GASP. 

Pushing himself up, Tao Hua’s hair whipped back, with the exception of a few strands stuck to his face. He stared blankly ahead, seemingly at the book on his pillow. 

“Wha’ the…” he muttered sluggishly, his mouth somewhat still open and chapped. Now, it didn’t take a scholar to understand that Tao Hua had one of the most eventful days in a while. But even considering how impactful it was, nothing would beat the dream he had just experienced. 

Which was saying a lot as it was competing with all Lord No-Name did during their time together…and what they didn’t do, as per the dream. 

Rather, eventful was putting it mildly. 

It was SOMETHING, and that something wasn’t anything Tao Hua wanted to entertain.

He shook his head a few times and blinked. In his current position, he looked no better than a man half-attempting weak pushups. It was a miracle he didn’t fall face-flat into that book again. 

So, in all his dissatisfaction, Tao Hua used every last bit of his waning might and sat up on his legs. The more he thought about everything, the more disgust replaced that half-lidded, tired expression. In his attempt at distraction, he patted down his sleeve a few times, but even that would prove difficult with how awfully damp his skin was. The damn fabric just clung to his arm as if begging him not to let go. 

Ugh! 

Therefore, Tao Hua just huffed loudly and gave up. His attention returned to the book on the bed, and my, what a terrible state that new book was in. But what wasn’t?  

He blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes. Though the world had yet to come back into focus, and only a few things ran around in his mind, Tao Hua could still make out the faint illustration on the page. It was a beautifully drawn woman in a tower. What he could also make out was how the ink smudged in a puddle of drool. 

“…” 

Pulling his sleeve over his hand, he reached for the book and tried to save the image with a few quick swipes. To Tao Hua’s unfortunate dismay, however, he had smudged it so hard the page started to chafe. So, he did the smartest thing he could think of. 

 He rubbed it harder.

That just ripped the page, hanging by the sole strands of papyrus. And for once Tao Hua didn’t care; he just destroyed a book while his mind wandered elsewhere. The deeper he got into those thoughts, the more he’d rub until the page finally ripped out. 

That finally snapped the poor man back to reality.  

His head fell back as he stared up at each draping curtain, loosely trailing along the top of his bed frame. Then, he glanced sideways as if trying to avoid the inevitable truth hidden in the subconscious of his emotions. 

With a hobble left, and a hobble right, Tao Hua swayed his head in an attempt to abolish the thoughts. His eyes travelled along each delicately crafted feature of his bed-frame until they landed on the end table next. 

On it sat the pile of books—the books that Lord No-Name had bought him. During this moment, a few emotions gripped Tao Hua tightly. The first was agony rooted in the realization that he had lost the most important thing to him, but also butterflies at why it went missing in the first place.

You know, that corny phrase people use when feeling something pleasantly unpleasant. Yeah, those little fluttery things nearly ripped Tao Hua apart with how much they fought for seniority.  

This was an amendment to his earlier tantrum, and he had that questionable dream to thank for it.  

Swinging his leg over the edge of his bed, Tao Hua hopped off it and stretched his arms out—like a bird preparing for takeoff. Except this bird was a penguin who couldn't fly. 

When he felt steady, he sauntered over to the window and tugged on the metal latch until it flipped open. 

That air that rushed toward Tao Hua wasn't uncomfortably hot, but it also wasn't satisfyingly cold either. What it did do was dry up the rest of the sweat that caked his face, although longer than he had hoped. 

He crouched forward and placed his arms on the ledge with his head to follow. His chin comfortably sat between the two, and when he was relaxed, Tao Hua glanced out at the still courtyard. Not a soul peeped aside from the rustling of leaves, and what Tao Hua assumed to be an animal scurrying about. 

Pursing his lips, Tao Hua jokingly said, "If you're a smart little creature, you'd leave. Cute things are treated horribly here."

To his surprise, the rustling stopped, nearly making Tao Hua choke on his own spit. Of course, it most likely stopped in fear of the sounding echoes sent through that empty lot. 

After coming to that realization, Tao Hua returned to his activity of "leaning on the ledge of a window and whining about his life." It was helpful in preventing much of the unwanted thoughts from resurfacing. 

Yet, he couldn't help but envy that tiny critter. Circling his finger on the wood, he muttered, "You only have to focus on food and sleep. No forced marriages or anything. No shitty father telling you what you can or can't do. If you want to love someone, you can just…um. Uh." 

