The Moment When The Bad Luck Follow You
Poor Zhang Chen had finally accomplished his mission: as soon as his master woke up, he had asked him the favor of going and fetching from the palace library, if there was one, some study books on everything related using a bow and arrows, from the basics to the most useful techniques. At first the man frowned... he didn't understand why, out of the blue, he wanted those books but, as always, he just nodded and started to complete it.
He was slightly out of breath because of it.
He had told him to hurry up and obviously had taken him at his word!
The Song Palace library was at the Golden Waterlily Pavilion, if not opposite the young boy's room.
Song Liuyuan mentally prepared himself to see all those books: they were a mountain! Unbelievable how seriously they took archery... he cleared his throat, clapping his hands and giving himself strength to start that long study session. He took the first book, opening it and starting reading blinking at how complicated it was. His sister, the day before, had revealed to him that the boy with angelic features he had met in the city was Prince Chu Jinyan!
Obviously, he hadn't noticed it due to his not remembering and unhealthy portraits the girl had drawn for him. He had a current idea of what he really was, in short, a prince must be good-looking, muscular and well-mannered!
In addition to this, Song Liuhua had the brilliant idea of suggesting a special archery training right in their residence! She had also invited her future husband and, for her, this meeting would have been a help to reconnect the two old friends. She had always been in love with that boy but the young prince hadn't shown her any kind of mutual feeling.
For this, help him, it would have been enough to see him happy, maybe, somehow she too would be able to change his feelings about her! Two birds with one stone, as they say in the modern world.
Song Liuyuan: «ah, why is it so complicated!»
The servant remained silent, placing him on the right side. Young Mr. Song snorted, letting go of the book he was holding on the table.
Song Liuyuan: «I miss my university books, they were much easier to read!»
Zhang Chen: «...what are you talking about, my young lord?»
Song Liuyuan turned to him giggling nervously. He had forgotten that there was another presence in the room.
Song Liuyuan: «ah, nothing, don't worry. Anyway, I told you to call me Liuyuan, don't make me repeat it!»
Zhang Chen bowing slightly: «oh, sure young- Liuyuan»
Song Liuyuan: «that's good!»
In the meantime he had taken another book in his hands, pointing to the man with it and finishing speaking. Zhang Chen smiled lightly, feeling his body slowly sprinkle with shivers: all this was more disturbing than any kind of monster or demon!
Song Liuyuan twisted his lips as he read those sentences incomprehensible even to him who was one of the most intelligent of his university class.
Song Liuyuan: «Zhang Chen, by chance... do you know if Prince Chu Jinyan is really good at archery as they say?»
That question had been spontaneous. He had heard from her sister, and not only, that the third prince Chu Jinyan was one of the most skilled archers, if not the first in the rankings. Also, since the event would take place in his own facility, he himself had to be one of the special guests... here is the reason for all those books: prevention was better than cure, if he had to show something, rather than do a ugly figure in front of who knows how many people, he wanted to be ready. His sister had already told him that his participation wasn't necessary, it was enough for him to monitor their movements.
Zhang Chen: «the third prince, you say? Oh, he really is»
Song Liuyuan threw the book on the table right next to the first one he had touched: «If he's that good, why the heck need my presence!»
Once again Zhang Chen found himself silent, observing the now changed behavior of the young Lord Song. A few moments later small knocks were heard on the door, which sound disrupted the servant from his current position, immediately opening the doors of that mighty room. He bowed again when he saw that she was young Song Liuyuan's sister, with a sweet, dazzling smile on her face. She had brought breakfast, which meant she had to talk to the boy. The girl bowed as far as she could as she arrived at her brother's table still intent on a new book, on which he was too focused to notice that new presence.
Song Liuhua: «hey you, don't you even greet me?»
Song Liuyuan disrupted his position, raising his face towards her with a big smile: «A-Hua!»
At this point the girl, after having returned the big smile of her eldest, took her place in front of him not before having put the silver tray she was holding in her hands, on a free place made by the other.
Song Liuhua: «I brought you breakfast. Seeing your poor servant running here and there with these books, I thought you hadn't given him time to cook for you»
Song Liuyuan: «Oh, thank you even if you shouldn't have»
Song Liuhua: «You want me to let you starve, ah?»
Song Liuyuan: «I have to remind you that our body is mostly made up of water and that we can survive even days without eating, ah?»
Song Liuhua pouted a little. Since when did her brother know about these things?
Her brother laughed lightly at that expression, remembering how much the real Peng Xuan hated studying and, most of the time, listening to his voice as he repeated every single page for any tests.
