Chapter 101 - ~Start Opening Heart~
"What do you think? Why have you been doing it just daydreaming? Didn't you tell me that Xuan had given you so much work that you brought it home because you didn't want me to wait for you like a fool at the company?"
Xiao Long looked at Qiao Xin, who seemed to be resting her chin while biting the pen in her hand. Yes, both of them are in Xiao Long's work place. Xiao Long soon added a table, chair, laptop, and everything pink so perfectly, the table Xiao Long put in front of him, as Qiao Xin's desk when his wife was at home. It had been several days since they both seemed busy with their respective work in the study. Xiao Long didn't mind at all. Somehow his habit that used to be the most reluctant to share a room with anyone had disappeared. Even following Xiao Long, he was eager to share more things with Qiao Xin. No matter how small, Xiao Long wanted to share it with Qiao Xin so that the two would get closer.
Xiao Long's jaw hardened. He didn't expect things to turn out like this. How could he lose his old self? How could he turn into the Xiao Long he is now? Even with the taste of losing Qiao Xin, Xiao Long felt unwilling. Is this what love is?
"I'm having a lot on my mind, I think I'll get old quickly if this continues," Qiao Xin grumbled. Then she chuckled, looking at Xiao Long with an exciting look. "Xiao Long, is it okay if I stay at Mei's apartment this weekend? I promise to be a wife who will protect her husband's honor. I just wanted to watch the whole night with Mei over a beer. Can I do it? Or give me a vacation for two days, I want to take a vacation together with Mei to climb to the top of the mountain. Set up a tent there, then see thousands of fireflies. Wouldn't that be a lot of fun? I can see the stars and the moon right in front of me, when I raise my hand I feel as if I can reach them." Qiao Xin smiled, which made Xiao Long quite stunned. "You know, when my late father was alive, when I was sad, he always took me to the hill behind the house. There we would spend the night together, build a warm tent, then light a small bonfire. Bring some corn and sausage and fish, and we'll grill them there. While waiting for Father's cooking to be ready, Father invited me to be on the highest hill, to see the thousands of stars scattered in the night sky, and the moon which was so big and beautiful. on the highest hill, Father once told me, if I should raise my hand high, while begging my wish there. While still trying to reach for the stars so that they can be in my hands, lucky if there is a shooting star, then Father said one of my wishes will be granted by God. With the dance of thousands of fireflies, that night I will truly never forget."
Xiao Long seemed speechless, looking at Qiao Xin, who appeared to be pensive as if her memories of her and her father were coming back so vividly, and Xiao Long felt that it looked beautiful. Yes, seeing Qiao Xin like that was a wonderful thing.
"So, what prayers did you say when you were on the hill?" asked Xiao Long in the end.
Qiao Xin seemed to smile wryly, and then she took a deep breath. Her smile is now slowly fading.
"Every time my father invited me to the hill, then every time I only asked God for one prayer, not about material things, not about wealth, not about myself, or about the future and also how my lover will be. However, I just want to be able to make my parents happy, I just want to see Mom and Dad happy to see me succeed, and make them proud. I want to see my parents not cry anymore, I want to see my parents live long. But in fact, my prayers, even when thousands of stars fall, are not enough to make God answer them, maybe because according to God, my prayers are too greedy. Didn't I say I have only one prayer? In fact, many of my prayers are veiled. I prayed a lot, and I was punished by God for it."
Qiao Xin's tears immediately flowed. She recalled her dead father again. It was unimaginable for Qiao Xin at all, if that would happen. Honestly, for Qiao Xin losing her father was the first and most brutal heartbreak ever. Het world felt like it was collapsing for a moment because of that. Even Qiao Xin didn't expect her father to leave her so quickly. At a time when Qiao Xin still really needed her father figure, even more so when Qiao Xin still couldn't make her father happy.
