Plums and Pretense

"Are you alright?"

A gentle male voice filled her ears. Xiao just groaned in pain as she slowly blinked up at the night sky, still dazed from the fall. The man knelt beside her, looking her up and down, checking for injuries.

"You fell rather hard. Are you hurt?"

Xiao groaned again. This time it wasn't in pain—it was rather because of irritation. Who in their right mind is asking so many questions all at once? It's making my head spin even more... She thought as she slowly turned to look at the man. Her vision returned to normal as her eyes locked on his.

His beauty was striking. So much so, Xiao thought she was transported into the afterlife from that fall.

Bright, clear skin, a strong jawline, neat brows, a tall nose, no hint of facial hair, and a small mole beside his left eye. He was wearing fine clothing, his silky, long hair falling over his shoulders… A spirit who came to collect my soul?

"Hello? Can you hear me??" His voice grated on her ears as he shook her a bit more vigorously, making her snap out of it.

"Ah..." she winced as she slowly sat up on the grass, brushing the dirt off her hands.

He let out a sigh of relief when he saw her finally regaining consciousness. Looking down at her hands, he noticed some light scratches.

"You scared me there for a second... how do you feel? Anything hurts?"

She wiped her hands on her clothes as she glanced up at the unfamiliar man with a calculating look. I have mistaken... he wasn't a spirit. Just a regular nobleman.

"I'm fine." Xiao dismissed, which came to him as a surprise.

This young boy just fell from a tree that high and claims to be fine? He's being so casual about it, like it wasn't the first time this happened—

"I don't believe that. You must hurt all over—" The moment he reached out to help what he believed to be a boy, Xiao quickly turned to stand up on her own, pushing away his help.

"I said I'm fine," she muttered under her breath. A nobleman? Just my luck. He was likely headed to the red-light district. She thought as she dusted off her clothes.

The man stood up as well, towering over her with his large build. His face betrayed a hint of worry.

"You're lucky you didn't crack your head open or break a bone somewhere. What were you even doing up there anyway?" He gazed down at her, keeping a light strictness in his tone.

This man was awfully persistent...

"Why? Was I not allowed, my lord?" My lord. She only used the title because it was expected of her, not out of respect.

The man paused.

"It's not a matter of being allowed or not. Your behavior was reckless," he explained, the sternness in his voice fading into a more gentle tone.

"You could've seriously gotten hurt, and besides, it's too late for you to be out here anyway—"

But before he could say anything else, Xiao couldn't help but crack a smile. She interrupted him by bursting out laughing, causing the nobleman to stiffen in surprise.

"What's so funny…?" he asked, confused as he looked down at her.

"It's just—aren't you a nobleman? The thought of you worrying so about a commoner like me is surprising."

The man's brows furrowed slightly. Her words grated on him.

"There's nothing funny about that. You expect me to just walk past you after you fell from a tree? Just because you're of a lower social status?"

"Yep." Xiao nodded simply, gaining a little huff from the man.

"Everyone's well-being in this empire is important. That's the aim after all," he said, completely convinced as he slipped his hands into his sleeves.

"Yes. The aim that keeps on being missed by the likes of you, my lord."

He was caught off guard by Xiao's words. The carefree tone in her voice while laughing quickly turned cold. He wasn't the one missing the mark, was he? Surely. He had come here without his many guards and formal clothing to experience life outside the palace walls. Just who was this young boy?

"Aren't you quick to judge, child?"

"Child—?" Xiao quickly turned to look up at him with sharp eyes, annoyed that he had called her that. The man just raised a brow, looking her up and down. He couldn't deny her tough facade, yet her youthful face and naive way said it all.

"You look like a child to me," he said simply, eyes locked on hers. He wasn't trying to offend her. He was merely stating a fact. She scoffed in disbelief, though she had often been mistaken for younger. She huffed, arrogantly flicking her bangs out of her eyes.

"I'm no child, my lord. I'm a grown man."

He blinked in surprise. A grown man? This defiant, fiery child? A small smile spread across his perfectly shaped lips. A mix of amusement and doubt echoed in his tone.

"I'm willing to bet you're no older than…" He paused, tilting his head to the side to study her face for a moment, seeing how her lips formed an almost-pout.

"Fifteen."

