Dear Young Master, Spare Me Please?

han mingxia let out a chuckle after she said her words. she knew that once she leave this place, she would be all alone walking towards her goal.

"you can still visit me from time to time, if you want." she suggested as she followed her cousin walking towards the door.

the other woman didn't answer. she might walk a more dangerous path from now on, thus visiting her cousin would be out of the question. but she liked the thought that someone would be waiting for her visit one day.

the two walked silently along the corridor until to the path leading to the main door.

han mingxia was walking for about two steps ahead in an unhurried pace seemingly enjoying the last few moments of calmness around her.

when she was about to step out, han meixiu suddenly blocked her path and hugged her.

han mingxia was caught off guard by the sudden action of her cousin but upon feeling the warmth that her embrace brought, her eyes moistened.

she couldn't remember when was the last time someone embraced her tightly like this. an embrace that could give her a comfortable feeling as if telling her she's not alone.

she had so called friends back when she was still a student but for some reason she wasn't able to feel this kind of honest comfort.

she actually felt envious with the relationship of han meixiu and li xiaozhi before. they were always together whenever she saw them.

maybe she's not that good in terms of assessing people that she normally meet thus even though she had a lot of 'friends' in the past, nobody was able to stay with her till the end.

"what are you doing? don't tell me you're worried about me?" she jokingly said but her hands were slightly holding han meixiu's arms. she was hesitant to remove them but she knew she should. the longer she would allow herself to enjoy this kind of feeling the more her conviction might waver.

"why, aren't i allowed to do so?" han meixiu asked without letting her go but loosened her embrace a little.

"only lovers do this, you know." she teasingly continued.

han meixiu abruptly released her cousin. "can't you feel at least thankful that i hug you?" she saw her back and it looked so lonely thus she wasn't able to stop herself to hug her. but really, this cousin of hers didn't want to admit she liked what she did.

han mingxia laughed a little and distanced herself.

"after i finish what i have to do, let's have tea together." she said as a faint smile appeared on her face.

"don't make me wait for too long." although han meixiu knew it might be just another empty promise, she would be lying if she would say she didn't look forward to it.

han mingxia nodded and went out the gate. she walked a few more meters without looking back. when she thought that the distance was enough, she turned around.

'i really hope we can still meet again.' she thought.

she was actually prepared to whatever might happen to her. thinking that even if she might encounter a bad ending, there would be someone that would remember her existence. it was more than enough. she could peacefully resign from this world.

'goodbye, meixiu. live well.' she silently said and continued towards the place where she parked the motorbike she used earlier.

han meixiu stood there thinking about their conversation earlier and how she came up with a decision in an instant.

her eyes were still fixed on the closed gate where han mingxia left and lost in her own thoughts for a good couple of minutes before her attention was called by aunt jing.

"what should i do with these pizza?" aunt jing asked. she knew that her young mistress wasn't allowed to eat this kind of food for the meantime.

"you can decide aunt jing." she answered as she looked at the three boxes of pizza remembering her cousin's words. they sounded 'goodbye' to her ears even though it was supposed to be an invitation to enjoy tea together.

'i will wait, mingxia.' she whispered.

*

aside from the usual treatment given by the doctor, liu zijian also monitored han meixiu's diet. he actually became an instant nutritionist.

han meixiu was actually surprised about how liu zijian was able to indicate all the necessary food she should be taking and avoid. from the low iodine diet up to the spices needed, he had a detailed list.

there was one time she visited his study to ask if he's done and saw a couple of books on his table about her condition.

"are you reading them because of me?" she remembered she asked him this question.

"mmmm." he simply answered as if it was the most natural thing to do.

looking at him who just answered her, she broke a smile.

feeling baffled why his wife smiled but her eyes somewhat dimmed a little, liu zijian asked her.

"something's bothering you?"

han meixiu shook her head before she uttered her gratitude.

"i'm just thankful." she answered. her choice to prioritize her own family was indeed correct. she became fully aware that she wanted to have her own after observing how the liu family interacted with one another.

the seed of hope for achieving a life like what they're showing her was slowly and securely growing.

"come here." he softly said and he made a small space between his legs.

han meixiu laughed a little before she walked towards him. she remembered the first time he let her sat on that triangular shape in the head chief's office. it was the day they were announced to get married.

as she comfortably sat on, liu zijain did what exactly he did in that time but instead of falling asleep, he spoke gently.

"you don't need to be always thankful for the things that i did. it's normal."

"still.."

"just let me take care of you." he continued without letting her finish her rebuttal.

he always saw in the past how his father carefully took care of her mother.

now, it's time for him to take care of someone. it's his turn to apply what he had been observing before. he liked doing this kind of thing.