Chapter 71 - The Phoenix

The sun has already set in the horizon while the sky adorned in pretty hues of blues.

The soft glowing light of dusk has faintly illuminated the big garden of Yu palace.

" Li Juan," Liang called the woman who is walking beside him with slow and tired steps.

"Are you sure this is a good idea? You look too tired to walk," He suggested.

Li Juan glanced at him with heavy eyelids and softly smiled.

"I'm happy that you are here,"

" Me too, but I really think we should sit somewhere, you look like you are going to faint," Liang said with a concerned face. Li Juan was busy meeting everyone who came for the ceremony and barely got a moment to take rest. When the guests left she immediately changed her clothes and took Liang for a walk instead of taking rest.

"Okay, let's sit somewhere" Li Juan led him to one of the dimly lit Pavillion in the garden. Both of them sat in the cold stone floor instead of the wooden chairs in the Pavillion.

"I thought we will never meet again," Li Juan said in low voice. 

"I told you that I will come."

"Why Liang?" 

"Because you are my friend," he said with a smile."You even give me a yellow orchid," 

A faint smile bloomed in Li Juan's pretty lips, "How did you find out that I am here?"

"I got my ways," Liang smirked.

"Yes, Mr.Stalker."

"Oh that hurts, Liang said in a sulky voice. "Your brother called me in the middle of the night and asked me to look after you."

"Tae Min?" Lee Tae Min's face flashed in her mind.

"Yes, he said that you refused to stay in the team and your boss asked one of his employees to take care of you. He thought you will be struggling to fit into a new environment, but it seems like he was wrong." He stopped for a moment and continued with a smile.

"So do you mind to tell me what happened, princess? Liang asked her while emphasizing on the term"Princess".

Li Juan let out a laugh. 

"Do you believe that I am a princess?"

"Why not? Every girl is a princess." 

Oh, that was smooth.

"You are getting better with your pick up lines." Li Juan chuckled with childish innocence.

"Is that a compliment? Then I am honoured." Liang didn't back off.

"I used to think that I got no one, but one fine morning- I found myself a family- a big family which treat me like a princess." Li Juan proudly said.

"Isn't it something you've always wished for?"

"Well, not the princess part. The "princess" title is quite heavy to bear." She declared in a gentle tone, however her voice held a sorrow. "Every other minute it reminds me that I don't belong to this place." 

"It is your home, they are your family." Liang tried to explain.

"No. it is not, I am not welcomed here."

"But I saw it, they love you," Liang said in denial.

"They don't know about my past, the moment they know the real me-"

"Will you stop worrying for once? Liang interrupted her. He was a little bit annoyed. How long she is going to keep a guard against everyone and refuse to accept others. "It is not like you killed someone. They are your family. They will understand you."

"Ning Jing found about it." Li Juan said with a straight face.

"I have finally earned the status of a mistress. 

She even confronted me in front of the professor with solid evidence and asked for justice. They were about to fire me, but I quit before they could -"

"It wasn't just you, he is also... No, he is the one who cheated you. Then why did you quit, Li Juan?" It was difficult for Liang to understand Li Juan's actions.

"I was tired, Liang. I don't have any more strength to fight." Li Juan said in a tired voice. "All I wanted is to run away from him, as far as possible."

"It was your dream, Li Juan." He reminded her.

"It was a torture for me, pretending that everything was okay. He, He is not the person I used to know. He is different. He is a demon." Li Juan's words filled with horror. Even though she doesn't want to remember it, the memories of that night flashed in her mind. Unconsciously her heart started beating loudly and started to have cold sweats 

"Li Juan," Liang called her.

"He tried to...violate me," a sob came from her. "He forced himself on me."

Li Juan couldn't control her tears.

"That night, I yelled for help, Liang, I thought I was going to die. He didn't listen to my pleadings" Li Juan covered her face with her palms and wept like a child. 

"He came again and locked me up. He is going to come again and take me away." She wept like a child.

Liang extended his left hand over her shoulder and held her closer.

"Li Juan, look at me," Liang tried to gather her attention. She kept weeping with her face covered.

"Listen to me," Liang grabbed her wrist and tried to uncover her face. Li Juan looked at him with reddened eyes.

"Do you trust me?

Do you trust me, Li Juan?"

She nodded in agreement.

"As long as I am alive, I won't allow a single person, not even Tang Wei Sheng to hurt you. No one is going to take you away. Believe me," 

Liang consoled her with an embrace. Li Juan clung on his neck and wept as much she wanted.

At the same time, in one of the chambers of Yu palace dreadful truth was forced on the elders of the Bai family.

The man who came looking for their princess,

The man who claims to be her friend,

He is living with a fake identity.

"His identity is fake?" Bai Qi repeated the question.

"Yes, there is no one named "Dai Liang" in the Dai family in the capital city. His flat, the car, his card everything is registered someone named Ren Hao, a tattoo artist in Jing City." Huang explained.

"A tattoo artist, how is related to the princess?" Bai Zhu shared his doubt.

"Before becoming a tattoo artist, he used to be a doctor at the city hospital where the Princess and her mother used to visit for consultations."

"The man who came in the morning, he claimed that he is a doctor." Bai Qi added. "So those two are related?"

"We are searching for that, his name, his face- none of them matches the identification servers in C country."

"What do you mean? Bai Zhu couldn't believe any of Huang's statements." How can he travel in this country without having any proper identification documents?"

"There is only one possible answer. His identity is intentionally hidden from the servers." Huang said in alarming voice.

