Depths of Tears

"Makio!" Zai Weizhe yelled out as soon as he entered the main hall of Lorn Wisteria. The genius he called who was always aloof ignored his call and proceeded to walk away from his sight.

Although blatantly ignored, Zai Weizhe continued to call their IT genius and even slung his arms on his shoulder when he managed to catch up to him. "You bastard. You're reverting back to your unfriendly state just because Shino is away for a business trip."

"I only acknowledge scholarly talk…and you can't offer that."

Foul-mouthed. That's Shun Makio.

True, he's a genius. But he has a habit of brutally turning down any attempt of starting a conversation with him.

[ Can I just punch him? ] Zai Weizhe asked himself, now holding back from swinging his fist at this cheeky youngster. Just because he was a genius and was favored by their boss, doesn't mean he can just act all high and mighty. [ Cheeky brat! I should discipline you while the boss is out! ]

"Are you going to see Grandpa?" a childlike voice said out of nowhere. Both of them were quick to look down and face the chosen heir to their organization.

Ji Li Zhao looked at them both sternly before his eyes drifted to Zai Weizhe's clenched fist. His eyes then trailed off to Makio who looked as apathetic as ever. It has been a month since he stayed with them so he already knows just how annoying Makio can be without Shino around.

He returned his gaze to Zai Weizhe who was also staring straight at him, obviously observing and waiting for him to talk. "If you want to fight, duel it out on equal ground. You won't be able to make him feel anything if you defeat him in something he already knows he would lose to."

One month is still considered a short time, but it was enough for the young Ji Li Zhao to learn where the members of the organization excel at. He knows Zai Weizhe is proficient with his fist as he was a previous Muay Thai champion. It was obvious in his eyes how he wants Makio to at least learn to respect his seniors…but using violence against a man as stern and smart as Makio is not a proficient way to elicit the respect he wants.

Makio knows he is smart and valued and thus wants only to respect those who deserve his respect. He is not someone who would bow his head down over violence inflicted on him. Because if it is violence, he can be a violent man himself and he could inflict far more brutal crimes with his wits. He knew he would lose against Zai Weizhe in a fistfight, but he could win in other departments and that cannot be disputed.

Zai Weizhe could only click his tongue in annoyance before deciding to turn away from the still stoic face of Makio. "Someday, I'll settle things with you."

"Brother Zai. Do you want to come with me?" Ji Li Zhao offered, not wanting Zai Weizhe to feel as though he was favoring Makio. He wanted to give Zai Weizhe a chance to prove himself. He has great potential, he just needs more time with the Great Elder to be discovered. "I'm accompanying Grandpa on an errand. I think you'll like it there."

Ji Li Zhao was far from the future Boss that they expect, but it was undeniable that he has Elder Bei's blood. He was not giving an order, but Zai Weizhe felt propelled to go along with his offer. Although young, Ji Li Zhao already has a warm yet authoritative look in his eyes.

"Alright. I'll go with you."

Before both of them left, Zai Weizhe glanced at Makio who was staring at Ji Li Zhao. The latter must have felt his gaze because he turned around and smiled. "I'll wait for your next invention, Makio."

And with that, the two who were nearly on the brink of fighting were left neither angry nor victorious. Meanwhile, Ji Li Zhao who still has no idea of his influence simply continued his stroll and proceeded to meet Great Elder Bei.

"Ah Li. I have news for you." Great Elder Bei called out after assigning Zai Weizhe to accompany the rest of his First Tiered Guards on a kidnapping retrieval operation. He trusts his grandson and wants to see for himself if Zai Weizhe indeed has the potential to be promoted to a higher rank.

He has been getting daily updates from his brother so he knows the news isn't about them. "How is she doing? Is she awake now?"

A month has passed and Hou Wei Yan is yet to regain consciousness. The doctors who stated that it was a simple procedure and that she would wake up within the day are now in a precarious situation. She was kept in the Shiying Private Hospital as the family feared she would get worse if transported. Instead, various doctors were called in to treat her there.

