Tears Of Kai Yuan

9.2

Zhao Jiayi

. A few Days Ago.

"Li Xiao seems to have taken your suggestion, he just may marry Ai-Li instead."

There was a pang in my chest as I walked up to the doors of his chamber and knocked hesitantly.

He had chosen Ai-Li.

Li Xiao had chosen Ai-Li.

I shook myself from the thought as the doors opened and he stared back at me for a moment. I bowed slightly. "I brought some food."

He moved to the side with an unreadable expression. "Come in then."

Carefully, I walked into the room and looked around before setting the tray on the table to lay out the food.

He had chosen Ai-Li...how? He'd never spoken to her, he barely even glanced her direction. Just how did he manage to...

"I must congratulate you General Xiao." He frowned a bit before pulling out a stool to sit at the front of the table. "What do you mean?" Taking a deep breath, I forced the next words out of my mouth. "On choosing your bride. I'm glad you've chosen Ai-Li."

Li Xiao opened his mouth, only to close, then open, then close again in a repetitive cycle. "How did you find out?"

I set the tea on the table before him and then turned to sit down as well. "Your cousin, General Wu-Ji did. He told me not to long ago, so I also came to give you my congratulations."

"Is that really why you came Ah-Yi?"

I froze in my movements for a brief moment before regaining my composure. "What do you mean by that General?"

The steam from the rice in the bowl rose slowly and I focused my attention on that instead as he spoke. "You only came to congratulate me on choosing your sister?"

No, I didn't...but he didn't need to know that. "Shi, it comes as quite a surprise-."

"And why is that?"

My palms began to sweat. "You've never spoken to her or of her. I'm just surprised at that."

"I took your advice, didn't I?" I let out a sigh and nodded. "That you did."

He didn't say anything else in response, reaching out to grasp the bowl of rice and bring it closer to him. "You bring me food in here often, don't you all usually eat in the main hall?"

Thank God for the change in subject. "Sometimes we do, but I'm sure you must be hungry since we don't eat every meal there."

"I haven't seen your grandmother with us."

"She is sick often lately, it is hard for her to leave Dong Wu and greet you all, I'm sorry for that." Li Xiao shook his head. "Don't be."

When silence settled down in the room once again, I grasped the tray and brought it close to my chest. "I'll leave you to your meal Huxia-."

"Tell me more about your sister...Ai-Li."

-

"Pardon?"

He grasped the chopsticks without looking up at me. "Tell me more about Ai-Li. You're right, I barely know anything about her...I should learn more, shouldn't I?"

The slight pang in my chest heightened my discomfort.

He had picked Ai-Li, he had listened to what I had said, and all my hopes had not gone to waste.