Chapter 161 - Please don’t stop me from doing this…

"Feng Jianyu… I'm fine. Don't worry" She turned to look into his eyes and answered dryly.

"Do you really want to talk about it?" Jianyu was still concerned about her and cannot stop himself from asking her.

"About what? My ever so happening adventurous childhood in Kong House?" She mocked herself, as her voice trembled with the pain she was trying to hold back.

Feng Jianyu tried to pick her up to gather her in his arms, unable to see her like this. But she not only stopped him from doing so but pulled her hands out from his, refusing his offer. "I told you, I'm fine…."

He understood she needed space, so he quietly sat down beside her, attentively listening to what she is about to say next. She took a deep breath before continuing again, "Upon inquiry it was discovered, that criminal was one of the most wanted terrorists involved in multiple crimes including the attempted assassination on the life of the president of Country B. But investigating team could never find out why he was carrying a child with him and after DNA analysis it was further confirmed that I was not related to that criminal/terrorist in any manner."

"Out of security concerns and the mystery behind my origin, General Kong Zhi took me under his care and named me Alice. I stayed with him for about five years until his untimely death. General Kong Zhi was a typical disciplined military man, strict, aloof and ruthless. But he was different in his own way. If he didn't loved me all these years, he neither ill-treated me for even once. I was provided with good education, food, clothing and shelter, until he died…"

"What do you mean until he died?" he frowned. He was unable to understand what she was trying to say. "Did someone mistreat you after his death?" There was obvious coldness in his voice.

Xiu Mei's eyes lowered as she continued, "After Kong Zhi's death I was put under the care of Kong Da, as he took over the position of General after his brother's death. But my life was not the same in Kong Da's care as it was before; I sense a coldness in his behavior towards me. The way he behaved with his own three kids was different how he behaved with me."

"Under Kong Zhi's care I was never bothered about love or family because he was a single man, so I was not aware of what these words actually mean. But Kong Da was married; he has three kids, a wife…. I used to wonder why I'm always excluded from their family moments. Why I don't get gifts as his other kids do? Why do I always have to wear Kong Liu's old clothes? Why I'm not allowed to eat sweets while other kids can eat it anytime? After every fight why I was the one who is being scolded every time but no other kids? Why I was supposed to eat meals in my bedroom and not on the dining table, along with everyone?"

She sighed, "I don't know when and how… But noticing their cold behavior towards me, slowly I secluded myself from the Kong family and dedicated all my time in sharpening my skills and reading books from Kong Zhi's big library."

Xiu Mei smiled thinking about the time, "Sometimes I think that I'm so good in my skills because I never wasted my childhood in playing as other kids do. From morning to night all my time used to be spent in the library reading books, learning lessons on the computer or in the storeroom in search of old machines so that I can open it up to check it's functioning."

"That's how I learned and developed the Infinity Software, burning my night out in creating the most amazing software of its time. Today I can create a software like Infinity within three months but it took me more than four years to make it at that time. I knew it, this software will be the turning point of my life and I can fulfill all my dreams with that one software. But does it always happen what you wish for? Life is so unpredictable… So as mine was…."

She looked at Feng Jianyu straight into his eyes and smiled. As their eyes collided, he couldn't be put off any longer as he got up to lift her body and gently seated her on his lap, his left arm tightly around her waist. When she tried to protest he quietened her by kissing her lips softly, "Shh… This is the least I can do for you right now. Please don't stop me from doing this…" Hearing him say it like this her heart melted like a wax and she could not bring herself to stop him anymore…

He held her head close to his heart, his right hand caressing her back soothingly. "Do you want to drink water?" She shook her head and continued her story….

"At the night I turned 16, my alarm clock ticked at exact 12:00 a.m. After General Kong Zhi's death, it was only the butler of the house who used to wish me on that day. I woke up and sat down on the bed, waiting excitedly for the butler to come to my room and wish me like he always does every year. My happiness was over the cloud as it was my sweet sixteenth birthday like how everybody calls it"

"Butler Xavier does came to my room but his expression was nothing like as if he came to wish me my 16th birthday….

****

XIU MEI'S 16th B'DAY NIGHT

Without knocking the door, Butler Xavier enters Alice's room and found her sitting on the bed. But before Alice could say a word he hastily strode towards her at lightning speed and covered her mouth by his palm so that she cannot make a single sound. "Shh… Don't say anything" Alice heard him whisper in her ear.