Chapter 39: Where the Heart Points

  "Doing it this way won't cause any problems, will it?" Ji Dong asked with a doubtful tone as he lay horizontally on the long sofa.

  I snuggled into another sofa, my heart uncertain, but my mouth firmly said: "It should be okay! He didn't say specifically how to deal with it, isn't it fine now? We helped him a lot, he should be grateful!"

  Ji Dong's mouth curved up, his voice laced with a hint of mockery: "Huh! Mimi, you're so naive. Brother Yu has never thanked anyone who does things for him. If they don't meet his standards, not being punished is already a blessing."

  I smiled slightly: "You still have some complaints about your boss, huh? I thought you didn't care about anything, why are you complaining to me now?"

  Ji Dong sat up, still finding a comfortable posture to lean back into the chair, stretched out a big lazy waist, and then tilted his head to look at me, with starlight in his eyes, his tone gentle: "That set of mine was for outsiders, but you're not an outsider, and you're also very simple-minded, after all these years have passed, you haven't changed much... except that your appearance is a bit different, but now it's also very cute, especially when you smile."

  Looking at his serious expression with a hint of admiration, I felt a lump in my throat and quickly looked away, clearing my throat to alleviate the awkwardness. Then, raising my tone, I said: "You're still the same, just like...". I thought for half a day but couldn't come up with a word to describe his former qualities. Now he's strong and robust, impulsive when encountering things, and commendable for his bravery. In contrast, his former self was thin and small, timid and tearful, deeply protected by the people around him.

  He looked at me with a smile: "What's the same?" He spread his arms open, as if to let me see more clearly.

  "Same here." A bright male voice came from the direction of the bar entrance, and I immediately sat up straight, giving him a nod.

  Ji Dong also quickly stood up: "Yu Ge!"

  He walked over with his hands in his pockets, his face expressionless, and sat down tightly beside me, lightly encircling my straight waist with his arm. His eyes scanned around before finally settling on my face, where they remained motionless.

  I raised my hand and wiped my face, turning to look at him strangely with his extremely close distance, moving my neck as far back as possible: "Is there something on my face?"

  He raised the corner of his mouth in a faint smile, and his warm fingers touched the lower part of my right cheek, lightly touching and then leaving, pinching a small ball of white silk thread between his fingers, raising it to my eyes: "You're really cute, my bar was ruined like this by you, how are you going to compensate me?" He said faintly, his tone didn't seem angry at all, as if he were chatting casually.

  "Compensation... what's the point! You didn't even take it seriously yourself, that's why you handed this task over to me. I've already done my best, and I think it's not bad at all. It's just that you don't know how to appreciate it." I gave him a sidelong glance, turned my face away, and muttered under my breath.

  He pinched my waist, a sharp pain made me grit my teeth and glare at him. His handsome black eyes overflowed with thick laughter: "Oh? So I should reward you?" He keenly caught my muttering to myself, and a faint smile escaped his lips: "Then I'll reward you, come manage this bar with me, as my girlfriend, so from now on, every night you have to come over, are you satisfied?"

  "Brother Yu, but Auntie also wants to send Li Xiaoran, isn't that putting Mimi in danger?" Ji Dong said loudly with concern, still standing up. Without Yu's nod, they couldn't sit down.

  Yu's eyebrows furrowed slightly, a hint of impatience in his tone: "With me around, what is there to fear? It's you who should remember your own identity and know what to say and what not to say." His eyes flickered towards me before he raised his voice, bellowing at the group: "Listen up! From now on, treat my woman with the same respect as you would me. If I find anyone failing to do so, don't blame me for being unkind!"

  Twenty or so black shadows nearby shouted in unison, "Yes!", the sound was deafening. Only Ji Dong tightly closed his lips, his gaze like water cast on me, I dodged but couldn't avoid it, and could only meet his complex eyes, slightly curling up the corners of my mouth, forcing a smile at him. Ji Dong's intentions were incomprehensible to me, and Su Yu's emotions even more so.

  Is he saying that his subordinates should also take good care of me? Why is it so difficult to deal with a mere Li Xiaoyan? Obviously, I am also a new human being like her, but must I rely entirely on Yu's gang to live in peace? In fact, I have proven myself to be quite fragile. The fake strength that I put up has collapsed when I let those four shameless rascals go, and it made me see myself clearly. Maybe I am indeed "weak-minded" as Yu said. How can someone like me defeat Li Xiaoyan who is determined to destroy me?

