Chapter 44 - Long Mei

A tear fell down Shao Lin's face.

Long Yat-sen reached out to her, stroking a thumb across her cheek, wiping away her tears.​​

"Why do you weep?" he asked gently.

Shao Lin could not help but feel the sob come even harder, but she pursed her lips tightly to stop the waterworks. "Because she's your sister."

He arched a brow. "And do you see her as family?"

"Yes," she answered.

Long Yat-sen felt like kissing her. "The fact that you grieve her warms my heart. You have to know."

Shao Lin rubbed her eyes, beginning to collect herself. "What happened to her?" she asked, hoping he'd answer, hoping he trusted her enough to explain.

Long Yat-sen took a deep breath. "Both of my sisters have been pursued since they were teens by wealthy suitors. However, many were afraid of Xia, so those pursuits never lasted, mainly because another man chased them away. But with Mei, many were charmed by her kindness and beauty, but she hated those drawn by shallowness. She once met a man that ignored her, and I suppose she liked that. She pursued him, but my father disapproved of the man. Normally, he was not one to interfere in the romantic pursuits of his children since he values love more than convenience, but my father knew there was something wrong." He paused to take her hand, leading them to sit on a park bench.

He continued. "The man, my sister, fell in love with was greedy, envious, and full of pride. He was everything she wasn't. He was a person that cared about money and business before his family. He'd kill friends and relatives if they said the wrong things…"

Shao Lin sucked in a breath.

"They wanted to get married…but my father did not approve of it, fearing that he'd abuse Mei in their marriage."

He took another pause, swallowing the lump in his throat. "They ran away together to elope, but they never made it to the alter. A gang shot him while he was driving, and then the car spiralled out of control and Mei was struck. Her fiancé died on the scene."

Shao Lin wept as Long Yat-sen told the story, and he kept wiping the tears from her face.

He choked as he spoke again, "I failed her."

Shao Lin scrunched her brows, shaking her head. "What are you talking about?"

"If I had just supported them instead of agreeing with my father. If I had defended them instead of following what I felt was wrong, then she wouldn't have—"

Shao Lin kissed him.

It wasn't a deep, passionate kiss, but it was soft and gentle as her lips pressed against his to keep him from thinking too hard. She broke it after a moment to get him to breathe, to stop the "If's."

He looked at her as if the air had returned to his lungs. He calmed as he soaked her in.

Shao Lin stroked his neck. "You didn't know what was going to happen. Your father didn't know what was going to happen, and it's neither of your faults."

His eyes welled, but his tears did not shed. "When Mei wakes up," he continued. "She will be struck with the news that her fiancé is dead. I fear that she never wants to wake."

"You don't know that," Shao Lin held his face in her grasp. "You don't know what really happened that day, and when she wakes up, we will be there for her. All of us."

Long Yat-sen looked at her as if he couldn't quite believe she was there, with him, comforting him. Shao Lin didn't want to keep making him re-live all of his pain, but she wanted to know every detail. She wanted to be there for him in every way she can from now on.

"When did this happen?"

Long Yat-sen averted his gaze, his eyelashes curtaining his view. He took another deep breath. "Shortly before we got married," he answered.

Shao Lin's lips parted, her eyes gaped. "This entire time…" she began breathlessly. "You were in pain while you had to save me? I'm sorry, Yat-sen. I'm sorry for being such a burden."

Long Yat-sen gaped at her. He put his hands to the sides of her face as he looked into her big brown orbs. "You were never a burden, Xiaolin. Not to me. Don't ever believe that for another second."

Shao Lin's lips wobbled as he continued. "I was hurting because I felt like I lost a sister, but you were hurting too, and in some ways, we found each other amid our losses, and I feel like I'm becoming more and more like myself every time I'm with you."

Her eyes widened.

"I don't want to be the reason something bad happens to you, Xiaolin. I don't want you to get closer to me because the more you do, the more I don't want to let you go."

Shao Lin's heart skittered. Her blood raced, and her breath stopped short. "Then don't," she responded softly.

Long Yat-sen was staring at her as if he was taking her all in, not believing it. She stared back. "I don't want you to push me away. I want to know all of you. I'm not afraid of the man beneath his cold demeanour."

Long Yat-sen took the back of her head in his hand and kissed her.

It began as something gentle, but then it turned into something hard and possessive. His teeth drag over her lower lip as her tongue swooped in. He was devouring her on a park bench, and she kept grabbing at him with unskilled hands.

Long Yat-sen pulled away suddenly when people started to pass by.

Shao Lin blushed while Long Yat-sen smiled bashfully.

She then leaned forward. "I like talking to you like this."

Long Yat-sen attempted to hide his blush. "Mrs. Long, when you're with me, you'll be getting whatever you want."

Shao Lin bit her lower lip. "That's good to know."