For the last eight years Zixi had been waiting patiently and had been eagerly looking forward to the day he would be introduced to Yu Yue. He sometimes wondered how it would have been if his family was still here with him and he still had his status of the young master of the Qin family. Atleast, he could have gotten closer to the girl of his dreams easily and without any heavy thoughts or worries. But the reality he lived in was too different to his fantasy.An year ago his uncle had asked him if he would like to reveal his real ident.i.ty to Yu Yue before he came under her charge so that she wouldn"t treat him the same way as the other staff but he had resolutely refused. In the intervening years since his firm decision he had seldomly talked to the Yu patriarch as the son of his bosom buddy but more like the future aide to his heir being cultivated under him. He still didn"t have the power to hold up the sky if something unexpected happened and make sure of the well being of his loved ones so he didn"t have the right to drag her into his own mess. Moreover, he had already mentally prepared himself to act as a close aide and a.s.sistant to Yu Yue for the foreseeable future.
A few months before her birthday his uncle called him over to the study. When he went there he saw him with a pale face as if he had recieved some news which could break him. He felt apprehensive but still listened to what the other person had to say. The news he recieved shocked him to the core. The first thought he had after listening to everything was that she would again after eight years have to go through a huge emotional turmoil and how she would hold herself up under the present circ.u.mstances. He knew she was strong enough that this wouldn"t faze her for a long period of time but he hated the circ.u.mstances that would put her through an emotional and existential upheaval. Anyhow, he couldn"t do anything at the moment but decided to be there for any of her needs after they were introduced and he was put under her charge.
He watched silently as his uncle went for a paternity test and as the result came positive. A week before her birthday he was ordered to get a set of rooms ready for the new addition to the Yu family and he complied with the order as well. Although he hadn"t met the new girl already he had a faint sense of dislike for her. He knew she wasn"t to be blamed for what had happened back then and the subsequent consequences but he simply couldn"t help himself. Afterall, the new girl entering the residence would bring a sense of crisis to Yu Yue.
All this time all he could think about was to make alternative plans if she was a danger to uncle and his first born. Having experienced more in his short life than most people did in their entire lifetime had made him hone his sixth sense which was ringing alarm bells loud and clear to him that this unfamiliar girl was bad news for all involved. To vent his frustrations he played a few tricks which he knew wouldn"t escape his uncle"s eyes but then he wanted to be petty to the interloper and was also a.s.sured of the fact that as long as he didn"t crops a certain line his uncle wouldn"t mind it and let him have free reign over everything. Afterall, he and his first born were the only family he had in the world and his uncle trusted him to know that he wouldn"t do anything that would hurt them either physically, emotionally, financially or even psychologically.
The rooms he prepared for her were tastefully done he had to admit, though he kept it devoid of much personality. There was a mixture of Cream and pale Yellow. There was no hint of any king of exorbitant and fancy decorations such as antique paintings or decorative vases and such which was just how he wanted it. Though this would be her set of rooms from now onwards, but this house was after all the heir"s domain and everything would follow according to the eldest miss"s whims and wishes. He had made a conscious decision to reflect that in his decoration choices throughout the rooms. Well, mostly anyways.
The room had a double bed, chest of drawers and wardrobe all made from a dark wood, delicately engraved. The furnis.h.i.+ngs were a soft cream carpet with matching drapes and bed linen in varying degrees of yellow. A door led off to the en suite bathroom which consisted of the expected facilities. There was no overt show of disfavour, but the rooms definitely were not those typical of the children of affluent families. They were however much better than what he was tempted to give her initially. He had stopped himself at the last minute from simply shoving her into the set of guest rooms at the end of the corridor but then this room depicted his thoughts clearly to anyone who had the mind to look around. He briefly wondered if she would even notice the difference.
