The light tone of her voice, the easy way she'd referred to him as babe, he liked it. Although he hadn't been able to hide his smile, he felt it grow again, with a vengeance. Of all the women he'd ever had the pleasure of being with, he'd never stayed long enough to become too familiar. None ever sat well with him, like it wasn't what he should be doing. Even the feigned emotions of a call girls felt bland, without meaning. But the comfortable way she said it, without even seeming to try... It definitely caught his attention. Leaning in to pick her up, the heat from her emanated like a warm grasp. Resisting the temptation to kiss her, only very barely, he lifted her out of the car.<br/><br/>Even when she nuzzled back into the nice spot of his chest, he couldn't help himself. "So dove, have any more interruptions planned for the day, or will you be okay here for the rest of the day?" Remembering back to Yi Long's intrusion early, he thought to himself to check and see if she had a locking door. "After all, the last thing you probably need right now is Yi Long trying to force himself on you while you can't walk. I'm surprised by you actually, dove," he started, without waiting for her reply. "You seem like a very independent, and strong woman. He's beneath you, and to be honest, I'm surprised you've stuck around him as long as you have. I'd probably have broken his jaw if I had to pretend to not hate my boss." His smile was light, but his words seemed aggressive, surprising even himself.<br/><br/>As they got inside, he softly set her on the couch, almost missing her warmth against him, the air seeming cold as it rushed against him. His gaze slowly fell over her, as she seemed to just lay there. Settling down next to her, where he could fit himself in anyway, he put a hand on her thigh. "In all actuality though Xiao Yu, is there anything I can get for you? Would you like me to get you something to eat? A hot cup of tea? I could throw you up a bath, if you'd like."<br/><br/>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br/><br/>An Bo hadn't a clue what to do with the mess surrounding him. He couldn't just leave Lengxie outside, but he wasn't sure he wanted to let him in. "I don't think I haven't thought about that Lengxie? She's made up her mind. I've been trying to offer her what I can, but not all of us are born princes." He felt himself becoming more frayed, his mind already in tatters. Swinging open the door, he tried to keep his eyes from showing his pains, hoping the dried tears wouldn't be visible in the doorway. "I've tried to give her everything I had, but I don't have much, and it's horribly apparent some of us are born into better. Surely, even you of all people, can't expect me to fair well for her love compared to royalty. What gain would she benefit from being a scholar's wife? My name doesn't carry the pride of a kingdom. My robes aren't lined with gold."<br/><br/>Dropping his head, he couldn't help but let his sorrow show. The pressures building behind his eyes finally overwhelmed him, a tear cutting it's way down the same path as the last. Turning away from Lengxie, he looked at the table, walking over to it, leaving the door ajar. The ink filled papers were the only thing that would have given him hope. But the presence of Lengxie just reminded him of how tiny he was. Even his hopes of a marriage in secret, to have her love cherished instead of displayed like Taizi would. Taizi only wanted Wuqing for the simple fact that he could, and she didn't want it. The man was fed from a silver spoon, he'd gotten anything he wanted at the swish of his hand, but she'd resisted, and he loathed it.<br/><br/>"A simple teacher, a scholar like me, can only hope for the love of such an exquisite being. But all I can offer is myself, and my heart. I don't have an empire. I'm not a heroic warrior. She's been presented with two brilliant flames tinged in gold, and I struggle even now to have her notice my ember."