"Fif—" She almost choked on air. She honestly didn't know whether to be offended or take it as a compliment. Her brow started twitching, trying to control herself from lashing out at him. "That's too far off…"

"Oh? Really? I thought that was a close guess," he answered with a small smile—whether genuine or teasing, she couldn't tell.

"Think whatever you want," Xiao grumbled as she turned around to pick up the ripe plums she was here for. In turning her back on him, she had hoped the conversation would end there. Yet he kept on talking.

"Is that what you were up there for? Plums?" he inquired, arms crossed behind his back. She scoffed inwardly, wanting to roll her eyes at his stupid question.

"Of course. Why else would I climb a tree and risk my life?" The question was more rhetorical than not. The man smiled at her defensive tone. The simple fruit was not worth the risk of injury.

"Risking life and limb for plums. You don't seem like the cautious type," he commented with a hint of amusement.

Oh, how she wished to wipe that smug smile off his face...

What did I ever do to deserve being pestered by nobles over and over again? She completely ignored him, just wanting him to leave already.

"The Whispering Fan House has already opened half an hour ago. If you keep wasting your time here, all the high-ranking courtesans will be booked out."

Wasn't that what he was here for anyway? Why keep annoying me?

"The Whispering Fan House?" The man's eyes widened just a bit. He had been trying to connect with this fiery young man, but now he wasn't even being acknowledged by him. His expression remained on Xiao as he spoke.

"Thank you for your concern, but I have no interest in such a thing."

"Huh?" Xiao turned around again, looking him up and down as she stopped mid-picking. No interest in the yiji house? He was well-dressed, handsome, and rich. Why else would he be near the red-light district this late, if not for the sole purpose of this place?

His eyes met hers.

"I didn't come here for the yiji house."

"How odd. What brings someone like you here if not for a night of fun?" She straightened her back slightly before she stood back up, holding a ripe plum in her right hand.

"Oh, my apologies. Perhaps someone like you prefers the company of handsome men instead..." She covered her mouth with the same hand in an exaggerated, coy gesture, raising her brows teasingly. That would do the trick.

The man felt a pang of embarrassment at her audacious assumptions, trying to fight the heat that threatened to creep up his ears. This young boy was unapologetic. That mischievous glint in his eyes said enough. His need to defend himself won out, which caused him to reveal much more about himself than he had first intended.

"N-Not from other men!" he stammered, losing his cool briefly before clearing his throat to calm down. "Such a shameless mouth you have, young man. Not every noble seeks to indulge in such… pursuits—"

"My lord." Xiao leaned closer to the man, making him stiffen at the sudden proximity. She looked up at him with sparkling, innocent eyes, though her words were anything but.

"Don't tell me you're embarrassed. There's no shame in having preferences, you know?" she teased as she spoke so casually about such a topic, shrugging her shoulders—which made him fume just a bit more.

"It's not like that—I'm just here to experience life outside the palace."

"The palace?" Her ears perked up instantly as he mentioned the palace. She took another good look at him. Yes, he was wearing fine clothing, seemingly well-groomed. He was a nobleman through and through; it was as clear as the night sky above them. But the palace? Maybe a guard, a personal attendant, or even a government official?

"Compared to life inside the palace, there's not much greatness here. You came for nothing," she replied, turning back to continue picking the plums off the floor and putting the ripe ones into her bag for Shuyan.

He just sighed, rubbing his chin with his finger as he thought. It's easier to speak to people when I'm not in disguise. They're usually less hostile… or maybe this one was just not willing to speak. He watched her as he contemplated before opening his mouth again. Maybe introducing himself might break the ice.

"My name is Huai-jin. I'm an official scholar at the Blue Lotus Royal Court. I wanted to research… the lives of the common folk," A half-truth. But it should be enough for now to get by unnoticed.

"I believe this research could provide valuable insights into the diverse lives of the people within our empire. And they could even—"

"Are the palace grounds that boring?"

Huaijin paused for a second. Maybe introducing himself only made things worse?

"They can be, but I mean—"

"Then…" Xiao cut him off as she stood back up, drawing a pocket knife.

The moonlight caught the blade, casting a cold glint through the night. Huaijin tensed up, his heart lurching at the sight of the young man before him. His eyes locked on the weapon, and without thinking, his hand reached for his dagger hidden beneath his robe, ready to defend himself if needed.

"What are you doing...?" he asked, a hint of sternness returning to his voice. Her intentions weren't clear, and the sight of her reaching for a knife made him wary.

