First True Love…..
Throughout Ye Hua’s 90,000 years of life, he’d witnessed many of strange and unusual things. But nothing could have prepared him for Qian Qian’s unexpected, surprising arrival and her astonishing confession of her heart’s affections that followed shortly after.
‘I’m kind of into you‘ said she and her feminine voice sounded like a sweet melody. It was the exact verse Ye Hua waited 40,000 years to hear but unfortunately for him, she spoke them to Mo Yuan instead.
Qian Qian’s words, ‘I’m kind of into you. I’m kind of into you. I’m kind of into you.’
Seemed to repeat all around them in the wide-open courtyard on Kunlun Mountain. It sang out everywhere. Comparable to an echo one would hear when they yell off into a massive canyon. It just kept replicating and resounding itself.
Both Ye Hua and Mo Yuan stood in silence for long after her departure. Both twin brothers were in a state of absolute shock and disbelief.
Mo Yuan was utterly astonished by his unbelievably terrible timing. Had he waited for fifteen, no, even ten minutes before throwing in the towel then he would have been able to court Bai Qian openly.
Since it was she who came to him first and confessed to having feelings for him, Mo Yuan’s move to pursue her would have been within the rules and guidelines set by himself and Ye Hua.
So many thousands of years ago they both agreed neither would seek her out first, but never said anything about if she approached them first. Mo Yuan silently cursed under his breath, because the unfortunate timing of things in life was sometimes such a Bitch!
Beside him, there was Ye Hua who was as flabbergasted if not more disturbed by Bai Qian’s declaration. When she said she was into Mo Yuan, he’d stood mere inches away, and directly behind him was their precious baby still encased in its protective lotus waiting to be born.
Silently Ye Hua cursed himself under his breath for not being more proactive like Mo Yuan. For not visiting Qingqiu first and making an impression on Qian Qian first, because the unfavorable timing of things in life was sometimes such a Bitch!
Why was it whenever the three of them collided, the result was always a baffling and chaotic puzzle. 40,000 long years had passed and gone but their complicated desires and love triangle remained still.
He wondered if would there be another fight for her like previously between he and Mo Yuan? No, that would never occur, because both he and his brother swore neither would ever put their needs before hers ever again, but there was an intense level of frustration Ye Hua couldn’t shake off.
Back in Nine Heavens Ye Hua couldn’t help but ask himself, why was it Mo Yuan and not him that caught her eye? If anything, in his mind he was considered a better catch due to his youthful age. Ye Hua was in the prime of his life and most if not ALL women found him to be quite handsome.
However, Qian Qian’s statement repeated in his mind for days, and made him doubt his self-confidence hence causing Ye Hua to do the ridiculous. After making sure nobody else was around, covertly and secretly he frequently practiced smiling, and winking in the mirror in the privacy of his own room for days.
He figured if Qian Qian found Mo Yuan’s smile sexy, and his wink appealing wouldn’t Ye Hua’s have the same effect? They were twins after all. Many times, often while practicing his smiles and winking, he even considered for a moment if he should grow a beard and mustache like Mo Yuan?
But after days of carefully studying his facial expressions in the mirror, Ye Hua faintly chuckled at himself embarrassed and shook his head at his absurdity. His only saving grace was that there wasn’t anyone else around to watch the spectacle, or witness him behaving in such a foolish manner.
So believed until he spun around and to his complete shock saw A-Li silently standing behind him, watching his actions most intently with great interest. How long had he been standing there? Ye Hua didn’t know and his son knew better than to laugh at him. But the real humiliation was already present and it was more than apparent, A-Li was intentionally holding his lips clasped together in a forced tight line to keep from laughing aloud.
Lightly A-Li cleared his throat a couple of times and asked “Father, what happened with Uncle Mo Yuan on Kunlun Mountain? Did you put your foot down and tell him to back off?! Did you warn him to stay away from Mother?”
Disappointed, all Ye Hua could do was exhale through his nose and closed his eyes tight. How in the world was he going to explain, what happened on Kunlun Mountain when he could scarcely believe it himself?
Ye Hua’s words came out softly when he replied, “Your uncle has decided to let your mother go, and has encouraged me to restart things with her again for Chang’s sake.”
A-Li suddenly clapped and laughed euphorically as he exclaimed in sheer exhilaration, “What?! Really?! Are you Seriously?! Father, that’s the most incredible news ever! Finally, I’m getting a sibling! Hopefully one of many more to come!”
Quickly A-Li noted Ye Hua’s pensive expression and asked, “You should be elated, ecstatically hollering at the top of your lungs with elation and jubilation, but why does it appear as if you’re worried? Father, are you sulking?”
Ye Hua deeply sighed and continued in the same subdued tone of voice, “A-Li, the most unbelievable thing occurred while I was there. Something that couldn’t happen even if one tried to plan such an act, but your mother suddenly appeared on Kunlun Mountain without warning, and told your uncle Mo Yuan that she liked him.”
Ye Hua confessed but couldn’t meet A-Li’s gaze because he was embarrassed, and profoundly mortified when he challenged aghast, “Mother said she liked Uncle Mo Yuan?! Aloud?! In front of you?! Well, what did you say?!”