Xiao Long saw that he could only swallow his saliva with difficulty. How could he not, seeing Qiao Xin so very sad, have made Xiao Long feel sad too? For some reason, Xiao Long felt a very strange tightness in his heart, as if his heart was telling him to come close to Qiao Xin and hug Qiao Xin's body perfectly. However, Xiao Long was still able to restrain himself from doing anything to that extent.
"Are you okay?" asked Xiao Long in the end. Qiao Xin also seemed to smile while wiping her tears that were trickling down her cheeks roughly.
"Sorry," Qiao Xin replied. She smiled again so broadly, then Qiao Xin seemed to let out a long sigh. "I will always be like this every time I talk about my late father, somehow my tears always flow stupidly, and I think you are the first to see my stupidity after Mother."
Hearing that, Xiao Long seemed to pull his black eyebrows. What? He was the first to see Qiao Xin cry, especially hearing Qiao Xian's heartbreaking story about her father? For some reason hearing, that fact made Xiao Long very happy.
"You want to know there's a sweet story behind the hill, the night, and the fireflies?"
Qiao Xian seemed to be frowning, and she seemed to be looking at Xiao Long with concern.
"What?" she asked then.
Xiao Long cleared his throat, then he adjusted his seat, smiling slightly at Qiao Xin.
"It is said that when a man and a woman go to the highest hill, then the two of them join hands, then they are visited by thousands of fireflies, then they will become partners. Their love will last until death do them part. Moreover, if the man and woman kiss, then even death will never be able to separate their love."
"I know about this news!" Qiao Xin exclaimed excitedly, and then she looked at Xiao Long while narrowing her eyes.
"Xiao Long, where do you know this story from?" she asked then. Xiao Long also seemed to clear his throat.
"Of course I heard this story from Ligling, she is the most chatty woman in the world. In fact, she seems to be a fortune teller, whose every word I always believe."
"Lingling?" Qiao Xin then asked. Xiao Long also seemed to clear his throat again.
"My older sister," Xiao Long replied perfectly. "Actually her name is Han Bai Qi. But our family always called her Lingling. She was the only daughter in the Han family, and she had been a princess even since childhood. Her nature is very spoiled, and likes to patronize many people in fact makes everyone like her. In the past, Lingling, I, Xuan and also Cheng often played together. She was very fond of mountains, very fond of fireflies and stars. Because of her hobby, it makes me and my family almost every weekend to spend time on vacation to the nearby mountains. Just to make Lingling happy, and at that time she often said strange things, about thousands of fireflies and true love, even besides the story I told you, there was another story she told me. If someone is able to collect a thousand fireflies without missing one, then the fireflies are given to the one that person loves, and open the fireflies together. Then the hope for the love that the person wants for the person they love will be reciprocated, their love will then be eternal. It's really funny, indeed, and even funnier is why do I always believe what she says? However, since that incident, I don't want to come to the mountains anymore, I don't want to look at the stars anymore, I don't want to see fireflies anymore. Because the mountain and all those things have taken Lingling from my side, and I have lost Lingling forever. I can't, can never lose Lingling."
Qiao Xin seemed to be speechless, and she then looked at Xiao Long, who appeared to be smiling wryly. Slowly, Qiao Xin got up from her seat, and then she immediately hugged Xiao Long's body, who was still sitting in his place. Xiao Long's eyes immediately opened wide, and he was utterly stunned. His hard heart that refused to grieve slowly began to crumble as Qiao Xian's tiny hands began to caress his hair gently.
"Xiao Long you know, for a man to cry it's not something to be ashamed of or to show weakness, sometimes a man has the right to cry to express the burden that is in his heart. And that is natural, it is human. It is precisely men who never cry is something strange, because they are too weak with their high self-esteem. So, cry if you want to cry now."
Xiao Long's hand slowly returned Qiao Xin's hug. Now Xiao Long's face was perfectly on Qiao Xin's chest.. Xiao Long finally burst into tears, letting out all the tightness that he had been holding so tightly in his heart for so long.
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