Chapter 206 - You've Arrived Too Late (1)

"Okay, go on with what you had to tell me." Xiong Jingfei crossed her arms and quickly changed the topic. "If not, I'm going to leave."

Feng Huan wasn't disappointed with her response to his comment. He was starting to accept that things between them weren't going to be the same anymore. She was changing and moving forward, so he should as well to not be left behind. 

"I never apologized for what happened between Zhao Fan and me," Feng Huan started, he leaned his back against the tree. "I'm sorry for hurting you… It may come off sounding like an excuse, but I didn't mean to hurt you after making a promise to you that I'd stay by your side." 

"Feng Huan, don't-"

"No, let me finish."

Xiong Jingfei closed her mouth and quietly listened to him. 

"Feifei, I wonder how things would've turned out differently if we stayed as friends and never became lovers? Then, maybe, we wouldn't have become the way we are with each other." Feng Huan said it, but he knew he would have still liked her. "I feel like you need to know that I never thought of Zhao Fan more than a little sister." 

Feng Huan turned his face to the side and smiled at Xiong Jingfei. "You were my first friend. You did not befriend me with hidden intention." 

['You feel more like a friend than a master... So, friend?']

Xiong Jingfei lightly kicked the dirt, remembering something she once said to Feng Huan as a joke. You were also my first friend, Feng Huan. Even though you were so upset when I said we were friends. 

['I don't have many friends, so you can have the honor of becoming my friend.']

['I do not want to have the honor of being friends with you! Can you be anymore, shameless?']

"Xiong Jingfei, I have never openly talked about my feelings like this with anyone. So I am asking the same from you…" Feng Huan's voice started to trail off. "All I'm asking is for you to be honest with me, please."

It was the first time she heard the proud Feng Huan desperately beg someone for anything, and that someone had to be her! 

Xiong Jingfei uncrossed her arms, dropping her guards and removing her walls. The least she can do for Feng Huan was return the same amount of honesty. 

He may have a cold outer appearance, but he is a total softy on the inside—a reason why he couldn't get rid of Zhao Fan and Xia Guang quickly. 

Feng Huan reached back into his pocket and took out the black velvet ring case. He didn't open it right away but examined her expression before saying, "I found it." 

What did you find? Xiong Jingfei was sure that at this point, he wasn't proposing! She was confident because her gut feeling told her that having him propose would've been better than what he was going to show her next.

Feng Huan opened the little black box, and Xiong Jingfei's legs almost gave out on her. She leaned onto the tree with her body as her fingers clenched into a fist, controlling herself from touching the item inside the ring box.

No, it's impossible! Xiong Jingfei denied. No! How did Feng Huan find it?

No matter how much she wanted to deny it, she couldn't unseen the ring she gave him before they parted. 

It was really the lotus jaded pink ring!

"W-what is this? You wanted to show me a ring?" Xiong Jingfei's voice slightly trembled. She felt like the best choice was to act like she didn't know what it was for now. "It's a beautiful ring. Where did you buy it? Haha..."

"You don't know, or are you pretending not knowing what this item is!?" Feng Huan brought the ring case closer to her. "Please, Feifei! All I am asking that you be honest with me. You know this ring, don't you?" 

"I don't know what you're talking about!" She shouted, moving away from him and the ring case. "Didn't I tell you the last time that I don't know anything about this ring!? Stop pestering me about a single ring!"

Please, don't make me tell you about that nightmare! I, especially, don't want you to remember what happened. Please, Feng Huan... Let go of the dream and the ring! 

If she knew this was what he wanted to talk about, she would've never followed him! Never!

What expression am I showing him?

Xiong Jingfei wasn't sure what kind of expression she was showing him. At least with Yang Zheyan, she can play dumb or the guessing game with him, but Feng Huan was different. Besides Xu Suying, he was the only person who knew her best. He would be able to tell if she was lying or telling the truth. 

She quickly turned around to hide her face, but Feng Huan thought she was going to run, so he tightly grabbed onto her hand. 

"Huan, let go!" Xiong Jingfei shouted, shaking her hand and trying to free herself.

"I'm giving the ring back to its owner." Feng Huan said, placing the ring into her palm and closed it. "Feifei, didn't you tell me to come to find you with this ring if I ever needed anything? I came to find you!" 

Xiong Jingfei stopped trying to break free as she clenched onto the cold jaded ring. I know you came looking for me, Feng Huan, but you should have never come looking for me. No, I should have never given it to you.

"I went to that old pawnshop and waited for you, but you never showed up… Still, I waited for you." Feng Huan continued, recalling everything from his dreams. "Feifei, why didn't you keep your side of the promise? Why didn't you show up?"

That last part stabbed her deep in the heart, knowing what it's like when a person can't keep their promise.

Suddenly, something soft and silky covered Xiong Jingfei's head and turned her world dark. She felt her hand ripped away from Feng Huan as she got pulled and hit something firm.