Chapter 52: Go to the Airport

Lin Yiwei lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, listening to the ticking of the clock on the table, the time passing second by second. The small rabbit-shaped clock on the bedside table was Lin Yiwei’s purchase to use as an alarm clock, to prevent Xie Bo from being disturbed by the alarm and waking up grumpy, possibly breaking her phone. The bunny clock had been dropped by him a few times, but thankfully its sturdy material had prevented any damage.

Lin Yiwei lay on her pillow, watching the second hand on the clock dial ticking away. It was already eleven o’clock, and her flight was at seven in the morning… not many hours left to sleep. She hugged her down pillow, forcing herself to close her eyes. Regardless of whether he returned or not, she couldn’t afford to miss her flight due to lack of sleep.

The pillow carried his scent, as he had a slight cleanliness obsession and always made sure to be clean before going to bed. The faint scent of shampoo lingered on the pillow, gradually becoming his unique fragrance. Clean and refreshing. Lin Yiwei had gotten used to Xie Bo’s scent, and she even started using his shampoo, making their scents blend so closely.

Unable to feel sleepy, she felt like there was a small squirrel scratching and climbing inside her body, causing a mild itchiness that was uncomfortable. It was strange, she had never felt this way before. Probably because of the daily frequency before, quickly becoming addictive, now Lin Yiwei felt uncomfortable if she didn’t see him for a few hours.

Lin Yiwei took out a small toy from the drawer, looked at it for a while, and then put it back. She knew clearly that this was not what she wanted, not anymore…

She wanted warm and solid embraces, scorching hot kisses, and his rough fingertips inching across her skin…

After having Xie Bo, she could no longer get used to anything else. After leaving, there would be a long period of withdrawal that Lin Yiwei had to adapt to.

…

At one in the morning, Li Du received a message from Lin Yiwei –

Breeze: “Are you asleep? Is Xie Bo with you? His phone is off.”

In the bar box, Li Du raised his eyebrows in a puzzled manner, looking at her message, then glanced at Xie Bo on the opposite side, whispering and laughing with Chi Xiyu. It was clear that Xie Bo was about to make a swift move on Chi Xiyu.

He had to do this, during this time, his relationship with the Chi family had reached a dangerously critical point. Xie Bo had been lying low for so many years, how could he willingly lose everything. Li Du had been worried before, but now he breathed a sigh of relief. He was not foolish, he understood what was most advantageous for himself. With Lin Yiwei leaving tomorrow, after their honeymoon period, things would return to normal. Xie Bo would go back to being the carefree Third Young Master Xie. Li Du put his phone back in his pocket without replying.

Lin Yiwei was completely sleepless tonight, unable to sleep, so she decided not to. She idly scrolled through Weibo and her friend circle. A new message popped up in her friend circle, from Chi Xiyu.

Xixi: “There must be a song that will make you think of me at midnight. [Image]”

The picture showed a mint lemon mojito cocktail under the dim lights of a bar, with Xie Bo’s cold moonlight silver frameless glasses on the table. The filter tone created a romantic and slightly tipsy atmosphere under the midnight lights. Chi Xiyu’s friend circle style had always been like this.

She wouldn’t openly show affection with Xie Bo because their relationship was not clear, there wasn’t even an official announcement.

But she would post some misleading texts and photos, either capturing his tattoos on his hands or his car or clothes, subtly showing off and creating an ambiguous sweet atmosphere.

Chi Xiyu’s friend circle post had a location tag, indicating it was at the Old Captain Bar. Finally, she could rest assured and close her eyes.

As long as he was alive, it was okay, it didn’t matter who he was with, being with Chi Xiyu was even better. The closer he got to Chi Xiyu, the closer Lin Yiwei’s distance to him and Lin Xie became.

At three in the morning, unable to sleep, Lin Yiwei finally tiredly sat up from the bed. After a few seconds of emptying her mind, Lin Yiwei changed into fresh clothes, hurriedly went downstairs, hailed a cab, and headed to the Old Captain Bar.

She didn’t know why such a crazy idea popped into her mind and she decided to act on it. Unable to sleep, just going to see would be fine, seeing it would bring peace of mind. Lin Yiwei told herself this, she was going to inspect the battlefield, not disturb anyone, just a quick look.

What was she looking for? To see if Xie Bo had completed his task properly, to see the situation between him and Chi Xiyu, or… just to take a last look before leaving?

