Chapter 415: 415
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Tang Bingyi had been lonely since Lu AnLing's departure. Lonely, but not too lonely because she was busy taking care of company business.
Finally, after all this time, Tang Bingyi was able to get support and trust from the board members of Tang Corporations and because Tang Luoyi and Tang Yiling we're both beginning to act competent but not threaten Tang Bingyi's position at all, the members were no longer worried about possible in fighting.
At the company, Tang Bingyi worked late. She looked over files in her office. She felt her eyes close, but she stopped herself from giving in to the feeling which had been tugging at her for hours.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Tang Bingyi heard it, but she did not answer, but the person came in anyways.
"Isn't it time for you to go home, Miss Tang?" She asked with concern dripping from every single word.
Tang Bingyi smiled, "I was about to say the same thing to you. I asked you to leave the last time you came in here. Don't you have a date with my brother tonight? Won't you be late?"
The secretary blushed crimson.
"T-that's not important right now. I'm at work, and here, you are and will always be my main priority." The Secretary said quickly, as she tried to recover her composure, "And so, I'm telling you you need to go sleep. You can't keep doing this."
"The infinity project must go on without a hitch." Tang Bingyi retorted.
"You're doing work weeks in advance. I understand why you were doing it before but... but now..." The Secretary said. Now her voice had become louder. "Don't you trust the employees?"
"I do but I like the be prepared. Plus I finally got everyone to respect me, I think my way is best." Tang Bingyi said nonchalantly. But frankly, that wasn't it. She was doing all this work because she was used to it, yes, but also because there was nothing else to do.
Lu AnLing had left. Because of their work schedules, she barely hung out with Lu Xia anymore. She wasn't close to Mo Sheng so she could not go nothing him. She was closer to her brother and cousin but she and them were on two different wavelengths and her grandfather had been in deep contemplation lately and so, she did now want to bother him.
Sleep could have been a solace to Tang Bingyi but every time she close her eyes, she felt as if she had lost time.
So she didn't sleep.
And she didn't understand why.
The whole time Tang Bingyi thought, her Secretary had been talking but it was just when she drifted out of her own mind that she finally heard her secretaries words.
"...You need something... maybe someone... it really isn't healthy to be -all alone." Tang Bingyi's Secretary said in a meek voice.
"I need someone?" Tang Bingyi said a bit harshly. Her face almost filled with disgust.
The secretary had seen Tang Bingyi's reaction and she was a bit scared, but instead of backing away, the secretary walked over, gave Tang Bingyi back her phone which Tang Bingyi had asked to be kept away from her so she could work without distractions, and said, "Miss Lu Xia called. She wanted to meet with you"
The secretary said this with a sigh. After saying this, she walked away but once she was at the doorway, she turned to Tang Bingyi and said, "Contact me if there is anything you need, Miss Tang."
***
Tang Bingyi had not expected to have been contacted by Lu Xia. The last time she had heard from Lu Xia, she was swamped with work and couldn't even come home enough to meet with Kang Liu Ran, let alone Tang Bingyi.
This was something that came with the job and Tang Bingyi understood so she never pestered the woman for a moment of her time.
Though this was for the best. Tang Bingyi had never quite had a good friend before and due to her situation with work, she was almost always working. She could not imagine a good relationship with someone who was always free.
The two women texted here and there, but when it came to making an actual connection, life just kept getting in the way.
Sitting at a table alone, at a restaurant which, at this time of night, was filled with only couples, Tang Bingyi felt a bit awkward but her cool expression didn't change.
Tang Bingyi was a beautiful woman. Even when she sat by herself at a table for two, she was like a light which attracted peoples eyes towards her. She had charisma in a way that no one could help but glance her way at least once and her looks and attitude gave her the regality she deserved, yet didn't quite feel.
Looking into the distance, Tang Bingyi crosses her arms over her chest.
She was feeling anxious. She didn't understand why... but she was up until...
"Aren't you looking ravishing tonight!" Lu Xia's voice rang from behind Tang Bingyi.
Before she could turn, Tang Bingyi felt a hand lightly touch her shoulder. Right then, she looked up to see Lu Xia's beaming smile. Accentuated by bright orange lipstick.
Looking down at her clothes, Tang Bingyi smiled confidently and then said, "It's just work attire."
