Wild Young Miss: Mister, Let's Kiss!

As he headed back to Zoey's hotel room, Enzo Li's words were trapped in a continuous loop inside his head. Along with it were Zoey's words earlier 'It's a plus that you don't share the same interests as me…', and Cora Ma's strange favor of not liking Zoey back.

For him, it was easy to analyze and conclude what it meant. That Zoey's feelings were just temporary; that if she got what she wanted, these fleeting emotions of hers would vanish away. Just like how a kid would throw his old toy after she had her fun playing with it and replace it with a brand new toy.

"Huh…" Glancing at the door of her hotel room, a deep exhale escaped his mouth. "She's simple and complicated, indeed…" He whispered.

Indeed, Zoey's antics were simple and could even be compared to a kid's perspective. However, what made her complicated was also because of that. Kids were somehow hard to read in a way. They could be innocently vicious without realizing it, and unpredictable.

In this case, since Zoey was an adult, it tripled the trouble for him to believe anyone's words. Was the Zoey she was showing him was a mask? Who was the real her? Was everything that they'd shared together was not real?

On the other note, Matthew Xi had been keeping things from her as well. She didn't know his real status, occupation, and not even half of his identity. 

Still, what he could assure Zoey was what he was showing her was the real him. The emotions, uncertainties, the consideration he had been contemplating were a hundred percent real. 

Thus, who was he to complain if Zoey hid things from him? Still, deep down, these red flags concerned him. Rather... he was concerned if he was just another toy she was excited to play with and throw away if she got bored. 

"What's taking him so..." Suddenly, the door opened with Zoey whispering her concerns. "...long." She stopped, raising her gaze to the towering figure standing in front of the door. 

"Darling, why are you standing there?" Blinking her eyes upon setting her eyes on his russet orbs, Zoey knitted her brows as she looked around before she cocked her head to the side. 

"Just thinking." Short and precise, Matthew Xi studied her curious front. 'Will you throw me away too?' He wondered internally. 

"Thinking? About what?" Zoey repeated, narrowing her eyes as she examined his front. "Darling, did that monkey badmouth me?" She instinctively inquired. 

For some reason, her subconscious mind told her Enzo Li must have ratted her out. After all, Enzo Li was a witness and accessory to her mischievous deeds. Therefore, Zoey was afraid that he tattled her out. Little did she know, Enzo Li spoke too much about her.

For a minute, Matthew Xi stared at her investigative eyes. He contemplated whether or not to confront her — was it a terrible idea?

"He didn't. He... warned me." 

"Ahh? Warned you? Did he threaten you? Wow... the nerve —" Zoey scoffed, assuming Enzo Li threatened Matthew Xi to stay away from her. 

In retrospect, one reason Zoey's suitors stopped harassing her was thanks to Enzo Li's help. With the said man's connection, Zoey often asked favors from him and she would return the favor whenever he needed some assistance. 

Be it pretend to be his girlfriend or just be his company, Zoey would do it because she has no problem with it. Still, sometimes, Enzo Li gets so overprotective that he scared her previous love affairs away. 

The reason Zoey assumed that Enzo Li threatened Matthew Xi to stay away from her if he wasn't taking this relationship seriously or anything of the sort. However, even before she could curse Enzo Li, Matthew Xi interrupted her midway. 

"He warned me about you." Emotionless as ever, Matthew Xi clarified. "Am I just another toy?" He asked, hoping to have some clarification so he would know where to stand. 

Should he invest more feelings in her? Was all this a waste of time and energy? Although he wasn't expecting to hear truthful answers, even a lie was fine to him. 

Zoey processed his last question for a minute. Raising her gaze to the slight wrinkle in between her brows, Zoey raised her hand and pointed at it. "You're having wrinkles, do I stress you that much?" Instead of answering his query directly, Zoey diverted the subject which didn't sit well with the latter. 

That diversion, Matthew Xi perceived it as her answer for 'yes'. Zoey might lie most of the time, but he noticed she never lied in a serious discussion. 

Still, he felt this unpleasant angst in his heart; it was suffocating, infuriating, and painful. 

"Xi Matthew, do you want to hear a secret?" Tilting her lips into a meek smile, Zoey held both her hands behind her back. "Enzo, Big Brother Zion, Cora, Zeke... they've never met the real Zoey nor do they know that the Zoey they know had to kill her previous self for them to meet the new one." 

"So, don't like me back if this Zoey before you is too much to handle." There was a gentleness in her voice, soothing his confused heart. 

Matthew Xi processed every word she said, and every facial reaction. He could tell, without a doubt, that her words were genuine and reassuring. For her to entrust him about this secret, it coaxed the angst in his heart. Whether or not it was the truth, it didn't matter to him. 

Still, Matthew Xi was intrigued by what did she mean by killing her old self? What was she like before? Wasn't she initially adopted by the Kwan's? However, her surname wasn't Kwan. 

Matthew Xi had been wondering what Zoey's real connection with the Kwan was. However, he perceived it with little importance until she triggered his curiosity again by her statement. 

"You..." Raising his forefinger, Matthew Xi pressed it gently on her forehead. "You didn't answer my question." For some reason, Matthew Xi's emotions weren't all over the place anymore. She didn't give him a direct answer, but it amused him how cleverly she settled it. 

"Hehe. I don't propose marriage to my toys. I am about to exit my twenty's — why would I even play around?" Sensing the change in the atmosphere, Zoey winked as she held onto his forefinger. "Want me to prove it?" She asked, puckering her lips towards him. 

"Don't play with fire — you don't know me well either." Covering her lips by his palm, Matthew Xi warned her one last time as he wasn't playing around either. 

"Marry me and we'll have forever to get to know each other." She giggled, humoring him as her eyes squinted as she smiled. Not many could handle her, rather no one ever did. 

Hence, Matthew Xi's indifference upon dropping him a hint about herself was enough for her.. At the very least, they have more time to prepare for what laid ahead in the future.