Yu Mei woke up refreshed. She didn't even know when Pei Nan left. In a way, she was glad she didn't see him first thing in the morning. In her dream, she actually imagined him kissing her. If he knew that she had a dream about him, he would never let it go.
But then again, it felt so real. But the more Yu Mei thought about it, the more she was sure it was a dream. She remembered staring at him and then dozing off last night. He must have left in a fury. There was no way he would kiss her. The thought that she imagined him kissing her was embarrassing. Yu Mei felt her cheeks flush. Too embarrassing! She covered her face.
Lucky for her, she found out that Pei Nan had left the country early last night. He wouldn't be returning for another few days.
In these few days that he was gone, she was over at the Empress's palace. The first day was spent reciting poems. Second day was calligraphy and third day consisted of playing the qin. Yu Mei was not good at any of them. So it was easy for the empress to make fun of her and compare her with Fei Ning. What was even stranger was that Prince Shao had been there every day. She thought that he would come to her rescue like the last time but he had completely ignored her. He didn't even look at her when she smiled or secretly waved at him. He was simply there praising and complimenting Fei Ning.
Today they were practicing the guqin. Yu Mei was getting flustered. Not because she couldn't play it right but because of how Gu Shao was acting towards Fei Ning. He was sitting right next to her as he accompanied her guqin with his flute. Everyone enjoyed the pair of musical instruments together but Yu Mei. She didn't know if it was her eyes but she swore she could see the glint of sparks in both Gu Shao and Fei Ning's eyes.
***
Finally it was lunch time. Yu Mei could finally take a breather from the stuffiness of the palace. Instead of having lunch like usual, she went for a walk. Chu'mei couldn't accompany her since she was busy with teaching the new maids she had received from Pei Nan.
Yu Mei had walked along the bamboo fence until she reached an elegant garden scenery filled with large boulders and flower vines. She suspected no one came around here because it was far from the main hall. Not a single person could be seen.
She was enjoying the serene quietness when her arm was grabbed.
It was Gu Shao.
He had suddenly pulled Yu Mei behind a large boulder in the far corner. Because of the remote area and angle of the rock, no one could see them unless they were looking very hard. Yu Mei's back gently pressed against the boulder. She was about to attack him until she realized it was Gu Shao. She had a look of surprise.
Wasn't he with Fei Ning earlier? How could he be here? She didn't question it much. He was no stranger to this place. There were probably shortcuts he had taken. The main question was what was he doing being so close to her? This sudden closeness. Even Pei Nan has only had this privilege a few times.
Gu Shao had both his palms on her shoulders. His gaze… Yu Mei couldn't describe it other than intimidating.
She had an ominous feeling.
She let out an awkward smile. "Brother Shao, you startled me. What are you doing here?"
No reply.
Yu Mei felt weird as she was being stared intimately by Gu Shao. That thought was quickly pushed behind her mind. This was Gu Shao. There was no way he would look at her that way.
"Pan Yu Mei, these few days that I have been close with Fei Ning, how did you feel?" he started to sound like Pei Nan with his husky yet stern voice. Yu Mei was not used to this Prince Shao. Matter of fact, she didn't even know he could be serious.
"Is this a prank?" She chuckled lightly when she realized he must be playing a trick on her.
Seeing that Yu Mei wasn't taking him seriously, he kept on using that stern yet anxious voice with her. "Did you feel jealous? Did your heart beat fast? Upset? Irritated?" He arched his brow.
He waited for her reply.
The clueless Yu Mei didn't want to play this game anymore. She stretched her arms and moved his hands away but he wouldn't budge. "Brother Shao, why would I feel jealous? The only thing I feel is frustration and disappointment."
"Disappointment?" He sounded hopeful. Did she feel disappointed that he didn't pay any attention to her?
"En!" she nodded. "Disappointed that you are not going for a good girl. Instead you like someone like Fei Ning. You are my good friend. It hurts me to see you like someone like Fei Ning." She was being truthful. But unknown to her good intentions, she had indirectly stabbed a knife into his heart.
Not just one knife. Gu Shao felt like a hundred knives stabbed him. He wanted to hear her say she was jealous. Jealous to the point of crying. These few days, he had been paying close attention to her. Something had been bothering her. He felt there was hope but why did she only scold him? Did she really not feel anything for him? He didn't want to believe it.
*Hehehe* He lightly laughed. "Did you really think I liked you? Were you mad because I was praising Fei Ning these past few days? I promise I have no other intentions towards her other than as a brother." he joked as he let go of her shoulder.
Yu Mei also let out a chuckle. "Brother Shao is being for real? You really aren't making a move on her right?"
"En." he assured her.
Yu Mei patted her chest a few times. Just now, she thought he was trying to play both her and Fein Ning. She was thankful he knew where to draw the line between love.
"Only a fool would like a mischievous girl like you." He pinched her nose teasingly.
"Hmph! Brother Shao really doesn't know how to please a girl. I'm leaving." She waved her sleeve at him and took her leave. Prince Shao could only stare at her in the distance. "I am one of those fools…"