...
few hours into the past after Haoren had left to seek advice
...
"..." My brows twitched constantly as I attempted to concentrate. "Fuck..." My attempts weren't quite successful as I soon opened my eyes in annoyance.
No matter what I did, it was all useless. I couldn't focus on anything, even if I tried to rid myself of all emotions. His words— that he was going to meet an acquaintance kept echoing in my mind.
"Damn it, Li Feng! Get a grip over yourself!"
No matter what I did, the congested feeling in my chest did not go away as I worried over whether this "acquaintance" was a female.
His existence was like a slow-acting addictive poison, though admittedly, it worked too quickly on me.
"Ha... Let's just eat something and rest for a while..."
Rest, a word that did not often grace my lips, yet today, I felt strangely lethargic, wanting nothing more than to just fall asleep and do nothing.
Just as Li Feng had finished eating, she heard the sound of footsteps approaching the entrance. They were footsteps that did not belong to Haoren. Her expression grew cold as she saw the intruder— a woman.
"You! Peasant! Where's Lord Haoren?!" demanded the 'young lady' who caused annoyance to Li Feng just from her presence. She even felt a strange desire to punch the said woman
Li Feng maintained a smile. "My lord left a while ago. He said that he would be late."
She tried to shoo the woman away, but she continued to pester like a fly. "Have there been any women close to Lord Haoren lately? Did he ever mention me... Xia Fen? Could it be, does he have a lover?!"
Li Feng, who had had enough, finally said, "The Lord mentioned that you were like his very own sister."
She hoped this would cause the woman's expression to crumple, but instead, the woman blushed and smiled shyly. So Li Feng added something more extreme, "And the Lord might be interested in men."
The woman's face turned crimson, and her eyes widened in shock. Li Feng's smile widened imperceptibly as she watched the woman struggle to compose herself.
The young lady’s shock quickly turned into disbelief. “You’re lying! Lord Haoren would never—”
Li Feng raised an eyebrow. “Why would I lie? The Lord has been very close to me, his personal guard, lately. We've been spending a lot of time together. Alone.”
The woman’s face paled. “His...personal guard? B-but someone as strong as him doesn't need a..."
"Exactly."
Xia Fen's face paled even further as she realized the implication.
Li Feng nodded. “Yes, He even sneaked a peek at me while I was bathing, and later on, he kept blushing... He most definitely has a special preference. But you didn’t hear any of this from me."
The young lady seemed to waver, uncertainty clear in her eyes. “But...but he’s always been so kind to me.”
“Of course he has,” Li Feng said, her tone sweet but her eyes cold. “As any brother would be to his dear sister.”
The woman’s shoulders slumped, and she bit her lip, clearly conflicted. Li Feng could almost see the wheels turning in her head as she tried to reconcile this new information with her own desires.
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
'LESSSSGOOOOO!!!' Li Feng inwardly celebrated as she downed a rival with just a few words... well, technically she had downed another one if you count the girl from the slums...
However, Haoren's sexuality did have to take one for the team. 'Wait, why is it that all the women trying to approach him are teen`s, like 16 or 17?' And now even his morality was being questioned.
"Um, Lady Xia, do you know how old—"
Li Feng attempted to ask, but before she could, she saw Xia Fen with tears in the corners of her eyes and a crumpled expression. Before Li Feng could say anything more, the sound of more footsteps echoed as Xia Fen ran off.
...
Back to the present
...
"The lady called Xia Fen had visited... She seemed to have wanted to meet you."
When Haoren heard this, his body immediately stiffened his gaze a mix of guilt and fear.
"..."
"..."
I... felt afraid when I saw that averted gaze. My heart pounded fiercely within my chest. Yet, unlike usual when it pounded while thinking about him, this time it hurt with every beat. I could feel my vision getting clouded as my eyes began to warm.
"Are you... alright?" Haoren asked, yet his gaze still didn’t settle on me.
"W-why do you ask?"
My voice came out a bit choked as I felt it hard to even articulate my words.
"Well..." His voice, filled with guilt, further worsened my anxiety, "She did beat you till you were half-dead, after all...."
"Huh?"
"SORRY, That must have been a bit insensitive!"
"Ah..." For a moment, my mind went blank, and then I remembered...
"THAT FUCKING BITCH?!!" I finally remembered why Xia Fen felt a bit familiar... Xia Fen was the woman who almost got me killed right after my transmigration.
It was odd how Li Feng forgot her face so easily, however, she didn't notice any of this as all she could do was feel relieved and joyous.
And then I realized... I had just cursed in front of Haoren. From my vast experience (in dating women), doing such a thing in the initial stages is always bad.
As expected, Haoren was stunned as he looked at me with wide eyes.
"..."
"..."
'Shit...'
What should I do now? I did not know, but I knew I had to do something. And as I continued to wrack my brain...
"Pfft..."
"Huh?"
"Hahahaha...!"
He burst into laughter.
"Wait, why are you laughing?!"
It annoyed me to hell, though it was kind of cute... But that's beside the point!
"Haha... Ah... Sorry, it's just... You always try to keep your emotions hidden... But to think you'd have such an outburst... Haha!"
"Stop laughing!"
...
⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅
...
Li Feng woke up the next morning, her mind still foggy with sleepiness as she recalled the events of the previous day.
She blinked several times while sitting on her bed, frowning as she realized her memories of Xia Fen, the woman who almost killed her, suddenly became clearer.
"What the..." she muttered, puzzled by the sudden clarity. Finding no answer, she decided to think about it later as she went downstairs, washed her face, and started preparing breakfast.
As she was cooking, Haoren came down the stairs. The awkwardness from yesterday still lingered, but irritation sparked within her when she remembered his annoying laughter. Determined to confront him with confidence, she turned to face him.
"Good morn... what happened to you?" Her words trailed off as she saw his face. Haoren's usually pale complexion now seemed even more sickly, and dark circles loomed under his eyes.
"Nothing," he replied, but his answer was unconvincing.
"You..." Li Feng started to put the pieces together. The sudden recovery of her memories, Haoren's haggard appearance—it all pointed to something.
She remembered his unique ability and also tracing back to it, she realized her "memory loss" might have occurred during one of his outbursts, and now that she had "recovered" her memories, Haoren had become sickly all of a sudden.
"...Did this happen because of me?" she asked quietly.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he responded dismissively, his tone devoid of emotion. A few days ago, she might have missed it, but now she could tell he was forcing it.
"Look me in the eye and say that!" She moved closer, her voice firm.
"It has nothing to do with you!" Haoren spoke a bit too harshly, to even his own surprise. He hurriedly looked at her and saw her eyes welling up with tears.
"Wait, I—"
Before he could finish, she grabbed his collar, her voice trembling with anger and worry. "YOU BASTARD, DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED I AM?!"
Haoren remained silent, taken aback by her outburst.
"D-do you know how I feel..." Li Feng's voice broke as her emotions overwhelmed her. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Li Feng, I..." Haoren spoke gently as he placed his hand on her back, attempting to comfort her, but...
"KYAAA!!" A sudden shriek from an intruder echoed. Both turned to look towards the newcomer and found Xia Fen, who screamed while pointing at them.
"NOOOOOO!!" She then proceeded to run off while screaming.
"..."
"..."
Haoren and Li Feng looked at each other— disheveled clothing, reddened faces, and within each other's embrace.
"..."
"..."
Looking at Li Feng's nervous expression, Haoren asked, "...What did you tell Xia Fen yesterday?"
Li Feng averted her gaze stiffly like a machine needing to be oiled.