She found herself smiling

Song lin returned at 12 or so. The afternoon heat ate at her as she made her way in to the grounds and towards her office. She wasn't surprised to find lin shiyu waiting for at her desk when she opened the door but she was indeed surprised when she found Lu chen and Ji zue sitting leisurely in her couch. Their heads snapped up to her the moment she shut the door. she took in their expressions...lin shiyu's relief, Lu chen's amusement and...Ji zue's grim face..no... more like sorry face. Her gaze lingered on him not quite understanding what that look meant. Realization struck her then.

oh.oh. He's probably regretting his earlier words. Probably thinking I will be angry with him. she sighed to herself and thought...She would find a way to mock me even though he didn't call her arrogant. But she didn't care whether he felt sorry for her or guilty for her. All she want was some quiet time. Some peace. She felt like she didn't have it in her to talk now. voice felt miles away. She looked at lu chen who looked tensed. she realized she stared at Ji zue for quite sometime. She sighed again. did they think i would shout at him? Why is everybody assuming I'm evil. she wordlessly walked past shiyu and sat on her chair.

"Is there something you want to talk about ?" she asked as she took the file liang biqin gave her. She looked up at their silence and found them staring at her...unblinking.

Gods..what the hell do these guys want!!!

"I assume you are the one who bought them inside my office. I didn't share my passcode with you so that you could bring whoever you want" she said quietly. Her own voice felt distant to her.

"It was me. I made her do that" Ji zue's voice rang out. She paused and looked at him. He looked tense she thought. If not for the hollowness she felt inside her she would've enjoyed that look on his face. But she didn't care now.

"why? Is there something you want to talk about?" she asked again as she started looking through the files. No answer. She sighed and said

"You can leave if there's nothing. Sergeant lin see them out will you?" she said. Her voice calm but take no shit.

"You're hurt" lin shiyu said as she looked at song lin's hands. Song lin's hand stilled on the papers. she didn't look up as she said

"No I'm not" she resumed her work. she heard the door close and looked up. Lu chen and Ji zue left and shiyu was beside her. She took Song lin's hands in her and started cleaning them gently with a wet towel. Song lin didn't say anything, she let her clean up.

"He wanted to apologize I think" shiyu said soflty. Song lin smiled a bitter smile.

"You know she'll find a way to mock me despite his words." lin shiyu paused at her words.

"You know you don't have to care about what she says." she said quietly.

"yeah. yeah I know" shiyu looked up at the hollowness in her tone. she sighed.

"But you still do" she said. Song lin didn't answer her this time. she turned and looked at the girl beside her who from the first day she met took care of her like broken little flower. While everyone assumed her silence as arrogance, she didn't.

I'll become utterly alone shiyu...when you leave me. there'll be no one to take care of me no one to clean up my mess she thought silently.

"I won't tell you to stop caring about her. but its not good to only think about the one's that cause pain. Try to think about the one's who make you happy" she said as she applied medicine to her palms. It should hurt but Song lin felt nothing except the pain in her heart.

"Are you reminding me indirectly to think about you shiyu?" she tried to joke. But shiyu's eyes are dead serious as she answered

"I'm glad you think that I'm someone who bring you happiness." Song lin found herself smiling despite the aching feeling she felt despite the anger she felt at her life despite the hollowness she felt inside her..she found herself smiling at the girl who never gave up on her.

"Aren't you hungry?" Song lin asked her. Shiyu felt startled.

"Are you?" she asked as she put the towel and ointment away. Song lin didn't feel the slightest bit hungry but she knew Shiyu wouldn't touch anything until she did. So she smiled and got up

"Yeah. Come lets eat something" she said.