Because I Cannot Hurt You

There was an air of awkward silence between them. After the reunion gathering, they hadn't even met, much less talked to each other. Though they knew that they needed a proper conversation, nobody could yet take that step.

Zizi stiffened and felt anxious.

Bro and Xinyi don't know about their history, and now they have finally met together.

She nervously darted her eyes between them. Things were going smooth until now, but that was only because Yunru and Shuang hadn't met again. There was always a lingering fear in her heart that everything would get upside down if they met again, and the bond and closeness that slowly formed between them would vanish in the blink of an eye.

She had worked hard to gain her place in his heart, but would everything disappear if they crossed paths with Shuang again?

Xinyi noticed Zizi slightly fidgeting and shifting in her place. She whispered.. "Zizi, are you alright?"

"Ah? O-of course! I just feel a little hot, haha…"

Xinyi wondered if it was the truth. She was strangely staring at Shuang as if she was afraid of something.

On the other side, Jack Si had also immediately noticed Shuang's demeanor stiffen. She stood rooted as if she had received a massive shock.

But her reaction made him understand.

I see. He must be her ex-boyfriend, he narrowed his eyes with an unreadable expression 

Yunru stared at Shuang for a few moments, and their memories instantly came crashing down in his mind. It was instinctive, but somehow, it didn't feel painful as before.

He imagined that he would never be able to face Shuang again. He thought he would feel chained by the love he was trying so hard to forget. Maybe he would even break down.

But today...he felt tethered. He thought he would stumble, but he felt a warm feeling at his back as if somebody was holding him. Even though Shuang was in front of him, he strangely felt at peace. He glanced at Zizi and knew why he felt that way.

Yunru smiled at Shuang. "Hey."

Shuang couldn't help but lower her gaze. "Hey…" she faintly smiled back.

The guilt in her heart of hurting Yunru weighed heavily. He was always a good friend to her, but she only trampled upon his feelings every time. She silently clenched her fist, feeling ashamed.

Suddenly, Jack Si said, "Hey, there is a spider on your back, Shuang."

She widened her eyes and snapped out. "What!? Ew!"

She immediately patted her back in haste to shoo it away.

"Hahaha. I was just kidding. I wanted to know if you are afraid of bugs or not."

Shuang grimaced and glared at him. "I will fill your whole house with bugs if you pull this prank the next time! Bugs are creepy."

Jack Si raised his hands in defeat. "My bad."

Even though Shuang was annoyed, she felt her gloomy mood turn a little better.

She suspiciously looked at Jack Si.

Did he do that purposely…

Yunru took a seat beside Zizi, and she slightly jumped a bit. She anxiously gazed at him. But to her relief, he didn't seem hurt or sad by Shuang's presence.

At least on the outside.

"A-are you okay? I am sorry. Bro doesn't know about…"

He shook his head. "No, no. It's not his fault. It's okay. Princess, I cannot avoid her forever anyway. We have to get used to the current status quo and move on."

Zizi slowly brightened and furiously nodded. "Good, good. If you had cried, I would have beaten you up."

"Hahaha."

Shuang softly smiled, seeing them bicker. She didn't know how far things had gotten between them after Zizi's confession, but they seemed to have a nice pace and atmosphere.

Her heart felt at ease.

Yunru, I really hope that Zizi can give you the happiness that I couldn't…

Shuang cleared her throat and said, "So, what did you guys find in that storeroom? Anything about Han Zongying?"

There was a beat of silence.

Zhiyuan said, "Mom and Dad told us about her. They saw us in her room, fumbling with the stuff."

She was taken aback. "They told you everything?"

"I don't think so. They are still hiding something about her accident?"

Shuang blinked her eyes. Jack Si also tilted his head.

"Accident?"

Xinyi nodded. "Yes. Dad told us that she passed away in an accident."

As Zizi recalled the story, she felt indignant for her Aunt.

Shuang widened her eyes. "Ah? Accident?"

Zhiyuan narrowed his eyes. "You seem to have a different opinion?"

"I do because Han Zongying didn't die from an accident. I met Dad's close friend from when they were in college. He told me that Han Zongying committed suicide."

Apart from Yunru and Zhiyuan to an extent, Xinyi and Zizi had stunned expressions.

Xinyi gasped. "That is impossible...Dad told everything himself," she seemed worried, "why would he lie about her death?"

Shuang asked, "What did he say? Can you tell me from the beginning?"

Xinyi nodded and told everything that Han Tian and Xia Liqin conveyed to them.

Zizi pursed her lips in dissatisfaction. "Yes. Uncle An betrayed my Aunt! He slept with some other woman and then had the nerve to deny his horrible crime. He played with feelings! I never thought Uncle An would have been so…"

Shuang narrowed her eyes. "Would have been so what? Dad denied all the accusations because he was really innocent."

Zizi grimaced. "How can you say that when he was found with some woman in bed, naked for God's sake?"

She frowned. "What one sees isn't necessarily the truth, Zizi. Let's say, if you see Yunru in bed with some woman one day, what would be your reaction?"

Yunru choked hard and looked at Shuang, speechless.

Did you have to take me as an example?

Zizi sharply gasped. "What are you saying!? Yunru will never betray me!"

"I am not asking will he or will he not. I am asking if you would believe the scene you witnessed?"

"Of course not! I know what kind of a person is! I know he respects me a lot. His heart is pure gold. He would never cheat on my back," she resolutely said.

Yunru coughed and couldn't help but look away, his ears turning slightly red.

His heart is pure gold...

He was, once again, caught off-guard by her smooth, buttery flirting.

"But what if you saw him in bed with some woman?" Shuang still probed.

"Then there must definitely be something fishy about it! The earth can turn into a square instead of a sphere, but Yunru will never betray me!"

Shuang paused.

"Yes. That's where the whole problem lies. Your Aunt should have questioned the whole situation rather than blindly believing what she saw and accusing Dad of adultery."