She walked directly into the Old Captain Bar, Lin Yiwei wore a white rabbit fur hat over her down coat, covering her small face, and cautiously climbed up to the second floor.

Xie Bo had once brought her to this bar, playing with the DS race car drivers, showing off Lin Yiwei’s killer driving skills, proudly claiming that he had trained her, leaving everyone impressed. Their private room was also fixed, at the end of the second-floor corridor near the garden terrace.

As she reached the door, Lin Yiwei regretted her decision. She shouldn’t have been so impulsive. If Chi Xiyu saw her, it wouldn’t end well, and if Chi Xiyu lost face, would Xie Bo help her or not? She couldn’t put him in a dilemma, jeopardizing his plan to save Lin Xie…

Lin Yiwei gritted her teeth, turned around to leave, but as she passed by the terrace, she saw two familiar figures on the garden chairs.

Chi Xiyu was dressed in a ladylike winter dress, with knee-high boots laced up along her slender legs, one straight and long leg neatly placed next to Xie Bo, her dewy almond eyes gazing at him affectionately.

Few men could resist a girl’s affectionate gaze, filled with admiration and admiration.

Did Xie Bo need a girl to admire him? Lin Yiwei had never shown this, except for his abilities in bed, she had never praised him for anything else. In fact, men like Xie Bo were objects of adoration even in the eyes of high-minded girls like Chi Xiyu.

He didn’t wear much, a thin black sweater outlining his well-proportioned upper body, the midnight neon lights serving as his best backdrop. His peach blossom eyes were charming and alluring, his smile captivating.

Chi Xiyu couldn’t resist such a smile, her cheeks blushing, looking at him shyly. The two of them intimately chatted on the romantic terrace garden chairs for a while.

Xie Bo handed her the small gift he had prepared – a Cartier 18k rose gold round necklace with scattered diamonds, shimmering under the garden night lights.

“I love it so much!” Chi Xiyu caressed the necklace with her fingertips, “I really love it.”

She had plenty of such necklaces in her dressing table, almost enough to sell by the pound. But because it was from Xie Bo, it was especially precious and cherished.

Gently lifting her long hair, Xie Bo placed the necklace around her slender neck and jokingly said, “Do you want to be my girlfriend?”

Chi Xiyu’s heart skipped a beat, turning her head to look at him in surprise, her eyes twinkling with disbelief and joy, “Are you sure, Xie Bo?”

“Of course, I feel guilty for making you wait so long. We should have been together a long time ago. I have a fickle heart, I hope you won’t be angry about the past.”

Upon hearing those words, Lin Yiwei truly wanted to laugh, not sarcastically or mockingly, but genuinely amused by his self-deprecation.

To be able to admit he was trash so candidly, he was truly talented.

Chi Xiyu joyfully wrapped her arms around his neck, Xie Bo instinctively tilted his head back, leaning away, but she still hugged him. His expression was cold, his hand hanging in mid-air, pausing uncomfortably for a few seconds before lowering it.

Chi Xiyu was oblivious to his subtle actions and micro-expressions, tightly embracing him, overwhelmed with sudden happiness, “It’s okay, Xie Bo, it’s really okay. I knew this day would come sooner or later, and I’m willing to wait.”

Xie Bo tucked her hair behind her ear. Chi Xiyu closed her eyes, lips slightly pursed, with a smile of anticipation. He leaned in closer to her.

From Lin Yiwei’s perspective, they were indeed kissing. It felt like a needle had pricked her eyes, her heart was like a broken bellows, leaking air. In that moment, she felt a strong surge of jealousy, like when a girl in the orphanage had snatched her most beloved teddy bear, a feeling Lin Yiwei still vividly remembered.

But Xie Bo… he was never her teddy bear to begin with. In just a few seconds, Lin Yiwei withdrew her gaze, no longer looking, nor disturbing, turning and heading towards the stairs at the end of the corridor.

She took a long breath, relieved that Xie Bo and Chi Xiyu had finally taken a big step forward in their relationship.

With Chi Xiyu’s level of infatuation, as long as Xie Bo was willing to progress, their relationship would quickly heat up. He would soon find out Lin Xie’s whereabouts, and he would help her.

As she descended the stairs, Lin Yiwei’s steps were a bit unsteady, and her heart rate was a bit offbeat.

