"Yu...Zhiye, what happened to you?"

Xi, who had changed into the dress we saw her in the first time we met, walked into the living room after pushing open the front door.

"Why are you back?"

When did she come back? I remember she ran away on her own without saying anything.

I felt angry, but the pain in my body suppressed my anger.

"Xi... I just came back to take a shower and change clothes."

Xi said softly.

"So, it was you..."

"Yu, don't be angry..." Xi closed her eyes and looked scared. Did she think I was going to hit her? I don't have the energy to discipline her now.

"It's enough that you're back safely."

Seeing that she wasn't hurt, I felt relieved. After all, both Zhiye and I got injured.

"Yu... How did you scrape your knee... and why is Zhiye's clothes so dirty?"

Xi looked surprised. If she had seen the scene earlier, she might have been speechless.

"Zhiye, don't worry about me... first, check your own injuries."

"Miss Xi, can you bring me the first aid kit?"

"Oh..." Xi still had a clueless look on her face. "Where is the first aid kit? I don't know."

Xi looked around like a headless fly.

"It's in the cabinet next to you, with a vase on top."

"Ah... Found it!"

With Zhiye's guidance, Xi finally found the first aid kit.

"Jie, you sit down first... let me take a look."

Zhiye helped me sit on the sofa and rolled up my pants.

The knee area of my pants had been scraped, and there was a bloody mess.

I didn't expect that a simple fall would result in such a serious injury, thinking that it was just a scrape.

"It hurts a little, Jie, bear with it." The disinfectant stung as Zhiye poured it on the wound, making me grimace in pain.

After a few minutes of treatment, a piece of gauze was placed on the wound.

"Zhiye... Didn't I say to check on yourself first before worrying about me?"

I said with a slightly reproachful tone.

"I am worried about Jie's condition. What if there's an infection? It wouldn't be good. I'm fine."

"It's not fine..." How could she be fine after taking that punch?

"I really am fine, Jie, don't worry." Zhiye said in a relaxed tone, and then got up. "I'll go change out of these dirty clothes."

Zhiye went into the bedroom.

"Yu, why did you scrape your knee? And it looks like there's a lot of blood. It must be painful." Xi seems to be feeling sorry for me. "Did you fall because of Xi?"

Xi blamed herself again, but quickly noticed something else wrong. "Why are Zhiye's clothes so dirty? What happened?"

"Maybe I should be asking you that."

"Me?" Xi looked puzzled.

"What was the purpose of your visit?"

"Purpose? Xi just wanted to see you... to be with you."

"It's probably not that simple, is it?"

I suddenly interrupted Xi, and she trembled.

"Why would you say that? Xi didn't have any intention of hurting you or any ill intentions, really."

"Then, what about those two men in black?"

"Men in black? Which two men in black? Xi has never seen them before."

Xi strongly denied,

"Why would those two men in black attack me and Zhiye?"

"Xi can't understand what you're saying, Xi has never seen those two men in black."

Looking at Xi's expression, it didn't seem like she was lying, but...right, I seemed to have forgotten something important. Those two men in black wanted me to stay away from Xi, to have no contact with her.

Why would they make such a request? Who are they, and why are they doing this? It seems like they have a hidden master.

"There's something I want to ask you, and you must answer me honestly," I asked seriously.

"What is it? What does Yu want to ask? Xi's measurements, height, weight, hobbies? Xi won't tell you," Xi covered her head, her eyes turned into ><.

"If Yu really wants to know, Xi needs to consider it first."

"Be serious!" I couldn't help raising my voice.

"Xi knows, so Yu, stop hitting Xi."

I didn't intend to hit her head again, why was she so scared?

Feeling a bit helpless, I continued, "What is Xi's true identity?"

"Identity? Xi is just an ordinary person like you, right?"

"Are you lying to me?"

"Why would you say Xi is lying...Xi didn't lie to you," Xi's gaze was clearly evasive.

"If you continue to hide the truth, it means you're disregarding my life and death."

"Why? Is there any danger for Yu?"

Xi looked puzzled.

"The reason I ended up like this is because of this."

After hearing this, Xi still didn't understand what I was saying. Maybe she really didn't know about certain things, so I didn't beat around the bush, "When Xi ran away, suddenly two men in black took me to a corner. They were tall and muscular, wearing black suits. At first, I thought they were members of a gang, but they told me not to have any contact with you and promised me benefits. But when I refused, they attacked me. Of course, the injuries were caused by myself falling. The one who really saved me was Zhiye. He took a punch to the abdomen for me. Thinking about it makes me angry, but I still don't understand why they would say that. What is the connection between Xi and the master they mentioned?"

Xi's face suddenly became heavy.

