Hua Cheng and Xie Lian were sitting in the courtyard of the palace, enjoying the warm sun on their faces. They had been together for a few months now, and their love for each other only grew stronger every day.
But today, their peaceful afternoon together was disrupted by an argument.
"I can't believe you did that, gege," Hua Cheng said, his voice low and even.
Xie Lian looked up from his book, his eyes narrowing in confusion. "What did I do?"
"You know exactly what you did," Hua Cheng replied, his jaw clenched. "You promised to meet me here at this time, but you're an hour late. And now you're just going to ignore me and continue reading your book?"
Xie Lian sighed and closed his book, his eyes flashing with annoyance. "I'm sorry, San Lang. I didn't mean to cause any trouble. I got held up at the palace."
Hua Cheng stood up, his eyes blazing with anger. "You're always getting held up at the palace! You never have time for me anymore. It's like you've forgotten about me!"
Xie Lian stood up as well, his eyes cold and hard. "How could I forget about you? You're the one I love. But maybe you've forgotten about me. Maybe you've forgotten how much I've sacrificed for you."
Hua Cheng's face twisted in anger. "Sacrifices? What sacrifices? All you do is go off and do whatever you want, without ever thinking about how I feel!"
Xie Lian's eyes flashed with hurt. "That's not true! I do think about you, Hua Cheng. But sometimes, I have to do what's best for the kingdom. And sometimes, that means I can't be with you as much as I want to be."
Hua Cheng's anger boiled over, and he stormed off, leaving Xie Lian standing alone in the courtyard.
Xie Lian watched him go, his heart heavy with sadness. He knew he had hurt Hua Cheng, but he couldn't keep sacrificing his own happiness for the sake of the kingdom. He hoped that someday, Hua Cheng would understand.
Word count: 347
