Chapter 47: We All Broke Ourselves
Doubt...
It's a very complicated word. We all have doubts. Doubts in ourselves. Doubts about our abilities. Doubts about our relationships. There is doubt everywhere around us.
We have caged ourselves, our creativity, and our passions between the shafts of the doubt.
A single word, doubt. It destroys us.
There is a very peculiar thing about doubt; once it's seed makes a place in a person's mind. There is no way to get it out. It doesn't even need the water of evidence to sprout. It just grows on its own. And keeps growing on and on and on...
When Xu Mey first started out on this journey of revenge, she was filled with doubts. She had no confidence in herself. The timid, weak, and unapproachable girl. She was someone who always avoided standing in front of the mirror.
She was scared of her own reflection. Why? Because she believed that the reflection in that mirror always asked her questions, she had no answer of.
She had the talent but no conviction. She asked back then, "What if I fell?"
Back then her sensei was standing beside her. That person brought her before a mirror and made her look at her own reflection. "Make the mirror your best friend. And, you'll never be alone again..." Was the reply she heard in that familiar calm yet alluring voice. "If you fell, just stand in front of this mirror. And your reflection will tell you how to stand back again."
"The mirror only tells the truth, Sensei. It'll only criticize me on my failure like it always does." Xu Mey was exasperated.
"If you'll have the ability to accept that criticism, you'll be able to stand back up. Even taller than before. Stronger than before." Those brown eyes looked into her own black ones. "Don't hide from the truth. Don't hide from criticism. And most importantly, don't hide from the mirror. It's true that people like to hide behind the mirrors of lies and we wish that those around us were like glass; transparent. But when it comes to us, we need to face that reflection of reality in the mirror."
Xu Mey fell into another dilemma back then. But that moment and those words made her wish to grow out of her cocoon of self-doubt. She'll never be able to forget the words her sensei told her at the end:
"Some people like to escape the reality.
Some people like to face reality.
But...
No one likes to embrace reality..."
The doubt, the nagging question in her mind that frustrated her from the morning was still not answered. Even until the afternoon, she had no idea what to do?
Li Qiao was right that she needed to hear her heart. But it wasn't as easy as he made it sound like.
There was only one person who could answer her questions. She picked up her phone and typed a single sentence. "What if he broke me?"
She knew she didn't have to type the unnecessary details. That person didn't need her words to know what's running in her mind. But then again, that person didn't need to hear words from anyone to know about their personality or thought.
She waited for 2 minutes before the reply came. It read: "At least once in our life, we all broke ourselves for the sake of someone else."
That sentence hit the deepest part of Xu Mey's heart. No. It struck at her soul. The meaning was clear; even if she'll have to break, she'll have to walk through this experience. She needed to experience every feeling herself without anyone else' interference.
Xu Mey was staring at the flashing screen deep in her thoughts when the phone in her hand started ringing. The caller ID made her so jumpy that she almost dropped the phone. Calming her nerves through the breathing techniques she learned in the morning, she finally managed to pick up the call.
"Hello, my dear wife!" Came the sweet, soft and husky voice from the other end. Ye Jie was standing in line waiting for his turn to get the tteokbokki for Ye Jun when the reminder on his phone caught his attention. It was a reminder he set yesterday to call Xu Mey at the exact time he called the day before.
"Why are you calling?" Xu Mey was really curious about it.
Ye Jie frowned a bit at her reply. "Didn't I just tell you yesterday that a husband doesn't need a reason to call his wife?" He heard a low 'oh' from her side. "When will you be home?" He asked.
"Mmm, I don't know. Why?"
"Well, I left work early today. So, I was thinking why not we go out for dinner tonight?" Ye Jie was cautious and expectant at the same time.
"I don't think so." She replied without taking a minute to think.
"Why?" He was feeling dejected.
"Your brother is sick. And it doesn't seem nice to leave him alone at home while he is running down with a fever. A sick person always needs company." She had a sad tone in her voice as if reminiscing about something.
Ye Jie suddenly felt the urge to snap Ye Jun's neck with his bare hands. This was the second time in a single day that he became a lightbulb and a bright one at that too. Thinking about something Ye Jie said, "So, we can go out for dinner tomorrow if Ye Jun is better by then?"
"Yeah, sure." Her reply appeased him a bit. "If there is nothing else-"
Ye Jie interrupted her speech. "Ms. Cherry?"
"Mhm."
"Why are you so worried about Ye Jun? You see, he's my brother." He emphasized on 'my brother' a bit more than necessary.
"That's exactly why." She replied calmly.
"Huh?" Ye Jie didn't get her meaning.
"He's your brother, Mr. Rain. That's why." Xu Mey disconnected the call after her sentence. She said it very casually. But those casual words were not so casual for Ye Jie. He was completely stunned on his place.
The person standing behind him in the line pushed a little and broke his train's route to merry land and brought it back to reality. 'Because he's my brother.' Ye Jie was smiling idiotically.
'Ye Jun... My brother... You finally came to some use...'
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
XiaoMeeHee
XiaoMeeHee Ye Jun: *Achoo* Someone bad-mouthed me? *looking around while sniffling*
Ms. Author: Poor Ye Jun *feeling definitely not pitiful*
---
From my own experience, I learned that it's very easy to fall.
