Kris has two problems; one is called Aunty Zhao and the other is called his management company. 

Ever since the interrupted kiss between Kris and Xia happened, he was sure that Aunty Zhao had been watching the two of them like a hawk. When he is in the kitchen, talking to Xia, he could see Aunty Zhao looking at them while pretending to wash the shiny copper pot at the sink. When Xia comes down to the garden to talk to him while she sits beside the herb garden to pull out a few week, he could see Aunty Zhao spying over them through the kitchen window. It is endearing but also annoying at the same time since he felt like his personal space was being invaded. 

That thought made him laugh as he realized that he had started to become more like other citizens with jobs outside of the media spotlight, without having to worry about other people around him being exposed to public scrutiny. The same thought also made him sad for he'd be leaving all of this behind when he finally goes back to meet his own reality. 

His management company, on the other hand, had been on his tail ever since the last text message. They had been messaing him constantly to come back and deal with the papers because they'd be going to the court if he did not appear to negotiate with the ex-girlfriend side in two weeks. Kris only has one attitude in mind, "Court be damned." He knows he's innocent and has nothing to do with the child in her stomach, but he had no proof to prove his innocence. 

There had been a few times when he thought of giving up his life in the city and live in this little village. It gives him a peaceful mind and energy. He does not have to worry about getting his face caught on camera while going out late at night for a stroll, he could go and eat a peaceful lunch by himself at a nearby river. He could do anything he wanted and not make a headline 

"Aunty Zhao, where is Xia?" he asked one morning when he had not see Xia for the 3rd consecutive day. It was so strange to not see her at breakfast table. Because there are only three people living in the house, one's absence feels colossal.  

Aunty Zhao smiled as she put the breakfast in front of him, "Xia had to go to the city for an overnight trip for work," she answered casually and turned back to the stove to bring back more food for him. As she did so, she hummed, "missing her, aren't you?" in a soft sing-song voice. 

A few days went by without Xia in the house and Kris had became slightly worried. "Is this normal?" he asked Aunty Zhao, who nodded in agreement. 

"Xia sometimes has to go to the city and stay there for a few nights to finish up the things she needs to do because she hates going back and forth." 

Kris nodded and didn't ask any further, knowing how some of the paperwork process can take a few days to finish. 

The second problem is his, the management company had been blowing up his phone, on the other hand. They had been leaving him constant messages, which was quite inconvenient. He still did not have the strength to meet the media and deal with everything. 

~~~

The absence of Xia had made him realise how much of a presence she had in the house. She is not the person who fills the void by being loud, insead her silent presence fills the space. He missed her lingering around him, as she watched him work around the garden, or their little talks beside the lake; of life and trivial things. 

On the fourth day that Xia went missing, Kris had developed a habit of sitting on the little board walk by the lake. It was quite amusing to him that he turned into quite a melancholic person; sitting by the lake, missing someone. By his side was a glass of iced lemonade that Aunty Zhao made for him to cool off the late summer's heat. 

"Hello~" a shy, reluctant voice appeared from behind. 

Kris turned his neck so quickly that he almost got a whiplash. Behind him was a pair of legs, in black heels. He looked up to see that it was Xia, who was dressed in a very different get up; white silk blouse, a tight fitted pencil skirt and her hair tied into a low, sleek bun. She looked professional in every bit. "I'm back," she sheepishly smiled. 

He stood up quickly and acted so quickly that his brain didn't have enough time to process what he was about to do. He grabbed her neck and kissed her, something that he had been meaning to do. Her hands came up to his shoulder and grabbed his shirt sleeves tightly as her body stiffened in shock but she relaxed soon after, kissing him back as her arms loosely wrapped around his neck. Xia's lips tasted sweet and light, just as how he had expected. It might also have been the lemonade that he had been drinking but he could care less. 

For what felt like a worl later, they both separated. Xia looked at him in the eye and laughed shyly, "That was one surprising welcome back home gift." 

"It could have been better," he laughed and leaned forward to bop her nose with his. 

Afterwards, they sat on the board walk, Xia's head leaning sideway onto his shoulders, and his head on hers as she talked about her little adventures in the city. 

"What were you doing in the city?" he asked as he took her hand and started rubbing the back of her hand with his palm. 

Xia paused, "Paperworks. I told you about how I used to live in the city, didn't I?" He nodded gently. "An old co-worker asked me to come in and help him with a project so I had to." 

"Was it difficult?" 

"Quite difficult but it should be fine," Xia smiled, "I should go into the city a few more times and it will be done." 

Kris nodded and held her hand in between his, "I'm just glad you're back home now. It feels very empty without you around the house." 

"I missed you too," Xia closed her eyes and leaned into him further, not waiting for him to say I miss you. 

"Welcome back," he spoke as his arm wrapped around him. 

~~~

"Xia," Kris spoke while they both were digging the soil to plant the new seeds for autumn - the cauliflower, "are you not curious about what happened to me before I got here?" 

Xia looked up at him, pausing the digging of ground to fluff up the soil, "I don't want to push you but if you want to tell me, I am all ears." She wrapped her arms around knees and tilted her head to the side. 

He swallowed, "Well," he took a hold of the gardening fork again, "listen to me and don't freak out, okay?" She blinked and nodded. "So... there was a relationship that I was in." 

"Uh huh." 

"I worked so hard for it and spent a lot of time building it," Kris spoke further. He was talking about his acting career, which he spent many years building. "Then one day, I screwed up. So badly." 

"So?" 

"So I ran away from it, and ended up here," Kris stopped, not wanting to speak further. He thought he was ready but he was not ready for Xia to find out about him. 

