Strike Back, Proud Goddess!

When Qiao Liang found Tang Xi, she had fallen asleep in a corner. Although she was asleep, there were tears beaded in the corners of her eyes. Qiao Liang squatted down and gently picked her up with pity. He thought he had woken Tang Xi up, but she rubbed his chest with her forehead and fell asleep again. Qiao Liang gazed at Tang Xi, bowed his head to kiss her between her eyebrows, and walked out of the school holding her.

The gate of the school was surrounded by journalists. Qiao Liang knew she didn’t want to expose their relationship, but Tang Xi was too eye-catching today, and the journalists could tell who she was at first glance. Just when Qiao Liang was at a loss what to do, a car suddenly pulled over in front of him. Little Six who was sent to protect Tang Xi by Qiao Liang hurriedly got of the car and opened the car door for Qiao Liang. “Young Master, this way please.”

Qiao Liang took a look at Little Six, gently put Tang Xi into the back seat, walked around the car and got in from the other side. When Little Six got in the car, Qiao Liang had gently put Tang Xi’s head on his thighs. Little Six looked at them from the rear view mirror and started the car. He closed the window and drove away.

Little Six sent them to Qiao Liang’s house. Tang Xi woke up on the way. She sat up sleepily but her neck was stiff and sore..., so she moved her neck to stretch it out but instead pulled a muscle. It ached so much that she burst into tears and looked at Qiao Liang. Qiao Liang didn’t expect Tang Xi would pull a muscle in her neck... he smiled helplessly, and gently massaged her neck for her. “You lazy cat...”

Tang Xi curled her lips and sat closer to Qiao Liang as she said with a smile, “I revised my design drawings and slept late last night, and you broke my heart just now, so I cried, cried and fell asleep...” She said, her voice full of frustration.

Qiao Liang gazed at Tang Xi, continued to massage her neck, and took her hand with one of his. He asked in a low voice, “Can you tell me how I broke your heart?”

They could take this chance and have a good talk, Qiao Liang thought... A sad gleam was in Tang Xi’s eyes. She looked up at Qiao Liang and asked in a low voice, “You don’t know?”

Qiao Liang sighed and looked at Tang Xi. “I broke your heart because I asked to break up with you, right?”

“No, Qiao Liang.” Tang Xi gazed at Qiao Liang and shook her head. Qiao Liang frowned. “Then what did I do to hurt you?”

“You don’t trust me.” Tang Xi pursed her lips. “You wanted to break up with me, because you were afraid I would be sad. But Qiao Liang, if you die, you know what I will do? I’ll think you don’t trust me, don’t trust the fact that I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and I’ll think you don’t love me at all...”

Qiao Liang froze. He gazed at Tang Xi who continued. “Although it turned out that you didn’t have cancer, I still hate you. I hate you because you abandoned me, the one who loved you so much. I hate you because you made me fall asleep in despair and agony and forced me to wake up from the dreams with you in them every day! The reality kept reminding me how painful it was to miss you, how cruel it was to hate you... and how short life truly is.”

“Do you know, Qiao Liang, at the moment that I died, I was thinking, oh, I’m finally relieved from the love, hatred and missing of you. And I was thinking my life was really sad. I didn’t have you by side when I died. God was so unfair to me, but then when I opened my eyes, I found I was reborn into the body of another girl to whom God was unfair too! However, I met you again in her body.

Qiao Liang quietly listened to her, clenching his fists. He felt as if a giant hand was gripping his heart then loosening it, repeating this process over and over again until it almost suffocated him...

Tang Xi could tell from Qiao Liang’s look that he was in pain, but...

“Do you know, Qiao Liang? At the moment that I met you again, I wanted to take revenge on you. I then heard about what happened to you all these years, however... I came to know that you had been regretting, trying to get me back, and hating me for my coldness throughout the past five years, so my heart softened. It turned out that when I was missing you, the one who I was missing was also missing me in those five years. The one who I had been missing was also missing me... I was in his heart, in his mind... so I decided I had to make you recognize me, or make you fall in love with me again, then we would live happily ever after, and I would never tell you I was actually Tang Xi...”

“But then I fell into a coma... I saw how desperate you were when you were in Long Beach. I couldn’t bear it anymore. I wanted to tell you I was Tang Xi, even if you would take me as a lunatic. So I told you I was Tang Xi who always loved you and who was loved by you.” Tang Xi held Qiao Liang’s hand tightly, looked up at him and implored, “Ah Liang, I know you are blaming yourself for causing me to die. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t go traveling, but I think I’m to blame too. You couldn’t fall asleep because of me. If you tell me now you care so much for me because of a sense of guilt, then I would rather give up this relationship, but if you really love me, please don’t blame yourself anymore... okay?”

Qiao Liang gazed deeply into Tang Xi’s eyes. It had been quite a while before he smiled and whispered, “Silly girl, are you complaining about me or trying to ease my anxiety?”

“Both.” Tang Xi looked at Qiao Liang. “What I want to tell you is that I did want to marry you, but now I don’t. Without a perfect proposal, I won’t marry you!”

Qiao Liang stared at Tang Xi in astonishment and after quite a while, he finally realized what she just said. “Do you mean you will marry me if you’re satisfied with my proposal?”

Tang Xi snorted. “No way! It can’t be that easy. I’m only 23 years old. I don’t want to get married!”

Qiao Liang. “...” It wasn’t the first time he had heard this reason.

Tang Xi enjoyed the helpless look of Qiao Liang, smiled at him and raised her eyebrows. “You’re too old for me. I’m still a little girl, and I have never been in love... umm...”