The carriage rolled on in silence, the only sounds being the wheels rumbling on the stone path.
Chen Li Li and Daiyu had fallen asleep, their heads gently resting against each other. Chen Li Li's soft breathing mingled with Daiyu's. In the quiet of the carriage, they seemed to share an unspoken bond, their contrasting physiques and abilities momentarily forgotten as they found comfort in each other's presence.
Liang Wu sat in meditation across from them. He opened his eyes briefly to give the two peacefully sleeping women a glance. A warm smile spread over his face. He looked outside to see a city coming into view on the horizon.
It was the city of Skycloud, what would have been Chen Li Li's final destination. But not any longer—now that Liang Wu had stepped in, he would forever change her destiny.
A short time later. They had arrived at Skycloud, the sound of the bustling travelers near the city gates awoke Chen Li Li.
The towering spires of the city wall cast long shadows in the late afternoon sun. Traders, travelers, and guards filled the streets leading to the city gates, keeping a wary eye on all who passed. The city was renowned for its massive markets and the power of its ruling families, and today, it felt especially alive.
Liang Wu peered out the window of the carriage as they approached the city walls. "We're almost there."
Chen Li Li shifted nervously in her seat, her hands gripping the edge of the carriage. "So… what exactly is your plan?"
Liang Wu smirked and crossed his arms. "I'll pose as an arrogant young master from an extremely powerful family, one whose reputation is strong enough to send your fiancé's family scurrying. We'll pretend to be infatuated with each other. If we flaunt our intimacy, no one will dare challenge us."
Chen Li Li raised a brow, clearly unimpressed. "That's your plan? What if they don't believe you? Or worse, what if they do believe you and call for backup? Also, don't call him my fiancé. It makes me sick."
"They won't." Liang Wu leaned back with a confident grin. "I've got enough tricks up my sleeve to make even the strongest family second-guess themselves. Trust me."
"I don't know…" Chen Li Li's voice wavered. "There has to be a better way than lying about who you are. I don't want you to get hurt because of me."
"Don't worry, this isn't my first time using deception to get out of a tricky situation," he said nonchalantly.
Daiyu, sitting quietly in the corner, finally spoke up. "I think it's risky, but it could work. If you act like a spoiled young master from a clan no one has heard of, it might be enough to scare them."
Chen Li Li bit her lip, still unsure. "But… what if they challenge you to a duel or ask for proof?"
Liang Wu shrugged. "Then I'll show them a little of what I can do. Just enough to make them think twice. Besides, I have a back-up plan in case things go sideways."
The city gates opened before them as their carriage passed through, revealing the bustling streets within. Merchants shouted their wares. The sound of blacksmiths hammering echoed from the alleyways, and the scent of fresh street food filled the air.
Chen Li Li sighed, looking out at the lively city. "I just don't want anyone to get hurt because of me."
Liang Wu placed a hand on her shoulder. "No one will. This is just a game of appearances and power. They'll back off once they see we're difficult prey."
As the carriage slowed down near a luxurious inn, the tension inside grew. They would be staying at the inn to gather information and prepare for the next day when they'd meet her fiancé's family.
Before stepping out of the carriage, Liang Wu turned to her in a more serious tone. "Remember, the most important thing here is confidence. If you hesitate or look uncertain, they'll pounce. We'll only have one shot at this, so just follow my lead."
Chen Li Li took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay, I'll trust you."
Daiyu added with a gentle smile, "We're here for you, Chen Li Li. We'll get through this together."
As they stepped out onto the bustling street, the weight of what was to come hung heavy in the air. The city may have been bright and lively, but to Chen Li Li, it felt like a cage she was about to be locked in. And Liang Wu was her only hope of escape.
—
Chen Li Li lay sprawled on the inn bed, her gaze fixed on the ceiling, boredom etched across her face. The others had gone out to gather information, but she had chosen to stay behind, unwilling to risk running into anyone from her supposed fiancé's family in the case that someone could recognize her.
