"No, it should be a beast ah. Men are beasts behind closed doors is the unspoken rule.

" Qiao Qing chimed in.

….why did their conversation suddenly switch into something rogue ah?

"Is that based from experience, Qiao Qing?

" Jing Yan teased.

"Do I need to have the experience to know that? Besides, aren't you the one who knows better? Kei brought you home after the party, right?

"

Xiu Mei's ears perked up hearing her childhood friend's name.

Wait, Kei brought his ex-girlfriend home after the party? OMG! Won't auntie be thrilled to know about this?!

"Hey! Stop making things. The guy just simply dropped me off.

"

"Jing Yan, how long do you think we've been friends for to believe that?

"

"We really didn't! Wait, why did the topic suddenly switch to me? Weren't we talking about Xiu Mei's love life here and not my nonexistent ones?

"

Xiu Mei who was watching in amus.e.m.e.nt at the side froze after hearing that. All the heads turned in her direction.

Oops. She thought she already got away ah.

She quickly picked up her bow and arrow attempting to escape the fate of being cornered, but her friends were faster.

"Ms.Xiu, I'm afraid thou shall not pass.

" Lia announced as Qiao Qing and Jing Yan scrambled to block her path.

'...' Damn it.

"Come on, we didn't get to interrogate you last time at the party. Did you really think we'll ever let you past us right now?

" Qiao Qing uttered.

"Hey, we need some tea. This is the first time you've hung out with us after all these years so you're already due for an explanation.

" Jia Ying added as she sneakily stole Xiu Mei's arrows away.

Xiu Mei realized that there was no getting away from these four and so, she changed her strategy.

She blinked her eyes innocently and tilted her head as if she couldn't understand a thing. And then she raised her hand and pointed to her mouth, reminding them that she couldn't speak at all.

For the first time, Xiu Mei realized the advantage of being unable to speak.

She suddenly felt someone slap her in the back. Her mouth opened to cry out but no sound escaped. She glared at Lia behind her who was the culprit.

"Do you think you being unable to speak can't stop us from gossiping? It seems like Ms. Xiu needs to be reminded of our skills ah.

" Lia smiled but Xiu Mei felt a chill go down her spine instead.

"You just have to tell us a couple of things and then you know, maybe we'll finally stop?

"

'...' She really doesn't dare to believe that they'll be satiated with just a 'couple of things.'

Heck! Back then, the five of them were the most updated with the latest gossip in school, mainly because Jia Ying and Lia were a member of the broadcast and newspaper club but because they really have scary sources and connections.

One shall not underestimate how much information these four would get once they get serious in trying to know some gossip about her and Lu Chen.

In the end, she surrendered under their interrogation. One against four, of course, the results are already quite obvious.

The interrogation happened while they were playing archery in the archery range.

"So who courted first?

" Was Jia Ying's first question.

She was sitting in between Lia while the other two were taking out their arrows and making the standard archery pose in front. She changed her phone to a tablet and wrote down her answer.

'Him.' Is what she answered.

The smile of the other two turned wider.

"What did she say?

" Qiao Qing screamed without looking back. She heard Jia Ying's question but since Xiu Mei just wrote down the answer, she didn't know what she answered to Jia Ying's question.

"Her hubby president did!

" Lia yelled out the answer while Xiu Mei grew embarrassed hearing them address Lu Chen as her hubby president.

"Oh.

" The other three reacted while continuing in releasing their arrows.

"How long did the courtship happened?

"

Xiu Mei paused to think.

Now that she thinks about it... they didn't really have a long courtship period ah. Actually, more like the order was thoroughly messed up in the first place.

Lu Chen proposed to her first, and then after turning him down, that's when he said he will court her. But then, things happened and before she could even experience the courtship part, she was confined and got tricked into signing a marriage contract before she was even discharged.

But then, it's not like she can reveal that she's already Mrs. Lu, right?

'About two months.' What she said were half-truth and half-lie. If we consider the first time he proposed it as the start of the courtship period, then it will turn into two months instead of just one.