The new girl entered the main residence on the day of Coming of Age Ceremony of the heir. This had irked him to no end. It was as if she was deliberately trying to pick up a fight. Once this thought crossed his mind he couldn"t put his heart to rest. Thinking and rethinking everything he could only come to the conclusion that he couldn"t trust anybody else with this matter so it was better if he kept a close eye on her and to do so he would have to become her a.s.sistant instead of helping the person in his heart. Though, he hated to come under her charge but it couldn"t be helped. He knew uncle was astute in all matters and would be impartial in case a conflict arose between the sisters but it was human nature to compensate someone you felt guilty towards. He was fearful that this guilty feeling would germinate and sprout thorns for Yu Yue"s path. Besides a parent wouldn"t doubt their own child so it could lead to some unsolvable problems in the future.
Additionally, he knew his heart was already tilted towards a single person from such a long time so he wouldn"t feel contrite if he had to make moves in the dark to help the said person. Even if he had to do unscrupulous things like sabotaging Yu Yan from behind he would gladly do it. Foremost, it was to protect Yu Yue. Secondly, he didn"t want his uncle to be hurt in any way if the other person was deceitful at heart. Already he had to shoulder so many responsibilities and the weight on his shoulders was quite heavy so adding another thing or two for his loved ones wasn"t a problem. Also he could repay his uncle in this way for all he had done for him since he became an orphan.
He informed his uncle that the rooms had been prepared to the best of his ability and that he himself should have a look at them. If he was u satisfied with anything he could tell him and he would promptly make the appropriate changes. Along with it he also indicated to him indirectly of his desire to work with Yu Yan once she entered the household but the final decision was upto uncle. He knew he would get his wish because if his uncle"s apparent desire to form a good bond between his two daughters. Although he had never talked to the Yu patriarch about his daughter but the other person could surmise some of his reasons for arriving at such a decision. Though he felt that he was misunderstood as trying to help integrate Yu Yan into this new social structure but whatever, as long as he did his best to curb her if she stepped on the wrong path he was fine with it.
Sometime later in the day he was called to the study was introduced to the new girl. He saw her sitting on a side chair trying to appear demure but all he felt was loathing toward her. Had it not been for her sudden appearance he would have been introduced to Yu Yue tomorrow morning. All his careful planning that he had done over the last few years had gone down the drain because of her. He really wanted her to roll back to whatever hole she had crawled out of but due to his deference and respect towards his uncle he kept himself in check. After the introductions were over they were excused from the study and he impa.s.sively followed her back to her room.
He kept standing at the doorway, not crossing the threshold of her room. Soon she invited him inside and started asking him questions but his mind wasn"t in on it as he was thinking about what Yu Yue was doing right now. He knew she must have been already informed about the truth of the matter. He just simply answered the girl"s questions with superficial answers. Though she tried to probe him but he thought that she was still too young to play a game of words with him. After she filled herself up he informed her about the things she had to keep in mind while attending the banquet and just simply left her to her own devices. Just looking at her made him feel frustrated.
He watched from one of the side doors when Yu Yue entered the ballroom. She looked radiant but he could still see a melancholy air around her. The day that should have been the first milestone of her life had turned into a complete mockery. He watched her mesmerised as she did everything with proper decorum. He was a silent spectator to her mockery filled smile directed at herself when her father asked her to take the new girl along with her while greeting the guests. Later on, it was as if his heart had broken into innumerable pieces when he saw a thin veneer of tears in her eyes while she greeted the madames. He couldn"t fathom what she must be going through at the moment for a girl who hated showing weakness to others to not be able to control her emotions and let her eyes be filled with such bitter water.
Meanwhile he also recognised the petty tricks the other girl was trying to play. Everyone present was a veteran in such schemes so he knew n.o.body would be taken in by her act. He also observed how Yu Yan tried to play off Yu Yue. He would be sure to put a stop to it sooner or later. Their father could behave as if he didn"t see behind the facade of Yu Yan but he himself had no need to pay head to anything like that and would take steps to ensure that nothing she did could harm her intended target.