Rebound

18

Lan Zhan and I have been hidden away for about a month now. We were really enjoying our honeymoon. Baoshan was very much okay with us being hidden away this long. I didn't have to think about anything or worry about anything else other than my life right now with my husband...I get to say that, I have a husband. I never once thought I'd marry one day, especially a man, but now that I am and it's with Lan Zhan, I feel like a new person.

Lan Zhan and I knew that we needed to get back to Baoshan eventually but we liked this time away. I can also tell he is stalling as he isn't ready to face his uncle and brother yet. I do not blame him. I never thought that one day Zewu Jun of all people would hurt his brother like this and tell others about me. Those people at the Lan Sect are getting more and more bold and ignoring their own principles. They gossip, they judge, they yell, they fight, and so on. No wonder Lan Zhan left. Even if it wasn't for my sake, I can understand why he would.

He and I were currently lying in bed together after a round of "fun". We were both drenched in sweat and had just calmed down after such a wonderful high. I was resting beside him with my head on his chest. I could feel his fingers lace through my hair and circle around my scalp. Though it was of completely different context and situations, Shijie would play with my hair like this.

I slowly sat up and closed my eyes. I needed a moment. Some things were never going to be the same and I have to live with this pain for the rest of my life, "Wei Ying, are you alright?" Lan Zhan asked, as he sat up too.

I looked at him, "just thinking about some things," I said, "even when I am having relaxing times like this, my mind tends to wander too far."

"What is wrong?" He asked. I just shook my head. I heard him sigh, "Wei Ying, it's new for us to be more open with each other but I promise you, I am here to listen. If you need to talk, then please do so."

"I don't want to ruin the mood," I said.

"It's alright," Lan Zhan said, "please just talk to me."

I finally managed to look at him, "I miss her," I told him, "I want so desperately to see her again, to tell her I'm sorry and to tell her that I found my forever husband. I've lost so many people and I can only blame myself. I am even wondering if I am the reason my parents died too."

"Wei Ying, you are allowed to mourn and miss others," he said, "but don't put blame on yourself when you don't have the full story. You have done nothing wrong and you do not deserve to treat yourself that way."

"What do I do?" I asked, "I cannot get myself to stop thinking about this."

Lan Zhan sighed once again and pulled me to his lap. I have to admit I liked being here. I liked the closeness. I was wondering if he picked up on the fact that I do better with comfort this way. Though, it is a bit awkward as we were both naked at the moment.

"Perhaps you will someday, and even if you don't, just know that you will move on eventually," He said, "it took me a long time before I could move forward after my own mother passed away. No one told me what happened to her, all they said was she left and I didn't need to go visit her anymore."

"How old were you when you found out the truth?" I asked.

"About ten," he answered, "the adults felt I was old enough to understand at that age. My mother passed when I was six. It took the adults four years to tell me the truth."

"I was about four or five when I separated from my parents. It was a long time before I ran into anyone. I was told I was about nine when Sect Leader Jiang took me in. So it was about four to five years of me being alone before I understood what really happened," I told him.

"I suppose we have a lot more in common than we originally thought," Lan Zhan said, "how are you feeling? Want me to prepare a bath?"

"Alright," I said.

Lan Zhan set me aside and got up from the bed. He had no problem walking around the room naked. I blushed at his actions and appearance. This man will be the death of me if he isn't careful. He was absolutely beautiful. He had such a toned body and yet slender. Even though he didn't take the full thirty-three whips, he still took a few and had some scars on his back. I had some scars on my back to match. Mine were from a different whip though, Zidian.

I have been at the mercy of Zidian since I moved in to Lotus Pier. Madam Yu did really well with hiding her motives and lying through her teeth about why I was whipped. Sect Leader Jiang would believe her words and believed I needed the discipline. As much as I want to continue to care for him, I am now seeing things more clearly. That family made me suffer and it only took me until recently to realize it. Shijie was the only one who didn't treat me in such a way.

Lan Zhan returned shortly and carried me to the bath. He climbed in and set me between his legs, "mind if we share?" He asked.

"Of course," I replied, "if you want to wash my hair, you have to return the favor."

"I think it's a good compromise," he said. He smiled at me before he started to ladle some water on my hair. As I said, this man will be the death of me one day. He is just too precious.