Milady's Fine Gentleman 239 HOW WE MET 2

"The lad asked the girl why she kept on following him. 'I don't have money or food. What else do you need?' His words were harsh, but the girl understood that his social responsibility ended when he helped her reach the clinic. They should have gone separate ways after that."
"She told her that she was lost and that she had no money. She asked for his help again."
"The lad's facial expression shifted from confusion, coldness, helplessness, and reflection of other complex emotions. In the end he offered his home. 'If you want to stay for the night, it's up to you. I don't really care, but my house is untidy and there are rats and garbage all over. And I don't have a bed, only a ragged couch. But I've already reached home, I cannot offer to send you to your own home or to the municipal hall or nearest precint.' That was what he said while opening the door."
"True enough his house was so tiny and untidy. It smelled of spoiled food and sewage. It was the girl's first encounter of such measly, deprived living conditions. The girl pitied the boy who helped her, but she also found a great sense of respect for him for being able to still offer whatever he had, however inadequate it was even for himself, to her who was just a mere stranger."
"She did not want to roam around at night time so she accepted his offer. At least this lad had proven that he's quite trustworthy."
"As a kind of repayment, she tidied the house. He did not oppose the gesture, but he said to just leave it be."
"He even gave up the couch for the girl and slept on the bare floor. He said he's used to it."
"The girl's heart was pinched. What owner of the house would sleep on the floor for a guest? And that guest was her."
She paused to sip from her tea again. Her voice was getting hoarse from the retelling.
Zhu Li Qiang kept a serious countenance. While initially he had a hunch what it was about, by how the story was going, he could not be so sure anymore. He could not even guess the outcome of this whole storytelling rite.
Teng Man Rui continued. "It was awkward for people with opposite genders to share a sleeping space together, although they were separated by a huge space between them. They decided to exchange small talk until sleepiness visited them. They asked about each other's names and other trivial things about daily life, school and family. The last topic was rather sensitive for the boy. His face scrunched and honestly admitted that he had no family left, or at least still living with him. The girl was shocked when she heard it. The boy was still young, but it seemed that he was living alone already, supporting himself into survival."
"She felt really sad for the boy."
"In the middle of the night, the extremely worried nanny of the young girl, together with some concerned men of authority, arrived at the house and surrounded it. They misunderstood. They thought that the girl was abducted. They opened the door forcefully. The door banged. The men seized the boy from the floor and twisted his arm towards his back while they tried to 'rescue' the girl."

"The nanny and the men perhaps asked around the area if they had seen a girl with a certain set of characteristics. It wasn't difficult to spot the girl because her attire was completely different from the usual house clothes. She was a little bit overdressed for the meek neighborhood. Because of this, people who had seen her limping her way on the streets earlier that night could easily distinguish her. As the search for her continued, the group of concerned citizens grew too."
"The scene became highly dramatic, aggravated by the amount of onlookers."
"The girl threw a tantrum and explained. She was deeply sorry for the cruel treatment of the men towards the boy and promised to repay his kindness accordingly. And by accordingly, she did not mean by money, but by kindness as well."
"The girl left that night with the intruders, promising to be back again to fulfill her promise of repayment to the boy who never once blamed her for the commotion."
"She was utterly humiliated by how the security team infiltrated the humble abode of her kind host. She reprimanded them."
"The next day, the girl returned to the boy's house carrying a bag full of groceries. At first the boy got angered by the gesture…" At this point Teng Man Rui smiled a sad smile… "But I guess, the boy's anger was not unfounded…"
"The boy was really proud despite being poor… He did not want to be looked down on."
"In the end, because they both did not want to waste precious resources, the boy accepted the groceries but advised – no threatened – the girl that it should be the last of that kind or else he would not accept it again. The girl agreed."
"And so in the following days during that particular summer, rather than material things, the girl repayed through tidying the boy's house, in which he had no opposition at all. He did not acknowledge it either. Or if he did, he did not show it so openly."
"When the girl finished tidying up, the boy offered whatever snacks he had to the girl. They began their friendship just like that. Soon, the girl taught the boy some of the subjects she had in school. The boy was brilliant. He could keep up. Turned out he had basic education, and had not stopped school at all. He said his damn father continued to support his education, and only that."
"Everytime he shared about his life the girl's heart ached for him."
"But just like any story, theirs came to an end that summer… The girl returned to where she really lived, after finishing her classes with the well-known master."
"The boy continued his life just like any other day."
Teng Man Rui paused. She paused for a longer while.
"Is that the end of the story?" Zhu Li Qiang inquired curiously.
"Yes…" She confirmed.
"The girl… Was that you?" He was testing the waters.
Teng Man Rui locked gazes with him. Her eyes flickered with tentativeness, but her voice was full of conviction. "Yes."
"And the boy…"
"A boy nicknamed Fengyu…"
'Another rival?' Zhu Li Qiang thought helplessly. 'Her first love? She couldn't forget him.'
"Why did you tell me the story? Are you pushing me away again?" The hurt in his voice was evident.
"N-No." She shook her head vigorously. She bowed her head. "I want you to know my past. At least, a part of it. I want you to understand me, and the reason I was doing what I was doing earlier…"
"Maybe I shouldn't have told you about it. Maybe it's not appropriate… considering… considering…" She trailed off but was not able to continue. She completed her statement in her mind, 'considering you have special feelings for me too.'
Zhu Li Qiang extended his hand on the table inviting Teng Man Rui to lay her hand on it, in which she did, after retrieving her hand from under the table.
"I'm glad you shared it with me. I'm always eager to learn anything about my girl. Anything about you, Man Rui."
For some reason, she felt warm at the mention of 'my girl'. She smiled slightly.
"I just want to savor it one last time. Before… Before…" She looked him in the eye to communicate her sincerity. "Before I let go of it totally. I'm tired of getting trapped in the past. The past is no longer here. The person changed. I changed." She sighed. "I want to start over."
"Zhu Li Qiang, I made up my mind. I want to start over with you."

Chapter end

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