~~~
Hu Meili?
Liu Jin tilts his head slightly to the side. He recognizes the Hu name, but nothing more.
“Your brother’s fiancée?” Liu Jin asks. Xiao Heng nods. “Curious. The servants didn't say anything about her visiting today. I would have thought the arrival of the young master’s future wife would be treated as a more formal affair.”
“Ah, it is not that, boss,” Xiao Heng is quick to say. “This is not a formal visit or anything like that. Hu Meili and my brother have always been close, so this sort of thing is normal since even before they were engaged. My father takes credit for it, but the wedding is something my brother has always wanted.”
“Is that so?” The young child hums before sighing. “Still, even if this is not a formal visit, not going to see your brother’s fiancée would be rude of me, wouldn’t it?”
It is not that socializing with others is unappealing to him. Rather, it is the degree of respect everyone here treats him with that makes him uncomfortable.
However, Liu Jin does not get too much time to ponder that. The reaction Xiao Heng shows to his words is too striking to ignore. In an instant, a multitude of emotions cross his face. Hesitation. Impatience. Frustration. Resignation.
“Yes,” Xiao Heng says at last, his voice weak and without spirit. “That would be for the best, boss.”
Liu Jin sighs again. Of course, how could he be so insensitive?
“Do not worry,” he tells Xiao Heng. “I still have every intention of healing you.”
“Ah, no! Boss, I wasn’t d-doubting or-”
“It is fine,” Liu Jin cuts Xiao Heng’s panicked objections. “You have endured your condition your entire life. Now I come here and give you hope. It is fine to be a little impatient. However, if I treat you right now, your father would no doubt wonder why we haven’t gone out to greet your brother’s fiancée. It is better if I prepare the medicine later. Once your brother’s fiancée is gone, I will heal you. You have my word on that.”
“I… thank you, boss,” Xiao Heng says, bowing his head to him.
After saying that, Xiao Heng leads him to the main courtyard. His pace is brisk yet measured. Liu Jin can tell the teenager wants to get this over with as soon as possible but is trying to restrain himself. Liu Jin cannot blame him. If anything, he deeply sympathizes with Xiao Heng. If there was a way to cure himself of the poison inside his body before the three years were up, Liu Jin wouldn't hesitate to take it right away.
By the time they arrive at the courtyard, other people are already there. Liu Jin sees Xiao Nan and Xiao Ding as well as some servants. Xiao Ding seems to be the one handling the introductions. Xiao Dong is also there. There is a girl at his side who Liu Jin guesses is Hu Meili.
He is not impressed.
Since he came to New Moon Town, people have been talking about Hu Meili and her beauty. Liu Jin was expecting a woman who could steal the hearts of men with a single look. Instead, he cannot help but find Hu Meili to be… average. Even though Liu Jin is not yet at the age where he starts looking at women with lust, he feels confident in his judgment.
Hu Meili is average.
Her skin is healthy, but that is all there is to it. Her features are okay but nothing more. Even then, her eyes are a little too far apart. As for her chest, Liu Jin often hears the older disciples at the Xiao Sect talking about twin peaks and what not, but there is nothing peak-like about Hu Meili’s chest. If anything, that place is nothing but a barren plain.
Compared to many of the girls he has seen in Eastern Port City, Hu Meili comes up short.
Of course, that is in Eastern Port City, Liu Jin realizes. If he only counts the females he has seen in New Moon Town, then Hu Meili may very well be considered a peerless beauty.
Probably.
Maybe.
“Ah, young Liu Jin,” Xiao Ding says when he sees him, calling him over. “Excellent, I was just about to send a servant to get you. It is my pleasure to introduce you to my future daughter-in-law. Just make sure not to fall in love with her.”
Xiao Ding laughs at his own poor joke. Personally, Liu Jin is more amazed at how easily the man ignores the presence of his younger son.
“It is a pleasure to meet you,” Liu Jin says, inclining his head a little.
“No, no, no,” Hu Meili says, her heading dipping even lower than Liu Jin’s. “How can that be? To be meeting someone from the main sect in my lifetime, the pleasure is certainly this one’s.”
Her tone is polite, her smile discreet and heavily practiced. As someone who has had to practice his smiles for dealing with particularly annoying patients, Liu Jin is able to tell that much.
“Well, now that we are all here, there is no point in standing around outside,” Xiao Ding says. “Please, come in. It is almost lunchtime. I’ll have the servants make us something.”
Liu Jin raises an eyebrow?
Lunchtime?
Sure enough, the sun is already high up in the sky. The sight confuses Liu Jin. He woke up quite early in the morning. He must have spent more time going over the storage than he realized. No wonder Xiao Heng kept being so impatient while he was going over the ingredients there. He must have been standing there for hours.
As Xiao Ding leads them inside, Liu Jin tries to give Xiao Heng an apologetic glance, but the teen’s gaze is firmly aimed at the ground. He looks at no one, and no one looks at him.
Not his father. Not his brother. Not Hu Meili. Not even the servants. Only Xiao Nan glances at Xiao Heng for a second before looking at Liu Jin and giving him an approving nod.
“I must say,” Xiao Nan speaks once everyone has made themselves comfortable, “I have been looking forward to meeting Xiao Dong’s fiancée.”
It still amazes Liu Jin how Xiao Nan is able to make everyone freeze with just a few words. His Elder Brother smiles as if he has no idea how much discomfort he has just caused. Liu Jin knows better, though.
Xiao Dong, who until now only had eyes for Hu Meili, slowly and mechanically moves his neck to look at Xiao Nan. There is wariness on his face. A bead of sweat appears on his brow. However, it is not him who speaks first.
“Ah, is that so, my lord?” Xiao Ding says. The father handles the sudden pressure with much more grace than his son. Still, Liu Jin can just barely make out the nervousness hiding behind his placid smile. “I cannot imagine why.”