People always believe around me that I'm a very strong person but in reality, I'm a very sensitive person. I'm that sensitive person that laughs with her own characters and cry with them as well.
Falling really didn't make me strong but at least, it made me good at pretending that I'm strong.
Chapter 48: The Tango Of Relationship
Where this phone call left Ye Jie in a euphoria, Xu Mey was in an intense predicament. It was an undeniable fact that Xu Mey cared about Ye Jun just because he was Ye Jie's only brother. She wasn't the kind of person to run from her responsibilities and taking care of her husband's family was also a responsibility she couldn't just shake off.
Her predicament at the moment was that she felt bad about saying no to Ye Jie for dinner. Even though she promised to go tomorrow but no one might ever know the difference between going today and tomorrow better than her.
The time she asked her father to accompany her to school, he said, "Little Mey, I'll go with you tomorrow. Today, Daddy has an important meeting." He left his 6-year-old daughter with that 'important meeting' excuse once again.
Xu Mey was downhearted. It was the annual function at her school that day. There was a huge difference in going today and tomorrow. The worst part was; that tomorrow never came for her.
The heart that she took years to harden was actually sad thinking about that memory. She gently closed her eyes leaning back in her leather chair and sighed. When she opened her eyes again, there was a completely unreadable look in her eyes.
Back at the Peach Estates, Ye Jie brought tteokbokki (Spicy Rice Cakes) as per his brother's requests. When he entered the living room, Ye Jun pounced at him but Ye Jie's nimble body movements saved him from being squished in his brother's arms. But Ye Jun was not as lucky as Ye Jie. Because Ye Jie moved at the last minute, Ye Jun couldn't control his speedy body and ended up hitting his face against the closed door behind Ye Jie.
Seeing his younger brother hugging the door intimately, Ye Jie couldn't stop his laughter. Ye Jun turned his now aching face towards Ye Jie to glare. His nose and forehead both were red from the hit and he was in intense pain.
But the way Ye Jie laughed hurt him, even more, making his eyes sting with tears. "Who told you to get out of bed?" Ye Jie patted his brother's shoulder in an affectionate manner. His words were accusing but his tone very gentle. "See, I brought your food." Ye Jie raised his other hand to show the plastic bag in hand which made Ye Jun's eyes brighten up again.
Ye Jie didn't have to drag Ye Jun to the sofa in the living room. Ye Jun excitedly took the plastic bag from his hand and happily skipped to the sofa like a kid who just got his favorite candy.
Ye Jie took a seat beside him and rubbed his forehead at Ye Jun's childish behavior. Ye Jie's biggest worry about Ye Jun was just the fact that Ye Jun never took anything seriously in his life except for food.
Even in the company, Ye Jun just worked because he couldn't possibly refuse Ye Jie for anything. The person Ye Jun respected the most in this world was Ye Jie. He might not listen to his parents but if Ye Jie once told him to stand, he definitely won't sit.
As the proverb goes, 'It takes two to make it work.' A relationship also needs two people for harmony. A single person's effort might make a relationship. But it can't possibly make it stand for long.
To make a relationship stand longer, both parties involved have to give something. Every relationship in this world is based on giving and taking. If you give love in a relationship, there is no way you won't expect it in return. And it's not really your fault for expecting. It's a basic human nature. We always do something in hopes of gaining something in return.
In the case of Ye Jie and Ye Jun, if the younger one was respectful, the elder one was doting.
The Tango of relationship needs two people but in case of love, one of the people has to take a step ahead. If you won't ask for the dance first and kept waiting for the other person to make the first move, the consequences most likely will be; That first dance will never happen!
Ye Jie was trying to make that first move with Xu Mey. He didn't want to take any chances with her. As Ye Jie was thinking about Xu Mey, Ye Jun's starry eyes were devouring the food. Ye Jun picked up his chopsticks and was about to take the first bite when the main door opened making him halt. Ye Jie also cocked his head to look.
Xu Mey was standing there with one hand on the doorknob while the other had a few plastic bags in it. As her eyes fell on that red spicy sauce dripping down while Ye Jun's mouth was gaping intending to take that bite, she squinted her eyes at him. Ye Jun swallowed his saliva at that expression.
He still remembered Xu Mey's expressions in that dark storeroom on the wedding day. He definitely had no intentions of messing with his sis-in-law. Never in his life!
The hand that was holding the doorknob raised slowly. She pointed her finger at Ye Jun and waved her finger in a 'no-no' gesture. Then she made a 'put-it-down-at-once' gesture making Ye Jun pout. But he still brought the chopsticks down reluctantly.
I was so close to having that explosion of taste in my bitter mouth. Why at this time, sis-in-law? I wanted to eat that!
Ye Jun's heart was crying but his face only had a pout on it which shifted into a grin when his eyes fell on Ye Jie. The way Xu Mey was glaring at him while heading up to his side was priceless and the even more priceless expression was Ye Jie's which made him look extremely guilty.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS
XiaoMeeHee
XiaoMeeHee
Author: *knock knock*
Ye Jun: What? *looking suspiciously*
Author: Since you can't eat that tteokbokki anymore anyway. Why not give it to me? *grinning*
Ye Jun: Never! *hiding the bowl behind him*
Author: Humph! Do you need a beating from Xu Mey? *threatening glare*
Ye Jun: Noooooo! *becoming meek*
Author: *smiling triumphantly*
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