(A story by Xu Yan's older brother)
Xu Li x An Meigui
A deep, restrained type x an innocent flirt
-From the moment the rose was born, the Creator had been planning this fateful encounter called salvation. (From the internet)
While other people were still worrying about their children's starting lines, the venue for five-year-old An Meigui's wedding banquet had already been chosen.
After being raised in a greenhouse for twenty-five years, Meigui finally rebelled. She refused to get married, and in one burst of determination, set her alarm for the early morning so she could run away.
At one in the afternoon the next day, she woke to a pair of cold, indifferent eyes looking down at her. He held the phone he'd used to turn off her alarm, his expression both mocking and amused. "Twenty alarms couldn't get you up for the college entrance exam, but you think one alarm set for six will help you run away?"
An Meigui: "..."
///
At Xu Li's tenth birthday party, he didn't get the model car he wanted. Instead, someone put the hand of a four-year-old toddler, An Meigui, into his.
"You have to treat Meigui well from now on. Keep an eye on her and protect her."
Because of his parents' words, he protected her for twenty years.
She often drove An Meigui up the wall. The thing he said most often was, "I'm never looking after you again."
Then the next day, he'd keep calling her to get up for school.
In Beijing's upper circles, Xu Li was a well-known iron-fisted figure: cold, ruthless, and indifferent to love. Just like his name, he was disciplined and proper.
Yet when he learned An Meigui wanted to run away from the wedding, he stayed up all night making a SWOT analysis chart.
Every point was about An Meigui.
His friend tried to comfort him. "Meigui's pretty, sure, but she's prickly and a lot of trouble."
Xu Li's eyes were clear. The ash from his cigarette fell to the ground. "That's why I don't trouble anyone else. My rose is my responsibility. I'll look after her for the rest of my life."
-You are the source of all my joy. How could I possibly let you go?
Bonus scene:
An Meigui accidentally found Xu Li's old diary. Mischievously hoping to find something she could use against him later, she peeked inside, only to see this on the open page:
What you fear controls you. - John Locke
On the next line, three bold, flowing characters: An Meigui
Theme: Sooner or later, the rose will bloom.
