Good morning

Chu Ye lay Lin Ruoxi down as gently as he could, as he slowly stood up to leave, not willing to tarnish her peaceful sleep. A tug on his shirt stopped him though, he looked back to see Ruoxi clutching the edge of it, still fast asleep, though with a small frown on her lovely face. Sighing, Chu Ye sat on the point of the bed and took off his shoes, laying on the other side of the bed, he gently took her hand in his as he drifted off, not noticing the small smile on Ruoxi's face.

-----

Lin Ruoxi was cold, something was missing, eyes closed and head still groggy she reached out to her side, grasping for something-or someone-that wasn't there. She slowly opened her eyes and noticed, she was alone, again, just like she always was. The warmth, the comfort, the security that she had as she fell asleep wasn't there anymore.

-----

She was conflicted, she had woken up last night, and noticed Chu Ye next to her, she had been mad, but noticing the small distance he put between them, she cooled down. Calm and a bit sleepy, she gazed at Chu Ye a bit longer than she needed to, his sharp nose, his deep black hair, his cutting jawline and *sniff* his smell, a mix of cigarettes and citrus, he smoked in the house, she thought, as she remembered the same smell around her couch.

Then suddenly, something caught her eye, a spark of silver, she slowly crawled closer to him as she stared at the thin chain around his neck. She reached out and as carefully as she could, pulled it from under his shirt, curious, as she was under the impression that he despised jewellery. But when she saw what it ran through, she froze, it was a ring, the most beautiful one she had ever seen, a simple princess cut, that shone in the most breathtaking light she had ever seen, it seemed to glow in the dark room, an image of the night sky... a ring of stars. Her thoughts were running wild, Is it mine? Was he going to give this to me in the future? Is he going to drop down on one knee and put it on my finger? Would I accept it? She blushed at the thought as she furiously shook her head,

No, he's just a stand-in, a tool, he's not your real husband... but a ring would be nice, only for appearances though, she thought. Though thinking a bit realistically, she found it suspicious, why would he wear it around his neck then? Like... a widower, Did it belong to someone else before? Maybe an heirloom? No, a previous lover, his real wife? Her heart suddenly clenched at the thought, but only for a brief moment, as her face turned frosty again, expressionless, she was after all also a fake, maybe he pitied her, but he definitely didn't care for her, even though he was gentle and patient, it was all an act, remember that Ruoxi, she thought to herself. She went to sleep like that, a million thoughts running through her mind, not noticing that she had fallen asleep with her head on his chest, clutching tightly on his clothes, afraid that her only source of warmth would drift away...

-----

And now she was up, sad that he was gone, but also relieved, she wasn't sure how she could face him, not when she had slept beside him, had cried his shirt wet... not when she knew that the warmth he gave was only temporary. She set her mind then, she wouldn't get too close to him, she wouldn't be weak in front of him again, she couldn't fall for him, she was the CEO of a multi-billion dollar company, ideas of love and a happy family couldn't be on her mind right now. Yes, she'd be cold, merciless, distant, remember Ruoxi, it's all an act.

But all those thoughts went out of her head as soon as she came into the dining room, Wang Ma was sitting in front of the television, watching the morning news with a smile on her face, a familiar smell hit Ruoxi's nose, it came from the kitchen. She curiously went over, wondering why breakfast wasn't ready yet, as she got closer, she could hear singing, soulful and sad, a stark contrast to the beautiful morning,

"Don't get me wrong

I'd love to tell you whatever you want

haven't you had enough of loneliness?

Haven't we had enough of second best?"

The lyrics resonated with her on a different level, as she stood at the kitchen door, dazedly staring at Chu Ye's broad back. She heard the sound of something frying, the source of the pleasant smell, bacon... again, like he gave her last time, he seemed to notice her presence as he turned around and smiled at her, hair still wet from a morning shower.

"Good morning sleepyhead."

"Good morning Young Miss." Wang Ma said from the sofa, only now realizing Ruoxi's presence.

"... What are you doing?" Ruoxi asked him, in a cool voice.

Chu Ye looked at her strangely,

"I like to play with pots and pans..."

"..."

"Making breakfast if that wasn't obvious enough, just go sit okay? It'll be ready in five." He said as he went back to cooking.

"You-"

"Young Miss come sit okay," Wang Ma came to her side and pulled her to the dining room, "Just let Young Master treat us today." Seeing as Wang Ma intervened, Ruoxi decided to back off,

"He's so bossy, it's not even his house..." Not before complaining though, Chu Ye could only twitch his lips.

Five minutes later, breakfast was ready as promised, Ruoxi stared oddly at the smiling bacon and eggs in front of her, then at Chu Ye, then at the food again.

"What's wrong?" Chu Ye asked, peeved by her looks.

"Why is it always a smiley face?" She asked, really curious as to his odd arrangement of breakfast. This was the third time now, the first time they met it was like this, when she came to offer the agreement it was like this, and now again, the same eggy smile. Wang Ma also perked up at the question, curious to the ways of her mysterious Young Master.

"My dad used to arrange my breakfast like this." He said, calmly savouring the fatty goodness.

"Why?" She questioned.

"Well... when I was little, I didn't know that bacon and eggs were basically dead pig and unfertilized chicken, I just saw it as breakfast, food, but then I saw some vegan protests..." His face seemed to scrunch up at that thought, it seemed that part was an unpleasant memory, "Anyway, I then asked my dad, 'Won't the piggies be sad, and chickens cry if we eat them?' my dad just smiled and said, 'Of course not son, they're dead'... Yeah that's not something you say to a five-year-old, I started crying then, my mom and dad panicked, but then my dad had this bright idea, he arranged my food like this and said 'See, they're happy, so eat your food now will ya.' Of course, since my food was happy I was happy, after that every time we ate bacon and eggs, he arranged them this way, and it kinda caught on."

Finishing his story Chu Ye went back to eating, not noticing the strange expressions on Wang Ma and Ruoxi's faces,

"What a stupid kid."

Of course, Ruoxi wouldn't just stay quiet...