Chapter 84 - How could you leave me...

When Xiao Lei was in the toilet, she grabbed the shirt around her heart area tightly with her right hand. She then lightly pounded her chest as her nose started to sting and her eyes teared up.

In order to keep herself from crying, she kept her head tilted back a little and dug her left fingers into her thigh with the hope that the physical pain would take the mental pain away. 

To her, even though the toilet was well ventilated, it was hard to breathe at the moment. 

"Yuexue..." she murmured as she hit her heart. "How could you leave me... You said you'd be with me forever..."

Flashes from her past ran through her mind. The first time they met, the first time they had a sleepover, the first day Xiao Lei attended the primary school, the first time Wu Yuexue introduced Han Ye to her...

She could still hear Wu Yuexue's voice calling "Wushuang, be good...", "Wushuang, don't bully Han Ye...", "Wushuang, do you want candies? I bought you some...". She chuckled sadly when she remembered how she used to tease Wu Yuexue about Han Ye. She used to make fun of her best friend by making kissing faces at her. 

"You really married him," Xiao Lei thought, "but why... How..."

She slammed a fist down on her thigh angrily and gritted when the pain hit her. 

When she ran away, the person she missed the most was her best friend. However, she was afraid that if she were to go and find Wu Yuexue, her uncle would be able to find her. She was also worried that her uncle might harm Wu Yuexue as well... Hence, she had been staying away all these years.

The memories were getting to her, and a teardrop soon fell from the corner of her left eye. Xiao Lei wiped the tear away angrily before she went to the sink and turned on the water. As the water ran, she saw her own reflection from the huge mirror.

Flushed cheeks, bloodshot eyes... Anyone would know what she was doing in here if she were to go out in this condition.

She filled the sink up with water before she submerged her face into the cold water. 

As she braced herself against the cold, in her mind, she was also thinking, "I shouldn't cry! I shouldn't cry!" 

However, with the way her hands gripped the sides of the sink, it was obvious that she was crying with her face submerged in the water.

She was in there for so long that Tian Le was starting to get worried. After another minute, he went to knock on the door. 

"Sister Xiao Lei, are you alright in there?" 

Splash!

The water in the sink spilled out as Xiao Lei pulled her head out of the sink. The redness on her cheeks was gone, and she had a glazed look on her face as she panted. "I-I'm fine! Just... constipated!"

It was then she heard Han Ye's voice. "Xiao Lei, do you need any medicine for that? We got some at home..."

He had just gotten back when he heard Tian Le's voice, and when he walked over to check if everything was fine, he heard Xiao Lei's reply.

Knowing that she had just blurted out something embarrassing, Xiao Lei's face turned red again and she groaned inwardly as she lightly bumped her forehead against the marble wall numerous times.

After a few seconds, she sighed and said loudly, "It's fine! I'm almost done!"

She then looked at her own reflection as she mumbled, "Xiao Lei... Stay strong... Don't let anything out." 

...

Once he heard her, Han Ye dragged Tian Le away as he said in a low voice, "Lesson number 1: Girls are shy about toilet-related things. We shouldn't wait outside. Otherwise, she would never come out." 

Tian Le sighed and said, "It's just doing the number 2, what's there to be shy about?"

"Well... When you're older, you'd realize that there are a lot of things that girls are shy about," Han Ye said with a shrug.

Tian Le looked at him with a confused expression, but he did not say anything. 

"By the way, what took you so long?" Tian Le asked as he walked toward the kitchen table where a few plastic bags filled with things were placed on it. 

As Han Ye watched the boy went through the bags like a hungry ogre, he said, "I went to get some toys for Little Monkey and food for you. You need to eat more nourishing food when you're at the dorm. If you're going to bulk up, you need more meat."

Tian Le glanced into two recyclable bags with squarish corners and frowned. "6 boxes of chicken essence? That's 72 bottles! My dear Brother Han Ye, I'm going to get a nose bleed if I drink that much chicken essence."

Han Ye tried to knock the teen on the head, but Tian Le was fast enough to dodge in. With an annoyed tone, Han Ye said, "No one is asking you to drink them in one shot. Once a day, or twice during the 2-week exam period."

"Urghhhhh!" Tian Le groaned. He hated the taste of chicken essence.

As he was complaining in his mind, he then noticed something and quickly made a grab for it before Han Ye could stop him. "Condoms? Are these for me? But I'm not ready for it yet!" 

"Give me that, you brat!" Han Ye hissed as he lunged for it. Once he got it, he snapped, "Stay away from women until you graduate!" 

Tian Le laughed softly. He then asked playfully, "Are you guys going out for real now?"

Han Ye kept the box of condoms in his pocket before he murmured, "I like her… So, maybe? This is for precaution."

He had one in his wallet, which had been there for ages. He doubted that he would be able to use it worry-free.

"Well, about time…" Tian Le smirked. 

Han Ye reached out and slapped Tian Le's shoulder before he said, "Stop talking and go get ready. We are leaving in less than an hour." 

When Han Ye turned around, he saw Xiao Lei, who immediately turned away. He frowned when he noticed that the collar of her shirt was wet. "Xiao Lei, are you alright? Your collar is all wet."

Without looking at any of them, she nodded quickly. "Erm... I washed my face too hard earlier."

"Is everything alright?" Han Ye asked with a slightly worried tone. Somehow, he felt bad for this young woman who had a hard life until now. 

"Yeah... I'm going to go back now. Enjoy your dinner... Thanks for the breakfast earlier, Han Ye," Xiao Lei murmured before she ran out of the apartment. 

Confused, Han Ye looked at Tian Le who had found the new pack of bakkwa among the stuff that Han Ye bought. "Do you know..." 

Tian Le shrugged as he stuffed an entire sheet of bakkwa into his mouth. As he chewed, he thought for a moment and said, "Maybe she's just too shy after what she said earlier?"

Han Ye thought about it and nodded. "Possible... Women..." 

...