28 Beaten

Xizi looked at Yueyue silently for a few seconds and then said, "Miss I have something to report to you. Mo Qing told me you asked him to investigate a few matters. I have the results with me."

Su Li asked him to pass on to her all the information.

Xizi really didn't know how to continue and Su Li was really confused that why was he so slow to respond today so she kept on observing him. Finally, Zixi said, "Ahem! That is the walls have ears too so why don't we talk somewhere else?"

She hadn't thought the results of the investigation would show something that would require secrecy but watching this guy dithering really sapped her patience. With an irritated glance at him they walked out of the house. She had thought that they would talk in the garden but was baffled when she saw him walking towards the garage to take out a car. This gave her a pause, she hoped that the mastermind behind the incident wasn't someone the Yu's couldn't contend against otherwise she'll also become an indirect punching bag for that person.

Soon enough they reached a hill top which was semi - public. The guy brought her to a place which was without any trees as if he was afraid of someone listening in on their talk. His secrecy was making her jittery in turn. She asked him impatiently, "What has been found out? Who was the person behind the scenes? Even if she is not born of my mother she still has Yu as a surname. Who dared to lay hands on someone from the Yu family?"

Zixi hadn't thought that Yueyue would be so concerned about the spurious child. It looked as if as soon as she got the name of the culprit she would send him/her into the reincarnation cycle. Was she really so concerned about the other person just because of some blood - ties? or was it that she was worried that she would be implicated. This.... this really put him between a rock and a hard place but he couldn't hide it from her if she was so anxious so he carefully replied, "Miss it was me."

He heard her sharp intake of breath as if she couldn't believe her ears.

"What? What did you say? I thought I heard you said the person responsible for injuring her was you?"

He really didn't want his impression to deteriorate any further than it already had with his answer infront of her so he simply nodded his head with his head bowed low.

For the next minute or so it was completely silent. This silence was ominous as if the very next second a fierce wind would start and uproot everything.

"You, How dare you? What gave you the right to harm a member of the family you serve? What? Since master trusts you, you have become so capricious that you would dare lay hands on his daughter to harm her? Don't forget your identity. What do you think will happen if this comes to light? What response will you give to your master who trusts you?Wouldn't I also be pulled into the muddy waters because of you. How, how could you be so fearless? Or is it simply that when you were born, god forgot to give you a brain and the space above your neck is empty?"

Zixi hadn't thought that he would be mercilessly pelted by Yueyue with such words. He hadn't thought that the person he did all of that for would be the person to question his motives. But then how could he even try to explain it to her.

"Miss, I know I was in the wrong..."

Su Li cut off his words abruptly. "Don't play the blame me game with me. If you dare kneel to show your remorse then I'll kneel as well infront of you to not take such stupid actions. I had really thought too much of you Xun Zixi. If I had known you were so idiotic I wouldn't have bothered myself with you. Just my damn luck to be saddled with you. I always knew that I had the devil's own luck as my companion since birth but even I can't stomach this. Good, really good of you Xun Zixi. There I was thinking that you were a good person and here you were plotting on how to hurt...." she suddenly stopped speaking. A minute later Su Li gave a broken laugh "Ha! The person behind all the hurt and pain was the guy my father has chosen as my very protector. Just my luck. I really shouldn't have believed in anything. Ha! What help? What assistance? Everything is a joke, a complete joke and I myself am a moron."

She hadn't expected that the reason for her bitter, pain filled thirty days would be someone she had started trusting and considered to be under her protection. She also knew in a deep buried part of her heart that he had wanted to maybe exact revenge for a slight or teach a lesson to Yu Yan. He obviously didn't know about the constraints put on her by the system. But for a person like herself, who had spent the last months of her life in a drug induced slumber for more than half a day every single day with mentally and physically agonizing pain, her body was her most important asset. She had suffered so much already that she never wanted to go through any kind of rough patch physically ever again. Those thirty days last year had reminded her of her last days too acutely. Su Li had started fearing that everything around her was a drug induced dream and she herself was still on that hospital bed with her family worried sick about her. Now that she knew it was Zixi's hand that was guiding everything from the shadows, she couldn't stop herself from expressing all her pent - up emotions.

Zixi hadn't thought that Yueyue's reaction would be so extreme. He had thought she would no doubt berate him and tell him not to over - step his boundaries again but he had never even dreamt about a scenario where she would be this disgusted with him and say such heart piercing words to him. It would have been easier and less painful had she asked for his very life, but he could see it in her eyes - her disbelief, her confusion as well as her questions about why he would even think of doing something like this. He realised he was always wrong about her thoughts. He had been wrong about Yueyue when that girl had informally introduced them and he was again wrong that she wouldn't put this matter to heart. But then again, one was a half - sibling, another a servant. She clearly thought that the two sister's differences and fights were an internal matter between the Yu family, how could Yueyue tolerate an outsider to meddle in between.