"What a ridiculous plan!" she groaned, rolling over and kicking her feet in frustration. "What was that idiot thinking? 'We have to show off our intimacy'!?"
"Stupid! Idiot! Moron!" She seized a pillow, imagining it as Liang Wu's face, and began smacking it against the mattress. "How am I supposed to be intimate with you!?"
She paused, holding the pillow at arm's length as if it were Liang Wu himself. Her face flushed as she stared at the soft fabric. "What... Do you expect me to kiss you or something?"
Her cheeks burned crimson at the thought, but she couldn't help but picture his face—the one she had found annoyingly handsome since the day they met. "Why does he have to be so handsome?" she muttered, squeezing the pillow tighter. "If he weren't, I wouldn't have blurted out that embarrassing thing in the forest!"
"It's all your fault!" she snapped, slamming the pillow down again, the force of her frustration causing a slight tear to form. Feathers burst free, floating lazily down like snowflakes. Chen Li Li blinked. Her fury temporarily halted as she watched the white plumes drift around her.
With a sigh, she clutched the pillow to her chest; her resolve building. "Fine! I'll do it!" she muttered, determination hardening her expression. After a few tense moments, she closed her eyes, steeling herself for what she was about to do.
She slowly lifted the pillow to her lips, closing her eyes so she could picture Liang Wu's stupidly perfect face in her mind. Her lips puckered awkwardly, her entire body tense, but just as she was about to make contact, a soft chuckle broke the silence.
Her eyes snapped open, whipping her head around Chen Li Li froze, her face draining of color before flooding with a fierce, mortified blush.
Standing in the doorway, watching her with amused expressions, were Daiyu and Liang Wu. Daiyu held a small bag of fruits—one's Chen Li Li had forgotten she'd asked them to buy. And Liang Wu? He was quietly laughing, clearly enjoying the show.
"W-w-why… w-why are you b-back so soon?" Chen Li Li stuttered, trying to keep calm but failing miserably. Did they see everything!? No… there's no way… right?
"We thought you would be bored alone, so we brought you the fruit you wanted first. Before we went out to find information." Daiyu explained, stepping inside the room and placing the bag of fruit down, acting as if nothing was wrong to lessen Chen Li Li's embarrassment.
But Liang Wu wasn't as nice, instead he made a remark that he would soon regret. "Do you really think my plan is 'ridiculous'?"
Chen Li Li had calmed down a little after Daiyu came in. However, the second she heard him, something snapped inside her mind. She stood up ever so slowly and walked towards Liang Wu with a calm expression on her face the entire time.
Her calm reaction confused Liang Wu. He had expected her to either explode in anger or burst into tears. Although, he'd rather she not cry.
Meanwhile, Chen Li Li had reached Liang Wu and stopped very close to him, not even an arm's length away.
She reached her hands up and grabbed him by the collar. She wanted to see him eye to eye, but he was a head taller than her, so she had to pull him down so they could be on the same level.
Her actions still confused Liang Wu, but he let her do what she wanted without struggling. He was curious about what she was going to say.
But she didn't speak after a few seconds passed, just staring at his eyes with an eerie, calm look in hers.
"What—?" Before he could ask her what she wanted, a soft pair of lips blocked his mouth. He was stunned at first, but after a moment he responded in kind, wrapping his arms around her, which caused her to flinch in surprise.
Though inexperienced with romance, he wasn't about to shy away like a frightened boy.
Chen Li Li pulled her head back, breaking their kiss. She panted lightly, trying to catch her breath. "Sto—mmm!"
Liang Wu straightened up from his awkward position. He tightened his hold around Chen Li Li's waist, picking her up and planting his lips over hers once more.
She kicked her feet and beat her fists against his chest in a feeble attempt to stop him, but without any real strength behind it… did she even want to break free?
