Professor Luo Xia grinned as Zi Yan sanitized blades of various sizes. "Tian Guo Min will receive our first gift soon. Heh. Even though this is nothing compared to what he's done to our family, it still gives me a second of satisfaction that Karma is coming to bite his ass soon."
"Killing them is too easy. Making them lose their precious and most prioritized things makes it more exciting. We don't kill, but we never said that we didn't play psychological games." He smiled as he finished his cup of tea.
In the meantime, Susu brought Chen mu into one of the luxurious condos in the newly built building. Upon their entrance, the fresh scent of clothes took over his senses. He blinked and blinked again when he saw a spacious living room filled with racks of clothes.
"Uhm.. Susu... are you planning to open a boutique? Or did you plan on telling me that you were secretly some buyer in the underground marketplace? I've never seen any of these designs before. Never in your closet..." His head turned left and right as he observed the vibrant colored clothes hanging off of hangers.
"No, silly. These are all my designs that I've never shown to anyone before. I'm not planning to sell any of these babies. Instead, these are my gifts to you." She spun around the room slowly as her fingers brushed against the outfits.
"Oh! Wait.. wahh?" He scratched his head in confusion.
She skipped over to him and circled her arms around his right arm, "come, come! There's more. Let me show you around." Before explaining anything to him, she wanted to explore the entire condo from the living room to the three bedrooms. Of course, she didn't need to show him where the kitchen and bathroom is since the main point was her designs.
After stepping into the third room, his eyes were spinning from seeing so many rainbow colors at once. She hugged his waist and giggled, "Darling~ Do you like them? They're all one of a kind and one size. All made for you."
"T..They're unique. Kind of different from your regular style, though. Is there any reason for this?" Rendered speechless by her surprise, he tried to find words to describe what he's feeling at this moment.
"Actually, I was thinking of bringing you here way later on, but I...I'm not sure if I'll get that chance. For all my life, you've known about the designer dream that I had aimed to achieve. No matter what designs I make, I'll always make it suitable for other people's taste. Eventually, I also grew a bit tired of chasing after my dream because in a way...when a hobby becomes something you do for a living, it becomes an obligation."
Taking a deep breath, she wandered around the condo with her fingers brushing against one piece of clothing to the next as he followed along. "Then one day, a silly man popped into my world and shone a bright light on me. When I was feeling the most helpless, negative, hopeful, joyful and different kinds of emotions, he stayed by my side like a potato. Just like the magical fairies and Prince Charming's from fairytales, he made me believe in a better tomorrow."
"Compared to Cinderella, my midnight clock had time out ever since I've met you. Every second that I spent with you felt like it would last forever and this happiness as well. I became greedy; wanting for more. I know that you would say that I deserve it, and it's fine to want more. Still, nothing could escape fate."
She halted when she found the outfit that she had been looking for and smiled. Carefully taking the pajamas set out, she showed the pajamas with unicorn design paired with kitten slippers. She matched the size of the pajamas to his broad shoulders, "it's a perfect fit."
Sensing something was wrong, he frowned slightly and lifted her chin, "Susu, what's wrong? Why are you showing me all these?"
A layer of mist blurred her vision as she fought the stubborn tears that wanted to escape her eyes. "You see, ahem, this pajama design was sketched and sent to the manufacture shop the night we hung out with Lily and Lin Que. Remember? We used cosmetics and drew all over your faces. I was very happy that night and the vibrant colors that I used on you reminded me of unicorns and homey kittens. So, I made this."
She choked on her words as her hands reached to the side for other clothes. "This one is fuchsia colored with soft spikes on the back and a bunny tail. This was the day that I had a fever and mad migraines. You hopped in and out of the room just like a bunny. The fuchsia color was chosen because of how loved I felt."
"All of these were inspired by the days that we've spent together..."
