208 Modern-Day Rapunzel (1/2)

Lu Xinyi had always admired her step-mother but the void that she wasn't her birth-mother never filled. She didn't hate her, she was just deprived of familiarity and involvement with that family.

She wasn't her mother, she didn't share the same bond with her that she shared with her sons. Lu Sheng and Lu Han weren't her brothers like they were of each other, and her father was too busy to be there to be a father; She felt they were a family and she was an extension, a stain on a complete family...

She was envious of what they had; A family that gave you familiarity.

Lu Xinyi sighed at her melancholy thoughts then smiled genuinely and motioned her to come forward, when Riley came in front of her she gestured her to sit, ”How many times do I have to tell you not to call me 'Miss Lu', just call me Xinyi, Okay?”

Riley nodded with a half-smirk, ”Okay, Miss Lu.”

Lu Xinyi huffed and shook her head with a smile, ”Forget about it. Let's just go.”

They settled in the car and Lu Xinyi looked through the hard copy of her novel. She wanted to write something better and renewed but this was the first novel she wrote in her high school days and never dared publish.

It was about a girl who had a sheltered life and didn't know the hardships of the world and then she sought her freedom by running from her protected shell of life to another country to start a new life. Ironic yet iconic.

She wanted to live her novel then and writing all her strayed emotions, helped her cope with them. Anyway, she wouldn't change today for anything.

Lu Xinyi entered the office and the senior editor stood up for greetings, ”Good Afternoon Mr Liao. I am Lu Xinyi, we talked on a mail.”

The middle-aged man reciprocated her business smile while his eyes were set on judging her, ”Good Afternoon Ms Lu. How I have waited to meet the legendary Artist, Rachel Lu.”

Lu Xinyi gave the business like formal smile she had spent her youth practising and nodded her head gracefully taking the compliment as a lady should, ”I am glad that we had this meeting then.”

Inside Lu Xinyi was nervous, this was her first official meeting but her step-mother had taught her about situations as such.

Always keep your spine straight and chin high, have a posture of a lady. Your voice should neither be of a weak woman nor stern of a prideful woman. Keep it neutral, polite, with fewer words that worth.

When they were settled Mr Liao ordered coffee for both of them. Lu Xinyi didn't drink coffee yet like taught she didn't decline or gave a preference.

After the man had observed her for a few seconds he smiled at the young, well-poised, cultured woman.

Rumours said she was spoilt, short-tempered and stubborn but the young woman in front of him seemed fit for a painting posture.

He patted the copy of her work that he had been going through for a while now, ”What are your plans with this?”

Lu Xinyi felt her hands shook under the table in nervousness but none of it seeped on her face, she kept a neutral serious face, not excited or anxious at all, ”Well, I want to publish it and officially start my career in literature.”