Chapter 212 Endless Long Night
Cui Pei returned home to find the place shrouded in darkness.
He assumed Fan Yue wasn’t home, but when he turned on the light, he saw her curled up on the sofa, eyes open, staring at the television, which wasn’t even on.
"Yueyue." He walked over, lifted her from the sofa, kissed her hair with tenderness and passion. "Don’t worry, I’m back."
Fan Yue looked up at him with red-rimmed eyes. "Cui Pei, I went to see Little Sha today."
"Did Little Sha scold you?" Cui Pei adjusted his position, pulling her into his arms. "It’s okay, she just doesn’t understand you. It’s normal for friends to have differing opinions. Even we argue sometimes, but true feelings can withstand tests. Someday, when her anger subsides, and she thinks it through, you two will reconcile."
Fan Yue shook her head with tears in her eyes. "No, she didn’t scold me. If she had, I would feel better. If she scolded me, I’d feel some relief. She said she didn’t blame me and doesn’t hold a grudge, and even said Grandma’s death shouldn’t be on my conscience."
"Isn’t that good!" Cui Pei wiped her tears. "Isn’t it better that she doesn’t blame you? Or do you wish Little Sha would resent you?"
"You don’t understand!" Fan Yue sniffed. "A true friend can argue and criticize, just like you and I do. No matter how much we fight or cause trouble, even if it comes to blows, we can’t be without each other, right? But Little Sha doesn’t argue with me anymore or say I’m wrong. That feeling is called indifference, called unfamiliarity, do you understand? She said she hates betrayal most, yet she doesn’t resent me. You know why? Because she doesn’t care about me anymore. I would rather she hate me; at least that would mean I’m important. The most ruthless punishment in this world isn’t hate; it’s indifference. We’re like two strangers now..."
"Honey!" Cui Pei sighed, "How can Little Sha compare with me? She’s just your friend, I’m your husband, your closest person in this life. We each have the other in us, inseparable. We have a shared home, shared assets, shared future, shared lifelong commitment. Can that be compared with friends? We’ll also have children together in the future, making even our flesh and blood common too. How could a friendship match that? Honey, we’re family, ranked equally with Mom and Dad."