Chapter 142: I Like You (Part One)
Chapter 142: I Like You (Part One)
The outside world was filled with silence just like the kitchen where Xiang Ling and Li Xian were eating the noodles. Once they finished, Xiang Ling exited the kitchen without speaking a single word and headed in the direction of her courtyard.
At first, there was complete silence except for the sound of her footsteps, but then she heard an additional sound of footsteps following her. Without looking over at the man who was following her from a distance, she kept moving toward her destination. It was not until she was standing right outside her bed-chamber, did she turned to look at the man who too came to a halt.
"Your room is that way." reminded Xiang Ling as she pushed open the door of her room and stepped inside while keeping her gaze fixed on the Crown Prince of the Heavenly Realm.
"I... The thing is..." Li Xian struggled to speak out the words that he so badly wanted to tell her. The unreadable and plain expression on her face, made him hesitate even more.
"What is it?" Xiang Ling asked while keeping her expression firm. "Are you planning to spend the night in my room?" She didn’t think much as she threw the question at him, believing that it would finally make him scurry away. What she didn’t anticipate was his unexpected response.
While looking at her with his eyes full of uncertainty, Li Xian asked, "Can I?"
Now, it was Xiang Ling’s turn to stay silent as she stared at the man standing in front of her. There was a war going on inside her and she struggled to make a decision.
It seemed like Li Xian had decided to make the decision harder for her as he suddenly took several steps forward until he was standing right in front of her.
"What are you doing?" She found herself asking as she watched him standing so close that she was able to smell his familiar scent that reminded her of Heavenly Realm.
"You didn’t reply," answered Li Xian in the softest voice possible. Unconsciously, he took another step forward, and it closed the remaining little space between the two of them. He towered over her and as she tilted her head up to look at him, he finally saw her calm exterior weakening for a second. "Can I... stay here... tonight? With you?" he asked again and noticed her taking a deep breath as if she was caught off guard by his question.
"Why do you want to stay here with me?"
"Because I don’t want you to keep ignoring me anymore."
Xiang Ling was left stunned by his response. She made a futile attempt to defend herself as she said, "I’m not ignoring you."
"You are." Li Xian was firm in his words. "You have been ignoring me for days and I have no clue why. I kept trying to recall if I might have done something to upset you but I was unable to. Whenever I thought about confronting you, I never got the chance because you never gave me one. That’s why, I’m here."
Xiang Ling stared at the man in silence. She wasn’t expecting to be suddenly confronted by him like this. "And do what?" She suddenly asked. "What are you going to do inside? Ask me the reason why I’m mad at you?"
"No. I will let you punish me in any way you want. If you are angry, mad, or disappointed maybe, I will allow you to take everything out on me in any way you want without letting out a single word of protest."
Xiang Ling chuckled but there was no humor in it. She just stared at the man in disbelief. What did he think of her? "Li Xian, I don’t know about the past but the current me doesn’t like abusing anyone. No matter how mad I’m at that person."
"I know." The man immediately replied.
Xiang Ling was even more confused now. What was he trying to say? Did she misunderstand his words?
"Then why-"
"Because I like you."
The confession hung heavy in the air as Xiang Ling stared at the man in complete shock. Her eyes were wide and her lips were slightly parted as she found herself struggling to believe what her ears had just heard.
"You-"
"I like you, Ah Ling." Li Xian repeated as he shifted closer to the woman who seemed to have even forgotten how to breathe. Their clothes were already brushing together as they stood too close to each other. "I don’t know when it started. Maybe when we spent time together in Shengdu Village looking after the refugees, or maybe when we returned here and I got to see you in a completely different light. The only thing I know for sure is how I feel toward you, and I’m absolutely positive that I have already fallen for you."
There had been several incidents almost every other day when Xiang Ling found herself at a total loss for words, but nothing could have come close to her current situation. She could do nothing, think nothing, but just stare at the man who had left her completely flabbergasted with his sudden confession.
"Ah Ling?"
Li Xian was filled with nervousness as he waited for the woman to say something in response. Her silence had suddenly become even deadlier than her ignoring him these past few days. "Why are you not saying anything?" He asked when she still didn’t respond.
Xiang Ling stared at the man for a little bit longer all the while forcing her brain to make the decision. She was more than aware that whatever mystery was going on in the Heavenly Realm, Li Xian was in the very center of it. Also, he was directly or indirectly the reason she was in the current mess. Still, there was no denying that she too had started feeling something for this man.
Pulling herself together, she spoke, "Let me make this very clear to you. Once you decide to step in, I will never give you the option of going back on your choice."
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A/N:
To: nalaDenniss_3871
Hii Denniss, thank you so much for your generous support to this story. I always see you once or twice every week here, and every time, you shower this story with Power Stones, Golden Tickets, and generous gifts. Even though you are a silent reader, your support means the world to me. I can never thank you enough with just my words, but still, thank you so much for all the love and support!! :)