart raced as she read the note again.
A bright smile lifted her lips as she picked the bouquet. The pink cherry blossoms were beautiful and breathtaking. Just their sight alone made her feel as if the day got brighter.
She brushed her fingers along the petals, her gaze softening. She felt even more fired up now to aim to win the Summit.
He will be so proud of me if I win, right? She scratched the top of her head sheepishly. I wonder what expression he will make?
Her phone buzzed with a call, and she slightly paused reading the caller's name.
Cai Lingyun.
She kept her thoughts aside and picked up. "Bro! You are back from your trip? How was-"
"Guiying! I just saw all the mayhem about Ai! What is going on!?"
She stiffened.
A loud sigh escaped from the other side, "I was on a business trip all this time, and the network was pretty bad there. I came here and opened the news and suddenly saw all these accusations and bashing on Ai! What is happening?"
Guiying touched her chest, feeling uncomfortable. "It's all just a big misunderstanding."
"Plagiarism is a serious charge, Guiying! How can anybody accuse Ai of that? And I didn't understand Ai's post," he sounded confused. "What is she confessing about and what about leaving Dream High?"
"It's a long story, Bro. I will tell you when everything gets sorted out. But it will be fine. Sky and Dream High both have talked in her favor so..."
"Well, it better be fine! Ai is such a talented writer."
Her eyelashes trembled.
"If these baseless charges affect her career, then it would be over for her. I want you and Ai to become the most popular writers. You two are my favorite. I wish I could be there to support Ai but this damn job of mine..."
She smiled. "Don't worry, Bro. I am here with her. She is my best friend. I won't let anything bad happen to her."
"Good, good, my little sister. She is your precious friend so always look after her just how she looks after you."
"Of course."
"And you are living alone, but you are not ignoring your health, right?" He sternly asked.
She chuckled. "We just met during my vacation, and you are already asking me that?"
"Hahaha. Time flies so fast. It feels as if it has been months already. Anyway! I just read about the Author Summit happening on Valentine's Day. You must be participating, right?"
"Yes," she rubbed her chin. "It will be a tough competition. I don't know if I will win though."
"Bah. Apart from Ai, nobody can match my sister!" He laughed.
A tremble passed through her body unknowingly.
"I wish I could make it to the Summit and show my support for you two, but the workload is really high here," he tiredly exhaled.
"Don't take stress, bro. Even if you are not here, I know you always support us."
"En. My best wishes are always with Ai and you. Do your best!"
"Thanks."
They hung up after chatting for a bit, and Guiying immediately collapsed on the couch. She pressed her forehead, feeling pain enveloping her temples.
'And you still want to be friends with Ai? Aren't you so naive?' A laughter echoed.
Her eyes widely opened with a jolt, and she gasped. She took short, shallow breaths. But as her gaze fell back on the pretty cherry blossoms, her heart felt at ease.
Guiying softly smiled and hugged the bouquet.
MrPerfect...
—
Ai was the first one to wake up. She softly yawned and dazedly opened her eyes. She felt Jun's breaths gently blowing on her forehead. His arms were still at the same position as last night. His grip hadn't budged even an inch from her waist, securely and firmly holding her.
She peeked upwards and noticed how peaceful he looked as he slept. There wasn't any trace of anguish in his expression that had brought tears to his eyes last night.
She slightly shifted, but her face almost fell atop him. The tip of her ears turned redder as their lips accidentally brushed past each other.
Ai moved her hand back and gently tried to make space by slightly pushing his arm upwards. She squinted her eyes, wishing that he wouldn't wake up.
A hoarse voice blew in her ear. "What are you doing?"
She froze. She shut her eyes, lamenting on failing to do her task.
She slowly lifted her gaze to find his dark eyes watching her with an unreadable expression.
p????-?0???,??m Ai pursed her lips and softly said, "I was just trying to get up without disturbing your sleep."
Jun tilted his head on the armrest. "Shouldn't the main question here be as to what you are doing sleeping on top of me?"
She blinked twice. "It was you who pulled me to sleep like this."
He sneered. "Are you sure?"
He clearly remembered that he had pulled her to his side last night, but he felt an urge to tease her.
"Why would I lie?"
"Heh. After the stunt you did last night...I cannot be really sure about you anymore."
The flashes of memories of Ai stroking his length to pleasure him rushed into her mind, and her face reddened. That was a bold move from her side, she had to admit. She didn't know what took over her but once she knew that Jun was going to torture himself again, she was determined to help Jun at all costs.
Ai coughed and quickly got up. "You were asleep, so you might not remember," she said indignantly.
Jun raised his brow. He recalled how troubled he felt last night getting any decent sleep. His thoughts always wandered off to Ai. The feelings he was repressing were on the tip of his tongue but he failed to admit it, afraid of sinking into the same abyss that destroyed him in his past life.
But when Ai whispered the words he needed to hear the most, his heart felt incredibly lighter.
She didn't think of him as a hideous monster. She still chose to approach him fearlessly.
'You are the man who I...'
His hand slightly shivered.
I am the man you what, Ai? What did you want to say last night?