"Once she grew, the little girl, saw how ugly and unsightly the world was."
"She looked everywhere, but all she saw was evilness."
"Young or old, alive or dead, good or evil."
"Everything and everyone had evilness in them some way or another."
Hai's smile turned into a neutral one.
He was wondering if she was talking about this world or another one.
Although he knows that the possibility exists, he didn't think he would meet one.
Another reincarnator.
However, he didn't immediately take it as the truth and waited for him to clear his doubts.
He also noticed more or less what course his aunt's "tale" was taking and he didn't like it.
Chang Hua didn't notice his slight reaction and continued her tale.
"Then, suddenly, everyone stopped being evil."
Hai narrowed his eyes slightly when he heard this.
"Everyone suddenly stopped fighting between themselves and hurting one another. Everything seemed to be at peace."
"However, it was the exactly opposite."
"Between two evils, the lesser one is obfuscated by the bigger one." Chang Hua said while looking at the pristine clear water.
"There was someone who everyone hated. This certain someone was evil and did evil things, so everyone banded together to get rid of this certain someone."
She suddenly stopped talking for a bit and exhaled a breath before continuing.
"Eventually, this someone was slayed and everyone was happy." She turned her head to Hai and showed a weak smile.
"The end, right?" Hai felt his heart clenching when he saw her expression, but he still didn't show any pity.
He wanted her to finish before he could do anything.
He knew that she needed it.
Chang Hua looked forwards and resumed the tale.
"That little girl was one of the main ones who slayed that someone, and as such, she deserved respect. And respect she earned."
"Years went by and the little girl saw that everyone went back to fighting between themselves and doing what they did before. It was like that certain someone had never appeared."
*SIGH*
Looking towards the ceiling, Chang Hua remembered those memories while thinking why she didn't fight harder.
"Now, the last one alive from those who slayed that certain someone, the little girl just wanted to live her life. However, one day, people came at her door screaming at her."
"She was confused. Who wouldn't? However, her confusion didn't last much."
Chang Hua scooped up a bit of water in her hands and saw her reflection in it.
She noticed that she was showing such a weak expression and gave a side-glance at Hai.
She felt grateful that he didn't say anything even though she was showing such signs.
"The little girl discovered that the people now saw her as the evil one. As she was one of those who slayed that evil someone, she was strong, and people fear the strong."
"Eventually, she was viewed as evil by everyone and had no one to stay by her side, so she ended up alone and hated." Chang Hua trailed off and looked at Hai.
Hai understood that she finished her "commenting" and he finally decided to do something.
The water rippled and Chang Hua blinked her eyes.
She felt warm all of sudden and slightly looked upwards.
She saw that she was in Hai's embrace and was being held firmly in his arms.
"Swe-"
"Shh…" Hai put a finger in her lips.
Chang Hua who would normally blush or joke in this situation, said nothing. She felt so strangely comfortable in his embrace that she just wanted to enjoy the feeling.
Hai also said nothing and they both just stayed there enjoying each other's heat and presence.
"…" Minutes passed, but they kept silent.
"You know, with it, I can mostly guess your whole situation, don't you?" Hai asked this question, but he was pretty relaxed right now.
"I don't mind." Chang Hua said before making herself more comfortable in his embrace.
"I won't say flowery words or that you did a good job, but I will ask you only one question." Hai stated in an unusual serious tone.
He embraced her tighter and looked directly into her eyes.
Chang Hua looked into Hai's neon blue eyes and felt that all her problems were so miniscule.
Looking at his eyes, Chang Hua could see something which caught her by surprise.
Hope.
Although it seemed like it was little, that hope was like a fire fighting a whole snow storm on its own.
It was losing, but it refused to go down.
She looked at his eyes and felt lost for a moment.
She didn't know that something could be so beautiful yet so tragic could exist.
However, a second later, she snapped out of her daze and prepared to answer whatever question he threw at her.
"Do you regret it?" Hai asked a short and simple question, but one that held so many interpretations and meanings, that anyone would doubt that this is a simple question.
Chang Hua widened her eyes when she heard his question.
Out of everything she expected, he asked something which she wouldn't even imagine.
Did she regret it?
Of course she did.
Who wouldn't?
She opened her mouth to say that it's obvious she regrets it and ask why he asked such a stupid question, but she was quickly surprised.
She opened her mouth, but no words came out of it.
"…" Chang Hua stood in Hai's embrace while opening and closing her mouth trying to get words out of it, but nothing came.
Hai kept looking at her with his serious expression, and didn't say anything. This is something which she needs to realize on her own.
Looking at Hai's face, Chang Hua slowly understood that there was more to it than just her regret.
She looked back at her whole life.
From being an orphan to turning into a hero of sorts.
From raising to glory and fame to falling into hatred and infamy.
Although her life wasn't good, did she regret it?
The more she thought, the more it seemed like she was just being delusional.
Did she regret her life?
No.
She isn't a kid anymore to think that the world is unfair and we can only accept it while cursing our fate.
Chang Hua stole a peek at Hai and felt something new.
Shame.
She felt ashamed of herself.
In her past, she had a free life, something which Hai didn't.
However, they are stark contrasts.
She lived her life while observing the world and seeing how unfair and ugly it is. She even thought it while she was seen as evil.
But what she did?
Nothing.
She simply accepted it as an unchangeable fact.
However, was it truly?