Xiao Nan chuckles. “Well, it is nothing critical, but I heard the most interesting rumor the other day.”
Just like that, Liu Jin can already guess where this is going. Indeed, Xiao Nan’s eyes turn to Hu Meili.
“I heard that until just a short while ago you were supposed to marry the Lun Clan’s heir instead of our dear Xiao Dong.”
To Hu Meili’s credit, she bears Xiao Nan’s stare with far more grace than Xiao Dong ever did. Still, she cannot bring herself to meet his eyes.
For a moment, a tense silence falls over the room. Xiao Dong looks like he doesn’t know what to do with himself, his eyes rapidly darting between Xiao Nan and Hu Meili. Xiao Heng has his eyes on the ground and, likely for the first time ever, seems almost thankful no one pays attention to him. Only Xiao Ding manages to retain a measure of calm, but the tension in his facial muscles is noticeable.
Eventually, Hu Meili manages to find her voice. “This Little Miss cannot even begin to guess where such a rumor might have come from. It is true that Lun Kai and I have known each other since we were but children, but our relationship has always been one of friendship. This Little Miss has never once given the heir of the Lun Clan reason to think otherwise, nor has my honored father ever made an arrangement of such nature with his. This Little Miss’s heart has always belonged to Xiao Dong.”
She stops for a moment to allow herself to breathe. That she managed to say that much in Xiao Nan’s presence is impressive. “If this Little Miss is allowed to speak freely, then I must say such rumors must be nothing more than the words of those who wish harm upon our marriage.”
Her hand reaches out for Xiao Dong as she says this, seeking strength in him. At least, that’s how it is supposed to look like. Xiao Dong fails to give so much as a reassuring squeeze. The young master is unfortunately frozen stiff.
Xiao Nan stares at the two for a moment before smiling.
“I see, so that’s how it is. There is no problem then. Let us not pay any mind to those rumors.”
Like that, the tension disappears from the room. Xiao Dong almost slumps to the floor in relief, but Hu Meili manages to keep him from doing so.
Xiao Ding is quick to grab hold of the conversation after that and leads it to safer topics. The man is rather good at talking about inane things. Liu Jin wishes he could consider it a useless talent, but his lack of social graces makes him envious of it instead.
No more great altercations happen after that. Their meal continues in peace. Still, Xiao Dong glances dubiously at Xiao Nan every now and then. He is still scared Xiao Nan will change his mind and take his bride for himself, it seems. Liu Jin almost wants to laugh at that.
As if his Elder Brother couldn’t get women a hundred times lovelier than Hu Meili.
As the meeting starts winding down, Liu Jin notices something rather curious. It happens in an instant, but Liu Jin is able to catch it. After all, he is the one person in the room who bothers to look at Xiao Heng. That's how he is able to see it.
For a moment, Xiao Heng looks at Hu Meili with eyes full of longing.
Liu Jin hums in thought. His gaze drifts from Xiao Heng to Xiao Ding and Hu Meili.
Interesting.
~~~
“You have feelings for her.”
Those are the first words Liu Jin utters to Xiao Heng once Hu Meili has left. The two are making their way back to Liu Jin’s room. Upon hearing him, Xiao Heng chokes and wildly waves his arms in front of him.
“N-No! Boss, you’ve got it wrong. Hu Meili is my brother’s fiancée. There is no way this Xiao Heng could ever hold that type of feelings for her.”
Liu Jin gives him a look.
Xiao Heng looks away.
“Boss, if at all possible, I would rather not talk about this subject.”
Liu Jin considers it for a moment and nods. “Very well.”
“Truly?” Xiao Heng asks, surprised. He evidently expected Liu Jin to force the issue. Liu Jin wonders just what is it he did to cause such a poor impression on him.
“It is not my business,” Liu Jin says, shrugging. “It is clear you are uncomfortable with the subject. It is not my wish to cause you undue suffering.”
Liu Jin nods to himself as he speaks, confident in the consistency of his words. Without breaking his stride, he keeps walking towards his room. Xiao Heng trails behind him. There is nothing but silence for a while.
“When I first met Hu Meili, I thought she was the loveliest girl in existence,” Xiao Heng says, looking straight ahead. “As we grew older, her beauty only grew as did my admiration for her. However, she never had eyes for me. She only had eyes for my brother, and my brother shared my admiration for her. Their love is theirs. Someone like me has no place there.”
Liu Jin nods as he listens to Xiao Heng’s tale. Part of him wants to ask just why is Xiao Heng sharing this after saying he did not wish to speak of it. Another part still struggles to comprehend just what is so attractive about Hu Meili.
In the end, Liu Jin chooses not to voice either of those things. There is another matter that takes precedence. Liu Jin wonders if there is a tactful way of saying it but comes up empty.
“She doesn’t,” Liu Jin says. “Love him, I mean. Hu Meili has no love for your brother.”
Xiao Heng stops and stares at him.
“Boss, with all due respect, did you not see them?”
Xiao Heng’s voice rises a little at first before remembering who he is speaking to. “I do not wish to insult boss’s eyes, but perhaps boss’ youth is preventing him from seeing the obvious. Hu Meili was at my brother’s side all the time. Her smiles, her laughs, and her compliments were all for him.”
“Yes, those things did happen. She laughed at all his jokes. She praised all his accomplishments. She was at his side all the time,” Liu Jin says, closing his eyes. “That is how I know it’s fake.”
The whole thing felt too practiced. The air of fake politeness around her was something all too easy for Liu Jin to recognize. He still remembers the argument between Hu and Lun clan members at the restaurant. Considering all of that…
“I beg your pardon, but I do not understand.”
“It is fine,” Liu Jin says. “You don't need to worry about it.”
~~~