"Surprise in night!"

Indeed, I got no time to react carefully and was very close to messing up the situation by yelling out my voice, but I controlled myself by turning around opposite to her almost mesmerizing glare of eyes which seemed to have a deep care for something, which I didn't get any time to speculate.

"Who...Who are you?", I asked stuttering a bit trying to control the awkwardness.

"... Er Ge! Don't you know me? After all these years you have left me, you have really forgotten me! How can you forget your Fu Yi?"-A voice sparkled around the air surrounding me, with a mixed seriousness and smile'

Suddenly, I found myself being turned by my shoulders to her face, which I still didn't dare to look into properly.

As she did this, her two companions left with low voices of laughter fading out indicating their retreat.

I was in such an awkward situation, with one damn good girl almost flirting with me so closely, that my self-confidence got down to an all-time low.

As she continued to hold me like that, with her arms "cuffed" on my shoulders and her face so close to me that I can feel her breathing, my confidence over my character started going down exponentially, making the awkwardness increase proportionally by the time.

But, The time was what I needed and despite being nervous as hell, I got my mind set on her words, what she said to me before making me fall into such a condition.

But, this awkward condition gave me the time to think over what she had said about her, despite being nervous as hell, I realised she may be Yun's old friend or a childhood buddy, as I had known about Ruoyun's early childhood being spent in royal residence from the people I met in the City's Market streets- I had come to know that Ruoyun was sent to his fourth maternal uncle's mansion in the Northern Province, in exchange of peace and support from the Northern Province. Being only a pitiful child of 11 years, and his mother died earlier due to disease, the child grew up in the Northern Province all by himself. despite being a political asset at such a small age, the child grew up with the grand general Li Ming's son, Liu Ming.

...

...

So, I speculated that this girl who has caused me to fall into awkwardness maybe Ruoyun's childhood buddy, whom Ruoyun had to leave when he left the Capital back then in his early years.

Getting a small relief from the speculation, I gathered my confidence to at least open my eyes and face the situation-

But, as I tried to speak a word to take myself out of the awkwardness, I realised a deep pain on my bare left foot caused by something heavy being crushed on it, and because of the suddenness of the situation I had ignored it so bad, that I had no idea that, Fu Yi's lotus shoes had been on my one foot unknown to both of us.

Out of panic, I immediately gestured downwards with my half-opened eyes, still ignoring her face.

"What?"

"....My..toe...!"

"what toe...?"-she frowned making a terrible face.

"you have stepped on my toe!", I unstrangled her hands from my shoulders, and as she stepped out off my toe, I sprung back holding my toes, which made me sit on the corner of the bed quite accidentally.

"Oh! I didn't notice that"- she set her pitiful eyes on me, stealing some laugh of her face- that seemed to have flowed upon the atmosphere like a sparkle of water on the brink.

She continued-"I am sorry Er Ge! But you deserve this, You are really heartless! How dare you that you forget your childhood friend so easily! You...."- saying so, she got close to me with a really really horrific crazy face.

"...Wait!...Wait...Wait...! I know you...I know you..! ", I immediately retreated back to calm any potential mishaps down.

"I know you- I was just messed up by the darkness, please calm down!"

"Tell me then who I am?"-She asked stopping her steps.

"Ahh..!"-holding my feet, I continued talking looking at it-"...You are Fu Yi Yi, my childhood buddy…Am I right?"

"No!"

"No ??", she caught me in off guard-"Heh...what?"

'i just knew about a girl named Fu Yi from the Shopkeeper, if she isn't Fu Yi- then I am done for!'- Yun tried to remember what the shopkeeper said, stealing a look at her frowning face.

"I am your only childhood buddy!", she exclaimed and sat on the chair like platform beside my bed.

She literally made me feel a fright for a moment by her horrific answering, and at the second moment, her calming voice relieved me.

She started lighting the paraffin candles on my table, giving me a chance to take a clear look with my still shaky eyes.

( You would think I am a total freak in closing-in with a girl, but think once yourself, what you would have done in my condition, with someone suddenly putting her hands on your shoulder at midnight, and more to that, it damn dark to see anything clearly...that sounds creepy...heh!)

