CEO And His Empress...

The days passed by, and it seems Xun Luli had also woken up from her beautiful dream.

Well, it didn't take rocket science to see that her husband didn't even treat her as a person, but as an object which was precious to him only because it was connected to 'that' someone who was actually in his heart...

She was devastated, but she was too old to do anything about it anymore; every time she saw him look at her, no-- he didn't look at her, she was never in his eyes, this man was too cold-blooded to spare his sight for her, he would always gaze at her searching for someone else inside her and every time he realised that 'that person' was not her, a flash of disgust could be seen in his eyes.....

She had given half her life loving a man who didn't even want her to exist as herself.... She had tried divorcing him, but without valid reason and ZiXuan's unwillingness to part from the last connection he had with Meilin... Xun Luli lived a life with depression, she was alone without any support.

Zixuan was too vicious, he had made sure to give the best treatment to her family as a result of which no one in her family wanted her to divorce him... it was a loss for them.... she was too broken to retaliate... the rest fo her life went by in solitary confinement.

..........

On a certain day, a piece of news spread like a wildfire, the first generation Qin, the legendary founder of the empire took his last breath with his wife following him shortly after....

Qin Zixuan didn't cry, he knew that this was coming. If possible he wanted to go with them too because, after this, he was finally all alone..... the broken heart was crushed into dust.

After the funeral, there was a sudden need of inheritor, the loss of Qin Mo, even if he was away from the circle for years, still hit the shareholders hard.

It was something that needed to be done, after a strong persuasion and battle between the relatives of Qin, ZiXuan decided on the firstborn son of Qin Lev.

Qin Mingyu, the uncle of Meilin and also the Vice President of the Qin Empire had passed his grandson to him and even asked him to directly adopt him, as the closest kin of Qin, no one had any problem with it.

Qin Mingyu had never wanted the title for himself and never allowed his own kids into the business, if not for a need, he would never provide his grandson for it too.... aware of it, Qin ZiXuan thoroughly polished the child into a mighty heir...everything was going well, until one day a glitch occurred again....

It was the day on which he would go to see his Linlin, it was raining that day too.....

It had become a ritual, even the young heir had followed him to see the real heiress of the empire....

He stood there holding an open umbrella over the seemingly middle-aged man in the wheelchair.

Qin ZiXuan had grown old, except for his strikingly piercing eyes, over the years he had grown frail and feeble and weak, he was now suffering from a sort of stomach cancer due to his lack in care in the early stages of the chronic ulcer, it was becoming harder and harder for him to keep going on.....

He asked Qin Feng, the young heir, to stand back..... and with difficulty, he wheeled towards the family grave, just this much made him have cold sweat even in this drizzly weather... even he knew that his end was near...

Reaching her grave, he put a red rose on it... it had been a year, he softly whispered, "Linlin..."

Meilin who hadn't seen anything since the day of his marriage, finally opened her eyes to see him.... one last time.

Her consciousness stiffened, "What happened..... Xuanxuan?"

ZiXuan couldn't hear her, but as if knowing that she ask it, he replied with a smile that looked worse than crying, "I've grown old..Linlin...."

"Xuanxuan--"

His voice had turned into a whisper since years, with a grieving tone he said, "Why did you leave me alone? "

"I wanted to live with you, Xuanxuan...I want to...forever", her voice sounded hoarse and weak too...

"You see, without you, your Xuanxuan is empty inside...haha...the doctor said that my internal organs had hollowed out too... I'm actually empty", he had a mocking smile on his face.

"Xua--"

"I can't stand it anymore, Linlin... I just can't.. a world without you feels too lonely, I've been walking alone for years now, all alone. You wanted to make the Qin flourish, I made it my life's goal, but once I reached it...I realised I've nothing else to live for... that day on the ball, I know it was you...I think I've gone mad....but I still believe that it was you back then... that day you asked me to stay strong, I tried.... You know I tried, but I can't anymore...living has become too painful for me.... "

"Xuanxuan, don't be like this? Your Linlin is here... I was always here--"

"I Love You, Linlin"

Hearing the sudden confession Meilin stopped speaking, but in the next second, she felt her body tremble as she felt actual tears on her eyes..."I Lov---"

"I don't know since when, maybe since forever... Hey, Linlin? If we get to relive our lives together, make sure to stay by my side, okay? I would love you forever, my love... Please promise me you'll stay with me----"

PIKING

WHOOSH

BANG!!

A splash of red spread over her grave...

"UNCLE!!!", it was Qin Feng, he had hurried over when he saw his once proud Uncle, jerk down his wheelchair, as red blood incessantly pooled under his body, it was an assassination.

Piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnggggggggggggggggg

Everything buzzed around for both Qin ZiXuan and Qin Meilin.

Qin ZiXuan, didn't even put a fight to live, he had gone against this world, his end in an absurd way was inevitable... he gladly welcomed his death with open arms, he was finally released of this torture, he was given salvation....

He had a smile on his face when leaving this world because he thought that he saw Meilin watching him from her grave.....

"You've always been there, Linlin... Thank You..."

....................

A month had passed since she went into coma.

One fine day, all machines sustaining her life started beeping and squeaking.

She had Rapid Eye Movement as if going through a nightmare... tears rolled down her still shut eyes...

"Noooooooooooooooooooooooo.....", she shouted in a hoarse voice as her eyes opened.

She didn't remember anything from her long coma, but she knew that she had to go back soon....

She wanted to see Xuanxuan, she wanted to make sure that he was alive with her own eyes...

Though she didn't remember much and all her body was in pain, she forced them to make her stand in her feet again.... as fast as possible.

A sudden image flashed inside her mind, it was the trembling back of a man with a red rose in his hands. He was standing under the rain, it seems he was crying.

Remembering it, Meilin felt immense pain in her brain, it seems she wasn't allowed to remember it...., but that didn't stop the heart-wrenching pain she felt because of it....

She had to go back...

She wanted to see her Xuanxuan as fast as possible...

Unknowing to her, because of the years of paranoia she went in her coma, she had become more cold and aloof, if she was rigid and untouchable back then, now she was like an immortal, aloof and unattainable.

Meilin had changed greatly after she woke up, she made sure that the underworld was cleaned till the deepest of the corners; they were a threat to her survival, she wasn't a saint to move about freely in this world. Since, she had decided to support the Qin to reach the peak and beyond, exterminating the things that could be detrimental in this journey was first and foremost!

After she confirmed that everything went well, she then went through a rigorous rehabilitation, it wasn't good for her health, but did she care?

A BIG FAT NO!

.......

A month after that, she was now able to walk without support, she hurried back to her home.

She had so many things, she wanted to talk about with him...

She won't be alone again.

A strong sense of protectiveness had taken root in her without her knowing....

When she reached the mansion, she was greeted by her grandfather and his secretary, she didn't care much about the superficial pleasantries... She made sure to make her grandfather hear an earful for being irresponsible about the passing of power to Xuanxuan....

By the time ZiXuan reached the mansion because of the tensed atmosphere created by Meilin, even he wasn't left alone...

After waiting for more than 5 years, the first this she said to him was not even a hello, but

"What can you do for the Qin?"

Only she knew...there was no correct answer to this question because she will be with him along the journey, and whatever he wanted they could do it together.

Together, forever.