And yet none of them succeeded in waking her up. She was simply in a coma and the only thing they could do is make sure she doesn't enter a critical phase while in a state of unconsciousness.

"She's still sleeping." Great Elder Bei said in dejection. Ji Li Zhao entrusted monitoring Hou Wei Yan to him and so far, he could guess how adorable she must be. She was deeply loved and it wasn't the type of love shown simply because she was the heiress to Xing Mei Yi.

She was loved beyond comparison. Adored by the Elders and even the prominent families of their country, from the Regal Families to the Ducal Houses. Although he is yet to meet the child, he can already feel attached to her, like she was meant to be a part of their family tree. "They transferred her to the Military Hospital."

Ji Li Zhao looked at his grandfather in worry. "They did? Wasn't it dangerous?"

"She's stable now. They waited for one month and made sure she was stable enough for transfer. The Military Hospital is much safer for her and they have more advanced equipment they wish to be used on her."

Great Elder Bei stared at him for a while. When Ji Li Zhao stayed silent for a minute, he decided to speak in his stead. "Aren't you going to ask permission to visit her?"

"Am I even allowed to?" Ji Li Zhao quickly asked. He knows the Xing still held a grudge against him. "The Grand Elder is surely there. He did not permit me a visit when she was in Shiying. Why would he allow it now?"

A smile blossomed on the Elder's face as soon as he said this. It was a smile filled with pride. "You seem to have forgotten who I am."

"Grandpa."

"I'm Bei Jin Lin. Did you forget?" he stated, clasping his hands together and smiling cheekily. "They may be the number one family amongst the Regal Families, but the Bei and the Zheng are the ones who truly hold power in the military."

"The Grand Elder might not look at me favorably in the future if I use you," he asked worriedly.

He was always thinking of the future because that is one of the reasons why he even accepted becoming the heir to Lorn Wisteria.

Great Elder Bei chuckled. "Xing Mingli does not hold a candle against me. Others may see the Regal Families ranking as a competition, but really, we aren't competing against anything. He and I are on friendly terms so there's no need for you to worry."

"Still–--"

"To ease your worry, let's just pay a visit as the representative of the Bei. We will simply be sending our wishes for her recovery like what the other Regal Families are doing."

He was still hesitating, not wanting to worsen his relationship with the Grand Elder. Bei Jin Lin, who noticed this, gave one final push. "Don't you miss her? I heard she can still hear her surroundings even though she was in a coma. Isn't this a good chance for you to explain yourself to her?"

With the elder's persuasion, Ji Li Zhao finally placed his heart at ease and nodded his head. The Great Elder already knew beforehand that his grandson would fall for his persuasion so there wasn't much to prepare. When they walked outside their headquarters, a car had already been prepared and 10 chosen people from the First Tier Guards were waiting for them diligently.

As soon as they entered the car, Ji Li Zhao noticed heaps of gifts so he turned to his grandfather curiously. "You can't visit a Regal Family member empty-handed."

Ji Li Zhao nodded his head in understanding, taking note of what he just said.

.....

"Great Elder Bei." Hou Guanyu greeted as soon as he was notified who just entered the Military Hospital. His eyes then trailed off to the child beside him and offered him a kind smile. "And Ji Li Zhao."

"Greetings to Master Hou." Ji Li Zhao hurriedly greeted, offering him a sincere bow. "We came to wish your daughter a speedy recovery."

Hou Guanyu looked at him awkwardly before waving his hands. "There's no need for you to do that. You came here to visit Xiao Yan, right?"

"Uhm...if I am allowed to," he muttered while glancing around, a certain Grand Elder missing from his line of sight.

Hou Guanyu was quick to notice his nervousness. He didn't want the child to feel uncomfortable and sincerely wanted to give him a chance to spend time with his daughter. He thinks that his presence is much needed by Hou Wei Yan who remains asleep in the next room.