"Stop where this is going to. If you're going for the idea of breaking up with me, then don't say anything and listen to me instead." The pajamas fell to the floor as he wrapped her in his embrace. Even though his voice sounded strict, his arms were trembling slightly.
She reciprocated the hug and rubbed his back, "What are you talking about? Who wants to break up? I was just about to tell you about my background and what's really been going on with me."
"Really?" His grip tightened as if letting her loosen from the hug for even a second would mean losing her forever.
"Really." She patted his back lightly and chuckled at his protectiveness.
"Well then, you can say it while we are hugging." He refused to let go of her. She buried her head in his chest as she slowed down the pats on his back.
"For my whole life, I've been lied to. I wasn't my mother and father's daughter and I didn't have the family that I thought I had. The things that I used to prioritize first and thought was meaningful are just based on huge lies. My grandparents were separated because of the Yin, Tian, Li and Liang family. Exactly as it sounded, Yin Zin Leung, Liang Yu Qing, Li Shen Wen and Tian Guo min. Everyone whom I've trusted and treated dearly were all the culprits to my broken-up family."
His eyes widened in shock as he had not expected such a twist in things. "What?" He finally loosened his embrace and looked her in the eyes. It was a very long story and even now, it still feels like a nightmare to her. After shortening many details, she explained it in the best possible way she could have.
By the time she was finished with her story, they somehow had ended up on the couch, hugging each other. He kept quiet as she told what seemed like a super plot twisting soap opera script.
Sometimes her voice would turn raspy and sorrowful when she mentioned her biological family. Other times, she would mention about the bastards and how much she wished she could curse them out for generations.
At the end of the story, she took a few deep breaths and gathered her courage to tell him about the drug in her arm.
"Even though I can move my arm, the remainder of the drug is still there. My life is like having a bomb attached to my body. It could explode at anytime, and that'll be it. I pressured my mom to tell me the truth and in reality, if my condition is good then at max I will have three to five years before this ticking bomb would go off on me."
"Is there another way to save you other than looking for the Xiao Ling they spoke about? Maybe your future changed, and we just need to get it checked again." He tried thinking of ways to avoid the limited time thought. 'Three to five years...three to five years...' was all he repeated in his mind.
"If there was another way, I'm sure we would've discussed it already. My best bet is to have the cancer under control and if luck is on my side, then finding the auntie Xiao Ling would save me." Susu leaned on his shoulders, feeling a bit tired from all the talking.
"I'll make sure to create the most compatible medicine for your condition. You'll definitely beat those cancerous cells. I'll help in any way to find Xiao Ling. As for those people who hurt you, I won't let them off easily. I'll make them pay. You also need to promise me that you won't give up on yourself. You need to believe that you'll recover and stay positive!"
A small smile curved on her face as she replied, "mm...so can you do me a favor to motivate me?"
"Whatever it takes." He kissed her forehead.
"I've designed enough clothes to last a while...so..."she pulled the unicorn pajamas from the couch and placed it on his lap.
He blinked twice before asking, "you want me to wear these clothes?"
"Uh huh~ What? Is there a problem with that?" She smiled sweetly as she handed it to him.
"Hoho! No problem at all~ It's your precious designs for me. Let's try it out and see how handsome I'll look in this~~" Taking the pajamas and kitten slippers from her hands, he went into one of the rooms to change into them. When he had finished, he jumped out excited and posed like an ice skater, "Aren't I cute? You want to adopt me, don't you? Huuuuh~~"
He pursed his lips forward to make a smooch expression while she laughed at his appearance. The more she laughed, the closer he got. Hearing her loud laughter brought him more joy as he spun around in circles. Eventually, he grabbed her hands and made her join him.
Just like that, this goofy couple hugged and danced around in the hallway over and over again.
At the same time, same city and a different area, a young lady panted breathlessly as she ran for her life from an assassinator. She wasn't sure how far or how long she had been running, but when she had stopped, she was near the ocean. Her rest was soon interrupted by the creepy assassin.