A man in a crisp black suit stood in front of a two-way mirror. Eyes as cold as the midnight sky bore on the room behind the mirror. The occupants of the room had long been gone but the man still stood, unmoving, in deep thought.
Jet black hair in upswept style hanged on his temple, concealing the soft glimmer in his eyes. The drink in his hand had long been abandoned.
"My Lord, Adviser Guo is here." Shen Ru, the man's assistant informed him.
Liu Xin Yang, the eldest son of the Liu Clan Head, slowly turned his head and pierce the newcomer with an indifferent glance. He slowly sat at the chair intended for the owner of the house.
He motioned for Shen Ru to pour him a cup of tea. Held the cup of tea in his hand and watched the rich amber liquid swish around the cup.
He ordered the same tea Li Jing savored a while ago. He wanted to know what it tastes like after he saw Li Jing savoring it with pleasure.
He took a sip and thought it sweet. Liu Xing Yang was never fond of sweet things. He rolled the amber liquid on his tongue and relished on its after-taste.
A faint smile appeared on his face. He now had a new tea preference.
Adviser Guo remained standing with his head slightly bowed out of respect so he did not see the scion who was rumored to feel no emotions, the stoic heir of the clan, was smiling because of some tea. But Shen Ru who has years and years of experience in "Reading Lord Liu's Subtle Expressions" under his belt was shocked to death. In twenty-five years he had served his Lord, though it was only a lift in the corner of his Lord's lips, this was still the first time he had seen him smile a genuine smile. It was truly the first time!
Beads of sweat rolled down Adviser Gou's face. With his head bowed in deference, his thoughts were all over the place. This is the future head of the Liu Clan. The future clan head is here in his house. Adviser Guo felt like his heart was beating out of his chest, he feels afraid of the purpose of this man's presence in his house but at the same time, hope rose from within. Will he hear some good news today?
"Greetings, Lord Liu."
"Sit down, Adviser Guo." Liu Xin Yang said simply. His voice even, deep, emotionless. "Please pardon my sudden visit to your house, I just wanted to observe before I make a decision, so I instructed the servants ahead to not inform you of my presence."
Adviser Gou sat and squirmed on the spot. He dabbed a handkerchief on his sweaty forehead while casting a glance at the two-way mirror above the hearth. He thought of what happened a while ago in the adjacent room and more beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
"There's nothing to apologize about, Lord Liu. Please treat my home as if it's yours."
Liu Xin Yang didn't reply for a while and continued to sip his tea in bliss.
Adviser Guo coughed, "So what do you think of her, Lord Liu?"
"Your daughter, her actions today were contrary to what you've said last time."
Adviser Guo's face turned a shade paler. In a state of panic, he explained, "Li Jing is an obedient child, Lord Liu. She was just a bit under the weather today that's all. But she's a truly meek and quiet child. She's got a good head on her shoulders and knows how to properly obey. You won't be troubled by her if the plan goes through."
Liu Xin Yang's mouth twitched. Meek and obedient? Hardly.
Even Shen Ru coughed to cover his rising protest to Adviser Guo's words.
"You mentioned that Zhang Yong and her are once betrothed. Did they have a romantic relationship in the past?" Liu Xin Yang might look impassive but the sharpness in his eyes was hard to conceal.
Adviser Guo shook his head vigorously, "No, they never had a romantic relationship or any kind of relationship. Li Jing was sent with her mother back to the Lee clan when she was just a child. The betrothal between the two families was recognized in words only and was never honored by Li Jing's mother. A-And Zhang Yong is in love and is set in marrying her sister now, so I see no problem in pushing through this plan of yours, Lord Liu."
Liu Xin Yang lounge in his seat, his face showing no emotion, "Did she have any relationships when she's at the Lee clan?"
"None, Scion Liu. My daughter is timid and was not interested in anything except for music. She's a violinist, you see. Just like her mother. Her time is mostly consumed by practicing day in and day out."
"A budding violinist?" it piqued Lui Xin Yang's interest.
Adviser Guo felt like puffing his chest a bit. Even though he hadn't heard her daughter play since she returned to their clan, he had heard about his daughter's prowess in the musical field. "She's been called a prodigy of the music world and had won many competitions. She was on the road of getting her name marked on the field but her mother fell ill all of a sudden and Li Jing had to give up the limelight to take care of her."
Lui Xin Yang put his cup down and pierced Adviser Guo with a look. "Does she still play?"
Adviser Guo wriggled on his seat. "I- I don't know. I haven't heard her play since she came back."
