[Edited by Beauty_Karova]
It’s at times like these that people easily slip into a state of dilemma.
Anna has returned. Even though she has left Taiwan without a word and flew away from his side that time, Cun Xi is still infatuated with her; because she is like a swan on the stage that always shines brightly. And Xin Yi is the Cinderella who has to change back when the spell wears off.
“I didn’t do anything!” Cun Xi quickly straightens his body and throws his hand phone into his pocket. He doesn’t want to admit that he secretly wants to kiss her —Why does he do that? Even he doesn’t understand why he has such a nonsensical impulse.
“I… am on the bed?” Xin Yi does not suspect him and sits up. She feels dazed and after a while, finally becomes fully awake. “Did you carry me here?” She can’t believe it.
Her tone sounds as if he has just done a great deed! Cun Xi blushes and says roughly “Who ask you to sleep with such bad posture, you nearly fell to the ground. I was afraid that you will hurt the baby in your stomach.”
“It’s because of the baby?” Xin Yi mutters. That’s right, why will he be concerned about her? She asks mockingly to herself.
“Why did you suddenly wake up?” He changes the subject.
“I… Umm, I feel a little hungry.” She awkwardly touches her slightly swollen belly.
“Hungry?” He finds to his surprise that it’s already past one in the night.
“I don’t know, I feel like eating something.” She smiles helplessly. “Maybe it’s because the baby did not have enough food tonight.”
He looks at her. “What do you want to eat? I’ll buy it for you.” He hears that pregnant women have strange food cravings. No matter what it is, he will get it for her. Consider it… as an apology to her.
She thinks for a while. “I want to eat egg, and ham too.”
“Egg and ham?” Cun Xi is disappointed. Why is her food craving so normal? The kitchen already has egg and ham, he doesn’t need to go out and search for it at all.
“Hmm. I want to sandwich it with toast and add mayonnaise too.” As she thinks about it, Xin Yi stomach starts to growl. She quickly gets down from the bed. “I’ll go to the kitchen!”
Cun Xi finds himself following her there. When the two of them reaches the pitch dark kitchen, Xin Yi switches on the light and takes out the ham and egg from the fridge. Then she takes out a piece of bread from the cupboard.
She turns on the stove and pours some oil on the pan. As she is about to crack the egg, Cun Xi says suddenly. “I’ll do it!”
“Huh?” She is surprised. Her husband comes over and snatches away the handle of the pan. “You can fry eggs?”
“Don’t look down on me.” He says. It’s only an egg, what’s the big deal?
“But you have never cooked before, why…”
“Shut up!” He interrupts her. “Anyway I’ll cook your supper for you.” Who ask her not to crave strange food and hunger for this kind of stuff? So he has to cook it himself to express his apology.
It’s said that “gentlemen are far away from the kitchen” and this saying has some truths. A big man like him who is used to the battle on the business field has zero knowledge of the kitchen works. A simple matter like frying egg and ham can cause chaos and mess.
And the worst is, he refuses to admit defeat and insists on completing his mission.
Xin Yi stares at the disaster that Cun Xi has created. When he finally completes the sandwich after much effort, he is covered in sweat and his apron is greasy, he makes quite a sight.
“All right, eat it quickly!” He acts cool and orders her, trying to pretend that it’s only a simple task for him.
She takes the sandwich and looks hesitantly at the burned egg and even more burned ham in it—Will she gets poisoned if she eats it?
“Quickly eat it!” He urges her.
She takes a deep breath and finally summons the courage to take a bite. After swallowing with some difficulty, she sees his look of anticipation and forces herself to smile brightly. “It’s delicious!”
“Really?” His eyes brighten.
“Really!” She takes another bite. “I can’t believe that you have such good results even though it’s your first time cooking. You’re great!”
“Of course it's a small case.” He says proudly.
She slowly eats it bite by bite. Seeing that she has such a good appetite, he volunteers to make another share. She can’t stop him and has to watch helplessly as he again busies himself and offer up another sandwich.
“I can’t eat anymore.” She protests mildly.
“Can’t eat? Then I’ll eat it myself, don’t waste the food.” Saying this, he takes a huge bite.
She can’t stop him in time and can only watch as he spits out the sandwich. He turns green. “It tastes horrible!”
“Not really, I think it’s not bad.” She refutes him weakly.
“It tastes horrible!” He says angrily and looks sternly at her “Why didn’t you tell me straightaway? Why force yourself to eat it?”
“Because… it’s really delicious.” She smiles sweetly. Whatever food he makes personally for her, she will savor the sweetness of the gesture even if the taste is horrible.
He stares at her. Seeing her sweet smile, he knows that she is sincere and feels touched, but continues to rebuke her. “You are really an idiot! Does your Jiang Mu Island specialize in producing idiots?”
