A Regret

Back on Raelle's side...

While Raelle was eating, Shui Koshing suddenly suggested, "You should invite your best friend over for a meal."

Raelle looked up at him as she questioned, "Why? We just had dinner last night."

"Well, I'd like to meet him. He seems to be a good person," said Shui Koshing.

"What's good about him?" said Raelle. "The only positive thing about him is his blood group."

Shui Koshing chuckled a little at her remark and added, "Anyway, I'd like to meet him since he is your best friend. Isn't that his biggest positive point?"

"Oh..." was all Raelle said in reply before adding, "Okay. I'll invite him."

After the breakfast, as she left the dining room, Shui Xian excused himself and followed her out. He held her arm at the door as he stopped her. Raelle looked back at him with an inquisitive look in her eyes.

"That... I was wondering if we're really gonna have that match tonight?"

Raelle recalled the conversation from last night when Hyson dodged the bullet by directing it towards her husband and surprisingly, her husband was more than willing to get shot by that bullet.

"Sure," replied Raelle. "Let's do it."

Shui Xian nodded his head and touched her nose like he had been doing lately as he said, "Have a good day."

Raelle looked at the small smile playing on his lips before she beckoned him to lower his head. Shui Xian frowned slightly but obliged as he lowered his head. He was taken aback when she tapped his forehead with hers lightly and said, "Have a good day." With that, she turned around and descended the stairs to get inside the car.

Shui Xian waited for her car to leave before he went back inside to finish his breakfast. Shui Koshing was still looking at his son with an obviously delighted look dancing in his eyes. He couldn't seem to hide his happiness and neither did he want to do it.

His son's monotonous life finally had some colors, how could he not feel happy about it?

"Son," he called out.

"Hm..." Shui Xian hummed in reply.

"Are you happy?"

Shui Xian looked up at his father and asked in return, "You can't tell from my face?"

Shui Koshing smiled happily as he said, "I can finally die in peace now."

"Bà!"

"It's not like I'm dying. I'm just saying it."

"Then don't say it as well," said Shui Xian unhappily. "You're the only elder in this family. And I need you."

"Once upon a time, you used to say you don't need me because you're old enough to take care of yourself. You're old enough to make your own decisions," said Shui Koshing and Shui Xian's movements paused slightly.

He couldn't argue with his father. Especially when he had actually been the one who said all that to him. He definitely hurt his father a lot in the past but it was the first time his father was bringing it up to him.

"I was naive to think I didn't need you," replied Shui Xian honestly. "No matter how old one gets, we always need our parents."

"I feel good just hearing you say that," said Shui Koshing with a genuine smile on his face.

Shui Xian took a moment before saying, "That brings me to the question... Bà, are Raelle's parents dead?"

Shui Koshing put down his newspaper. He had been expecting to have this conversation with his son sooner or later. Since Shui Xian hadn't been interested in whom he was marrying, he didn't question him anything. But now, after spending time with Raelle, it would be weird if he wasn't curious about her.

"Her parents are alive," replied Shui Koshing, and Shui Xian was surprised. "Very much alive."

He hadn't heard a thing about her parents. No one mentioned them. Even Raelle acted like they didn't exist and it made him really believe that they're dead. That's why he had been more reluctant in bringing it up with Raelle herself.

"But she acts like they don't exist," Shui Xian pointed out.

Shui Koshing looked at him before replying, "Because they don't exist in her life."

"Huh?" Shui Xian was confused by that statement.

"To tell you the truth, I don't know whether you should even hear about them or not. Because you definitely won't hear about them from Raelle. And they'd never be a part of her life. So, it'd kinda pointless talking about it."

"They are her parents, she must miss them somewhat?" Shui Xian pointed out.

"Can you miss someone you've never met?" Shui Koshing asked in return and Shui Xian's eyes opened wide in surprise. "She has never met her parents. She has never seen them either. In fact, she doesn't even know their names."

"What?!"

"That is why I said, they don't exist in her life," added Shui Koshing. "I'm told that there is special space allocated to certain people in her life." Shui Xian nodded as he had heard the same thing from Hyson last night as well. "But apparently, there is no space left for 'parents'."

Shui Xian's eyes went round as he was trying to understand the situation right now. "Why is it like that?"

"Her parents found their divorce settlement a lot more important than their daughter," said Shui Koshing. "And that's how they lost the right to even see her ever again."

"She doesn't want to see them either?" questioned Shui Xian. "I mean, she must have wanted to know about her parents."

"Last night, I also asked the same question to Mu Chenyan. She told me that she brought Raelle to meet her parents when she was nine. However, Raelle was so against the idea of meeting them that she told her, 'Once you lose something, you can't get it back the same way. You adults need to understand that I'm not a toy that you can throw away when you don't like it and bring it back when you feel like it. I'm a person and I don't want you to make decisions in my life. As adults, if you have taken a decision, stand by it. Instead of regretting your decision, one should own it. Since they have left me already, they should not be regretting it now. Otherwise, it'd make my whole existence turn into a regret.'"

Shui Xian was left stunned by those words.