"Father was sent home by Mother. They will be returning here tomorrow so you can comfortably spend your time with Xiao Yan."

After stating this, he turned to the Great Elder Bei who was silently observing their interaction. "Would you like to visit Xiao Yan as well, Great Elder Bei?"

"I came here to accompany Ah Li. I'll meet your daughter...in a much more formal setting," he replied before redirecting his gaze at Ji Li Zhao. "I will pay a visit to some colleagues. The guards will be near so notify them when you're done. We will go home when you're ready."

Obedient as he is, Ji Li Zhao simply nodded his head and watched as his grandfather left with five of the guards. The other five remained and kept a close distance from them as they traversed the hospital hallway and headed toward Hou Wei Yan's room.

As soon as they got outside the room, Ji Li Zhao gave the guards a signal to stay outside. The guards obeyed him without question which made Hou Guanyu hum to himself as he watched how Ji Li Zhao held his authority at such a young age.

"I haven't thanked you enough." Hou Guanyu said when they arrived inside. "My daughter is still with us, thanks to you."

Ji Li Zhao, who has had his eyes fixed on the lady slumbering on the hospital bed since earlier, glanced at him momentarily—melancholy in his eyes. "I didn't do well enough to receive your thanks, Master Hou."

"Still, thank you," he muttered, feeling genuinely thankful. The elders may blame Ji Li Zhao for not doing enough, but he is thankful that he even tried to protect her and successfully allowed her to receive treatment at the most crucial moment.

Together, they went near the bed only to see a pale-looking Hou Wei Yan with machines attached to different parts of her body. She has an oxygen mask on her face and her every movement was monitored. Her weight had significantly decreased which deepened Ji Li Zhao's frown.

Seeing the energetic Hou Wei Yan in this state is truly horrifying and heartbreaking.

"Xiao Yan is very important to me. You could call her my life so losing her is something that will break me. For saving her, I owe you my life." Hou Guanyu said out of the blue, successfully taking Ji Li Zhao's attention and his eyes away from his daughter. "I owe you a favor. Tell me anything you want and I will grant it as long as it is within my capabilities."

"I did not save her to receive any reward...nor am I deserving of any at all."

Hou Guanyu held his shoulders and squeezed them gently. "Take every opportunity that is given to you... especially when the other party is more than willing to give it. Besides, you don't have to tell me your wish now...tell me when you really need it. Whatever it is...I will grant it."

Ji Li Zhao was about to refuse it once more. But before he could blurt out anything, Hou Guanyu had already taken a step back. "I'll leave you with her now. I'll be outside with the others."

Just like that, he was left alone in the hospital room with only the beeping of the vital signs monitor echoing in the room. Finally, after one month, he got to see Hou Wei Yan again.

"Wei Wei," he whispered slowly before circling around the room and walking to her side, taking a seat at the bedside stool. He stayed silent for quite some time and only managed to make a sound after he realized that his time was limited. The elders could come at any time.

"I'm here now, Wei Wei." Ji Li Zhao muttered and held her hands. "Sorry, it took me quite some time. Everything became hectic since you went into a coma and everyone was kept out for your protection."

The silence of Hou Wei Yan deafened him. He focused all of his attention on her and noticed that she twitches from time to time. He would have reacted but the Elder already briefed him that these are not voluntary movements.

"Are you perhaps dreaming right now?" he curiously asked, seeing as how her brows creased from time to time and how it relaxes sometimes as though she was having a calm moment in her mind. "I hope you have a great dream. A happy dream where you're running in the meadows, filled with flowers and all the animals you adore. I hope you're having a pleasant dream because...I don't want you to feel this heartache."

He rubbed her hands on his. "You in this state is a nightmare. I don't want to see you like this...so please, Wei Wei...even if you're in a pleasant dream now...please come back to us...please come back...I don't want to lose you. The idea of losing you is more than any of us can bear."

"You were a stranger to me before," he mumbled. "But now, you're one of the reasons why I'm fighting. This may sound selfish, but please don't rest just yet. Please? We still want you around. Our world will be shattered without you. So please...please...come back to us...please."

