Chapter 1171: Two Fools

Xiaotao…

A warm, sticky sensation tickled his nose and threatened to spill out. Hastily, Leng Hao reached out with his hands in an attempt to stymie the flow.

His nose was bleeding.

He couldn’t be more embarrassed.

Fortunately, she had not seen it.

Leng Hao quickened his steps, disappearing amidst the throngs of the crowd.

“Isn’t that the president of the Magnificent Hotel?” muttered several acquaintances of his.

“Yes, it was. I think he’s not feeling well.”

Gong Yi turned to the girl beside him. She stood rooted to the ground, lost in a daze. “Xiaotao, let’s go back to our room,” said Gong Yi.

Upon hearing Gong Yi’s voice sounding in her ears, Ye Xiaotao shook off her stupor and replied softly, “… okay.” Not once did she look at Gong Yi throughout the entire sequence of events.

…

After his friends had returned to their rooms, Gong Yi escorted Ye Xiaotao to hers. The number on the door indicated that it was Room 2506. “Xiaotao, we have arrived. Have a good rest tonight.”

“Okay,” responded Ye Xiaotao as she entered her room.

“Xiaotao.” Gong Yi clasped her slender wrist in his hand, not letting go.

Ye Xiaotao looked up. “What’s wrong?”

Gong Yi studied her tear-filled eyes. Ye Xiaotao was as beautiful as ever. The only difference being the dull lifelessness that had overtaken her vivacious spirit.

He smiled. “Nothing.”

“Then I’ll be going in.” Ye Xiaotao wrenched herself free from Gong Yi’s grip before shutting the door behind her.

Gong Yi stared intently at the door and a bitter smile crept to his lips. Was he not good enough for her?

Ye Xiaotao sat on the lone bed in her room. She sat there silently – as still as a statue carved out of jade. The room was so quiet that it felt suffocating.

A few minutes later, she suddenly stood up and walked to the door that led out of her room. Turning the knob, she peeked out into the hallway. She bolted the instant she determined that no one was around.

Taking the elevator down to the first floor, Ye Xiaotao ran out through the main doors of the hotel. She took the stairs two at a time as she hurried down towards the street. In her haste, she accidentally bumped into a woman but she did not stop to apologize. Instead, the encounter seemed to spur her on and she fled like the wind.

The woman Ye Xiatotao had hit was furious. “Who was that? She didn’t even apologize for having bumped into me. She must have lost her mind.”

…

Ye Xiaotao panted as she ran down the street; neon lights flashed and flickered against the polished surfaces of the cars that sped past. Eventually, she stopped. She stood in place, anxiously scanning the streets for a sign – any sign that would point her to Leng Hao

The neon cars in the city were very bright. She stood in the same spot and anxiously looked around, but there was no one she was looking for.

She crossed the street. When the cold wind of spring blew past her face like a blade, she felt her heart slowly recover from the acceleration of her running.

Leng Hao…

Where did he go?

Perhaps no one else had seen the bright burst of crimson but she.

It was a brilliant shade of red.

Four years ago, in the fire that had ravaged her body in flames. The most important person in her life – her little Xiaotao – had been lost.

Now that very same colour had reappeared, rushing out from the cavities that made up his nose. Her heart trembled. She was suddenly so afraid. She was afraid of losing it again.

She was afraid of losing… him.

At this moment, she realized that nothing was important. Compared to him, nothing in this world was more important.

What she had wanted then had not changed. It had remained the same from the very beginning.

But, where was he?

“Leng Hao!” Ye Xiaotao screamed his name under the dark sky. She searched up and down the road but failed to catch sight of him. Just then, as she thought of expanding her search to encompass the area near the traffic lights, she came to a standstill.

Across the street from her stood Leng Hao.

At this moment, Leng Hao stood with his back to her. However, there was another person in his arms, Xue Wu.

Xue Wu was hugging him tightly.

Ye Xiaotao stood stock still, paralyzed by the scene that was unfolding before her eyes. She stared blankly at the women who was hugging him.

It was then she remembered that she wasn’t the only one who hadn’t changed. A similar spectacle had taken place in the past. Four years ago, Bai Lingyun had dominated him. Now, Xue Wu was hugging him.