But this was a lie, Tang Bingyi had changed before coming there. At work she wore a plain suit but now, she wore a nice fitted jumpsuit with a light blue blazer hanging over her shoulder.
At Tang Bingyi's comment, Lu Xia smirked. She the. Went to sit down opposite of Tang Bingyi. As she sat, Tang Bingyi unconsciously analyses how Lu Xia glistened. She was glowing. And when she finally sat, she brushed her hair off both of her shoulders revealing the strapless sweetheart neckline of her mini dress.
She then looked around and said,
"Well, isn't this place all pink and fluffy," Lu Xia said with amusement referring to the couples, some of whom looked at each other doe eyed or held hands over the table. Looking at one peculiar couple who laughed between one another, Lu Xia sighed happily, "it's like love is in the air."
Tang Bingyi nodded to this comment but she said nothing else about it. Truthfully, when she had entered the restaurant she had noticed and observed the same thing. Everyone was so happy and in love and she thought it was beautiful. But no matter how long she observed them she could still not understand how they felt. Or rather, she could understand it, but she couldn't empathize.
For a moment, Tang Bingyi's mind wandered to how Kang Jun had first gazed at Lu AnLing when they were having a meeting at the Celestial Fox.
She remembered how his eyes were glued to Lu AnLing and how they easily communicated that he loved her. Loved her before he even knew her completely. Before he even knew if she would dare become his.
A feeling of fiery passion. A unwavering strength of earth. The enveloping embrace of the wind. The calming stillness of water. The elements all gather within a person without shame when love was concerned.
Tang Bingyi had found this out by observing Kang Jun and Lu AnLing, but still. She couldn't feel that. Not at all...
"Do you plan on getting married any time soon?" Lu Xia asked curiously.
"Does that matter?" Tang Bingyi said calmly but in her mind she was close to snapping.
Lu Xia noticed the slight tone shift and so, she laughed sweetly. "Not really. Just wondering if you had caught love slash marriage fever like everyone else. Mostly with auntie Xiaoling and uncle Yian getting married soon."
Tang Bingyi shrugged. "Marriage fever? Is that even real?"
"Well, Shuya, uh, I mean, AnLing's little sister called me up a few days ago talking about marriage and stuff." Lu Xia said in a gossipy tone as she brushed her silky hair off her bare shoulder. "Though I don't know if the stuff she was talking about was about herself."
Listening to this, Tang Bingyi listened simply and nodded at every few word.
"Everyone is falling in love," Lu Xia said in a dreamy voice, half gesturing to the room full of people around her. Though she was dragging in a strange way, which Tang Bingyi found strange but she didn't ask about, "At least that's what I think, so I was thinking, maybe you—"
"Is it wrong that I don't love anyone?" Tang Bingyi asked Lu Xia simply.
Lu Xia was slightly caught off guard by that question.
"Closest thing Ive had to a crush was you," Tang Bingyi said simply, not even looking Lu Xia in the face. "But I think it was because of your aura."
Lu Xia was not looking at Tang Bingyi either, but she cocked her head and smiled before she said, "What's so special about my aura?"
"You're so confident. You seem to have everything figured out." Tang Bingyi said with a sigh.
Hearing the sigh, Lu Xia turned her head towards Tang Bingyi and said loudly, "You're like that too."
Tang Bingyi smiled at Lu Xia's outburst. "It's not the same."
As she said this, Tang Bingyi's voice was a bit low. She knew quite well what others thought of her. What they thought of her beauty and her coldness. To them, she was a flower on an untouchable peak and it seemed that after all these years being deemed as unattainable, Tang Bingyi had become it, in her heart.
Love was a foreign aspect. At least, romantic love was.
Tang Bingyi could easily say she loved her grandfather, she loved Lu AnLing and she loved Lu Xia. But all of this was beautifully familial.
Lu Xia, after their small while of knowing each other, knew Tang Bingyi well. So instead of denying what Tang Bingyi had said, she just laughed dryly.
Lu Xia: "I don't know about my aura but... I doubt it's going to help me out when it matters..."
Hearing the low tone the woman had taken, Tang Bingyi frowned.
"Did something happen between you and Kang Liu Ran? You seem a bit strange today." Tang Bingyi said.
Lu Xia laughed awkwardly. "Happen? I guess you could say that. Liu Ran has been especially doting nowadays."
When Tang Bingyi heard this she just nodded. "That's good then."