Her smile fades. “Do you dislike them?”
Dislike? Cun Xi is confused. No, he doesn’t dislike them, not at all. “I only feel that... it’s so funny! You are really a group of misfits. Your father, mother, and your brother-in-law… Goodness! Which planet does that Wu Qi Qi comes from? He laid so many traps at the factory but in the end he himself was caught by them!” He shakes his head. Remembering the pathetic state of Wu Qi Qi that day, he can’t help laughing.
He laughs heartily and merrily and the laughter lights up his face.
Xin Yi is amazed. This is the first time that she sees him laughing so happily. She never realizes that he can laugh like this, like a mischievous boy.
After a while, Cun Xi’s laughter dies down. He has the impression that he's laughing too loudly and feels a little awkward. “You… are really a bunch of weird people.” He concludes. His look at Xin Yi is deep and complex, seeming to hold an unknown feeling in it.
Her heart starts beating furiously under that look and she bows her head.
“Xin Yi.” He suddenly calls her hoarsely.
“Hmm?”
“Sorry.”
She is startled and raises her head. “What?”
He coughs embarrassedly and turns away his head. “I shouldn’t have misunderstood you, I… I am sorry.”
He is apologizing to her; the prince says he is sorry; the proud man is actually giving in to her! Xin Yi is agitated. Her chest feels like it has melted a tub of honey, full of sweetness.
“You will accept it right?” His tone does not allow her to refuse.
“Hmm.” Xin Yin smiles gently. Of course she will accept. In truth, she feels like she is lying on a cloud of happiness; a cloud that is like cotton candy, very soft and very comfortable.
“What’s the matter with you?” Cun Xi blinks his eyes. Her smile is too sweet and beautiful, it’s dazzling.
“I…” She is about to answer but a short messaging tone rings suddenly.
Cun Xi takes out the hand phone from his pocket and sees that the message is from Anna. His expression turns serious. He presses the keypad and reads the contents—
Darling, I will be returning to Taiwan!
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Her happiness comes quickly and leaves just as hastily.
Even since he had received the message from Anna, Cun Xi has become distracted. Their relationship which has started to warm up has become frozen again.
Xin Yi understands his difficulties and doesn’t blame him. On the contrary it is Zhen Chu who can’t stand his behavior and warns her grandson about his responsibilities towards his marriage.
“I understand, you don’t have to remind me.” Cun Xi nearly goes crazy under his granny’s repeated warnings.
Xin Yi sees that the situation is tense and pulls her husband back to their room. “Don’t quarrel with granny. She doesn’t know about our divorce agreement, so she’s forcing you like this. Don’t worry. I believe that as long as you explain the entire situation to Anna, she will forgive you.”
Will she? Cun Xi is not confident. Even if Anna knows that this marriage is only a delay strategy, she may not forgive him for sleeping with another woman by mistake.
“Don’t worry. I will help you to explain to her.” Xin Yi guarantees.
Cun Xi calms down and considers the current situation in his mind. “I think that she only comes back to help me celebrate my birthday. She won’t stay for long. We just need to keep it from her for a few days.”
“Are you saying that we should put on an act in front of her?”
“No need to act.” He shakes his head and looks at her. “You only need to hide for a while. Don’t show yourself.”
He wants her to hide? Xin Yi is speechless and her throat feels dry. She doesn’t know what feeling is this. It is reasonable, isn’t it? Obviously he doesn’t want Anna to discover her existence since it will only causes conflicts in their relationship. But why does she suddenly feel abandoned? Like when she was young and played hide and seek with her classmates. In the end nobody remembered to look for her.
When she leaves, will he remember to look for her?
“Then I will return… to Jiang Mu Island. I will tell granny that I am returning to my mother’s home for a few days.”
“Hmm.” He agrees.
She immediately packs her luggage. But when Zhen Zhu finds out, she is furious and refuses to let her leave. “You are the young mistress of this house! Why should you hide from Anna? I won’t allow it!”
“But granny…”
“Cun Xi wants you to hide, doesn’t he? Then I’ll introduce you to everybody! On Cun Xi’s birthday, I will hold a grand birthday party and let all the friends of the Ji family knows you!”
When Cun Xi discovers his granny’s decision, he hardens his heart. “All right, since granny insists. I also have my say. I will bring Anna to the party and tell everybody that she is my real other-half!”
The two of them starts to pit against each other. Xin Yi is caught in the middle and finds herself in a difficult position.
Zhen Zhu doesn’t consider her difficulties. She orders the housekeeper to send out the invitations and prepare for the party. She even invites a stylist to custom make a beautiful evening gown for her, including a set of expensive jewelries.