Looking at Hai, Chang Hua felt shame because he is everything which she wasn't.
He is someone who was also put in an unfair and terrible position.
However, did he simply accept it?
As far as Chang Hua saw, he went to great lengths to make sure, that if it's a fact that he will be treated the way he was, then he would change that fact himself.
He fought against his circumstances without complaining and even maintained his hope alive.
Facing such a person, does Chang Hua even have the right to say that she regrets her past of the world being unfair?
The more she thought, the more ashamed she became.
Meanwhile, Hai was looking at Chang Hua who was lost in thoughts and he simply tightened his hug before kissing her forehead.
Chang Hua woke up from her daze after feeling a moist feeling in her forehead and looked at Hai, before being stunned.
Hai was smiling warmly at her and his eyes were soft while gazing at hers.
Although he thought it would be better if he let her realize things on her own, he noticed that her past might affect her more than she herself thinks.
So, he decided to give a slight push.
"Take your time, and remember: the past grow trees for us. What we do with the fruits of those trees is up to us." After saying so, he fell silent and closed his eyes while hugging her.
Chang Hua thought about his words and went back to thinking about his question.
Did she regret it?
'Regret what?' The moment she asked herself this, she widened her eyes.
Hai had never asked what exactly she regretted.
So, what was it that she regretted?
She already knew that it wasn't her life.
If it wasn't the cause of her suffering, then what was it that she regretted?
She thought harder and started to search her memories.
It was then that she stumbled upon one of her and Hai playing their first game.
They were playing chess.
At that time, Hai was only 9.
'Sweet, what would you do if you are faced with a bad situation?' She asked this while she only had her underwear on.
'A bad situation, huh?' Hai moved one piece on the board.
'I would face it with all my strength.' He replied.
Chang Hua moved a piece on the board before asking again.
'And what if the outcome was terrible?' She asked while looking at his face.
Little Hai didn't look at her and made another move.
'If it was terrible, then it was just because I didn't take the right decisions.' He commented before motioning her to make a move.
Chang Hua did one and asked him another question.
'Right decisions? Not everything in this world can be solved by us, you know, sweet?' She commented with a small depressed smile, but when she raised her face, she was stunned by what she saw.
She saw a 9-years-old Hai looking dead in her eyes with the most serious eyes she has ever seen someone have.
'Aunt, I love you very much, but engrave my words in your mind.'
She said nothing as she was still stupefied at his sudden change.
'I do not resent bad outcomes. It's stupid. You can't change what has already happened. However, I do resent my actions. If I took different actions and better decisions, then the outcome would have been different.'
'Swe-'
'However,'
Chang Hua looked at him and saw his eyes narrowed to the point where she almost could see a slit in them.
'My actions I can change. And so too the next outcomes. I'm a man who doesn't like to regret what I did, I like to improve myself so I won't come to have regrets again.'
Chang Hua looked speechlessly at him and said nothing.
*TACK*
'Oh, by the way aunt, checkmate. Now, off with another piece of cloth.' His seriousness vanished in thin air as he commented with a small smile while looking at her.
Chang Hua stopped thinking about this memory and opened her eyes.
'I don't resent bad outcomes, but my actions, huh.' A small smile formed on her lips as she finally got her answer.
Did she regret it?
Yes, she does regret it.
What does she regret?
Her actions.
If she had done better and differently, if she hadn't just accepted that the world is unfair and we can do nothing about it, then her past would have been different from what it is today.
However, what ifs don't exist in this world.
But fortunately, the future does.
'My actions I can change. And so too the next outcomes. I'm a man who doesn't like to regret what I did, I like to improve myself so I won't come to have regrets again.'
She thought about his words again and turned to look at his face again before a smile formed on her lips.
'No matter who is in despair, you always consciously or unconsciously can save them. Yet, you can't save yourself from your own.' She thought in sadness, but it vanished in the next moment.
"I do regret it." Chang Hua suddenly said.
Hai opened his eyes and looked at her face.
She was looking at him while smiling.
"I regret my actions. But, I will make sure to improve myself so I won't come to regret again."
Hai smiled hearing her words.
"And I will start now." She said and Hai widened his eyes a bit in surprise.
Chang Hua suddenly hugged his neck and deeply kissed him.
Hai was dazed for a moment, but he quickly snapped out of it and answered the kiss.
After almost a minute of kissing, they both separated their lips and a bridge of saliva could be seen connecting them both.
Chang Hua looked at Hai and he noticed an intense emotion in her eyes.
'Well, seems like lunch will have to wait.' He thought while he kissed her again.
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A/N: Hello there, I hope you are having a wonderful day!
So, what do you guys think about this chapter? Mainly about Chang Hua and Hai's interaction and way of supporting each other.
ALSO, IMPORTANT QUESTION:
In the next chapter there will be smut ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°). So I would like to ask you guys: Would you like it to be done in the S.S format, where I would do a bigger chapter just for it, or in the normal way, where it will be done in more than one chapters?
Comment what you thought about this chapter. If you liked it or not, I want to read your opinions and interact more with you guys.
Another thing: Please give your feedbacks. I want to know what you guys think, if there are things that could be better or if I could have done something in a simpler manner. If you could also leave a review, that would help me to understand what you think about the novel in general, so it would be really helpful.
Also, join our Discord community, there you can interact with other readers or with me in case you have questions or ideas about/ for the novel.
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That is all for today, thank you all for reading! 🍷😎