Even if she thought him to be unscrupulous, he still had to remind her of that girl's scheming nature so he tried to speak above the lump in his throat, "Miss, I understand you are angry at the moment. Please calm down. I'll listen to whatever you say. Just calm down first. You think that people are inherently good but she isn't someone like that. What happened on her birthday, how could it be that the offender was someone she had invited? Even if you don't believe in me anymore, just believe that she doesn't have any good intentions towards you. "

Even at this step he didn't want to tell her that her very own sister, the person she was fighting for with him was the one who wanted to hurt her. Therefore, he didn't disclose everything and tried to soften the blow. But Yueyue's next words weakened him in his knees and for a second he felt as if he would faint at the very spot.

"Ha! Do you take me for a fool? Do you think I can't even differentiate between who has my interests at heart? I am not someone who grew up in a greenhouse. If nothing else, I can atleast judge people and their character." Even though she was angry, Su Li knew not to carry on with the topic but she was irked by this guy's holier - than - thou attitude. But more than that she was frightened from the look in his eyes. His eyes had the look as if he understood all her thoughts and actions and since she didn't believe in him, it was not worth it for him to stay any longer. She was afraid that her words would instigate him to do something even more stupid."Do you think I can't see through her? How could it be that I don't understand she wants my position and everything else that comes along with it. I am infuriated by your actions. What? Just because you are loyal to me, you can harm her? Did she do anything personal to you? How moronic can you be? She asked a guy to ruin my reputation, she colluded with others to let me be a public spectacle but I haven't even moved against her. What gives you the right? She drugged me with an aphrodisiac to make it easy for others to believe that I was a willing participant." Su Li again stopped abruptly. In her worry for this idiotic moron, she hadn't even noticed her slip of tongue and had mentioned the aphrodisiac. She hadn't disclosed about it to anyone but now that the words were already out of her mouth, they couldn't be taken back.

"What? She.. she drugged you? You knew about it and still kept silent infront of master. Is it that you don't trust anyone to have your back? Why didn't you say anything?" Zixi hadn't thought that the matter was something so serious. All he had gotten from those four was that it was that interloper's plan to make it seem as if Yueyue had something going on with a guy whose background wasn't even known to himself. Listening to her, he regretted that he hadn't killed the guy with his very own hands but more than that he was worried about what had happened at that time. It wasn't that he would think less of her, he was distraught that something this serious had happened and this person standing infront of him hadn't spoken about it and had dealt with everything on her own.

Before he could question her, Yueyue started crying. It had been almost four years since she found herself in that midnight blue space. Since that moment onwards she had to trudge through everything by herself. She felt sacred, lonely and even delusional sometimes. Though she tried not to think about all these matters, but it wasn't easy for her. Now watching as someone did such a thing because of their loyalty towards her, she was touched and apprehensive. Touched because someone would go to such an extent for her and apprehensive that if she got too close and used to this person, she wouldn't be able to let go when she finished her task. All the thoughts accumulated in her heart passed through her brain and suddenly it was too much for her. She needed someone, someone who could be by her side through thick and thin and someone who could chase away the loneliness in her heart. Without further thought, she took a step towards the guy who had done so much for her even if it was deteremental to her and hugged him. She cried all her pain, fear and worry on his chest. She really wanted to beat him for being so one track minded. Since she wasn't someone who would put herself through trouble, she beat him as her heart wished. She beat him on his chest, on his arms and pinched him all over to teach him a lesson. "Who do you think you are? What gave you the right to hurt her? Don't involve yourself with her. Stay away from her. Most importantly, don't hurt her physically. Promise me, promise me that you would never hurt her physically, no matter the circumstances. Promise me or I'll let you off my payroll."

Zixi hadn't thought Yueyue would start crying all of a sudden. He was panicked as he didn't know what to do but she suddenly embraced him and started beating him. At that instance, he felt so many emotions, it was difficult to put them into words. He listened to her ranting and shouting at him and just let her do what she wanted. If beating him would let her vent all her pent up emotions, he wouldn't say a single word. When she asked him for the promise not to hurt that girl, he readily accepted.

He had already promised to protect Yueyue from everything, already promised to look after her for his complete lifetime, already promised not to stray from her side, so what was so difficult in promising her one more thing, if it would bring her a peace of mind.