196 Chaotic Emotions (2/2)

”Stay down.”

Rin obediently did as she was told. She looked at him with flashing eyes and a smile unexpectedly bloomed on her face.

”It seems we've switched roles now, huh?”

”What do you mean?” An Sun looked at her with furrowed brows.

Rin chuckled. ”When you returned to the camp after being wounded, I watched over you for the night. Who would have thought you'd return the favor.”

Unknowingly, the turmoil on An Sun's face melted away, leaving only a tiny, warm smile on his lips. He had almost forgotten about that. So much had happened since then, it was hard to remember what went on when they were merely just comrades.

Now, things were different.

”Cough--! Cough---!”

An Sun's body suddenly went stiff. His originally calm state turned into tension all at once. He stood up from his chair and drew closer to the girl coughing on the bed.

”What's wrong? Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?” An Sun frowned heavily, afraid that something had gone wrong.

Rin coughed into her fist and glanced up through slightly teary eyes. She was surprised to see An Sun's normally clear eyes were clouded with worry and fear. This unsettled her slightly.

She coughed again into her throat. ”My throats just a little dry. Could you pass me some water?”

At that moment, An Sun's body visibly eased. Now that she mentioned it, her voice did sound a little raspy. Turning to the pitcher of water by the bed, he poured it into a cup before passing it to her.

”Thank you,” Rin smiled gratefully and lifted the cup to her lips.

When her throat finally moistened, she let out a breath of relief. She looked back down at sheets to see her hands appeared frail. Her lips pursed.

Right before it all went dark, she remembered something. Taking in the words from Master Qiu, Rin sat down on the floor and attempted to meditate. She had tried clearing her mind, but everything, her mind, body, and heart were too chaotic.

Her grandfather was disappointed in her. An Sun was leaving to follow his path. And she…she felt lost.

She decided to leave to secure her family's safety. To avenge her mother and father, who had fought so hard to protect her.

But in the end, all that was left was nothing but misery and sorrow.

That day she visited Jia's body and cut her hair; she had rid of the old Rin. She was no longer the Rin she used to be. She would no longer be weak.

And yet…she had fallen to such a pathetic state.

Rin's hand squeezed the sheets, her knuckles white. An Sun looked at her hand, so thin and pale, then back at her eyes. He couldn't read her expression at all. There was a storm whirling in his eyes as he furrowed his brows.

Without thinking, he pulled Rin's hand away from the blankets. Her small hand rested in his large palm.

”You'll hurt your hand.” He suddenly whispered with his deep, low voice.

Recovering her senses Rin looks down at their hands.

”Oh…”

Her hand was rough, raw, and weary from years of hard work. She'd tried taking care of her hand's appearance but gave up after endless struggles.

In comparison to hers, An Sun's hand was large and rough. Unexpectedly, his fingers looked better-kept than hers. They were rather long too.

Rin stared at their joined hands in a daze for a moment.

”You've done well.”

Upon hearing An Sun's low, magnetic voice, Rin turned to look at him. Her eyes were slightly wide. Seeing the man just staring at her face without a single word, Rin turned her head – no longer able to hold his gaze.

She slipped her hands out of his and placed it gently on her stomach.

”You should rest. I'll be fine for the remainder of the night. If I happen to feel unwell, I'll call a maidservant.”

An Sun stared at her silently for a moment, then he sighed. He didn't say anything more as he stood up and left the room. When she heard the door to her room slid shut, Rin shifted her gaze to the side.

She stared at the door in silence. Elevating her hand, she stared at her thin, white fingers tips with a quiet expression.

...

Outside her room, An Sun had already walked a few doors away before he suddenly stopped. He outstretched his hand and looked at it with a deep expression.

There was still a little sweat from her cheek on his hand.

Suppressing his turbulent emotions, he took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. When his eyes opened again, the usual clarity and calmness in his gaze returned as he proceeded to walk back to his room.