Five Minutes
Yang Lin's room.
Xiao Ming sat quietly on Yang Lin's bed, she cast curious gazes at the floor and stacks of papers and books blanketing the ground. Yang Lin seemed to have been very absorbed in studying the Alien Tongues for the past two months, so much he didn't even bother cleaning up his room. Currently, Yang Lin was taking a bath. The guard had already brought him a set of fresh clothing, soap, and a pair of towels.
Yang Lin felt odd that he wasn't provided with these early on, but he didn't mind, he was too engrossed in study and rest to care, he hadn't even used his own bed. He studied, ate, and slept all within the same spot of the room. The two of them had no idea that as they rested, a storm of conspiracy was brewing within the facilities below.
Once the sound of water poring stoped, Xiao Ming closed her eyes in meditation, pretending to be in deep cultivation. A moment later, hot steam crept into the room as Yang Lin stepped out from the bathroom, his body was clad in wisps of vapor, his long black hair sparkling like pearls, and the stains of blood had long been washed clean off his immaculate skin.
Right now, he looked stunning, wearing track jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, both black in aesthetics. With both sleeves rolled up, and his shirt buttoned up towards right above the solar plexus, no one would associate him with the life of a poor orphan. Xiao Ming said nothing, and likewise, Yang Lin said nothing.
If after everything he did she still doubted whether he desired goodwill towards her, he was really helpless. Actions speak louder than words, and his actions were very direct about how he felt. On the other hand, Xiao Ming was reluctant to allow herself to develop such sentiments, she knew her situation all too well. In three years' time, if she could not find the turning point to escape the clutches of the City Lord, it would all have been for naught. She can open up, fall in love, accept Yang Lin and his feelings, but then what? Even if she was no longer a virgin within three years, the City Lord is ultimately after offsprings. However, that doesn't mean that they would go about without killing Yang Lin.
Sometimes she had the idea of submitting herself to some random cultivator, losing her purity in retaliation, but then she would be what everyone was calling her; a cheap whore. Not to mention, why would she be willing to offer herself to some random scumbag but not the City Lord? That sounded a bit hypocritical and stupid on her end. As these thoughts escalated, she slowly parted her pristine eyelids open, looking at the figure who sat cross-legged not far away, holding a thick book in his hands as he browsed through.
As long they don't get too entangled in their feelings, it should be alright, she thought. After all, he went as far as to beat up Richard just in her defense, nonchalant about the consequences that would potentially emerge once they've reached the Military School. In the Military School, she would be protected under her identity as the soon-to-be daughter of the City Lord. As for Richard, he would have an Elder at his back.
What about Yang Lin? The young lass sighed and found herself crouching on both her knees behind Yang Lin. She said, "Your hair is a mess."
Her tone was gentle, confusing Yang Lin. Of course, his heart was like an assault rifle on rapid-fire at the moment, only to feel a cool sensation spread from his mind to roam his body, calming him down. It must be the fox, Yang Lin thought before he felt Xiao Ming's cold palms brush past his shoulders. Then, she neatly gathered up his messy, wet strands of hair in a bundle, seemingly tidying up his silky waterfall into a ponytail.
Just like that, the young boy immersed himself into reading, and the girl spent her time close to him. Oddly enough, taking care of someone's hair seemed to be a tedious, meticulous process that required steady hours to complete. Yang Lin felt amused, she really used his hair as an excuse to bridge the awkward silence between them. He had already conveyed his attitude through actions, and seemingly she now did the same.
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The four months passed in the blink of an eye. After that incident, neither Yang Lin nor did Xiao Ming leave the room. Of course, the guards kept observing the two on surveillance cameras installed in the rooms respectively, they could not trust a young couple of opposite gender to keep a room to themselves for so long.
To their surprise, nothing happened. Occasionally, Yang Lin would study the native tongues under Xiao Ming's assistance. Then, he would bathe, come out with messy hair, and Xiao Ming would scold then spend hours tending to his hair while he read his books. This looked fishy, but not alarming to the point of guard intervention.
During the two months, Xiao Ming felt odd. She knew she was pretty and attractive, even if she had a somewhat small pair of breasts, her plump rear was fair compensation. Yet, she never glimpsed any desire or sexual yarning in Yang Lin's eyes, this, in turn, caused her to feel somewhat dejected, it was a strike to her ego.
Of course, if this was the old Yang Lin, he would struggle with such thoughts. Howbeit, he had already met a stunning beauty that was like a goddess figure, he even had his first kiss stolen in a heated exchange. Beauty-wise, one can say that his standards sky-rocketed. However, Xiao Ming had already anchored herself a spot in his heart, a spot no amount of beauty can shake.
On this day, the guards went by the dorm's rooms one at a time, knocking on the doors and informing the Orphans that they were about to dock on the shores of the Verdant Cloud's continent Inland sections, from there they would be escorted to the City Of Plight, a city under the Jurisdiction of Plight Canyon's Military School.
Once the announcement was there, Yang Lin dropped his book with a faint smile, but Xiao Ming seemed reluctant to unhand his hair. With a bitter smile, he said, "We should get going."
Xiao Ming didn't respond. After a while, she said, "Just five minutes," As she said so, Yang Lin felt her petite body lean closer against his back, she was so close he could feel the vibrance of her beating heart. Eventually, he picked up the book once again and started reading random pages. Five minutes it is.