The bookshelf before is now an open closet and desk with compartments.
Hong Cha saw a picture on top of the desk. It was a little boy standing next to a beautiful teenage girl. At one glance, she guessed it was Xu Qin Rui. The girl next to him has some similarities with him. Xu Qin Rui was smiling perfectly like an excited young boy with his naivety. The teenager looked a bit sad with a forced smile. Hong Cha's eyes settled on the necklace the teenager was wearing. She placed the frame down and opened the compartments.
That is when she saw a photo album. She took it out and overlooked the pictures. The start showed an infant with the date of spring. A sentence was written beneath the picture, saying it was Xu Qin Rui's date of birth. The next photos are about him slowly growing up. He had pictures with his parents and the same teenage girl. They were a perfect family. When he was eight, the perfect photos were gone. There is a picture of him and the teenage girl. Both of them were wearing black, facing two coffins being buried.
The next pages of the album were different from the previous cheerfulness. Only Xu Qin Rui was left. He wore a stoic face with dull eyes as if he was a living dead. Hong Cha flipped another page to see the rest of the parts were blank, and a square-shaped hole was formed in the middle. A transparent lid separates the outside world with a familiar necklace inside the hole. Hong Cha recognized it. This necklace was the teenage girl's accessory from the photo.
She secretly opened it and took the necklace. Hong Cha separated the lockets. There was nothing inside. She carefully placed it back and returned the album. The compartments were filled with important documents, mostly contracts. She looked up to see the same plane figures above the open shelves. Hong Cha made the left plane face a different direction. The shelf shook before turning itself again.
"He didn't hide secrets well." She memorized all the photos she saw.
Hong Cha took a bath and wore a casual dress. There are different shoes and heels for her that are inside the room. Xu Qin Rui had someone buy everything she needed. Like a pet being caged in this palace-like place.
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Fortunately, a chauffeur is willing to drive her to the city. Samuel is with Xu Qin Rui so she is a bit free from restraints. Moreover, Xu Qin Rui has become generous today. He willingly gave her a black card and he is not even worried she will max it out. Hong Cha is not a spendthrift person anyway. She has everything she needs in the mansion. Only little things are what she needed.
Hong Cha bought a few things and let the chauffeur handle it. She decided to stay in a coffee shop. Her thoughts trailed off once she faced her cup of coffee. A memory flashed in her mind.
"I'll be leaving the city for some time." the same feminine man said, sitting across her as a waiter served them their drinks. They are in a familiar coffee shop, which Hong Cha felt comfortable with. However, after hearing what he said, she was saddened.
"When will you come back?" she reluctantly asked.
"I'm not quite sure until when. But I'm expecting you will have a peaceful life now. Don't worry, I will not take back the things I gave you." he smiled faintly but a trace of sorrow flashed from his eyes. Hong Cha paused upon feeling her eyes stung.
"Why? Business matters? I can go with you. Am I not useful?" Hong Cha stood up with a hopeful gaze. She is unwilling to part. After all, they've gone through.
"It's not. It is difficult to explain. I don't require you to wait. Because even I am unsure if I can come back." his words made Hong Cha breathless. She closed her eyes and changed her expression.
"You're just the same as him." she took her bag and unintentionally knocked her cup of coffee.
Hong Cha could care less. She tried to leave when he held her hand. He also stood up and pulled her close to him. Her eyes widened in shock once he leaned down to kiss her.
"Camellia, I'm sorry." he let go of her after doing what he needed to.
Hong Cha knew he would not return again. He's the same as her Brother Sheng. Leaving her and covering their true thoughts with lies. She held her tears back and rushed out of the coffee shop.
"Camellia?" Hong Cha blinked and she came back to the present.
She noticed she had been staring at the coffee the whole time. Who is that guy? What Brother Sheng? Why are they that close?
"Fenfen." just then, her train of thought broke. She looked up to see Lou Fenbing arriving. It surprised her he knew where she was.
"Brother!" Hong Cha rushed to him and embraced Lou Fenbing. Lou Fencha is always this excited whenever she meets her so-called older brother. It was because he rarely showed up. Lou Fenbing immediately held her, his eyes closed and his lips pressed to a straight line.
"Fenfen, come back." Lou Fenbing opened his eyes to look at her. He is hoping he can convince her.
Bai Zhang told him what happened yesterday. Often, Lou Fencha followed Bai Zhang's words and never bantered with him. But with Xu Qin Rui around, she went against Bai Zhang and lied to Lou Fenbing.
"Brother, I'm alright. I will come back. Now is not the right time." she smiled in assurance.
Hong Cha sighed in her heart for Lou Fenbing. In the original plot, Lou Fenbing never knew Lou Fencha was his real sister. He wallowed for someone who was not blood-related to him in the end. This caused him to be more violent against Xu Qin Rui. He died to avenge Lou Fencha whom he thought was his sister.