The Magnolia Beauty

Under such circumstances, something unexplainable would occur on this cold, beautiful spring day. The day before, it had rained as if the heavens themselves had opened, unleashing a deluge unlike anyone had ever seen. The streets quickly flooded, the grass was dampened with puddles, and the skies remained shrouded in dark grey clouds.

Suyin sat by the nearest window in a cozy cafe, the warmth inside contrasting sharply with the chilly, wet world outside. She was waiting for her crush, Minsheng, to arrive after he finished some errands.

They had known each other for seven years, growing up together since they were teenagers.

Suyin had always harbored feelings for Minsheng, but she never mustered the courage to ask him out or to express her desire for him to be her boyfriend. It often felt as if they were a couple already, their bond strong and their friendship deep.

It was now 10 o'clock in the morning, and Suyin had been waiting for Minsheng for about an hour and a half past their agreed meeting time. She glanced at the clock hanging on the wall to her left, then turned back to look outside, where she saw a familiar figure standing in the rain with an umbrella across the street.

"Is that Minsheng?" she whispered to herself.

Suyin stood up from her chair, her gaze fixed on the figure that resembled Minsheng.

Without thinking, she dashed outside, leaving her umbrella behind in her haste. The rain pounded down harder as she ran, soaking her hair and clothes. She raced to the stoplight, eager to confirm if it was indeed Minsheng.

As she reached the street, she saw Minsheng gripping the umbrella, holding a lady's hand. Her heart skipped a beat as she watched the woman lean forward and kiss Minsheng on the lips. He responded by grabbing her waist, pulling her closer, and holding her dearly, a big grin spreading across his face.

Suyin stood frozen in place, her heart aching as she witnessed the scene. The rain continued to pour, mingling with the tears that now welled up in her eyes.

The figure of Minsheng, once a source of warmth and affection in her life, now seemed distant and unreachable. The spring day, despite its beauty, had brought an unexpected storm, leaving Suyin standing alone in the rain, her hopes and dreams drenched and shattered.

Suyin watched from afar as the scene unfolded, her eyes swelling with tears. The pain in her chest was unbearable, as if her heart was being torn apart.

"What kind of pain is this? Why is it hurting my chest so much?" she whispered, clenching her fists and bringing them to her chest as thunder roared across the sky.

To Suyin, Minsheng was never the kind of person who would betray her trust. She had always seen him as kind and genuine, but little did she know that Minsheng had been toying with girls left and right.

Her love for him had blinded her to the truth. As Minsheng glanced in her direction, he noticed her standing under the heavy rain, her tears camouflaged by the raindrops. Realizing her presence, he promptly let go of the girl he was holding and moved towards Suyin.

Seeing Minsheng approach, Suyin turned and ran, her heart pounding as she tried to escape the inevitable confrontation. She knew the answer: she would be nothing more than a friend or someone to lean on, and she felt foolish for believing otherwise.

"I'm never believing in anyone again!" she sobbed, wiping her tears as she dashed towards an open green field, usually filled with soccer players on sunny days.

"Suyin, wait—" Minsheng called out, recklessly pushing through the crowd to reach her, but she kept running. When she finally spun around, she shot him a glare filled with raw pain and betrayal, a look she had never directed at him before. Minsheng flinched, taken aback by her intensity. Could she have seen him with the other girl?

"Let me explain!" he pleaded, desperation in his voice.

"You don't have to explain anything! I was stupid to believe in you. I really thought you were a genuine person!" Suyin shouted, her voice trying to outmatch the roaring thunder above them.

"No! It's nothing like that!" Minsheng hesitated, his eyes darting to the stormy sky as the thunder grew louder and harsher.

"Leave me alone! It was a stupid waste of time to think I could fall for someone like you!"

Boom!

A blinding flash of lightning struck nearby, causing Minsheng to recoil in fear and run from the wrath of nature. Suyin was left standing alone, the bright light blinding her and making it impossible to see. She felt a strange sensation, as if she were being engulfed by the intense energy of the storm, her world fading into an overwhelming whiteness.

.....

Neighh!

The sound of a horse's cry echoed in Suyin's ears, jolting her from unconsciousness.

"My lady! Wake up! Let's go right now." A lady dressed in plain clothes was urgently trying to wake Suyin, who lay beneath a large oak tree. "Hurry! You don't want your father to get mad at us now! You know mother's going to beat us!" She continued shaking Suyin's shoulders, increasing her efforts with each passing second.

"Mmhhh," Suyin grumbled, trying to nestle her head back into a comfortable spot. The feel of dry grass and the scent of cherry blossoms surrounded her, a stark contrast to the wet and stormy environment she remembered. "Hm?" She opened her eyes, a blank expression on her face.

