Raelle didn't know what happened after she left. But since she saw some vehicles leaving that old lab which was on fire now, she definitely didn't like the fact that the fire didn't burn all of those people.
While escaping from the fire, Raelle lost one shoe, so now she threw the other one away as well. She spent the whole night hiding in those bushes looking in the direction of the fire. She didn't even feel tired. It was only at the break of dawn that she started walking towards the city.
But she didn't even know where she was. This was a completely unfamiliar country to her. And it wasn't that developed yet either. She didn't find a single vehicle on this road.
Walking for hours, even she didn't know where she was trying to go. Ah! She was going to find her grandfather. Yes, she had to look for Yanyan. With that thought, she continued on.
"Ahh!"
She heard someone screaming in pain and her eyes turned. She found a boy even shorter than her sprawled on the road, crying. He must have fallen down since his knees looked like they scraped. She only gave him a fleeting glance but when the little boy looked up, he couldn't look away.
He felt like he was looking at an angel dressed in white. But this angel was barefoot. The red stains of blood had painted her white frock like blooming flowers. Her feet were bloody, her hands were bloody, she was covered in grass and mud but nothing could hide how beautiful she was. For a moment, he even forgot to cry.
But the angel who touched his heart only walked away from him indifferently, shattering his little heart into tiny pieces. Seeing that he was being ignored, he cried louder, "Mama! Mama!"
Unbeknownst to him, Raelle wasn't as indifferent as she appeared. Because the first time she set her eyes on him, her mind only had one thought, 'He is a pretty boy.' And as she had always been the person who likes beautiful things. It was impossible that she won't have an impression of this little boy who looked so pretty and cute.
Hearing him calling for his mother, she walked back to him and asked, "Are you showing off that you have a mother?" The little boy looked up at her and shook his head innocently. "Then stop crying! Your mother is not here to help you. Neither is she gonna be there for all your life. You're the one who lost the way, you should be the one to find your way back to her as well!"
The little boy was stunned by her words and even forgot to cry. As he watched her leaving again, he wiped his tears and ran after her. He cheekily walked by her side and said, "Beautiful Jie, has anyone ever told you?" Raelle didn't pay attention to him as she continued to walk ahead. "Jie, red is your color."
Because of his words, Raelle looked down at her clothes. Then she lifted her hands and looked at the dried off the blood. Her hands looked unsightly right now and she believed she was in no condition to be called beautiful.
Little Hyson noticed her hands and looked really sad. "Jie, does it hurt? Should I blow on it for you?"
Raelle put down her hands saying, "Blowing on it won't change anything."
"I have another way to make you feel better," he added as he ran after her with his short legs. He spread his hands out to block her way. "Jie, I want to give you something."
Raelle didn't know why she was spending this much time with a stranger. Perhaps, because it was her first time to find someone close to her age. Or perhaps she found this little boy too pretty so she couldn't refuse. Whatever reason was holding her back, it did. It held her in place.
She was still thinking about what he wanted to give her when he opened his arms and hugged her. Raelle's whole body froze in her place. But little Hyson wasn't willing to let go. He patted her back gently as his mother would always do to him. "It's okay. You'll be okay."
~~~~
As Raelle walked out of that memory, she looked at Shui Xian and added, "Do you know Hyson says he offered me a hug because I looked like I really needed it. To be honest, I also didn't know I needed that hug at that time."
Shui Xian continued to rub his thumb on the back of her hand as he listened to her silently. He was thinking about how even in such a dangerous situation, she had stayed calm. Even when she started the fire, she didn't even for a second think that she could die there. It was like that wasn't even in her consideration at all.
And if there weren't Grandfather Xiang and Mu Chenyan on her mind, she might have not even tried to save herself desperately. It was like she had no other reason to live here. Living was just an obligation.
She didn't even hesitate while cutting her own flesh. Saying it didn't hurt her would be a lie, right? How could one not even feel the pain?
"Looking back, I realize that I did need that hug," added Raelle. "Because that hug was a reminder that some people really have kindness in their hearts. And surprisingly, one such kind soul came rushing into my life with that one hug." Thinking about something, she continued, "You might find it funny. Before meeting me, Hyson was actually crying not because he scraped his knees. It was because he couldn't find his way back home. But that idiot still somehow brought me back to his home with him."
Even until now, Hyson would laugh at himself for that. But then he'd brag to her that, 'It was because I was meant to meet you that's why I couldn't find my way home.. And once I found you, I found my way back home as well.'
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