No Escaping (2)
No Escaping (2)
Wu Genji stiffened, her limbs loosening with each exhale she took.
"It's not that simple," she said to him, her eyes searching his. "If I tell you what I know, then I have to go."
"Go where?" Yuan Ning questioned.
"Anywhere but here," she answered. "It's not safe."
Yuan Ning took a step closer, prowling closer. His eyes held a harshness and softness as if he wanted to protect her and be cautious. She sucked in a breath.
"If you were to leave, would anywhere truly be safe?" he questioned.
Wu Genji took a moment before she shook her head. "No," she answered. "But I can't betray him."
Him? Yuan Ning thought. "What you just said implies that there is another and that you've betrayed us."
"No—" Wu Genji responded, grasping his forearm tightly. She looked straight into his eyes, desperately meeting them. "Again. It's not that simple."
"Then…" his voice drifted, neither harsh nor gentle. "Explain."
"Not here," she explained. She then pulled him to follow her in down a narrow hall, finding a server, bribing him access for a private room, a yacht quarters. "Two hours at most, you can stay here," muttered the server.
"Thank you," Wu Genji said.
Inside, there was an armchair, a desk, and a twin-sized bed propped against the wall. It was small, but comfortable and away from the other guests.
Wu Genji eyed Yuan Ning. "Get comfortable," she told him.
Yuan Ning glanced at her with a raised brow. He then took her instructions by approaching the armchair, sitting down. He undid his tie and cuffs, preparing for a long conversation. He then waved a hand at her to begin when he finished.
Wu Genji bit down her lower lip, afraid and hesitant, but she pulled an upfront expression and began.
"I know who's the Mountain Master, the one who's causing your friends all this trouble."
Yuan Ning stiffened. His eyes opened wide, then narrowed, and his temples strained. Wu Genji could tell he didn't know what to make sense of it—her. He was stunned but not surprised. He was also not quick to ask her questions or to accuse her of anything. He stayed silent and listened.
"He's very complex. Dangerous," Wu Genji chuckled darkly, remembering everything about him that made him more frightening than anyone she's ever met. Shi Yen and Yuan Shun were something to fear, but this man was far worse. Panic dawned on her expression, as she choked, "He's my father."
Yuan Ning's eyes widened as the rest of his body stilled. He looked horrified. "Your mother is—was the Queen of the black society," he spoke out.
"Yes," she answered. "My father wanted to create an alliance with my mother so that they can combine forces. My father spent half of his life trying to re-build the Dark Forces from almost nothing in Beijing, in other parts of the country. They had planned to replace the Shi's with our family. My sister was supposed to be next in line, but she's gone now." She took a deep and shuddering breath. "My mission, here, is to execute Shi Yen and to replace her when my father commands it."
Yuan Ning gritted his teeth, nearly seething—but it wasn't directed at her; it was directed at something else.
She continued. "I had planned to do it, but I didn't expect to meet you—I didn't expect the Empress to be nice despite her stoic and cold upfront. I think she knows something. Shi Yen is perceptive. She anticipates before making her moves, and she plays the game carefully. I can't do it now, knowing that I would see the most suspicious, but…"
"But your family is holding you over this?" he finished for her.
She nodded low. "They have leverage over me—my nephew. If it had just been me, I could end this with me. But he's family, something my parents hold over me." They even have you, Yuan Ning, as leverage over me, the back of her mind spoke, stunning her still.
Yuan Ning rose from his seat, and he strode over to her. He stood in front of her for a moment only to stare at her with depthless, unreadable eyes. He took a step forward before pulling her in for an embrace. One of his arms wrapped around her shoulder as his other hand cradled the back of her head. It was slightly awkward and rigid, as they were both unfamiliar and distant from this type of affection. It had been such a long time.
Wu Genji relaxed, as did he. She raised an arm to wind around his back. She was pressed against him, smelling his cologne, feeling the calm beat of his heart. "You must have felt…alone," he spoke to her softly. "Burdened."
Wu Genji felt like she was speaking about himself, but it was how she felt. "I'm sorry," she answered.
Yuan Ning held her tighter. She knew some part of him might have understood. The idea of being leashed to a family's expectations, of wanting to take charge of their own lives, and continuously losing people on the way. She was alone. Or so she thought.
He let go slowly, and awareness settled in them both, but they kept remained calm and collected. "What does Mr. Shao know?" he questioned.
"I don't know Mr. Shao, not that well, I believe. I think he knows of my ex-fiance, who is part of the Dark Forces. Most in Beijing would expect that I am a part of it because of him, but not because of my father."
He was slightly surprised, but he nodded instead. "I see."
"And Ning," she said.
He looked at her.
"I can't tell your sister-in-law, not yet."
He was quiet for a moment. "I understand," he replied. Some part of her felt relieved. She needed this to be a secret for now, even though it meant asking him to hold some of the burden, knowing this is something he shouldn't keep from his brother. But this also meant he trusted her. He trusted her to do the right thing, and she didn't know what to make of what has now between them.
She then turned to slip out of the quarters, with him trailing behind her.