Wishful Thinking

A sudden gush of cold air blew against Jiang Yichen's face, jolting the drowsy youngster awake. It was almost an hour since he had been serving his punishment, and sleep had started to knock on his door.

Yawning, he closed his eyes, harkening to natures' call, but the sound of someone's footsteps, approaching him, made his eyes shot open.

Mingyu approached him with a tray in his hands, and when he was standing just a few inches from him, he knelt down and placed the tray on the ground.

Mingyu poured some tea from the kettle on the tray, into a cup, before he then looked at Jiang Yichen with an expression akin to guilt. "You are allowed to have a hot cup of tea. It will help to deal with the cold."

A small, smug smile appeared on Jiang Yichen's face as he stared back at Mingyu. Unable to speak due to his punishment, he could only think to himself, That's right! You should feel guilty. It's all because of you I'm stuck here.

But then, Mingyu's next words wiped off the smile on his face.

"I'll have to leave you behind, Young Master."

Mingyu's words were akin to a bomb, dropped on Jiang Yichen's head. He frowned in confusion, and in monumental forgetfulness of his current situation, he blurted, "You are leaving me behind?!"

One of the guards standing behind Jiang Yichen, stepped forward, and struck him gently across the back with a rod. Although the blow was gentle, it was still enough to remind him to remain silent.

Jiang Yichen pursed his lips, feeling aggrieved that he couldn't speak. He could only look at Mingyu with raised brows, silently seeking an explanation.

Alas, Mingyu was kind enough to do just that. "You are loyal and dutiful. You took me in, and protected me. For your sake, you cannot tell that to anyone."

Jiang Yichen heaved a sigh, looking away from Mingyu to hide the emotions brimming in his eyes.

Mingyu paused, his eyes locking into Jiang Yichen as he subtly parted his robes to reveal Jiang Yichen's plaque, hidden within his inner robe.

"I'll be safe, thanks to you." Mingyu said, his voice soft.

Jiang Yichen's gaze shifted from the plaque, meeting Mingyu's eyes with a gloomy expression plastered on his face.

Mingyu picked up the cup of tea, and then leaned in closer to Jiang Yichen. With his lips just few inches away from Jiang Yichen's ear, he whispered, "Many people I've met so far, only wanted me dead. You are the first person—asides from my own people—that has tried to save me."

He then leaned back, looking directly into Jiang Yichen's eyes that were now glaring at him. "If we ever meet again, and come this close to each other, I will remember your actions and spare you."

With that said, Mingyu dropped the cup of tea back on the tray, and got back on his feet. Taking a few steps backwards, he bowed at a ninety-degree to Jiang Yichen, before walking away.

Not being able to do anything at the moment, Jiang Yichen could only let out a self-mocking sigh. I thought he and I were now a team, and were getting along just fine. So it was all wishful thinking, huh?

….

News of Jiang Yichen's misconduct had reached his residence, and very early, the next morning, Madam Wang and two menservants—each carrying a heavy luggage—marched all the way to Jinxing.

On getting to the entrance, Madam Wang, who had a cold expression on her face, let out a weary sigh before proceeding to enter.

Madam Wang was warmly welcomed, and on hearing of her presence, Lin Xiaoyan immediately left whatever he was doing to make time to see her.

Madam Wang was ushered into Lin Xiaoyan's private pavilion and was led to an open veranda, where Lin Xiaoyan awaited her presence at a reception area.

They exchanged pleasantries, and were served tea, but Madam Wang wasn't in the mood for tea, so she went straight to the point.

"I will send a gift of apology to Master Xie, and pay the Yan family a hefty sum for what he did."

Lin Xiaoyan nodded in understanding, while looking at Madam Wang with a soft gaze. "Yichen made a big mistake this time. I had no choice but to punish him."

"I'm glad you did." Madam Wang said with a crooked smile. "Can I see him now?"

"Sure." Lin Xiaoyan responded, looking like a dejected puppy.

"Thank you." Madam Wang slightly bowed her head, before she stood up to take her leave.

Together with the two menservants she brought along to Jinxing, Madam Wang went to the guest house Jiang Yichen had retired to, after his punishment.

A nice hot bath was prepared for him, and he was given a fresh robe to put on.

Madam Wang wanted to also make him breakfast, but for some reasons, Jiang Yichen refused and insisted on returning to their own home first. And so, they took their leave after Jiang Yichen took his bath and had a change of wardrobe.

"Are you okay, now?" Madam Wang asked Jiang Yichen as they walked side by side.

"No, I'm not." Jiang Yichen answered swiftly, while looking at Madam Wang as if to say that the answer to the question was supposed to be obvious.

After a brief pause, Jiang Yichen coughed to clear his throat before asking, "Did Yinzhi stop by our place?"

Madam Wang sucked in a breath in realization. "I knew I was forgetting something." She exclaimed, before giving Jiang Yichen a puzzled look. "Speaking of which, where did he go while you were being punished? Weren't you two together?"

"Forget it." Jiang Yichen brushed her off, releasing a depressing sigh. "He really did leave, huh?" He silently muttered to himself.

Silence reigned between them for a moment, before Madam Wang's voice broke it. "I'm curious, young master… What did you do at the Lingsi chamber? The stone wall doesn't close anymore."

"I don't know." Jiang Yichen said, quickening his steps to avoid Madam Wang's probing questions.

But Madam Wang wasn't done with him. She stubbornly skipped towards him, and asked a different question. "Why did you break the Yan family's heirloom?"

Jiang Yichen turned to face her as he exploded in frustration, "I said I don't…" but he paused halfway when he saw that Madam Wang was pouting her lips, and he heard her signature 'fake sniffle'. Her eyes even got a bit teary, causing him to swallow his words.

Madam Wang knew her tears would always be a weakness for Jiang Yichen, and she wasn't ashamed to use it, especially in situations such as this.

"I don't know." Jiang Yichen spoke in a much gentler tone. "So stop asking."

"How can a grown woman be so shameless." Jiang Yichen grumbled to himself as he continued walking ahead, while Madam Wang who looked like she was in the brink of tears just a few seconds ago, couldn't hold back her smile as she followed behind him.