Blood and Roses

Chapter-11

Hey, babes! Update time. No rant today. Just leaving it here. Please read the A/N at the end of the chapter. 😳

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6JY_2ZZ and struggle_wind for making all those amazing covers on my stories!! You guys are awesome! Love you!💗

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This is the last part of Zhou's story. I apologize for the typos and error.

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Zhou’s Story Pt-4 (The last part)

The Huang household was in uproar. The General had sent the words of their return and everyone was busy preparing for the welcome. Everyone except nineteen year old WeiZhou. Since his mother told him of this news, he could not fathom how he should react. After being in the dark for so long when the Sun finally appeared on the horizon, he did not know how to look at it.

Finally, when he came to terms with his topsy turvy heart, the weather turned against him. Another news of the General’s delayed arrival due to the rain came and WeiZhou, not being able to stand the disappointment, went out.

It was past evening when he returned, soaked wet in the rain, cold to the bone, shivering, and stopped short. The house seemed to be bustling with activity, as though....as though....

His tentative steps took him to the parlour where a servant had led him. As the distance between him and the door closed, his heartbeat became erratic. He entered the room.

Everything else became opaque once WeiZhou’s eyes found the object of his yearning.

JingYu stood there, slightly detached from the other three figures, face expressionless, gaze unfocussed. He had grown taller. Taller than WeiZhou. His physique was not that of a boy anymore but of a man, strong and sturdy. An aura of formidable masculinity wrapped around him like a cloak. He looked different. He looked magnificent.

And his head turned suddenly, their eyes met and WeiZhou watched as various emotions flooded in those previously sombre eyes.

“Ah, WeiZhou, finally you have returned,” the General spoke with an unusual heartiness and the spell was broken. JingYu averted his eyes, so did WeiZhou but not before feeling a pang of pain within his heart. Why this JingYu felt like a stranger? This was not how he imagined their reunion to be.

WeiZhou greeted everyone with a bow, noticing for the first time that there were two unknown men present, one of which shared an uncanny resemblance to JingYu. In fact, he could easily be called as the more mature version of JingYu. Turned out the man was JingYu’s cousin. Another man, who looked nearabout WeiZhou’s own age, was introduced as Li Wei, a fellow trainee and friend of JingYu. WeiZhou observed this man as minutely as the politeness could grant him. The result did not satisfy him in the least, for Li Wei was not only strikingly handsome but had a completely opposite persona than that of WeiZhou’s.

Why did you bring him when it was supposed to be only us?

“I apologize as I was not aware that you would be arriving today,” he addressed his step father.

“Yes, we thought of delaying the journey till the rain ceased,” General Huang agreed once everyone sat down, “but your brother insisted on coming today. So much so that he was ready to make the journey alone.”

Hearing this, WeiZhou’s eyes immediately went to JingYu only to find that the later was frowning at a spot on the floor. The elation that had sprouted from General’s reply died out. He only nodded his understanding.