My Youth Began With Him

“I’m not crazy… I mean every word I said. I thought that I’d die under your gun.. and maybe then, I’d be set free. But now… I’m probably even more of a piece of baggage to you. I’m not dead, but our relationship is… Rick, you don’t owe me anything. I blame myself for being too stubborn, too caught up in us… maybe I forced someone into something he didn’t want. If the experience of life or death can’t even bring us back together, let’s just leave it as is. Otherwise, we’ll both be exhausted… ” Xixi broke away from Rick’s hand, her eyes dim.

“Xixi, don’t think too much. Just rest and take good care of your body, okay?”

“You don’t have to worry about me. I know you’re very busy… so busy that you don’t have the time to talk to me.” Maybe it was her young age; Xixi’s words rung of childlike petulance.

“No, I’m not busy, nothing is as important as you… Xixi, I know you don’t want me to go, so I won’t go… I’ll stay with you.”

“But if you don’t leave, the New Year will pass… ” Xixi turned away from Rick’s eyes.

“Then I’ll stay with you to celebrate the New Year.” Rick seemed to have made a decision.

“But only lovers spend the New Year together. We have nothing between us… ”

“Then let’s just start being lovers and spend the New Year together.” Rick was not good at sweet-talking girls; he was simply replying to Xixi. Everything, even jokes, came out serious from his mouth.

“But we are not lovers, we have broken up for more than three years… ” Xixi pouted in a fit of pique.

“Then let’s… fall in love again… ”

“But I’m not that easy to court… you can’t decide whether or not we’re together… ” Xixi stuck up her nose.

“It’s all right. I’m patient. I’ll keep courting… until you say yes.”

Hearing Rick’s romantic words, Xixi felt a little excited. She suddenly flipped her body.

“Ah! It hurts… ” Her large movements affected her gunshot wound.

“Xixi… slow down… ” Rick’s face immediately paled.

As he got up to call for a doctor, Xixi grabbed onto him with all of her might. “Rick, what you just said… does it all count?”

“Which sentence?” Rick replied with a sincere tone.

Xixi really wanted to kill him…

“You… ” Xixi was furious.

Seeing that she was really angry, Rick immediately comforted,” Yes, of course. Calm down… don’t be angry, it’ll make your wound worse… Xixi, I meant every word of what I’ve said. I’ll get you back… okay?”

“Then… are you going to leave me this time around?” Xixi asked, worried.

“I won’t.”

“No matter what happens, you won’t leave me, right?” Xixi asked for confirmation.

“Yes.”

“Do you swear?”

“I swear… This time, no matter what happens, even if the sky falls down on us, I won’t leave you.”

Under Xixi’s relentless insistence, the iceberg known as Rick finally confessed his feelings.

Xixi couldn’t believe how fast happiness had found her. If not for her gunshot wound, Rick probably wouldn’t have been so honest.

“I’ll remember all of this. If you break your promise… I will haunt you forever… ”

“Of course.” Rick raised the corners of his mouth, his hands tightly gripping hers.

“But Xixi… I have to tell you what the nature of my job is. I am actually… ”

“A black society godfather? I know all about it.” Xixi was very calm.