"Ah…" Xiao turned to see, her eyes caught the way he didn't hesitate to reach for his weapon when he saw a commoner drawing a knife. Typical. With a cold look, she glanced back up at him, their gazes locking.

"And you said I'm quick to judge."

Her eyes left him as she used her knife to cut off the stem from the plum fruit. Nothing more.

Huaijin's grip on his dagger relaxed quickly when he could tell he'd erred. His reaction had been instinctive, ingrained in him by years of being taught caution, not just for himself, but also for those under his protection. A feeling of guilt washed over him. He had judged her.

"And here I was just trying to give you a taste of what it's like to be a commoner, only to end up scaring you," she said, feigning a sigh as she held onto the ripe plum she intended to give him.

"Did you not ask to experience life beyond the palace grounds? The sweet taste of the plum could have shown you the only joys of such a life. Your actions soured it."

"But perhaps… I was still able to give you a glimpse into a commoner's life. Was it valuable enough, my lord?"

She couldn't have spoken more mockingly. Huaijin clenched his jaw at her words. The disdain in her voice and the cold look in her eyes made his chest tighten with shame. It was clear to him that this young man before him held no reverence for the likes of him. He couldn't blame him. Xiao was convinced that he must look down on her, and he wanted to explain, to make her see what lies beyond the man-made hierarchies.

At that moment, he was not a noble but a man confronting another.

"Your view of me is as fixed as mine was of you. Neither is truth," he said. His voice devoid of any arrogance or defensiveness, before he lowered his head and bowed.

"My apologies. I didn't mean to insult you."

She glanced back up at him, her eyes widening in surprise.

He's bowing to… me?

Her eyes flickered over him, completely taken off guard by a nobleman bowing his head to a commoner.

"W-What are you doing?" she stuttered in perplexity. He lifted his head just enough to meet her gaze with his beautifully shaped eyes that would make any woman instantly swoon. Melt.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm apologizing. From man to man," he explained.

Xiao couldn't help but grumble to herself. Annoyed that his actions had affected her in some way. Was he trying to pull me onto his side with his good looks? Maybe my assumption of him preferring men over women wasn't so wrong after all.

Xiao didn't reply for a while before she just threw the ripe plum she held right at him, expecting him to catch it. His eyes went wide in surprise at her sudden plum-throwing. It took him a moment to react, so he barely managed to catch the fruit, leaving him puzzled as he held onto it. This young man was proving to be quite unpredictable.

"What—"

"Eat. It's perfectly ripe," she said stoically, trying to hide the fact that his apology made her feel slightly better. Huaijin looked down at the plum in his hand, still a bit surprised, but the way her expression softened didn't go unnoticed by him.

He decided not to push his luck.

"Thank you," he mumbled as he brought the fruit to his lips to take a bite. It was ripe, just as the young man had told him, and the sweet taste of it covered his tongue. He made sure to savour the taste and swallow properly before speaking.

"Can I ask for your name?"

Xiao glared at him as she also took a bite of a plum, sharing the moment. Reluctantly, she decided to respond.

"Xiao," she said with her mouth full, not caring to swallow first like he did.

His eyes caught the way the juice of the plum dripped down her lips before she licked it clean. Almost like a cat. Huaijin thought as he watched her eat so casually. Back at the palace, he had always been taught to maintain proper manners. No speaking with a full mouth, no staining his clothes, and always taking small bites—just about a dozen other rules to follow that had been ingrained in him since birth.

"Don't you worry about getting messy?" he asked curiously.

"Hm?" Xiao looked up at him with her big eyes before she shrugged.

"Why would I? I'm not trying to impress anyone."

No one to impress? So Xiao just didn't care about what others thought of him. Commendable. Huaijin couldn't hide a small, genuine smile. Perhaps, he could truly learn a thing or two from outside the palace. It seemed like fun.

"Right. I suppose there isn't a reason," he admitted before taking another bite, this time with less caution than he was used to, copying the way Xiao ate. His cheeks puffed out slightly from the larger bite.

She glanced toward him carefully, slightly bewildered as she thought.

What an odd fella. A nobleman who seemed to be experiencing life for the first time...

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A note from 8Rage8

Did I finish Chapter 2 long ago? Yes.

Did I still rewrite half of it at the last minute? Also, yes!

Thanks for reading! Chapter 3 is already in the works—can't wait to share more with you soon. See ya next Saturday! 💙