Xue Jinxu had been very much attentive to her needs and took care of her earnestly.

Chen Linyun greatly appreciated all the efforts coming from his wife, especially when he thought that Xue Jinxu would treat him and his sister differently and begrudgingly after learning that bad blood runs through their veins.

It did not seem the case; however, as shrewd as he was, he noticed that the distance between them continued to grow. Xue Jinxu must have been always there beside him, but something changed. He could not point a finger to it.

As vague as it seemed, Xue Jinxu had become more distant to him.

He knew it could not possibly due to his ident.i.ty. He felt that it was something more than that.

It must be true that all that s.h.i.+mmers would eventually fade with time.

Of course, he knew that she had been considering the divorce which he stupidly initiated. It was a grave and an impulsive mistake on his part that was totally out-of-character from him. He admitted so, but it was too late. It's always true that regrets always come after the deed.

'I was shaken. I thought that was the right thing to do – to give her options.'

'It backfired.' Chen Linyun's whole persona always fell whenever the thought of his grave mistake brushed his head.

A few days pa.s.sed.

Chen Linyun learned that Xue Minhe and Chen Lingfang had separately approached the missus on his behalf and built him up against the divorce.

But.

That, too, backfired.

"Why do I have to learn your partic.i.p.ation in s.h.i.+ Corporation's demise from someone else? I didn't know that you and my twin brother were such best friends. I got a bit confused for a second there. I am his twin, alright. But, am I your wife or him? Are you confused between us, too? We got that a lot when we were younger." Xue Jinxu lashed out the evening that Chen Linyun arrived home from work. There were no introductions whatsoever.

Flabbergasted, Chen Linyun searched for the perfect way to pacify the wife's temper. Life could be so much more difficult when Xue Jinxu's being like this. Unfortunately, answers do not fall onto one's lap so easily.

"Go ahead and confide your life with him. I'll just ask him about it."

"Can't believe that you even made Dad come here to be your spokesperson. I guess you cannot do it for yourself, huh?"

Unsmiling, she walked out from him after those statements. Chen Linyun covered his mouth with his palm – a habit of his – and pushed his eyegla.s.ses with his index finger.

He racked his brains for countermeasures.

An angry Jinxu, in his eyes, was d.a.m.n so scary, especially if he's got the shorter end of the stick.

He knew he had to address it as soon as possible. It's just that… he did not know how to.

'How? What to do?'

'I did what I did not just to set things right, but most importantly, to prove to her that I can also turn my back against the s.h.i.+'s. I can never tolerate their flawed reasoning and will never choose them over my wife and principles.'

'Yet, she doesn't see it.'

For days, their little feud commenced.

The clock was ticking. Chen Linyun was well-aware that the time for Xue Jinxu to come up with a decision is almost up.

One afternoon, the maids answered the door from a deliveryman and carried boxes of donuts into the house.

"The madame has been craving for it for days, Sir." One of the maids answered Chen Linyun's inquisitive face.

"She's been craving donuts?" He repeated slowly, realization kicking in.

The maids nodded. "She finally made us order for takeout today."

 'This is bad.' Chen Linyun was panic-stricken. Donuts have been the lady's comfort food when she's deeply conflicted. 

"I'll deliver it to her." He thought that the best way to deal with this situation is to confront it head-on. Yet, he started to sweat profusely. Even his palms turned sweaty.

He saw Xue Jinxu sitting on some cus.h.i.+oned chairs on the veranda on the second floor. Every step he made towards her was so heavy as if his legs chained and shackled with a heavy ball resisting his efforts.

"Special delivery." He informed.

Xue Jinxu looked at him for a split second before she turned her head away.

Without invitation, Chen Linyun sat beside her. He clasped his hands together on his lap in a well-behaved fas.h.i.+on and waited patiently for an opening.

"We've gone a long way." Surprisingly, Xue Jinxu started the conversation casually.

"En."

She opened a box of glazed donuts and took a bite from a piece. "Hmmm. Yummy. You want one?"

"It's all yours, Jinxu. I bet our twins like donuts too."

"You bet." She retorted curtly while munching on the donuts.

It was casual and natural, yet, the conversation seemed to be on the surface only. No more than greetings and exchange of pleasantries. Small talk.

So it surprised Chen Linyun that Xue Jinxu decided to take the conversation to a much deeper level. He was almost taken by surprise.

"You know, every single day, a thought inevitably invades my mind. It brought me to the good all days of our youth when we were still trying to figure things out."

"What is it?" Chen Linyun was full of curiosity about what's going on inside her head.

"I've been thinking of what has happened to my archer."

Chen Linyun focused his gaze on Xue Jinxu who was eating nonchalantly by his side as if she did not utter anything extraordinary.

"Your archer is still here, loyal to you, milady." The man pledged his allegiance.

Xue Jinxu put down her donut on the box, wiped her hands and mouth, looked at Chen Linyun, and smiled - that smile that did not reach her eyes. "I can't find my archer anymore."

"He's nowhere to be found." A tear escaped her eyes. Her smile grew bigger with nostalgia. "He promised me that he would improve himself so that he wouldn't stay as an archer forever, but you know what, he doesn't have to. I like him the way he is. Was. Used to be."

"Jinxu." He breathed.