On the Petals of a Flower, I found something that does not belong to me

18

For all the people of the world and everything on this planet. We are all equal.

 The sky was dark and the moon was timidly appearing behind some clouds. The stars were not visible, as the clouds hid their radiance.

 Jin Guangyao was always walking behind me. And I always waited a while for him to come next to me. When he was reaching the point where I was and we kept walking, he started to stay behind me again. And I kept on doing the same thing again. I didn't know if he was tired or if he did it on purpose. But I felt uncomfortable having him behind me as I walked. I felt like his eyes were pinning and piercing my back.

 "Excuse me" after a while, obviously angry, I stopped.

 Jin Guangyao stopped a few steps behind me. "What happened to maiden Charlie?"

 I sighed. "Are you tired of walking? If so, let's rest. If not, can you please walk next to me? Why are you constantly walking behind me? We are equal, as I said the other day. Why do you walk like a slave behind me?"

 For a few seconds, I noticed his eyes widen. Then he smiled with his classic, uncomfortable smile.

 "You will feel safer that way if I walk behind you. And I am almost next to you, not behind you" he explained.

 I fixed the thing I had for a bag on my back. This time I had put other clothes inside which Lan Xichen gave me for backups.

 "The 'almost' is different from the 'next to me'. Stand on your feet for the name of God. I'm not saying this to make you feel bad or uncomfortable. I'm saying this because I'm never used to having someone behind me and it's uncomfortable for me. So can you please walk next to me? Just think that you are doing it for me as a favor."

 Jin Guangyao looked at me. I felt his gaze pierce me.

 After a few seconds, he came and stood next to me. Then he turned and smiled at me. This smile seemed more real to me. But maybe my eyes were laughing at me, as always, when I was not wearing glasses.

 "Nice. Shall we go?" I said.

 And we started walking like normal people, side by side.

                                                                                     ***

 The Lanling area was huge. And when I say huge I mean, huge in every form.

 Huge buildings, huge towers in various places, big houses, huge areas.

 And it must have been the richest area I have ever seen.

 Fabrics, gold, silver, jewelry, silk and much more abounded in the market. In relation to your friendliest and home-like Yunmeng and the icy and stern Gusu, the Lanling area, was full of life.

 And full of money.

 Before we entered, Jin Guangyao insisted that I cover my head with a garment as we passed through the market. Although I didn't want to do it, in the end I gave up. I didn't want people to throw stones at me again.

 On the way to where we would be staying, the looks, that I was supposed to not get by my hair, were on us by the fact that I was alone with Jin Guangyao.

 "Who's that girl?" the conversations around us started as we crossed the market.

 "I do not know. You think she's his future wife?"

 I coughed loudly.

 "Are you okay, Charlie?"

 Jin Guangyao put his hand on my back and leaned towards me. I almost died from coughing.

 His future wife? Oh, we are not okay. These people had become my second mother . They wanted me to marry, while I had not even finished my university. Plus I didn't want to get married.

 "I'm fine" I said and straightened my body.

 People around us looked. "But was not Jin Guangyao married?"

 "What?" made a woman. "No, he was never and he isn't married. Something was heard that he wanted a girl, but he left her when he learned that they were cousins. His cousin, Jin Zixuan, is married to Jiang's daughter. But who would have thought that Jin Zixuan would leave such a brilliant path, to go and live like a normal man with his wife?"

 "But his son, Jin Ling, wants to follow in his uncle's footsteps," said another man, full of pride. "So, do you believe that Jin Ling has now an aunt?"

 I coughed loudly again.

 "Maiden Charlie" Jin Guangyao's voice sounded serious and stern. "Maybe we should call a doctor. You cough a lot."

 "No need" I did and wiped away the tears caused by my cough. I didn't cough because I had an issue.

 Actually, I coughed exactly because of this! I didn't want to become anyone's aunt, damn the time and the moment I was here!

 And I had just noticed that Jin Guangyao's hand had not left my back.

 "Ehem" I did. "Can you please take your hand off my back?"

 Jin Guangyao smiled at me. "I'm afraid I can not do that," he said, pushing me lightly towards him.

 "What ..." I did and my shoulder stuck to his body.

 "The market is very crowded. I guide you with my hand so that you do not get lost," he explained, as if saying something completely natural. Then he looked at me.

 "Unless maiden Charlie wants me to hold her hand."

 I felt my face turning red. I looked straight ahead and inhaled.

 Damn it. Stop it man. Do you want me to have a nosebleed?

 "It's not necessary. We're fine," I said, cold like a bloody bitch.

                                                                                       ***

 When we arrived at a huge building, Jin Guangyao ordered with a nice and good-natured way, but for my tastes maybe too good and a little creepy way, some servants to make a room for me. At some other servants he ordered them to go, check and tell him if they saw or heard anything about strange events happening in the area or in the surrounding areas.

 I assumed he did the latter for my party, so I thanked him.

 "But I insist that I want to go where I was from the beginning. In that house. Can you take me? I don't remember the road."

 "Of course we will go. We should. Maybe we will find something that escaped us from the beginning. But because we walked all night, it would be good to rest. And we will be here tomorrow," he said.

 I nodded. He was right. We had been walking all night. I wondered why we had not come by a cart or anything like that, since Jin Guangyao's sect was so rich.

 "So, we'll talk later I guess" I said and moved to the door to leave the room. Before leaving, my eye fell into an open crevice, where I thought I saw strange tools.

 I raised one eyebrow. Did my eyes trick me, or did I see whips?

 When I left the room, I closed the door behind me and started walking fast.

 Who would have thought that Jin Guangyao, no matter how good he seemed, had a hidden playroom with BDSM stuff?

 Jesus Christ! Better to stay as far away as possible and keep my distance.