Chapter 365 - Suyin

Time moved fast starting that night. Christina had pulled out of Qing Zihao's room and was given her own bed and space. She slept peacefully for the first time in weeks. In fact, she had not woken up until it was time for dinner the next day.

"Are you okay?" Qing Zihao asked when he came to wake her up.

"I just feel so tired." True enough, it was like all her muscles were aching. She even thought that she had a temperature. She nuzzled against the blanket that she had been hugging all night—or all day. "This is the most comfortable bed I ever slept in."

"Don't you have a fancy house on the hill?" he asked and sat down the bed.

She laughed. "I just bought a house but I don't mean to stay there. This job… it requires you all the time to run for your life. I never even saw myself settling anywhere."

"When you retire, what did you plan for your life?"

She breathed out. "I'm going to see the world. I have a loaded bank account. I'm going to rent out rooms. Travel. See everything until my money runs out. Or when I find that place that I really want to stay in, I'd spend the rest of my money to find a small place to live in then I'd probably die there."

"What about family?"

"I always thought I'd die alone," she smiled at him. She was not sad of this fact. "If I get lucky, then maybe in my after retirement adventure, I'd actually find someone who would be with me in that small house."

"That sounds like a nice plan. I'm sorry you're stuck with me now."

She shook her head. "There's nothing that you should apologize for. I brought this upon myself. It's fine." Not wanting to talk more about her life, she got up and tossed the covers off herself. "This is the last time I'm sleeping on this bed."

"Why?"

"I'm supposed to sleep next to you if I'm going to be your bodyguard. I could've murdered you. Twice already."

"Twice?!"

"Yes, I had been here before I disappeared." It was the day of your grandfather's funeral, she wanted to add but she did not want to add more into his sadness. "You could die easily, Zihao. You really need a guard 24/7."

"Well, no one actually put a target on my head until you came along. Basically it's your fault. It's just right that you'd be the one who would eliminate all the threats."

She grinned at him. "I will just wash up and let's have dinner."

**

"Why was it that you do what your parents want? I thought you're tired of living like that?" she asked once they were on the bed again. This time, they were in Zihao's room. It was just after dinner and with the lack of better things to do, Christina decided to open up a conversation so they would get to know each other better.

"They know better," Zihao said, tossing a small baseball in the air then catching it. "You know, in my twenty-four years of living, I have always thought that this was the year that I would know everything that I would need to know. Then something comes up and surprises me. My mind goes snowballing and I would think just how dumb I am. So I just let them decide until I actually get my shit right."

Christina shifted in her seat. "I never had to ask for advice from anybody. I just did what I wanted."

"What is it like growing up without parents?"

"Well, my boss was like my parent before. He provided me with everything that I need to survive then made me work. It was a good agreement. It was kind of nice that I didn't live like the usual person."

"Did you ever go to school?"

"I finished high school," she said. "You don't really need a college degree when you're sending men to their deaths as a job."

Qing Zihao smiled. "Would you like to study?"

"I'd be embarrassed to go back to school," she said.

"I'll get you a tutor then you'd take your exam and get a diploma."

"You can do that?"

He nodded. "When you have money, you'd be able to do anything." He turned to his side and looked at her. "Now, let's think about the name that you're going to have. Our guy will come tomorrow and will help you finish the papers that you need."

Christina sprang upwards. "That fast? I have to think of a name already?"

He nodded. "You're going to have an Eastern name. We'll build you a fake identity stating that you're some rich farmer's daughter and had been living in the provinces all along. It shouldn't be so hard."

"A farmer's daughter…" she said.

"Unfortunately your father already died," Qing Zihao continued. "So his immense wealth was now with you and I just must marry you because of it."

"If someone asks, where are these lands per se?"

"We have multiple properties that we could transfer to your name. They are all under fake names so… it'd be safe."

Christina nodded. "Any names that you want to recommend?"

"I think we should like into a baby book or something. I don't really know how people name their kids."

"From where I'm from, most people get the names from the bible."

Qing Zihao's lips widened to a smile. "Who named you Christina?"

"The nun in the orphanage. I think whenever the latest Christina got adopted or went away, she would name the new kid Christina."

"What kind of name do you want?"

"I want something simple, you know? Nothing too extravagant. After all, I'm a farmer's daughter."

"Simple…" Qing Zihao thought about it, tapping on his chin. "What about Suyin?"

"What does that mean?"

"I think it means plain sound. I've read it in literature once."

She nodded. "Plain sound. Suyin."