Originally the trip to Xia Capital was supposed to last for only two days but because of Xiu's sudden hospitalization, the trip stretched to four days. But besides work, Xiu had no time to do anything else. Well, Dylan gave her proper time for rest as well but besides that, she didn't do any sightseeing. Not that she needed it.
However, she did learn that the room upgrade was Darren's doing and not Dylan's. And she sincerely apologized to Dylan for misunderstanding him and secretly cursing him which almost gave him a heart attack. Also, the pink carnation in her room was also sent by Darren which made it easier for Xiu to apologize.
On the night of the fourth day when they came back to the An City, Xiu was really excited because it was the same day Darren was supposed to come back. But when she learned through his text that he had to extend his stay, her mood dampened.
"What's with the funeral vibes? Who died?" was Nora's first question when she saw Xiu's face. She looked like a zombie dragging her body around.
"My Mr. McSpicy is not coming. He has to stay for a few more days," Xiu whined and jutted her bottom lip out showing how sorrowful she was feeling.
Nora pressed her lips together choosing to stay quiet. Xiu wasn't looking for a reply either. She went to her bedroom and got busy with sorting out her luggage. After that, she took a shower and came out to eat dinner with Nora.
She had just taken a bite of her noodles when she recalled something and looked at Nora, "Nora, I have a few questions. Can you answer me honestly?"
"Absolutely," said Nora confidently.
"Have I been through some kind of trauma before losing my memory?" Nora stopped eating when she heard Xiu's question. It was rare for her to see Xiu questioning about her past.
"Trauma? Your biggest trauma was your mother's death," replied Nora after a moment of contemplation.
"Anything else other than that? For instance, I got trapped in an elevator or something?" Xiu probed further.
"Trapped in an elevator?" Nora furrowed her brows and shook her head, "No way. I don't recall such an incident."
"You can't think of any weird or strange things I did or say?" asked Xiu. She was desperate now to learn about Bai Xiu's memories. Because her thoughts were in chaos. She didn't want to live through each memory as she did in that elevator. "Tell me anything. Anything that you found ridiculous. Any small detail."
Nora took a sip of water and fell into deep thought. It took her a moment before she said, "Ah, I remember one time, you disappeared for two days. It was a horrible experience on my part. And when you came back, you looked like a mess. There were bandages around your hand and your head. I was really worried. But you told me you fell down the stairs and had been in a hospital for two days. I didn't believe you but looking at your expressions I didn't push you for the truth."
'Disappeared for two days? And came back wounded? What really happened to you, Bai Xiu?' Xiu absentmindedly kept chewing on her food.
"However, I still find your name changing incident as the most bizarre one," Xiu heard Nora muttering in disappointment.
"Name changing incident?" inquired Xiu with a raise of her brow.
"Yeah, it happened right after your mother's death. You're adopted by my family and you asked my mother to change your name after adoption. From Destiny Novell to Bai Xiu." Nora explained as she got up with her utensils and walked to the kitchen.
"I didn't have the name Bai Xiu from the beginning?"
"Nah! Everyone knew you as Destiny Novell, but you suddenly changed the name," replied Nora honestly. "I personally love your real name. It's not like calling you baby Xiu isn't fun, but teasing you by calling you 'My Destiny' was more fun."
Xiu's thoughts were in a mess as she distractedly questioned, "Why did I choose the name Bai Xiu? Did I say anything about that?"
"Xiu was actually the name of your favorite celebrity," Xiu's eyes widened as she stared at Nora. "I know weird, right? I found that reasoning weirder than you. But your love and admiration for that celebrity were unconditional. You once told me that Chen Xiu gives you the strength to move forward."
'Weird? It really is weird that she chose my name as hers. But what I'm finding weirder is... Why did she feel the need to change her name? What was she running from? Or who?' Xiu wondered to herself and bit her bottom lip. As she tried to look through her memories, a sharp headache made her yelp in pain.
"Xiu, what's wrong?" Nora was by her side instantly. She gave her a glass of water.
"It's nothing serious. Just a bit of headache," said Xiu, to ease Nora's worry. "I'm having those quite often these days. No need to worry about it." It was true that headaches had become very common to her these days. Whenever she tried to think of something, her head would start hurting.
However, Nora didn't believe her at all. She could see the way Xiu kept rubbing her temples. So, she swallowed the words she was gonna say. 'I'm sorry, Baby Xiu! But I really don't want to lose you. It's better if I don't tell you about that. Last time, you almost lost your life looking for answers. If I told you, you'd again go down the same road and I don't want that. Sorry for being selfish.'
"Did you remember anything from the past?" This time it was Nora who asked the question.
"I don't know whether it's my memories or just hallucinations. But I keep seeing things," replied Xiu sincerely. Just when she saw the anxious look of Nora, she felt like she worried her for no reason. So, to distract her, she changed her tone and said, "By the way, let's come to the real issue."
"Huh? What's the real issue?"
"My boyfriend is missing, duh!" said Xiu making Nora roll her eyes in response. "I'm serious here. Do you think he doesn't want me anymore? Or perhaps, I said something to upset him? Maybe, he finally realized that I'm a crazy person. Well, I don't blame him if he thinks that I'm too much to deal with."
Nora groaned in exasperation and placed her hand over Xiu's mouth saying, "Shut up!"