No Strings Left Attached

With haste, the man dashed to the girl who had fallen. Again, Xia Yanxi was sick to the stomach seeing as how the man presented himself as the knight in shining armor, helping the poor maiden in need, especially since the maiden was pretending to be in distress. Pretending to be in pain, the girl wrapped her arms around the hero, and buried her face into the man's broad chest. 

Lips trembling, eyes teary, she put on her trademark innocent face and said, "Brother Wenxuan… I… I was just… I wanted to give my sister the umbrella since it was raining. But she… she pushed me down…"

"Why… Am I not likable? Why has she not stopped hating me since…" 

If there were an award for being the best in being pretentious, to be able to portray such an innocent look, Huo Shiyu would surely win that honor! 

This scene, this act of hers, was sickening since Xia Yanxi had lost count of the number of times Huo Shiyu had performed it. Before, it was Huo Changsheng who was the knight, now, she had found another to take over the mantle. 

Right now, she was numb. Numb from all the pain that had been inflicted by Huo Shiyu, by her family. 

She had had enough of the charade. She displayed a disgusted glare and left, dragging her suitcase in the rain. Unfortunately, the frail hand, that was already exerting strength beyond her limit in order to drag the suitcase, was held tightly by the man. 

It took awhile for Xia Yanxi to register the face that was Bai Wenxuan's. It was no longer the face she knew because right now, he was angry. So angry to the point where he could chew her up and spit out her bones. Before she could say anything, before she could even move her lips, Bai Wenxuan slapped her hard. 

Huo Shiyu was momentarily stunned by it but as she recovered, an euphoric smile spread across her face. 

The slap was painful. It almost made her fall even but after stumbling two steps back, she remained on her feet. After batting her reddened eyes, she paced forward, toward Bai Wenxuan. Her eyes locked onto the man whom she now hated to her very bones. Without hesitation, she returned the slap. 

"Oh god." 

Huo Shiyu was not expecting her to retaliate. The smile on her face faded just as quickly as it appeared. Her eyes narrowed, filled with tears, she ran to Xia Yanxi. 

"Sister! He's only defending me after you pushed me to the ground! Why did you hit him?" 

Xia Yanxi was ignoring her entire existence. Her eyes were still locked on the man she hated. The anger and hatred in her soul reverberated in her entire body, as she was visibly shaking. Her hatred was felt by Bai Wenxuan as it made his heart sink a bit. 

The fact was, he had immediately regretted his decision as soon as his hand touched her face. That slap was not for defending Huo Shiyu. It was a punishment that he had always wanted to give Xia Yanxi for giving away the most precious gift a woman could give a man. The feeling of being betrayed still resided in his mind and soul. 

"Bai Wenxuan, this is the end of the line. All that we have gone through, everything between the two of us, all strings attached, ARE NO MORE!" 

"I do not care about the love you have for each other! I do not care for the days that we… the two of us had spent together! My life has just started and I do not have the time nor energy to waste on thinking about the lot of you! Now you listen to me closely, if any of you dare to come into my life again, I will rise from the fiery pits of hell, and I will fight back, take my word for it." 

Bai Wenxuan blanked out at her announcement. All he felt then, when Xia Yanxi dragged her suitcase and disappeared into the rain, was a shadowy hand grasping his heart tightly. It was hard, even to breath, much less let her walk away. 

Huo Shiyu was angry. Bai Wenxuan was shedding a tear for the one woman who "betrayed" him. The hatred, anger, and jealousy toward her sister grew even more intense. 

***

Like cats and dogs, the rain grew heavier. Completely drenched, Xia Yanxi continued walking, crying her eyes out as she did. Her cheek was throbbing with pain, the pain that was inflicted by Bai Wenxuan. She wiped her tears, albeit a futile attempt as the rain was pouring down from above, wetting them again. She bit down on her lower lip, as a warning to herself, a punishment, a reminder. To never cry again and to be strong!