“He smiles so gently. Like a fool in love, this is truly the biggest joke in the world.”

She couldn’t help but laugh out loud, feeling truly happy.

Accidentally bumping into someone’s embrace, Lin Yiwei apologized repeatedly, but when she looked up, she saw Li Du’s face.

Li Du was extremely surprised and anxious, “Why are you here?!”

“Today’s my flight, coming to see him for the last time.” Lin Yiwei pointed to the time on her watch, smiling, “Goodbye, Li Du also tell Mr. Bo goodbye for me.”

With that, Lin Yiwei left the Old Captain Bar, hailed a car, and hurried back to pack her luggage.

Xie Bo held Chi Xiyu’s face, and at the moment when their lips were about to meet, he shifted away.

Standing up, he gently said to Chi Xiyu, “You should go back, it’s very late.”

Without a kiss, Chi Xiyu looked a bit disappointed, “I wanted to stay with you, and it’s okay not to go back tonight, no one will question me.”

Xie Bo touched her head, “You’re different from other girls, go home early, be obedient.”

This sentence made Chi Xiyu feel the weight of her significance in Xie Bo’s heart, nodding contentedly, “Okay, I’ll go back now, you go back early too.” She called the driver to bring the car to the bar downstairs.

Xie Bo saw her off to the car, Chi Xiyu affectionately hooked his neck, “I’ll go back now, bye.”

“Yeah, goodbye.”

Chi Xiyu got into the car, waved to Xie Bo through the window, showing a sweet smile, “Brother Xie Bo, I will tell my dad about our relationship, my dad will be very happy! I believe Uncle Xie will be happy too!”

Xie Bo nodded, watching the car disappear in the faint light of dawn.

He glanced at his phone’s time, seeing several missed calls from Lin Yiwei at 9:00, 10:00, and 1:00 in the morning. Xie Bo’s world was engulfed in a wildfire, burning everything clean.

He didn’t have time to call a driver, so he hailed a taxi on the way. Li Du rushed over and told Xie Bo, “She’s already gone, probably too late.”

Xie Bo furrowed his brow and turned back.

“She was here just now, didn’t even notice how she looked like a ghost crying, still fake smiling.” Li Du paused for a moment, hesitantly saying, “She’s gone, asked me to say goodbye to you.”

Looking at the indigo dawn light on the distant horizon, Xie Bo’s heart gradually cooled.

Without wasting a second, he hurried back to the Ramon Apartment.

The room was empty, he opened drawers and closets, taking away everything that belonged to her – clothes, hats, shoes, socks, even underwear.

Xie Bo forgot to tell her that she didn’t need to take all these unnecessary items, she could buy new ones there, and the ones at home could still be worn. He forgot to say many things.

Xie Bo wandered around the house, everything was taken, except for the two lemon saplings on the balcony that couldn’t be taken away.

They were her only lingering thoughts, so there were notes on the lemon branches with her elegant handwriting – “Water once every five days, soak thoroughly, and get plenty of sunlight – Yiyi.”

That was the only message she left for him. Xie Bo stood still for a few seconds, then rushed downstairs like a madman, taking a taxi to Qinggang Airport.

He wanted to see her one last time. The airport was bustling with people, Xie Bo searched like a headless fly, initially going to T2 before realizing it was for domestic departures. He took a shuttle to T1 for international departures, anxiously calling her in the hall.

Soon, the call connected.

“I’m here, you haven’t left yet, can we meet?”

“I’m boarding, Mr. Bo.”

“Wait for me at the boarding gate, I’ll find you.”

“You can’t come in.”

“I think I can.” Xie Bo strode towards the security checkpoint.

“In fact, I’ve thought it over. Since you’ve officially committed to a relationship with Chi Xiyu, I don’t think we should meet again.”

The girl’s voice was husky, low but gentle, “This is for your future, and for my brother.”

Xie Bo’s voice carried a hint of determination, “Lin Yiwei, this is not up to you. Don’t forget you promised to be with me for a lifetime.”

In the phone call, Lin Yiwei chuckled, “Do you really want me to continue being your mistress, to be a shameless third party for a lifetime?”

This statement hit Xie Bo unexpectedly, leaving him stunned in place.

Desire is about taking, possessing, and seizing.

Love is about compassion, gentleness, patience, and letting go.