"Do you know anything?" I asked.

But Xi shook her head, "I don't know."

"Then what kind of person is Xi?" I returned to my previous question.

"...Xi is the daughter of a wealthy family," Xi hesitated, but slowly said, "I am a rich young lady."

"A rich young lady?" I was surprised. Why would a rich young lady come to my house? I couldn't understand.

Perhaps seeing the confusion on my face, Xi explained, "I have a purpose in coming here, but it's definitely not to harm you or disrupt your life. You can rest assured about that... As for this matter, although Xi is still not sure, Xi will not allow such a thing to happen again. I won't let you get hurt even a little bit."

Xi's eyes were determined. I knew she wasn't lying, but what was her ultimate goal? I missed the opportunity because of Zhiye's sudden appearance.

2

It was late at night, and unexpectedly, I couldn't sleep. Tonight, there was a bright moon in the sky, but for some reason, I couldn't see any stars. Did the stars hide away?

Leaving the moon hanging alone in the sky.

I vaguely understood what Yu had said. I didn't expect Father to use such dirty tricks, hiring thugs to cause trouble for Yu.

So... Xi took matters into her own hands, and the time goes back an hour.

"Dad, did you send someone to go after You?" I questioned on the phone.

"What are you talking about, Xi... how could I... do something like that?" Father was obviously a little guilty, and I could feel it in his tone.

"Don't do something like this again... otherwise, Xi won't recognize you as her father," I said.

"I didn't do anything wrong... I investigated that boy, he has a girlfriend and a fiancée. Do you really want to be with someone like that and fulfill that so-called promise? Don't be foolish, daughter. In the end, you'll be the one hurt," Father argued.

"Don't meddle, Dad. Xi knows what kind of person You is," I countered. You is definitely not that kind of person.

"Daughter, I'm telling you the truth. I don't want to see you being deceived by that rotten kid," Father said.

"Stop talking, I don't want to listen. Xi just hopes you won't hurt You anymore. If you insist on doing so, then be prepared to accept the consequences!" I angrily hung up the phone. I didn't expect that it was really Father who did it. His purpose was to prevent me from fulfilling the promise in the remaining few days, thus achieving his plan of having me marry and become a tool for business transactions in Japan. Thinking of this, I felt helpless. In Father's eyes, maybe I was just a tool, a bargaining chip for personal gain. It's sad to think about it. Could that remaining crescent moon be Mom? I looked at the empty sky, only the moon shining brightly, and a feeling of longing arose. If Mom were still alive, she would definitely not allow Dad to do such a thing, right?

2

At night, I couldn't sleep well because I was worried about Zhiye, so I went to her bedroom door. My heart was pounding, but I still knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" a voice came from the bedroom.

"It's me..." I replied. After a few seconds, the bedroom door opened.

"Jie... what's the matter for you to come find me so late?" Zhiye asked.

"Well... I..." I scratched my cheek, unable to come up with a reason.

"Don't stand outside... come in and talk," Zhiye pulled me into the room and closed the door. I was surprised to see her clean and tidy bedroom, completely renewed.

"Because there's no chair, so... just sit on the bed," Zhiye sat on the bed first and gestured for me to sit next to her.

"Well... I'll just stand. I just want to say a few things," I said.

"Jie, isn't your knee injured? It's better to sit down... or do you dislike it?" Zhiye said.

"It's not like that..." I blushed and sat down.

"Jie rarely comes to find me on your own... is there something on your mind?" Zhiye asked.

"I'm just a little worried if there are any other injuries on you," I replied.

"Did Jie come to find me just for this?" Zhiye asked.

"Well, sort of," I nodded.

"I'm fine, Jie. Don't worry," Zhiye assured.

"Really? After all, you were punched in the abdomen and didn't get it checked. You might have bruises," I said.

"If you don't mind, Jie, can you check for me?" Zhiye was wearing a thin nightgown, which indeed made people's imagination run wild, no... no... I shouldn't think about that. I tried hard to push those impure thoughts out of my mind.

"It doesn't feel right for me to check on him, as long as Zhiye is okay," I tried my best not to look at Zhiye, falling into a momentary silence.

"I won't disturb your rest... Good night," I stood up and prepared to leave, but felt a force pulling me back.

"I'm glad Jie cares about me so much, but I really hope..."

The next second, Zhiye hugged me from behind.

"Jie... Jie... Can you stay with me tonight? Even just for a while," there was a pleading tone in his voice.

"Well... I should go back to my room," I said nervously and hurriedly left Zhiye's bedroom, my heart pounding.

I was flustered by Zhiye's request, my mind even went blank. When I finally reacted, I found myself already outside Zhiye's room.