The Devil who devoured Snow White

297  You're my Etoile

Tian Ruyi's heart was racing wildly the moment she heard his words and just like hers, she could clearly hear Si Hongqi's heart pounding like crazy against his chest. He was not lying at all.

"Now do you believe me?" He released her head.

Slowly, she leaned away from his chest. She could feel her cheeks burning and with each passing second, her heart was increasing its pace. This was really happening to her! She had a hard time believing since it felt too good to be true.

As she lifted her gaze to stare into his eyes, Si Hongqi's lack of expression was the opposite of what she heard. He was not even blushing! He was like a statue in front of her. He looked so calm despite how fast his heart pounded until she noticed how red his ears were.

Ah…

"S-So…" she paused. She gulped down her saliva as she tried to compose herself. "So you really like me…"

"That's what I'm saying." He lowered his head, the fringes of his bangs covered the look in them as he buttoned his shirt.

Tian Ruyi never thought that he would move on at once. She was expecting him to move on from his feelings for Lu Mengjie. She knew that she was his first love and moving from first love would definitely take time, right? Months, maybe even a year, that's why she found it hard to believe that he had already grown feelings for her.

After wearing his coat, Si Hongqi turned to the quiet woman beside him and as he stared, he could already tell that she was not believing him at all even after the proof he had shown her. "Is it that hard to believe?"

She nodded her head honestly as she averted her eyes from him. "You have loved Mengmeng for so many years, Si Hongqi. Also, you don't even know me that well."

The man ended up sighing after hearing her words. He couldn't blame her if she was doubting him. He may have an ulterior motive by unexpectedly confessing to her that moment but that was all to protect her. "I may not know you that well but I know that you are someone who values your friendship with others."

Tian Ruyi pressed her lips together. He was probably just saying those words all because she cared for Lu Mengjie as well. "Your eyes caught my attention the most when we first met that night in the bar," he confessed. "At that moment, the first thing that I thought was that you're beautiful," he continued.

Liar. She thought, refusing to be swayed away by his words.

Si Hongqi reached out and gently held her hand. "I have always loved Mengjie but if she's happy with Yong Liwei then it's only right for me to let her go. I want her to be happy the most even if I'm not the man who would bring it to her."

See? She was right. Even now, Tian Ruyi knew that he hadn't moved on yet. As for why his heart was racing and why his ears were red…

"Nonetheless, when I first saw you that night, I fell for your spell." He smiled a bit as he recalled the night when she got so drunk despite meeting him for the first time. How could she trust him?

"Stop the car." She told the driver as she slipped her hand off his grip. She couldn't bear to listen to his lies anymore. Nôv(el)B\\jnn

The poor driver eyed his boss from the rearview mirror but Si Hongqi ignored him so he continued to drive.

He never expected that he would once again confess to another girl inside the same car he was first rejected by his first love. Who would have thought that he would end up confessing inside the car again?

"Then, when we met for the second time, I fell even more passionately for you. I was loss for words." Not only loss for words, but he was also fuming since he thought that she was Lu Mengjie's enemy.

Tian Ruyi scoffed. "We both know that's not true."

"I assumed you just wanted to be friends. And you did. It was a difficult time for me. However, I'd rather have you as a friend than not at all so in the end, I agreed."

Tears crept out of her eyes. She wanted to cover his mouth to stop him from saying words that only tore her heart to pieces.

"Even on days full of sorrow and grief, you've brought smiles and laughter to me. I can forget all the worries and anxieties because of you."

"I'm not going to be your rebound girl, Si Hongqi."

"And you never will." He stretched out his hand to gently cup her cheek. "Because you are more than that. That's why upon having a closure with my feelings for her, moving on is the only option. I want to focus on the person in front of me now."

Beads of tears dripped down from her eyes as she finally looked at him. Her eyes were filled with tears. "P-Please stop, Si Hongqi… I rather… I rather hear painful truths than sweet lies from you…"

"I'm not lying, Ruyi. All I need is for you to give me a chance to prove my feelings for you. I want to stop walking in the past and you were the one who helped me. You are the one who took my hand and helped me gaze forward so how can I not fall for you?" He said softly. "You may not like me right now but just give me the chance to—"

"I like you!" she cut off his sentence. She continued to burst out in tears. It was flowing endlessly from her eyes as she finally confessed to him. "I like you! Lots! I like you so much that it hurts!"

Si Hongqi's gaze softened as relief filled his chest. He thought that she was going to reject him. "I finally found my Etoile."

Etoile?

"You're my Etoile, Ruyi," he said gently as he leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.