Chapter 63 - FIFTEEN YEARS OF LONGING YOU (2)

[Yang Menghuo POV]

Yang Menghuo finally confessed his feeling for his Ying Jie. It was actually spontaneous, as he didn't know that he would confess this quickly to someone he just knew. Just like a fairytale, he felt connected with Ying Jie, as if they were meant to be together. 

So Menghuo acted by instinct, and his instinct told him to confess, like a teenage boy who had fallen heads over heels to the beauty, he felt like a teenager again… no, younger than that.

He felt like an innocent boy falling in love with his Batman-Jie all over again.

Whenever he saw Ying Jie, he just wanted to act cute and innocent again, even though both version of him, the adult Yang Menghuo and the young, cute Mengmeng, already knew that none of them was innocent. Especially when it was about their beloved Batman-Jie. 

Young Yang Menghuo aka Mengmeng, would often do many ridiculous things to get his Batman Jie's attention. He was craving for attention since Batman-Jie was the only one who would give him attention. Menghuo wouldn't lie that his attraction to Batman-Jie at first was because he never got the attention he wanted from his parents..

Yang Menghuo saw Batman Jie as his big sister… or big brother. That didn't matter. But this 'familial' bond between them soon turned into something much more when the small Mengmeng wanted more than just a 'big sister' figure. 

He wanted Ying Jie to be his. Even at the tender age of nine, Menghuo already had the idea of making Batman-Jie his only. That idea popped out once he saw Batman-Jie played with a local boy around her age while she was waiting for Menghuo to leave his grandma's house. 

The moment young Menghuo saw the scene where the boy gave Batman-Jie a piece of candy and a limited edition hero card that the kids in this village collected for fun from a magazine, Menghuo knew this boy was crushing on his Batman-Jie.

HIS Batman Jie.

---

Mengmeng saw this scene and immediately rushed to his Batman-Jie. He stood in front of Batman-Jie. Although he was a lot shorter than both Batman-Jie and the boy, Mengmeng was fierce and unyielding. He looked up to the boy and glared at him, like a small dragon protecting his treasure, 'Who are you? Why are you giving MY Batman-Jie your card? Why are you giving Batman-Jie candy? Stay away from Batman-Jie, or you will poof!'

The boy was astonished by Mengmeng's aggressiveness. He looked lost and then stared at Batman-Jie. 

'DON'T STARE AT MY BATMAN-JIE!'

…

Batman-Jie suddenly patted Mengmeng's head and said, 'Mengmeng, this is my cousin. He came here today because he helps my father and me to transport some water gallons. His name is Bohai-Ge, be nice to him, okay?'

---

'Well, that one is a bit awkward. But my point still stands!' Menghuo said. He had been in love with Batman-Jie for so long. However, he still couldn't find her, wherever he searched about a girl who often played as Batman-Jie around his grandma's village, but nobody knew it.

Batman-Jie said that her father was a transporter who often went from one village to another to transport requested stuff with his carriage. So it was hard to locate Batman-Jie, especially since she never told him about her real name. 

His search for years was in vain, and he was constantly depressed, thinking that Batman-Jie might've forgotten about him and married someone else. It made his blood boil, but at least, he channeled his anger in a good, civilized situation... like drowning his business competitor who attacked him.

But… Ying Jie gave him the same warmth as Batman-Jie. It was so similar that Menghuo thought that Ying Jie might have been Batman-Jie in the past. 

So Menghuo thought… maybe he should stop searching…

Batman-Jie once said that he should find his own happiness outside, and after his grandma died, he had to leave the village and follow his parents. He parted ways with Batman-Jie, he cried for days, but he remembered that Batman-Jie wrote him a letter.

And in that letter, he told Menghuo that he should find his own happiness, and his heart will lead Menghuo to the right choice.

Now, his heart led him to Ying Jie… very similar to Batman-Jie, but not the Batman-Jie that he loved for so long.

"If you really love me… then what about your childhood sweetheart? Is it that easy for you to leave her after you promised her? How can I trust someone who can't even keep his promise?" Ying Jie suddenly said. 

And it made the assured Yang Menghuo doubted himself again. 

'Am I really that fickle? I'm the one who keeps asking Batman-Jie to marry me, but right now, I've fallen in love with someone else…'

I was in deep thought until Ying Jie said, "You can sit on the couch. I will get you something to drink."

Yang Menghuo sat on the couch, still thinking about what Ying Jie just said. He was in a dilemma right now. He didn't know if he truly liked Ying Jie as herself or because she reminded him so much of Batman-Jie. 

'Is this just a passing feeling that'd disappear soon?' Menghuo asked himself. He wasn't the type to date someone for a passing. He was a very serious man in a relationship.

'But Batman-Jie said that I should let my heart leads me… at first, I thought my heart will lead me back to you, Batman-Jie. Since I believe that we are connected by heart…'

'But now, I've fallen in love with a different girl… but I don't want to leave you, Batman-Jie… I still want to search for you.'

Yang Menghuo took a deep breath to calm himself down. Though he still hadn't found the answer to his doubt.

"This is for you, Meng Bao." 

Ying Jie put the fresh milk with strawberry syrup on the table, "I don't know if you like it. But you said that you love sweet food and drinks, right?"

'Strawberry syrup milk… reminds me of Batman-Jie…'