689 I Belong to the Shadows (2/2)

Watching his sister in the arms of another man left a phantom bittersweet taste in the back of his mouth. It was at that moment that he finally realized that his beloved sister may not necessarily need him anymore. She now had a devoted man by her side who would love and protect her and even willingly offer his entire life and everything just to make her happy and safe.

An imperceptible sad sigh escaped from Lu Zihao's lips. He turned his head away from the scene of his sister being embraced by her lover and looked at the night sky outside the window instead. The others were too absorbed in watching the lovers' touching moment to notice his lonely image by the window.

'This is for the best. I made the right decision to leave my sister to this man. He'll be able to take care of her and keep her safe when the time comes that I'm no longer able to do so myself. Not to mention that he can make her happy in a way that I never could.'

His eyes dimmed, as an air of loneliness covered his figure like a blanket unnoticed by the others. The usual devilish aura surrounding him was nowhere to be felt. It was as if he absorbed all of his presence within him and made himself invisible.

'Yes, this is how I should be. I belong to the shadows.'

If this was before, he would have thought this with great confidence and even pride. Now, however, there was just sadness while he tried persuading himself that basking in the light and love like his sister wasn't meant for a corrupted man like him who had blood staining not only his hands but also his entire body and his very soul. Still, he wouldn't admit that he was sad even to himself. Emotions like sadness had no business affecting someone like him.

Minutes ticked by in complete silence. Even the usually vocal cat Popcorn was silent and didn't bother anyone. Nevertheless, the affectionate cat was the only one who sensed that something was wrong with his Uncle Haohao, so he jumped and curled on the man's lap and began rubbing his sleek, warm, fluffy, orange body to comfort his lonely uncle.

Lu Zihao didn't react at first and just looked down on the orange cat rubbing itself all over him. But after a few moments, his hand began stroking the cat's warm fur.

Popcorn purred.

Lu Zihao began to feel better, the loneliness gradually dissipating, replaced by warmth.