"Oh my goodness, my little baby cooks?! Awwww! You know, your father has never cooked for me ever, at least his SON has some decency to make me food." Grandmistress Min looks saltily over at her husband before looking back at Min Guiying, smiling widely, which emits a laugh out of Min Boquin.
"Now, now, dear, Min Guiying made something to eat, let's savor it instead of insulting me." Grandmaster Min laughs heartily, his face red from embarrassment.
"Actually, about that, I saw Min Guiying and Zhao Hui in the kitchen working together earlier. I think he might've gotten some help, you know, cause he can't cook without burning the kitchen down." Min Boquin snitches on Min Guiying, looking over at him with a mischievous glance.
"Ah, um, would you like me to serve the soup as well?" Zhao Hui stands awkwardly, holding bowls in which the soup would go, watching the bright family talking. It reminded him of his own family, which left a dry feeling in his heart that he yearned to get rid of.
"Oh my! Zhao Hui, please, come here and join us to eat! Give me those bowls," Grandmistress Min stands up and snatches the bowls from his hands, "You helped make the soup, you should taste it at least." Min Guiying's mother invites Zhao Hui over, and he was about to sit down until he notices the look Min Guiying is giving him. His face was screaming 'Don't you dare even THINK about it' which made Zhao Hui chuckle lightly on the inside.
"Um, I have some practicing to do and I work better on an empty stomach. Thank you for inviting me, but I will have to decline." Zhao Hui bows politely and smiles softly, winking towards Min Guiying, mouthing 'you're welcome sugar'. Min Guiying's eyes widen for a fraction of a second, which rapidly turns into an intense glare.
"Awww, that's alright child, you can go to practicing, but I'll save some soup for you in the kitchen in case you get hungry." The Grandmistress frowns sadly but reposts a smile on her face as she sees him looking towards Min Guiying, whose face shines red. It seemed that he was flustered, and then angry that he got flustered.
"Thank you, Grandmistress Min, I hope you enjoy the soup!" Zhao Hui bows again and heads out of the dining room.
"SO CUTE OH MY GOSH! But seriously, is this bitch bipolar or something? The way he was glaring at me- like, damn, okay! We spend the entire day together, but I understand, just because we shared a connection doesn't mean that we're like… friends or something!" Zhao Hui recites dramatically out loud, waving his hand around mockingly. He sighs deeply, "Ugh, now I have to practice all these spells, cultivate shit, and somehow learn all this shit so I can protect Min Guiying. What the fuck have I gotten- OW!" Zhao Hui bumps into something and lands roughly on the floor. When he studies the path in front of him, he sees that there is nothing in his way.
"Zhao Hui! Are you okay?!" Liu Jia runs over to Zhao Hui, a concerned expression on her face as she stoops down to lift him back on his feet.
"I'm totally fine, don't think I've broken anything yet!" Zhao Hui's voice cracks as he shoves his fist into his mouth, waving his other hand in an "I'm fine" motion.
"Isn't your injury on the side you fell on? Come on Zhao Hui, let's go put something on that." Liu Jia helps Zhao Hui up, but when they walk another step, Zhao Hui gets yeeted once more, however, this time he lands much harsher on the floor than the first time. A sentence comes back to his head:
"...You also can only be within 5 feet of the person who set the spell, or a forcefield will stop you from walking any farther."
"UGHHH THIS STUPID FIDELITY SPELL!" Zhao Hui groans, he had just realized why he couldn't walk any farther. He grasped onto his shoulder blade, however, to his surprise, it felt damp there. He withdraws his hand gently and a look of terror crosses his face as he sees a deep red color coating his hand. He immediately collapses at the sight of the blood.
"ZHAO TAI!" Min Guiying runs over quickly from the palace door. He had left the room after hearing Liu Jia's voice, but when he saw her helping Zhao Hui, he realized that he didn't need to do anything. However, it seemed like he needed help now.
"Min Guiying? Shouldn't you be eating?" Liu Jia looks questioningly at Min Guiying, who glances at her, but then looks down at Zhao Hui. Liu Jia gets the message and smirks victoriously.
It seems Min Boquin was right, these two got some KILLER chemistry! Damn, I feel like a third-wheel, maybe I should leave? Yep, leaving sounds good. Let's give these lovebirds some time alone… Liu Jia thinks excitedly, looking from Min Guiying to Zhao Hui.