But he didn't want to finish that statement. Instead, he clamped his mouth shut. His eyebrows pinched as he momentarily glanced down at his reddening fingertips, watching as they gently curled into his palm—as if he was trying to conceal his current state of "unwelcome thoughts." 

So, he rammed his head right into his arms, concealing what his ears gave away. "What am I SAYING?!" 

Rhetorical. He knew exactly what he was saying. 

He whined aloud, fully knowing that his attention and time wasn’t administered where they should. Like his book, or the jackass of a man dressed as his father. And the worst of all? The banquet tomorrow. The day he would fully seal his fate and prepare to be locked down forever. 

Yet, the dream was all that consumed him, and it was decorated as red as a tomato. 

It made him realize something, and this would be the first Tao Hua would ever admit to his growing realization. 

With a whimper, the quiver of his lip, and muffled speech, he said, “I don’t want tomorrow to come.” 

But alas, who was there to listen? The animal scurrying around the courtyard? Even that small thing left at the sound of Tao Hua's voice. 

He couldn't help but think about how nice it must be to have someone who cared—he'd be fine with that instead of his earlier plea of being saved.

Because at least with listening there wasn't letting down someone who didn't deserve it. 

And sure, there was a guilt dwelling within Tao Hua. He didn't want to leave Gui Chang alone and watch her collapse into her stress, and yet, he felt like that exchange was entirely unfair. And it wasn't like she joined in on poking fun.

She never stopped it, but she also never participated. She was in the small section of people who minded their own business, and underneath that cold exterior of hers was a genuinely gentle person. 

Of course, stress can change any soul if accumulated over time. Where Tao Hua was trapped in the walls of a shitty town, Gui Chang was trapped against the voices of those closely watching her. 

Regardless of these facts, Tao Hua didn't want to marry her, and she didn't want to marry Tao Hua. They were both victims of the same circumstances. 

Sighing, Tao Hua pushed himself up and away from the window's ledge, and slowly dragging himself away. He approached the mirror hung opposite his bed, but when he looked at the pair of eyes that stared back at him, he just frowned. 

Reaching his hands up to his hair, he shifted it from one side to the other. He did this so often that the feeling nearly numbed his scalp, and once the frustration finally hit, he ruffled it aggressively. It was like a cat scratching at a predator, but the only enemy here was himself. 

And his hair.

That poor hair. 

Hands pressed against his face and through a loud groan, he said, "Why couldn't I have stayed asleep?" 

At this, he removed his hands from his face and gently grabbed a few strands of his hair. It slipped through his fingers, and when he watched it fall, he found it unpleasant. He didn't like the way it felt when it was himself—better put; the sensation wasn't neither good nor bad. 

And to make a terrible night worse, he was making such a fuss that he hadn't realized the floorboards creaking behind him, or the peculiar wind that came rushing into that room. In fact, he was so focused and looking down at the palms of his hands that his surroundings ceased to exist. 

It wasn't until he glanced back up at the mirror and past himself that his eyes finally narrowed. Tao Hua held his breath, but something about what he saw looked more familiar than it did terrifying. 

To understand Tao Hua’s hesitation, he was already used to intruders. It was a common thing in the country and happened often. Especially in homes as grand as the Tao Estate. 

Gold and red always ensured a hefty sum when committing illegal acts. Such was the cruel fate of the world. 

Fortunately, Tao Hua was already accustomed to this. In fact, he had grown bored with it at this point. It was a dark trail he'd travelled many times over, already knowing nothing was going to come of it. 

But the thing was, the trail this time echoed eerily, and Tao Hua understood immediately this wasn't what he was used to.

He looked into that mirror once more, and that's when it finally clicked. It was a sharp realization, almost immediate, and was shown in the way his eyes widened and his hair whipped in a twirl. 

Finger lifted, Tao Hua pointed at the intruder—and he looked straight into the eyes that stared back at him. These eyes were pale, and so unique they practically screamed "main character." 

"…" 

"…" 

"…right." For only a second his eyes moved toward a pile of his incomplete bookmarks sitting near his study. But that was short-lived. His eyebrows pinched, and promptly he returned his focus to the frightening figure, tall and shadowed.

That's when he yelled something louder than he had all evening. Thrusting his finger forward with aggressive force, he screamed. 

"YOU—mmMMMF!" 

Chapter end.