Just as the tensed atmosphere in the family is about to explode, Cun Xi receives a call from Anna, saying that she has something on at the last minute and will delay her return for a few days.
Cun Xi is stunned. “You mean that you won’t be able to make it back by Friday?”
“Wait till I finish handling some matters first. I should be back in Taiwan on Saturday.”
Saturday? That’s already the day after his birthday! Cun Xi is disappointed. “Do you remember what day is Friday?” He asks.
“What day?”
She has forgotten. Cun Xi’s heart sinks, so Anna is not returning for his birthday after all. “I understand, we’ll meet on Saturday then.” He hangs up the phone despondently and stands by the study’s window lost in thought.
Xin Yi is standing on the other side of the door and hears his conversation with Anna. Seeing him so downcast, she can roughly guess that Anna has forgotten his birthday and will not be returning on that day.
She glances at him in pain. His back looks so tall and lonely. He must be feeling upset now? She knows what it feels like to be forgotten and feels his pain.
She leaves silently and goes to the baby room. Then she takes out the gift that she has hidden and looks at it for a long while. Suddenly she takes out a little card from it and writes another card to replace it—
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So Anna did not forget his birthday!
On his birthday, Cun Xi receives a gift by express delivery. He is very happy and hurriedly opens the box. A deep blue scarf is lying neatly in it. It looks like it is hand-woven because some parts are not knitted smoothly.
When did Anna learn to knit? Cun Xi is surprised and holds the scarf to his chest. He suddenly feels warm—he never expects her to knit a scarf for him.
He takes out the little card. It has only a few simple words written on it, “Happy Birthday”.
It’s enough to know that Anna cares and to know that he's is not forgotten. It’s enough.
Cun Xi smiles happily and his dark mood evaporates. He doesn’t even mind when granny insists on holding his birthday party. If Anna is not around, he will accompany Xin Yi and have fun!
“You look very happy!” Xin Yi pokes her head inside the room.
“Hmm” He smiles and turns around. He sees Xin Yi hiding behind the door and hesitating to come in. “What’s the matter? Why are you standing there? Come in!”
When Xin Yi hears him, she blushes. “Please don’t… laugh at me.” She walks awkwardly into the room.
Cun Xi’s eyes brighten. Her long hair is piled up and held back with a crystal hairclip. She is wearing a pearl white gown which shows her beautiful neck and part of her fair-skinned back. A matching set of earrings, necklace and bracelets goes with her gown.
His heart gives a tug and he can’t help praising. “You are beautiful!” She is even more beautiful than when she was on the cruise that day. Maybe because her body is giving off an aura of “pregnancy”, she looks even more feminine.
“Really?” Xin Yi holds her breath and can’t believe him.
“Really!” He stresses. “You look really beautiful today.”
Xin Yi’s face turns red and she looks shyly away. She never thought that “beautiful” can be used to describe her. She looks at the scarf lying on the study table and her eyes starts shining in joy.
Cun Xi notices her look. “Does it look nice? It’s from Anna.” He proudly announces.
She looks away. “Do you like it?”
“Of course I like it!” He smiles. “It’s hand-knitted by her. I never realized that she was so thoughtful and learned how to knit especially for this.”
He looks… touched.
Xin Yi looks at Cun Xi silently. She really wants to tell him that this scarf is actually knitted by her. Her fingers even have a few wounds where she accidentally pricked herself.
But she doesn’t want to spoil his happiness. It’s all right, let him be happy. As long as he is happy, she is happy too.
She smiles slightly. “Cun Xi, granny said that tonight we should dance the opening dance.”
“Of course we must.” He does not hesitate to nod.
“You really want to dance with me?” She is delighted. “But I can’t dance very well and I am carrying a baby…”
“Don’t worry, I’ll guide you.” He glance at her and her eyes carry an unspoken look of happiness. “We can dance slowly. Then it won’t affect the baby.”
Saying this, he bends him arms and signals her to hold it. She obeys his orders and follows him down the stairs. Her heart is beating furiously.
Zhen Zhu and a group of guests are waiting in the hall that has been elaborately decorated. When they see the couple, they are full of admiration. It is as if they are looking at a fairy-tale couple.
Are they really so well-matched? Xin Yi wonders shyly. Does everybody think that they are a loving husband and wife? Today she is the princess and he is her beloved prince.
Zhen Zhu signals with her hand and the band starts playing a waltz. Cun Xi bows, his posture is handsome and elegant like a real prince.
Xin Yi timidly reaches out for his hand and he grasp it. Then he leads her and starts dancing.
He really knows how to guide her in dancing. Softly and gently, he brings her to heaven and they dance among the stars.
“I… feel a little faint.”
“Did I dance too fast?” He thoughtfully slows down his speed. “Is the baby protesting?”
