First Time For Everything [WangXian FF]

18

Wen Qing's heart hurt watching Jiang Yanli break-down so completely in front of her. So she gathered the other woman in her arms and let her cry some more until Yanli's tears soaked Qing's T-shirt. She could feel the other woman's broken sobs racking her small body. After what felt like hours, Yanli finally stopped crying but Qing still held her.

"I am s-sorry.." Yanli apologized, her words getting caught on the tail end of her crying spell.
 
"Never be sorry to show your emotions, Li. I understand that you have to be strong in front of your brothers because you think it's your duty to forever take care of them but you can let go with me, OK?"

"W-we just met a-and now y-you are entangled in my mess..." Yanli couldn't keep her voice from cracking.

"I was entangled the moment I laid eyes on you, pretty woman..." Qing smiled.

"Why?"
 
"Why? Hmm.. you're special Li, don't you know that?"

Yanli looked at her with wide eyes still rimmed with red after crying for so long. "Special?" She couldn't fathom that a strong, independent and beautiful woman like Qing would find her special. Nobody had ever said that to her before. Yes, Xian and Cheng always praised her but surely that was only because they were biased?

"Yes special. You're beautiful and smart. You have so much love in your heart for your brothers and your friends. Someone would have to be blind to not see it."
 
Yanli shook her head as if trying to refute the compliment.

"No. Don't do that to yourself." Qing admonished. "Just because that asshole of a boyfriend of yours couldn't appreciate your worth doesn't mean we don't see you. The real you."

Yanli blushed slightly while looking at her hands that were now entwined with Wen Qing's.

"Thank you. You're amazing, you know that?"

"I know" Qing wagged her eyebrows and laughed, making Yanli laugh along. "Now do you want to talk?"
 
Yanli just nodded so Qing went on, " start at the beginning, b"

Yanli finally took the cup of tea Qing had placed, on the coffee table and took a sip. "Ugh... it's cold"

Qing smiled. "I'll go warm it up."

"No let me do it. I need to keep my hands busy."

Qing looked like she would protest but then she just sat back as Yanli went to the kitchen to make them two more cups of tea.
 
After 5 minutes, Yanli came back with 2 steaming cups of hot tea, one of which she offered to Wen Qing. The other woman took the cup and nodded to the empty space beside her. Yanli sat down beside Qing again, and curled up her legs close to her body. She took a sip and then wrapped her hands around the cup trying to warm them from the chill that was again starting to creep in.

Then she spoke. As she recounted the events of last night in detail, tears started streaming down her face again but she kept going. She told Qing about the upcoming wedding, about how her mother had been so proud of her when she had introduced Zixuan to her. She told Qing about the shame she felt about telling her brothers the reality of her situation of that shame being the sole reason as to why she hid things or at least tried to hide things from her brothers. She emptied out all the concern, anxiety and confusion she had bottled up inside her for the 2 years she had been in a relationship with Jin Zixuan. 
 
After she had completed her story, Qing, who had been quiet all this while, looked at Yanli and asked the one question that had bothered her.

"So he is your fiance?"

"Yeah, he is.. my fiance"

"But you don't wear a ring?"

"Zixuan said the ring was very costly so it would be better if he kept it safe."
 
"How did you end up with such a pitiful man, Li?" Qing spoke not unkindly.