9:00 a.m., Starbucks Cafe ;
Xi Fang lifted his head up at the familiar sound of heels, as they approached her. There she was. Jiang Yue. His ex-fiancee, his love. The girl was wearing a yellow floral print camisole dress anf looked unusually nervous.
"Hi.", said Xi Fang, as he stood up from his chair and pulled the girl in a warm hug, "How are you?"
"I am... fine.", Jiang Yue smiled, "You?"
"Just the sa. I've already ordered your regular coffee. Caffe Mocha Grande.", the man told her, "That's okay, hopefully?"
"Of course, it is.", the girl nodded, her tone relatively relaxed this ti. That was the typical 'Xi Fang' effect on the people around him. His calm and composed approach wasn't intimidating or overbearing, like his elder brother. On the contrary, his presence was capable of soothing one's troubled mind in a blink. God, she'd missed him so much. Their break-up had broken her. It was bound to. They had been together since... forever, after all. Ever since they were in high school.
"So... how is everything at ho?", Xi Fang finally asked after the waiter served them their coffees, "I bet your Dad must be hating right now."
"You did bail on , didn't you?", the girl stated quietly. As the silence spread between the two, the girl changed the topic, "Anyway, how is brother Yuan?"
"He is doing fine. He got shot again..."
"I know. In order to save Sister-in-law Xinghe. She told about it a few weeks ago when she called.", Jiang Yue interrupted.
"She? Xiao Xinghe?", Xi Fang raised his brows, "You talk to her?"
"Yeah. Every once in a while. She called after brother Yuan got out of coma four months after he was attacked too, hoping that I would try to talk to you. I did call you then. But you never picked up my calls.", the girl said, "After so ti, I just gave up on trying. But Sister-in-law surely is stubborn. She always ntions you whenever she calls. As if she is reminding of how miserable you are without a girlfriend."
"Well... My phone fell into the Jinkle lake a few months back when I went to the town side for property inspection. I had to replace another sim. Maybe that's why you couldn't contact .", Xi Fang explained, "But I never thought Sister-in-law would do so much for us."
"Hmm. She seems a professional."
"Huh?"
"Matchmaker.", Jiang Yue smiled, "She never loses faith. Even if the people involved in the relationship lose it, she doesn't."
"You did?", Xi Fang questioned earnestly, "I an... did you really lost faith in the possibility of 'us'?"
"At one point in ti, I did.", the girl inhaled sharply, "Didn't you?"
"Not for even a second.", the man shook his head, "I never stopped loving you, Yue. I just had--"
"A lot on your plate. I get it. Sister Xinghe kept telling that.", the girl sighed, "But I still hated you. You just made such a huge decision, on our behalf. You didn't even talk to . You just called it off. Our wedding. I felt as if you had brushed aside. That you didn't need anymore."
"God, Yue, no! I just wanted to keep you away from getting hurt."
"And yet, you were the one who hurt the most. My father was so disappointed in . He blad for not being wise in the selection of a life-partner. My mother didn't speak to for months, because she felt that I disgraced the Jiang family by getting involved with so spoiled rich-family kid. They believed that you had used and thrown away, like so trash. They were worried that no one would want to wed since I was used up by soone from a family as well-known and influential as yours.
"Thousands of blind dates. Millions of cheap comnts. Billions of taunts from Mom and Dad. And yet..."
"Yet?", Xi Fang urged the girl to continue as he held her hands, softly.
"And yet... I still love you.", the girl said, as she broke out in tears, "I hate that... I still love you. Fang, I hate you."
As the warm drops of tears coursed down her cheeks, onto her dress, and her thin shoulders trembled, Xi Fang felt as if his heart was sinking into a pool of never-ending, heart-wrenching pain. He never ant to tear her apart like that. He never ant this much harm to her. And still, in the end, he was the only one who had done this to her. He was the only one responsible for her sufferings.
Erasing the distance separating them, the man enveloped his arms around the sobbing girl carefully, "I hate too.", he whispered against her forehead, "I am really sorry, Yue. I was a jerk."
"I am not getting back with you.", the girl punched the man's chest lightly, "I am telling you that already."
"It's okay. I deserve it. We will start over.", Xi Fang smiled, "I will ask you out again. And we will go on regular movie dates and museum dates. And then, I will propose to you.
"But before that, we will go to your house and speak to your father. Your family needs to understand my stand-point first. Back then, I had to stay by Sister-in-law's side 24X7, because she needed my assistance to run Xi Corps. That's why, I didn't explain my decisions to your family, and they ended up misunderstanding . I don't want them to look down on your choice ever again. Okay?"
"Okay.", Jiang Yue nodded faintly.
"Co on. Drink so coffee now. Then we are going to have a fine and full breakfast. It doesn't look like you've been taking proper care of yourself, while I was gone.", the man said after a few still, serene minutes, observantly, "Now, mi Amor, that is downright unacceptable."
"You Xi n... you are all the sa, aren't you?", Jiang Yue laughed to herself, as she wiped away her tears.
"Hmm?", the man tilted his head to the right slightly, muddled.
"Adorable. Charming. Holy. And warm.", the girl shrugged, "I an there were tis when sister Xinghe called with brother Yuan by her side. He too, always is like, 'Xinghe, doughnut ti!' or 'Don't forget the dicines, mon amour.' So cute!"
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