Chapter 383 - Use As A Weapon

"He said he'll take me home," said Raelle. "And I ended up following him."

~~~

For young Raelle, it was the first time someone hugged her like that. Since she never liked physical touch, even Grandfather Xiang and Mu Chenyan refrained from touching her too much. But they were her family. She wasn't that resistant to their touches.

But it was surprising how she was resistant to Hyson's hug as well. He was indeed a stranger. But he was the stranger who was willing to offer her a smile from his heart and give her a hug when she needed it. He was young and silly. He had no complicated thoughts. Everything was simple for him and he did whatever his heart told him to.

For a person like Raelle who followed her mind, someone like Hyson was unique and refreshing. He was like that sunshine on a cold winter day that could warm a person up. 

He held her hand and said, "Jie, let's go home. My mum would love you."

And then somehow she actually followed him to his home. When they reached the house, they found a woman pacing back and forth with a worried look on her face. As soon as she saw Hyson, she rushed over to hug him.

Hyson used his little hands to rub her back saying, "I'm fine, mum. I just got lost with directions." And then he instantly changed his words, "Mum, look I made a new friend."

Only then did Yue look over at Raelle. And seeing her look, her eyes widened. Eyes brimming with concern, she held Raelle's hands and looked at the deep cuts. 

'What happened to her?' she questioned her son.

"I don't know," answered Hyson. "She didn't say, I didn't ask."

'If you won't ask, how will you offer help?' 

Hyson thought about it and looked at Raelle, "Jie, you need some help?"

"Can I make a phone call?"

Yue nodded her head and ran inside to get the phone while Hyson led Raelle inside the house. He was actually trying to read Raelle's expressions. From a young age, he had been reminded again and again that his mother was different. She couldn't talk and that's why he couldn't fit in with other kids. 

Everyone who met his mother would have a look of pity on their faces or sometimes even disdain. But he found nothing on Raelle's face and for the very time, he found this 'nothing' to be very attractive.

Not even once did Raelle ask about his mother. But she did say something that caught him off guard, "I want to learn sign language." That's all she had said and Hyson felt like that was the most beautiful sentence he had ever heard in his life.

Raelle didn't know what emotional turmoil he was going through. She just the hotel's number where they had checked in when they first arrived here. After she gave the address to the hotel staff, she hung up. It seemed both her grandfather and Yanyan were out looking for her. 

She looked at the time and only then remembered that it was her ninth birthday on that very day. She arrived in this country 7 days before her birthday. First, five days were gone in competition and the other two just went by in that old lab. And now that she was out, it was supposed to be her birthday.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when she saw a small tub filled with warm water placed at her feet. Yue held her ankle as she tried to wipe my foot and Raelle pulled her foot back instinctively. Yue looked up and smiled at her affectionately to reassure her. Raelle let her guard down just because of that smile.

Whether it was mother or son, both really knew how to use their smiles as a weapon against her. And it actually worked as well.

~~~~

"That incident scared Yanyan so much that she started following me everywhere I went," told Raelle. "In fact, my bodyguards were also changed. Yanyan hired ex-mercenaries to protect me. Even when Opa said mercenaries are cold-blooded and she should not allow them near me, she refused to do so. But it was also this incident that made me lose my interest in becoming a scientist. In the end, I entered the field of business."

Shui Xian slowly and gently rubbed her wrists again and again. It was as if by doing so, he'd be able to ease the pain brought by that rope. And since Raelle had gotten better at reading his expressions, she understood his intention and let him be.

"What happened to the kidnappers?" he asked her.

"A few of them died in that fire since the fire really went out of control," answered Raelle truthfully. "Technically, you can say I killed them."

"You didn't," said Shui Xian. "They all should have died in that fire."

Raelle silently looked at his face while he kept looking down at her hands. He brought up her hand and dropped a kiss on each of her wrists. He did it so gently that it seemed like he was afraid that it might hurt her.

"Anyways, my Yanyan would definitely not anyone escape," said Raelle. "Although she dealt with those people, she actually lost her confidence. She said it seemed she was not capable of protecting me. Just like how my parents didn't deserve to have me, she didn't either. She couldn't even protect me. It took me a while to make her believe that it wasn't her fault. She did her best to protect me."

"It's because Yanyan loves you so much that she easily gets insecure and unconfident," said Shui Xian. "I can't blame her for that."

Raelle placed her hand on his head and said, "Now that you know it, stop worrying already. I didn't tell you all of this to make you feel bad for me. Stop overthinking about it all."

Shui Xian pulled her in for a hug, "I'm sorry I wasn't there to offer this hug."