My Dearest General: It Has Always Been You

"You have a sister?" Zhou Zhui asked what was in everyone's mind.

"I don't. But from now on, I do." He laughed again until his eyes crinkled to crescents. "How about it, Shi Nian? Try calling me gege?" He teased playfully.

"Ah, see. She's really Shi Nian!" Zhou Zhui exclaimed.

Shi Nian's lips pressed tight. Even though it looked like Nan Xukun's words had some weight on the gangsters, Shi Nian couldn't be sure whether he was willing to get her out of this predicament. After all, they had only known each other for a few weeks in the hospital and it seemed like he had a good relationship with these gangsters.

"I haven't seen you for a few months and you have gotten so pretty.." Nan Xukun leaned forward with arms crossed atop of the motorcycle, chin resting above it. "You didn't even message me at all even though I have given you my WeChat." He muttered sullenly.

Shi Nian still didn't dare to reply.

"Ah." He softly exclaimed. "I forgot that you…" can't speak, he continued inwardly. He turned toward the gangsters and complained in an angry tone. "You even dared to bully a little girl?!"

"Aiyah, it's not like we want to. But we received payment ah! We will not hurt her, only scare her a bit. Who knew that her man would come out and beat us up all of a sudden? Now, it has become a personal feud! Don't stand in our way, Young Master Nan! We will make him pay, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth!"

Nan Xukun seemed to feel that it was quite interesting and gestured. "Go on, call him ah. Don't say I don't warn you, okay? He's not the kind of person whom...you can mess with." The corner of Nan Xukun's lips curled up into an amused smile. He turned to Shi Nian. "Why don't you call him? Mr. Xu will surely come as soon as possible!"

"Ah, what Mr. Xu? The man we're searching for is Mr. Jiang!"

Nan Xukun showed a surprised expression. "What Mr. Jiang? It should be Mr. Xu."

The five men looked at each other confusedly. Meanwhile, the gangsters were conflicted. Could it be…they got the wrong information again? First, the girl clearly wasn't mute but their employer said she was. Then, this Mr. Jiang…

Well, Young Master Nan was the one who knew her anyway. Yes, it must be them who had heard wrong!

"Then, call him out!"

"Yes, call him right here and now! We shall see how great of a person this Mr. Xu was."

Shi Nian shot a glance toward Nan Xukun and saw the schadenfreude in his eyes. It made her bewildered. Weren't they friends? Why did Nan Xukun seem so eager to dig a pit for them to jump into? Well, Shi Nian decided to stop thinking about that. After all, he was helping her with this.

Thus, under five pairs of eyes, Shi Nian pulled out her phone to give Xu Binchen a call and put it on speaker. "Shi Nian? Is there something wrong?"

Nan Xukun thought that Shi Nian was unable to speak and to liven up the atmosphere further, he snatched the phone and talked into it. "Is this Mr. Xu? Your girl is currently in our hands! Come to the back alley near the subway station alone. Remember, don't call the police or else you will regret it!"

The gangsters looked at Nan Xukun in awe. Thumbsup.jpg

That ferocity, the tone and degree of threatening. It was all perfect! They couldn't do it as well as him!

Xu Binchen was silent for a few seconds. His tone was getting low and dangerous. "Why is her phone with you? Where is she? I have heard your voice before, aren't you—"

"Aiyah, why are you speaking so much?" Nan Xukun hurriedly interjected and gave Shi Nian a wink. "Hurry up and come. Do you not believe us? Should we take some pictures?"

The group of gangsters cackled loudly and the voice travelled to Xu Binchen's ears loud and clear. "Don't call the police?" He sneered in derision. "Imprisoning a minor, threatening a police officer, you will be fined 100.000 yuan and the worst consequences is being jailed for five years. Can you bear it?"

The gangsters froze. What?

T—Threatening a police officer? 100.000 yuan fine? Five years in jail???!

"Y—You're a police officer?!" Zhou Zhui shrieked loudly.

"Don't believe me?" He continued to say. "Then wait for me for a bit. I will escort you to the police station with handcuffs, do you want to try?"

Nan Xukun directly called off the call as if he was being scalded. Heavy silence hung upon them.

Zhou Zhui's face paled. "Y—Young Master Nan, he's really a policeman?"

Nan Xukun put on an innocent face and shrugged. "I don't know about it either."

"Damn it!" Boss Man cursed under his breath. Nan Xukun was fine because the police couldn't do anything to him. But they…they had neither money nor power. What kind of shitty luck was this?! They only wanted to earn some pocket money but ended up offending someone they couldn't afford to?!

He made a decision in an instant. "What are you waiting for? Let's go!" Boss Man turned head and sprinted away with tail between his legs.

