Li ZiChen was invited once again to the Hua Family’s residence. He had sat inside the garden, today he didn’t bring AiLin with him as this conversation was part of a deal with Valentine which he had made before. Valentine’s requirent to the deal was to make sure AiLin didn’t find out about their underlying plan. Li ZiChen promised that he wouldn’t tell AiLin first but he also warned Valentine if AiLin had asked about it, he wouldn’t hesitate to answer everything truthfully.
Valentine relented as she didn’t have the heart to lie to her own daughter too.
While snipping the bud off the roses, Valentine who was staring at the colorful yellow roses then spoke with her back turned toward Li ZiChen, "It goes all according to plan."
"Elder Hua is getting older too, her movents are much more predictable than her pasts," answered Li ZiChen as he eyed the roses that had fallen to the ground and then at the fresh roses that would look so pretty in the snow. "South East’s office isn’t too bad, but she hasn’t realized it yet."
"She rarely keeps an eye on the company anymore, if I spread a bit of a rumor about one certain branch, she would easily take a bite. I doubt she had even went to check the office for the said corruption as in her head even if that rumor was fake, she could bribe the police to make it real," seeing the rest of the roses, Valentine then chuckled. "So foolish. So easy to trick."
"She couldn’t even finish one child," remarked Li ZiChen, "We had given her a bigger praise than needed."
"True. These days I have woke up from the sa dream. In it I always question why I was so frightened by Elder Hua when she was always so predictable and weak. Seeing her growing thinner and even weaker by days in the hospital room, all I feel is imnse joy."
Li ZiChen smiled as he stirred his teacup, "Seeing her on verge of death is certainly delightful but I hope you won’t forget the end of my deal. I need her to be alive."
"Don’t worry, I am a woman of my words," said Hua Valentine as she pulled the chair and sat down, placing the long scissor on the table. "So tell , how is AiLin these days?"
"Haven’t you contacted her?" Li ZiChen inquired back. Though his tone was lazier, Hua Valentine didn’t take this as a bad attitude as she was eager to hear about her daughter.
She shafully shook her head, "A mother who ca too late to her side. I don’t want to push her into feeling the need to get close to when it is true that I have abandoned her. I might have my reasons but what was I thinking by sending her to strangers who had never treated her well for decades? It is fine," answered Hua Valentine, "I will wait here and support her from behind."
Li ZiChen was quiet. Truth to be told he wants to be the number one, most special person in AiLin’s heart. He didn’t care whoever cos after him, as long as he cos first in her heart that was already too weary to even put herself first. To have less people fighting for the number one position in her heart works well for him. So seeing that Hua Valentine wasn’t trying to pamper AiLin too much so AiLin wouldn’t feel pressured into pretending as if this family relationship was good, was great on its own way. He didn’t speak much as he knew that AiLin herself was still wondering whether it was right to approach Hua Family and if she could find peace from the past.
"AiLin has been doing great," Li ZiChen then filled in, "She was just accepted to an audition for a movie."
Hearing this, surprise colored Hua Valentine’s face, "Did you pull a string?"
"I didn’t. I didn’t even lift my finger," he said, speaking in such a proud tone. "I knew she had always liked acting."
"She does?" Hua Valentine noted the new information to her heart imdiately. She had heard about AiLin’s favorite food from him too, and had also heard about her liked and disliked songs, so she believe every single informations given by the younger man.
"She does, though she never seed to realize it too. During high school, she was always there to watch the theater kids performing. She had tried to audition but I found her audition paper torn up. I took care of them," Li ZiChen summarize and there was a sudden cold glint that passed on his eyes as he rembered the past. Hua Valentine who saw his expression could only wonder if he had done sothing to those people who had torn the papers of AiLin’s audition to the theater, and she could almost see him beating those kids bloody while smiling.
A dangerous weapon wouldn’t be chosen by an owner.
But Li ZiChen was different. In normal circumstances, Hua Valentine wouldn’t want to take Li ZiChen as a partner to her plans, but this young man possess a loyalty to AiLin that was akin to a worshipper to their Goddess. This loyalty was enough to convince Hua Valentine that this man would be there for AiLin no matter what even though his intentions could also be seen as little creepy.
"She also likes movies so she knows how to act, I also saw her reading acting books a few tis." Li ZiChen’s snake tattoo seed to slither on his hands even though it was drawn forever to his skin, "But she believes that she doesn’t have a passion for acting and was going to refuse this chance as the lead actress of an upcoming movie."
"But why?" Hua Valentine frown, looking upset. "Is it money? What is it that make her feels that way?"
"That she isn’t pretty?"
"How is she not pretty? Her face is one to one to the fairies."
"I said that to her, but she doesn’t believe ," sighed Li ZiChen. "But other than that, I can tell she had hesitated because she was never given the opportunity to enjoy her own interests. She might have thought that it was wrong for her to have any interest at all."
"So what do you suggest?" Hua Valentine clenched her fingers, "If this is her first interest in sothing else than revenge, we need to help her."
Hearing this, Li ZiChen’s lips quirked upward, "You will help won’t you?"
Hua Valentine was surprised seeing him grin as he was often expressionless. She nodded her head but find herself regretting as she felt played into his plans.
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