Where Winter is Warm Where Summer is Cool

It was almost eight o’clock in the evening when I returned to my aunt’s hotel.

“I’m back.”

My aunt was sitting at the end of the bed watching TV. She looked back and smiled, but when she saw the person next to me, her expression froze.

“Auntie, this is Xi Xichen.”

My aunt stood up, “I didn’t forget, no need to introduce.”

I was embarrassed and walked over to grab her hand as a kind of apology.

Auntie looked at Xi Xichen with obvious disapproval in her eyes.

“Young man, I will give you a chance. If you leave now, I won’t say much.”

Xi Xichen just nodded indifferently and stepped forward.

“I can be considered your elder,” she said, scowling.

“Yes,” he smiled slightly, “you are Anjie’s aunt, so you are naturally my elder.”

This was the first time I’d heard him using respectful pronouns. 1

“You should know that I don’t like you.”

“It doesn’t matter whether you like me or not.”

My aunt was stunned.

“Has anyone told you that you are cold and arrogant?”

“Not many.”

“Why go for Anjie?”

Xi Xichen turned his head to look at me. In his eyes there was a gentleness that only I could understand, and such gentleness made me a little fidgety.

“I’ll boil water and make tea.”

“You’re not as timid anymore, Anjie.”

Auntie wouldn’t let me go away.

“Ms. Lin.” His plain tone did not bear the slightest emotion. “I don’t want her to be embarrassed, and I don’t want you to embarrass her.”

“What? You want to start teaching me?”

Xi Xichen was expressionless.

“I will respect the elders whom Anjie loves.”

“If I were not the elder Anjie loved, what would you do to me? Since we are all talking about it, I won’t hide it. Over the past few days, I asked my friends in China to find someone to look you up. Jie doesn’t know. I want to say, young man, your deeds have been embellished. I have lived to this age and yet this is the first time I have seen such a ‘young and promising’ person.”

Xi Xichen glanced at me. “Ms. Lin, you can directly ask me if you have any questions, there is no need to go through all that trouble.”

“Why, are you nervous? Don’t worry, you should know that with your talents, the world can find only so much about you.”

“What do you want to know?”

“Talking to smart people is easy. I don’t care how you got to where you are today, and I don’t care how rich you are or how capable you are. I just want to know what your purpose is in approaching Anjie. Don’t tell me it is “Love”.

“So,” his cold voice became a little softer, “what about obsession? Is this reason acceptable?”

My Auntie paused and looked back at me. I only smiled, but the tension had risen in my heart.

“Is twelve years enough?”

I didn’t know it had been for that long…twelve years…? 

My aunt smiled coldly.

“What has been told to me seems to be different from your comments now. Do you think I will believe these exaggerated words?”

“It doesn’t matter to me whether you believe it or not.”

My aunt snorted. “You still have an image in my Anjie’s family for the past eight or ten years. Why do you say to that now?” My aunt’s words became a bit harsh, “Anjie has been suffering outside for the past few years, how about you? You didn’t come to see her and you were aware of it.”

“I was expanding my career.” Xi Xichen’s eyes were calm and he looked at me. “When she went abroad, I had just taken over my parents’ business, and there was a mess underneath, but Jian Zhenlin had not lost power. I wanted to make sure that I had enough capacity to protect her and deserve to stand by her.”

These few words made my aunt shocked and she couldn’t speak for a bit. I was also shocked.

“You are really great, to help Anjie take revenge on Jian’s family?”

Xi Xichen’s gentle eyes were still locked on mine, “She doesn’t want to retaliate against others, so I didn’t do much. Jian Zhenlin has always been too greedy and insatiable, and his loss to power is only a matter of time. I just watched the changes.  ”

I couldn’t help but smile.

No matter what he did, I felt that I would never question him anymore.

“I’m afraid I will be angry for a long time.”

I was accompanying Xi Xichen on the elevator ride down to the hotel’s lobby. I stared at the closed doors as we waited for it to arrive.

Xi Xichen took my hand and intertwined his fingers between mine. He was accustomed to these small movements.

“Are you angry?”

“I’m not angry,” I answered, shaking my head. I wondered if it was my illusion or if Xi Xichen was worried every time that I would be angry, even over small things.

“I didn’t know your eloquence was so good.”

“Anjie, I don’t know any rhetoric.” Xi Xichen took me into his arms as we walked onto the elevator. “I never said such a thing as infatuation…” He kissed my cheek and eyelids lightly.

“There is surveillance…”

“Then let them see, I don’t mind.”

I mind……

“Anjie, although your hatred for me in those six years made me suffer, I am paradoxically happy because that hate made you remember me for six years. You know, with your temperament, six years must have made you completely forget about some people.”

I felt a bit itchy by his kiss on the back of my neck, “Xi Xichen…”

He sighed. “You have to be considerate of me. I have missed you for twelve years. Will you come to my place tonight?”

“You…” A touch of heat couldn’t help but rise on myace.

He smiled mischievously. “Are you thinking about it, Anjie?” said the person who made me think about it.

He hugged me harder, “Anjie, you used to have sharp teeth.”

Is this person trying to provoke me?

“Talk to me, Anjie.” His fingers touched my ears, and I felt the heat from his fingertips. Before this, my impression of Xi Xichen had always been cold.

“Otherwise, I’m afraid I’m thinking about it.”

“Does this count as…a gentle scum?” I whispered.

I should be thankful that the hotel staff was unlikely to understand Chinese.