Because I Cannot Hurt You

"Come here, Chyou."

He suddenly heard Caihong's stern voice came from behind him.

Xiaosi stiffened and looked back at her. As usual, she looked indifferent. He protectively pulled Chyou to his side and coldly said, "Don't say anything to her. I know you must be furious. If you want to say anything, say it to me. Don't be harsh to her. I won't let you make her cry anymore. I know she made a mistake-"

"Stop it Xiaosi," Caihong intervened.

But he continued defending Chyou. "But she is only six years old. She is too young to understand all this. She only did what she felt was right to help us."

"Xiaosi, let me talk."

"She didn't have any bad intentions towards you. She didn't do it on purpose to harm you or anything. She feels guilty and already apologized to you. Don't say any mean things to her. If you want to yell at someone, yell at me."

Caihong gritted her teeth in frustration. "Enough!"

He finally snapped out. Chyou got startled and thought that once again, Caihong would get angry at them. Once again, she would fight with Xiaosi. She clutched her dress and lowered her head.

Caihong narrowed her eyes at Xiaosi. "I said let me talk first. What part of it don't you understand?"

Xiaosi stared at her and said nothing.

She limped on her feet and sat on a chair. She looked at Chyou and said, "Come here."

Chyou bit her lip and slowly walked to her side. Her heart sped faster in her chest in trepidation. Caihong quietly stared at her for a few moments. "You did cause some trouble to me."

She stiffened.

"Caihong you-"

"You apologized for it so I forgive you."

Chyou froze. She looked at her mother in disbelief and so did Xiaosi. He rapidly blinked his eyes to check if he was dreaming or not.

"As for Xiaosi and me," she glanced towards Xiaosi and everything that happened until now right from when he saved her to the night they spent in the villages came flashing in her eyes. She couldn't help but think that if Chyou hadn't done what she did, she would have always been unaware of Xiaosi's different sides that she only realized because of her plan. They were forced to cooperate yesterday, but that inadvertently made Xiaosi slip a lot of times, especially the way he acted at times so contradictory to his usual self.

She noticed too many things about him that she just couldn't ignore anymore. It wouldn't have been possible if Chyou hadn't lied that night about a stomach ache and then trapped her in the forest. The incidents raised questions in her mind and she wanted those answers.

"I cannot say if we will stay together as you wish for. There are things you don't know and you cannot understand them either at your age."

Chyou's shoulders slumped in sadness.

"But I will assure you that I will not fight with him anymore."

Xiaosi froze. He couldn't understand if it was his headache or her words that caused his heart to rapidly thump in his chest. 

"Lovey-dovey is a bit of a stretch here, but I will remain neutral. Towards him and...you too."

Even Caihong felt surprised at herself that she could say this. She hated Xiaosi and Chyou for all these years. But somewhere in her heart today, she felt she couldn't be harsh to her.

Surely she hated her, but her heart unconsciously had always put up a resistance to tell her that whatever happened between her and Xiaosi wasn't Chyou's fault. She shouldn't hate or blame Chyou for that. But she always ignored that voice. In front of her life and dignity that was ruined forever, she couldn't hold that semblance of fairness.

But after how the kids planned to this extent to get their parents together, she couldn't ignore that voice anymore. Chyou was just a child and there was a limit to which she could bear everything until it would scar her one day. She would have acted indifferent before, but now she couldn't.

Chyou brightened and smiled. "Mama will not fight with Dada anymore?"

Caihong hummed. Xiaosi couldn't tear his eyes off her. His heart sped faster as for the first time in seven years, he didn't feel the hatred from her anymore. It didn't disappear completely, but it felt like she had changed somewhere. He felt the pain in his head slowly calm down. It felt so light as if he was floating in the air.

Ah Cy and Liang were just as shocked to see the change in Caihong. But they felt happy for Chyou.

Chyou tearfully clutched her leg. "Thank you, Mama!"

