"Rouxi"

"... I had to go."

The moment Wang Rouxi dropped the phone call, her eyes subconsciously fell on the man at the backseat of her car.

Through the rearview mirror, Wang Rouxi could see that the man had fallen asleep. Compared to his pain-stricken expression earlier, he looked much more at peace now.

But every now and then, some incoherent words would stumble out of his thin and extremely kissable lips.

"Rouxi [1]... rouxi..."

Hearing the man muttering in his sleep, Wang Rouxi's perfectly arched eyebrows wrinkled ever so slightly.

She didn't know that the number one bachelor of China, Xia Jiannan, was actually a sleep talker.

An amused smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, but Wang Rouxi didn't really intend to put too much attention into it.

However, her expression changed when she had deciphered what he was mumbling about.

At first, Wang Rouxi thought that she misheard him. But when she heard him mumble "Rouxi" the second time, her back immediately straightened as something shifted in her eyes.

'Did he recognize me?'

Impossible!

Wang Rouxi was sure that this man hadn't seen her in her current appearance before. He could not have possibly known her either. So how did he know her name?

Could it be…

Just to be sure that she wouldn't be recognized, Wang Rouxi pulled out a hyper-realistic face mask from a box placed on the passenger's seat.

Without stopping the car, she put the mask on with great ease. It was as though she was too used in doing such a thing that it came as easy as breathing to her.

Checking her look in the rearview mirror, a sense of nostalgia hit her upon seeing the familiar face she had worn for almost all her life.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice that the man she decided to bring with her had already woken up.

* * *

Xia Jiannan himself didn't realize that he had fallen asleep. It was only because of the sudden whisper of an angel that he had woken up from his dream.

He dreamt that he was in a car together with the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his entire lifetime.

The woman has smooth and silky golden hair that was tied loosely over her back.

Her hands were so fair and slender that they looked so delicate and tender to touch.

However, Xia Jiannan grieved that he was not able to see the woman's face at that time.

The second that he was about to gaze at her face, he heard a gentle and fragile voice saying, "I had to go."

It was as though an angel had visited him in his dream. However, Xia Jiannan had failed to realize that the voice he had heard in his "dream" was actually Wang Rouxi's.

He was also not aware that he had said her name a few times. Because at that time, the words that he really was thinking were 'Rou xi de shengyin' [2].

Yet from this phrase, only the word 'Rouxi' was registered in Wang Rouxi's mind.

Blinking his eyes open, Xia Jiannan slowly became accustomed to the bright light.

But as his gaze shifted to the person driving "his" car, he was once again instantly blinded.

He could not believe it!

When did Driver Shao become a woman of ethereal beauty?!

He must still be dreaming!

Closing his eyes for the second time, Xia Jiannan waited for a minute before opening them once more.

His eyelids fluttered and then he unblinkingly looked around at his surroundings.

It was the same.

Looking closely, Xia Jiannan's jaw dropped to the ground.

'This, this, this... Isn't she the woman in my dreams? Is this a case of false awakening [3]?'

Thinking that he was hallucinating, Xia Jiannan pinched his left thigh. However, he had used too much strength that he had pinched himself too hard.

His eyes flew wide open in shock and he could not stop himself from hissing because of the pain.

Even so, he had not forgotten the real issue here. He darted his gaze to the driver's seat and BAM!!

Akin to the mesmerizing scenery at New Year's Eve, Xia Jiannan's mind exploded like a fireworks display as his eyes met a dazzling pair of black eyes.

Those eyes, as deep as the deepest trench in the ocean and as cold as the arctic, seemed to pierce through every bone in his body.

Only after some time did Xia Jiannan get a hold of himself.

'What's wrong with me?'

Blaming it on his sickness, Xia Jiannan used this alibi to hide the fact that he had been mesmerized by this woman.

Actually, he himself was not really sure what caused the sudden lapse in his emotions for him to lose his composure.

He was always calm and collected even when faced with a large crowd. So, he could not quite fathom what was wrong with him.

It's just that, upon seeing the woman's celestial beauty, he could not help but be blown away.

Not only him though. If others would get even just a glimpse of Wang Rouxi's appearance, they would surely feel something nudging at the deepest part of their souls, wanting to rip their souls apart.

Was this the legendary thing called 'femme fatale'?

But Xia Jiannan was someone who didn't want to be controlled, much less be manipulated by his emotions.

With his voice devoid of any emotions, he coldly asked, "Who are you?"

Silence enveloped the car. It was that kind of stillness that made one feel exasperated.

Just as he was about to lose his patience, a soft yet cold voice broke the tension inside the car.

"Rouxi."

Notes:

[1] Rouxi - soft and fine

[2] Rou xi de shengyin - a soft voice

[3] A false awakening is a vivid and convincing dream about awakening from sleep, while the dreamer in reality continues to sleep.