After this reply, everything went quiet.
This left Tang Bingyi feeling awkward and confused. Had she said or done something wrong? She wondered to herself.
Tang Bingyi opened her mouth to say something. The last thing she wanted was that her first meeting with Lu Xia, after a while, soured so quickly.
However, before she could speak Lu Xia interrupted.
"Look..." Lu Xia started awkwardly. "The thing is, I'm pregnant and I want you to be the godmother of my child."
Tang Bingyi was speechless for a beat.
"I-I, Um... what about AnLing?" Tang Bingyi said finally.
"AnLing isn't in the country and she's going to have her hands full with the billions of children she's probably planning on having with Kang Jun," Lu Xia said nonchalantly as she began to speak with her hands, making strange movements which Tang Bingyi just followed. Lu Xia sounded calm, but as she continued to speak, the movements became more and more erratic.
Somewhere near the middle of speaking, Lu Xia paused. Right then, Lu Xia then reached for Tang Bingyi's hand. Once she gripped it, she stroked Tang Bingyi's fingers lightly and then she gave it a light squeeze.
Looking deeply into Tang Bingyi's eyes, Lu Xia said, "Besides, I want you. You are my first and only choice. No lie."
Tang Bingyi looked down at Lu Xia's hand and then back up to Lu Xia's clear eyes without saying a word.
Lu Xia: "So, what do you say?"
Tang Bingyi paused a second. She thought just for a second. And after that she looked up to Lu Xia and smiled beautifully. Tears stinging the corners of her eyes.
Lu Xia no longer needed an answer. She just smiled back and stood up.
She then walked over to Tang Bingyi and took her into the biggest hug she could give her, tears pouring at the corners of her eyes.
"You know what being a godparent means?" Lu Xia began, speaking into Tang Bingyi's ear as she held her, "It means you'll need to outlive me! But also, be like a parent with me. This little rascal in me will also be a handful. I'm sure of it. Liu Ran and I won't be able to handle it alone so—"
Tang Bingyi cut her off by pulling Lu Xia off of herself. She then smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'll be there. I'm only one call away. I'll drop anything for them!"
Hearing this, Lu Xia laughed.
"You need to be there when I give birth too." Lu Xia laughed, slightly choked up.
"I won't leave you to do that alone." Tang Bingyi laughed, she then picked up her glass of water and clinked it onto Lu Xia's. "What are friends for!"
Lu Xia shook her head. "We're pretty much co-parents. So, we're officially family!"
Hearing this come from Lu Xia's mouth, Tang Bingyi's chest tightened. Family... a family that chose her. A family that is t forced to be around her or love her...
Tang Bingyi smiled so happily, that it brought upon tears. Yet, she didn't cry. Looking down at Lu Xia's stomach, she sighed.
To show her thank, Tang Bingyi decided that she would save her tears of joy for the birth of Lu Xia's child.
This child, this little treasure, that had given her something precious.
Something she had not expected to want as much as she did...
A family with a truer, deeper connection.
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
Tang Bingyi had been lonely since Lu AnLing's departure. Lonely, but not too lonely because she was busy taking care of company business.
Finally, after all this time, Tang Bingyi was able to get support and trust from the board members of Tang Corporations and because Tang Luoyi and Tang Yiling we're both beginning to act competent but not threaten Tang Bingyi's position at all, the members were no longer worried about possible in fighting.
At the company, Tang Bingyi worked late. She looked over files in her office. She felt her eyes close, but she stopped herself from giving in to the feeling which had been tugging at her for hours.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Tang Bingyi heard it, but she did not answer, but the person came in anyways.
"Isn't it time for you to go home, Miss Tang?" She asked with concern dripping from every single word.
Tang Bingyi smiled, "I was about to say the same thing to you. I asked you to leave the last time you came in here. Don't you have a date with my brother tonight? Won't you be late?"
The secretary blushed crimson.
"T-that's not important right now. I'm at work, and here, you are and will always be my main priority." The Secretary said quickly, as she tried to recover her composure, "And so, I'm telling you you need to go sleep. You can't keep doing this."
"The infinity project must go on without a hitch." Tang Bingyi retorted.
"You're doing work weeks in advance. I understand why you were doing it before but... but now..." The Secretary said. Now her voice had become louder. "Don't you trust the employees?"
