My Beloved

"There is no misunderstanding. You fabricated my younger brother\'s medical report, gave him overdose sleeping pills, and kept him unconscious. If something were to happen to my brother because of that overdose, do you think you can keep your job? Huh?"

It seemed like Nancy\'s threat worked. The doctor confessed, "I\'m sorry. I\'ll pay the bill. I\'ll permit your brother to be discharged as well. I\'ll also prescribe some vitamins for him so that he can recover faster. Please don\'t tell anyone."

"Buy those vitamins for us," Nancy ordered.

"Yes… yes…" the doctor agreed easily.

Han Luo could barely control her laughter. She liked Nancy\'s flame.

After that, the doctor took off William\'s bandages. Han Luo and Nancy saw that his face was completely clean and he had no injuries on his face whatsoever. Then, he permitted William to leave.

Han Luo and Nancy took him to their house. It was a small apartment with two bedrooms. Nancy and her brother lived together. They dragged William\'s unconscious into his room and laid down his body on his bed.

Han Luo began to pant. "I didn\'t think he would be this heavy."

Nancy told her, "He was used to be a tennis player before he had an accident. Later, he became pâtissier. Even though he can\'t play anymore, he trains his muscles. Come to the living room. I\'ll give you some water. You must be thirsty."

Han Luo readily said, "Yes, I am." After they went to the kitchen, Nancy offered her a bottle of lemonade.

Han Luo took the bottle.  She opened the lid and drank half of the cold drink. After that, she said, "You two are very admirable. I\'m glad to know that William didn\'t lose hope. I mean, in this world, we have lots of choices and yet we sometimes act like we don\'t have any option left. We become hopeless and depressed."

Nancy sat down on a chair after Han Luo did. She remarked, "It\'s because we don\'t love ourselves enough and don\'t have enough conviction to live a good life. Those who love themselves, always find an opportunity to do something that they were used to do. If they love themselves and want to look for a solution, it\'s not hard. After all, peace comes from inside."

Han Luo agreed. "That\'s right. As long as we seek peace within ourselves, no matter what situation we are in, we will be satisfied. If we don\'t seek peace within ourselves, no matter how rich we are, we will never be satisfied."

Nancy asked her, "Are you in peace, Miss Han?"

Han Luo nodded. "Yes, I\'m in peace. That\'s why, no matter what situation we are in, I can overcome it."

"You are very optimistic, Miss Han," Nancy commented. Somehow, she wasn\'t irritated like before.

Han Luo replied, "That\'s because if I\'m pessimistic, I won\'t get an opportunity to have a good life."

As they were talking, they heard a grown coming from William\'s room. The girls shared glances and then quickly headed toward his room. They found William frowning and holding his head with his left hand.

Nancy moved closer and asked in concern, "Will! Are you all right?"

William winced and afterward opened his eyes. "…Hng… sis, where am I?"

Nancy carefully answered, "You are home. Does your head hurt?"

"Water…" after drinking a glass of water given by Nancy, he replied, "No but I feel like I god of death was running after me. I\'m so hungry that I can die right now." He sounded tired and weak.

Nancy patted his shoulder and said, "I\'ll cook some congee for you."

William whined, "I\'m not a kid, sis. I hate congee." It seemed like he was a little boy in front of his elder sister who was four years older than him.

Nancy shook her head and firmly said, "I can\'t help you there. The doctor firmly said you cannot eat oily food until you recover."

"Damn it…" William sulked when he realized that his pitiful act wouldn\'t work.

Nancy quickly cooked conge and brought it back. She fed her younger brother and asked, "How did you get injured?"

William sighed. "…Don\'t ask me. Some unknown thugs came out of nowhere and beat me up. I wish I could see their faces but it was too dark. They even threatened me so that I don\'t join the new job I got. Strange isn\'t it? Why would they don\'t want me to work with you?"

Han Luo frowned. "So, they were truly after me. I\'m terribly sorry." She felt bad and guilty for bringing innocent people into her fight.

"Please, stop it, Miss Han," Nancy immediately said. The more Han Luo apologized, the more she felt bad for making things difficult for her. It\'s Han Luo\'s first project after all.

Only then William noticed that there was a guest. He was startled and his face was flushed in embarrassment. "Huh? Miss Han? Why are you here?" If he knew that their team leader was here, he wouldn\'t act childish. He felt like he lost his dignity. He was too ashamed to look at her.

Han Luo realized his awkwardness and decided not to tease him. She smiled and told him, "I\'m here because of you. You were injured for my sake. I had to come in person."

William immediately said, "No, no, it\'s not your fault. I don\'t know what\'s happening and why I\'m hurt but you didn\'t harm me, Miss Han. I\'m so sorry I\'ve worried you. I had no intentions of troubling you at all."

Han Luo assured him, "It\'s fine. Please take a rest for two days and think about what you will do. If you want to work even after you were hurt, we will warmly welcome you. If you don\'t want to work, we completely understand."

She knew that she had no right to stop him since his life was at stake. He was threatened and they weren\'t able to catch those thugs. William had potential and that\'s why she wanted to give him a chance.. However, she failed them all because she wasn\'t well prepared.