Without speaking a word, Min Guiying delicately picks up the unconscious Zhao Hui from the floor bridal style, being particularly cautious of his head and shoulder. Even as Liu Jia continues to stare at him in surprise, Min Guiying ignores this and starts pacing back to his room, watching over Zhao Hui, making sure he doesn't move him so much that his shoulder gets pressed and sends a wave of pain over Zhao Hui. Min Guiying takes this time to look at Zhao Hui's features as he sleeps, his eyes closed softly, his soft lips parted partly, and at every breath, his facial features move slowly, giving the image of a small baby sleeping.
"Wow, you're so pretty Zhao Hui," Min Guiying breaths softly, a small smile on his face. "My mother once told me this, and I say this to you, a diamond with a flaw is worth more than a pebble without imperfections. And you're the diamond… my diamond… "
As he enters his room, Min Guiying fixes Zhao Hui on his bed and then heads to the other side of his room to get medicine to put on Zhao Hui's injury again. Min Guiying slowly strips Zhao Hui of his shirt and using a warm damp cloth, slowly begins wiping off the blood from the open wound. Min Guiying then mashed together some herbs, which turn into a sticky paste, and applied this ointment on the injury as he hums softly to calm his nervousness. Taking gauze, Min Guiying now covers the ointment applied wound with that and lays Zhao Hui on his back softly, tucking him in. Kissing Zhao Hui on the forehead, Min Guiying finishes his song.
"I didn't know what he was to me..." He whispers softly, a smile tugging on the corners of his lips "But now I think I might know."
.
.
.
The sun was peeking up childishly from behind the mountains as the birds stirred and began chirping their velvety tune, blessing Zhao Hui's ears with music. But he couldn't enjoy it for long as he tossed and turned on the bed, feeling awkward on the hardwood, failing to find the perfect position to sleep in. A groan leaves his lips as he feels his back, which was sore from sleeping on such a hard surface, which forced him to get up irritably, causing him to say the most profound, brilliant telling produced by only the brightest and naturally skilled individual that ever breathed in the universe:
"Are fucking dumb?! You wanna go bitch?! I got two fists and I won't hESitAtE Rebbecca!" Zhao Hui bristled loudly and got up so quickly off that he felt a sense of dizziness. When his eyes adjust to the room and he regains his balance, he finally gets a good look at the room. "Wait a damn minute!" Zhao Hui yells loudly, freezing on the spot.
"Ugh…" Zhao Hui hears someone groan, and looking down, he sees Min Guiying sleeping on the floor, inches away from his foot, stirring awake.
"Damn, somebody looks sizzling, clearly the morning is your time of day!" Zhao Hui smirks playfully wiggling his eyebrows but stops to admire Min Guiying's beauty. Zhao Hui looks from Min Guiying's glistening fair skin constantly getting teased by the soft rays of the day-star, to his rosy cheeks brightening at Zhao Hui's previous comment, and then to his eyes that flutter open slowly while his mouth is parted slightly, his tongue peeking out and constantly licking his moisturized lips. And then he sees a small scar gleaming on Min Guiying's forehead under the light.
A diamond with a flaw is worth more than a pebble with imperfections... Zhao Hui thinks automatically, and then pauses for a second, not knowing where he heard that before, Why does it sound so familiar and so… homely? Like someone that I love and hold a special meaning with said that? The deja vu I'm getting right now is so… so strong…
"Zhao Hui. How's your wound?" Min Guiying was sitting up now and picking up his makeshift bed. He looks at Zhao Hui with care in his eyes, his gaze fixed on Zhao Hui's shoulder. Zhao Hui looks down and realizes that he wasn't wearing a shirt.
"AHHH! I'M NAKED, LOOK AWAY!" Zhao Hui yells, covering his exposed chest, grabbing the blanket he was tucked in, and sprinting off at topmost acceleration.
"Guiying gege, you haven't ever let me sleepover, let alone even Liu Jia! What made Zhao Hui so special?" Min Boquin swiftly enters the room, his robes moving gracefully in the light wind, only a second after Zhao Hui ran off. His voice holds a tone of amusement and taunting.
"I don't know, maybe it's just… different flowers match different eyes." Min Guiying smiles widely looking after the running man, forgetting his brother's presence in the room.
"This is the first time I'm seeing you smile like that, the boy must do wonders!" Min Boquin taunts, smirking but stops as he gets hit on the shoulder by a swift blow from his brother.
"Shut up!" Min Guiying's ears color at a fast pace and he chases Min Boquin out of his room.
"OKAY, FINE. I'M LEAVING!" Min Boquin yells as he laughs, sticking out a tongue mockingly at his brother.