"I do but I like the be prepared. Plus I finally got everyone to respect me, I think my way is best." Tang Bingyi said nonchalantly. But frankly, that wasn't it. She was doing all this work because she was used to it, yes, but also because there was nothing else to do.
Lu AnLing had left. Because of their work schedules, she barely hung out with Lu Xia anymore. She wasn't close to Mo Sheng so she could not go nothing him. She was closer to her brother and cousin but she and them were on two different wavelengths and her grandfather had been in deep contemplation lately and so, she did now want to bother him.
Sleep could have been a solace to Tang Bingyi but every time she close her eyes, she felt as if she had lost time.
So she didn't sleep.
And she didn't understand why.
The whole time Tang Bingyi thought, her Secretary had been talking but it was just when she drifted out of her own mind that she finally heard her secretaries words.
"...You need something... maybe someone... it really isn't healthy to be -all alone." Tang Bingyi's Secretary said in a meek voice.
"I need someone?" Tang Bingyi said a bit harshly. Her face almost filled with disgust.
The secretary had seen Tang Bingyi's reaction and she was a bit scared, but instead of backing away, the secretary walked over, gave Tang Bingyi back her phone which Tang Bingyi had asked to be kept away from her so she could work without distractions, and said, "Miss Lu Xia called. She wanted to meet with you"
The secretary said this with a sigh. After saying this, she walked away but once she was at the doorway, she turned to Tang Bingyi and said, "Contact me if there is anything you need, Miss Tang."
***
Tang Bingyi had not expected to have been contacted by Lu Xia. The last time she had heard from Lu Xia, she was swamped with work and couldn't even come home enough to meet with Kang Liu Ran, let alone Tang Bingyi.
This was something that came with the job and Tang Bingyi understood so she never pestered the woman for a moment of her time.
Though this was for the best. Tang Bingyi had never quite had a good friend before and due to her situation with work, she was almost always working. She could not imagine a good relationship with someone who was always free.
The two women texted here and there, but when it came to making an actual connection, life just kept getting in the way.
Sitting at a table alone, at a restaurant which, at this time of night, was filled with only couples, Tang Bingyi felt a bit awkward but her cool expression didn't change.
Tang Bingyi was a beautiful woman. Even when she sat by herself at a table for two, she was like a light which attracted peoples eyes towards her. She had charisma in a way that no one could help but glance her way at least once and her looks and attitude gave her the regality she deserved, yet didn't quite feel.
Looking into the distance, Tang Bingyi crosses her arms over her chest.
She was feeling anxious. She didn't understand why... but she was up until...
"Aren't you looking ravishing tonight!" Lu Xia's voice rang from behind Tang Bingyi.
Before she could turn, Tang Bingyi felt a hand lightly touch her shoulder. Right then, she looked up to see Lu Xia's beaming smile. Accentuated by bright orange lipstick.
Looking down at her clothes, Tang Bingyi smiled confidently and then said, "It's just work attire."
But this was a lie, Tang Bingyi had changed before coming there. At work she wore a plain suit but now, she wore a nice fitted jumpsuit with a light blue blazer hanging over her shoulder.
At Tang Bingyi's comment, Lu Xia smirked. She the. Went to sit down opposite of Tang Bingyi. As she sat, Tang Bingyi unconsciously analyses how Lu Xia glistened. She was glowing. And when she finally sat, she brushed her hair off both of her shoulders revealing the strapless sweetheart neckline of her mini dress.
She then looked around and said,
"Well, isn't this place all pink and fluffy," Lu Xia said with amusement referring to the couples, some of whom looked at each other doe eyed or held hands over the table. Looking at one peculiar couple who laughed between one another, Lu Xia sighed happily, "it's like love is in the air."
Tang Bingyi nodded to this comment but she said nothing else about it. Truthfully, when she had entered the restaurant she had noticed and observed the same thing. Everyone was so happy and in love and she thought it was beautiful. But no matter how long she observed them she could still not understand how they felt. Or rather, she could understand it, but she couldn't empathize.
For a moment, Tang Bingyi's mind wandered to how Kang Jun had first gazed at Lu AnLing when they were having a meeting at the Celestial Fox.
She remembered how his eyes were glued to Lu AnLing and how they easily communicated that he loved her. Loved her before he even knew her completely. Before he even knew if she would dare become his.
