Wu Xin: The Monster Killer

Chapter 90 Romantic Relationship

Wuxin first changed into clean clothes, then tiptoed across the courtyard and pushed open the door to the east wing. The east wing bedroom was a one-and-a-half-room layout, brightly lit. Saiwei was still wearing the Western-style dress and leather shoes she had worn during the day, her short, black hair haphazardly tucked behind her ears. Her face had been washed, but she wore no makeup; her skin had a slightly malnourished yellow tint, but it was very smooth and delicate, reflecting the light. Sitting alone on the edge of the daybed, she was reading a magazine with a somber expression. Beside her on the bed was a small mahogany table with a pot of coffee and a plate of cream cake, presumably her midnight snack.

Sheng Yi was no match for her sister, so she simply went to bed and avoided the danger. Seeing Sai Wei's cold, pale face, ignoring her, and clearly enraged, Wu Xin carefully approached the bed, bowed deeply, and whispered, "I'm back."

Savi ignored him, his expression as hard as a statue, and turned the page of his book as if he hadn't heard a thing.

Wu Xin was always mild-mannered in front of women, especially young and lovely ones. Sai Wei was angry, but he wasn't. He wanted to reach out and touch Sai Wei, but hesitated, not daring to make the move. After all, she was a young woman, and they didn't have any intimate relationship; if he touched her without warning, he might get slapped across the face.

He walked around to the other side of Sevier, bending down even deeper: "Are you worried about me? I'm just going to take a look, there's no risk involved."

Savi's face was ashen; she resented that he wouldn't listen to her. Of course, he had no obligation to obey her, but Savi had her own set of high expectations of him, and she got angry when he didn't listen.

Wu Xin hadn't been intimate with a woman for many years, and now he felt somewhat at a loss. His eyes fixed on Saiwei, he slowly squatted down, muttering, "Shengyi said you just lost your temper..."

He squatted down firmly, looked up at Saiwei, and said, "Don't be angry, I apologize to you."

Saiwei turned to another page of the magazine, having a clear idea in mind, and simply ignored him.

Wu Xin quietly squatted beside her legs, slowly lowering his head, remaining silent for a long time. After a long silence, Saiwei couldn't help but glance at him sideways. Unexpectedly, as if he had eyes in the top of his head, he immediately looked up to meet her gaze. He hesitated, pursed his lips, took a shallow breath, and then seized the opportunity to smile, saying, "I was wrong, I'm sorry."

Savi hardened his heart and turned his gaze back to the magazine. At the same time, he noticed Wuxin stand up, pick up the coffee pot, and quietly pour most of a cup of warm coffee into an empty cup. Silently setting down the coffee pot, he pushed the cup towards Savi and said, "It's late, shouldn't you be sleeping?"

Saiwei closed the magazine, glancing up listlessly with his eyelids: "Knowing I was going to sleep, you still made me coffee?"

Wu Xin knew that her anger was at least beginning to dissipate once she finally spoke. He sat quietly on the edge of the bed across a small kang table, and heard Saiwei continue, "I know I have no right to get angry at you."

Although she spoke in anger, the underlying meaning and emotion were complex. Wuxin glanced at her, then smiled and turned forward, lowering his eyes to the ground, saying, "You do. If anyone's saying you don't, it's me, not you."

Savi's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately turned to him: "You don't have anything wrong?"

Wuxin gave her a shy, ashamed smile and profile view: "I have nothing, you know that."

Savi rolled his eyes, clearly not one to be trifled with: "Whether you have it or not is up to you. I don't need anything from you!"

Wu Xin turned to look at her directly, stared for a moment, then lowered his head with a bitter smile and sighed. Saiwei's feelings were now extremely clear, but how could he possibly reveal his secret?

Seeing his behavior, Saiwei couldn't tell whether he was willing or not. Since she finally had the chance tonight, she pressed on, bringing it up directly: "Wuxin, what do you mean by being so hesitant? A real man should speak his mind. I'm not two-faced, and I hope you'll be honest and straightforward too. Let me be frank, we get along very well, and I'd like to build a long-term relationship with you. What about you?"

Unexpectedly, she suddenly adopted a direct approach, leaving him somewhat bewildered: "I..."

Saiwei reached out and patted the person next to him: "Come sit down. We're not having a meeting or negotiations, why are we sitting across the table?"

Wuxin stood up and obediently walked over and sat down beside her. Saiwei had one hand resting on his lap. He tilted his head slightly, reaching out to shake her hand, but hesitated halfway, saying, "Saiwei, I... am not worthy of you."

Savi grabbed his hand: "I'm talking to you about feelings, not class."

Wu Xin held Saiwei's hand; Saiwei's hand was thin, with soft skin and hard bones. Their fingers were intertwined, looking entangled.

"Savi..." He gazed at their clasped hands and spoke softly, "In terms of feelings, I have no problem. But we can't completely ignore things outside of feelings. To be honest, you don't understand me."

Then he looked up at Savi and said, "I'm truly flattered that you love me. Once we've all weathered this storm, I'll tell you my story. After you hear it, you can make your decision."

Suddenly, alarm bells rang in Saiwei's mind: "What's your story? Are you wanted by the police? Or are you married?"

Wu Xin immediately shook his head and laughed, "No, no, I haven't broken the law, and I'm not married."

Saiwei immediately breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that his story probably boiled down to one word: "poor." But then her thoughts shifted, and suspicion arose again: "Are you just making excuses for me? Tell me the truth. If you don't like me, I won't force you!"

He listlessly rubbed Saiwei's hand, his mind blank, unsure how many more chances he would have to be close to her. He took her hand and pressed it against his cheek, whispering, "Saiwei, I'm yours. As long as you want me, I'm yours. Maybe one day in the future you'll be afraid of me and avoid me. Saiwei, don't be afraid, don't avoid me. If you don't want me, I'll leave."