“The baby is all right.” It’s the mom who is too excited. “Cun Xi, do you know the story of Cinderella?”
“Of course I know.”
“The fairy casts a spell and turn Cinderella into a princess. But after midnight she changes back.” She pauses and then sighs. “I feel that I am like Cinderella.”
He frowns. He can hear the faint sorrow in her talk.
“Thank you for being so good to me.” She says softly.
“What’s the matter?” He holds her waist firmly. “Why say things like this?”
“I don’t know, I just want to say it.” She has a strange foreboding. If she doesn’t say it now she may not have the chance to say it again. “When I first met you, I felt that you are very proud and not approachable. But it’s not like that, you are very gentle.”
“This kind of descriptions does not fit me.” He says awkwardly and his expression is a little stiff.
“You are a good man. Maybe you don’t realize it yourself, but you… are really good.”
“What exactly do you want to say?” He is so embarrassed that he sounds hoarse. He looks at her in frustration.
“I want to say…” I love you. But she can’t say it, she can only smile slightly. “Cun Xi, do you remember finding my wish box in the storage room?”
“I remember.”
“Do you remember you said that I have a wish that is the same as yours?”
“Hmm.” Cun Xi nods his head and his eyes grow dim. To meet a person that I love and who loves me back.
“I really hope that the wish will come true one day.”
“You…” Cun Xi looks at Xin Yi uneasily. He can almost hear the words that she does not dare to say. But how should he reply? What should he do? He feels his heart beating and doesn’t know what to do. When he is about to speak, a figure suddenly appears in front of him. He gasps—“Anna?!”
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In the study, Cun Xi and Anna face each other. Xin Yi stands uneasily at one side. Zhen Zhu narrows her eyes and waits to see how her grandson will handle the problem.
“Cun Xi, how can you do this to me?” Anna is furious. “How can you marry another woman behind my back? If my friends didn’t tell me, how long did you plan to keep this from me?”
“I didn’t mean to deceive you. There is a reason…” Cun Xi tries to pacify her.
She doesn’t want to listen. “Betrayal is betrayal! What reason can there be? Ji Cun Xi, so you are this kind of heartless person!”
Cun Xi is vexed and doesn’t know how to explain himself.
Seeing his frustration, Xin Yi takes the initiative to explain. “It’s not like that. Miss Shi, you are mistaken. Cun Xi married me because of the baby.”
“Baby? You have a baby?” Anna stares at them and is about to continue scolding her heartless boyfriend when Xin Yi cuts in.
“Miss Shi, listen to me. It’s like this…” She tells the whole story.
Anna is speechless. She can’t believe that there is such a strange story behind this. She looks at Xin Yi who is begging her for forgiveness, looks at granny who is disapproving, and finally turns to Cun Xi.
“I don’t care what the reason behind your marriage is. Cun Xi, I can forgive you for going to bed with another woman by mistake but you must give me an answer. What do you intend to do now?”
“Anna, can you give me more time? Wait until the baby is born…”
“What should I do in the meantime?” Anna looks at him sourly. “Wait obediently? Stand quietly at one side and watch you going out with another woman? Look at you being another person’s husband and dance intimately with her? Take care of her, hold her in your arms—will it be like this? Cun Xi, should I wait like this? Can you bear to treat me like this?
Anna's words cut into Cun Xi’s heart. He is pained and knows that he has let his girlfriend down.
“You must make a decision now. Cun Xi, do you choose her or me?” Anna throws down the ultimatum.
“Right, Cun Xi. Say it!” When Zhen Zhu hears her question, she takes advantage of the opportunity to make her grandson decide. “Don’t hold Miss Shi back, I believe that there are many men out there chasing after her.”
Cun Xi understands his grandmother’s hint. She wants him to grab the chance to reject Anna, but how can he do this?
He can’t hurt Anna but he doesn’t want to hurt Xin Yi either. He looks at Xin Yi helplessly and she is also watching him. Her eyes carry a tinge of sorrow. It is as if she already knows what he will do.
He remembers what she just said. She is Cinderella and will disappear at midnight…
“Cun Xi, say it! Who do you choose?” Anna urges him.
He stands tensely and holds on to the study table. Suddenly his hand touches the scarf and he feels moved. Holding up the scarf, he can feel its warmth seeping into his heart.
This is given to him by Anna, she kitted it personally…
“I choose Anna.” He announces hoarsely. “She is the one I truly love.”
In an instant, time stands still. Anna smiles in relief and granny bites her lips in frustration. As for Xin Yi, her face is expressionless. She doesn’t say anything and after a long while, she smiles self-mockingly and leaves quietly.
The midnight has come and she has awakens from her dream—She is not a princess; she is just the ordinary Cinderella.