I remained silent for a moment seeing her cute face, which was now glowing like the moonshine, due to the golden light of the candles. Her attire was indeed lavish, she was wearing a white nocturnal silk dress, which had golden embroidered linings, and as the candlelight started reflecting them, the glistening threadings were looking like small stones embedded on the fabric. She had a well-decorated hairstyle, enough impressive to be told extravagant.

As I continued staring at her with my messy mind, I didn't realize my face still looked nervous, with sweat rolling down from my cheeks.

She turned her face towards me, and seeing me staring at her like that- she changed her expressions, alerting me of my awkward stare.

she smiled and caught hold of my hands.

"... Don't be so nervous, I was just making fun of you...", She continued-"...Well, I really thought for so many years that you would have forgotten me after so many years!", she exclaimed with a peculiar flirtatious way.

"...I didn't forget you Yiyi, it's just that you scared me due to your surprise night visit.", I answered with a faked smile on my face, which was getting ashened with the worries about what unpredictable move she would do next.

Suddenly, I saw her quivering with the coldness of the night, which already had been a problem for me from the start. Seeing her shiver before me, I covered her bare hands with my overcoat.

"It's indeed less cold than the North in here, but you should wear more. Don't get a cold in this early season."I exclaimed, with an ignorant look on my face.

She sighed, covering herself properly- she calmed down a bit.

"Yun Ge! you are really heartless to your buddies, you said you will write me letters from the North, but you didn't even send a single piece of paper from there...", She fired a lot of complaints, everything of which seemed to have to try to have made me know-"You are Bad!"

Hearing so many complaints at once, I held my ears- trying to buy peace from the fiercest of a girl.

"...I am sorry! Okay?...oh yes! I have something from the north for you actually, maybe it can compensate my...silly mistakes.", I exclaimed, "Check my overcoat's pockets, there is something for you!"

"Really?"-she cheered up.

"Yeah! How can you so fool that your Yun Ge will not be caring for his one and only one buddy.."

'Hehe! I had bought a piece of jade from a trader coming from the north in the morning earlier, looks like it would be worth it now.'-I muttered to myself.

"...Check the pockets!"- I exclaimed.

She checked the pockets, and found the jade, which was not much expensive...but in the dim light, even a person with sharp eyes would not suspect it's worth, and for its inexpensiveness, only I and that trader knows.

Suddenly, her facial expressions changed-

"Er Ge! Are you kidding with me??"-She asked.

"What??"

"This is a fake!!"

"W-what??"

'she caught my deed?'- I worried.

"Yun Ge! you are really unlucky in trading, I thought after all these years, your jade-observing skills would have surpassed mine. How much it cost you?" she questioned me.

I was shocked to hear this.

I didn't expect her to know about jade and stuff.

I didn't know a bit about jade and precious stones, but I thought since I bought it from the northern trader, it wouldn't be identified, But who knew that this Fu Yiyi knows the 'art of Jade'.

My luck is really bad I know, but how can I so unlucky...(Sad lyf XD)

"Ahh- I am really a fool then...you can say this. yeah! you can really say this. I sighed, making a sad face.

Hearing my exclamation, she laughed heartily for a moment, filling the moment with her smile and happiness.

Well, that made me forget my mistake for a while, to be honest- But, I knew I am already done for now.

"Whatever- you still owe me your gift then...I will not let you go anywhere until you bring me my gift!", she made her complain still laughing.

"Okay! Okay! Yiyi!..I will remember."

Her face showed an expression of happiness with her eyes being stoned to me.

The night was falling dark now..and we both were talking with each other without any whiff of sleep on our eyes. She talked a lot, and to be honest- I was shocked at her relentless chattering, which was "probably" about her waiting and stories of the Capital. Why "Probably"? Because I really have limited knowledge of the Chinese language, and she said some words which were tormenting my Chinese vocabulary which was indeed "weak".

I didn't really tell the time when she left, and I fell asleep after drinking the soup she gave before leaving.

What a day it was!