15 What I wanted to say was...! (1/2)
Dawn was soon arriving but Liu Sumeng couldn't sleep. They agreed it was best to get some rest before they set out to enact their plan but for some reason, his heart couldn't find any will in him to relax. It was odd, his mind was running but going nowhere. He knew that in the end, nothing should be a problem and yet, why couldn't he shake off the feeling that something was off?
At least someone was getting much-needed rest. Liu Sumeng looked over to see Chen Anyue curled up next to A-Ling and Baozi, her chest rising and falling the languid rhyme of restful sleep. Opposite to him, Yuan Xuelan was leaning against the wall, but despite his closed eyes, Liu Sumeng had a feeling he couldn't find peace either. His assumptions were proven true when a small red butterfly fluttered towards him and landed on his finger. A small strand of spiritual energy flowed through.
Yuan Xuelan's voice echoed in his head the moment he accepted the communication spell, ”Hey.”
”...?”
”...Dammit. I knew this would be awkward.” Despite the grumbling voice that came through the communication spell, Yuan Xuelan was still aside from his brows furrowing a little deeper than before.
”...Sorry,” Liu Sumeng said through the spell.
”...Don't apologize. You're making it even worse.”
”...”
”Anyways!! I just wanted to say…Don't bring trouble to Shijie dammit!”
”...I won't.”
”Argh! No that wasn't what I meant to say at all! Why are you like this?”
That was something he really didn't know. In fact, Yuan Xuelan would continue asking that question for his entire life and Liu Sumeng never found anything to provide as an answer. He also had a nagging feeling Yuan Xuelan actually had something important to say, so he only sat there and waited patiently.
”Ok, shit, well what I actually wanted to tell you was that I really don't trust that Feng Yu guy. Something about him is off.”
”...I see.”
Yuan Xuelan shifted in his 'sleep', ”Just I see!? You're not going to say anything else Ivory Sword Saint?!”
What else was he supposed to say…? He did, in fact, think that there was something strange about Feng Yu but his intuition also told him that Feng Yu probably wasn't a bad guy, ”…I understand.” But perhaps those words weren't right either, ”…I also think there's something strange.”
”...Good. At least we're on the same page on this.”
”No.”
”What the heck?!” The words echoed in his mind while Yuan Xuelan's expression turned into a full-on scowl.
”...There's something strange,” Liu Sumeng paused, wondering what words he should use, ”but…” Feng Yu wasn't bad? Probably? Could he even word it like that?
”...Never mind. I…think I understand what you're trying to say.”
”...Ok.” Liu Sumeng let out the smallest breathe of relief.
”...As long as you're being cautious I guess it's fine. Just don't…ugh. Forget it. Anyways, I'm only telling you this because I'm worried about Shijie's safety! She's too kind-hearted and trusting for her own good.”
”Ok,” he replied plainly.
”Right. And one more thing.”
”...?”
”Is there anything you could do about that awful personality of yours?”
”...No.” Sorry Yuan Xuelan, Liu Sumeng really didn't know how he could appease Xuelan on that front. However, he privately thought that even if his personality would be forever grating and Yuan Xuelan would find him annoying, Liu Sumeng would find a way to remain at his side, just as he had in his previous life. Maybe this life he could actually be of some use, even if he couldn't be liked.
Ah, that was right. The thing they ended up bonding over had been the tragedy of Chen Anyue's death. But Liu Sumeng didn't have the intention of letting that happen a second time. Which would mean…perhaps his relationship with Yuan Xuelan would never move out of this distant, lukewarm phase.