章 40: Fiery as ever

"Caihong!"

She froze in her steps for a moment but then continued walking.

Zhiyuan continued following her. "Wait Caihong!"

She didn't respond. She quickly increased her pace until she reached the deck of the ship. A cold breeze fluttered her hair, but her forehead was covered in sweat.

He gritted his teeth and grabbed her wrist, stopping her. "Caihong! I just need to talk to you."

Caihong shook off her wrist and glared at him. "We don't have anything to talk Zhiyuan. Leave me alone."

"No. Not until you give me my answers. Not until you tell me why you left me. Not until you tell me why you married Xiaosi. Not until...I know where I went wrong."

She trembled. She looked into his eyes that seemed determined to get his answers, but at the same time, there was an indescribable pain underneath it.

"I don't have anything to tell you. I hope you remember where our responsibilities lie now."

Zhiyuan stared at her. "I do. I want to know why does your responsibility seem so painful?"

Caihong stiffened.

"I heard how you mockingly talked to Chyou. I could see your distaste for her. I want to know why? Isn't she your daughter? Then why did you talk that way to her?"

She chuckled. "Is it necessary that I should be like Xinyi or you? How I treat her has got nothing to do with you."

"But I feel that it has everything to do with why you left me."

Silence.

"Zhiyuan. We really have got nothing to do with each other. Not since seven years. There is no use talking about it now."

Zhiyuan didn't budge. "Why not?"

Caihong laughed. "Are you thinking of something incredible like going back together?"

Zhiyuan gave a wry smile. "You know me well, Caihong. So, you also know I am not thinking along those lines. Our lives have diverged too much and too far away to go back to that point."

It felt like something mercilessly stabbed her heart.

Yes, it was too late. They had moved on in their lives even if they had resisted in the beginning.

Those young, happy days in love were long gone, and thinking about that, a melancholy gripped Caihong's chest.

She felt pathetic.

After seven years, they were finally standing so close to each other, yet it felt they stood miles apart.

"But I think I deserve to know what went so wrong between us that you had to leave me without saying a word. I have questions, and I deserve to get my answers. If I had left you like you did, then would you have kept quiet in my place?"

Once again, a gust of light breeze brushed past their cheeks. Waves crashed on the ship, roaring everybody about their presence.

Caihong had no answer to his question.

Zhiyuan paused and asked, "Was it Grandpa? Did he say anything to you?"

Caihong self-deprecatingly smiled.

Han Huizhong never liked her, and she wished she could blame him for their separation but…

"I am tired, Zhiyuan. I don't have anything to say to you. I don't have any answers you are looking for."

His gaze dimmed. "Caihong... please...I have been waiting for seven years. I don't want to and will not cause any trouble for you or Xiaosi. Please tell me what happened at that time. After our graduation party that night, you suddenly cut off all contact. I had no way to reach you. Even Xiaosi changed. He suddenly hated even my sight. Just what did I do so wrong?"

She said nothing.

"Then I heard one day that you two got married and flew abroad. Just like that…"

Zhiyuan's hands were trembling, and his gaze slightly stung with tears. "In just one night, I lost my love and my best friend together. Do you understand how that feels? Two very important people in my life just... disappeared one day. And what was I left with? Nothing but questions. Nobody said what happened. Even now, both of you don't want to say anything."

Caihong was getting uneasy. Zhiyuan's disheartened voice was shaking her heart as if somebody was squeezing it hard.

She almost got swayed in her emotions to tell him everything but realized the fruitlessness of it.

As the two of them stood in a stalemate, Xinyi was watching them from afar. She didn't want to come, but she got too worried for Zhiyuan so she couldn't help herself.

A tear slid down her eye as she saw him making that hurt expression as he talked to Caihong. She knew it. She felt it - his pain and immense sadness in his heart, yet here she was, unable to do anything for him.

"My wife and your husband seem to be quite busy having their moment."

Xinyi froze as she heard a mocking chuckle whispering near her ear. She jolted and looked back to see Xiaosi lazily resting against a pillar.

"Aww, don't they look so cute together? Hey, why don't we guess what they might be talking about? Maybe confessing their love and planning to run away?" He laughed.

Xinyi clenched her fist and ignored him. She walked away,.but Xiaosi blocked her way.

"Come on, Xinyi. Don't be such a spoilsport," he took a few steps until they were too close.

Xinyi panicked and said, "Get away, Xiaosi."

He smiled devilishly. "Why? Since our partners are spending some cozy time together, why can't we too?"

"They are not doing anything like that and you know it too!"

Xiaosi amusingly smiled. He closed the distance even further, making Xinyi panic more. "D-Don't-"

He slowly raised his hand, trying to touch her cheek. "I wonder how Zhiyuan will react seeing us together like this?"

"And I wonder how you will react after I kick your ass, Xiaosi?" A voice came from behind him.

Suddenly, a strong jab hit the back of his knee, and Xiaosi stumbled. But he quickly balanced himself. A sharp pain shot in his knee, but he remained unaffected.

He narrowed his eyes and looked back.

Xinyi's eyes slowly widened as she recognized the woman.

You…

Xiaosi smiled in distaste. "Fiery as ever huh, Shuang?"