  "So, does Li Xiao Ran also have the right to operate here? Wouldn't that mean I'll be staring at her every day from now on? And who knows, maybe she'll even plot against me every day. If you really want to protect me, you should stay away from me and go back to her instead!" I struggled free from his arms around my waist and shifted to the side, only realizing after speaking that my tone wasn't quite right, like a vinegar jar had been knocked over, just like a petty wife.

  His face was calm and collected, he gently pulled me over, looking at the suddenly icy black eyes, I felt an inexplicable sense of security welling up inside me. I was enticed by him and sat back in my original position, following his lead. He spoke in a low, gentle voice, his warm breath whispering into my ear: "Stay by my side, I'll protect you, trust me."

  My face suddenly flushed, and I was stunned, feeling that he seemed to have a thread of affection for me, plus a thread of heartache. I don't know when it started, but he no longer used brute force to coerce me, yet I still succumbed to his temptation, unconsciously obeying him. Maybe, actually, he is special to me? Maybe, he just doesn't know how to express this specialness, having experienced many things in life but somehow unable to grasp the emotions between men and women...

  "Brother Yu! Meimei almost got hurt last time because of Li Xiaoran! That woman's methods are vicious, and after taking over the bar, you'll have a lot to deal with. How can you possibly take care of Meimei? I won't accept this arrangement! Unless you agree to let me stick by her side, I really can't rest assured!" Ji Dong listened to my difficult words, his eyebrows furrowed, his eyes turbulent, and he clenched his fists in agitation, as if feeling that I was being controlled by Yu all along, always under one-sided coercion, and with crises surrounding me whenever I was by his side, and he couldn't help but want to clash with Yu again.

  I sprang up reflexively, blocking the strong eye contact between the two: "Winter melon! Don't say anything!" Turning around to face Ze Yu, I saw the anger about to erupt in his eyes and quickly pressed down on his shoulders, leaning in close to whisper in his ear: "Don't blame him, he's just worried about me. You promised me you'd vent your anger at me instead, don't take it out on others."

  His gaze finally softened, and although he was only holding onto the determination to try, I didn't expect him to actually give me this face. I had just let out a sigh of relief when I was suddenly pulled into his arms, sitting stiffly on his leg. He hadn't used much force, but I was frozen in place, not daring to move. His gentle breath blew into my ear, and his low, husky voice was laced with softness: "From now on, stay away from Ji Dong."

  "Personal care? You think you're too capable, my woman I will take care of myself, you're overconcerned, it's been a long time since I've punished you, are you itching for a beating? If she hadn't pleaded for you...I'll let you off today, remember, don't invest too much emotion in things that don't belong to you." He suddenly hugged me tightly, his eyes coldly staring at Ji Dong, as if proving that I was his possession, no one could have any other ideas,"You can all disperse, don't disturb us."

  Ji Dong glanced at me, who was tightly nestled in Yu's arms, his face filled with pain. He turned his head into the shadows and left. It was that kind of gaze again, one that made you want to protect him. Ji Dong seemed unable to fully resist Yu in front of him; he had been oppressed by Yu for too long, so long that he didn't know how to fight back anymore? And what about me? Had I also been under his control for so long that I didn't know how to resist him either?

  "Let me go! You promised not to hurt Ji Dong, you deceitful person! I don't want to be your puppet anymore..." I struggled with all my might and broke free from his arms, glaring at him furiously.

  He slightly furrowed his brow, and a hint of pain flashed in his dark eyes. I swallowed the rest of my words that were meant to belittle him even further. A strange sense of astonishment surged within me. Why was he looking at me like this? Why wasn't he angry with my behavior? Why didn't he use his authority as the eldest to scold me severely? This expression made me feel like a heartless person, about to abandon him.

  "Are you that concerned about Ji Dong?" The low voice pierced my heart, "Do you really dislike me that much?"

  Hate him? I was at a loss for words, standing there blankly, unsure of how to react. I should be the one hating him! How... could I not feel any resentment towards him? On the contrary, seeing his hurt eyes made my heart ache as well. Even though he didn't keep his promise and brought pain to Ji Dong, I couldn't bring myself to hate him. Instead, because of his severe injury, I felt like slapping myself. Did he... actually feel distressed because of me? Doesn't this mean that he actually likes me, just like the fact that I'm attracted to him which I didn't want to admit?

  But at this moment, I can no longer control my heart.