Savi tilted his head and stared at him, his eyes gleaming: "What did you say? Say it again, whose are you?"

Unconcerned, amidst the faint scent of face cream, he looked directly at her and replied, "I am yours."

Saiwei heard it clearly, and felt even more satisfied than if she had heard the words "I love you." A radiant smile bloomed on her face, as if she didn't know what to do next, she simply smiled. Wuxin also smiled, but his smile was uneasy, because he felt there was no hope for Saiwei and him to be together. To be together was a long, beautiful dream; not to be together was a short, beautiful dream. Wuxin dared not think too much about it; in short, Saiwei loved him at this moment—there was a woman who loved him.

Savi, overjoyed at her newfound success in love, immediately felt hungry. She lit the stove in the room, intending to cook some rice porridge. Without her having to give any orders, the stove automatically lit the fire, poured water, and went to fetch rice. In no time, the small pot on the stove was bubbling, and four small dishes were laid out on the kang table. Savi sat cross-legged on the daybed, smiling contentedly, "What are you doing? I don't need a boyfriend to serve me."

The mention of "boyfriend" brought a sweet feeling to her mouth, like she'd tasted honey, and the joy seeped into her heart. Wuxin smiled too, hoping that when the truth came out, she wouldn't hate herself for being a liar.

Saiwei chirped excitedly like a happy bird, complaining of being hungry, but a few sips of hot porridge were enough to satisfy him. If they continued lingering, it would take all night, and it was only right that they each go back to their rooms to rest. Saiwei, satisfied, yawned and went back to his bedroom. Wuxin crossed the courtyard and entered the west wing. The east and west wing rooms were similarly laid out, and the outer half of the west wing room contained a sofa and coffee table. Wuxin groped his way into the room in the dark and, seeing the sofa bare without bedding, decided to go into the inner room to share the night with Shengyi.

He woke Shengyi when he got into bed. Shengyi was disgusted by all men in the world, but she didn't mind him. She asked in a daze, "Is she alright?"

Wuxin replied softly, "Okay."

Sheng Yi turned her back to him and asked again, her voice muffled, "She didn't hit you, did she? She hits really hard."

She lay down listlessly, pulling half the blanket over herself: "I didn't hit you, go to sleep!"

Sheng Yi snored and drifted back to sleep. He didn't want to toss and turn, but couldn't fall asleep. He liked women, but he had never made a move on Saiwei. He stared blankly for a long time, then finally burrowed deeper into the covers, deciding to stop thinking about it. Anyway, if Saiwei liked him, even if only for a day, it would be his good fortune.

He slept late, but woke early. Last night, he was filled with anxiety, seemingly devoid of joy or sorrow; but this morning, reflecting on the past, he felt a sense of clarity, as if his chest had opened to the wind, and his internal organs were filled with light and coolness. Someone was going in and out of the room; it was the old woman bringing hot water. Ignoring the sleeping Sheng Yi, he went to wash and dress himself. As he finally pushed open the door and stepped out, he looked up, paused, and then smiled.

It turned out that Saiwei and he were on the same wavelength, as Saiwei had also just opened the door. She had already done her grooming; her hair was perfectly styled, and her face was made up. Smiling, she walked into the courtyard, her back ramrod straight, and smiled like a delicate peach blossom: "Good morning!"

He glanced at her up and down without thinking. In his memory, she always seemed a little sickly, but he hadn't expected that with the makeup and powder, she would be a slender young woman with fair skin and a rosy glow. Suddenly, he ran quickly to the east wing across the street and came out in the blink of an eye, a woolen coat draped over Savi's arm. He unfolded the coat and draped it over Savi's shoulders, then went around to her and reached out to pull the coat over her shoulders: "You're cold."

Saiwei had never had a boyfriend, and naturally, she had never experienced the affection of one. The autumn morning breeze was as cool as deep water, yet she radiated warmth from the bottom of her heart. She wanted to speak, but didn't know what to say, so she just laughed uncontrollably. As she laughed, her eyes darted around, and suddenly she stopped laughing.

Bending down, she picked up a small pebble from the yard and hurled it forcefully at the glass window of the west wing. Behind the window was a disheveled face—a surprised Sheng Yi. Startled by the sight through the glass, Sheng Yi immediately took a step back, while Sai Wei, standing inside the yard, raised her head and shouted, "Your sister's right outside! Look over if you want, what are you doing, sneaking around like that?"

Sheng Yi scurried around the room, finally finding a coat and wrapping it around himself. He shuffled to the outer room in his rabbit-fur slippers, pushed open the door, and peeked out, continuing to warily scrutinize Sai Wei and Wu Xin. Sai Wei had already put on her coat neatly and openly linked arms with Wu Xin. She said to Sheng Yi, "We've started a romantic relationship. We're going out to find a Cantonese restaurant for dim sum later. You'd better not come with us. I'll bring you back some taro cake, okay?"

Upon hearing this, Sheng Yi nearly flew into a rage: "Why? I'm your own brother! You want him but not me? Wait ten minutes, I'm going too!"

Saiwei and Shengyi have been inseparable since birth; now, upon hearing that Saiwei is going to date Wuxin, Shengyi feels a sense of loss and simultaneously harbors resentment towards Wuxin. When they arrive at the restaurant, Shengyi coldly observes as Wuxin picks up the teapot and naturally washes Saiwei's cups and bowls, occasionally stealing glances at her. Saiwei, with her glossy red lipstick, constantly displays a row of white teeth in a grin. She doesn't appear to be deeply in love, but rather smug and triumphant, as if she has just won a great victory.

Shengyi took a deep breath, looked out the window with tears in her eyes, and felt utterly alone.

(End of this chapter)