Song Liuhua: «since when are you so smart...»
The young boy shrugged, and then began to eat shortly after, while he resumed reading the book he was holding in his hands. Song Liuhua frowned, snorting and closing the book against his will.
Song Liuhua: «don't read so much! I don't think it's good for your head with what you've had to go through»
Song Liuyuan: «...»
Moments later she found herself rolling her eyes. For Song Liuyuan, Peng Xiao, seemed to hear a sermon from her little sister!
As he went back to reading, he appropriated a new piece of food to enjoy.
Song Liuhua: «Liuyuan!»
He didn't deign to look at her: he wanted to study something at any cost.
Song Liuhua: «in any case, I have already sent a letter to Jinyan! It should have already arrived by now»
She smiled slightly, hiding a small laugh, then stood up and adjusted her dress, pointing her index finger at her stepbrother: «Remember to thank me once you are friends again!»
Song Liuyuan raised his head with a lightning gesture. What the heck did she mean by that! The girl laughed again and then ran to leave the room, followed by the look of her stepbrother: «what are you saying hey, what do you mean by that!».
From the moment his father left his room, Chu Jinyan had never deigned to leave that refuge. He had been there until that moment, making his two brothers worry too, who understood perfectly how his mood could be at that moment, even if a day and a half had passed. He once again he was at the table in the center of the room, studying the same book he had intended to complete, when he was interrupted by the unwanted presence of a man. A tall man stood before him, kneeling before him and consequently handing him a letter with the Song Palace stamp on it, something that immediately struck the young prince. He withdrew it, leaving the man to leave. On the one hand, he didn't have the faintest intention of opening it but, in the end, curiosity won. He shook his head, opening it in a short time, under the eyes of the servants who flanked him and kept their heads down towards the floor. The prince found himself reading what was reported there, traveling with his eyes to the signature: Song Liuhua. He smiled slightly at what was written there, nodding and sending a servant to prepare a carriage for him. As for Song Liuyuan, he had studied tirelessly and because of this, he began to feel a lot of fatigue in his body, which led him to fall asleep on the table surrounded by all those books with ancient covers and the usual three colors on the cross. He wasn't sure what time it was but, from the memory of him, he had spent the whole morning on books. Suddenly something, or rather, someone, made him jump and wake up in the blink of an eye.
Song Liuhua clapped her hands on the table.
Song Liuhua: «when you decide to leave this room!»
Song Liuyuan moaned still half asleep, the sun flirted from the strange windows that room had. He narrowed his eyes, looking closely at the girl who was standing in front of him. He still couldn't connect what was happening.
Song Liuhua: «Liuyuan!»
She took his arm, shaking it, almost making him dizzy.
Song Liuhua: «Chu Jinyan is here, only you are missing!»
The boy opened his eyes wide, jumping up and almost dropping the girl on the table, who quickly regained her balance. He was incredulous: «what!!!».
Heck, he wasn't ready yet!
The Song Palace wasn't far from the Chu residence. It was a matter of a little over ten hours, if you had the right means of transport. Song Liuyuan had slept so much! Damn... with a clock it would have been easier to check the times!
The boy found himself running to get outside the main room where, as soon as he arrived with his hair still slightly disheveled, he noticed the figure of the boy to whom his sister had sent the invitation. He had to admit it: amazon would surely have competed with whoever had to deliver the envelope to the sender!
When he joined him, Chu Jinyan smiled.
That disheveled hairstyle made him believe that the boy had previously fallen asleep, forgetting that meeting for beginners. He would have liked to mess it up even more but he didn't want to rush things. Song Liuhua arrived at the scene, leaving a few minutes for their meeting, keeping away and spying on them from behind the huge door of the main hall that it gave a view to the rear garden and the front door of the building.
Chu Jinyan: «did you sleep well, ah?»
Song Liuyuan: «...»
Song Liuyuan: «...I don't know what you're talking about»
Chu Jinyan: «your hair»
At this the boy opened his eyes, raising his hands only to be able to place them in his hair, stroking them and trying in every way to arrange them in a decent way. Chu Jinyan laughed lightly at that scene, only to see next to the boy the girl who had invited him, who put her arm around her stepbrother's shoulders: «he done it! He looked like a child»
Song Liuyuan: «Liuhua!-»
It wasn't going well at all, surely he would have made another bad impression... he could already hear the laughter of those present concentrated on him. He hadn't even finished reading the books brought by his servant! And, even worse, the writings on tricks and moves were missing!
Apparently, the misfortune he had when he lived in Hong Kong had followed him to that place!