Imperfect Desires

Behind Xiu and Nora was standing a graceful figure that looked like a movie star. Not tall or willowy, rather like an action star. Clad in blue skinny jeans and white tank top along with jeans jacket, she looked confident and elegant. Each muscle definition was perfect, her confident stance could even be felt in the aura that seeped in the air around her.

That figure stood before the tombstone but those serene eyes were stuck on the receding figure of Xiu and Nora. Her wavy hair was slightly fluttering because of the cold wind around her. Each strand moved freely as a compliment to the stillness in her eyes. She didn't just have a beautiful bone structure, her skin was even like silk over the glass. Her eyes radiated an intelligent beauty.

"Young miss, why are we here?" came a slightly hoarse voice of a middle-aged man standing behind the girl.

Yan Ying's eyes finally broke contact with two receding figures as she turned to look at Uncle Kuan and pointed at the tombstone saying, "To confirm this news." Her voice was soft and a tinge of disappointment could be detected in her voice as she placed the bouquet of white lilies before the memorial,

She stared at the obelisk that read, 'Carina Novell' and shook her head sadly. Uncle Kuan followed her line of sight and was stunned for a moment. "This..." he didn't know what to say.

Yan Ying could understand his feelings as she said, "See, this is why I said no news doesn't always guarantee a piece of good news." Her biggest fear had finally come true. From the moment, Xin Zimen had assigned her with the task to find the woman named, Carina Novell. She had an unknown fear.

And that fear slowly deepened. Because every lead of hers led her to nothing. And the inkling she had at the beginning, only solidified. Carina Novell was no more. She was certain but she needed to confirm it for Xin Zimen's sake. Her intuition turned out to be true but for the very first time, she wasn't feeling happy about being right.

As the silence thickened, only the 'swish' of cold air could be heard around them. There was not another soul in sight at the cemetery. Uncle Kuan glanced at his young miss who being an adult still had the exuberance of youth. Her eyes were stuck on the name she read on the memorial with an indescribable feeling. 

Uncle Kuan couldn't comprehend her thoughts but then again, he could never read her mind even before this. In his opinion, it wasn't as difficult to understand his Master Xin Zimen as it was to understand his young miss, Yan Ying. 

Biting her nails in nervousness, she spoke, "On a scale of 1 to 10, how much sad do you think your master would be after learning this news?"

"Master won't be sad," replied Uncle Kuan without even thinking. But his answer earned him a very skeptical look from Yan Ying. Disregarding her expression, he looked heavenwards as he said, "When my Mistress died, that was when Master was sad. This time..." he looked at Yan Ying's face and continued, "He'll be devastatingly heartbroken."

Yan Ying's mood went down even more. She knew that originally Uncle Kuan served Xin Xiaoli's mother, but after her death, he pledged his loyalty to Xin Zimen. But she still couldn't figure out why Uncle Kuan was so casual about this matter involving Carina Novell. After all, if his loyalty lied with his late Mistress, shouldn't he be upset learning about Xin Zimen's love for Carina Novell? Then why was he so nonchalant?

"Devastatingly heartbroken..." Yan Ying muttered to herself. "I don't want to be the bearer of bad news. Uncle Kuan, why don't you tell Zizi about this matter?"

Saying that she almost made a run for her life but couldn't succeed as Uncle Kuan held her collar and pulled her back. "Where do you think you're running off to, young miss?" He had an amused smile dancing on his lips as he observed Yan Ying's movements.

"My job was to find Carina Novell. I have done my job. See, she's been dead for almost 8 years now. I can't help it anymore. So, I think my job here is done and I should take the next flight back home." She honestly didn't want to tell Xin Zimen about this news herself. She didn't know how he was going to react but the idea of seeing him heartbroken didn't seem very appealing. Xin Zimen was like her second father, she only dared to tease him because she knew he loved her like his own daughter. 

But in all these years, she had never seen him sad except for the time when he first mentioned Carina Novell before her and asked for her help. She could still remember that helplessness, vulnerability and hurt in his eyes. It haunted her for a while and she didn't want to see that same pain in his eyes again.

"Your job won't be done until and unless you stand before Master and give him a thorough report of your investigation," reminded Uncle Kuan making Yan Ying curse under her breath.

Uwu! She really wanted to cry now. Why was she being dragged into this again?

Her mind thought of a thousand excuses in the span of a minute and she decided to find her leeway as she turned to Uncle Kuan and said, "You see, even Li doesn't want me to stay at Xin villa for long. Isn't it better that I disappear before he could really get tired of me and throw me out himself?"

Uncle Kuan rolled his eyes at her, "No one dares to do anything to you as long as Master is the one protecting you. Xin villa belongs to Master, not his sons. They can't throw you out even if they want to." He took a pause to give her an amused look as he added, "Besides, I think you can take down both of them with your skills."

"But..."

She still tried to persuade him to let her go but Uncle Kuan wasn't really listening as he almost dragged her down the hill saying, "Instead of coming up with excuses to run, why don't you use those brain cells to find a proper way to disclose this news to Master?"