Bab 50: Beauty and the bodyguard pt. 2
Qin Fuhua was so focused on looking around the shops, he didn't realize that Suyin had frozen in place until she became quiet.
"Ahem." Qin Fuhua was trying to get Suyin's attention. "Hey." He uttered. Suyin didn't move a single inch as he began to poke her with the scabbard. Qin Fuhua then lowered his head, trying to look at her facial expression through the cloth that covered her entire head. What was she doing?
"Suyin. Calm down." Suyin whispered to herself, taking a deep breath. She didn't realize that seeing the perverted old man would make her startled and scared at this moment. It took a lot to make her scared, but she had never felt this kind of intense feeling of anger, fear, and a loss on what to do.
As the old man came closer to Suyin's view, she could only close her eyes. "No!--"
The memories of him pushing her down on the bed as he held her hands began to flash through her mind. The fear as her voice trembled caused Qin Fuhua to immediately grab her wrist, pulling her away from the crowds and down to a narrow path between the buildings to the back of the shops.
Suyin could feel her heart racing, shaken up. Qin Fuhua stopped at an area where not many people passed by and turned her around to face him, lifting the cloth to look at her. His hands were on both of her shoulders as the Prince lowered his head to reach her eye level.
"What happened. Did something happen?" His voice lowered, enough for Suyin to hear in front of him. Qin Fuhua looked at her face, which had the face of fear written all over. This was the first time that he had seen her like this. Even when she faced death, she never trembled and stood her ground.
Shaken up still, Suyin's eyes were dull and everything was still blank to her. It was at the moment where Qin Fuhua had learned how fragile a woman can be at any time of moment. He had forgotten how vulnerable a woman can be despite how strong they are, there are times that they fall and scrape their knees too.
With her heart still racing and the feeling of a frog stuck between her throat, Suyin couldn't say a single word. Qin Fuhua lowered the cloth down, letting out a big sigh. "Women are complicated." He thought to himself, looking up in the sky as if there would be an answer to help this situation right now.
Suyin tried to calm herself down, taking her breathing in as Qin Fuhua could only do one thing that would hopefully help her calm her down: pull her in for a hug. Qin Fuhua held her hips, pulling her in towards him as he held her. Despite the hat being in the way between the two, maybe a hug would help calm her down-- something that the young Qin Fuhua would have wanted when he was a child. Unable to really do anything with his hands, he awkwardly and slowly patted the top of the hat, as if he was trying to comfort her even if he was awkward in doing so.
It was then that this was the first time that she felt weak. The reason why she was so scared and couldn't move in the first place when seeing the man was that it was the fear that he would do something like that to her again. But with the scent of Qin Fuhua had helped calm her down-- enough for her not to break down as she wrapped her arms around him, tightly enough for Qin Fuhua to feel the frustrations that she must have felt.
Did she see someone she knew? Was it possibly the reason why she ran away from here? Although Qin Fuhua didn't know, all if mattered was Suyin at the moment. Patting the top of her hat and having Suyin wrap her arms around him, it was the second time that he realized how tiny she was. Someone her size had so much energy and passion that he had almost forgotten that she was a woman at times (since he barely interacts with women regularly).
The two had possibly stayed that way for a couple of minutes or so. People who passed by would mind their own business, thinking that it was some sort of forbidden love or something. A couple of the passerby would tilt their head but continued to their destination without a stop.
After calming down, Suyin let go of Qin Fuhua, leaving the scent of orange blossoms that surrounded the Prince. She quietly lowered her head, her cheeks burning hot because of what had just occurred. Did the Prince of Qin really just hug someone as lowly as Suyin?
Lost in his perusal of the marketplace, Qin Fuhua remained oblivious to Suyin's sudden stillness until the silence grew palpable, disrupting the rhythm of their excursion.
"Ahem." Fuhua cleared his throat, attempting to rouse Suyin from her trance-like state.
When she failed to respond, he resorted to more direct measures, prodding her gently with the tip of his scabbard. Perplexed by her uncharacteristic behavior, Fuhua leaned in closer, attempting to discern her expression beneath the concealing veil that obscured her features.
"Suyin. Calm down," Fuhua urged softly, his words barely audible amidst the din of the marketplace. He sensed a shift in her demeanor, an underlying tension that belied her outward composure.
Yet, the cause of her distress remained a mystery to him.
Internally, Suyin grappled with a torrent of emotions, her mind a whirlwind of conflicting feelings. She struggled to contain the surge of fear and anger that threatened to overwhelm her senses, grappling with the resurgence of traumatic memories that clawed their way to the forefront of her consciousness.
As the elderly man drew nearer, his presence casting a shadow over her fragile peace of mind, Suyin felt her resolve waver. With a tremulous voice, she attempted to vocalize her distress, but the words caught in her throat, suffocated by the weight of her past trauma.
"No—!" Suyin's protest was cut short as a flood of memories inundated her senses, transporting her back to a harrowing moment of vulnerability and violation.
