73 Barefoo

Seeing the concern look on Xu Jia Li's face as she held Li Yun in her arms, Si Weimin could no longer take the bitterness creeping deep within him. He immediately left, taking big strides as he left the scene. He smiled bitterly as his tears continued to drop.

"How will I ever win your heart?"

He couldn't hide the fact that the pain in his heart was more than he could bear. He didn't even feel the pain on his knuckles or the bruises and cuts on his face.

Punching Li Yun was a dream come true but he didn't really expect to fight him tonight. Not in the presence of Xu Jia Li. It was childish, not really his style.

He was not afraid of Li Yun but he knew he shouldn't have lost his cool. It was definitely not on his plan when he arrived at Xu Jia Li's apartment.

When he reached the parking lot, instead of riding his car, he took the pack of cigarettes on his pocket. He wasn't really the one to smoke but there were times that the urge was strong just like this moment.

The pack of cigarettes was already crumpled and the cigarettes were all crushed. He might have damaged it as he was fighting with Li Yun.

"Damn!" He sighed deeply as he returned the cigarettes on his pocket. He just stood there as he stared absentmindedly in front, not really knowing what to do.

He was lost in thought when he heard someone spoke. The moment he heard Xu Jia Li's voice, he froze. He never expected that she would come for him. 'Jia..'

When he left, he never felt more broken and defeated but now, the woman he loved so much was here. Before he could react, she hugged him.

At that moment, he knew that she cared for him. When he felt her arms around him, tears welled in his eyes. He felt suffocated but in a pleasant way. It was the first time she came to him, not him throwing himself at her. It was the first time that she showed affection towards him, doing so on her own volition.

He was ecstatic. He never felt so emotional. When he heard her speak, his heart almost jumped out of his chest. He was beyond happy. 'She cared for me.' He exclaimed inside before he smiled.

***

The cold wind kissed Xu Jia Li's face which made her shiver but it was nothing compared to the coldness she felt at the moment. The tears came running down her cheeks, never stopping. Her face still buried on his back.

She didn't know what to do. All she thought at the moment was to tighten her hug around Si Weimin's waist but the latter didn't even move, looking like a stone – standing there and not saying a word.

When she embraced him, everything seemed to fall back to where it should be. One thing she knew, no matter how she hid it, she loved this man.

"Jia…"

Without a response from him, slowly, she reluctantly loosened her arms around him but before she completely moved away from him, she heard him, "Why?..."

***

It took Si Weimin a lot of self-restraint to turn around and return her warm embrace because he knew that he should not make hasty moves. He shouldn't scare her by his actions. So he asked her without moving, "Why?"

He asked her that question because he wanted her to tell it to him directly. He wanted to hear her say the words he longed to hear.

Xu Jia Li didn't know what to say. His sudden question left her wandering for words. 'Why is he asking that question? Of course, he's wounded and he needs to be tended.'

Feeling awkward all of a sudden, she immediately let go of him as she put her hands on her sides. She clutched the edge of her clothes, not knowing what to say.

"Jia, why did you come here?" Si Weimin's voice was hoarse. Xu Jia Li could sense the pain hidden in his words. She saw him turned around to face her, a conflicted look on his handsome face. He looked at her with those mesmerizing eyes.

Suddenly, she was lost for words. She gazed at those pair of eyes that always managed to pull her deeper in a trance. She just stared at him, unable to answer his question.

"I'm sorry for all the trouble that I caused you, Jia. I never expected that my presence will only bring you chaos."

"Weimin-ge, I-I…"

"It's okay. You don't have to answer." Si Weimin slowly raised his hand to wipe the tears from her face. With a gentle look on his face, he said, "Don't worry about me, Jia. Don't feel bad about me, either. I'm alright. I'll be fine. You should go back now. It's cold out here."

No matter whether she answered him or not, he was already happy knowing she came for him.

With a warm smile, he patted Xu Jia Li's head. He looked gently at her face before he noticed that she was barefoot. He was even more worried when he saw the blisters on her feet. His heart ached when he saw that she had blood on her feet, too. He could already guess that she ran barefoot.

'Did she run all the way here without her slippers?' He muttered to himself as he gazed intently at her.

***

Xu Jia Li noticed the change in Si Weimin's expression when he saw her feet. Embarrassed, she immediately tried to cover them with her hands. There were some abrasions all over her soles after running bare feet. There was blood because of the blisters she got from running.

"You, silly girl. Why would you run without your slippers?" Si Weimin's voice was full of concern though his face showed a little frown. His eyes were full of love as he looked at her intently.

"Why didn't you wear your slippers?"