Rong Luqing felt cold seeping through his heart as he saw the man walking towards them. Wei Yuexin's face was still impeccable, his small face, the soft round eyes and the straight brows. He always looked like a scholar more than a warrior.
In his past life Rong Luqing fell for this, the pitiful expression and the silver tongue of his. In this life he knew this man had the split tongue of a snake.
"Wei Yuexin greets Taizi Dianxia and Yonghua Dianxia." He greeted, his voice soft like a feather.
Rong Xuanzhi glanced at Rong Luqing who didn't react so she waved her hand, "Rise."
Wei Yuexin got up and smiled, "I was visiting Huang Guifei answering her summoning. I thought I would visit Yonghua Dianxia as well."
Rong Luqing was silent all while, hearing this he opened his mouth, "I understand Wei Gongzi but I am kind of busy right now so we have to postpone everything."
He had recalled why Wei Yuexin visited him. In the last lifetime he was visited by this man too and he had told him firmly that whatever happened he would only choose him and not Langjin Wang. He came here the day before his visit to the emperor to secure his place.
Hearing his straight rejection Wei Yuexin became a little deflated but quickly composed himself, "Alright Dianxia, then I will take my leave." He then left but didn't forget to make himself extra pitiful.
"God, he is so pretentious." Rong Xuanzhi rolled her eyes.
Rong Luqing scoffed as his 'pitiful' back disappeared from the garden, "He is not pretentious A'Zhi, he is cunning."
Rong Xuanzhi stared at him with raised eyebrows, "Gege you have changed a lot. What exactly happened last night?"
"I died…" Rong Luqing trailed off, "And then woke up."
Seeing his younger sister staring at him with visibly surprised eyes he didn't elaborate, "Let's go to the manor and give me the painting!"
Rong Luqing and Rong Xuanzhi entered Rong Xuanzhi's room together. She took him to her study and handed him the scroll. "Here you go." She said, her eyes twinkling.
Rong Luqing took the scroll gently, his hands trembling as he opened it.
Inside, it was the portrait of a thirteen years old boy. His skin was the colour of wheat, phoenix eyes accompanied by two strong eyebrows, tall nose and thin lips. Braids adorned his hair with silver jewellery round his neck and ears.
"Fuhuang sent the finest artist to draw a portrait for you so they can be presented to you." Rong Xuanzhi said, "His eyes speak for his character."
Rong Luqing nodded, "Indeed."
Nobody knew these eyes more than him. The eyes that slowly lost its sparkle because of him. Could he ever repair what damage he caused to this person? Maybe never, but in this life he will make sure to protect the person that was meant to be protected.
"Gege are you crying?" Rong Xuanzhi was stunned.
"Huh?" Rong Luqing didn't realise he was crying. He wiped his tears and left the room, "I need to go right now, I will see you later."
"Okay!" Rong Xuanzhi spoke from behind.
Rong Luqing didn't stop anywhere when he got the painting, he crossed the courtyard, entered his side of the mansion and went straight into his study. A'Tong was waiting for him, "Zhuzi…" She spoke when she saw him.
"Did you get rid of the painting?" Rong Luqing asked.
A'Tong nodded.
Rong Luqing let out a breath and opened the painting, seeing Langjin Hanwei's face he smiled, "I cannot wait to meet you." He mumbled. Then hung the painting on the wall, so he could look at him everyday.
In his previous life, he had lived aimlessly grieving for a person that betrayed him. He had humiliated and abused the only person that valued him. In this life he would not let it happen, he had finally found a new purpose of life.
Rong Luqing sat down on the table and wrote a letter to his father. A'Tong peeked at it curious but she couldn't read so she didn't know about the content of the letters. "I am asking for an audience with Fuhuang." He told her, "I will let him know that I have already chosen my Wangfu."
"Really?" A'Tong widened her eyes, "You chose Langjin Wang?"
Rong Luqing nodded, "Yes. No one but him."
Suddenly A'Tong let out a sigh of relief, "Finally the heaven has given you some insight." She said, "That Wei Yuexin is not good. He had the dead eyes of a fish." Her face was laced with disgust, "But you were so madly in love with him so I didn't dare to intervene."
Rong Luqing laughed at the comment, but then seriously said, "Do not say that in public okay?" He then gave her the letter in an envelope. "Send it out."
After A'Tong left with the letter, Rong Luqing changed his clothes and washed his face. Then he called some eunuchs to take the frame of a door, detach the wood of the middle to make him a makeshift frame with wheels under it. Then they attached a piece of cloth with nails around it.
When they were done it was already evening and dinner was about to be served.
"I don't understand." A'Tong said as she served some meat and vegetables on Rong Luqing's plate.
"What do you not understand?" He asked.
A'Tong sat opposite of him and whispered, "If you don't want to marry Wei Yuexin why didn't you tell Bixia about it from the start? Then the painting commotion wouldn't happen."
Rong Luqing cleared his throat. He actually couldn't say that he was suddenly reborn when he was fifteen so he decided to take another route of explanation. "Well you see.." he started, "Sometimes we make some bad decisions in our lives that cost us our everything. To prevent that, sometimes even belatedly we take decisions that can change our fate."
A'Tong looked like she didn't understand much but she absorbed the words of her master. Rong Luqing pinched her cheek, "You will understand when you grow up."
A'Tong pouted and rubbed her cheek, "Not fair!" She whined and then put lots of meat and vegetables on his plate when she saw Rong Luqing had eaten everything.