A Family She Chose

Su Ting awoke to a dazzling scene. The hallway kitchen opened up into a bright windowed room. The floor to ceiling windows allowed the bird song and fragrant flowers to feel like they were sitting beside you. It was like a breath of fresh air from a busy day in the city. The morning sun spilled through the windows and filled the large room with an almost blinding white light.

A man like an ancient scholar with the back of a coiled dragon sat with a casual and satisfied expression on a stool. Blinding light cast shadows over his smiling cheeks. Although he'd likely been sitting there for a long time there was no sense of time when one looked at him. He looked as if he could sit there like that forever. One foot popped on the stool legs, head tilted towards the breeze, long fingers curled gently around a tea cup, shoulders down, back straight, eyes smiling. She didn't know if hours had passed or no time at all when he turned to look at her.

A biochip window popped into view in front of her. It was a little disappointing having it break the calming atmosphere. At this moment He Ku mentioned to her that the house had been changed while she'd slept. This wasn't any part of his programming or a reminder she'd set up, but one of the things He Ku had taken to since he'd been connected to the main network a month ago. Maybe it knew she'd felt like he could sit still like that for the whole night. It helpfully pinged her to tell her that he'd used his newly given access to give himself a bed for the night.

Su Ting looked back at the man.

She saw his fingers moving in front of him. Although they were several meters away, she could still tell his fingers moved in time to the words slowly being written out on the window in front of her.

[Good morning, Su Ting. Did you sleep well?]

She could tell he was actually waiting on her response. Until now, she'd thought such words were just pleasantries. But then, he doesn't really engage in pleasantries.

She thought about it for a moment. "I still feel a little tired, but my mind feels at ease."

His expression didn't change, but she had a feeling a wave of relief flew through him.

[Would you like some breakfast?]

Su Ting turned around to the counter at her side. She made a weird face. This month, she'd finally gotten in the habit of using her energy. She'd cook and sell the dishes, paint, hike, or whatever else she could get her hands on. But now it was like she'd returned to the fog of her past life. She didn't feel like doing anything again.

That's not quite right. Just like in her past life, she wanted to fall asleep and treat the whole year as hibernation. However, the fog in her mind didn't reappear. It was an odd feeling. Before she didn't want to do anything and her mind wasn't very active. Now, her mind was active but her body was lethargic.

Her weird face stared a moment too long at the counters. She'd once jumped and shaken and tossed about on those counters--ingredients flying from both her hands--as if she couldn't get enough of it. Now, the thought of doing such a thing made her want to hide from the world. She rubbed her fingers together.

Although she didn't want to bounce about in the kitchen her mind was dissatisfied. She had an urge to do something, but she didn't know what it was that she wanted to do. What was something she could do that didn't require any movement or brain power, but could wear her mind out enough for her to be able to sleep without oversleeping?

It wasn't as if sitting on the couch and thinking about her life would do her any good. She didn't have the fog over her head anymore. She'd already figured out what she was going to do about Quan Zihao.

Wasn't his offer just what she'd been looking for? Not only the fact that she could hand off the item and have him introduce her to the place she could find her mom, there was also the convenient connection thing through his adjunct.

Wasn't what he was offering something she'd wanted all this time? Their connection would make them like a family who'd known each other their whole lives, and would continue to do so from there on words. Hadn't she been so cold towards her family because they'd already abandoned her? She'd hated that they were able to so easily drop such an important relationship.

She was hurt they thought so little of their familial relationship. That they thought she wasn't worth holding tight to in order to bear the storms together. Instead, they'd left her like a piece of driftwood at the high seas while they swam themselves to shore.

If this was what family was then she didn't need it. But-

Su Ting's expression flattened back out and she turned back to look at the man in the middle of the open room.

She saw his adams apple twitch in laughter.

He must have noticed her displeasure towards the thought of cooking.

[I wanted to dote on you a little. Can I cook for you?] He got up and walked over with the cooled tea in his hand.

She realized that, as her fiance, he wasn't acting as a guest in her home. He wasn't expecting to be waited on.

It was different from what she was used to. Even Chen Lijun called her beforehand when coming over. He'd wait at the door for her permission to enter although she'd given him access, he would never wander around. He mostly just sat on the couch to talk to her and left once he'd said what he'd come to say.

There wasn't anything wrong with the way he acted. In fact, their interaction wasn't far off from many business-type marriages. It was all just as it should be.

Yet, whether it was using her bed, cooking for her, or making himself tea, it all made her feel inexplicably comforted. Didn't this mean that Quan Zihao was treating her like she was truly a part of his family?

One might think that because all her other family had pulled away from her, she might be reluctant about accepting Quan Zihao's proposal. However, that wasn't what she felt at all.

She took the tea cup from his hand. As she made her decision, she tossed back the tea and grinned at him.

What if that piece of driftwood was offered a hand from someone?

She only had to find a way to tie him to her forever.

Till death do us part.