Back in the Liu villa, Yukito tiredly collapsed on the bed. He took the pillow and covered his face with it.
Tears trickled down his eyes and made the pillow damp.
“Yukito…are you tired of me? Are you tired of this relationship?”
He clutched the pillow tighter.
You are such an idiot. How could you ask me that stupid question? How can you even think that my heart would sway for Wang Ling?
Jing, don’t you know me at all? Did you never trust me?
The more he recalled what happened in the evening, the more vigorously tears plopped out, and he trembled.
Suddenly, he felt somebody gently putting the blanket over him and covering him.
He stiffened.
J-Jing…?
He quickly shifted the pillow, but to his surprise, he saw little Nuo looking at him concerned. She was doing her best carrying the heavy blanket and draping it over him.
“Uncle Yukito. Are you cold?” she worriedly looked at him. Then she slid herself to his side and patted his head.
“You don’t have a fever.”
“Ah? Ah no…” Yukito smiled and took Nuo in his lap. “I am not sick. But thank you for the blanket. You are so cute,” he lightly tapped on her nose.
Nuo frowned. “But you were twembeling.”
His heart melted, seeing his adorable niece so anxious for him.
Then she looked more afraid. “Uncle! You are crying. Are you hurt anywhere? Wait, I will call Mama.”
“No, no! Don’t call Nee-chan. I-I wasn’t crying.”
She furrowed her brows. “But your eyes are wet.”
Yukito panicked. “Ah, that…some dirt went in my eyes, so that’s why. Don’t worry.”
“Reallyyyy?”
The end of that word sounded as if she didn’t believe him.
Yukito felt guilty for lying to a child, but he couldn’t do anything else.
“Yes. Really.”
“Alwight,” Nuo nodded, “And are you and Uncle Jing fighting?”
He froze, and his smile faltered. He tensed up.
“W-why do you say so?”
“You did not talk at all, and you seem angry. I also don’t talk to bro Jun when I am angry. I pout.”
Yukito nervously chuckled.
Damn it. Even Nuo noticed the weird atmosphere between us. I shouldn’t let anybody else find out.
“Haha. We were just acting.”
“Acting?”
“Yes. We thought to prank you kids, so we pretended to be mad at each other. Haha, you fell for it!”
Nuo harrumphed and put her hands on her waist, puffing her cheeks. “Uncle Yukito and Uncle Jing are meanies. I will tell your name to Mama!”
“No, no, no!” Yukito panicked. Nana was perceptive about these things, so she would definitely figure out that it wasn’t a prank.
He bowed his head. “Oh, princess Nuo. Please forgive this humble servant of yours. I promise I will never prank you again.”
“Hmph!” she turned her head away. “I am still mad!”
“Pretty pleaaaasssseeee. I will give you lots of chocolates and toys, but please forgive me.”
She flinched at his bribe. “You pwomise?”
He nodded hard. “Yes, I promise!”
She smiled, satisfied. “Nuo forgives you then. Don’t do it again. I don’t like to see my favorite uncles fighting,” then she patted his cheek.
“Aww, thank you so much,” he kissed her cheek. “Nuo is the best!”
Then he asked hesitatingly. “What if…we were fighting for real?”
Nuo blinked her eyes and held his chin. “Then you should talk and not be mad anymore. When I fight with bro, Mama always makes us talk. She don’t let us go till we talk. Then we say sorry, and we play again.”
Yukito felt stupid.
Nee-chan used to do the same whenever Yukira and I fought at times. But what happened today…I don’t think there isn’t anything left to talk…
Then he cleared his throat. “Can you promise me not to tell about this to anybody? Please?”
Nuo tapped her finger on her chin. “Alwight.”
“Thanks.”
“Nuo, where are you? Come here, dear,” It was Nana’s voice, “You didn’t eat your veggies.”
Nuo sulked at the mention of veggies. “Mama is calling me…”
He chuckled. “Yes, yes. Go.”
As she left, Yukito collapsed back on the bed, staring at the ceiling in a daze.
—
Jing was in a similar condition as Yukito in his room. His eyes had turned pinkish because he had been doing nothing but crying for the last hour.
His head was a complete mess, and he didn’t know what was right or wrong anymore. He wished to run off to Yukito’s side and hug him hard, but now there was this huge gap between them.
“Uncle Jing, don’t cry like a baby.” Jian shook his head.
“Even Nuo doesn’t cry like that. Like hell, not even our baby brother Jin,” Nian joined his twin.
Jun was quietly reading his book, and he said without even raising his head. “You make a mistake, and then you cry over spilled milk…” he mumbled. “Then why make a mistake in the first place?”
All the three brothers were mercilessly attacking Jing’s already crushed heart.
Where Nuo was so gentle with Yukito, her brothers were the complete opposite.
Jing asked, “How do you know if it’s my fault?”
Jian, Nian, and Jun said together, “Because you are too hyper. You jump to conclusions too soon.”
Another arrow stabbed right through him.
Jun glanced at him sideways, “We are not saying that you are at fault every time.”
Nian nodded. “But compared to Uncle Yukito, you decide things too quickly and even express it without thinking much.”
Jian bounced the ball up and down on the floor and said, “And on the other side, Uncle Yukito doesn’t like to talk much, which is also troubling.”
The three said together again, “So we can see roughly where the problem lies. Communication gap.”
Even though the trio was young, they were not to be underestimated. For a while, they felt that something was going on between Jing and Yukito.
The reason was simple.
They gave off the same feeling they saw in their own parents.
Love.
So, it wasn’t hard to guess that they were a couple.
Jing pursed his lips. “You may be right. But I really feel that Yukito doesn’t like me as much before…”
And then big drops of tears plopped out again.
“He said to keep a distance from now on. How will I do that? I will die without him.”