"Oh my god. You actually answered him after two months?! You, from the person who refused a guy who chased you for almost three years back in school?

" Jia Ying exclaimed in surprise as she read her friend's answer.

Xiu Mei's brow raised. What? It's not like she didn't turn down that guy multiple times within those three years. Heck, she even turned him down the first time he asked her out.

And what, did they assume that the length of courtship is her criteria now?

She was just about to retort when Jing Yan's voice preceded her first.

"Jia Ying! How could you compare Mr. Lu's oozing aura to that guy in our high school? That's downgrading Mr.Lu's prestige ah!

"

"...Mhm. You have a point there.

"

Lia didn't bother at their conversation and continued interrogating Xiu Mei.

"So, what did you like about him?

"

"Oh, good question!

" Qiao Qing chimed in.

"So did you fall in love with his looks or maybe his sweet side during your courtship or anything like that?

"

Xiu Mei's hand that was about to write on the tablet halted.

What did she like about Lu Chen?

Lu Chen's face flashed in her mind.

He… is intimidating, scary, and cold. He would often get angry every time he receives a disappointing report or someone tries to use underhanded means to get close to him. He was especially scary whenever she takes care of the aftermath when women try to climb into his bed.

That was what people have known him for. And that was her first impression of him too when she started working for him. She wondered why she was suddenly assigned as his temporary assistant when she applied for her internship in Lu Corporation. But after working with him for her whole internship period, her perception of him changed.

He may be that same scary person but she couldn't deny that he was admirable, intelligent, wise, and responsible. He wasn't arrogant nor vain even if he was already a CEO.

Maybe that's what attracted her to continue working for him?

Xiu Mei bit her lip as she thought deeply.

All this time, she only knew she fell in love with the new side of Lu Chen that she had discovered. But now that she thought about it, maybe… she was already attracted to him way early than that?

Maybe, unconsciously, she was already attracted to the version of Lu Chen that she first met.

Her thoughts wandered off to what she was thinking about last night.

Lu Chen is the Lu Corporation's President and CEO, at the same time, he is also the head of the most dangerous place on earth. He works as a professional businessman in front of the public, but he also operates an assassin organization secretly.

And how did she react when he honestly told her that?

Ah. he didn't honestly tell her. Rather, she figured it out by herself. Later, he confided to her and she accepted his reasons.

She accepted him despite his bloody past and present, throwing away her principles and morals.

Xiu Mei closed her eyes as she suppressed her chaotic emotions.

Strangely, his voice suddenly played in her mind.

When he yelled out her name back in the parking lot during her attempted kidnapping.

The desperate expression on his face when he came to save her when she was kidnapped in City S.

His soothing voice and coaxing that never failed to calm her down.

His whispers of love and promises to her ears.

He… was all of that. That's what makes up Lu Chen as a person.

Her thoughts paused.

Yes. How could she forget?

She was too influenced by Yu Ming Xi's ruthlessness that she couldn't help but compare it to herself and Lu Chen.

But she was wrong.

She shouldn't have compared herself and Lu Chen to that person.

Because they're different.

Yu Ming Xi is Yu Ming Xi. Lu Chen is Lu Chen.

Both have blood in their hands, but it's still different.

Ah… so maybe this is why she's still attracted to him despite all that.

Because after knowing all of that, her mind never thought of pushing him away but rather, she accepted this side of him. She tried to understand the truth before judging him, just like what she had learned when he first met her back when she was in college.

"Xiu Mei?

" Lia called her name waking her up from her thoughts. She raised her head finally seeing how her four friends were suddenly all looking at her waiting for her answer.

"Did you finish thinking about it now?

" Qiao Qing teased, waiting to hear her friend's answer whose hands didn't move for the past three minutes.

Xiu Mei smiled as she lowered her head and started writing. And then, she showed them her answer.

'Because he is Lu Chen, that's why I fell for him.'

Yes, it is because it was him.

That's why she willingly accepted her being tricked into marriage, and she compromised to his true self.

Because it was Lu Chen, and only him alone.