No matter how hard he tried to hold it back, his tears cascaded as a dam had just broken. He promised not to be too emotional around her and not to cry because Hou Wei Yan can hear everything and the sound of crying may trigger her to give up hope. But it was hard.

The job of not crying was hard for him right now. He was watching her shallow breathing and was painfully reminded of the good times he had with her—good times he desperately want to have once more.

"Wei Wei...if you can hear me...can I request for you to fight? To wake up from that dream instead of staying in it? It must be beautiful there because you've been sleeping for quite some time." he added and extended his hands, trying his best to reach for her hair and caress it.

"It must be beautiful there...very beautiful...but can you come back? Reality is ugly but you will have us by your side. We will do our best to present a beautiful world to you...a dream-like world. So instead of staying there...can you please stay with us instead?"

He had his own dreams—vivid dreams he can remember as sweet and made him feel as though he was on cloud nine. To be honest, the current world they are in is filled with crime and danger. The reality that they are in is still ugly even though they belong to what they call royalty. To others, it is a privilege and pleasure to belong to the royal family, but they are unaware of just how ugly it can also be.

They may be shrouded in gold in the eyes of the common people.

But to be honest, their world is often filled with thorns and poison. They have the wealth but with it comes plenty of responsibility...and enemies. Betrayal and scheming are their staple food.

He isn't even sure if he can protect Hou Wei Yan the entire time as he promised. But he wants to try nonetheless. Their world is ugly...but he believes the thorns would slightly lift up if he had Hou Wei Yan with him.

So we will selfishly beg her to stay in this world. To him right now, she is his ray of hope. And just like Hou Guanyu, he will be devastated if he loses her too.

"Wei Wei...I–--"

"Wei Wei?" he asked in bewilderment. Beautiful emerald green orbs have been staring right back at him. She wasn't blinking, but she stared at him as though in a daze—like she had just woken from a dream-like state.

It took him a few seconds to digest what he was seeing. To verify, he waved his hands in front of her and immediately shouted when she blinked once.

"SHE'S AWAKE! MASTER HOU! SOMEBODY! WEI WEI IS AWAKE!" he shouted loudly without even straying his eyes away from her, fearing that she would close it once more once he turned away. "CALL THE DOCTOR! MASTER HOU! WEI WEI IS AWAKE!"

The racket he made quickly garnered attention. The guards and Hou Guanyu who were waiting patiently and attentively outside immediately ran inside with the first word he shouted. "Young master!"

"She's awake! Call the doctor, right now!"

The guards turned to look at the lady lying on the bed and saw that her eyes were indeed wide open. Without further delay, they ran outside to fetch the doctors, which did not take long since a few doctors had been posted to keep an eye on this room 24/7.

"Xiao Yan!" Hou Guanyu reacted when his eyes met her emerald green ones. He knew he wasn't allowed to hug her, so instead, he cupped her hands and caressed her cheeks. His tears were now free-flowing as he repeatedly caressed her cheeks. "Xiao Yan. Daddy is here. I'm here now."

The doctors hurriedly surrounded the bed and Master Hou was left on the side, his arms resting on Ji Li Zhao's shoulders. He glanced at the little child who didn't dare take his eyes away from the bed. [ He managed to wake her up. Had I known he was the key, I would have allowed him to visit much earlier. ]

"Ji Li Zhao," he called out but the boy did not pay him any of his attention. He could only sigh and return his gaze to the hospital bed, watching carefully as they tended to Hou Wei Yan and proceeded to test if she could breathe on her own now.

As she was unable to use her voice for a whole month, Hou Wei Yan found trouble speaking and could only create little noises. The doctors continued testing her and Ji Li Zhao focused on how her eyes shook in confusion the entire time. "Somethings not right."

"What do you mean?" Hou Guanyu asked worriedly, taking his words as though they were the words of an adult. He now had trust in him despite his young age. "What's wrong?"

