Soul bound Strangers

34. Red ribbon

Wei ying's pov

Since the day I started putting on this servant act, me and my husband have been going through a loop. 

Me pretending to be a servant and entering Jingshi with any random reason, and him sending me out with the same cold expression is an everyday thing. 

Thankfully he hasn't asked me to never get inside jingshi but I am afraid it might happen anytime soon in the future. In the beginning it took some time for him to excuse me but two days back, I was sent out immediately. 

Maybe I am becoming an eyesore for him, which I hope is not the case. 

Hence I am thinking of not using my glue technique for the time being. 

Let me look at my Lan zhan from afar, make a move when I get a chance and wait for him until he remembers me. 

It's hard, but it is better than seeing that cold expression when sending me out. 

Lately Lan zhan is also having it hard. Due to his memories, Zewujun is delegated the authority of being the chief cultivator temporarily. Lan zhan is not allowed to go outside of Gusu, afraid that he might hear people gossiping about me which is a big no-no.  

Yesterday I heard that he was stopped from going to Lan Ancestral hall when he wanted to pay his respects for Lan ying, his late wife. 

Of course he cannot be admitted inside as there cannot be a memorial tablet for me, when I am alive. 

'Wait, when is Jiang cheng coming?'

Third person pov

Lan zhan decides to take a dip in the spring water as the first thing in the morning, for he cannot feel normal since the time he was restricted from entering the Ancestor's hall.  

As he gets inside the spring and moves inwards amidst the thick fog he realises that a human body is floating on the surface. 

There was no movement from the body and it was fully dressed. No wonder he didn't see this coming as he usually doesn't get inside the spring when there are other people. 

Lan zhan waits for two minutes to ascertain whether the person is alive or dead. Because a normal person wouldn't float and won't be fully dressed, especially in this Lan spring.  

After two minutes of no movement, Lan zhan stretches his hand slowly and grabs the hand of the body to turn it up, but Lan zhan gets stunned when the hand in return gets hold of his stretched hand tightly and pulls him inside the water. 

Being ambushed, but still maintaining his momentum, Lan zhan falls into the water but manages not to be pushed deep inside the water by the human, and ends up getting entangled. 

When the shocked Lan zhan and the human decided to stop this entangling and get up, Lan zhan for a moment didn't want to let go. 

Maybe because of the warmth or the comfort that he felt when he touched the palm or maybe it was a feeling that he cannot describe. 

Only when he felt the other person struggling, he looked up in the darkness. Actually it was not like he focused on the holding hands but the other person hadn't removed the free flowing hair that is covering the face, making him unable to see it. 

The person had his arms crossed against the chest that was fully covered, intending to cover it even more, while Lan zhan who had only his trousers on, waited for the person to show his face. 

"Th-that is.." 

"Sorry for my rude behavior." Before the stuttering person finished speaking, Lan zhan felt a need to apologise. 

Lan zhan felt ashamed of his own behaviour.  

Like a shooting star, the other person shot off from the place, leaving Lan zhan baffled.

Until the end, Lan zhan couldn't see his face. 

A few minutes later when Lan zhan was back from the trance and was ready to relax in the water, he peeled off the strip of cloth that got stuck to his hand, only to realise that it was a ribbon. 

A red ribbon. 

Wei ying's pov

Why? 

Just why? 

All because of Jiang cheng. If only he had come to the spring as promised. 

Though I think that it is a good thing he didn't come. Hehe

This guy asked me to meet in the spring in the morning, but as he ran late I got inside the water. It was bone chilling cold, so I didn't bother removing my robes. 

It's a hobby for both of us to hold in our breaths underwater and I like playing dead. Not to scare anyone, but I actually feel free when I do so.  As I started holding in my breath, all the thoughts running through my mind these days surfaced and I actually didn't realise someone else had appeared in place of Jiang cheng. 

I just wanted to scare my brother for coming late by pushing him under water, but didn't expect him to react. 

That's when the magic happened. Ehem' the incident where I got to hug my husband. But it was not intentional. Only after the unintentional hug, the fear of getting caught by him, when I am just a servant in his memory striked my mind.

I had to play the ghost to hide my identity, though I felt insanely embarrassed. But in the end it's all worth it. This is our intimate encounter after almost two months.

"Hehe." 

Third person's pov

"Are you angry?" He is being silent. I think I messed up bigtime by oversleeping. Jiang cheng looked worried. 

"I can make it up to you by any means, alright?" 

"Achooo" 

"Have this hot soup. Did you wait for a long time?" 

'Mom is definitely going to skin me alive' Jiang cheng didn't know how to make his brother speak.  

"Hehe" Wei ying giggles. 

"Wait… Did something happen there in the spring??" Jiang cheng got curious looking at how his brother was giggling with a deep blush that cannot be hidden. 

"Idiot. Tell me the details." Jiang cheng asks Wei ying who was walking out of the room to avoid answering. 

"You didn't scare Lan Wangji with your dead frog pose, did you?" 

Even though Wei ying wanted to strangle his brother for reminding that pose of him, he decided against it, considering his brother's good deed.