63 Memories (IX)

"Three kids and an old woman. What an interesting group!" the whole area was greeted with a rustic male voice coming from above.

"Han Xiangzhi!" Wu Zhaoyi was quick to find the location of the voice owner. It came from the man who was standing at one of the observation areas above them. His eyes that were looking down were clearly belittling them.

Fu Yixiao was shocked after finding out that the voice earlier belonged to the man that supposedly was her real father. She tried to surpass the boiling emotion within her but the more she tried the harder it was. Hatred. That was the only feeling she had toward that man.

"Fu Yixiao? My child, you made it!" Han Xiangzhi clapped his hand almost jumping in joy. Wu Zhaoyi felt disgusted with the man's facade. He knew him well, a man who was acting nice to cover his real face. The truth behind his mask was a merciless and ruthless person. He would do anything just to achieve his goals.

Plus, he was someone whose appearance was like a scientist. With a single look, no one would believe the story that portrayed him as an evil man. Except for his eyes, people who had experienced death would see the evils being contained inside those eyes. Fu Yixiao who encountered numerous deadly battles could see it.

Granny Wu saw Han Xiangzhi looked toward her direction and immediately instructed the Fu Yixiao next to her to look down. But, for whatever reason, the girl betrayed her instruction and let him discovered her existence.

"Granny Wu, I'm sorry. But, I refused to let Wu Zhaoyi fall to another girl's hand. Traveling to this world, I'm glad that I realized my feeling toward him. I'm sorry for betraying our deal," she said in a low voice for she wanted for her to be the only one who heard her.

"You!" Granny Wu trembled as she was trying to hold her anger. "Xiao er, if you do that you'll lose everything in your real world. And betraying the vow we made, will cause you great harm," she warned her with the consequences of her own action.

"Granny Wu, then, I'll just replace the Fu Yixiao in this world," she declared and smiled meaningfully. She was a stubborn individual, earlier, when she noticed her feeling toward Wu Zhaoyi, she had made a resolution to make Wu Zhaoyi hers. This was only the first step, she thought.

"You! Bring her over!" Han Xiangzhi finally realized the other Fu Yixiao. He immediately asked his man to get her to the middle where Wu Zhaoyi and Fu Yixiao were trapped.

"Which one of you is my child?" Han Xiangzhi asked with a baffling frown on his wrinkly face. "I'm sure there is only one Fu Yixiao, so what is the identity of the other Fu Yixiao?" his question was asked nonchalantly but it sent chills to the people who were listening.

"I am her!" Both the Fu Yixiaos answered in unison. Fu Yixiao scowled at the other Fu Yixiao and warned her not to say anything.

"Xiao-mei, no talking. If you do, the consequences will be bad," Wu Zhaoyi warned. That was when he heard the chubby girl let out a creepy laugh, one that he never heard before. It made him unconsciously looked for Granny Wu, his other companion. But the sight of the old woman in despair scared him. That was also something he never saw before.

The other Fu Yixiao noticed the change in Wu Zhaoyi's face and said sweetly to him, "Wu Zhoayi, I've decided to live with you in this world," she said giving a shock to both Wu Zhaoyi and Fu Yixiao.

"Father, I'm the real Fu Yixiao!" she declared loudly purposefully attracting the attention from everyone.

"Stop talking!" Granny Wu screamed in fear while Wu Zhaoyi struggled to free himself from the man's grasp.

"Father, I'm the real Fu Yixiao!" Fu Yixiao knew something was amiss after seeing the state Granny Wu was in and the struggle Wu Zhaoyi was putting on to free himself. She tore the right sleeve on her tattered blouse and lifted her right hand up revealing a barcode tattoed at the inside of her arm.

The other Fu Yixiao was surprised to see the barcode for it was something that did not exist in her world. However, right now it was an insignificant mark, something that wasn't worth fighting for. All she cared about was the boy that she knew had poisoned her heart and mind for all she could think of was methods to make him her possession.

The other Fu Yixiao smirked at Fu Yixiao. "I thought we are similar, but now it seems that differences between us are piling up," she said before facing the man who was looking at their direction.

"Father, even if she is the real Fu Yixiao, right now, she is only good as the sacrifice while I hold the secret of the universes. I'm proposing a truce between us, what do you say?" the corner of her lips curved upward once she finished her sentences.

"Father, whether you believe me or not is up to you!" she pressured on.

"Traitor! Betrayer! Fu Yixiao, think of the consequences, you will be condemned by the universe!" Granny Wu cursed and warned her at the same time. Wu Zhaoyi was already on the ground, no longer putting up a fight. The hope that grew big while running side by side with Fu Yixiao was now gone in a blink of an eye.

"After all we've done to you," he mumbled for he had no strength to yell and scream at the other Fu Yixiao.

"What happened? Wu Zhaoyi? Granny?" Fu Yixiao was confused seeing them in a defeated state. She didn't know the deal that the two parties made hence she had no qualm as to why they were behaving in such a way.

"You, what nonsense is this?" she focused her attention to the other Fu Yixiao only to be ignored.

"Father, it's true I'm not the Fu Yixiao that you know but I'm someone who came from another universe. My proposal is simple, let me remain as your child and when I grow up, let me marry this boy," her eyes were staring at Wu Zhaoyi passionately.

Fu Yixiao shivered the moment she saw those eyes that were obsessing over Wu Zhaoyi.

Then, a burst of laughter echoed on top of their head. Han Xiangzhi licked his upper lip looking at the other Fu Yixiao as if looking at a delicacy.

"Gold! Tell me the rest of your proposal," he demanded. His hands spread as if ready to hear anything.

The other Fu Yixiao smirked and exhaled.

"This old woman claimed to be someone who was reincarnated from the Han Dynasty. In her hand was an artifact to reincarnate her daughter to the main entity of someone called Fu Yixiao. She traveled the universe in order to find the true Fu Yixiao," she explained with a straight face. No trace of guilty as she revealed their secret.

"What?" Fu Yixiao was shocked after hearing the explanation. She felt her sanity robbed by common sense because at this moment, she knew insane was the correct word to describe her.

"More, I need more!" Han Xiangzhi roared. His eyes were staring at the other Fu Yixiao like a beast ready to kill his victim once she misbehaved.

"Of course!" the other Fu Yixiao wasn't scared at all and simply presented him with a smile.

"The story of this granny is written in details in this book. I'll give this to you later. What I want you to know is that she is like the encyclopedia on the theory of multi-universes, one that's superior to yours. So, my proposal, rise me as your child, use her as the sacrificial and him, will only belong to me,"

Fu Yixiao retreated not believing what she just heard.

"Scared?" she heard someone asked and realized that the person was the devil who looked like her.

"Do you know that we, the one named Fu Yixiao is destined to die at this very moment. I survived because I allowed them to use me as the magnet to pinpoint the universes where the other Fu Yixiaos are residing. I did it in exchange for a new life. It was a one time offer, something they called a restriction on the artifact. Even if you pleaded for things similar to mine, they could no longer grant you that. Well if you're the main entity, you'll have the chance to live a second life. But now, it's meaningless,"

The other Fu Yixiao let out a shrill of laughter, one that caused even Han Xiangzhi to tremble a little.

"She deserved to be my daughter," he grinned. "Locked them up!" he said before taking the other Fu Yixiao's hand to a dining area, laughing and chatting happily as they walked away.