"Don't be foolish, Cai Guiying! How can you tell me to marry Jin? This has got nothing to do with you!"
"Nothing to do with me?" 'She' tilted her head. "It has everything to do with me, Han Shui."
Shui couldn't wrap her head around what was happening. "Is that why...you always spoke nonsense about me chasing Jin!?"
'Guiying' looked unbothered. "But you turned out to be one stubborn girl. I thought it would be easier after your breakup with Liu Jun. It might take some but eventually, you and Jin will get married. Aren't you so much in love with him, after all?"
'She' clicked her tongue. "But no matter how much I pushed you in that direction, you never budged. Even though you love Liu Jin so much, you still refused to take anything further with him. You wasted my time all this time."
Shui trembled.
"I understand you and Liu Jun are childhood friends and you have feelings for his brother," 'she' laughed, "So it will take more time than normal since you care about Liu Jun so much. But five years? And you still don't show any signs to change your mind. So it was time to take matters in my hands."
"Why are you doing this!? I treated you as my friend all this time!" Her eyes reddened. "I cannot believe I let a woman like you to be a part of my birthday banquet five years back!"
'Guiying' gave her a blank stare. "You think it was only you who got her world upside down that night? What happened to you is nowhere...to what a certain someone I know has suffered."
"What are you talking about? Please speak clearly!"
"I don't need to explain myself. I just need you to do my work."
"Never! I don't care what intentions you have, but I won't let you ruin Jun or Jin's life! I am warning you. Release Jun right now or you will suffer a dog's death. You wouldn't want to mess with the Liu family."
"I won't need to because you won't spill a word out," 'she' sneered. "Not if you want to see Jun alive. I have my eyes on everything. If I see anybody coming, I just need to give one order to my brother and..."
Shui clenched her fists, unable to respond to her.
"And you don't have any liberty of time. If I don't hear the news soon, you will never see Jun again."
"Why are you doing this? Why do you hate Jun so much? He..." her voice shook, "is already suffering a lot and all because of me. You know everything! And yet you want me to crush him even further? Do you have any idea how much he will be devastated!"
'Guiying' didn't care. "I know. That's why I want you to do this because that's how I want to see him."
Shui was left all alone in the building amidst the looming gray clouds outside. She bit her lips until they bled.
"What will I do now...?"
Reaching Han villa, she collapsed on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling above. Her heart pounded with fear every single moment in concern for Jun.
"Shui?"
Siying knocked twice on Shui's room's door.
"Bro," she opened the door and let him in.
She hopped into her brother's hug and buried her face in his chest, her eyes faintly watering.
"Hey," he softly said and brushed his fingers through her hair. "What happened?"
"Nothing."
Siying furrowed his brows and pinched her cheek. "How is it nothing? You are my little sister. I can read you like an open book. Tell me, who bullied you?"
Shui gave a wry smile. "I-It's nothing like that, Bro..."
Siying asked, "Did you...talk to Bro Jun?"
She stiffened. "No, no! I...I didn't talk to him. You tell me. What's up? Hmm," she looked at him carefully, "if you came to talk to me, then it must be definitely about sis Nuo!"
Siying's expression looked to be a mixture of hesitation and joy. "Yeah...It's that Nuo and I will be meeting tomorrow."
Shui brightened. "Really!? Does that mean you will get back together?"
Siying and Nuo's relationship had been through a lot of strain just like Jian and Leina's had after Shui's breakup. There wasn't a doubt that the Liu siblings loved Shui, but the pain Jun was going through with her rejection and his exit from the Liu family had deeply affected them as well. They couldn't let go of Jun and take Shui's side completely which often resulted in clashes and arguments.
Things were now at a standstill, and Shui understood just how much this chance meant for her brother. Siying had suffered through these years because of the widening distance between him and Nuo.
Siying weakly smiled. "We don't know, Shui. We are meeting just to...talk a bit. Nothing else."
He said so, but in her heart Shui knew that Siying deeply hoped for their relationship to work out. He really did want to get back together with Nuo, and Nuo might have been feeling the same to talk out their differences.
"It will go great, Bro!" She patted hard on his shoulder. "Go get my sister-in-law back haha!"
Shui hoped that Siying and Nuo's improving relationship would cast some light on the dark and grim situation. They might just give the necessary push to this stagnant atmosphere between the two families.
If they could work it out, it would bring a great relief to dissipate some tension.
But things sometimes don't go as we hope.
And Shui realized this faster than anybody when she got a second threatening call the next day from 'Guiying.'
Time was running short for Shui and consequently for Jun too.
"Be ready to see Jun's dead body if you refuse to drop your stubbornness."
'Guiying' hung up without giving her a chance to speak.
And so Shui took the step apart from which she had no choice left.
"Let's get married, Jin."
She declared as she met Jin face to face after a long time.
Jin had mockingly laughed. "Marry you? Are you hearing yourself? Maybe you have finally totally lost it."
Shui was already well aware that it would be impossible to convince Jin. He would go to any lengths in this world but would never do against his brother Jun.
And she also knew that her next actions would wreck havoc, yet she took out the blade and cut her wrist with it.
As tears rolled down her cheeks, she sadly thought of her brother who was hoping for things to go well between him and Nuo.
But there was no chance for that to happen anymore once Jin would have to agree to the wedding by force.
She hurt Jun five years ago. Now she was hurting Jin. The Liu siblings would never forgive her anymore and any last hope for their relationships to work out would burn into ashes.
I am really sorry, Bro. I am really...so sorry...