101 Romantic Endings and Beginnings

Just as the moon and stars began to appear, so did Ji Er and Hou Lei. Beneath the willow tree on the outskirts of town was Ji Er covered in a black cloak and Hou Lei. The two stood there awkwardly.

His face was blank. She couldn't tell whether he was happy to see her or not.

Hou Lei couldn't see how stressed and anxious Ji Er looked. One, for it was quite dark and two, he did his best not to look her in the eyes. The two of them had been silently staring at each other for a while now. Even though she was standing next to him, she felt like he was so far away. She was afraid the closer she got to him, the further he would get.

"Consort Nuan must have an urgent matter to summon me here this late?" Hou Lei was the first to speak.

Ji Er gripped her sleeves tightly.

"I am willing to throw everything away as long as you leave with me." For the first time in her life, Ji Er wanted to do something for herself. To say these words, she was desperate. She wished he could her the desperation in her voice. But he couldn't.

For a moment Hou Lei's body betrayed him. Thankfully he reacted fast enough to stop himself from grabbing her hands.

He stared at her.

The her in front of him was still the same from years ago. She was still the most beautiful woman in his life. The memory of her etched in his heart was still the same. She had not changed one bit.

Hou Lei didn't know how to react to this sudden boldness. Why was she playing him? At one point he would have thrown everything away for her. But now…he knew he would never be able to live knowing he betrayed his highness.

When Hou Lei was a nobody, it was Pei Nan who saw his worth. It was also Pei Nan who supported and taught him. He would not be the man he is today without Pei Nan.

He never blamed Ji Er for marrying Pei Nan. He understood. All these thoughts clouded his thoughts.

Ji Er anxiously waited for his reply. To see him so engrossed in his own thoughts scared her. This meant he was hesitating. She hurriedly took two steps and desperately held onto his hands. Hou Lei felt her cold hands cover his.

"Lei ge'ge, run away with me, okay? Didn't we say we would live where only the two of us existed? Somewhere no one could find us? We can still do that. Let's leave right now." Her eyes beamed with hope.

"Ji Er." This soft and pleasant voice of his, she never thought she would be able to hear it again. A smile immediately appeared on her face. Were they going back to how they were?

"This isn't like the past. We are not our young and carefree selves anymore. How can we abandon our duties to the country? You are the wife of Prince Nan, the future emperor and I, his adviser. If I leave with you now, how would I face my ancestors? Or Pei Nan? Or the country?"

"I don't care if the world turns their back on me. But you can't." She quickly cut him off.

"This is the decision you chose for the both of us. We can only continue to move forward. It's late...This is the last time I am meeting you. Let's go our separate ways.." Hou Lei knew if he stayed any longer he would really leave everything and take her away.

A heartbroken Ji Er let go of his hands. "I understand."

Even after Hou Lei left, she didn't move. [Ji Er, this is the choice you made for yourself. Lei ge'ge is right, there is no turning back.]

***

Pei Nan was seen at Yu Mei's courtyard early the next morning. The two of them were taking a casual stroll along the paved road where thousands of flowers were planted.

At the same time, a flustered Chu'mei was running around looking for her lady. She had only left her lady's sight for a little over twenty minutes to get snacks. When she got back to the pavilion, her lady was gone. Chu'mei didn't get far from the pavilion when out of nowhere Feng Ju appeared. His sudden arrival made her jump.

"Why are you here?" She placed her hands on her hips and rudely asked. She still hadn't gotten even with him for stopping her yesterday.

"Why else would I be here if his highness wasn't here. It's not like I would come here on my own. " He was quick to give her attitude too. He looked her up and down as if she was an unsightly sight. "Especially with an airheaded maid around." Feng Ju crossed his hands and looked away as if looking at her would hurt his eyes.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Chu'mei walked in front of him and tiptoed. She lifted her chin up as if saying she wasn't afraid to fight him.

Feng Ju slightly tilted his head and gave her a look as if calling her slow witted. "Can't you read the mood these days? His highness and Consort Pan are in the middle of rekindling their romantic feelings. Only an airhead like you would try to ruin it."

Chu'mei pouted her lips angrily. "How was I supposed to know? It's not like I've ever been in love." She tried to defend herself.

Feng Ju leaned closer to her, catching her by surprise. He blankly stared at her.

Chu'mei was flustered. He was so close she could smell the earthy scent on his body. It was quite nice. [What are you thinking?] she quickly snapped back.

"What are you doing?" Her little voice tried to sound tough.

*Smack* It took the sly Feng Ju no more than a second to smack a kiss on Chu'mei's left cheek. He then took a step back.

Chu'mei's mind went blank. Her hand slowly went up to touch the cheek that was just violated. She wasn't sure if she should be mad at him or not. Her heart was beating like crazy.

Suddenly a wicked smile appeared on his face. "So you do get flustered over romantic stuff. And here I thought you were a fool who only liked to play and eat." He teased.

All the color in Chu'mei's face was drained. He was teasing her just now. He was testing her and yet she actually fell for it.

"FENG JU YOU JERK!" Chu'mei used her fist to punch him in the chest. Feng Ju let her hit him. More like he couldn't react in time. He didn't think he would need to put his guard up in front of this little girl. Who knew she could throw quite the punch.

"You dare trick me?" She threw a few more punches his way.

Feng Ju was no idiot. He quickly moved to the side to avoid her crazy punches. He literally ran away the chance he got. But the triggered Chu'mei was tailing closely behind. The two were running like crazy on the grass.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to trick you. I was only testing to see if you had a single romantic brain cell in your body." He explained while running away.

Chu'mei pointed at him. "Come back here you lackey!"

The more he talked, the more fueled she became. When Feng Ju had created a wide distance between them, he turned to face her. "How about this… I'll let you kiss my cheek and we'll call it even." He shamelessly pointed at his left cheek.

"Eeeek~ You…you…" She stomped her feet and pointed once more.

Luckily he had stopped running and she was finally catching up. Just as she was about to reach him, she stepped on the hem of her skirt.

The next thing she knew, she was lying on top of him with her lips on his. Both of them awkwardly made eye contact. Chu'mei blinked a few times before she fully grasped what she had just done. She forced herself on him!

She literally jumped off and back on her feet. She didn't wait to ask if he was alright. The first thing she did was turn around and try to escape this awkward situation. Not to mention her cheeks were flushing pink.

"HOLD A MINUTE!" in an intimidating voice, he stopped her.

Chu'mei turned around to face Feng Ju.

He tried his best to keep a straight face as he was faced with the beet red Chu'mei.

"Fine! We're even." She quickly ended the situation and ran away like a shy girl.

"You're a crook! You kissed my precious lips. I should be able to kiss your cheeks once more for it to be even. Next time I see you I'll collect it." He shouted at Chu'mei who had her ears covered and running for her life. A mischievous smirk formed.He would never let her forget.