Anna has returned. Even though she has left Taiwan without a word and flew away from his side that time, Cun Xi is still infatuated with her; because she is like a swan on the stage that always shines brightly. And Xin Yi is the Cinderella who has to change back when the spell wears off.
“I didn’t do anything!” Cun Xi quickly straightens his body and throws his hand phone into his pocket. He doesn’t want to admit that he secretly wants to kiss her —Why does he do that? Even he doesn’t understand why he has such a nonsensical impulse.
“I… am on the bed?” Xin Yi does not suspect him and sits up. She feels dazed and after a while, finally becomes fully awake. “Did you carry me here?” She can’t believe it.
Her tone sounds as if he has just done a great deed! Cun Xi blushes and says roughly “Who ask you to sleep with such bad posture, you nearly fell to the ground. I was afraid that you will hurt the baby in your stomach.”
“It’s because of the baby?” Xin Yi mutters. That’s right, why will he be concerned about her? She asks mockingly to herself.
“Why did you suddenly wake up?” He changes the subject.
“I… Umm, I feel a little hungry.” She awkwardly touches her slightly swollen belly.
“Hungry?” He finds to his surprise that it’s already past one in the night.
“I don’t know, I feel like eating something.” She smiles helplessly. “Maybe it’s because the baby did not have enough food tonight.”
He looks at her. “What do you want to eat? I’ll buy it for you.” He hears that pregnant women have strange food cravings. No matter what it is, he will get it for her. Consider it… as an apology to her.
She thinks for a while. “I want to eat egg, and ham too.”
“Egg and ham?” Cun Xi is disappointed. Why is her food craving so normal? The kitchen already has egg and ham, he doesn’t need to go out and search for it at all.
“Hmm. I want to sandwich it with toast and add mayonnaise too.” As she thinks about it, Xin Yi stomach starts to growl. She quickly gets down from the bed. “I’ll go to the kitchen!”
Cun Xi finds himself following her there. When the two of them reaches the pitch dark kitchen, Xin Yi switches on the light and takes out the ham and egg from the fridge. Then she takes out a piece of bread from the cupboard.
She turns on the stove and pours some oil on the pan. As she is about to crack the egg, Cun Xi says suddenly. “I’ll do it!”
“Huh?” She is surprised. Her husband comes over and snatches away the handle of the pan. “You can fry eggs?”
“Don’t look down on me.” He says. It’s only an egg, what’s the big deal?
“But you have never cooked before, why…”
“Shut up!” He interrupts her. “Anyway I’ll cook your supper for you.” Who ask her not to crave strange food and hunger for this kind of stuff? So he has to cook it himself to express his apology.
It’s said that “gentlemen are far away from the kitchen” and this saying has some truths. A big man like him who is used to the battle on the business field has zero knowledge of the kitchen works. A simple matter like frying egg and ham can cause chaos and mess.
And the worst is, he refuses to admit defeat and insists on completing his mission.
Xin Yi stares at the disaster that Cun Xi has created. When he finally completes the sandwich after much effort, he is covered in sweat and his apron is greasy, he makes quite a sight.
“All right, eat it quickly!” He acts cool and orders her, trying to pretend that it’s only a simple task for him.
She takes the sandwich and looks hesitantly at the burned egg and even more burned ham in it—Will she gets poisoned if she eats it?
“Quickly eat it!” He urges her.
She takes a deep breath and finally summons the courage to take a bite. After swallowing with some difficulty, she sees his look of anticipation and forces herself to smile brightly. “It’s delicious!”
“Really?” His eyes brighten.
“Really!” She takes another bite. “I can’t believe that you have such good results even though it’s your first time cooking. You’re great!”
“Of course it's a small case.” He says proudly.
She slowly eats it bite by bite. Seeing that she has such a good appetite, he volunteers to make another share. She can’t stop him and has to watch helplessly as he again busies himself and offer up another sandwich.
“I can’t eat anymore.” She protests mildly.
“Can’t eat? Then I’ll eat it myself, don’t waste the food.” Saying this, he takes a huge bite.
She can’t stop him in time and can only watch as he spits out the sandwich. He turns green. “It tastes horrible!”
“Not really, I think it’s not bad.” She refutes him weakly.
“It tastes horrible!” He says angrily and looks sternly at her “Why didn’t you tell me straightaway? Why force yourself to eat it?”
“Because… it’s really delicious.” She smiles sweetly. Whatever food he makes personally for her, she will savor the sweetness of the gesture even if the taste is horrible.
He stares at her. Seeing her sweet smile, he knows that she is sincere and feels touched, but continues to rebuke her. “You are really an idiot! Does your Jiang Mu Island specialize in producing idiots?”
