Because I Cannot Hurt You

The woman almost collapsed but she somehow held herself from falling. Her face had turned ashen and pale as she recognized the similarity in Xiaosi. She gasped and covered her mouth. Her chest heaving in restless breaths.

Zizi frowned. "Excuse me. Who are you?"

The woman didn't respond to her but instead was staring at Xiaosi that brought tears to her eyes. There was fear and panic in her gaze. Her forehead broke into cold sweat.

Xiaosi felt something tingle in his mind but that feeling soon disappeared. There was confusion and bewilderment within him but he didn't know why. "Um you…"

"Why are you here!?" She exclaimed.

He was taken aback, seeing her so agitated. "I don't understand…"

"Why are you here?"

"Mom, there you are!" A young woman in early twenties came rushing to her side. "Mom, why did you disappear and why are you here? I was searching for you everywhere."

She noticed her mother's pale condition and widened her eyes. "Mom, are you okay? What happened to you so suddenly?"

She glanced at Xiaosi and blinked her eyes. "You...oh, it's you! Nice to meet you again."

The mother froze. She looked at her, aghast. "W-what do you mean by again, Shu?"

Lei Shi said, "I meant that I have met him before once. So, I was surprised to see him again now."

Xiaosi furrowed his brows. "Have we met before?"

"Ah? You don't remember? Aish, it was about two years back when we were abroad. I think you forgot. It wasn't for long anyway," she laughed. "But I remember that you talked a little... weirdly. You said something about my family and particularly my Mom.. along the lines of taking care of her or something? I found it strange because we met for the first time."

Zizi was thoroughly confused now. "How did you two meet?"

"Ah well, I was abroad for studies and one day, I bumped into him near my University. I apologized and so did he. But then he smiled at me and said to take care of my Mom and my family. I really didn't understand. He sounded so mysterious and if we met again, I wanted to ask him about it. But it seems like he doesn't remember.

Xiaosi apologized. "I am really sorry but I don't remember anything. Actually I-"

"Why...why would you meet Shu? Why would you do that…?"

The elderly woman, Lei Biya, burst into tears as she glared at him. "Why would you meet Shu!? Is it because you knew that she was my daughter!?"

Everybody was stupefied by her outburst. 

"You did this on purpose didn't you!?" Lei Biya suddenly grabbed his collar and attacked him out of nowhere.

"Hey, hey!" Zizi looked at her in horror and pushed her away. "Are you crazy!? Who the hell are you to suddenly attack us like that?"

"Mom!" Lei Shu pulled her back. "Mom, calm down. What's the matter with you? Why are you acting so differently today?"

Xiaosi widened his eyes in shock. "I think you are misunderstanding something here…"

"I am not misunderstanding anything here!" Lei Biya yelled. "Y-you are back to take revenge on me, right? You are here to destroy my life, don't you!"

Zizi gritted her teeth in annoyance. "What is wrong with you? We don't even know you for God's sake? Why are you accusing Xiaosi out of nowhere?"

Her face turned as white as a ghost.

Xiaosi…It's him. As I thought, it's really him!

*SLAP*

Xiaosi's face was tilted to the side as Lei Biya slapped him across his cheek. He froze and stood rooted in shock.

Zizi and Lei Shi looked at her, stunned. "Mom, what are you doing!? How can you slap a stranger like that?"

Zizi shook her arms hard and pushed her back. "I was keeping my respect because you are an elder but it seems that I don't need to! You are a crazy woman! Apologize right now!"

Lei Shu tried to calm her down but she was so riled up that she was in no position to hear anything.

Xiaosi slowly faced her again as he touched his cheek. It stung in pain but he didn't know why...it hurt his heart for some reason.

"You...you are nothing but a curse to me! You approached my daughter only to trouble me, didn't you? How dare you talk to Shu?"

Lei Shu said, "Mom, what are you saying? Do you know this man?"

She froze.

Caihong, who just returned from the restroom, saw the commotion surrounding Xiaosi and Zizi and was shocked.

What is happening?

She rushed towards him and asked, "What is happening here?"

Zizi said, "Ask this woman here! She suddenly came out of nowhere and began shouting at Xiaosi! She even slapped him! I don't understand what nonsense she is talking about!"

"What!?"

Slapped Xiaosi?

Anger filled her heart and as she turned to look at the woman, she froze.

She blinked her eyes several times, trying to confirm whether what she saw was true or not.

Her…?

Caihong recognized the woman from the photos that she had seen that day in Xiaosi's room. She was the woman standing beside Xiaosi when he was a child. She was the woman who had left him in the orphanage. She was the woman who had given birth to Xiaosi and lived a tragic life with his father.

She was Xiaosi's mother.

Caihong couldn't say anything for a long time. 

Zizi said, "Why are you so silent, Caihong? Say something to her! This woman has crossed all her limits!"

Lei Biyu grabbed his shirt again and screamed. "Why are you back!? Tell me! How dare you meet my daughter behind my back? I know that it wasn't a coincidence! It cannot be! You did that on purpose!"

Caihong widened her eyes and immediately made her back off. "Please stop this."

Lei Shu said, "Mom, for God's sake tell me already! Why are you doing this?"

Caihong looked at Lei Shu in shock.

Mom?

Then she remembered that Xiaosi said that his mother had married some businessman and had her own family now.

"Do you know him?"

Lei Biya said, "How can I not know him? He is-"

Suddenly, she froze and she didn't say the rest of her words. She realized that she was going to reveal what Xiaosi was to her. Seeing him after so long had shaken up her so hard that she lost control over herself.