Chasing the Fleeting Flower

13: So Why Now?

Over the course of the next few days, Xin Rui spent her time talking to Yu Jian and Cai Zhi— separately, of course.

"Rui, come here." Cai Zhi waved his hand as he softly called out to her with an alluring smile. Curling her red lips, Rui skipped to his side.

With one hand, he gently held her by the side of her head and inserted a peony flower behind her ear with the other hand. He took several steps back and gave a helpless smile as his eyes gazed at her with warmth and adoration.

"Even a peony flower cannot compare to you..." he chuckled, showing his beautiful set of teeth.

In response, Rui slightly blushed to his compliment. "Stop joking, Zhi-gege..." But her mind thought of someone else.

He chuckled again, "How can such truth be considered a joke?"

Rui didn't reply as she lowered her head. While her lips were stilled curled up, her mind wandered somewhere else again. Yu Jian's nonchalant face appeared with a soft smile. She suddenly recalled the white jade pin and her smile faltered, but she quickly replaced it with a nervous laugh.

"Rui, I have a surprise for you."

"Ah?"

Cai Zhi smiled mischievously and pointed his nose up, "Close your eyes."

Though she was confused, she didn't question him and closed her eyes. Her hand was lifted up and something cold but smooth was gently placed in her palm. Rui opened her eyes and widened them with a gasp."This..."

He sheepishly smiled and coughed into his fist, "This is a blue crystal charm. While I was traveling with my men, I happened to come across an abandoned mine. The workers said that funds were no longer provided so they abandoned the cave. Thinking about you, I decided to go look inside for some crystal rocks. When we were children, you once said that you wanted a blue crystal because they looked like the sky. Fortunately, I managed to mine some out and made them into a charm. Rui, don't laugh at Zhi-gege's terrible craftsmanship."

Left completely speechless, Rui couldn't form any proper words. Her thumb ran over the smooth surface and she looked up at him. Cai Zhi was nervously standing with his hands behind his back, as if he was waiting for her approval. Her heart was touched by his kindness, but that was it. Rui slowly said, "Zhi-gege, you didn't have to do so much for Rui..."

"Of course I do, you're important to me. To show you how much you mean to me, I have to work through my own sweat and tears." Cai Zhi smiled and gazed deeply into her shocked eyes. She couldn't explain it; as if he had some magical rope in his eyes, he lured her in.

Her heart tremor with a violent shake. Lowering her face and breaking away from the ropes in his eyes with difficulty, she quietly said, "Zhi-gege, Rui will get the wrong idea if this continues..."

"How is your idea wrong, if it's right?" Rui shot her head back up to meet his sincere eyes. He was serious—or at least—she thinks he is.

She wasn't sure why she was reacting like this. Normally, she would be thrilled to hear such words from him. Her eyes flickered back and forth. Finding a reasonable excuse, she quickly saluted and bid Cai Zhi a goodbye.

"Miss—" Liling called from behind as Rui rushed back to her room with thoughts clouding her mind and eyes. She looked at Liling with a complicated gaze before she masked it with a bright, cheerful smile.

"Liling-ah, could you go heat up the bath for me? Also, I want freshly picked rose and osmanthus flowers. It has to be fresh." Rui requested with her large, glistening doll-like eyes, making it impossible for the poor maid to refuse.