Sparks and Smiles

Me Without You

It had been 2 days and already he was numb.

He could remember the night clearly when his mother's actions against her friends forced Shancai out of his house and out of Shanghai.

He remembered the rain soaking him through but feeling nothing but her arms around him.

Her words as she told him that she wanted to be with him more than anything and he made her so happy but if she stayed in his life, a lot of people would get hurt.

There were tears streaming down both their faces as they said their last goodbyes before she got in the car to the bus station.

She would be returning to her family in the fishing village.

The night before they both fell asleep on the phone to one another, listening as they cried themselves to sleep.

It felt like a part of him was missing. All of him was missing. Shancai took him with her when she left and all he was now was an empty shell.

The worst part was that his eyes would search for her everywhere, despite knowing she wasn't there, making him notice her absence all the more strongly.

He knew that Xi Men, Lei, and Mei Zuo all could tell that something was wrong. He knew that he switched back to his old self because he couldn't summon the energy to be happy or nice at all at the moment. 

Hearing those words about Shancai's absence and hearing people use that as an opportunity to insult her made him snap and he could vaguely recall smashing a cake into someone's face. 

He needed her by his side, poking his forehead, tripping over air, holding his hand, arguing with him, smiling at him, hugging him, kissing him.

He needed her back. 

He hated returning home now. Even though Shancai hadn't lived there for very long, it had still felt more like a home than a house when she was in it. 

When he returned home that day, Mrs. Yu spoke with him. She filled in the details that Shancai left out (she had heard it all). She spoke passionately about how much Shancai loved him, sharing how Shancai spoke about him to her previously. She told him that his girlfriend (because he refused to think of her as otherwise) had to force herself to leave. 

Hearing Mrs. Yu's account of what happened that night, his anger directed towards his girlfriend was no longer a raging fire but a simmering boil. He knew that the anger would fade once he spoke to his girlfriend face to face and got it through her skull that they were more powerful together then apart and that she would never stop being the most important person in his life (besides his sister). 

However, his anger at his mother heightened.

How dare she?!!

She had barely made time for him in the past 6 years. How dare she sabotage his greatest source of happiness? He knew that she knew if she threatened the livelihoods of Shancai's friends, Shancai would bend because her friends were of utmost importance to her. He also knew that the rest of "his world" would love Shancai once they got to know her, and even if there were those who didn't, it didn't matter because he loved her. 

Gold digger?  Please. He knew that his girlfriend could care less about his money. 

He called his sister to let her know. To ask for her help. His older sister knew how important she was to him and was fond of Shancai herself so she agreed to help.