Chapter 282 - I Was Just Afraid (1/2)

Xunxun had never used her full name before, nor had he ever looked at her with eyes like that. All of a sudden, Ah Sha felt miserable. The floodgates opened; her tears pattered against her lap.

“Seriously? You’re crying? You think you can justify your actions just by shedding a little tear?”

It was as though a switch had been flicked; Ah Sha’s soft sobs turned into full-blown wails.

“Wuwuwuwu… I want to go home, wuwuwu…”

Releasing a deep sigh, Xunxun reached out and pulled Ah Sha into an embrace. “Now you’re crying. Weren’t you acting all tough just now?”

“I, I didn’t lie to you on purpose,” Ah Sha said jerkily.

Xunxun released her from his hug and then grabbed a towel to dry her face. “Alright, enough crying. Now tell me what the hell’s going on!”

“The year before last year, I ran into Johns. Afterwards, when I found out that he’s acquainted with mother-in-law, I asked for his contact number.” Ah Sha stared at Xunxun. Her puckered lips and watery eyes rendered her appearance extremely pitiable.

The sight of her red, teary eyes brought a sharp pang into Xunxun’s heart. He pulled her closer. “I’m so sorry,” he said, kissing her gently. “I shouldn’t have raised my voice at you. What happened after that? How did you end up as a bounty hunter?”

“One time, he came to me to borrow some drugs for his mission. I thought it sounded pretty fun, so I tagged along.” Ah Sha’s voice was barely audible at this point. “After that… I became the poison queen.” When she finished, Ah Sha buried her head into Xunxun’s chest.

For a long while, they stayed in that same position. Then, Ah Sha shifted slightly in his arms. “I was afraid to tell everyone because I didn’t want everyone to worry. If daddy found out, I’m sure he’ll forbid me from bounty hunting.”

“Ah Sha!” Xunxun said, raising her chin suddenly. Ah Sha’s gaze met a pair of dark eyes. Once again, she felt a sting in her eyes as her tears threatened to fall.

With as much sincerity he could muster, Xunxun kissed her tears away gently. “On the contrary,” he said, “I think your daddy will be very proud of you.”

There was a few moments’ pause before Xunxun spoke again. “You’re doing this to track down the formula for Aunt Qing’s legs, aren’t you?” Xunxun gazed at her tenderly. “None of us have the heart to blame you, Ah Sha. You’re working so hard and risking your life to save your own mother.”

More tears spilled from Ah Sha’s eyes, drenching her cheeks. “How did you know…” she said.

Xunxun pulled Ah Sha to her feet. “I practically raised you. There’s nothing about you that I don’t know,” Xunxun said, leading her into the bathroom to wash her face.

Ah Sha’s boldness returned when she realized that Xunxun was no longer mad at her. “But you’ve been mad at me for the past few days! You gave me the cold shoulder! You even raised your voice at me!”

Xunxun poked her head a few times. “I wasn’t mad at you. I was just dissatisfied with myself.”

“I mean, you wouldn’t have to go through all this trouble if I found the prescription formula from the get-go, right? Everyone tried to spoil you rotten since the day you were born. I’m sure their hearts would bleed if they ever find out the real reason behind all that training you’d put yourself through back at my father’s base. You wanted to become a bounty hunter even back then. That’s why you trained so hard.”

Ah Sha raised her head from his chest. “I’m so much stronger than you guys think, you know?” she said in a serious tone. “I’m not that weak.”

“I know,” Xunxun said with a sigh. “I could tell from the way you dealt with Tang Yue. Which is why I’m worried. What if you keep soaring higher and higher and then realize one day that you don’t need me anymore.”

Ah Sha didn’t expect Xunxun to say that. Her heart ached for the man. She threw her arms around him and wiggled against him. “You have to stay with me and protect me forever. Without you, I’ll just fall to my death. If you dare abandon me, I’ll, I’ll ask Xiao Rui and Wangwang to break your legs!”

“I’ve been giving you the cold shoulder for the past few days because I was afraid.” Xunxun tightened his arms around her. “When I was just a kid, I’ve already decided that you’re the only woman I want to be with for the rest of my life. I can’t guarantee that I’ll do better than your daddy, but I can guarantee that I won’t do worse than him.”

“I know, I know!” Ah Sha burst into tears again. She even wiped her tears on Xunxun’s pajamas. “You’re not allowed to ignore me or raise your voice at me again. You have to want me even if I’m the poison queen!”

Xunxun squinted at her. “Alright.”

“Where are we going?”

“To the bed!”

What ensued after that was a long and arduous ravishing session where Ah Sha was flipped over on the bed several times like a fish on a frying pan. When she woke up again, the space beside her was already empty.

“Men with blue balls are scary creatures!” Ah Sha thought. She doubted she would even be able to get out of bed when they finally went all the way.

Ah Sha ploughed through her morning routine with a hand supporting her aching waist. By the time she was done, the aroma of ham wafted from the kitchen.

“Looks like you’re in a good mood today, milord. You even took it upon yourself to make breakfast!”

Xunxun gave her a hug and then stole a kiss from her lips. “Well, I’m more than happy to prepare all your meals if you let me have my way with you every night!”

“Oh, by the way. You should give your daddy a call first,” Xunxun reminded and said.

Without ado, Ah Sha called Ying’s residence. Almost the entire call was spent explaining her abrupt departure to Xin Qing. For breakfast, Xunxun had prepared porridge and ham sandwiches—the only things he knew how to make.

“You should just stay home since you don’t have to work during Chinese New Year,” Xunxun said.

Ah Sha nodded. “Then should we go to the Great Barrier Reef with daddy and the others?”

“Do you want to go?”

“I think it’s best if I stay away from my family for the time being,” Ah Sha said, sounding a little dejected. “I don’t want to cause trouble for them.”

Xunxun ruffled her hair. “Don’t use the words ’cause trouble’. You’ll hurt their feelings if they find out.”

Before they dealt with Bai Qi, it would be dangerous to stay by Ah Sha’s side.

“Ah! Crap!” Ah Sha leaped to her feet. “I forgot about my three friends!”

Xunxun pulled her back down. “Relax,” he said, “Xiao Hua had already sent them back.”

“Then, I guess we should spend this Chinese New Year together, just the two of us!” Xunxun declared, pulling out his phone. He called the Ying family first to greet his in-laws. Then, he made another call and asked the person on the line to reserve a room for them. After hanging up, he said, “Shall we head to the underground hot springs?”