Twenty-Three

"Lui Mei? Who's Lui Mei?"

When Zhao Ling told her the story of his death, he never gave many details. All he did was state he was once a prince who fought wars to defend his people and had a jealous brother who murdered their father and took the throne. This discovery made her wonder how much information was there and how many more people betrayed him in the past.

"I may have not said much about my past life to you but Lui Mei was once my lover. Well, she was my brother's lover who came to me and made me fall for her charms. Lui Mei worked with Zhao Feng and together, they took over the throne. They were the mastermind of my death and the fall of the royal family."

His explanation put worry in her mind. How could it be that he made a statement that someone from his past was back? It left her self-conscious of her environment as she remembered the beast that had almost killed her.

"Part of the powers I cultivated was to sense my enemies. Somehow, I can sense Lui Mei in my chi. She is either in this generation or I can just sense her evil spirit," Zhao Ling said and looked down at Li Yuxi.

"You're scaring me but thank goodness I'm chained to you because who knows what would have happened?"

The fear forming inside her was making her heart pound fast by the second. She stood closer to Zhao Ling and gripped the bellowed sleeve of his hanfu while her eyes darted around the courtyard.

"I will need to meditate and open my spiritual eyes. A lot is happening and will happen if I am not careful. Me being here is a threat to my mission and you."

Li Yuxi nodded in understanding and released his sleeve when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned her body slightly and frowned at the sight of Wang Lifen approaching. She and Zhao Ling turned their bodies toward her and waited for her to reach them.

"I won't hold myself back if she tries anything with you," Zhao Ling stated with a stoic face.

Wang Lifen stopped in front of Li Yuxi with a scrutinizing gaze. Li Yuxi had to keep her body on alert for when the woman would raise her hand to slap her again. Seconds rolled by and nothing was said, which made Li Yuxi feel awkward.

"Can we talk somewhere away from this house?" Wang Lifen asked.

Li Yuxi made brief eye contact with Zhao Ling which would make it seem like she was staring at the gate in the distance. She looked back at the woman and hesitantly nodded. Wang Lifen faced the gate first before walking away and heading for it.

"Can you trust her?" Zhao Ling asked.

"I thought you sense people's feelings? Can't you sense if she's been untrustworthy?"

Zhao Ling stayed silent for two seconds before exhaling hard.

"I can't sense anything. It's very strange how I can't feel anything or see the type of person she is. My spiritual eyes allow me to see the color of a person's chi and soul; so I can tell if they are bad or good but she is just like a blank scroll."

Li Yuxi stared at the woman, trying to see through Zhao Ling's point of view. With the information given, she knew she had to be wary of the woman.

‡‡‡

They were walking side by side along the lonely and quiet streets of the neighborhood. The only sounds they could hear were their footsteps scraping the tarred ground and the distant sound of cars. The silence between them was heavy and awkward, making the women avoid making eye contact.

"Li Yuxi, I'm sorry." Wang Lifen stopped walking.

Li Yuxi became shocked at the apology and stopped too, backing the woman who stood a foot behind her.

"Forgive me for slapping you. I was angry and my emotions got the best of me. I am always in control of what I feel."

Li Yuxi shut her eyes for a few calming seconds before facing her. She nodded her head in understanding and for not having anything to say toward the apology.

"I also want to know," Wang Lifen began to say, her voice becoming softer. "Who exactly is Lee Qiang to you… Don't lie to me."

Li Yuxi nibbled on her lip. The last thing she wanted to do was cause any more problems she could not handle, especially when it had to do with Lee Qiang.

"I want the truth, please. I'm tired of men deceiving me and I have long been sensing that Lee Qiang was hiding something from me. Even the day you met him, there was something strange about his behavior."

Li Yuxi could hear the desperation and hurt in her voice which made her heart feel sorry for the woman.

"Fine… I'll tell you the truth," Li Yuxi said and sighed. "Lee Qiang is my husband."

Wang Lifen gasped. "W-what? Your husband?"

"Hm. We are married and he is a serial cheat. You're simply one of the women he roams around with. I can prove to you that he's my husband."

"No… you don't have to. I… I came across a picture of you and him a few minutes ago. I only wanted to know if you would lie about it. I'm sorry. I tend to have trust issues and—"

"It's okay, Wang Lifen."

"I'm sorry for slapping you. I really am. I should not have done that over a man. Will you forgive me? I promise to leave your husband and marriage."

Li Yuxi laughed at her words. She covered her mouth and laughed more softly in her palm. She could see the confusion plastered on Wang Lifen's face as she laughed. When she had her fill, Li Yuxi cleared her throat and shook her head in humor.

"Wang Lifen, didn't you hear me when I said Lee Qiang is a serial cheat? I do not care who he sleeps with. I do not have any feelings for the man. This marriage is just an arranged marriage. He's free to do what he pleases as it doesn't even affect a marriage that isn't even real."

Li Yuxi smiled wryly at the memories of how many times Lee Qiang had made it known to her that he cheats, even in the early days of their marriage. They had not been close and he had not even cared to speak to her about the terms and conditions of their fake marriage. The only thing she saw was different women in his car, leaving the house every morning, and his calls to them.

"So, Wang Lifen, you don't have to worry about destroying anything. You're free to date him if you want. That is if he's serious about you."

Wang Lifen nodded. "Thank you for telling me this but I simply cannot be with him anymore. I broke up with him before leaving the house. Being around him suffocates me."

"Tell me about it," Li Yuxi concurred with a roll of her eyes, which made Wang Lifen chuckle.

Wang Lifen heaved a heavy sigh and looked around. Li Yuxi's heart skipped a beat when the woman looked directly at Zhao Ling who tensed beside her but when she acted as if she had not seen anything, the duo relaxed.

"By the way, the team at the office will be going on a trip. There were some sort of buried findings made a week ago. Tomorrow, the trip to the old village begins. I don't know if you'll be interested."

"Of course, I'm interested," Li Yuxi said in excitement. "Anything to take me far away from my house."

"Good." Wang Lifen chuckled. "Look, I'm sorry for my behavior with you from the beginning. You're a sweet person and I tend to act tough around people to avoid anyone taking advantage of my status or anything."

"I admire that about you. I wish I could be that way. I wish I could be nonchalant about certain things but… everyone's different and there's nothing wrong with you." Li Yuxi smiled when Wang Lifen smirked.

She could tell that the woman was still keeping her emotions guarded. It reminded her of Zhao Ling.

A woman and her son walked out of the corner a few feet behind Wang Lifen, which got Li Yuxi's attention. They started making their way in their direction and Li Yuxi focused on Wang Lifen when she started to speak.

"There will be a bus ready by tomorrow morning to—"

"Mommy, look!" The boy pointed directly at Zhao Ling. "A weird man."

Li Yuxi's eyes widened and immediately shifted them to Zhao Ling who stood stiff with a blank expression on his face.

"What are you talking about?" The mother pulled the boy's ear before laughing nervously at them. "I am sorry. Please, ignore my son. Come on!"

As the woman dragged the boy away, he turned back and waved at Zhao Ling before he was dragged forward. Li Yuxi's heart was beating as she didn't know what Wang Lifen was going to think.

"Forgive me, Li Yuxi but… what that boy is saying is true."

Li Yuxi's body became rigid and Zhao Ling's breath hitched.