Dear Young Master, Spare Me Please?

when madam liu and han meixiu arrived in liu zilong's room, the three men were silently watching the news and it was the ever highly spirited first young master who broke the silence.

"look at that, i feel so out of place!" he said as he showed his fake hurt reaction. his visitors were couples.

han meixiu laughed softly when madam liu snorted. the two men didn't bother to show any reaction.

after sometime, liu zijian stood up from his seat.

"we're leaving first. we'll visit again later or tomorrow."

"don't worry little zi, i will be discharged soon!"

"you won't be discharged unless you're fully well!" madam liu snapped at her older son who seemed to be extremely impatient being confined in a hospital bed.

"but..." liu zilong wanted to argue but he saw his father nodding. he swallowed his words. he remembered their conversation earlier. it would be better to stay here for the meantime while they're still investigating.

"since my beautiful mom is extremely worried, i'll stay." he smiled vibrantly.

"humph!" madam liu responded but it was clear that she was controlling herself not to smile.

after saying their goodbyes, the younger liu couple walked together silently while clasping their hands. it actually became a habit to them to always hold hands every time they walk together thus when they went out they just casually reached each other's hand.

inside the car, han meixiu initiated a conversation. she has been thinking how to ask liu zijian's permission about her plans of enrolling in some programs to enhance herself. after what she encountered recently she clearly realized how weak and useless she was.

"zijian,.." though she's still a bit shy calling out his name, she needed to inform him about her plans.

"hmm?" he answered and looked at the young woman beside him. he really liked the sound of his name coming from her.

"i want to learn marksmanship." she finally said it! she remembered the feeling of holding a gun. though at first she was clearly in panic, the longer she held it the better it felt on her hand. she actually wanted to feel the feeling of shooting something. deep down she was a bit disappointed when in the end she wasn't able to pull the trigger. but she realized it only after her emotion's turmoil subsided.

liu zijian was surprised. not because she wanted to learn the skill of shooting but because it was the first time she openly and voluntarily asked something from him.

"okay." he simply answered.

'huh? that's it?' she wondered why he didn't ask further. but knowing him who was not an expert in terms of human interaction, she simply smiled timidly and moved her gaze outside. her mission was accomplished. she informed him and he agreed.

when they arrived at the emerald imperial hotel, han meixiu was about to go to c&e department but liu zijian was holding her hands thus she was dragged into the head chief's office.

"you'll stay here from now." he said when they entered his office.

it was the same place when their marriage was first announced. this was also the exact room where they exchanged their first kiss and got lost in their own world.

as han meixiu remembered, she blushed and felt a little uncomfortable. it was as if those event happened a long time ago but became vividly fresh the moment her memory recalled them.

"sit wherever you like. if you want i can ask for an extra desk." he uttered when he saw her uneasiness. he thought that maybe she didn't want to idle around just like him. he always wanted to keep himself busy.

a desk with some work might helped her dissipate the awkwardness she's feeling thus she nodded to show her acceptance of his proposal.

"i can help you with some minor work if you don't mind." she suggested. liu zijian simply moved his head in agreement.

after an hour the two were seriously working with their own tasks. han meixiu became like an assistant to liu zijian.

when ye ming came in to deliver his boss' 2 sets of lunch and some papers, he was surprised how well coordinated the two people worked as if they've been working together for such a long time.

"second young master liu, here are list you requested." he handed over the list of different academies offering shooting courses. when he was about to place the lunch he ordered for the liu couple he heard liu zijian.

"you can eat that. we're going out for lunch." he said as he arranged some documents on top of his desk and took the list. he then diverted his attention to his wife who became clueless for a time.

"let's go." he extended his hand and han meixiu casually accepted it. her mind was still lingering on her unfinished work when they left his office.

the one who was left behind, ye ming, looked at the 2 sets of lunch. he didn't know if he wanted to cry or not. his boss should have informed him about his plan earlier now he has to stuff himself to death with too much food.

*

back in the hospital, liu zilong was still talking with his father. madam liu went back to where the old liu couple was staying to take a rest and would be back later.

their conversation was interrupted when madam liu and han meixiu arrived. it was a tacit understanding between them not to discuss this kind of thing in front of the two women, especially madam liu. now that his mother finally left, they could continue what they were talking earlier. they would just fill in little zi later.

"what's wrong with the bullet?"

"the surgeon found them weird. in some victims, there was only one single point of entry but two different exit points." last night, as he was gathering information about the person who helped his son and daughter in law. he overheard the conversation of the doctors and some family of the victims.

"they could have shot at point-blank twice and the angle might've been slightly different from the first time resulting to a different exit point." liu zilong commented. when they were teens with the supervision of their father, both him and little zi were taught on how to use a gun to protect themselves. he wasn't as interested as his younger brother but he still learned it thus he was quite familiar with the different factors affecting a single shot.

mr. liu shook his head. "there was no powder burn." powder burn could be seen if the target was close to the discharging firearm as the burning gases expelled from the muzzle of the gun would burn the exposed area. if there was no powder burn then it meant it wasn't a point-blank shot.