Su Su and Ye Hua: Our Own Fairytale

Part 5

Ye Hua walked alone, looking at the peach blossom trees and remembering how he first planted them 300 years ago for Su Su.

He didn't feel guilty for yelling at her. He felt that she deserved a good scolding.

But he couldn't help feeling a bit sad. After all, she was his wife. And she'd told him to follow his mother's wishes and marry Su Jin. But he shrugged back those thoughts. She should never have disrespected his mother.

As for Bai Qian, she walked along the same peach tree forest thinking about the same thing. She wasn't exactly guilty about saying those things. She knew that it would be a long time before she forgave him.

Not seeing where each of them were going, they bumped into each other.

She looked at him and then turned away. Surges of anger flooded into him as he prepared to shout at her to go away.

"You don't have to tell me to go away," she said, as if reading his mind. "I will leave and I won't bother you again." She walked off and then vanished into thin air.

She must have gone back to Qing Qiu. He thought.

But she hadn't. She'd gone to find Zhe Yan. She wanted the amnesia potion, truly and fully.

"The amnesia potion. You owe me that." Bai Qian said.

Zhe Yan squirmed uncomfortably on his seat. "Look, Xiao Wu-"

"Give me the amnesia potion. End of story."

"I promised Ye Hua I wouldn't let you drink it."

"Then you can break it." Bai Qian's voice was unnaturally sharp. "I will rescind this offer of marriage, and so whatever oath you've made with him dies along with the marriage proposal. Give it to me now, Zhe Yan, before I lose my temper."

Zhe Yan didn't want to see her lose her temper but he was unwilling to give it to her. After all, he knew Ye Hua loved her. He stood up.

"Why don't I have a talk with Ye Hua about this?"

"What's the point?" Bai Qian demanded.

"The point is, I made this promise to him, and naturally I must speak to him whether I can break it. You know about promises, Xiao Wu. If you break them, it will come back to you."

"Fine. Talk to him all you want. My answer doesn't change. It won't." She stormed away, furious with both Ye Hua and Zhe Yan.

Zhe Yan smiled. But he knew this would be a very tricky step. He had to convince Ye Hua that he had broken her heart so deeply that she now wanted to forget it all. He had to make him believe that stopping Bai Qian from doing so would be a critical thing.

He stepped off the platform and went in search of Ye Hua.
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When he found Ye Hua, he found him venting his anger on a twig littered with peach blossom fragments. A dozen more lay at his feet.

He strode over.

"My Grove is precious, if you mind." He said patiently. "I would advise you not to destroy it. After all, it's one of the places you two love."

Ye Hua looked up, then tossed the twig on the ground and frowned. "Two of us?"

Zhe Yan cocked his head. "Xiao Wu, of course."

He looked away. "I have nothing more to say to her, nor nothing to do with her."

"Maybe not." Zhe Yan shrugged. "That is between the two of you. But I just thought you should know that she came to me a while ago."

"So?" Ye Hua's face remained blank and expressionless.

"She came for the amnesia potion." Zhe Yan said.

Ye Hua's head jerked up. Again? She had promised him, didn't she? Despite his anger, he felt a tinge of guilt. Had his mother hurt her so much she wanted to forget it all?

"So did you give it to her?" He asked.

"No, I told her I would have a talk with you first. After all, I made this promise with you. It's only right that I speak with you about breaking it." Zhe Yan looked at him. "So will you let me break it and give it to her? It might lessen her suffering."

"No," Ye Hua snapped instinctively. Then he realised he was being a little rude. "I mean... please don't, High God Zhe Yan. I will talk to her."

Zhe Yan nodded. "I hope that works out. By the way, Ye Hua, she is very angry. She said that her answer will not change, no matter what anyone does. So I hope you will make the effort."

Ye Hua nodded listlessly. Zhe Yan walked off, chuckling lightly at Xiao Wu's disastrous love life. He knew both of them had already forgiven each other, but were just stubborn. But he also knew how they were with each other. They had sharp mouths but soft hearts. He knew they would make up eventually.
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Bai Qian paced up and down the small hut. She wondered what that old phoenix had told Ye Hua. She hoped that he hadn't changed the story and made it to his own favour.

She suddenly saw Ye Hua appear at the door of the hut. She remembered their argument and turned away.

She didn't even react when he stepped into the hut. She only whirled around when she felt him tap her shoulder.

"What now?" She snapped irritably.

"Are you really going to drink the amnesia potion?" He asked with no preamble.

"Why can't I?" She challenged him. "You can't decide what I should do with my life for me!"

Ye Hua's shoulders sagged. She was for real this time. But no matter what, he had to change her mentality.

"Please, Qian Qian," he pleaded, his cool facade fading away. "I'm sorry for whatever my mother said to you. I'm sorry that..."

"And I'm sorry I ever believed you and followed you up to the Celestial Palace." Bai Qian cut in. "I'm sorry that I was such a fool, trusting that your mother wouldn't make things hard for me again!"

Ye Hua was shocked at her harshness. He never thought that she was one to be harsh with people, except maybe Shao Xing.

She turned away, seething with anger. Ye Hua nodded silently, seeing that there was no way he could stop her.

"Very well then," he said. "Drink it. It won't matter anymore." And then he left the hut, leaving Bai Qian with very jumbled thoughts in her mind.