"Good thing you're awake, my lady! I didn't think you would wake up soon enough." The servant sighed with relief, wiping sweat from her brow as she helped Suyin to her feet. "We need to leave soon and leave our horse here! I don't even know why you decided to try to ride something dangerous like that!" The servant furrowed her brows, sitting on her heels and interlocking her hands on her lap, avoiding eye contact with Suyin as she scanned the area.

"I-I'm... not back at home?" Suyin's eyes roamed the surroundings. There were trees, a nearby lake, and the sound of a horse crying echoed through the forest. She looked down at her clothes, which were different from what she had been wearing previously—it had been raining then! Here, the sun shone brightly through the canopy of trees in this dark forest. "Am I dead?"

"Of course, my lady. You were the one who decided to take one of Master's horses and learn how to ride it, only to let it free." The servant explained the situation, causing Suyin to frown in confusion.

"I don't remember this?" Suyin's mind flashed back to her previous life as a pediatric doctor, her betrayal by Minsheng, and then nothing else recent. Not to mention...

"And instead of successfully riding that horse, I failed and let it go free? I tried to calm it down but it dashed towards me, and I barely escaped being trampled," Suyin mused aloud, her voice filled with disbelief. The servant nodded with a confused expression.

"My lady, why are you recounting what happened just a couple of minutes ago?" the servant asked, bewildered. Suyin shrugged, trying to make sense of it herself. If her recollections were accurate, it meant she could remember events from this life too! She knelt in front of the servant, who gasped (a noble lady should never kneel before anyone) and closed her eyes.

"Think, Suyin. THINK." She concentrated hard, delving into her mind.

Memories began to flood back—her family, the great Emperor Jianguo, her noble lineage. Her family were esteemed scholars with strong ties to the emperor and the palace; her father was the educator of the princess and prince. Emperor Jianguo! This was the era when the Long and Qin clans were at war!

As the realization hit, Suyin's eyes widened. She was no longer in her modern life; she had somehow been transported back to a historical period fraught with political turmoil and conflict. This was a world where her actions could have far-reaching consequences. Taking a deep breath, she resolved to navigate this new reality with the knowledge and strength she had from both of her lives.

"Come, my lady," the servant urged, snapping Suyin back to the present. "We must return before your father finds out."

"Yes," Suyin agreed, determination setting in. "Let's go."

As they made their way through the forest, Suyin's mind raced with possibilities. She had to adapt quickly, understand the intricacies of this time, and find her place in a world that was both familiar and foreign.

Suyin's mind, a whirlwind of confusion and determination, seemed to close off the world around her as she knelt in the forest, an almost sacred silence enveloping her. It was as though she had become a solitary island in a vast sea of noise, her thoughts the only waves that crashed against her consciousness. But amidst this serene isolation, a distant voice pierced through the veil of her concentration, pulling her back to reality with a jolt.

"My lady!! Did you not hear what I said? Your father is going to kill me if they see that you're kneeling in front of me!" The urgency in the servant's voice was palpable, a frantic plea for Suyin to heed the warnings of consequence.

Yet, for Suyin, the echoes of her own past collided with the unfamiliarity of her surroundings, a dissonance that left her reeling in confusion. She couldn't shake the sensation that she was a stranger in her own skin, thrust into a time and place that defied all logic and reason.

As she struggled to reconcile the fragments of memory that danced at the edges of her consciousness, Suyin couldn't help but wonder if her very existence here was an affront to some greater cosmic order.

Was it taboo, perhaps even sacrilegious, to possess knowledge of events long past in this era? The weight of uncertainty bore down upon her, casting shadows of doubt across her thoughts like storm clouds on a turbulent sky. But in the end, she found herself resigned to the whims of fate, a mere pawn in a game whose rules eluded her grasp.

"Areum!" Her voice cut through the silence like a beacon in the night, drawing the maid's startled gaze back to her. In that fleeting moment of connection, Suyin felt a flicker of familiarity amidst the sea of uncertainty that threatened to consume her. "Let's go home," she declared her words a lifeline in the swirling tempest of confusion that surrounded them.

And so, with Areum by her side, Suyin embarked on a journey through the labyrinthine depths of the forest, each step a tentative exploration into the unknown.

The forest seemed to stretch out before them like an endless maze, its twisting pathways a testament to the timeless secrets it harbored within its ancient heart. But for Suyin, every footfall was a testament to her resilience, a silent vow to press on despite the daunting uncertainty that lay ahead.

