QT: Against My Will (Volume 2)

5.4 - Her Fourth Lifetime - His Intellectual & Her Genius

° After earning her PhD, Xue Bi received a position in France. She and Zu Kai were set to leave in a month.

° "Do you want a hug before I leave?" After asking so, Xue Bi felt the silent storm occurring between the two brothers.

° Blinking his eyes in confusion, Lu Kai nodded his head before Zu Kai could voice out a word of objection. As Xue Bi wrapped him in a tentative hug, he felt his defenses soften. He encircled his arms around her shoulders and waist, drawing her in closer.

° Despite the piercing pain in his chest and the heaviness in his stomach, it fluttered at the feeling of her body pressed against his. He drowned in her warmth and the smell of her freshly bathed skin as he listened to her quiet sobbing, "You don't have to feel guilty. Good luck with your research."

° "And you...sniff... don't have to...sniff... behave like an adult. Although, I do like this side of you," she said.

° Lu Kai chuckled in response. "Be happy," he said softly.

° "What nonsense...Sniff...I'm always happy," she said, trying to pull away, but he wouldn't let go. "Lu Kai, this is strange. You're not covered in my puke. Lu Kai...sniff...Hurry, and grow up faster...Sniff...I don't want to be turned into a pēdophile."

° "Xue Bi, I'm six feet tall..." Lu Kai couldn't help but wonder what kind of bizarre love confession she was giving him. With a suppressed grin, he tucked his face into the crook of her neck, "Do you want me to move to France?"

° "Are there any good doctors?" she asked.

° Lu Kai looked up at his brother.

° "There are," Zu Kai confirmed, pulling out his phone as if on cue. "I'll go get things sorted out," he added, giving the two some much-needed privacy as he stepped away.

° "See?" Lu Kai said, patting her back gently, "Xue Bi. How many more tears do you want to bestow on me? My whole shirt is drenched."

° "I'll buy you a new one—a shirt that's specifically designed to absorb tears," she said, sniffing for what she hoped was the last time. "It's getting late. I'll come see you tomorrow. Lu Kai... as much as I enjoy this hug, I can't be responsible for your shirt turning into a drool sponge too."

° Hearing her humorous attempt to morph her sniffles into snores, Lu Kai chuckled, "No... I like this shirt the most. You have to wash it for me."

° "Alright," she agreed.

° "With your hands," he added.

° "Alright," she repeated.

° Taking a deep breath, Lu Kai finally let go of her and removed his shirt. He watched how she placed it inside her backpack carefully.

° Before leaving with her dogs, Xue Bi gave him a wave, her smile wide but visibly strained.

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° When he was finally alone, Lu Kai curled up on his bed. His walls, the walls that held him up, and made him strong just... collapsed. Tears flowed freely as he pressed his hands hard against his chest, nails digging into his own flesh. He started a bad habit that would follow him in the upcoming lifetimes.

° Clawing at his skin, Lu Kai wondered how it was possible for something to inflict so much pain. Ripping through his muscles, bones, and guts, their memories changed from being some of the best in the world to something incredibly sad and painful.

° Why did she have to reciprocate his feelings when there was no future between them anymore? His body would last a month at most before he would end up in a coma. Then what? She would have to take care of a cripple.