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"What you did was very dangerous, Director Hu." Zhongli takes a sip from his cup of osmanthus wine, "Your action could've taken your life."
"Is that Mr. Zhongli worrying about me?" Hutao laughs heartfeltly, refilling the man's cup after he finishes the drink. She then detects the absent of response from the man, eyes darting up to search for the reason of his silent.
She was still smiling when she looked up, but her lips slowly released its stretch the moment her eyes set on his. The stern in mr. Zhongli's eyes were unlike his usual calm and calculating look, there was the hint of anger, and perhaps worry, burried deep within.
"Oh," is all she could let out, surprised by the sudden wave of emotions that flows through her. A feeling she knows all too well: the warmth of the knowledge that someone still cares for her well being.
Ever since the death of both her father and grandfather, she has been left to fend for herself as she grows up. Now, as a fully adulted woman, she had taken over the business that her father had left her, the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
"You know for a fact that the consequences of your actions could very well result in your death," Zhongli's voice cuts her from her thoughts, "And yet you still went on with it."
"I had it handled. Plus, if I didn't do what I did, countless of other people would have suffered that consequence instead with the disease spreading around." Hutao relents, melting further into her chair in a comfortable position. "I will usually be happy when business is booming, but not like this."
She looks down at her own cup, her own reflection flashing back at herself. A single tear she didn't know she shed falls into her wine, its drop creating a small wave as she sees her image slowly shakes.
"I couldn't bare to see Xingqiu's sorrow. Or anyone's, in that matter. I am responsible for the barrier between the realm of life and death," Hutao flashed a smile that doesn't reach her eyes, "I was ready to sacrifice everything. I was ready to fix my father's mistake."
"You are not responsible for your ancestor's mistake." Zhongli reaches out and pulls her cup away from Hutao, placing it gently on the table. "No exceptions,"
"I knew that I wasn't able to come back. I had said my farewells, what else could I have possibly done?" She uses her sleeve to wipe her tears, "Besides, the traveler saved me."
Tears were streaming down faster down her cheeks, she didn't even bother to wipe it anymore. She lets it flow down freely, hands fisting tightly on top of her thigh.
"I saw them, mr. Zhongli," She sobbed, "I saw them, right infront of me, as if they were really there. It was just an arms reach when I can finally, finally be reunited with my family,"
Hutao has disregarded any type of wall that she had put up this whole time. Her buried emotions finally flowing out as she cried, head facing down without daring to look at the other man.
"I finally saw them again after decades. I had even almost forgot what they looked like, I thought I was.." she continues, "Why.. Why did you sent the traveler to save me?"
Her body was trembling, both out of the cold of the night and the immense emotions she's currently pouring out. She didn't mean to blame it on Zhongli. She didn't want to trouble anyone at all.
"The mistakes that your grandfather and father had done, is not yours to fix." He calmly states, eyes looking at his boss beside him. Deep down, he knows that she still is the child that Old Hu had entrusted him to when his time had came a few years ago.
He hesitates on whether to reach out to her or not. Eventually, he merely patted on her shoulder, but he knows that this gesture isn't even nearly enough to calm her down.
"We all long for someone in our lives. Someone we wished we had more time to spend with," Zhongli starts, "What we should do is to honour the time we had, and create more memories with the people who we currently have time to spend with now."
Hutao slowly looks up at Zhongli, eyes still glassed in tears with a tint of red. She uses the last bit of strength to wipe of her tears and softened her gaze. She then closed in and embraced him, arms wrapping around the small of his waist. Zhongli tensed before relaxing, his hand finding its way to remove her hat and patting on her head.
"Thank you," she sighed in a relaxed manner, "Dad."
"Anytime, Director Hu."