Amidst the dense thicket of trees, Suyin's uncertainty manifested in a hesitant gesture, her finger pointing towards a seemingly arbitrary pathway. Her gaze swept over the surrounding foliage, searching for any telltale signs that might offer guidance in this unfamiliar terrain. She remembered the age-old adage about moss-covered trees, a nugget of wisdom passed down through generations like a whispered secret. Yet, amidst the tangled undergrowth, even the most familiar landmarks seemed to elude her grasp, leaving her adrift in a sea of uncertainty.

Before they could fully register the sudden intrusion, four looming figures descended upon Suyin and Areum like silent phantoms, their sudden appearance eliciting startled cries from the two women. Shadows danced across the forest floor as the interlopers closed in, their intentions shrouded in mystery and menace.

"What are you two ladies doing out here?" The words dripped from the lips of one of the men, his tone laced with amusement as he surveyed Suyin with a predatory gleam in his eyes. His gaze roved over her form, lingering with unsettling intensity as if seeking to unravel the secrets hidden beneath her skin.

The forest echoed with the weight of the man's words, his voice a twisted melody of arrogance and menace as he interrogated Suyin and Areum. His grin, like a wolf baring its teeth, sent shivers down Suyin's spine as he surveyed her with a predatory gaze, his scrutiny making her feel uncomfortably exposed.

But Areum's protest pierced through the tension like a beacon of defiance, her voice trembling yet resolute as she sought to dispel the accusations that hung in the air like a suffocating fog.

"Stop! We aren't doing anything wrong here! We just got lost here," she declared, her words a desperate plea for understanding amidst the looming threat of danger.

Yet, their protestations fell upon deaf ears, drowned out by the jeers and mockery of the men who surrounded them. "Lost?!! Do you think we are stupid enough to think that you two are just here because you ladies are 'lost' instead? It's hard to get here by foot!" one of the minions exclaimed, his voice dripping with contempt as he echoed the sentiments of his comrades.

Suyin's patience wore thin as the men continued to taunt and belittle them, their words a cruel reminder of the prejudice and suspicion that tainted their perceptions.

With a steely glare, she confronted their narrow-minded assumptions head-on, her voice laced with defiance as she challenged their baseless accusations.

"According to you brainheads, you think everyone has to do something 'dirty' in order to come into this damn forest. Is your name on this forest or something?" Suyin's words cut through the air like a blade, her gaze a fiery glare that dared them to question her resolve.

But the man's response was a chilling reminder of the dangers that lurked within the shadows of the forest, his words dripping with veiled threats and sinister implications. "Ey. Come down beauty. Don't you know that this forest is the barrier between the Qin and Long clan? Anyone knows that" he sneered, his voice a venomous hiss as he closed the distance between them.

Suyin's heart raced as she felt the weight of his gaze upon her, his proximity sending a shiver down her spine. Yet, even as fear threatened to consume her, a flicker of defiance burned bright within her soul.

"Say. If you don't want to become dead souls, why don't you give up something else instead and we'll let you two live?" His words hung in the air like a dagger poised to strike, their implication sending a chill down Suyin's spine.

The forest seemed to hold its breath as the tension between Suyin and the bandit reached its breaking point. With a sharp intake of breath, Suyin's hand lashed out in a swift, decisive motion, her palm connecting with the man's cheek with a resounding crack.

The force of her blow sent him stumbling backward, his hand instinctively reaching for the hilt of his sword as rage ignited within him like a wildfire.

"How dare you slap my face, you stupid woman!" His words were a venomous hiss, his eyes ablaze with fury as he drew his weapon with lethal intent.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Suyin braced herself for the impending strike, her heart pounding in her chest like a war drum heralding the onset of battle.

But just as the blade arced towards her with deadly precision, a sudden interruption shattered the stillness of the moment, a clash of metal ringing out like a clarion call to arms.

As Suyin's eyes fluttered open, the chaos of the forest momentarily faded into the background, replaced by the captivating presence of the mysterious man who stood before her like a guardian angel.

Her breath caught in her throat as she beheld him, her gaze drawn inexorably to his piercing eyes that seemed to hold the secrets of the universe within their depths.

His sharp eyebrows arched elegantly, framing eyes that blazed with an intensity that sent shivers down Suyin's spine. There was a darkness in his gaze, a feral intensity that spoke of a life lived on the edge of danger and intrigue. Yet, amidst the shadows that danced in the depths of his eyes, there was a haunting beauty that defied explanation, a raw magnetism that drew Suyin in like a moth to a flame.

Every line of his face spoke of strength and determination, his features chiseled with the precision of a master sculptor. And yet, there was a hint of vulnerability lurking beneath the surface, a flicker of humanity that belied the aura of danger that surrounded him.

For a moment, time seemed to stand still as Suyin and the stranger locked eyes, the world around them fading into insignificance as they stood on the precipice of fate. In that silent exchange, Suyin felt a connection stir within her, a sense of recognition that defied logic and reason.