A feeling of fiery passion. A unwavering strength of earth. The enveloping embrace of the wind. The calming stillness of water. The elements all gather within a person without shame when love was concerned.
Tang Bingyi had found this out by observing Kang Jun and Lu AnLing, but still. She couldn't feel that. Not at all...
"Do you plan on getting married any time soon?" Lu Xia asked curiously.
"Does that matter?" Tang Bingyi said calmly but in her mind she was close to snapping.
Lu Xia noticed the slight tone shift and so, she laughed sweetly. "Not really. Just wondering if you had caught love slash marriage fever like everyone else. Mostly with auntie Xiaoling and uncle Yian getting married soon."
Tang Bingyi shrugged. "Marriage fever? Is that even real?"
"Well, Shuya, uh, I mean, AnLing's little sister called me up a few days ago talking about marriage and stuff." Lu Xia said in a gossipy tone as she brushed her silky hair off her bare shoulder. "Though I don't know if the stuff she was talking about was about herself."
Listening to this, Tang Bingyi listened simply and nodded at every few word.
"Everyone is falling in love," Lu Xia said in a dreamy voice, half gesturing to the room full of people around her. Though she was dragging in a strange way, which Tang Bingyi found strange but she didn't ask about, "At least that's what I think, so I was thinking, maybe you—"
"Is it wrong that I don't love anyone?" Tang Bingyi asked Lu Xia simply.
Lu Xia was slightly caught off guard by that question.
"Closest thing Ive had to a crush was you," Tang Bingyi said simply, not even looking Lu Xia in the face. "But I think it was because of your aura."
Lu Xia was not looking at Tang Bingyi either, but she cocked her head and smiled before she said, "What's so special about my aura?"
"You're so confident. You seem to have everything figured out." Tang Bingyi said with a sigh.
Hearing the sigh, Lu Xia turned her head towards Tang Bingyi and said loudly, "You're like that too."
Tang Bingyi smiled at Lu Xia's outburst. "It's not the same."
As she said this, Tang Bingyi's voice was a bit low. She knew quite well what others thought of her. What they thought of her beauty and her coldness. To them, she was a flower on an untouchable peak and it seemed that after all these years being deemed as unattainable, Tang Bingyi had become it, in her heart.
Love was a foreign aspect. At least, romantic love was.
Tang Bingyi could easily say she loved her grandfather, she loved Lu AnLing and she loved Lu Xia. But all of this was beautifully familial.
Lu Xia, after their small while of knowing each other, knew Tang Bingyi well. So instead of denying what Tang Bingyi had said, she just laughed dryly.
Lu Xia: "I don't know about my aura but... I doubt it's going to help me out when it matters..."
Hearing the low tone the woman had taken, Tang Bingyi frowned.
"Did something happen between you and Kang Liu Ran? You seem a bit strange today." Tang Bingyi said.
Lu Xia laughed awkwardly. "Happen? I guess you could say that. Liu Ran has been especially doting nowadays."
When Tang Bingyi heard this she just nodded. "That's good then."
After this reply, everything went quiet.
This left Tang Bingyi feeling awkward and confused. Had she said or done something wrong? She wondered to herself.
Tang Bingyi opened her mouth to say something. The last thing she wanted was that her first meeting with Lu Xia, after a while, soured so quickly.
However, before she could speak Lu Xia interrupted.
"Look..." Lu Xia started awkwardly. "The thing is, I'm pregnant and I want you to be the godmother of my child."
Tang Bingyi was speechless for a beat.
"I-I, Um... what about AnLing?" Tang Bingyi said finally.
"AnLing isn't in the country and she's going to have her hands full with the billions of children she's probably planning on having with Kang Jun," Lu Xia said nonchalantly as she began to speak with her hands, making strange movements which Tang Bingyi just followed. Lu Xia sounded calm, but as she continued to speak, the movements became more and more erratic.
Somewhere near the middle of speaking, Lu Xia paused. Right then, Lu Xia then reached for Tang Bingyi's hand. Once she gripped it, she stroked Tang Bingyi's fingers lightly and then she gave it a light squeeze.
Looking deeply into Tang Bingyi's eyes, Lu Xia said, "Besides, I want you. You are my first and only choice. No lie."
Tang Bingyi looked down at Lu Xia's hand and then back up to Lu Xia's clear eyes without saying a word.
Lu Xia: "So, what do you say?"
