Leaving The Past Behind

The black Jaguar sped through the roads that led to the cemetery and made a stop in front of the black iron gates of the cemetery. It immediately attracted the attention of the young man guarding the gates and he looked over, wondering who the owner of such a luxury car was.

Tang Wan and Fu Tinghao stepped out of the car from both sides, shutting the doors behind them. Tang Wan was holding a bouquet of marigold flowers.

Fu Tinghao looked at her as they stepped out and thought for a moment before opening the car booth and bringing out a black umbrella.

It was currently midsummer and the sun was high in the sky, shining brightly onto them. The bright rays fell on their foreheads and cascaded in their figures as they walked to the gate.

Fu Tinghao flipped the umbrella open and handed it to her. "We won't be allowed to drive in. So, we'll have to walk. Use the umbrella. The sun is bright."

Tang Wan looked at his outstretched hands and she could see the outlines of his perfectly shaped fingers. So beautiful and tidy.

Tang Wan pursed her lips; she was getting mesmerized by his fingers again. She collected the umbrella and looked at him. "Let's use it together."

"No need," he objected and strode off before she could even say a word.

Tang Wan stared at his back for a moment before following behind him. They walked to the guard who was also watching them curiously and Fu Tinghao brought out the pass he had prepared in advance.

The man collected it and scanned it without a word. The gates clinked and opened automatically. Fu Tinghao thanked him before they walked in and the gates closed behind them.

The interior of the cemetery was different from what Tang Wan expected. There were no dingy mounds like she expected burial grounds to be. Instead, the graves were built on gravels and they were outlined with ceramic tiles.

There were no overgrown weeds and everywhere was tidy. But, she wasn't really surprised.

The cemetery was specially built to cater for the rich so it was no surprise that everything was top notch. There must have also been people hired to pull out the weeds regularly.

Tang Wan hadn't really concentrated during her parents burial, so she didn't notice all these that day.

As they walked through the burial grounds, Tang Wan noticed that the grounds were high slope and one had to climb to reach her parents graves.

She looked at her flat shoes and was thankful that Fu Tinghao had warned her not to put on heels otherwise with how bumpy the road was, she would probably feel tired.

Speaking of Fu Tinghao, the man stood by her side quietly without a word and only occasionally guided her through the bumpy roads lest she fall.

They soon stopped in front of two tombstones. They belonged to Tang Wan's parents. Their names and date of burial were engraved on the stones.

Their portraits were also hung on top for identification. Her mother's photo was taken on her last birthday. In the portrait, Mother Tang was full of smiles and she looked very radiant. She had always been a beautiful woman, so, coupled with the joyous occasion, she exuded a charming aura.

Father Tang's was taken on her high school graduation day. He wasn't really find of taking pictures and was forced by Mother Tang to take a picture that day. So, he didn't really look photogenic and even his smile seemed forced.

Tang Wan stared at their photos for a long time, memories of their lives flashing through her mind. She stood quietly, unmoving. During that period of time, Fu Tinghao stood beside her watching her downcast expression too.

He had already expected this to happen. So, when she suddenly began to choke and tears started to stream down her face, he calmly dipped his hand in his pockets and brought out a white handkerchief.

He didn't immediately give it to her. He watched as she wept and wept for a long time, forgetting even his presence by her side.

It wasn't until she started showing signs of stopping, did he grab her hand and placed the handkerchief in her palm, urging her to wipe her tears.

Tang Wan stared at him through heavy-lidded eyes, her tear stricken face pale from crying. She didn't say a word but as she wiped her tears continually, tears began to fall once more. She couldn't control it and her body continued to shake violently.

Fu Tinghao's expression softened and he spread his arms, pulling her into his embrace. He slowly reached out and began to pet her back lightly.

No one knew how long they stood in that position, him silently comforting her. But when she finally stopped crying and heaving, the sun had already began to set.

Fu Tinghao grabbed the umbrella that had been placed on the floor when they arrived earlier and folded it as he watched her. She bent down and dusted the little dust on the surfaces of the tomb before placing the flowers on it.

Then, she heaved and stepped back before kowtowing thrice before their tombs.

"Mom. Dad. I'm sorry for not coming sooner. But I promise to visit more frequently in the future. I'm getting better. And, in the future, I'll be better. I hope the next time I'd have successfully dealt with Uncle and Feng Jun. Bless me."

Then, she stood up and turned to Fu Tinghao. She didn't say a word but her gaze was filled with newfound resolve. Her eyes were clear and her chin was tipped forward.

Without even much as a look behind her, she walked down the steep and Fu Tinghao walked behind without a question. No words were shared between them but there was a tacit understanding of leaving the past behind.