"Kris," Xia called his name and he saw her looking at him, her eyes soft and gentle as she reached for his forearm and grabbed it gently, "you don't have to tell me everything. I believe in you. It is not your past that matters. As long as you are doing well right now, I am happy with it. You don't need to tell me everything." 

Kris smiled uncomfortably for the words made him feel more guilty than he had already been. 

~~~

A few days later, his management office called him. "Kris, you have to come back soon. Or else the situation will go out of hand." 

"I don't want to," he denied, "if my name is going to fall, let it." 

"Kris," the company CEO sighed, "it's not just about you. There are so many stock holders and investors behind. Think about them. It's not just about you." 

Kris hesitated. A part of his brain failed to think about that. "What do you want me to do?" he asked. 

"A press control. Just one meeting with us, the lawyers, and one press conference. Then, you're free to go until the case is resolved," the CEO reassured, "I asked my friend who has his own law firm and he said he'll assemble his best lawyer team, especially the one who is great at handling celebrity cases from his firm." 

"All right," Kris agreed, "one press control won't hurt." 

~~~

"Xia," he nudged her as they were sitting on that little board walk, their ideal date spot for most evenings, where they can chat about whatever they want away from Aunty Zhao as they dipped their feet in the lake water. She turned sideways and looked at him. "You know I told you about the previous job that I had." 

She nodded. 

"I..." Kris paused. He did not know how he want to continue with this one. "I'll have to go back... and solve a few things." 

Her lips curved up and smiled gently, as if she had already known what he was going to say, "I know." 

"How?" 

"You were out of it this past few days. I can read people, you know," she fluttered her feet in the water, scaring away a few tadpoles that were surrounding her little feet. "Go," she looked down into the water and muttered, "you will be fine, won't you?" 

He nodded. 

"Take my car, if you would like," she offered him, "it's not an easy journey." 

Kris's heart sank. His lie had caused so many ripple effects that he now had to lie a whole lot. "It's fine. I'll just take the bus," he gritted a lie through his teeth. 

"Are you sure?" 

"Yeah." 

~~~

His journey back home to his old life was dreadful. First of all, his mood was ruined by the gloomy weather and his Aston Martin felt absolutely foreign to him. Everything about his old life felt so strange and different to him. His slightly calloused hands steered his way back into the city. As soon as he swerved into the parking lot of his condo, his heart dropped at the sight of people lurking around; his so-called hardcore, but actually privacy invading, fans. He sighed as she all swarmed around his car and peered into the car. The security guy came through to clear and crowd, while rolling their eyes - a usual sight Kris sees whenever he goes to and comes back from work. 

The condo, where he used to call him, felt empty and cold despite the fact that the weather was still in the summer. He had gotten very used to the Tang household; the always festive kitchen, homey and cozy reading corner and spacious but warm living room. Compared to that, his place looked empty. He walked into the kitchen to make himself a meal and realized that he had nothing but instant noodle packets. The housekeeper he had hired might have stopped coming to make meals for him since he was simply not there to finish his meal. 

That night passed with him preparing questions for the press conference the next day. 

As usual, the press conference was bustling. He was given a set of questions that the journalists will ask and the answers he would give back - the usual press protocol. The journalists asked about how he would want to deal with the situation and the question related to it. He answered truthfully, I am innocent. The journalists and the public will doubt his answer but he didn't care, he was ready to give up his life if it meant to wreck him. Throughout the press conference, he kept pressing on the answer that he has got nothing to do with the child in her stomach. The fact that there had been a few cases of some actors of his seniors, who had done the same thing but in the end they were all guilty, did not help him. 

Only he knew himself, he is innocent. He just did not know how to prove it. 

The next day, he found himself attending series of meetings with his sponsors, all of whom were showing signs of wanting to cancel contracts with him. His management company did not want to let go of the sponsors but Kris was ready. In every single meeting, he only said one thing, 'If you want to, that is fine but after you had cancelled with me and when I am proven innocent, do not ever think of working with me.' It worked with some of the sponsorship companies, whom he had worked with for many years and whom he had known personally, but it did not with others. At the end of the day, he had gotten slightly poorer. 

During the days that he was back in the city, he couldn't stop thinking about the little two-storeyed house with a vast green grass in an obscure village. He missed the warm breeze that swept past across the lake, the smell of the flower patch, the sight of vegetable garden, and his little evening dates with Xia, where they just sat and talked about trivial things - nothing too serious, nothing too taxing, and the meal times with her and Aunty Zhao. He had gotten way too attached to that little house more than he had anticipated. 

When he went back to the village, after he had stayed in the city for a couple of days more than expected, he felt free. He left his Aston Martin and decided to take the car he drove around when he wanted to go to more practical places, an SUV. The journey towards the little village felt long but with each mile he advanced, he felt a surge of excitement bubbling within them. 

Aunty Zhao looked at him with slightly frightened eyes which turned into delight when she saw him burst into the kitchen. Xia was not there. He then headed to the board walk they always meet almost every evening. Just as he expected, Xia was there, dipping her feet in the water and her head looked up in the sky. 

"Xia," he panted, from both excitement of seeing her and exhaustion from the past few days. 

Xia looked up. As soon as she saw him, she stood up and walked towards him with a slight bounce in her steps. "Welcome back," she whispered just as she buried her face in the crook of his neck, her arms rested around his torso. 

Kris felt like he finally got him, inhaling the scent of her hair, which smelled like lavendar, and her warmth, which he sorely missed. "I am back," he whispered as he snugged her tighter than he was already. 

~~~

[Author's monologue:] The problem with writing this fic is that each update is longer because I have to think carefully. Why did I even choose to write this in the first place. lol. So much work!