Liang Wu was going to give her a deeper kiss, however heavy tears began to flow from her eyes, forming long crystal clear rivers down her cheeks. He panicked, not knowing what he'd done to cause her tears.
He broke their kiss again. Setting her down on the floor, she began to weep loudly. "Waa…! Sniff! You stupid dummy! Waa!
"Uh… um… I'm sorry?" He didn't know what to say, so he tried apologizing. But that just made her cry louder.
Daiyu approached Chen Li Li from behind and hugged her. "Shh… It's okay, don't cry, we're here for you, so tell us what's wrong, alright?"
Chen Li Li turned around and buried her head in Daiyu's chest, still crying.
"Did I do something wrong?" Liang Wu asked.
Chen Li Li pulled her head out of Daiyu's bosom, giving Liang Wu a furious glare while wiping her tears. "Hic! You… you're an idiot! You don't even know what you did!"
Daiyu patted her back in consolement. "Tell us what Liang Wu did wrong."
"He's only helping me because he needs the herb I have to heal his injury. Yet we love him and he just ignores our feelings doing whatever he wants! After I give him the herb he wants, he's going to abandon me, because I'm just a burden to him!" She cried out everything in one breath, panting afterwards.
"T-that's not true. Liang Wu won't abandon you… right?" Daiyu tried comforting her, but wasn't certain herself.
Liang Wu stood silent for a while. Before laughing loudly, surprising the two women. "Ahaha!"
"W-what!? Why are you laughing, you bastard!" Chen Li Li questioned, fury replacing her earlier sadness. "It's true isn't it!? You are going to abandon us later, when we run out of uses for you!"
Smack!
Liang Wu suddenly slapped himself across his cheek. He used so much force that a dark red handprint appeared on his cheek shortly after the slap.
"Ah!" Daiyu and Chen Li Li yelped in surprise.
"After my mother died, I told myself I would never love anyone again. I thought that way I'd never feel that excruciating pain of losing a loved one again." Sadness filled his voice as he stepped close to the two young women, taking them into his arms. "I didn't think about what that would do to the ones who loved me."
He drew them closer to himself, pressing them up against his chest. "I'm sorry. I'm truly sorry that I ignored both of your feelings. I can't promise that I'll be able to return your feelings right away, but I will promise that I will never, ever abandon either of you!"
"Sniff… Idiot! What's the point of never letting us go if you won't return our feelings?" Chen Li Li asked.
"Uh… I never said I wouldn't," he paused awkwardly. "It's just… there are two of you… so, I'm not sure how to fairly return each of your feelings…"
Chen Li Li and Daiyu glanced at each other and giggled softly. "You really are stupid. Isn't that easy enough to solve? You just need a harem. You call yourself an emperor and yet you don't know that all emperors need a harem?"
"What…? A harem? But isn't that unfair to both of you?" He asked incredulously. He had never in his wildest dreams thought that they would bring up starting a harem.
"How is that unfair? Isn't that in fact the fairest option? We both love you, and we're friends, so sharing instead of fighting over you would be better for all of us." Daiyu explained their thought process. The girls had already had this conversation with each other after the forest incident.
"So you don't mind if I take in a bunch of women?" He asked. Not like I'm actually going to do that, I just want to know if they're serious.
"No! You can only take in women we approve of!" Chen Li Li said forcefully.
"Ah, well, that's fine. I don't plan on having any other women, anyway." He said a little confused about her wording. So they're okay with other women?
"That's not up to you to decide!" Chen Li Li said.
"Wait… what? I can't decide on whether I have more women or not?" He asked, thoroughly confused.
"Yup! That's for us to decide." She said cheerfully. "Now get out. Daiyu and I have things to talk about."
They pushed Liang Wu out the door, slamming it shut behind him.
"Huh? What the hell just happened?" He asked himself. Unable to figure it out he shook his head while walking away. He still had to go find information on Chen Li Li's fiancé.