"If his identity is intentionally hidden, then he must be someone from Z category Elite family. How did the princess meet him?" Bai Zhu asked in confusion.

"It is also a mystery. He is not part of any of princess's social circles, including social networking sites. The only link which connects princess with this man is Ren Hao.

Ren Hao used to live abroad, so we are looking more into him and try to find his relationship with Liang." Huang reported.

"What is princess's relation with him,? How long did they know each other?" Bai Qi suddenly asked.

"They had a one night stand."

"What?"

"Princess has spent a night at his place, while she was still in the relationship young master Tang."

"What is that girl is trying to do? What is this immoral behaviour?" Bai Zhu lost his temper. How can a woman act like this?

"So are you implying that he is one whom she is currently with?" Elder Bai enquired.

"If he came here looking for her, then Yes."

"Do you think the princess aware of his fake identity?" 

"I don't think so."

"Where is he now, let me talk to him." Bai Qi came out of his room and searched for Li Juan and Liang.

"Where is he, princess's friend?" He asked the people who sat in the living room.

"Did he leave?"

"No, they just went for a walk." Wu Xuan Yi replied.

"Where did they go?"

"Probably in the garden."

When Bai Qi came looking for Li Juan, she was already fast asleep in Liang's lap. Both of them were sitting on the cold floor and Liang used his coat to cover her body.

Liang was caressing her long hair while looking at her with immense love and care. 

Bai Qi was shocked to see them together.

You!!! He shouted.

"Elder Bai, she just slept now," Liang said in a quiet voice. "Can we put her to bed and talk? "

Bai Qi walked outside and called the maids to take Li Juan to her room. But even before that, Liang carried sleepy Li Juan in his arms.

"She has insomnia. Once her sleep is disturbed, it is hard to fall asleep again."

"Show him the princess Chambers," Bai Qi ordered.

Ji Ya led Liang to the princess's chamber.

The entire Bai family left speechless when they saw Liang carrying their princess.

"What exactly is their relation?"

Liang walked into Li Juan' room and carefully put her into the bed. He even removed her shoes and covered Li Juan with the blanket. 

Liang looked around for a paper on the nearest table and wrote something. He kept the note on the bed table. 

He smiled and bowed at Ji Ya and went out to meet Bai Qi accompanied by a butler. 

Bai Qi's face appeared calm. However, his mind was turbulent like a stormy sea.

"Elder Bai, Liang called him.

"Sit." Bai Qi asked him and Liang sat opposite to him. "It seems like you and princess share a close relationship?"

"We are friends." Liang nonchalantly replied.

"Do you want me to believe that, young man?"

Liang remained silent.

"Does she know that you like her?"

Again, no response.

"It is our fault that the princess was forced to live a troubled life as a commoner. But that doesn't mean that you can take advantage of her. 

"However, her life won't be the same from now onwards. We have acknowledged Li Juan as one of the heirs of the Bai family. As per our traditions, soon she will be coronated as the Queen of Yu palace and will get married to a suitable groom." Bai Qi declared with a serious face.

"I hope that you won't change your mind when you find about her past life as a "commoner". Especially when you look for her suitors." Liang said with a smug smile.

"How dare you?" Bai Qi looked at his smug face in disbelief. The humble gentleman whom he met in the morning was nowhere to see.

"You have misunderstood me, elder Bai, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." Liang apologised." You might've acknowledged Li Juan as part of your family. But what about her? 

For a person who lived as a commoner for 25 years, did you ask her whether she finds it difficult to adjust?"

"And a suitable groom," He let out a sneer.

"Do you think it will be easy to convince her to get married to a suitable groom who is chosen by Yu palace?"

"Why not? She knows the rules and she will obey it." Bai Qi refuted back.

"Ah, I've heard that the queen gets to choose her partner- that too from Yu clan." Liang's face appeared curious. "But what about Guan family, how are you going to explain that to her?" 

"Guan family,"

There was a shock in Bai Qi's face. The topic of the queen's marriage was something hidden among the Yu clan. And the relation between the Guan family and Yu palace was extremely confidential. How did he know?

"Who are you?" Bai Qi asked with a startled face.

"Me? I am just a friend of your princess." Liang repeated his answer.

"No. you are not. If you are a friend of hers, then you won't hide your identity from her." Bai Qi denied his claim.

"My identity? it seems like Elder Bai found something." Liang said casually.

"Tell me, who are you and what is your relationship with the princess?"

Liang sighed and looked at Bai Qi who appeared agitated. 

"I mean no harm to her."

His melancholic voice and the pain in his eyes appeared genuine and sincere.

" Li Juan deserves to be happy.

I hope Yu palace will not negotiate with her life against your clan's pride." Liang shared his concern.

This man, he knows something!!! Bai Qi was sure. 

His cold demeanour and intimidating aura was nothing less than an emperor. 

"Who are you? Bai Qi repeated his question. "No one in this land knows these secrets other than the Yu clan."

"Maybe someone from another land?" 

"You, You are," Bai Qi looked at the man in front of his eyes in shock.

There was a faint smile in Liang's face.

"There are so many things troubling Li Juan, I don't want to be one of them." He said in an aloof tone.

"Right now, Li Juan needs someone to support her, she feels that she doesn't belong here. I hope her grandfather and family will help her." Liang suggested.

"In case you are finding it difficult to take care of Li Juan, please let her go,"

"A Phoenix doesn't belong to any cages, she belongs to the vast sky."