EMPRESS LIU

~TWENTY-SEVEN~

Hua Feng was totally lost. His beloved cousin sister couldn't recognise him or herself. This devastated him very much. Seeing her so lost and indulging in the food that Liu Xiong brought as if that was the only thing that was anchoring her senses together felt insanely destroying to his heart. But even being the elder brother here, he couldn't do anything.

"What can I do to help her?" Hua Feng questioned the only sane person in the room.

"I do not know either, Hua Xiong. But I can tell you one thing. It is my fault that everything turned out like this. And I'm going to fix everything. I have to." Liu Changsheng was looking aimlessly around the room with no particular sense on the situation around him. Darkness and uncertainty was making a layer of cloud over his head.

"What are you talking about? What is your fault?"

"I am the reason Li meimei is like this. I'm the reason Hua Xiong is like this." Liu Changsheng wasn't thinking straight. And Hua Feng realised that. "I have to protect both of you."

Hua Feng regained his older brotherly sterness and pushed a plate of sweet and sour pork towards Liu Changsheng. "Yes. But not in empty stomach of course. Now eat."

This brought Liu Changsheng back to reality. He somehow saw Liu Huanglang in Hua Feng. The same sternness, the same brotherly affection. The same thing he was longing to have but no way to have it. Because his brother was gone. He couldn't protect him.

Liu Changsheng has been broken more than once. And he stood back up holding all those broken pieces over and and over again. At some point his own broken pieces started cutting through his skin making him bleed, but he never gave up.

Never before. Like he wanted to right now.

Liu Changsheng looks at the food he's always loved. And tears wouldn't listen but fall instead.

"Hua Xiong. My da ge just had a funeral a few days back."

His eyes was fixated at the food. He dare not look at his surroundings and be disappointed again. But this time he wasn't. This time someone was there to break his fall.

"So I heard. He didn't give in to the emperor's torture. But Liu Xiong need not worry. He died with honour I heard."

"Need not worry, you say." Liu Changsheng had a mocking smile on his face. "Need not worry? My da ge is gone!"

He wasn't agitated. He was calm. As if cold enough to forget his surroundings. And he felt cold. All the warmth he ever wanted in his life was gone. His family. His father, his brother, his sister, everyone. They were taken away from him. And there was only one question in his mind. What went wrong? Just for Love?

Suddenly as if on a sudden strike he came back to reality. "Wo da-sao ne?"

"Your sister in law is with madam Liu." A young female voice startled the three occupants in the room getting three different reactions out of them. Liu Changsheng was calm but his nervousness made a slight slither through his eyes. Hua Feng was surprised and curious. And as for Li Xiang, she was scared.

Ying Lianying looked at Hua Feng once and then moved her gaze back to Liu Changsheng. "You came back here for Concubine Li?"

Liu Changsheng didn't know how to respond. He didn't even know how she found him. So he only nodded and let Ying Lianying decide the course of conversation.

"She will be safe with the Hua laobai for the time being. After everything is over I'll take her back to her parents myself." Her eyes held a promise. As if she knew what Liu Changsheng wanted and was willing to do it for him.

But Liu Changsheng knew better. He didn't trust anyone except his own intuition. And his intuition told him there was a condition. "And in exchange of what?"

Ying Lianying was startled for a moment. But she recovered even before her vulnerability was shown. "You have to go to the imperial palace with me."

"Why?"

"You know why, Liu Changsheng."

Some words were better exchanged unspoken. Those words should be conveyed through your tone. Either reassurance, or threat.

"But before that can I for once go see my mother?"

Something clenched within Ying Lianying's heart. She too knew what this human being in front of her went through. And she knew why. So she said nothing. She let the silence speak for her. She's never been a good speaker anyway. The number of times she was harrassed on the streets were indication enough for that.

And thus Liu Changsheng was relieved that his only confidant was safe. And a new journey for him began.

To an unknown path he never walked before. To a path of changing fate or just succumb to it the final time.

One week is all it took for Liu Changsheng to finally find his mother and A-Lian. To realise they were better off without him. To accept that he was indeed a curse in their life as his mother once said.

And one week is all it took for him to choose the path of revenge.

Hello everyone!! Here's a new chapter! Here's how Liu Changsheng's revenge starts....

Do I know what I'm doing right now? No
Do I know what I wrote in the next chapter? Absolutely not
Do I want to work it out? Heck yes!

So pray for my clarity!

So that's it for today's chapter! I'll see you in the next chapter!
All the love
C 💕

Also please don't forget to vote!