Because I Cannot Hurt You

Han Huizhong felt a little uncomfortable but also at peace. He wasn't used to having such conversations.

But he quietly nodded. He looked away and parted his lips. "Th-...Thank you…"

For the first time, Caihong saw him too embarrassed. It could be seen by how he was fidgeting with his fingers and refusing to meet her eyes.

Caihong was satisfied after talking to him. She knew she couldn't let this awkwardness between them remain forever.

"En. I won't disturb your rest anymore. I will go and meet Xinyi-"

Her phone buzzed with a message, and she checked it. Han Huizhong darted his irises and saw a frown appear on her face. Her gaze slightly dimmed, and she put her phone away. free𝒘ℯ𝗯𝙣𝗼ν𝑒𝗹.𝒄o𝒎

Curiosity filled him, and he asked, "Why the lines on your forehead?"

She looked up, surprised. "Oh, it's nothing. It's just Xiaosi's reply."

"And why does that make you seem so disappointed?"

She awkwardly smiled. "Nothing."

Han Huizhong narrowed his eyes. "I have seen a lot of deceit in my life, dear. You cannot fool me. Is that brat sick again?"

"No. I just…" she sighed. "I asked him out on a date this evening. But he replied he is busy with work. He has postponed it like this many times now…"

He raised his brow in amusement. "That lover boy can actually reject YOU for something? Aren't you his Goddess?"

"..."

Caihong coughed. "It's not like that-"

"It's exactly like that. I can practically see the ears and tails on him whenever he is with you. The excitement is just like a dog," he sneered.

Her mouth twitched.

"Since when is he acting like this?"

"Ever since he woke up from his coma. I feel there is a distance between us…It wasn't like this before. It feels like nothing has changed, but at times it feels that something definitely has. He seems to be avoiding me."

"Chyou?"

She gave it a thought. "It's hard to tell really. He seems to act normal around her, but again, sometimes it feels as if he is putting a wall between him and her."

Han Huizhong frowned. "Has he got his memories back?"

She widened her eyes. "No. I mean, he still remembers from after the reunion night when he got that attack. Nothing from before that."

"I think he does."

"Why would he hide it from me if he has?"

"Because he wants to leave you."

Caihong stiffened.

"T-that cannot be true, Grandpa. Why would he leave us? Everything is going fine."

"For you, it is. Not for him. You see, your relationship with him really improved only after that attack. Before that, you hated him. If he has gotten his memories back and now he sees you acting so nice to him like a happy wife, he won't be able to digest it."

She was confused. "But all the misunderstandings were cleared that night. Even before the reunion gathering, I was beginning to change my mind about him because he confused me. I couldn't imagine a man like him having such an evil side to him. Then I finally learned the truth. There was no reason to hate him anymore."

"So you should think back to what I said earlier. He loves you to the point that he treats you as his Goddess. Now…" he uncomfortably cleared his throat. "He had to do what he had to do because of me. But in the end, he still failed you because he couldn't protect you."

"But he protected me-"

"That is not the kind of protection he intended to give you," he cut her off. "Certainly not by sleeping with you. It was like this - He would fight with those goons and take you away just like in the movies. The end. I can guarantee that because I talked to him. His eyes burned with hatred and disgust for me but for himself too. It's simple. He cannot forgive himself. He feels he doesn't deserve you. So he is slowly distancing himself from his family so that…his departure from your lives wouldn't hurt you. Trust me on this. He is a mad lover boy. He sees nothing but you."

She gritted her teeth. "If he sees nothing but me, then he won't do this nonsense!"

"Yeah but at the same time, he is stubborn too. He puts you on a very high pedestal. I understood it that night. I told you. You are like a Goddess to him. The one who cannot be touched and defiled. The one who he can only admire from a distance. I am pretty sure if that night hadn't happened, he never wouldn't have gotten the guts to confess to you, much less marry you. He would have stayed by your side as a friend for his whole assed life," he sneered.

Caihong seriously pondered over his words. The more she thought about it, the more she seemed to be convinced.

She narrowed his eyes.

Xiaosiiiiiiiiiiii...

If this is true, then you are so dead.

—

She tested Han Huizhong's theory late at night as she waited for Xiaosi to come home. Which he did at almost one in the morning.

Xiaosi expected the living room to be empty like always, but this time, it lit as soon as he entered.

He widened his eyes and even more so when Caihong stood before him, her arms folded on her chest.

"So you finally remember to come home too," she raised her brow.

Xiaosi blinked his eyes. "You…you are awake at this time?"

She smiled. "Well, my husband is postponing all the dates I arrange and gives more attention to work nowadays than his wife, so you pretty much leave me no choice."

He adjusted his tie and looked away. "I…I am sorry. The workload is heavy since I have returned so…"

"So now you cannot take time out for even one evening with your wife."

"Of course not," he stammered. "I was going to take you out once the work got lighter."

Caihong stared at him. "Really? Would that day have really come, Xiaosi?"