A Whole Family Dinner
A Whole Family Dinner
Yuan Shun's mother and sister greeted them excitedly, welcoming them indoors. Shi Yen hadn't realized that it was a large dinner because Sun Xiaolan had invited more guests.
"Yen!" called Shi Ailin, waving at her.
Eye-wide, Shi Yen came over. She hugged her sister. "It feels like it's been forever," Shi Yen said. "How have you been holding up?"
Shi Ailin grinned. "Everything is fine. I have been busy with the lab since you left," she replied. "I also picked up art again."
Judging from Shi Ailin's appearance, Shi Yen had realized that she seemed happier and healthier. It made her feel warm. "I'm glad," Shi Yen said, listening to more of what her sister had to catch up with her. Shi Ailin then locked arms with her, heading over to the dining room together to meet with the others.
Fang Qi was speaking with the Luo brothers. Shi Ailin's arm slipped from hers, as she went to talk to Luo Rong, the third and recently wed son. Yuan Shun stole Shi Yen away, introducing him to some of his maternal family members. After meeting many of Yuan Shun's aunts, uncles, and cousins, Shi Yen jaw began to hurt from all the smiling.
"Ah, Yen," said Yuan Shun, introducing him to a young woman that had straight platinum hair and youthful brown eyes. She didn't look a day over eighteen years of age. "This is my cousin Sun Sying. Her father, my uncle, is the king of the automotive industry in the country. She's the heiress of his business. Her father is getting remarried next summer."
Sun Sying scowled as she shook Shi Yen's hand. "Nice to meet you," Sun Sying said, turning to face Yuan Shun. "Shun. If my father forces me to move, convince him that I should stay!"
Yuan Shun pitied her. "You will get a bigger family. It's always been you and your father. Isn't that what you always wanted?" he countered.
Sun Sying pouted. "My new soon-to-be step-mother only has one son, and he's aggravating."
Yuan Shun ruffled his cousin's hair. "Think about your father's happiness. Most of us didn't expect he'd remarry."
"Including me," Sun Sying pouted.
"Cheer up," Yuan Shun replied.
The three of them then went to the dinner table, joining all the others. Shi Yen ate until she full and bloated. She laughed with her friends, and she realized that this evening was exactly what she needed.
…
Fang Qi was the laugh of the evening. He cracked jokes and fooled around with his friends. He annoyed some of Yuan Shun's relatives, but Shi Yen and Shi Ailin kept laughing at him until their voices had gone hoarse.
While he had been fooling around, Yuan Xinyi didn't glance at him or spare a lick of acknowledgement. She had kept to herself, to her relatives, maintaining her neutral composure, utterly blasé about his acts.
He was used to seeing her smile, hearing her laugh. Part of the reason why he continued to be the funny friend of the group was that he knew it made her happy. He was the one who made her smile the first time after her father's passing, and again after her elder brother's untimely death. And he worked hard to keep her smiling.
His abrupt thoughts drowned out the voices and the clash of dishes and cutlery. He wondered if her hostility towards him derived from something he had done—and it worried him. He didn't want to lose a friend. Not one that was dear to him.
After dinner, Fang Qi's eyes scanned the crowd of guests that dispersed into smaller groups. Everyone was dressed in their best evening attire, including Yuan Xinyi, who wore the loveliest emerald-green dress that complimented her silky red hair. Fang Qi found her finishing up a conversation with one of her cousins. She glanced around, and her eyes collided with his.
She turned and dashed through the hall. Fang Qi hastily squeezed through the guests, following Yuan Xinyi up the staircase.
She stumbled her steps as her heels dug into the soles of her feet. Yuan Xinyi paused to remove them, giving Fang Qi more time to catch up to her.
Yuan Xinyi sprinted towards her bedroom, and Fang Qi slipped inside with her, caging her against the door. She furrowed her brows, staring at him as she panted breathlessly.
"Why are you ignoring me?" Fang Qi questioned, low and harsh.
Yuan Xinyi struggled from his grip on her. "I'm not leaving until you tell me why," he said. "I can wait here all night."
Yuan Xinyi stared into his cornflower blue eyes, feeling herself waver. She bit down her lower lip, biting back unshed tears.
Fang Qi widened his eyes. He cupped her face, gently encouraging her to look at him. "I'm sorry for whatever it is I did. I'm sorry," his hands were shaking. And it dawned on Yuan Xinyi. Her feelings for him were so fierce that she chose to ignore him, somehow hoping that it would help her resolve her problems.