Her smile fades. “Do you dislike them?”
Dislike? Cun Xi is confused. No, he doesn’t dislike them, not at all. “I only feel that... it’s so funny! You are really a group of misfits. Your father, mother, and your brother-in-law… Goodness! Which planet does that Wu Qi Qi comes from? He laid so many traps at the factory but in the end he himself was caught by them!” He shakes his head. Remembering the pathetic state of Wu Qi Qi that day, he can’t help laughing.
He laughs heartily and merrily and the laughter lights up his face.
Xin Yi is amazed. This is the first time that she sees him laughing so happily. She never realizes that he can laugh like this, like a mischievous boy.
After a while, Cun Xi’s laughter dies down. He has the impression that he's laughing too loudly and feels a little awkward. “You… are really a bunch of weird people.” He concludes. His look at Xin Yi is deep and complex, seeming to hold an unknown feeling in it.
Her heart starts beating furiously under that look and she bows her head.
“Xin Yi.” He suddenly calls her hoarsely.
“Hmm?”
“Sorry.”
She is startled and raises her head. “What?”
He coughs embarrassedly and turns away his head. “I shouldn’t have misunderstood you, I… I am sorry.”
He is apologizing to her; the prince says he is sorry; the proud man is actually giving in to her! Xin Yi is agitated. Her chest feels like it has melted a tub of honey, full of sweetness.
“You will accept it right?” His tone does not allow her to refuse.
“Hmm.” Xin Yin smiles gently. Of course she will accept. In truth, she feels like she is lying on a cloud of happiness; a cloud that is like cotton candy, very soft and very comfortable.
“What’s the matter with you?” Cun Xi blinks his eyes. Her smile is too sweet and beautiful, it’s dazzling.
“I…” She is about to answer but a short messaging tone rings suddenly.
Cun Xi takes out the hand phone from his pocket and sees that the message is from Anna. His expression turns serious. He presses the keypad and reads the contents—
Darling, I will be returning to Taiwan!
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Her happiness comes quickly and leaves just as hastily.
Even since he had received the message from Anna, Cun Xi has become distracted. Their relationship which has started to warm up has become frozen again.
Xin Yi understands his difficulties and doesn’t blame him. On the contrary it is Zhen Chu who can’t stand his behavior and warns her grandson about his responsibilities towards his marriage.
“I understand, you don’t have to remind me.” Cun Xi nearly goes crazy under his granny’s repeated warnings.
Xin Yi sees that the situation is tense and pulls her husband back to their room. “Don’t quarrel with granny. She doesn’t know about our divorce agreement, so she’s forcing you like this. Don’t worry. I believe that as long as you explain the entire situation to Anna, she will forgive you.”
Will she? Cun Xi is not confident. Even if Anna knows that this marriage is only a delay strategy, she may not forgive him for sleeping with another woman by mistake.
“Don’t worry. I will help you to explain to her.” Xin Yi guarantees.
Cun Xi calms down and considers the current situation in his mind. “I think that she only comes back to help me celebrate my birthday. She won’t stay for long. We just need to keep it from her for a few days.”
“Are you saying that we should put on an act in front of her?”
“No need to act.” He shakes his head and looks at her. “You only need to hide for a while. Don’t show yourself.”
He wants her to hide? Xin Yi is speechless and her throat feels dry. She doesn’t know what feeling is this. It is reasonable, isn’t it? Obviously he doesn’t want Anna to discover her existence since it will only causes conflicts in their relationship. But why does she suddenly feel abandoned? Like when she was young and played hide and seek with her classmates. In the end nobody remembered to look for her.
When she leaves, will he remember to look for her?
“Then I will return… to Jiang Mu Island. I will tell granny that I am returning to my mother’s home for a few days.”
“Hmm.” He agrees.
She immediately packs her luggage. But when Zhen Zhu finds out, she is furious and refuses to let her leave. “You are the young mistress of this house! Why should you hide from Anna? I won’t allow it!”
“But granny…”
“Cun Xi wants you to hide, doesn’t he? Then I’ll introduce you to everybody! On Cun Xi’s birthday, I will hold a grand birthday party and let all the friends of the Ji family knows you!”
When Cun Xi discovers his granny’s decision, he hardens his heart. “All right, since granny insists. I also have my say. I will bring Anna to the party and tell everybody that she is my real other-half!”
The two of them starts to pit against each other. Xin Yi is caught in the middle and finds herself in a difficult position.
Zhen Zhu doesn’t consider her difficulties. She orders the housekeeper to send out the invitations and prepare for the party. She even invites a stylist to custom make a beautiful evening gown for her, including a set of expensive jewelries.
