267 Shanghai Fest Arc (21) : Shui's apology
Shui couldn’t express the shock she felt upon listening to his words. Where Jun blamed her on Christmas night, today he was apologizing to her. The shift in his thoughts and attitude overwhelmed her.
“I tried to force my ideals on you. My idea of a perfect relationship which I had no right to do,” Jun pursed his lips.
His heartfelt words and apology stung her eyes with tears. “Please…please don’t apologize, Jun. Why are you asking for my forgiveness when it should be me?” She trembled, and a tear rolled down her cheek. “I hurt you the most. I behaved selfishly and ignored you. I hurt your feelings. I brought pain to you. I couldn’t become a good girlfriend. I feel horrible for lying to you. I-I wanted to talk to you since the day you announced our breakup, but I felt too ashamed to face you.”
She rubbed her eyes as she sniffled, slightly rubbing her nose. “The first reason I came to Shanghai was not because Warlord invited me but because I knew you would be here to support Zhou Ai. I wanted to face you, that’s why I am here today. I felt doubtful and indecisive that only made things worse. You loved me wholeheartedly, but I couldn’t give you any happiness. I utterly failed as a girlfriend. So, you don’t need to ask for my forgiveness. It should be me asking you.”
“Don’t be silly, Shui!” Jun disagreed with her and shook his head. “Our relationship was always meant to fall apart and that’s not because of you. Ai…it was her who made me realize how wrong I was to chase after you because I didn’t understand the first thing about love. I put you in a difficult position and everything cascaded after that.”
Shui was surprised. “She said that?”
“Yes. She scolded me for my obsession for you because how I liked Aunt- *ahem!*” He put a brake on his words and shut up.
She blinked. “Liked Aunt? Liked who?”
Jun looked away. “It’s nothing.”
She felt even more curious now. “Tell me. What is it?”
“Nothing.”
She was taken aback.
Why is he suddenly acting like that?
“Why are you hiding it?”
“Nothing.”
“…”
Her brow twitched. “Fine. If you don’t want to say it, then I will ask Zhou Ai myself.”
“…”
“Don’t ask her!”
“Then just tell me!”
Jun gritted his teeth. “Just give up!”
“No! I feel…you are about to say something very interesting. I am more curious now.”
He glared at her. In the end, he grudgingly gave up. “It’s just that…that Ai said that…I…”
“You?” She probed.
He looked away and mumbled. “I had a crush on Aunt Xinyi when I was little and so I wanted to marry you because you are her daughter.”
Silence.
“…..”
“Crush on…Mom?”
Jun wanted the earth split up and bury himself in it.
Gosh this is so embarrassing!
“You had a crush on my Mom?” Shui asked again because it was too hard to believe.
“That is what Ai says, but she is weird. Her theories are as weird as her. You don’t have to believe everything she says!” He exclaimed with a blushing face.
“…”
You will throw shade on your own girlfriend just because you don’t want to accept the truth?
Shui tried not to laugh. She tried her hardest, but then she laughed very loudly. “Oh…oh my God. You had a crush on Mom? That’s so cute.”
“…”
“Ahahahaha!” Shui clutched her stomach and leaned over to the other side, literally rolling with laughter that was too much to handle.
Jun sneered. “You are laughing too much, Shui. Be careful or you will hurt your stomach.”
Shui waved her hand and dismissed him. “Go away. Just….just let me laugh…”
He gnashed his jaw.
That’s why I didn’t want to tell her! I am an idiot for letting that slip out!
At first, she shed tears of grief and guilt. But now tears were falling because her stomach was hurting due to laughter.
“Seriously, that’s so cute…” she wiped the corner of her eyes.
“You don’t have to laugh so much! It’s precisely because of that I messed up our lives.”
“I understand where you are coming from but I cannot just help it. Never…never did I think that you chased after me because you actually liked my Mom. I don’t know if I should feel jealous of Mom or not?” She seriously pondered over it.
“Forget about it!”
“Sorry, but this is the one thing that I won’t forget,” she chuckled.
Jun felt too frustrated and simply refused to talk to her anymore.
Shui finally had her fill and cleared her throat. “I am sorry. I see. Since Dad snatched Mom away from you, you wanted her daughter as your future wife.”
“…”
He threw daggers at her. “I know you are teasing me.”
“I am absolutely serious,” she grimly stared at him.
“I don’t feel your sincerity, Shui,” he sneered.
“That’s not my problem.”
He scowled. Nevertheless, he felt lighter after having this talk with Shui. They surely weren’t dating anymore, but he still cherished their friendship and if possible, he wanted to remain as a friend to her.
Jun smiled. When he met her, she looked tired and in pain. But now she just looked like the usual Shui he always knew.
“Shui?”
“Hm?”
“I am…sorry for lashing at you during Christmas Eve. But I really mean what I said about Jin. I know you like him, and he likes you too.”
She froze. Jin’s mention brought goosebumps on her skin. Her expression paled.
“What’s wrong, Shui? You suddenly don’t look well…”
The tears that had dried up were beginning to fill in her pupils once again. “You are…you are right and wrong, Jun.”
His brows crinkled. “I don’t understand. And why are you crying?”
Shui broke down as she answered with a trembling voice, “You are right that I like Jin. I really like him. I…realized it when he said that he was interested in Zhou Ai. I realized that I didn’t want to lose him. I was afraid of his feelings for her. That’s when I knew that I saw him as more than a friend. But…”
“But?”
Her palms clutched onto her knees as Jin’s icy words cruelly echoed in her mind. “Jin doesn’t like me, Jun. In fact…he said he hates me…”