Something Beautiful And Wicked

They escaped, nearly unscathed. 

Before the men could notice or pursue them, Luo Wanting took her by the wrist, and they made a mad dash toward a dark, but an open trail. They were running blindly, and Shi Ailin was glad she opted for flats instead of heels. 

"I think we lost them," Luo Wanting said, breathing out when they stopped. 

Shi Ailin held onto her knees, catching her breath. "We left our stuff back there."

Luo Wanting started walking past her. "Leave it," he said unkindly. 

"But our phones…"

"Forget about it. We can't circle back now," Luo Wanting mentioned, walking ahead. 

She trailed after him, bunching up her skirts, so she didn't trip over the hem of her dress. "Wanting…Wanting. I'm sorry." 

He stopped short and made a sharp turn. "If you'd just listen to me—"

Shi Ailin pursed her lips, and he stopped himself, realizing his voice was too harsh. He tried to calm down. "We'll talk about this later. We need to get somewhere safe and hide." 

Shi Ailin clasped the hilt of her dagger, wondering if it truly wasn't worth retrieving this piece after all. She then chased after Luo Wanting. 

There was a large weeping willow that had long and green foliage draping, its ends kissing the ground. "We'll sleep here for the night. There aren't any roads nearby, and I doubt any of them would find us." 

Shi Ailin nodded. The idea of sleeping outside was absurd, but she could think of it as camping under the vines and stars. She had noticed the shadows under Luo Wanting's eyes, long before they went to the theatre, and that mad dash wore them out. They were bone-tired. 

Shi Ailin sat over the grass, and she leaned against the stiff bark of the tree. She shifted on her side, and she noticed that Luo Wanting positioned himself opposite of her. She frowned. 

She tried to sleep, but the night replayed in her mind, and she couldn't stop thinking about what that older woman said: "You dishonour your family." How did she know about her? That woman wasn't around to overhear the presenter calling her by her name. It was as if she took one good look at her and knew. 

It took Shi Ailin an hour to fall asleep. During the night, she felt Luo Wanting dr.a.p.e an arm over her, nestling against her back. Shi Ailin didn't take his enveloping warmth as forgiveness, but she was grateful that he was still affectionate. 

…

In the morning, the early rays of sunlight cast between the foliage of the weeping willow. Something tapped Luo Wanting's shoulder, causing him to stir. He then remembered that they weren't at home, at a hotel, or beneath any other shelter. He pulled away from Shi Ailin and sat up immediately. 

"What are you doing?" asked a young boy of ten years of age who stared down at them. He held a long branch in his hand. 

"We were sleeping," Luo Wanting answered the obvious. 

The boy toyed with a pick in between his lips. "You're on private property, sir." 

"Apologies," he said, glancing down at Shi Ailin, who was stirring awake. "My wife and I were walking down the trail at night, and we lost our phones. We couldn't make our way back because we don't know the direction. We're not from the city." 

The boy glanced at them up and down. "I can tell you're not from here. If you need a way back, I can point you back the direction to the main city." 

Luo Wanting needed to improvise. They couldn't go back. 

"Do you have a phone? I need to make an important phone call." 

"Don't have a cellphone, sir. But we have a phone inside the house."

"Can we use it?" He asked. 

The boy narrowed his eyes. "My ma told me not to trust strangers." 

Luo Wanting glanced at Shi Ailin, and she shrugged. They were talking for this long, and he was worried about that now?

"We're not the type of strangers your parents warn you about," Luo Wanting assured. Shi Ailin thought differently. They were precisely the strangers a boy his age shouldn't trust. Luo Wanting was a prince of the Underworld, and she, a princess. But they would never harm innocent people. 

"One phone call," he said. "And quick before my ma gets back inside the house." 

Luo Wanting stood up, and Shi Ailin mirrored him. They both followed the boy when an older woman stepped from the back door. "Grandmother!" the boy muttered as if he didn't expect her to exit suddenly. His grandmother pulled him against her. "Can you go inside and make some tea?" she asked him. 

The boy nodded, and he dashed away with a smile, excited he was tasked to do something. The woman turned to face them.

"I thought you might have gotten yourselves into trouble," the old woman said, scanning the area behind them. Shi Ailin widened her eyes as the woman then glanced between them. "It's a good thing you managed to escape." 

"You're from the auction!" Shi Ailin said pointedly. 

"Come inside," the woman said. 

They hesitated. She turned. "Do you think a woman like me would lead you to a trap?"

"Yes," they answered simultaneously.

The woman let out a low, smoky laugh. "It's just the boy inside the house at the moment and me." 

Shi Ailin glanced at Luo Wanting, searching for his judgement. He gave her an 'Oh, now you want to listen?' look before he nodded. She disregarded his gaze as she stepped in an older-styled, welcoming home, and Luo Wanting followed in after her. 

The white-haired woman poured the hot water in their cups and said. "So what brings you to the province of Hunan?"