Zhou Zhui gnashed his teeth hatefully but didn't have any choice but to flee. The gangsters pulled away and in a blink of an eye, only Nan Xukun and Shi Nian were left in the alley.

Shi Nian took her phone back and typed. [Thank you.]

"Don't worry about it." He smiled and scratched his head awkwardly. "You know, I don't usually hang out with them. It's only occasionally when I am bored that I find them to play. Only once in a while, I swear!"

Shi Nian nodded albeit confused. Why did he explain it to her?

"Anyway, I am really happy to see you again." Nan Xukun grinned widely. "How about it? I have waited for months for your answer. Have you really forgotten about me?"

Shi Nian was startled. [We have really met before?]

"You don't remember?" He clutched his chest with a pained expression. "So I am waiting for nothing?"

Shi Nian felt kind of guilty. Honestly, she also felt that he was somewhat familiar although she couldn't remember him. She suggested. [Or else you can tell me?]

"Hmph, what fun will that be?" He caught her off guard by suddenly leaning forward to her eye level. Meeting her surprised gaze, he couldn't help but smile. "I am so sad, how can you not remember me? I have remembered you all these years. When we were young, you used to protect me when I was bullied. We played, sang, and slept together. You even said to my mother that you will be my big sister in the future."

Vague memories floated in Shi Nian's mind.

In her past, she used to be very close to someone when she was five or six years old. They spent time together like conjoined twins up until the time when Qiang Fei returned and brought her home. The quiet little girl, so beautiful like a porcelain doll…

She had a pair of eyes so dazzling like two pieces of resplendent gems. Shi Nian liked it very much. They were greyish green, like the sparkling pebble she had dug out from underneath the clear river.

Shi Nian heard Qiang Fei's voice, saying. "About Xiao Chun, Mama heard that she disappeared all of a sudden."

In front of her, Nan Xukun laughed gently. "You were so strong as a kid. How can you be so tiny now? You could even lift me up, saying that you would protect me forever. I still remembered that your front tooth was missing back then and you had a lisp, you used to call me…Xiao Chun."

Shi Nian's mind exploded into nothingness as the memories surged up her mind like a fast-forwarded movie. 

Xiao Chun. The little girl she used to play with. The one who hid behind her back when someone bullied her. Xiao Chun. Xiao Kun.

She lifted her eyes to look at him and their features gradually overlapped.

The little girl…turned out to be a boy…

"Remember now?"

Shi Nian almost choked on her breath. Knowing that the child whom you've always thought of as a girl was actually a boy, it was too much for her to digest.

Nan Xukun tutted. "I even remembered you in an instant when I saw you in the hospital for the first time. Imagine how sad I was when you didn't recognize me."

So that's why he acted overly familiar with her upon their first meeting? Because he had recalled that she was the one who used to play with him in their childhood?

She sucked in a deep breath and nodded, guilt flooded her heart. "I…remember now…sorry."

"Hey, you're speaking!" Nan Xukun's eyes lit up, happily circling around her. Joy was evident on his face "That's very great!"

"Xiao Chun," Shi Nian felt strange now when she called him like this. "It has been a long time."

The gap between the past and present was too much. One was a delicate little girl while the other was a tall, handsome man. Xiao Chun in her memory was such a fragile, crybaby girl, how could he become like this all of a sudden? 

No, most importantly, she treated Xiao Chun as a girl all these while but Auntie Si had never rebuked her!

"Yes, yes, Xiao Nian, I really, really missed you so much!" Nan Xukun laughed happily.

Shi Nian was affected by his bright smile. The corner of her lips curled up without her realizing.

Xiao Nian.

Only Xiao Chun used to call her that. This man was indeed Xiao Chun. Shi Nian was genuinely happy to meet him again. It was indeed a joyful occasion to reunite with someone whom you have been so close with in the past.

"What are you doing here?" Only then did Shi Nian remember to ask. Judging by Boss Man's earlier words, it seemed like Nan Xukun didn't live around here.

"Ah, about that." Nan Xukun scratched his nose sheepishly. "I have been summoned to the police station for questioning. It seems like an acquaintance of mine has died recently."

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End of Volume 2 [Daffodil - New Beginning]

A/N: aaand, it's a wrap!!! (ﾉ≧∀≦)ﾉ I am so excited to write this chapters! Are you surprised? Did you see it coming? Xiao Chun = Xiao Kun = Nan Xukun!!! And his last sentence Σ(°ロ°) he is... (censored) fufufu

Next, we will get to the last volume [Rose - Ardent Love] oh before that I will give you an extra chappie after this ^^

MDG have 93 GT right now! 7 more until the end of the month and I will give you a mass release!