Zi'an YiYi

PREPARATIONS

Yu'er visited Yiyi more frequently. Now that her wedding has been fixed, she has an extra responsibility, taking care of the Yang's mansion. She is the only lady in the house, as both Zi'xu's and Zi'an's mother are not there anymore. So, she remained busy as a bee, both managing her newly- opened restaurant and taking care of the household in which she is a would-be lady. As for Zi'an, he got promoted from Imperial Censor Supervisor to the Imperial Censor Head. Yang Zi'xu now strengthened his relation with Zi'an and they can be often seen hanging out together or discussing matters, much to Yiyi's relief.

Yu'er became more like a sister to Yiyi, helping her in her restaurant, planning her wedding and helping her select her wedding dresses and jewellery. She was going to be the maid of honour, after all. Everybody who was there in the inauguration were invited in the wedding. Even Dugu was invited who had already married Rou by then and they both were guarding the country. Among the wedding invitations, only Xinyuan was the one who refused it, saying he had an important task at that day. When Yiyi heard of it, she made up her mind to tell Zi'an everything that had been going on between her and Xinyuan.

It was two days before the wedding. Zi'an was in the library, reading. He usually stayed up late at night, reading books or researching. Yiyi approached him in an anxious face. Zi'an looked up from his book and stared at her, curious. Yiyi lowered her eyes from his gaze and said,"Zi'an, I need to tell you something important. We are getting married soon, so I don't want to keep anything from you. Your trust is the most important thing for me in this world."

Zi'an closed his book and approached Yiyi. He held her hand and said,"I trust you Yiyi. And I will always do. You can tell anything to me. Open your heart to me."

This is exactly why Yiyi loved him so much. She always felt at ease when she was with him.

"Do you want to know why I evaded Xinyuan in the inauguration?"

Zi'an's eyes became curious again.

"Yes, I wanted to ask about it from a long time. But, you know that both of us were busy, so I never got the opportunity. I was thinking about asking you about it in our wedding night."

"Do you know that Xinyuan had loved me all these years at school?"

She felt his hand loosen.
"What are you talking about?"
Yiyi gave a faint smile.
"I did not believe it myself, he is such a good friend of mine. I never noticed the hints he used to give. He tried many times to confess to me, but every time I ended up ignoring his confession and be with you. It was only the day I went to meet him at the palace, that he confessed to me. But the snag is, this is not even the hardest part. The hardest part is that he still thinks that I am his biological sister, so it is improper for him to have a crush on me. He still doesn't know the truth. Zi'an, I have made such a huge mistake. How can I ever rectify it?"

Tears flowed through her cheeks while Zi'an stood there, dumbstruck. Yiyi had been going through so much alone. He did not even have the slightest idea that his best friend and his to-be wife were having such a misunderstanding. Such a lousy friend was he. He felt a tinge of guilt within him, but he brushed it off. Now that Yiyi is going to be his wife, he is responsible for her to the end. Moreover, her tears always pained him. Her smile is all he wanted to see. He embraced her tightly and said,"Don't worry Yiyi. Everything will be fine. I will help you. Believe your Stinky Tofu."

"I believe you. I believe you the most." Yiyi sobbed as she buried her head in his chest.

The next morning, Yiyi took a leave from the restaurant as she had preparations for her wedding. Both Yu'er and Tangtang came over to help them. Yang Zi'xu and Shen Bowen became busy with the arrangements of the festivities. It was Tangtang who noticed Zi'an's absence.

"Dieyi, where is Zi'an? Why can't I see him?"
"I don't know. Isn't he home?"
"No."
Yu'er interrupted. "Lame leg, shouldn't you be looking for him instead of asking Dieyi about it? How is she supposed to know?"

"You Little Witch! Dare call me Lame Leg again."

Yiyi cut in. "Ok Ok, that's enough. Yu'er is right. Please look for Zi'an. I don't know where he has gone at this odd hour."

Tangtang gave a naughty smile.

"Oh! But I thought that Stinky Tofu made you upset again." He said before leaving.

Yiyi became engrossed in thoughts and no longer listened to what Yu'er was saying. Where did Zi'an go early in the morning? Was he woking out any plan after last night? Did he go to visit Xinyuan? Why didn't he tell her anything? What was he planning to do? Yiyi was left to wonder.