Tears welled up in her eyes, ready to roll down her cheeks .
Li Lei took a few steps forward and held her in his arms for a long while .
“I've missed you . ” He said .
Only then did she snap back to reality and push him away gently . “I… I'm already Pei Ziheng's woman . ”
His expression darkened a little, but he managed to force a smile . “So what? When you were in trouble, he was nowhere near as quick as me in saving you . ” He turned one round on the spot . “Xiao Ling, my disguise is great, isn't it? We're here to get you out . ”
He appeared alright when he said that, as if all the conflicts that had taken place recently never happened . He did not even ask her why she chose to check into a hotel all of a sudden, and neither did he ask about how the child came about .
His mannerism and attitude towards her allowed her to feel at ease around him .
Li Lei explained the plan to her: she was to disguise as a cleaning attendant as well and escape among them . Xia Ling was stunned for a while . Having been in the entertainment industry for so many years, she had applied all sorts of makeup for on-screen effects, but using it for practical purposes was a first .
Seeing that she had not moved, Li Lei hurried her for a bit and turned to the other person . “Ji Yun, we're depending on you . ”
So, the other person who came along was Ji Yun .
Xia Ling knew who he was — the best makeup artist in Skyart . He had received countless awards, and it was said that his schedule had been arranged a whole year in advance due to popular demand . He was in a cleaning attendant outfit as well, and as he reached for the cleaning cart they wheeled in, she realized it was the makeup material they needed — wigs, hair gel, brushes, palettes… it filled the better half of the room .
She courteously greeted him . “Hello, Brother Yun . ”
She had always respected those who were truly talented .
Ji Yun was so busy meddling with all the makeup that he barely looked up . “Wash your arms, legs, and face and then sit in front of that mirror . You have a small body frame, so it isn't difficult to give you the guise of an old woman . But to act like an old woman convincingly is another matter altogether; you have to make sure that your mannerism, tone, and behavior is appropriate . If you've never acted the role of an old woman before, you'd better try it out now . We'll be in trouble if you give yourself away later on . ”
Xia Ling was shocked by his string of words . It took her a while to process it before she responded . “Alright . ”
Meanwhile, Li Lei was offering words of comfort . “Relax, Xiao Ling . We'll leave here together, it'll be fine . ”
Ji Yun looked at him for a while but did not add on . He simply focused on doing her makeover .
The person in the mirror looked more and more foreign to her . By the time the makeup was completed, she looked just like an actual old person . Xia Ling was surprised by Ji Yun's skills; there was no way anyone would suspect this was her .
Li Lei sized her up and smiled . “You look good even when you're old . ”
Ji Yun packed the materials back into the cart while saying, “To ensure that even the sharpest reporters won't recognize her, I made some special changes to her facial features . This isn't how she'll look like when she's old . ”
Li Lei rubbed his nose awkwardly .
Xia Ling laughed . It had been a while since she could feel so at ease . Li Lei probably doesn't have it easy as a Boss . Just how many of his colleagues and subordinates have actually put him down this way? She thought as she paused for a while and had another thought . But, is anyone taking him seriously? Or does he feel lonely?
Li Lei did not know what was going through her mind . Just seeing her smile was a gift to him . “Are you ready? We'll leave now . And don't be afraid, I'll be with you the whole time . ”
Xia Ling nodded and took a deep breath .
Xia Ling had avoided cameras and reporters far too many times over the years, but this was the first time she ever walked out so openly in a guise . She was a little jittery at first, but seeing how calm and composed Li Lei was in his cleaning attendant uniform, she eased into it as well .
Ji Yun remained in the room while Xia Ling and Li Lei walked out pushing the cart .
When they walked out of the back door, they realized just how many people there were outside — reporters, fans, all the people who were interested in sensational news and gossips . Everyone was interested to know whether she had really cheated on Pei Ziheng with another man .
Li Lei's look darkened .
Xia Ling felt uneasy and was about to say something when he said, “Heads down . ”
Xia Ling obeyed his instructions and lowered her head as they pushed the cleaning cart around the crowd and found their way out . It was way easier than she had expected .
As he led her along the alleyways, they arrived at a parked van five minutes later . The chauffeur who alighted from it was Old Mister Chen from Skyart, someone she was very familiar with . He and Li Lei loaded the cleaning cart into the van before getting on .
The car doors were shut .
Only now did Li Lei managed to take a good look at her . “Xiao Ling, you've lost weight . ”
So had he .
Xia Ling's nose scrunched up a little as she heard his words of concern, but she forced herself to turn away . “Thank you for coming to save me,” she said . “But Pei Ziheng has also arranged for someone to come for me . ”
“I want to see you, even if it's just for a short while . ” Li Lei said quietly .
Of course, he knew that Pei Ziheng had made arrangements as well . In fact, he even knew that Pei Ziheng's plan was practically the same as theirs — to disguise her and then take her out of the building . Both parties had bumped into each other on the narrow corridors of the hotel, and Li Lei's men had knocked Pei Ziheng's men out, entering Xia Ling's room first .
But she did not need to know about these .
Xia Ling said, “Li Lei, you know it's impossible between us . ”
“Why, because of the child?” This was a dreadful topic to discuss . “You want to have this child? Even if you might not love him?”
She lowered her head . “I want to have this child . ” Not for Pei Ziheng, but simply because… that's our child, Li Lei .
She rested her hand on her stomach naturally, and a wave of tenderness washed over her .
As the streetlights fell on the side of her face, revealing her easy and peaceful demeanor, Li Lei realized that talking about the child actually made her happy . She might not love Pei Ziheng, but she truly loved the child she was expecting .
“Is he more important than me?” Li Lei asked sadly .
“It's not the same,” Xia Ling said quietly . “Without me, your life can still go on as per normal, Li Lei . But if I leave the child, he will…” She could not go on .
Li Lei felt his heart shatter .
“Moreover,” Xia Ling braced herself to say this . “I like Pei Ziheng more than you think . ”
He felt as if his whole world had crumbled before him .
“Come back to me, Xiao Ling . ” His voice was hoarse as he heard himself begging her . “I can take care of you, ensure you have the baby safely . You don't love Pei Ziheng, don't lie to me . You don't love him at all…”
Chapter end
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