Her love for him was unrequited. It always had been. But she realized that it was hurting him, not knowing about why she was pushing him away.
"You're guilty," she said.
Fang Qi pulled her away from her. His mouth slightly quivered. "I'm sorry," he said, and he wasn't sure what he'd done, but he felt an immense amount of guilt.
"You're guilty of making me fall in love with you," she said.
Fang Qi froze. It took him moments to register her words, to dispel from his shock. He was sure he heard wrong. But when he looked at her, she looked as if it pained her to tell him what it was. His mouth opened and closed, not knowing how to answer. "Thank you…" he began to say.
Yuan Xinyi pressed her lips into a thin line. She didn't want him to finish. 'Thank you' often led to rejection. She looked at him straight in the eyes. "I know that what I feel seems unnatural to you because you've only ever seen me as Shun's little sister," she said. "But even so, I think you're holding back too. I think you feel something for me that you don't want to admit out loud because you're afraid, and you haven't admitted it to yourself!"
Fang Qi was at a loss for words. "Xinyi…" He began. "You're Shun's sister…I cant."
Yuan Xinyi pursed her lips. She then figured that there was only one thing left to do to help him understand.
Without thinking, without warning him, Yuan Xinyi had grabbed Fang Qi by the collar of his shirt, covering his mouth with hers in a breathtaking kiss. She peered his mouth open, and he hesitantly responded to her.
Yuan Xinyi took the lead by twirling their tongues, exchanging saliva and hot breaths. It was an erotic kiss. She wanted to tell him that she was no longer the teenager he met years ago through the ravenous motion of their mouths. She was a woman, filled with ambitions and desires of her own. She had needs and wants like him.
She then pulled away, flushed and dazed. Yuan Xinyi looked into Fang Qi's eyes; his breathing had gone ragged.
Yuan Xinyi placed one of her knees between his thighs, leaning over to his ear. She licked him across the curve, feeling him shudder.
"Xinyi…we can't," he breathed.
She nipped his lobe, snaking a hand over his chest. She then turned his chin over to face her. "Have you ever thought about me? About us?" she questioned.
Fang Qi gulped. "I can't say I had or hadn't," he answered low.
She trailed one of her hands down his abdomen. She then whispered, "You've been frustrated around me," she said. "When there's something you want
but can't have, you'll do anything to forget about it. So you avoided your feelings for me, manifesting your desires in other ways."
Fang Qi swallowed hard.
"What is it, Fang Qi?" she asked with a venomous tongue. "What is it that you want? What's your greatest desire?"
"You're cruel," he countered, his voice growing hoarse with desire. She knew exactly what he wanted, and Fang Qi hated himself for it.
Yuan Xinyi let out a small chuckle. But then Fang Qi shut her mouth with his, having enough. Every touch and whisper from her was dissolving him. He cupped her face, deepening the kiss, immersing himself in the taste of her soft lips. Yuan Xinyi responded, and she let out a moan that undid him. He grabbed her waist firmly, feeling her hot skin beneath the thin layer of her dress.
He pulled away suddenly. "Your brother will kill me," he panted.
Yuan Xinyi pressed a light kiss on his lips gently, shaking her head. "It can be our secret. I can be your little conquest."
Fang Qi took her face in his hands. "You're not a conquest, and you deserve more than one night…god, I think I've wanted you for some time now, and I didn't want to face it."
Yuan Xinyi's eyes widened. A tear slipped down one of her eyes.
"Why are you crying?" Fang Qi asked, concerned.
Yuan Xinyi grinned slightly. She faced him with watery eyes. "I've been waiting for you to say that."
Fang Qi then realized he was an idiot. An idiot for not wanting to acknowledge his feelings earlier, for hurting her in the process. That's why she had been avoiding him, to ease the pain he was inflicting upon her.
He grabbed her face. "God, I'm stupid," he admitted, causing Yuan Xinyi to smile and laugh through her tears. Fang Qi kissed her light and sweet. "You're right, Xinyi. I do have feelings for you. I don't know when it began, and I'm sorry it took so long for me to admit it, but I can promise that I will make it up to you from now on by loving you."
Yuan Xinyi couldn't stop crying. Fang Qi didn't make love to her that night. He only held and comforted her. He wanted to treat her differently, more special than all the others who paled in comparison to her. No one else was like her, the sweet and headstrong Yuan Xinyi, his best friend, and the girl that helped him more than she knows.