Lui Xin Yang tapped his finger on the surface of the wooden table, deep in thought.
Adviser Guo coughed, "Should I call Li Jing so you two could chat?"'
Lui Xin Yang waved his hand and stood up, "No need."
Adviser Guo panicked. Does this mean the plan can't go through? Does this mean he can't hug this golden thigh? He felt helpless and resentful all of a sudden.
His sole purpose of getting that child to live with them was only for this. When news traveled that the next clan head is looking for a suitable wife candidate, everyone was jumping around, daughters of the noble families started prancing around Lord Liu. He also wanted to jump on the bandwagon but he was very disappointed when his only daughter turned up to be pregnant. He almost wanted to punish Yiyi to death. His only consolation is that the Zhang family is one of the respectable noble members of the clan.
Then Adviser Guo remembered that he still has another daughter he had not seen for many years. He then started investigating Li Jing's whereabouts and found out about her circumstances. He hastily dispatched a team to get her in the ruse of missing her, the child he abandoned.
But Adviser Guo's heart was now full of doubts. Did he truly give birth to a useless daughter? What's the use of having a daughter by his side if he can't marry her off to a prominent figure in the clan?
Shen Ru handed Lord Liu his coat. Liu Xin Yang headed for the door but stopped in his tracks, he did not look back. "Adviser Guo."
Adviser Guo who also stood up, a dejected look lined his face.
"Ye-yes, Lord Liu."
"I advise you to not let any man near your daughter starting today. Specially Zhang Yong. Understood?"
Adviser Guo felt like the grey clouds covering the sky immediately parted. It was a command with many interpretations, but one thing is very clear. His gamble might have a chance of making it to the top!
He gave a deep bow with a brilliant smile on his mouth, "Yes, Lord Liu!"
Liu Xin Yang left not bothering with Adviser Guo again. They boarded his car and exited the Guo property.
"Shen Ru."
"Yes, My Lord."
"Select four men and one woman from the Midnight Hunter Squad."
Shen Ru who was driving took a peek at his Lord who was busy browsing his tablet. "Do you have a job for them, My Lord?"
"Set them up as Li Jing's bodyguards. The woman needs to infiltrate the Guo mansion and become Li Jing's maid. I want results by the end of the day." Liu Xin Yang commanded without lifting his eyes and missed the look of astonishment on Shen Ru's face.
Shen Ru was caught off guard. Just what is the Midnight Hunter Squad? It is only the elite squad nurtured by Lord Liu. They are ruthless, cold-blooded professional killers whose sole purpose is to serve and protect him.
They work in the dark and no one knows of their existence other than Liu Xin Yang and his close subordinates. Not even the Clan Head knows their existence, nor is he protected by them. But now, their Lord is using this elite squad to guard a girl he just met.
Shen Ru thought that this Guo Li Jing is truly something. He concealed his awe for Lady Guo and replied with affirmation.
Lui Xin Yang's eyes were glued on the woman displayed on his tablet. A lone figure was standing on a stage, her hair gently swaying with her every move. On her hand was a violin. A melody so sad played from the instrument. Such sorrowful sound made the audience felt like crying from hearing it. The camera zoomed and captured a drop of tear that fell on the violin then the music stopped all of a sudden making the audience frown.
Why did it stop?
What happened?
Why is the violinist crying?!
The whole auditorium was abuzz and then died down when they heard a cry so tragic it will break your heart. The violinist on stage was clutching her violin in one hand and her chest with the other. Tears flow incessantly from her beautiful eyes and fell like droplets of rain on the floor.
Everyone was so quiet, they let the girl cry her heart out. To cry all grievances inside until one of the stagehands can't take it anymore and brought the crying girl backstage trying to console her along the way.
It was a clip from Li Jing's last competition. Her mother persuaded her to go and compete and she did so to please her ailing mother. Other competitors had noticed the change in her after she got a call from someone. They said she wanted to leave but her mentor persuaded her to stay and finish her performance first and the rest was caught by the video.
After the event. Li Jing officially announced her retirement.
Xin Yang tossed the tablet onto the seat beside him, took off his reading glasses, and press the bridge of his nose. His heart was in turmoil. Li Jing's tear-filled face, seeing it felt like a thousand tiny needles are prickling his heart. A girl alone on a big stage crying her heart out.
Li Jing.
Li Jing.
My Li Jing.
"Shen Ru. Let's head home first. I want to see Father."
Shen Ru glanced at Lord Liu through the mirror, his Lord has made his decision he thought.
"Yes, Lord Liu."