MG2018 - Ximen + Xiaoyou

Part 9

It was late when the ship finally arrived at the port. Ximen alighted from the ship after bidding Master Qi goodbye, and he turned on his phone. His eyes widened at the number of missed calls and messages that came in. He scrolled to the very first message. 

2:14PM - From: Xiaoyou - Ximen, I have something important to tell you. You have to see me today, okay? I'll wait for you at the third stop of Lujiazui Metro Station. You have to be there. Okay?

Ximen quickly checked his watch. It was already 2AM! Had Xiaoyou been waiting for him at the station for 12 hours?! He felt sick to his stomach at the thought, and hurriedly went through the voice mails. They were all from F4, each one increasing in annoyance and impatience as they told him how long they had been waiting for him at the coffee shop. The last one came from Daoming Si, and Ximen shut his eyes as he heard Si say, "Ximen. It's past midnight. You're still not here. What's going on? We won't leave until you get here. And if you don't arrive soon, we can't be friends anymore. Because Shancai will kill us all. We will all be dead. See you in the next life." He sagged against the wall. He had kept everyone waiting. He had kept her waiting, not just tonight, but for months. Was he really worth the wait?

He drove as fast as he could to the coffee shop and rushed inside. He stopped in his tracks when he saw that the coffee shop was empty except for his friends and Xiaoyou. His friends stood up and made a commotion around him, but his eyes were locked on Xiaoyou. She looked different. She had cut her hair, and the pixie cut made her beautiful brown eyes look even wider. She looked beautiful, and his heart was thundering in his chest at the sight of her. "Cut it out, let Xiaoyou speak to him," he heard Shancai say, and all of a sudden, Xiaoyou was standing in front of him. They stared at one another in silence, then she took his hand and said, "There's something you need to see. We need to hurry." He nodded at her and they left hand in hand.

Ximen followed Xiaoyou's directions and parked his car in front of a building. As they got out, she looked up at the sky and said, "That's great. It's still dark. We still have a chance." He looked at her in confusion, but before he could ask, she said, "The elevators aren't working at this hour. We can only take the stairs to the rooftop." His eyes widened as he took in the height of the building, "What?" She grabbed his arm. "There's no time to waste," she said, dragging him to the entrance of the building. She pushed her way into the stairwell, and he knew that she had been here before. They began to climb, and Ximen couldn't help but look at Xiaoyou as she led the way. What was waiting for them up there? Why was it so important that he see it at this hour? Suddenly, he remembered that someone else had asked him to meet her at the rooftop of the building at this hour too. Could it be...? Ximen's heart dropped to his stomach as he prayed that he was wrong. He wouldn't be able to bear it if Xiaoyou had tracked down Xiaogeng then decided to play matchmaker between them. He needed to tell her that he loved her, not Xiaogeng. That he hadn't even thought of Xiaogeng in all the years that had gone by. Xiaoyou had his heart, and he needed to tell her that he was ready to love her.

Suddenly, Xiaoyou stumbled and Ximen caught her arm. They were both getting winded from the climb. He held her arm as they slowly continued their way up, but he could feel Xiaoyou tiring as she gripped the stair rail. "Can you still go on?" he asked worriedly. She took out her phone and checked the time. It was 4:47AM. "I'm fine. There's no time," she panted, "Why don't you go ahead?" Ximen set his jaw. There was no way that he was leaving her here. He took her hand and led the rest of the way up the stairs until they finally reached the rooftop.

To his relief, there was no one there. It was only him and Xiaoyou. They walked to the middle and Xiaoyou looked up at the sky. "I think it's almost time," she said, and he looked at her in confusion. She took a deep breath then explained, "I searched all over before I found this building. I remember you told me that Xiaogeng asked you to come during this season, at this time." At the mention of Xiaogeng's name, Ximen felt a dullness inside. He didn't want to think of the past anymore. He wanted to focus on his present and future with Xiaoyou. But before he could say anything, she said, "At first I didn't get it. It was until yesterday morning when I saw the news about the cold waves. Then I knew that if you miss the timing, she would never have a chance to tell you--" Ximen pulled her to him and kissed her, but she pushed him away. "Look over there," "she pointed, and he followed the direction of her finger.

The building she was pointing at had a sign that read, "Ximen Building, My Beloved". He watched as the sun slowly rose, and the sun's rays shone on the word "Building", a blinding brightness that effectively erased the word so that the sign read "Ximen, My Beloved." His eyes widened at the sight, and he finally understood what Xiaogeng had wanted to tell him all those years ago. He was filled with sadness that he had let that chance pass him by, but he felt even sadder thinking that Xiaoyou thought he needed this closure.

He felt tears come to his eyes as he now realized how much Xiaoyou really loved him-- she had gone through all the trouble of searching for this building to decode a love message from a woman in his past, all because she thought it was important for him to know. None of it benefited her; in fact, it must have even hurt her to try to guess what Xiaogeng had wanted to say. Her selflessness and sacrifice made him feel ashamed of himself and his cowardice.

He turned to her now, his cheeks wet with his tears, and he whispered, "Silly girl." She looked at him with compassion, and he knew she thought he was talking about Xiaogeng. He reached for her hand and pulled her to him, wrapping her in a tight hug. "Xiaogeng has been in my past for a very long time. I had made my peace with what happened between us, and I don't have any regrets about that," he said softly, holding her head to his chest. "Don't you know that my heart beats only for you now?"

She tried to pull away from him, but he held her closer. "Xiaoyou. I understand now. You've been through so much for me, climbing all those buildings just to find a message that doesn't even concern you. Love means going through pain, sacrificing for the happiness of the one you love." He tilted her chin up to meet his gaze, and he saw the tears brimming in her eyes. "It's my turn now to show you how much I love you," he smiled softly when he saw her eyes widen at him. "The only thing greater than my fear of hurting you is my fear of losing you," he said, "And I can't ever lose you. Not now, not ever." He caressed her cheek gently and said, "You're the best thing that has ever happened in my life, Xiaoyou. Letting go of my fears will take time, but if you'll have me--" She put a finger on his lips to shush him, her eyes shining with tears. "You've always had me, Ximen," she said shakily, "We'll work through it together." He smiled and said, "I love you, Xiaoyou." She smiled through her tears and replied, "I love you, Ximen." They held each other, kissing passionately as the sun shone brighter, lighting up the sky.

Finally, they pulled apart breathlessly, and Ximen ran his fingers through Xiaoyou's short hair. "I like this look on you," he smiled tenderly, and she touched her hair. "I was ready for a change," she smiled back, that wide smile he loved on her. "So am I," he said simply, reaching for her hand as he led her down the stairs. They walked out into the sunshine, ready to face a new day and a new chapter of their lives, together.