Because I Cannot Hurt You

Jack Si smiled. "Is our generation any less complicated?"

"Hey! Whatever happened is because of our parents' messy lives that affected their children," Shuang indignantly said.

"But your feelings for Xiaosi have got nothing to do with your parents' past. Even if that past hadn't happened, you would have still fallen for him. That doesn't dictate your feelings and what happened with him and your ex-boyfriend."

Shuang grumbled. "I hate it when you say such intelligent stuff."

"Hahaha."

Shuang looked outside the window and wondered what Yunru must be doing now. She wanted to have a proper conversation with him so many times.. She had a lot of things to say. But she couldn't gather her courage to face him. There was this awkward air between them, and she had no idea how she would react if they met again.

Her gaze dimmed.

Sorry for hurting you Yunru. Sorry for not realizing your feelings. But I really wish that you are happy.

Jack Si silently stared at her for a moment and then went back to the road.

He stopped the car, and Shuang snapped out. She looked ahead and saw a small house that looked warm and inviting.

"Let's go."

Jack Si asked, "Ah? You want me to come in too?"

"Of course. You are not my driver to wait outside like this."

"Well...but isn't it personal? Are you sure you want me to know stuff that you wouldn't want me to?"

She shrugged. "You already know all the embarrassing things about me and my Mom who is in jail right now. Anything about my father wouldn't make a difference to be honest."

He chuckled at her attitude.

They rang the doorbell and a minute later, a middle-aged woman with grey locks her earside opened the door. She greeted Shuang with a warm smile.

"You must be Shuang, right? My husband told me about you."

"Yes. Nice to meet you, Mrs. Guo. Sorry for bothering you like this."

She waved her hand. "Aiya. Don't be. We are happy to have you. After our daughter married and went away, it's been lonely here."

She took a glance at Jack Si and gasped. "Oh my. Such a handsome man! You have such beautiful eyes."

It wasn't everyday that she saw a man with blonde hair and bluish grey eyes.

Jack Si humbly bowed and smiled. "Thank you, Mrs. Guo."

"Oh my. Your Mandarin is good too!" Mrs. Guo then eagerly asked, "Are you two dating?"

They coughed hard.

Jack Si cleared his throat. "No."

Shuang nodded.

"Why not? You two look so good together! You should definitely think about a relationship," she nagged. "It's hard for youngsters to find a suitable partner these days…" she touched her cheek and sighed. "You shouldn't let go of such a good man, young lady," she sharply looked at Shuang.

"And so do you, young man," she glanced at Jack Si.

They stood awkwardly, not knowing how to respond.

"Aiya Mengmeng, why are you still talking to our guests outside? At least, let them in," A man in his early fifties came walking towards them.

Mrs. Guo slapped her forehead. "Aiya, my bad. This young man is so handsome that I forgot everything."

Mr. Guo's brow twitched. "Mengmeng…"

He smiled and welcomed them inside.

"I will bring some tea for you two. Or do you want something else?" Mrs. Guo warmly asked.

Shuang quickly said, "No, no. Please don't take the trouble. We are already intruding upon you."

"Oof, it's no trouble at all. You have come far from another city to meet us. Of course, you must need refreshments. Let me bring some snacks!"

She merrily hopped away.

Jack Si laughed. "Mrs. Guo is cute."

Mr. Guo chuckled. "That's why I fell for her."

He looked at Shuang. "Guoting has such a lovely daughter. Is he treating you nicely?" He sternly asked.

She smiled. "Yes, Mr. Guo."

"Call me Uncle," he pouted.

She chuckled. "Alright. Uncle."

He nodded. "Good, good. How is Guoting doing these days?" He sighed. "After I shifted to another city, we lost contact. Though we do occasionally chat."

"Dad is great."

Mr. Guo looked a little grim. "I heard about your mother. It's saddening, but I hope you all are doing well…"

Shuang smiled. "We are, Uncle. Mom is... suffering what she deserves. There is nothing to feel bad about."

He sighed.

Mrs. Guo brought some tea and snacks. "Here. It's all yours."

"Thank you, Mrs. Guo."

Mr. Guo asked, taking a small sip. "Tell me dear. You said you wanted to ask something important about Guoting's past that he won't tell you on his own?"

She nodded.

"En. I don't know why Dad is hiding stuff from us, but I feel that it's important to know the truth. A lot of things have spiraled as the consequences of the past that have affected us. We have no clue why everything happened and what messed up our lives in the first place."

Mr. Guo widened his eyes. "Oh dear. That must be terrible. Indeed, you deserve to know the truth if things are so serious. You can ask me anything. I will answer to the best of my abilities."

"Thank you," Shuang hesitated a bit before she took a breath and asked, "What was the relationship between Dad and Han Zongying?"

He blinked his eyes. "Han Zongying...Now that is a name I haven't heard in years. Han Huizhong's daughter."

"So you know about her?"

"Of course I do. Guoting, Zongying and I used to study in the same college."

Shuang was stunned. "Same college?"

"Yeah. I was actually their senior, but we had hit it off right off the bat."

"I see…So then Dad and she.. "

"Were dating at that time. They were in a relationship."

She froze. Her jaw dropped in shock. "W-What? Relationship?"

"Yes. Guoting and Zongying were the most popular couple in our college. People envied them. They were like the dream couple of the college."

Shuang had a hard time digesting this incredible fact that just exploded.

They were dating…

Mr. Guo let out a sad sigh. "But then one day, the dream couple broke up in the worst possible way."