Just as the tensed atmosphere in the family is about to explode, Cun Xi receives a call from Anna, saying that she has something on at the last minute and will delay her return for a few days.
Cun Xi is stunned. “You mean that you won’t be able to make it back by Friday?”
“Wait till I finish handling some matters first. I should be back in Taiwan on Saturday.”
Saturday? That’s already the day after his birthday! Cun Xi is disappointed. “Do you remember what day is Friday?” He asks.
“What day?”
She has forgotten. Cun Xi’s heart sinks, so Anna is not returning for his birthday after all. “I understand, we’ll meet on Saturday then.” He hangs up the phone despondently and stands by the study’s window lost in thought.
Xin Yi is standing on the other side of the door and hears his conversation with Anna. Seeing him so downcast, she can roughly guess that Anna has forgotten his birthday and will not be returning on that day.
She glances at him in pain. His back looks so tall and lonely. He must be feeling upset now? She knows what it feels like to be forgotten and feels his pain.
She leaves silently and goes to the baby room. Then she takes out the gift that she has hidden and looks at it for a long while. Suddenly she takes out a little card from it and writes another card to replace it—
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So Anna did not forget his birthday!
On his birthday, Cun Xi receives a gift by express delivery. He is very happy and hurriedly opens the box. A deep blue scarf is lying neatly in it. It looks like it is hand-woven because some parts are not knitted smoothly.
When did Anna learn to knit? Cun Xi is surprised and holds the scarf to his chest. He suddenly feels warm—he never expects her to knit a scarf for him.
He takes out the little card. It has only a few simple words written on it, “Happy Birthday”.
It’s enough to know that Anna cares and to know that he's is not forgotten. It’s enough.
Cun Xi smiles happily and his dark mood evaporates. He doesn’t even mind when granny insists on holding his birthday party. If Anna is not around, he will accompany Xin Yi and have fun!
“You look very happy!” Xin Yi pokes her head inside the room.
“Hmm” He smiles and turns around. He sees Xin Yi hiding behind the door and hesitating to come in. “What’s the matter? Why are you standing there? Come in!”
When Xin Yi hears him, she blushes. “Please don’t… laugh at me.” She walks awkwardly into the room.
Cun Xi’s eyes brighten. Her long hair is piled up and held back with a crystal hairclip. She is wearing a pearl white gown which shows her beautiful neck and part of her fair-skinned back. A matching set of earrings, necklace and bracelets goes with her gown.
His heart gives a tug and he can’t help praising. “You are beautiful!” She is even more beautiful than when she was on the cruise that day. Maybe because her body is giving off an aura of “pregnancy”, she looks even more feminine.
“Really?” Xin Yi holds her breath and can’t believe him.
“Really!” He stresses. “You look really beautiful today.”
Xin Yi’s face turns red and she looks shyly away. She never thought that “beautiful” can be used to describe her. She looks at the scarf lying on the study table and her eyes starts shining in joy.
Cun Xi notices her look. “Does it look nice? It’s from Anna.” He proudly announces.
She looks away. “Do you like it?”
“Of course I like it!” He smiles. “It’s hand-knitted by her. I never realized that she was so thoughtful and learned how to knit especially for this.”
He looks… touched.
Xin Yi looks at Cun Xi silently. She really wants to tell him that this scarf is actually knitted by her. Her fingers even have a few wounds where she accidentally pricked herself.
But she doesn’t want to spoil his happiness. It’s all right, let him be happy. As long as he is happy, she is happy too.
She smiles slightly. “Cun Xi, granny said that tonight we should dance the opening dance.”
“Of course we must.” He does not hesitate to nod.
“You really want to dance with me?” She is delighted. “But I can’t dance very well and I am carrying a baby…”
“Don’t worry, I’ll guide you.” He glance at her and her eyes carry an unspoken look of happiness. “We can dance slowly. Then it won’t affect the baby.”
Saying this, he bends him arms and signals her to hold it. She obeys his orders and follows him down the stairs. Her heart is beating furiously.
Zhen Zhu and a group of guests are waiting in the hall that has been elaborately decorated. When they see the couple, they are full of admiration. It is as if they are looking at a fairy-tale couple.
Are they really so well-matched? Xin Yi wonders shyly. Does everybody think that they are a loving husband and wife? Today she is the princess and he is her beloved prince.
Zhen Zhu signals with her hand and the band starts playing a waltz. Cun Xi bows, his posture is handsome and elegant like a real prince.
Xin Yi timidly reaches out for his hand and he grasp it. Then he leads her and starts dancing.
He really knows how to guide her in dancing. Softly and gently, he brings her to heaven and they dance among the stars.
“I… feel a little faint.”
“Did I dance too fast?” He thoughtfully slows down his speed. “Is the baby protesting?”