She felt like a complete fool!

Raising her head to meet the falling rain, she laughed.

Tears poured out from the sky in an unending squall. It was so cold.

She turned around.

When she did, Ye Xiaotao saw a person standing in front of her. Gong Yi was holding a black umbrella, his eyes never straying from hers.

“Gong… Yi…”

Gong Yi sighed but padded slowly to her side, nonetheless. He draped his black coat over her shoulders. “It’s raining. You’ll catch a cold like that.”

Ye Xiaotao’s eyes were moist. Her cherry red lips trembled as she whispered helplessly in a pain-filled voice, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I just…”

“Hush now, you silly girl. You don’t need to explain yourself.” Gong Yi gently pulled her into his arms. “I’m the one who loves you. I’m also the one who’s waiting for you. You have not promised me anything. Everything I’ve done for you was of my own volition. You have not coerced me in any way; so you don’t have to say you are sorry. You don’t have to apologize.”

“But, but…” Ye Xiaotao covered her face with her hands, letting her tears meander their way around her fingers.

“There’s no need for buts. If you don’t love a person as good as me then you must be blind. I followed you all the way here, and I still don’t know what you want to say. That’s because my love for you is blind. Since there’s a fool like you in this world, then I’ll accompany you as your fool.”

Two fools blinded by love.

..

Ye Xiaotao returned to the Ye residence the next day. She had returned for a set of documents.

The maid opened the door for her. “Eldest Miss, you’re back?”

“Yes. Where is my father and Auntie Miao?”

“Master and Madam Miao went out early this morning. Would you like me to give them a call?”

“There’s no need. I’ll be leaving soon.”

Ye Xiaotao rushed upstairs. At this moment, a voice sounded. “Xiaotao, you’re back?”

Ye Xiaotao appraised the individual who called out to her from the floor above. It was Xue Wu.

Xue Wu was carrying a bag in her hand and sported an ingratiating smile, “Xiaotao, I’ve borrowed a few sets of new clothes from your closet. I noticed that you had plenty to spare. You don’t mind, do you?”

Many things had transpired in the last few days. Even though Xue Wu was Auntie Miao’s cousin, Ye Xiaotao couldn’t treat her without a grudge.

Ye Xiaotao nodded indifferently. “It’s fine. You can have them if you would like.”

She brushed past Xue Wu and popped into her room.

Xue Wu followed her in. “Xiaotao, I’ve already resigned.”

Ye Xiaotao was tidying up her documents at her desk. She replied casually, “Oh, is that so?”

“Yes, Xiaotao. You might not know this, but our CEO was hospitalized last night. His stomach was bleeding. As his girlfriend, I resigned in order to take care of him. He said that in the future when he takes care of me, I would only need to think about being his wife.

Ye Xiaotao listened expressionlessly. She didn’t deign to respond.

“Xiaotao, I really envied your relationship with Young Master Gong but that is in the past. I never expected that I would find a man who loves me. President Leng is really good to me. He drove me home and even gave me several priceless pearls. Being together tonight… just like this… makes me feel so fortunate.

Ye Xiaotao stopped in her tracks and slowly turned to look Xue Wu in the eye. “Xue Wu, you should know of my relationship with Leng Hao, right?”

Xue Wu froze the moment Ye Xiaotao’s question escaped her lips.

That’s right. Xue Wu knew.

After the night of the power outage, she had spent a large sum of money to investigate the relationship shared by Leng Hao and Ye Xiaotao in secret. What she found shocked her to the core. Leng Hao and Ye Xiaotao had once been in a short-lived marriage. She did not know what caused them to break up. All she knew was that someone had gone to great lengths to ensure the marriage was covered up…

Abruptly, Xue Wu was struck with an epiphany and she began to realize what kind of role she had played in the palm of Leng Hao’s schemes.

Leng Hao had used her to get close to Ye Xiaotao.

He had invited her to work with him because of Ye Xiaotao. He sent her home on a daily basis because of Ye Xiaotao. Every word he had spoken to her had been about Ye Xiaotao. She had never existed in his eyes, to begin with. How could she when it was Ye Xiaotao’s figure that occupied his heart?