32 The Bitter Taste of a One Sided Love (2/2)

She whirled the sharp object into the river, a bitter laugh filled her lips. Everything had becoming a joke to her. Her footsteps drew away from the river and she walked onto the stone trail in the garden barefoot. The coldness from the stone below brought a sense of comfort to the fire within her.

A figure hidden within the shadows of the willow tree stepped onto her path. Li Wei glared at Khan Bojing, who stood a foot away. He had been watching her and she knew why. He was here to ensure she wouldn't do anything harmful to his precious woman.

Li Wei pretended to be clueless, tilting her head to one side. ”What's a stable boy doing here?”

Khan Bojing's lips pursed tightly at the way she had addressed him. ”Nothing much now. The grand show I was promised has been cancelled.”

Li Wei gave him a malicious smirk, the type she knew he was used to seeing on her face. ”I'll send you a personal invitation once it's been rescheduled. You won't miss a second of it.”

”Why are you living your life like this?” This was the most efforts he's given in talking to her. ”Why are you living your life like the villainess of a book?”

Instead of giving him answers, she demanded answers from him. ”Why are you living your life like a righteous second male lead? No matter how good you are, Li Zhilan will never look your way.”

”That's funny to hear from you, the villainous of Na'an. I never dreamed of being a second male lead.” The lifeless pool of black in his eyes sent a chill down her spine. ”Even if you destroy your life with evil, Hua Xifeng won't give you a second glance. Even if you're on the verge of death, you're nothing to him.”

”Why does it matter to you what I do, second male lead? Just mind your own business.” She could no longer stand talking to him. Her hands tried to push him aside so she could walk past.

Khan Bojing didn't move an inch despite her efforts. ”I don't care what you do, but don't hurt anyone else anymore. You've already committed enough sins to last your next lifetime.”

”Ahh!” Li Wei yelled as her patience broke. Her hands clenched in tight fists hit against his hard chest. ”Whatever good advice you have, share it another day. Just leave me, I want to be alone!”

”Keep this up and you'll be alone forever, whether or not it's your choice. Try to think bigger, open your mind. The world isn't as dark as you're making it out to be--”

”Then can you honestly say you're not hurt? The woman you love just married another man, don't you feel anything?” Li Wei interrupted his sentence with questions of her own. Keep your friends close, but your enemy even closer. She had spent her time studying him. This man, he carried such a strong front, but she knew he was still human. Even if he denied it to the world, to himself, she could see he was in pain. Even if he gave the world to Li Zhilan, he could only stood from afar and watched her dance with another man on top of the world he created. ”You sure are loyal. It's too bad you met her too late or else she could've been yours.”

”I...” His strong voice trailed off for the first time. He didn't know how to respond.

”You're always so good, isn't it tiring? You're a stable boy, but you have parents. You have friends. Why are you wasting all your goodness into one person? Tai, take a look at yourself. This perfect image of yours will get you nowhere.” Li Wei knew she stunned him with her words and as he stood there lost in his thoughts, she easily pushed him to the side. ”Don't live in Hua Xifeng or Li Zhilan's shadows your whole life.”

”How about you, villainess? When will you stop and walk away from their shadows?” He followed her onto the corridor.

She spared him her last glance. ”It's already a miracle I'm still breathing. I've gone down too far.”

Khan Bojing looked at the trail of blood she left upon her path from the port. He ripped off a piece of clothing from the sleeve of his shirt. ”I... I have never been nice to you. At least allow me to be bandage your wound before I leave Na'an.”

Li Wei watched wordlessly as he carefully wrapped the cloth around her wound. This was the first time he had ever touched her without hurting her. His fingers were cautious and light, being careful not to add unnessary pressure. When he finished, he gave her a small smile. His first ever smile he had ever given to her. ”There is no one in this world who isn't worthy of a good life.”

This time, it was her who couldn't say anything. He, a genuinely kind person, thought she still deserved to live a good life. Was this heaven's joke? When she was at her lowest, why was her mortal enemy the one by her side?

When Khan Bojing turned to go, her hands grabbed onto him. She didn't want this fleeting comfort to go away so soon. It wasn't enough to warm her yet. Li Wei wanted to have a taste of a love she's long envied, even if it meant imagining someone else in his place.