The sensation of his hands pressing her down, the suffocating fear that gripped her heart—each recollection served as a cruel reminder of her past torment.
Sensing her distress, Fuhua reacted swiftly, his hand closing around her wrist with a firm grip.
Without hesitation, he guided her away from the prying eyes of the crowd, leading her down a narrow alley that wound its way between the towering facades of the surrounding buildings.
In the seclusion of the alleyway, shielded from the curious gazes of passersby, Fuhua sought to offer Suyin sanctuary from the relentless onslaught of her memories. With gentle hands, he turned her to face him, lifting the cloth veil that concealed her features, his touch comforting amidst the turmoil of her emotions.
Drawing her close, Fuhua's hands settled firmly on her shoulders as he lowered his head, his gaze locking with hers in an unspoken exchange of concern and reassurance.
"What happened? Did something happen?" His words, delivered in a hushed tone, carried a weight of genuine worry, a departure from his usual coldness in the face of adversity.
It was a rare moment of vulnerability for Suyin, one that revealed a side of her character he had yet to witness—the fragility beneath her facade of strength.
As he gazed at her face, Fuhua detected the unmistakable traces of fear etched in her features, a stark departure from the steely resolve she typically exuded, even in the face of imminent danger.
This unprecedented display of vulnerability left him grappling with a newfound understanding of the complexities of the female psyche.
Despite his efforts to console her, Suyin remained shaken, her eyes betraying a hollow emptiness that mirrored the turmoil within her.
For the first time, Fuhua found himself confronted with the realization of just how fragile a woman could be, despite outward appearances of resilience.
It was a sobering revelation—one that challenged his preconceived notions and forced him to confront the depth of her vulnerability.
With her silence echoing in the space between them, Fuhua lowered the cloth veil, a heavy sigh escaping his lips as he pondered the mysterious of womanhood.
"Women are complicated," he mused inwardly, his gaze drifting skyward in search of answers that remained elusive in the face of Suyin's silent suffering.
In the quiet embrace of the narrow alley, Suyin focused on regulating her breath, willing herself to try to stay calm.
Sensing her distress, Qin Fuhua responded instinctively, drawing her close in a tender embrace. His arms encircled her waist, pulling her gently against his chest as he sought to offer her a sense of comfort and security.
Though the barrier of her hat and veil obscured their faces from each other, the warmth of Fuhua's embrace transcended the physical divide, a silent reassurance in the midst of uncertainty.
Awkwardly, he extended a tentative gesture of comfort, his hand patting the top of her hat with a hesitant tenderness—a gesture born not of familiarity, but of a genuine desire to offer comfort in the only way he knew how.
For Suyin, the embrace was a comfort, his scent and presence calmed her down. In Fuhua's arms, she found a sanctuary from the fear and vulnerability that had plagued her, her grip tightening around him as she sought comfort in him.
As the minutes passed, their embrace remained unbroken, an island of stillness amidst the business of the outside world. Oblivious to the curious glances of passersby, they remained cocooned in their shared moment of intimacy, the world around them fading into insignificance.
Eventually, as the tumult of emotions began to subside, Suyin reluctantly released her hold on Fuhua, the scent of orange blossoms lingering in the air as a testament to their shared connection.
In the aftermath of their embrace, she lowered her head in embarrassment, her cheeks flushed with a mixture of emotions.
Did the esteemed Prince of Qin truly just embrace someone as lowly as her?
Suyin's gaze remained fixed on the ground, her thoughts a jumble of conflicting emotions as she struggled to find the words to express her gratitude and remorse.
Sensing her unease, Qin Fuhua offered a reassuring shake of his head, cutting through her turmoil with a simple yet profound understanding. "You don't have to explain," he reassured her, his voice a steady anchor amidst the tempest of her emotions.
Grateful for his understanding, Suyin murmured a soft "thank you," her words a whispered acknowledgment of his unwavering support in her moment of vulnerability.
With a deep exhale, she released the weight of her emotions, allowing herself a moment of respite before turning her attention to the task at hand.
"Let's go back home before it gets dark," she suggested, the urgency in her tone betraying a desire to retreat to the safety of their temporary sanctuary.
In that moment, all Suyin yearned for was the comfort of familiar surroundings and the solace of her best friend's company.
With Qin Fuhua trailing behind her, the duo made their way back home as the sun dipped below the horizon.
As they traversed the winding path, a sense of calm descended upon them, the serenity of the twilight hour offering a welcome reprieve from the chaos of the day.
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Meanwhile, the old man, haunted by a fleeting sense of familiarity, found himself momentarily unsettled by the passing scent of magnolia flowers—a reminder of a past obsession that had long consumed him.
Yet, as he turned in search of the phantom presence that teased his senses, he found nothing but empty streets, his curiosity piqued but ultimately unfulfilled.
With a resigned sigh, he dismissed the fleeting thought, returning to the confines of his manor with a wistful murmur.
"Ah. A reminder to put in some words about the ladies back home," he mused, the echoes of the past lingering in the recesses of his mind as he retreated into the solitude of his thoughts.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone