章 9: I Love You, Ming 'er

Xinyi had a good time frolicking with the fish in the brook, swinging her necklace around like a toy. Because she knew nobody would be here in the middle of the night, she felt safe exploring the forest.

—— o——

The group of brothers hid behind some trees, but Lei Ming, seemingly hypnotized, kept making his way toward the girl who was frolicking with the fish in the water.

Lei Ming's brothers thought she enchanted him. In a hushed voice, one of them said, "Ming," and grabbed him. Lei Ming, however, in his enchanted state, did not even respond to his brother.

One of them took a deep breath and slapped Lei Ming. Finally, Lei Ming turned around with a bewildered gaze.

—— o ——

Someone was approaching the tree, so a nightingale called out, "Xinyi, Xinyi."

The speaker uttered, "Damn it, where?" asked Xinyi.

"At your left," the nightingale said.

When she looked up, a man was standing there. The moonlight reflecting off of him partially revealed his face. Xinyi screamed, then quickly retreated to her clothing, clutching her chest with her hands. She pulled a thin fabric, wrapping it around her breast.

Lei Ming woke up from his dazed state because of her abrupt movements and caught sight of her fleeing the scene, her clothing in tow. As soon as he caught sight of the girl's back, he shouted, "Wait!" But she didn't listen to him and ran across the brook to get away.

Without looking back, Xinyi yelled, "Stop! Don't follow me."

As a gentleman, Lei Ming thought he shouldn't follow her, but something inside him kept sending him to continue running.

"I promise, I won't go near you or harm you. But, please, stop running," he said while pursuing her through the woods. Against a skilled man, there's no doubt she would be completely outrun. However, he halted when he got a few meters away from where she was and yelled, "Stop!"

After hearing that man's voice, Xinyi felt anger she couldn't place, but she listened to his order and came to a complete stop this time. Lei Ming could see her face through the spaces her hair left between her features. His peek at her face, however, gave her the opportunity to make plans for an exit.

When Lei Ming first approached her, he believed she would hear him out. "Miss, I beg you not to flee. I promise I will not harm you, "he said as he approached her with his head down but his eyes still on her feet, watchful that she might run away again. But when he took his coat off, it gave her the wrong impression.

"Stop!" Xinyi yelled at him and raised a hand in a palm-outstretched gesture. "Don't get any closer," Xinyi warned as she took two steps backward.

"I don't mean any harm. My apologies, but I need to give you my coat. Please, wrap this around you," he said, still with his head down as he hung his coat over a bush and waved an open arm at the two men to prevent them from emerging from their hiding place.

Xinyi understood what the gesture meant and stayed alert for the people who had hidden. But in her head, she was thinking, "This man sounds just like my scumbag husband. He might be Lei Ming, right? In that case, he's probably not too old, and he might check me out in Anjing." The cold reality had hit her like a ton of bricks, and she was terrified. "I hope he hasn't gone there yet. This is horrible news indeed. But there's no way he'd know it was me when I was bathing while playing with the fish."

"I know I just ruined your relaxing bath. I do not intend to peek at you. It so happened that I came here in search of something in particular. I swear I won't cause you any harm. I'll back off and give you some time to change, and wear my coat. We'll talk when you're ready." After speaking, he turned his back on her.

He was curious about who she was and why she was at his estate so late because she might have some ties to the black ghosts that had previously fled from this location. He went on talking, but he was on guard even if she were merely passing through. He never once claimed to be the land's owner or the city's ruler.

Everything they saw could be a mirage as well. He was attempting to think clearly and rationally in this difficult circumstance.

Xinyi went behind the tree where the nightingale was and started changing, but she ignored Lei Ming's soothing babbling because she did not know what was going on in his head. When she raised her eyes, she noticed a nightingale.

"Can you assist me, my little pal?" She said to the nightingale, but Lei Ming heard two birds chirping back and forth and didn't connect the dots that she was one of them.

Afraid that she might flee, Lei Ming considered making a gesture but restrained himself. He certainly would not want to frighten her and missed getting the truth out from her. When he finally did call, it was just to ask, "Miss, are you still there?"

"Don't look back," Xinyi said.

"What's up?" the bird asked.

"Do you think you could get the other birds to fly in and stop that guy from chasing me? I need to go to that house over there," she said, pointing her index finger at Anjing Pavilion.

"So, that's it? As you wish, so shall it be done," the bird said. Somehow, Lei Ming and the two men only heard the rush of fluttering wings and chirping coming their way.

"However, if they come for you, just block their path and leave," Xinyi said.

The bird responded, "Yes, my lady."

Xinyi then shortened the length of the thin black fabric where she laid her clothes earlier and draped it over her head like a veil, tying the ends below her chin. She ran the other way from where she wanted to go and into the thick forest trees.

"Ming'er, she's getting away!" His two brothers yelled in unison. The two individuals left from hiding and hopped on trees to cover the distance between them and hers. Without warning, the birds suddenly approached and startled them. In order to protect their faces, they had to stop and lift their arms over their heads. Yet, the birds didn't attack them but flew cautiously around them.

Lei Ming turned around after hearing the brothers yell and saw her departing in a hurry. "I'm sorry, Miss, but I swear I won't hurt you," he said as he climbed a tree in order to get closer to her. He reacted the same way as his brothers when the birds flew toward him, but as a battle-tested person, he peeked over his arm to see where she was going. He followed her through sight as she ran in a zigzag pattern through the forest.

Xinyi turned around to see if they were still following. As soon as she realized they had stopped, she jumped onto some nearby tree branches and ran in the opposite direction, toward the villa.

Lei Ming, however, had a high vantage point and could see her climbing trees. With a start, he yelled, "Hah!" The vibrations from his powerful shout struck the birds, and they fell to the ground, dazed but otherwise unharmed.

The bird was already on the run, following Xinyi as he hopped from branch to branch in the trees before his feet even hit the branches.

Xinyi felt a rumbling in the nearby trees. Therefore, she looked around and noticed him. "Why won't he just leave me alone?" With her fingers together, she whistled. The birds woke up and returned to chase after him.

Lei Ming jumped up and down while he argued with her. "Quit your frantic running immediately. I need to know who you are and why you're here." However, Xinyi kept on running.

Lei Ming's hand waved, sending a strong wind blowing toward the birds, preventing them from approaching any further. While he was running, he was at a loss why she would be afraid of him. He then had the thought, "Could those spirits be her doing?"

"Don't force me to hurt you." This time he didn't bother with a soft voice, but he still had conflicting feelings: he hated the idea of hurting her, but he also felt an obligation to protect his people.

When Xinyi heard his words, a chill went down her spine. If there was no other way to avoid a fight, she would not run away from the man who was her husband.

Now, something on their bodies swung and resounded with everything else. The necklace she wore sparkled. Astonished, she looked at it. The pendant's illumination was so bright. No way anyone would miss it. Xinyi also noticed a bright light to her left and turned to it, noticing a glow at the side of the person pursuing her.

Simultaneously, Lei Ming saw the light on Xinyi's necklace and the one from his handbag hanging on his waist. Then, without warning, a woman's voice suddenly hushed in his ear, "Ming'er, I love you. Why did you leave?"

Lei Ming paused on a tree branch and turned around, but he saw no one.