Ji Li Zhao took slow steps towards the bed, his eyes never leaving Hou Wei Yan's. "She's terrified...confused even."

"That's because she just woke up. She was asleep for one month and woke up in a hospital bed." Hou Guanyu muttered and followed behind him, now observing his child as well.

"She's confused more than she should," he added and made one doctor step out of his way as he approached the bed. "This is Wei Wei we're talking about...it should not take her this long to realize where she is and what happened."

He approached her but didn't dare hold her hands. She stared at him blankly, only confusion written on her face. By this time, the pits of his stomach were already churning and it was making him sick with worry. He was still unsure, but he had his suspicion.

"Wei Wei...do you know who I am?" Ji Li Zhao asked which made the doctors look at one another. Hou Guanyu also looked at his daughter and waited in fear for her answer. "Do you know why you're here? What happened for you to be brought here?"

Hou Wei Yan stayed silent for a while. Her voice was weak and she mustered all she could to blurt out three words. "I...don't...know."

Ji Li Zhao's heart dropped the moment she said this. He looked around anxiously and found his Grandfather's eyes, looking back at him in worry. He had just arrived in time to hear his grandson's question and hear Hou Wei Yan's answer.

Hou Guanyu immediately approached the head doctor and held his shoulder. "What is the meaning of this?! You said she would be fine!"

The doctors looked at one another and tried their best to pry Hou Guanyu's hands away from the head doctor. "We need to run some more tests. We can't be sure yet."

With this, Hou Guanyu released him and approached his daughter. Carefully, he held her hands and gently spoke to her. "Xiao Yan. Baby. Wei Wei Baobei. Do you know me? It's daddy. Your Daddy. Hou Guanyu. I'm your daddy. Remember?"

Hou Wei Yan blinked before pulling her hands away from him. She stared at him blankly as she did with Ji Li Zhao. "Who are you?... Who are you calling Wei Wei?"

"Xiao Yan!" Hou Guanyu called out in horror, disbelief greatly marking his face. "This can't be happening."

Everyone observed Hou Wei Yan keenly, hoping that this was just a prank. But the fear that strikes her face when they continued staring at her like hawks were something that can't be seen in pranks. "Who are you, people?"

Great Elder Bei approached his grandson after hearing this from her. He held his shoulders tightly. "Let's leave first, Ah Li. She'll have to undergo quite a lot of tests."

Ji Li Zhao looked up at his grandfather before returning his gaze to Hou Wei Yan, his face now filled with indescribable pain. He would love to stay, but what can he do even if he does?

"Okay," he answered half-heartedly. He honestly didn't feel okay to leave once more. But Hou Guanyu looks distraught to even uphold friendly relations with them right now. What more if the elder arrives?

He thought his grandfather would immediately drag him away. But instead, he was pushed to step forward. His grandfather gave him a serious look. "Settle things now, Ah Li. You can't say goodbye without properly expressing what you said you'd say when she wakes up."

"But–--"

"Even if she doesn't remember your past, she'll remember what you said now," he muttered and gave a smile to the curious emerald eyes that has been staring at them for a while now. "She can feel you're familiar."

With this, Ji Li Zhao found himself in front of Hou Wei Yan, and everyone's eyes were on him. He offered his hands to her and patiently waited for her to take them.

Hou Wei Yan hesitated for quite some time. She could not remember anything, but she could sense he meant no harm. Deep inside her, she could tell that he was a precious person to her. Although still shaken, she extended her hands and took hold of his.

"Wei Wei. I made a promise to you before everything happened. You don't know of it now…but I will uphold it. Even if you don't remember, I will keep my promise. I will become stronger so I can fulfill it for you."

Hou Wei Yan tilted her head in confusion, something that Ji Li Zhao found adorable even before. "What promise?"

He smiled at her and planted a kiss on her hands. "I'll be yours. So wait for me and get better. I'll come back and make sure to fulfill my promise."