188 Hearts Desires (1/2)

”What are you doing here?”

Yun Suyin's face lit up with a furious blush. Because he was standing, she received a decent eyeful of his tightly packed abs, the defined lines down his hips, and…a certain part of him, that was particularly eye-catching.

She was stunned speechless by the sight. It had taken a good moment before she managed to shift her gaze away, the blush on her cheeks deepening. She did her best to restrain the pounding waves of excitement about to burst from her heart.

Her voice wavered as she whispered softly, ”Can…Can we bathe together?”

When An Sun's dark gaze set on Yun Suyin's figure, the furrow between his brows deepened. Outwardly, his expression was unchanged, but inwardly, his blood was boiling and he was on the verge of exploding. He took some deep breaths and barely managed to control himself. He had to find composure.

”You can bathe by yourself, I'm leaving.” There was no change in his expression as he grabbed the towel by his side and wrapped it around his waist. He walked forward to leave the bathroom.

Yun Suyin was startled by his words. She hadn't thought An Sun would be so cold and indifferent towards her. Here she stood with nothing but a simple cloth covering her chest, and yet his gaze hadn't even lingered a second longer over her.

The more she thought about it, the more unpleasant she felt. The hands clutching to the small fabric held against her chest squeezed. When he walked past her without even sparing her a glance, she could no longer bear it. She bit her lip and made a decision in her heart.

”Wait! Please don't go!”

Feeling the girls bare and soft body press against his back, An Sun's expression turned ice-cold.

”Let go.” There wasn't any trace of emotion in his magnetic voice, but it still sent chills down Yun Suyin's spine.

But she didn't let go.

”No! An Sun, I love you! I don't care about anything or anyone else! I can do and be what you wish as long as I can stay with you, the man I love!”

Suddenly, a strong force caught Yun Suyin's jaw and pulled her forward, forcing her head to look up. Only then did Yun Suyin see An Sun's slightly chilled gray eyes sweep over her face. The indifferent look in his face was the same.

However, his expression had changed.

”You are not the one I wish for.” His voice was abnormally calm, yet it bore a sense of chilliness, piercing into her bones and making her tremble.

Yun Suyin stared with wide eyes at the man before her, as fear washed over her entire body. Overwhelmed by the feelings, her body trembled as his hold on her jaw tightened, turning her fresh, white skin red. The expression on his face, it was terrifying and cruel.

With whatever courage she had, she looked up at him with an unyielding gaze and said: ”That doesn't matter to me! Either way…I love you!”

The depths of An Sun's eyes darkened. Beneath the icy mask on his face, his eyes sparked violently. The words that came out of his mouth were like daggers as he laughed mockingly. ”To love someone you barely know…that way of thinking will get you killed someday.”

His handsome face was slightly contorted into a chilly expression, and his deep eyes were like ancient glaciers.

”I'm warning you, do something like this again and it'll end with my hand pulling out your heart.”

He forcefully pushed her back, causing her to stumble back a bit. He turned around, leaving her alone in the steamy room. Yun Suyin continued to stare at his back with frightened eyes. When he was finally no longer in sight did she allow her legs to weaken and collapse on the floor. Numbness overtook her.

She lifted a hand to her face. She could still feel his hand on her face. It hurt.

The trembling in her hands had grown worse, and her arms were shaking too. She could sense his indifference as well as that hateful, cold look in his eyes as stared at her. For the first time, she found An Sun to be terrifying.

…

When An Sun stepped out of the steamy bathroom, dressed and into the Bai Manor courtyard, he looked up to the dusk sky slowly giving way to the dark of night. The cold aura that he had kept under control suddenly burst out in full force.

His heart was filled with disgust and rage. He was really tempted to kill that girl. Had it been before, he would have. His nostrils flared just a bit as he let out a frustrated sigh.

He wished he could kill her. However, he wouldn't dare to in the Bai family's home.

He had gone to the bath to cool off, and now he was even more stressed than before. He wasn't one who enjoyed a simple walk but to avoid a killing spree, he couldn't see why not to. Loosening the collar of his robe, An Sun's wet long hair draped behind his back, drying as he walked.

After circling the manor an endless number of times until he cooled off, he finally decided to return to his room when his footsteps paused. He was surprised to see a figure propped up against a pillar in the open garden.

It was Rin.

With her eyes half-shut, her long lashes hid the pools of emotion in her gaze. Somehow, seeing the peaceful aura around her brought a sense of relief in his chest.

However, his brows very quickly furrowed upon identifying the expression on her face. With her short hair length, he could visibly see the slight knit in her brows.

”I take it the talk didn't go too well,” An Sun walked over before sitting himself down next to her.

Rin's eyes widened a bit in surprise, the affliction in her eyes vanishing. After a few seconds, she let out a sigh and shook her head.

”That would be a kinder way of putting it.”

An Sun propped his hand on his knee and looked at her with a lifted brow. ”That bad?”

Rin looked at him before sighing once more. ”As expected, they both objected to the idea of my going. But…”

She fell silent. Biting her lower lip, the hands wrapped around her knees squeezed.

”I've never seen that expression on my grandfather's face before. He looked really…” Her lips tightened.

The two didn't speak for a while. The ghostly wind broke the peaceful sound of silence. An Sun kept his eyes fixed on her, not willing to miss the tiniest change of expression on her face. He was unable to describe the look in her eyes.

His eyes narrowed briefly, before he finally said in a low voice, ”What about you? If this choice bears you so much suffering as well as to the ones you love, is it all worth it?”