Shell Of A Fairy

A young woman was sitting silently at the veranda with a framed picture in her grasp. The cold piercing wind of the night didn't seem to affect her as she continued to stare far off into the distance. It didn't take long before a drop of tear finally rolled off her eyes and slowly fell onto the thin glass that shielded the picture.

How many years has it been? She thought.

Bai Ruoxi's hold on the frame tightened as the memories of that day slowly came back to haunt her again, like how it always did every night. She would remember the day he brought a bunch of roses and the mess in the kitchen after he'd tried to make her dinner. She would feel the pain as he slowly walked away onto the plane. She would then yield to the heartbreak and hopelessness of that night when the news of Gu Yin's passing was brought to her.

She wasn't sad, no, to say she was sad had to be an understatement. She lost a part of her soul, a piece of her mind, and a fragment of her heart. The spoiled and mischievous sides of her were gone along with him, leaving just an empty shell of a fairy who could only wail and mourn her now gone lover.

There was not a day when Bai Ruoxi didn't blame herself for his death. If only.. if only she had asked him to stay just a while longer. If only she had convinced him to not leave the country. If only death could be merciful to not rob away her source of life. He would've been right beside her right now. They would start their university lives and continued to love each other, take over their families' companies and then have a grand wedding.

But it was as if Heaven hated her for being the malicious and sinister woman that she used to be, thus bestowed upon her a punishment that she never knew could be so painful, so hurtful that many times before she'd tried to end everything.

"Gu Yin... I can't do this anymore..." she whispered, hoping that along the line he would hear her plead and take her away with him.

Echo of her cries was heard by almost everybody in the mansion. The maids and butlers would silently cry as they too felt the heartbreak she'd been enduring. Her parents sometimes blamed themselves for they were the ones who recommended the university abroad for him. Not a single person in the Bai Mansion didn't mourn on this night which was very much similar to the one when Gu Yin was forcefully taken away.

She wept for the whole windy night until the sky decided to cry along with her.

The next morning, Bai Ruoxi found herself waking up on her bed, safely tucked under the blanket. Someone must have figured she would fall asleep at the veranda instead of getting inside her room even after the rain started to fall. A small thin smile then found its way onto her lips. At least she still had her family.

Bai Ruoxi lazed around for a few more minutes before finally getting off her bed. She had a seminar to attend this morning and couldn't afford to be late. Not when the Professor is her grandfather's good friend. She would be turned into a roast duck!

She hurriedly strode into her spacious walk-in-closet filled with luxurious and shiny things she'd never touched ever since that day. Bai Ruoxi had shut herself from the elite society as well as the outside world for a little more than three years. She was only seen leaving the manor for Imperial City University to attend exams and some important subjects. Aside from that, she was locked away behind her bedroom door.

"I look terrible," she mumbled in front of the mirror. Bai Ruoxi was once known as the Number One Beauty in the whole Imperial City. Her palm-sized face was decorated with a pair of sparkling brown eyes similar to those of a feline, her full lips were once the color of fresh peach, a perfectly formed pointed nose and fair skin soft and smooth as jade.

But after the loss of her other half, she had never bothered to take care of herself anymore. Her once shining black hair that reached her waist had been cut all the way to her shoulder blades. Her bed hair stuck out everywhere, it was messy and unruly.

With a heavy sigh, Bai Ruoxi grabbed a cream-colored sweater and a pair of jeans that fit just right, then headed into the bathroom for a quick shower. Fifteen minutes after, she stepped out fully dressed and feeling fresh. Before leaving her room, she planted a kiss on the framed picture of Gu Yin and her.

"I'm heading out." She smiled, putting the picture back and stepped out of her room.

Bai Ruoxi half ran down the stairs and intended to immediately leave, but she spotted her mother walking towards her without a loving smile. "Good morning," she greeted sheepishly.

Xu Liluo was pleasantly surprised to finally see her daughter stepping out of her room. She figured there must be an important class that Bai Ruoxi needed to attend. "Morning, honey. Have your breakfast before leaving. There's your favorite banana milk." She linked her arm to her daughter's and guided her to their dining room.

"No, actually... I'm running late, I need to go now."

"You can get just Ming Lu to drive you!"

Just the mere mention of Ming Lu caused Bai Ruoxi to shudder in fear. There's no way she's going to let that mad man drive her. Ming Lu was a former international racer that was forced to leave his team after they accused him of something he didn't do. Bai Shizhen, her father then picked him up and had Ming Lu worked as their chauffeur ever since.

"No way!"

"No worries, no worries!" Xu Liluo exclaimed happily. It had been quite sometimes since their little family last dined together. She wasn't going to let this chance slip just like that!

"But--"

Bai Ruoxi was about to shrug off Xu Liluo arm on hers when she saw the smile on her mother's face. With a sigh, Bai Ruoxi decided to give in and let Xu Liluo drag her.