Chapter 15: "So Out Of Wedlock?"
~Jardin et Blanc
"Pftt....hahaha....hahah", boisterous laughter filled up the house as Li Hao and Little Bun tickled and grappled each other on the living room floor,
Liling sat on a couch watching their 'manly' little competition, five minutes ago, Little bun had been showcasing his drawing to her, -a new improved version-, with him and Liling holding hands in front of the villa smiling, a stickwoman version of Mrs Cho was there as well, but she couldn't find Li Hao, so she asked him,
Little bun had pointed to a pouty stickman standing behind the gates with his arms crossed, she had asked again to confirm it while trying to hold back her laughter, he nodded smiling proudly, Li Hao who had secretly been watching him them at the entrance heard him answer her question, and came out of hiding with mock hurt and sadness,
So now there they were, on the floor completely engrossed with trying to force the other one into submission, but neither of them had any idea that she was was sat there smiling and recording them,
She enjoyed watching their interactions, even if they were childish, they still had that bond between them, it was beautiful,
Only three more minutes passed and the father son duo were now out of breath and panting as they lay on the carpeted floor, Liling got up and helped Little Bun up so he could take a bath, she was going to help Li Hao up as well, but then Little Bun pulled her away, and practically dragged her up the stairs, it looked like their little rivalry wasn't over,
After the process of running a bath for him, bathing him and getting him into his pyjamas, she sat him atop his bed as she slowly blow-dried his soft dripping hair,
They then went down for dinner, and up again for bed, and he fell asleep soon after his head hit the pillow, the exhaustion of the day had finally caught up to him,
So she tucked him in, leaving only his head exposed, she couldn't help ruffling his hair gently as she watched his sleeping face, it was cute and round, and it was why she had given him that nickname in the first place,
Turning off the lights, she walked out and into her own room where she got ready for the night,
She decided to go get a drink before calling it a night, so she quietly descended the stairs, trying carefully to not wake anyone,
Reaching the landing at the bottom of the stairs, she noticed that the lights above the bar were turned on, and her eyes immediately trained to the side view of Li Hao's back, his back was propped against the bar table as he stood staring through the floor to ceiling windows with a glass of wine swirling in his hands,
The faint moonlight pouring through the windows illuminated his solitary figure, he looked, lonely, isolated, just like how she'd felt most times,
She had never seen him like this, he was usually more optimistic and loud, and although he was serious at work he was still fairly approachable, so what was going on?
"Mr Li", she called out taking cautious steps toward him, she didn't want to make him jump,
She'd just fought a two minute long inner battle with herself on whether she should just get her glass of water and leave, or actually talk to him, the former was honestly very temping but his position had brought back a childhood memory, one that had been hidden away in the darkest part of her mind,
This was when she was still in the loving care of her parents, back in their mansion, she had come down one night and had met her dad in a similar position, he'd looked worried, but she hadn't approached him or asked what he was worrying about, she'd just walked away and went to bed, that was the last time she saw her dad, by the time she woke up the next morning, her parents had already left the house on a business trip they had informed her and her brother about the day before, and not long after, were pronounced dead.
A large chunk of her told herself she was only doing it because he was her benefactor, but a little part of her, knew the real reason, she actually cared, he'd care about her, so this was the least she could do,
"Mr Li?", she called out again, standing behind him
"Huh?", his train of thought was interrupted as he was ripped away from his concerns and towards Liling's questioning face , "Oh, Mrs Xu, sorry, I didn't notice you were there",
"You know,", he continued, "you don't have to address me so professionally all the time, just call me by my full name", he turned his gaze away from her and onto the mid night sky, he'd just realized it's presence,
"But you address me professionally as well", she was standing beside him now and she kept her eyes trained on his expressionless face,
"You didn't tell me how you want to be addressed", their conversation paused for a beat,
"Well, you also don't have to act like your completely fine all the time, I may not be the most approachable person in the world, but you could...talk to me, if you wanted to"
He gave a small chuckle, "You don't exactly seem enthusiastic presenting that offer, but its okay, I'll keep it in mind"
"Do you mind if I ask you some questions?", she looked away from him, and nonchalantly through the window,
"Alright, ask away",
"Why did your wife leave you?"
"Pff...my wife?", did he suddenly have an ex-wife he didn't know about?,
"Yes, Little Bun's mother"
"Oh", he said, internally heaving a sigh of relief, he'd thought some rumour was going round claiming he had been married or something,
"Well, I've never been married before this..."
"So out of wedlock?", she raised an eyebrow as she asked, her tone was calm and not even an ounce of surprise was laced in them, it was just like she was discussing the weather with him,
"No, I'm-I'm", he hesitated, and she arched an eyebrow calmy once again, giving him time to answer,
"Well, I'm not actually Little Bun's biological father"
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