MG2018 - Compilation: One Shots

The Love Confession

After tonight's big revelation, Daoming Si could hardly fall asleep. Making his way quietly through the house, Si stepped out into the balcony and was surprised to find Shancai there. He hesitated, then stepped to her and wrapped his arms around her from behind. She startled, then instantly relaxed into his arms, as if her body instinctively knew it was him. 

They stood that way in silence for a while, then he rested his chin on her shoulder and whispered, "Shancai?" "Hmm?" she replied. "Did you mean what you said earlier?" he asked softly. Yes, she confessed her feelings, but he could never be too sure with her. Especially not after... he shook his head viciously, refusing to think of that horrible night in the rain.

He felt her take a deep breath, and his heart tightened in fear. "Daoming Si. I've always loved you," she said quietly, "I just didn't always know it." He turned to look at her and dared to say the one name he always feared could change everything. "Lei?" She nodded. His heart almost stopped, but he kept his arms around her as if to stake his claim over her.

"It was easy with Lei," she said softly, looking deep into the night, "He was nice to me when you were being so mean. I somehow knew what he was about, and I could never understand you." He kept quiet, knowing that it was rare that Shancai would share so much and this could be his only chance to clear things up once and for all. "But the moment he kissed me," she said, and he closed his eyes at the pain of the memory, "I knew it was all wrong." His eyes flew open in surprise. "And when I saw how I had hurt you, I felt a pain so deep inside me that the intensity scared me." She took another deep breath and he was surprised to feel her trembling. "My own feelings made me so afraid, so confused, especially with everything and everyone around us saying that we shouldn't be together. So I could only manage to show you a little at a time." She leaned into him and his heart skipped a beat at that tiny movement. "That night in the elevator. My winning recipe at the cooking competition. The cookies on your birthday. The bento box on the rooftop." All memories that made him smile and his heart swell, now that he knew they meant something to her.

"When those gangsters took me, I prayed so hard you wouldn't come because I didn't want to see you get hurt. And then I felt everything they did to you, and I was so scared when I thought you had died. It was then that I knew I couldn't live without you." She turned around to face him, still trapped in his arms. Looking down at her now, he saw how all of those words had taken so much effort from her. Now he understood just how difficult it was for her to face her feelings and find the right words to express them.

"It was when I lost you that I realized just how much I really love you. That's why I got off the bus, because I knew I would regret it for the rest of my life if I didn't fight for you. So I had to face my own fears and find that strength. Because I never want to lose you, ever again." She looked him in the eye and he saw the certainty in her eyes. "Daoming Si. I've never been good with words like you and I may still be afraid of what our future holds, but you can be sure that I love you. With everything I have, with all that I am," she declared determinedly, her entire body brimming with that quiet strength of hers that he loved.

It was the longest speech he had ever heard her say, and everything came straight from her heart. They would go back to their bickering and teasing, likely they would even hurt each other along the way, but he would never doubt her love again. "Shancai," he stared into her eyes, "thank you." He dipped his head down and he was surprised when she stood on tiptoe, meeting him halfway. Their lips met in a kiss that was filled with all the passion and love they kept pent up inside. In that exact moment, he knew-- they were finally on the same page. They would fight for this love together, side by side, until the very end.