Caihong stiffened a bit, but she didn't shake her off this time. 

Ah Cy said, "Actually, I should apologize here. Liang and I were careless in discussing things about you in the car that night. If not for that..."

Caihong said, "Don't blame yourself, Ah Cy. It's not your fault."

Xinyi smiled. "En. The fault lies with me. Siying was going through so much, but as his mother, I couldn't understand him at all." She hesitated.

"Xinyi, stop blaming yourself," Zhiyuan pulled her in his arms. "I should have felt it too that something was wrong. I failed as a father."

She tried to protest, but he shook his head.

Liang sighed. "Anyway. What's done is done now. The important thing is that everybody is safe. We should head back now. All of us are dead tired now."

Everybody nodded in unison. They all wanted a good rest once they reached home.

---

Yunru was dumbfounded. "Engagement? Dad. You are going too far."

Soo Enlai pouted. "What far? It's just right."

Zizi felt as if the entire world turned silent. She couldn't even keep up with the conversation anymore.

Engagement…. engagement with Yunru? T-That means marriage!? 

Yunru pressed his brows. "Dad. We will talk about this later. I will explain everything and I am saying this once again. It was just an accident. Nothing happened between us last night."

Soo Enlai cautiously looked between him and Zizi. "Hmph. That I and Elder Han will decide for ourselves."

"Don't take it to Grandpa Han. You will just complicate things!" Yunru felt exasperated. "Anyway. I will talk this out with you later. For now, I will drop her home. Princess, let's go."

---

Han villa.

The atmosphere in the villa was too gloomy and dangerous to bear. As soon as Han Huizhong returned home from his short trip, he demanded to see Xinyi, but instead, he got to know that she was out with her husband and son on a picnic.

He majestically sat on the couch in the living room and tapped his finger on the armrest as he awaited their return.

Han Guang and Han Mingli, too, were seated on the other end. As usual, Han Guang wanted to act as a concerned daughter-in-law and ask him about his trip. But Han Huizhong's mood was so dark and unnerving that they didn't dare speak to him.

Soon, the doors opened and the trio stepped in. Xinyi glanced at Han Huizhong and smiled. "Grandpa! You are back!"

He turned cold as he saw the wound on her forehead. He gritted his teeth and glared at Zhiyuan. "So even after the cruise trip, you didn't learn your lesson!"

His voice thundered in the Han villa. Everybody jolted back. 

Han Huizhong stomped his way towards Zhiyuan and struck his stick hard on the floor. "Why the fuck she is hurt again!? Han Zhiyuan! You won't understand until I beat it into you, right?"

Xinyi widened her eyes. "No, Grandpa! It is not Zhiyuan's-"

His alarming glare cut her off. "Shut up! I had enough of you always defending him! And who the fuck permitted him to go with you on the picnic! Just because I wasn't here doesn't mean that he is free to do as he pleases!"

He sneered. "You took some fucking advantage of my absence huh?"

Zhiyuan got a headache. It was such a long story that he didn't know where to begin telling him. Also, he didn't want him to lash out at Siying. 

"Grandpa, we had no choice…"

"Shut up! Who do you think you are who could leave with Xinyi as he wishes!?" His gaze turned slightly red, feeling enraged.

Zhiyuan grimaced. "Grandpa. It was a school picnic. Siying was supposed to go with his parents."

He banged his stick again. "So? I think you have forgotten that I don't consider you as Xinyi's husband, so you are not Siying's father either!"

Zhiyuan gritted his teeth. "Grandpa, please. I don't want to have the same conversation again. Xinyi and Siying are tired-"

"After hurting Xinyi again, you have the galls to talk back to me?" He quietly spoke but with a bone-chilling ring to it.

Xinyi furiously shook her head. "Grandpa. That's what I am trying to say. It was an accident. Trust me. I wasn't hurt because of him. Zhiyuan saved me instead!"

He snickered. "And you think I will believe your words who only knows how to protect her useless husband?"