Chasing the Fleeting Flower

32: Yu Jian's Identity

She stared long and hard at the silence that joined them. His figure stood by itself, and even his shadow seem to sheepishly hide behind him.

The sharpness in her eyes softened, and she took two steps closer to him. Her small, delicate hands reached up to cup his cold cheeks and brought his attention to her. The helplessness in her voice as she whimpered made Yu Jian's heart ache, "Am I not your wife, your beloved?"

He exhaled deeply and caressed her face in a similar manner. His Adam apple bobbled up and down as he swallowed hard. "I'm sorry, Rui-er. I was—ha, I still am terrified of your reaction. I didn't know how to tell you."

When she didn't respond, he lowered his gaze but it didn't conceal the anxiety hanging on the edge of his face. It was a first for her to witness this fragility. He was like a boy again: afraid to be misunderstood and abandoned.

"I didn't want you to look at me differently and certainly did not want you to get entangled with my family wars. I truly want to live a peaceful life with you." He explained desperately.

Still, she only silently observed him.

Yu Jian clicked his tongue in annoyance and grabbed the black leather that covered his left eye. Her stomach dropped, and her hands acted on its own as it lunged to stop him. Although she was quick, he was quicker. He clutched the leather eyepatch in his hand and tossed it to the side.

The scar ran down his eye. She could feel the pain cutting her own heart open. His eyes wrinkled as he winced from the sudden exposure of light. Nevertheless, he forced his glassy eyes to open.

"The doctor said to leave it on! Why did you—" Before she could finish, his face grew closer as his eyes bore into her soul. She was mesmerized; it was haunting, but she couldn't tear herself away from being entranced.

"I want you to look into my eyes. If I am lying, you can stab both of them." He vowed as he places a dagger, retrieved from his pockets, in her trembling hands. The cold blade was light, yet its weight was heavier than she could shoulder. She became rigid and her body refused to cooperate with her.

The gravity of his words left his lips like a feather, but it crushed her like a boulder. She was frightened by the length he would measure and the distance he would traverse for her trust. "Xin Rui, you drive me to the doors of death before bringing me back to life. I am crazy for you. I am foolishly in love with you. I didn't mean to keep it from you. In fact, I thought it was a silly fantasy to be with you."

The eyes are the windows to the soul. Her lips curled up with a hint of sadness, "I told you that I will be by your side; regardless of who you are, you're still my Yu Jian." Then a small breath of laughter escaped through her nose, "And I know you're mad for me. The people in your manor even accused me of being a witch for seducing you."

His eyes, still slowly adjusting to the light, darkened a little. He was angry. He grabbed her hands and brought her knuckles to his lips, "I will take care of them later."

She fell away like sand, and her back faced him. Her head angled back to challenge him, "So, Song Yujian, when are you going to talk?"

A small smile climbed its way to his pink lips. The guards and maids that were accompanying them had migrate ahead to give them some privacy. These people grew up with YuJian, so they naturally sense the message in the air.

"Can you handle it though, wife?" He teased with his head cocked to the side. Rui flushed red, and she averted her gaze. Even with the scar, he was just as handsome as she remembers him to be.

She scoffed, pointed her nose up, and her eyes rolled in her sockets, "What can surprise me at this point? Bring it on."

Her guts gave her an idea of his identity, but she couldn't quite place her fingers on the details.