“The baby is all right.” It’s the mom who is too excited. “Cun Xi, do you know the story of Cinderella?”
“Of course I know.”
“The fairy casts a spell and turn Cinderella into a princess. But after midnight she changes back.” She pauses and then sighs. “I feel that I am like Cinderella.”
He frowns. He can hear the faint sorrow in her talk.
“Thank you for being so good to me.” She says softly.
“What’s the matter?” He holds her waist firmly. “Why say things like this?”
“I don’t know, I just want to say it.” She has a strange foreboding. If she doesn’t say it now she may not have the chance to say it again. “When I first met you, I felt that you are very proud and not approachable. But it’s not like that, you are very gentle.”
“This kind of descriptions does not fit me.” He says awkwardly and his expression is a little stiff.
“You are a good man. Maybe you don’t realize it yourself, but you… are really good.”
“What exactly do you want to say?” He is so embarrassed that he sounds hoarse. He looks at her in frustration.
“I want to say…” I love you. But she can’t say it, she can only smile slightly. “Cun Xi, do you remember finding my wish box in the storage room?”
“I remember.”
“Do you remember you said that I have a wish that is the same as yours?”
“Hmm.” Cun Xi nods his head and his eyes grow dim. To meet a person that I love and who loves me back.
“I really hope that the wish will come true one day.”
“You…” Cun Xi looks at Xin Yi uneasily. He can almost hear the words that she does not dare to say. But how should he reply? What should he do? He feels his heart beating and doesn’t know what to do. When he is about to speak, a figure suddenly appears in front of him. He gasps—“Anna?!”
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In the study, Cun Xi and Anna face each other. Xin Yi stands uneasily at one side. Zhen Zhu narrows her eyes and waits to see how her grandson will handle the problem.
“Cun Xi, how can you do this to me?” Anna is furious. “How can you marry another woman behind my back? If my friends didn’t tell me, how long did you plan to keep this from me?”
“I didn’t mean to deceive you. There is a reason…” Cun Xi tries to pacify her.
She doesn’t want to listen. “Betrayal is betrayal! What reason can there be? Ji Cun Xi, so you are this kind of heartless person!”
Cun Xi is vexed and doesn’t know how to explain himself.
Seeing his frustration, Xin Yi takes the initiative to explain. “It’s not like that. Miss Shi, you are mistaken. Cun Xi married me because of the baby.”
“Baby? You have a baby?” Anna stares at them and is about to continue scolding her heartless boyfriend when Xin Yi cuts in.
“Miss Shi, listen to me. It’s like this…” She tells the whole story.
Anna is speechless. She can’t believe that there is such a strange story behind this. She looks at Xin Yi who is begging her for forgiveness, looks at granny who is disapproving, and finally turns to Cun Xi.
“I don’t care what the reason behind your marriage is. Cun Xi, I can forgive you for going to bed with another woman by mistake but you must give me an answer. What do you intend to do now?”
“Anna, can you give me more time? Wait until the baby is born…”
“What should I do in the meantime?” Anna looks at him sourly. “Wait obediently? Stand quietly at one side and watch you going out with another woman? Look at you being another person’s husband and dance intimately with her? Take care of her, hold her in your arms—will it be like this? Cun Xi, should I wait like this? Can you bear to treat me like this?
Anna's words cut into Cun Xi’s heart. He is pained and knows that he has let his girlfriend down.
“You must make a decision now. Cun Xi, do you choose her or me?” Anna throws down the ultimatum.
“Right, Cun Xi. Say it!” When Zhen Zhu hears her question, she takes advantage of the opportunity to make her grandson decide. “Don’t hold Miss Shi back, I believe that there are many men out there chasing after her.”
Cun Xi understands his grandmother’s hint. She wants him to grab the chance to reject Anna, but how can he do this?
He can’t hurt Anna but he doesn’t want to hurt Xin Yi either. He looks at Xin Yi helplessly and she is also watching him. Her eyes carry a tinge of sorrow. It is as if she already knows what he will do.
He remembers what she just said. She is Cinderella and will disappear at midnight…
“Cun Xi, say it! Who do you choose?” Anna urges him.
He stands tensely and holds on to the study table. Suddenly his hand touches the scarf and he feels moved. Holding up the scarf, he can feel its warmth seeping into his heart.
This is given to him by Anna, she kitted it personally…
“I choose Anna.” He announces hoarsely. “She is the one I truly love.”
In an instant, time stands still. Anna smiles in relief and granny bites her lips in frustration. As for Xin Yi, her face is expressionless. She doesn’t say anything and after a long while, she smiles self-mockingly and leaves quietly.
The midnight has come and she has awakens from her dream—She is not a princess; she is just the ordinary Cinderella.
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