Wang i couldn't hide her initial reluctance as she was gently ushered back into the room.
Her lips ford a silent protest, but she obediently took her seat in the chair, her toes fidgeting in nervous anticipation.
She couldn't help but wonder what Wang Xiao had in mind this ti.
Her gaze remained locked on him as he picked up the bowl of soup and handed it to her.
With a faint smile playing at the corners of his lips, he instructed her, "Drink it."
Wang i hesitated for a mont, her surprise evident in her bewildered expression. "But it's for you—"
Wang Xiao interrupted her with a playful tone, raising an eyebrow, "What if you've mixed in poison? Now taste it first."
Her lips pressed together in reluctant compliance, and she cautiously sipped from the spoon, all the while keeping her eyes fixed on Wang Xiao's gaze.
His scrutiny, however, shifted montarily to her attire, and he squinted in slight surprise. "Where did you get this shirt?"
Wang i blinked in response, her eyes narrowing slightly as she recalled the source. "... You gave ," she replied, her voice soft but unwavering.
"Ah, right," Wang Xiao nodded, a flicker of rembrance crossing his features.
Indeed, there had been an incident when he noticed Wang i's lingering gaze on a few shirts he had lying in wardrobe. Those garnts had beco old and no longer fit him, so he had shared them with both her and Wang Xueying.
"What are you waiting for? Your brother is injured. Isn't it ti you help and feed him?" Wang Xiao's voice took on a slightly dramatic flair, teasing and playful.
In the ebb and flow of his emotions, there was a pattern: frustration was followed by monts of cheerfulness. It was as if the storm inside him found a peaceful shore after raging within, allowing him to step into a lighter, more playful deanor.
The contrast between his earlier frustration and his current desire to engage with Wang i was stark.
Despite the weight of the revelations about human fragility and mortality, there was a resilience in him that allowed for a shift into a more joyful state.
The desire to amuse himself and share light-hearted monts with her was a evidence to it.
Wang i's face remained a portrait of speechlessness, her eyes wide with a mix of surprise and speechlessness.
She hesitated for a mont, then picked up the spoon using her hand, extending it towards Wang Xiao's mouth, her fingers trembling ever so slightly.
In a mont of quiet satisfaction, Wang Xiao accepted the gesture and drank from the spoon. He gestured for another spoonful, and she obliged.
Spoon after spoon, the initial tremor in her fingers began to subside, replaced by a growing sense of confidence. The bowl was emptied, and a peculiar calm settled in the room.
Yet, beyond this ordinary act of kindness and care, Wang Xiao didn't knew that the storm in his life was far from subsiding.
____________
On a brisk Sunday evening, the last day of December 2023, Wang Xiao found himself drawn back to a familiar haunt.
The worn paths seed to guide his steps as he approached the establishnt, despite the fog clouding his vision.
He could feel the freezing cold air brushing against his body, knowing he was about to stick his nose sowhere it doesn't belong.
As he neared the entrance, the door creaked open, revealing Chen ili. She erged, startled by his return. "Back again?!" she exclaid, her surprise evident in her widened eyes and slightly agape mouth.
A resignation flickered across her face as she continued, "She's inside her room; go and find her for yourself."
Wang Xiao remained unmoved, standing rooted to the sa spot, a faint smile gracing his features. "I didn't co for Lin Xue today... But for you!"
Chen ili raised a skeptical eyebrow, narrowing her gaze at him. "I am not for sale," she promptly asserted.
An orphan working there for extra money, she held steadfast to her principles and wanted no part in the sordid affairs that occasionally tainted the establishnt.
Undeterred, Wang Xiao persisted, "I can increase the price."
She sighed, "Look at your head. How can you even think of this while already injured!? Have a sense of asure already."
She was oblivious to Wang Xiao's motives, but she knew she was not interested, regardless of the circumstances.
From the outset, Chen ili had been but an unassuming beauty with her brunette locks. Rarely did anyone choose to involve her in their pursuits, especially when the establishnt filled with alluring and bewitching won.
In this modern era, patrons sought solace there to release their inner turmoil. They yearned for soone mature and understanding, not a juvenile distraction. They were not in search of a mistress or lover, but rather a release for their pent-up desires.
Wang Xiao clarified, "You're misunderstanding . I don't want to sleep with you; I'm rely seeking information. Of course, if you wish to engage in such endeavors, the offer remains open. However, I won't pay extra for that—"
"Enough, what do you want to know?" Chen ili interrupted, catching his words before they could escalate into further absurdity, mindful of the prying eyes around them.
She then firmly gripped his arm, leading him into the dimly lit room tucked away in the back.
Onlookers were taken aback, their expressions a mixture of surprise and curiosity, as if they had just witnessed an unexpected twist in a suspenseful play.
Could this be the mont Chen ili had been waiting for, her first client finally stepping into the shadows?
Even the whores working here, accustod to the rhythm of the establishnt, were taken by surprise.
They had assud Chen ili had never been sought after, never having the chance to entertain a client.
In the midst of their silent judgnts, Chen ili swiftly closed the creaking door, fixing a piercing gaze on Wang Xiao. "Now I know why Lin Xue always vents her frustrations after everyti you leave."
"She complains every ti I go?" Wang Xiao, caught off guard, chuckled in disbelief.
Chen ili narrowed her eyes, realizing she had inadvertently disclosed sothing personal. However, the revelation had already been made. "Yes, she does. Always going on about how you manage to irritate her," she admitted, her voice tinged with annoyance.
If he had wanted information, he could have been straightforward from the start. But Wang Xiao seed to take pleasure in dancing around ambiguity, deliberately toying with her.
Chen ili couldn't suppress the urge to reprimand him; today was the day he needed a lesson in discipline.
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