31 UNDER THE VAST SKY

It was a gloomy night. The moon reflected what seemed like a red light and clouds hovered around it, protecting it from potential threats looming in the darkness.

Kang Sola had just tucked the twins to rest. The all-time high they had experienced earlier from the triumph of their soul was replaced by a new low.

Just like that, their hearts were shattered in despair.

Considering the events in the afternoon, the Chen Family decided not to join everyone else at dinner. They requested for their food to be served in their suite exclusively.

Their dinner was rather silent and depressing. No one bothered to open up the topic for a potential conversation starter.

The two kids were bathed and prepped up for bedtime. Before they closed their eyes, Chen Lihua, asked her aunt about the incident that afternoon. "Aunty, are you mad at us? We will understand if you are. We did something wrong..."

"Xiao Lihua and I are sorry, Aunty, Uncle." Xiao Lingtian butted in.

Xue Guangxi leaned at the wall near the open door with crossed arms on his chest. His eyes mellowed significantly at the little kids' words.

"We're not mad at you little darlings." Kang Sola gave them a sad smile. Then she sighed. "We cannot promise that you won't encounter the same incident again, but when you do, I hope you won't get into a fistfight again."

"But it's okay to defend yourself." Xue Guangxi interrupted.

"Yeah. Or better yet, keep silent for a while then think if it's worth your time and your energy to rebuke."

"Choose your battles wisely." The young man interrupted again.

"Exactly."

It seemed that Kang Sola and Xue Guangxi were on the same page.

The lady added, "If the situation is not favorable, try to take a step back. Then, when the headwinds lifted, take two steps forward. In the end, you're still one step ahead."

"And if it's not in your limited power to answer to a situation, there's the courage to seek help from others, too. Tell us." Xue Guangxi straightened up his stance and approached the twins' bed. "Get it?"

"Yes, Uncle."

"But for me, personally, I don't condone retaliation." Kang Sola said slowly, emphasizing her words. He glanced at Xue Guangxi first, then at Chen Lingtian and Chen Lihua. "Bad guys get their due punishment. It doesn't have to come from you."

Xue Guangxi arched his brows but did not say anything more either to agree or argue.

"Yes, Aunty." The twins nodded in unison.

"Thank you for looking out after us. Both of you, Aunty, Uncle." The little boy showed a maturity level more advanced than his age.

Kang Sola stretched her lips in a warm, doting smile, and managed an "I love you, sweetheart. We will do whatever it takes to make sure you two have the best."

"Only the best." Xue Guangxi echoed. "Okay, that's enough for tonight! Let's call it a night, shall we? Good night, kids!"

"Sweet dreams." Those were Kang Sola's words before she turned off the lights. The incandescent lamps on either side of the twins took charge.

As soon as she closed the twins' bedroom door behind her, Xue Guangxi invited her to chill out under the midnight sky.

"It's smothering in here. Want to enjoy the breeze outside?" He lifted the booze he carried with his right hand.

Kang Sola's face lighted in amusement. "You brought those here, huh?"

"No, I bought it from a nearby store. It's not much, more like a sparkly juice."

Kang Sola arched a brow. "How did you know?"

"I already had some this afternoon." He confessed.

"Hehehehe. You're so funny, Guangxi."

They went outside, Xue Guangxi leading the way. They laid on their backs on the vast grounds where the games occurred that day.

Both gazed at the ruddy silver moon and its protective walls of puffy clouds.

"I wish there were more stars." Kang Sola breathed in solemnity.

"Remember the day when we last laid on our backs in a field just like this?" Xue Guangxi asked, already driving into the memory lane. He curled his arms behind his head in a makeshift pillow.

"Mhmm… I can't remember." She seemed trying hard to dig into her chest of memories.

"Ouch, That's harsh." He chuckled slightly. He was feigning it. The lady laughed too.

"Wasn't it like around a decade ago? That's the first and last, I think." She retorted. She lifted her eyes onto the starless sky.

The midnight wind howled as it passed by them. Some leaves flew with it.

"It was the day you got dumped by your boyfriend. We visited a dog and cat café--" The young man narrated, in an attempt to ring any bell into the lady's head.

"Excuse me, I dumped him." She cut him off in a haste.

"Hahaha! So you say! So you say, Sola." Xue Guangxi loves teasing her. He could tell she was flustered. Small things such as these little teases irked her. "Seems like your memory has come back. Hahaha!"

Kang Sola's face felt like it was plunged into a steam bath. Xue Guangxi poked right at the sore spot. Her embarrassment was over the roof as she remembered. But, as the heat on her flustered face subsided, she also remembered, with familiarity how much of a good friend Xue Guangxi played at that particularly crucial moment of her life.

She had just ended her fickle long-distance-relationship with her first boyfriend, James. They fought over the phone, and things simply turned awry until they both decided to call it quits. At the time, she felt no better like trash, but Xue Guangxi never left her side, and never treated her like one. Both of them cut classes that afternoon only to visit a dog and cat café. That night, they laid on the field in the university grounds and gazed at the stars until her heart had lulled into a calm.

It was a fond memory for her. 'How can I forget?' She thought. She could feel her cheeks blush as the heat, this time more bashfully, crept to her face.