Tang Bingyi paused a second. She thought just for a second. And after that she looked up to Lu Xia and smiled beautifully. Tears stinging the corners of her eyes.
Lu Xia no longer needed an answer. She just smiled back and stood up.
She then walked over to Tang Bingyi and took her into the biggest hug she could give her, tears pouring at the corners of her eyes.
"You know what being a godparent means?" Lu Xia began, speaking into Tang Bingyi's ear as she held her, "It means you'll need to outlive me! But also, be like a parent with me. This little rascal in me will also be a handful. I'm sure of it. Liu Ran and I won't be able to handle it alone so—"
Tang Bingyi cut her off by pulling Lu Xia off of herself. She then smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'll be there. I'm only one call away. I'll drop anything for them!"
Hearing this, Lu Xia laughed.
"You need to be there when I give birth too." Lu Xia laughed, slightly choked up.
"I won't leave you to do that alone." Tang Bingyi laughed, she then picked up her glass of water and clinked it onto Lu Xia's. "What are friends for!"
Lu Xia shook her head. "We're pretty much co-parents. So, we're officially family!"
Hearing this come from Lu Xia's mouth, Tang Bingyi's chest tightened. Family... a family that chose her. A family that is t forced to be around her or love her...
Tang Bingyi smiled so happily, that it brought upon tears. Yet, she didn't cry. Looking down at Lu Xia's stomach, she sighed.
To show her thank, Tang Bingyi decided that she would save her tears of joy for the birth of Lu Xia's child.
This child, this little treasure, that had given her something precious.
Something she had not expected to want as much as she did...
A family with a truer, deeper connection.
Tang Bingyi had been lonely since Lu AnLing's departure. Lonely, but not too lonely because she was busy taking care of company business. Finally, after all this time, Tang Bingyi was able to get support and trust from the board members of Tang Corporations and because Tang Luoyi and Tang Yiling we're both beginning to act competent but not threaten Tang Bingyi's position at all, the members were no longer worried about possible in fighting. At the company, Tang Bingyi worked late. She looked over files in her office. She felt her eyes close, but she stopped herself from giving in to the feeling which had been tugging at her for hours. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Tang Bingyi heard it, but she did not answer, but the person came in anyways. "Isn't it time for you to go home, Miss Tang?" She asked with concern dripping from every single word. Tang Bingyi smiled, "I was about to say the same thing to you. I asked you to leave the last time you came in here. Don't you have a date with my brother tonight? Won't you be late?" The secretary blushed crimson. "T-that's not important right now. I'm at work, and here, you are and will always be my main priority." The Secretary said quickly, as she tried to recover her composure, "And so, I'm telling you you need to go sleep. You can't keep doing this." "The infinity project must go on without a hitch." Tang Bingyi retorted. "You're doing work weeks in advance. I understand why you were doing it before but... but now..." The Secretary said. Now her voice had become louder. "Don't you trust the employees?" "I do but I like the be prepared. Plus I finally got everyone to respect me, I think my way is best." Tang Bingyi said nonchalantly. But frankly, that wasn't it. She was doing all this work because she was used to it, yes, but also because there was nothing else to do. Lu AnLing had left. Because of their work schedules, she barely hung out with Lu Xia anymore. She wasn't close to Mo Sheng so she could not go nothing him. She was closer to her brother and cousin but she and them were on two different wavelengths and her grandfather had been in deep contemplation lately and so, she did now want to bother him. Sleep could have been a solace to Tang Bingyi but every time she close her eyes, she felt as if she had lost time. So she didn't sleep. And she didn't understand why. The whole time Tang Bingyi thought, her Secretary had been talking but it was just when she drifted out of her own mind that she finally heard her secretaries words. "...You need something... maybe someone... it really isn't healthy to be -all alone." Tang Bingyi's Secretary said in a meek voice. "I need someone?" Tang Bingyi said a bit harshly. Her face almost filled with disgust. The secretary had seen Tang Bingyi's reaction and she was a bit scared, but instead of backing away, the secretary walked over, gave Tang Bingyi back her phone which Tang Bingyi had asked to be kept away from her so she could work without distractions, and said, "Miss Lu Xia called. She wanted to meet with you" The secretary said