Leaving Past

Lei Mingxing leisurely put the coin bag back and looked at Chang Liuyun.

He finally snapped out of his trance and embarrassedly took her to the store's changing rooms. He picked out the things that were meant for her and stuffed them into Lei Mingxing's hands before disappearing behind a curtain.

Lei Mingxing wasn't too hung up on Chang Liuyun's strange behavior, she was happier about receiving new clothes that would actually fit her. She also entered one of the changing cabins. Quickly slipping off the uncomfortable male robes and grabbing the new ones. There was even a new dudou!

She excitedly put on the clothes starting with the new, light-red dudou.

It fit perfectly, even better than her old one, which had been too small from the very start. Always painfully pressing down on her chest and digging into her flesh with its few delicate cords struggling to hold it in place.

But this new one felt great, without the slightest feeling of stuffiness, and it did its job perfectly, putting the dudou custom-made for a princess to shame.

Realizing this disparity between the two, Lei Mingxing lost any thoughts of holding on to her old one. Actually, she was very happy to get rid of yet another evidence of her royal heritage.

She began putting on the plain white inner clothing before finally moving to the outer robes.

The outer robes had a refreshing green color with red edges, colors she rarely got to wear. Usually, her clothes were light pink or simply white. Granted, they were still gorgeous, made from expensive materials and sewn by master craftsmen...

But they were no match for her sibling's clothes, especially since she had to wear hers until they ripped before the servants got her new ones...

Forget it, there was no use getting hung up on her family, they would get their justice served eventually, no need for her to get involved anymore, it would only complicate things.

And it wasn't like she actually cared about her family that much, she had plenty of worse enemies.

So, Lei Mingxing just focused on gushing over her new clothes again.

She really liked them, it was probably silly, but she felt like they represented a promise to a simpler future after she completed her revenge. With other words, everything she ever wanted, not fame, not wealth, only a world where she could live however she liked.

Finished putting on the clothes, Lei Mingxing pulled open her hair and began combing through it with the hairbrush. Her curly hair didn't make it easy for Lei Mingxing, but she eventually got all the knots out and grasped her curls into a bun again, fixing it with the newly-bought hair needle.

Now, the only thing left was the face veil.

It was made of a slightly transparent red fabric, matching the rest of her outfit.

Originally, she hadn't thought about getting something like this herself, especially since she didn't know that something like a 'face veil' even existed, but now she didn't find the idea half bad.

She wasn't worried about someone recognizing her as she had rarely appeared in public. The people who had seen her could probably be counted on one hand, but it still felt somewhat relieving having your face obscured. At least this way random strangers wouldn't be able to immediately see your entire appearance.

Outfit complete, Lei Mingxing stepped out of the changing room.

Chang Liuyun was already waiting for her, also dressed in his new dark green robes with dark brown linings and pants, a simple black mask covering most of his face, only exposing his light blue eyes, lips and jaw. His previously long hair had also been casually bundled together into a bun.

Although, it still looked very unkempt.

Lei Mingxing couldn't help asking while looking at him.

"Don't you want to brush your hair as well?"

Chang Liuyun froze.

...Was it so bad that even his companion with a chaotic hairdo had to mention it?

Chang Liuyun wordlessly grabbed the brush Lei Mingxing held out and began brushing his neglected hair.

It took a very long and painful ten minutes until he was able to somewhat untangle his straight black hair and brush out most of the dirt. He stiffly redid his bun and looked at Lei Mingxing.

The latter had been patiently watching him throughout the whole process.

"..."

Now that he saw it again, he couldn't leave that bird's nest on her head just like that.

It was her own fault, she had started with the criticizing!

"Turn around, I will do your hair for you."

Question marks appeared on Lei Mingxing's face.

"What do you mean? I already brushed my hair."

Did she really not see anything wrong with it?

"...just turn around," Chang Liuyun said helplessly.

Lei Mingxing hesitated a bit but ultimately turned around.

Chang Liuyun gently pulled out the hair needle holding up the messy 'bun' and brushed out the hair again. There was a bit of dirt on the brush now, but he hoped it didn't bother Lei Mingxing too much.

Soon he began braiding Lei Mingxing's curly hair before putting it into a simple but very delicate-looking bun. Chang Liuyun nodded, clearly satisfied with his workmanship.

"I'm finished."

Lei Mingxing turned around to face Chang Liuyun hearing his words.

"Thank you!"

Obviously very happy, her eyes curled into crescent moons.

Chang Liuyun was stunned.

This was the first time he actually saw her face, well, eyes.

He had no idea that his collaborator was this pretty!

At first glance, her eyes seemed pure black but after a while, one would notice the black was just a deceptively dark purple. And these purple eyes had a clear boldness to them, complete with a pair of heroic brows and naturally long eyelashes. A small mole lay playfully beneath her left eye, beckoning you to observe more carefully.

Her forehead, framed between her ink-black hair and unyielding eyebrows, could also easily catch the attention of any curious eyes with the tear-shaped red beauty mark elegantly resting above her brows.

"..."

This was bad, wouldn't Lei Mingxing's striking appearance make them stand out like a sore thumb?

Now, he was really glad that he ordered an additional face veil for her...

"Let's go."

Lei Mingxing said happily and grasped the lost-in-thought Chang Liuyun's hand, dragging him out of the store.

As soon as they were outside, Chang Liuyun snapped out of his daze and resumed his duty as tour guide and shield, once again walking on the side with more people.

Their next destination would be the Mercenary Association.

But on the way, they passed by several food stalls that exuded such enticing smells that Chang Liuyun couldn't help halting his steps with a growling stomach.

These snacks smelled really good...

It had been a very long time since Chang Liuyun ate something that wasn't bread, watery porridge, or the wild plants he found during his travels through obscure and dangerous roads...

Struggling with his aching appetite, Chang Liuyun looked at Lei Mingxing next to him. To his surprise, his companion seemed entirely undisturbed by the food, more bothered by the occasional hot stares that were plastered onto her body. It even took her a while to notice Chang Liuyun's gaze.

"?"

She stared back at him with questioning eyes.

"Are you not hungry?"

Chang Liuyun asked in confusion.

Lei Mingxing shook her head.

"Not really."

She wanted to continue moving, standing still made the staring around her worse, but Chang Liuyun continued to observe her with furrowed brows.

"When was the last time you ate or drank something?"

Under Chang Liuyun's intense gaze, Lei Mingxing felt that if she lied the other would immediately notice.

...But she never intended to lie?

"About four days ago?"

A shocked and suspicious expression appeared on Chang Liuyun's face, Lei Mingxing realized that she had said something wrong, but she didn't know what, so she hastily added the first thing that came to mind.

"I can hold on even longer than that!"

Small theater:

Lei Mingxing before going out of the store: This is a very nice hairdo! Doesn't get into the eyes at all! I should practice making it myself!

Lei Mingxing after: Why is everyone suddenly staring at me? QAQ

Chang Liuyun:...

Chang Liuyun: It's worse than I imagined.