this with a sigh. After saying this, she walked away but once she was at the doorway, she turned to Tang Bingyi and said, "Contact me if there is anything you need, Miss Tang." *** Tang Bingyi had not expected to have been contacted by Lu Xia. The last time she had heard from Lu Xia, she was swamped with work and couldn't even come home enough to meet with Kang Liu Ran, let alone Tang Bingyi. This was something that came with the job and Tang Bingyi understood so she never pestered the woman for a moment of her time. Though this was for the best. Tang Bingyi had never quite had a good friend before and due to her situation with work, she was almost always working. She could not imagine a good relationship with someone who was always free. The two women texted here and there, but when it came to making an actual connection, life just kept getting in the way. Sitting at a table alone, at a restaurant which, at this time of night, was filled with only couples, Tang Bingyi felt a bit awkward but her cool expression didn't change. Tang Bingyi was a beautiful woman. Even when she sat by herself at a table for two, she was like a light which attracted peoples eyes towards her. She had charisma in a way that no one could help but glance her way at least once and her looks and attitude gave her the regality she deserved, yet didn't quite feel. Looking into the distance, Tang Bingyi crosses her arms over her chest. She was feeling anxious. She didn't understand why... but she was up until... "Aren't you looking ravishing tonight!" Lu Xia's voice rang from behind Tang Bingyi. Before she could turn, Tang Bingyi felt a hand lightly touch her shoulder. Right then, she looked up to see Lu Xia's beaming smile. Accentuated by bright orange lipstick. Looking down at her clothes, Tang Bingyi smiled confidently and then said, "It's just work attire." But this was a lie, Tang Bingyi had changed before coming there. At work she wore a plain suit but now, she wore a nice fitted jumpsuit with a light blue blazer hanging over her shoulder. At Tang Bingyi's comment, Lu Xia smirked. She the. Went to sit down opposite of Tang Bingyi. As she sat, Tang Bingyi unconsciously analyses how Lu Xia glistened. She was glowing. And when she finally sat, she brushed her hair off both of her shoulders revealing the strapless sweetheart neckline of her mini dress. She then looked around and said, "Well, isn't this place all pink and fluffy," Lu Xia said with amusement referring to the couples, some of whom looked at each other doe eyed or held hands over the table. Looking at one peculiar couple who laughed between one another, Lu Xia sighed happily, "it's like love is in the air." Tang Bingyi nodded to this comment but she said nothing else about it. Truthfully, when she had entered the restaurant she had noticed and observed the same thing. Everyone was so happy and in love and she thought it was beautiful. But no matter how long she observed them she could still not understand how they felt. Or rather, she could understand it, but she couldn't empathize. For a moment, Tang Bingyi's mind wandered to how Kang Jun had first gazed at Lu AnLing when they were having a meeting at the Celestial Fox. She remembered how his eyes were glued to Lu AnLing and how they easily communicated that he loved her. Loved her before he even knew her completely. Before he even knew if she would dare become his. A feeling of fiery passion. A unwavering strength of earth. The enveloping embrace of the wind. The calming stillness of water. The elements all gather within a person without shame when love was concerned. Tang Bingyi had found this out by observing Kang Jun and Lu AnLing, but still. She couldn't feel that. Not at all... "Do you plan on getting married any time soon?" Lu Xia asked curiously. "Does that matter?" Tang Bingyi said calmly but in her mind she was close to snapping. Lu Xia noticed the slight tone shift and so, she laughed sweetly. "Not really. Just wondering if you had caught love slash marriage fever like everyone else. Mostly with auntie Xiaoling and uncle Yian getting married soon." Tang Bingyi shrugged. "Marriage fever? Is that even real?" "Well, Shuya, uh, I mean, AnLing's little sister called me up a few days ago talking about marriage and stuff." Lu Xia said in a gossipy tone as she brushed her silky hair off her bare shoulder. "Though I don't know if the stuff she was talking about was about herself." Listening to this, Tang Bingyi listened simply and nodded at every few word. "Everyone is falling in love," Lu Xia said in a dreamy voice, half gesturing to the room full of people around her. Though she was dragging in a strange way, which Tang Bingyi found strange but she didn't ask about, "At least that's what I think, so I was thinking, maybe you" "Is it wrong that I don't love anyone?" Tang Bingyi asked Lu Xia simply. Lu Xia was slightly caught off guard by that question. "Closest thing Ive had to a crush was you," Tang Bingyi said simply, not even looking Lu Xia in the face. "But I think it was because of your aura." Lu Xia was not looking at Tang Bingyi either, but she cocked her head and smiled before she said, "What's so special about my aura?" "You're so confident. You seem to have everything figured out." Tang Bingyi said with a sigh. Hearing the sigh, Lu Xia turned her head towards Tang Bingyi and said loudly, "You're like that too." Tang Bingyi smiled at Lu Xia's outburst. "It's not the same." As she said this, Tang Bingyi's voice was a bit low. She knew quite well what others thought of her. What they thought of her beauty and her coldness. To them, she was a flower on an untouchable peak and it seemed that after all these years being deemed as unattainable, Tang Bingyi had become it, in her heart. Love was a foreign aspect. At least, romantic love was. Tang Bingyi could easily say she loved her grandfather, she loved Lu AnLing and she loved Lu Xia. But all of this was beautifully familial. Lu Xia, after their small while of knowing each other, knew Tang Bingyi well. So instead of denying what Tang Bingyi had said, she just laughed dryly. Lu Xia: "I don't know about my aura but... I doubt it's going to help me out when it matters..." Hearing the low tone the woman had taken, Tang Bingyi frowned. "Did something happen between you and Kang Liu Ran? You seem a bit strange today." Tang Bingyi said. Lu Xia laughed awkwardly. "Happen? I guess you could say that. Liu Ran has been especially doting nowadays." When Tang Bingyi heard this she just nodded. "That's good then." After this reply, everything went quiet. This left Tang Bingyi feeling awkward and confused. Had she said or done something wrong? She wondered to herself. Tang Bingyi opened her mouth to say something. The last thing she wanted was that her first meeting with Lu Xia, after a while, soured so quickly. However, before she could speak Lu Xia interrupted. "Look..." Lu Xia started awkwardly. "The thing is, I'm pregnant and I want you to be the godmother of my child." Tang Bingyi was speechless for a beat. "I-I, Um... what about AnLing?" Tang Bingyi said finally. "AnLing isn't in the country and she's going to have her hands full with the billions of children she's probably planning on having with Kang Jun," Lu Xia said nonchalantly as she began to speak with her hands, making strange movements which Tang Bingyi just followed. Lu Xia sounded calm, but as she continued to speak, the movements became more and more erratic. Somewhere near the middle of speaking, Lu Xia paused. Right then, Lu Xia then reached for Tang Bingyi's hand. Once she gripped it, she stroked Tang Bingyi's fingers lightly and then she gave it a light squeeze. Looking deeply into Tang Bingyi's eyes, Lu Xia said, "Besides, I want you. You are my first and only choice. No lie." Tang Bingyi looked down at Lu Xia's hand and then back up to Lu Xia's clear eyes without saying a word. Lu Xia: "So, what do you say?" Tang Bingyi paused a second. She thought just for a second. And after that she looked up to Lu Xia and smiled beautifully. Tears stinging the corners of her eyes. Lu Xia no longer needed an answer. She just smiled back and stood up. She then walked over to Tang Bingyi and took her into the biggest hug she could give her, tears pouring at the corners of her eyes. "You know what being a godparent means?" Lu Xia began, speaking into Tang Bingyi's ear as she held her, "It means you'll need to outlive me! But also, be like a parent with me. This little rascal in me will also be a handful. I'm sure of it. Liu Ran and I won't be able to handle it alone so" Tang Bingyi cut her off by pulling Lu Xia off of herself. She then smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'll be there. I'm only one call away. I'll drop anything for them!" Hearing this, Lu Xia laughed. "You need to be there when I give birth too." Lu Xia laughed, slightly choked up. "I won't leave you to do that alone." Tang Bingyi laughed, she then picked up her glass of water and clinked it onto Lu Xia's. "What are friends for!" Lu Xia shook her head. "We're pretty much co-parents. So, we're officially family!" Hearing this come from Lu Xia's mouth, Tang Bingyi's chest tightened. Family... a family that chose her. A family that is t forced to be around her or love her... Tang Bingyi smiled so happily, that it brought upon tears. Yet, she didn't cry. Looking down at Lu Xia's stomach, she sighed. To show her thank, Tang Bingyi decided that she would save her tears of joy for the birth of Lu Xia's child. This child, this little treasure, that had given her something precious. Something she had not expected to want as much as she did... A family with a truer, deeper connection.