Ye Hua interlocked his slender fingers and uttered faintly, “Nothing, son. I said nothing. What could I say?”
Like a volcano, A-Li’s temper erupted from pure frustration in a manner very similar to Qian Qian and he half shouted, “You should have told her the truth! You should have told her everything about Chang’s sudden change in color. How he or she has been waiting for her to be born! You should have told her how much you still love her!”
“A-Li, it’s not that simple. It’s much more complicated than you know. You were too young to remember but it’s much more complex than you can imagine, son.” Ye Hua answered and stared off vacantly into the distance.
A-Li threw his hands up in the air and exclaimed, “That’s it! Father, you leave me no choice but to take matters into my own hands. You’re useless when it comes to seducing a woman and at this rate, I fear Mother will become my new Aunt! And that’s something I won’t ever allow to happen as long as I’m still breathing!”
“Now change into something more colorful instead of your usual black! We’re going to the mortal realm to see Mother.” A-Li bullied with absolute resolve as his arms crossed over his chest while leaning against the wall.
A-Li had the very same control over Ye Hua as Qian Qian. To their bossy, ordering and commanding authoritative tone of voice, the almighty Heavenly Lord Ye Hua was weak and powerless.
===================
There was an irony that out of all the tables in the tea house, Qian Qian was sitting in the very spot where they’d once sat together, and spoke regarding their upcoming marriage. Of course, it was long ago and it was their marriage when she was SuSu.
It was like traveling back in time. She was even tapping her slender fingers on the tabletop as she did since he’d first laid his eyes on her, and Qian Qian looked almost the same but perhaps even more beautiful.
Casually A-Li placed both his large hands affectionately on top of her delicate shoulders and declared proudly, “QQ, I’m going to pay you back for EVERYTHING and pickup the entire tab today, so drink to your heart’s desire.”
She snickered amused. Qian Qian didn’t flinch away from his touch nor did she even bother to look back at him, and vocalized with fake sarcasm when she asked, “Did you steal your father’s money pouch, A-Li?”
“Well, you could say that, QQ. I did bring my father’s money but his pouch was attached to him so I had to bring both today.” A-Li smiled slyly when Bai Qian bounced up startled from her chair and stared at Ye Hua most flustered.
Her cheeks flushed and nervously she stammered, “I… I…was merely kidding about you paying me back. A-Li, your father is a very busy man. Heavenly Lord, it was truly unnecessary for you to come all this way here to pay me back the little money A-Li owes me. He has made a big deal about something quite trivial.”
Politely Qian Qian puts her hand out toward the empty seat across from her and asked, “Heavenly Lord Ye Hua…please have a seat.”
“Qian Qian, just Ye Hua. If we followed proper protocol, then we would be standing here for hours just announcing each other’s status and titles. I’d prefer we keep it simple so please call me Ye Hua.” He sat and spoke softly unable to keep his focused gaze off her face as if under a spell.
It was the exquisite face Ye Hua had dreamt, yearned and longed for endlessly but this time Qian Qian was remarkably different. She wasn’t SuSu. She wasn’t as naive, demure or unknowing as SuSu yet had her gentle serenity.
Qian Qian wasn’t the Almighty Gugu nor was she the woman High Goddess Bai Qian, Queen of Qingqiu that Ye Hua met before the Eastern Sea Banquet. Without a doubt, she was entirely confident yet didn’t come off even the slightest bit arrogant.
There wasn’t any resentment, anguish, hatred or tension in her once dark guarded eyes as she did the last time they met again. This time, her bright, warm, tender gaze conveyed her sincerity, joy and ease. Qian Qian was thoroughly and entirely at peace with herself and her life.
For Ye Hua, it was like meeting someone new and it shouldn’t have surprised him but it did. Within the first few moments. During the first few seconds of staring at her beautiful face, his cold deadened heart started to hammer again and came alive.
So many years had passed since their first meeting but she still had the very same effect on him. It was a distinct and precise reaction only she could produce in him. Qian Qian’s vitality and energy made Ye Hua feel, and brought him back to life like as if she were fresh air in his lungs.
This Qian Qian was utterly charming, appealing in every way and here he was falling in love with her all over again. Her absolute beauty was so overwhelming that Ye Hua tried in vain not to gawk at her, but couldn’t help himself. Radiantly she beamed and returned back so warm and casually as if they’d been intimate friends for years.
Her warm voice was as smooth like a well-aged bottle of scotch, “I also prefer to keep things informal but one can never be sure, so I always take the safe route and you may call me as you already do ‘Qian Qian’ if you like.”
Qian Qian wrinkled her nose, giggled as her eyes darted back and forth from Ye Hua to A-Li before stating, “Now that I’ve seen you and A-Li side by side…well, he doesn’t take after you at all. I know this may sound entirely absurd but did you know he could easily, I mean easily pass as my older brother, Bai Zhen’s twin? Maybe we should adopt A-Li into our clan.” She winked playfully at A-Li.
Ye Hua replied in his soft voice, “Yes, I’ve met High God Bai Zhen. There are many similarities between them and yes, A-Li does resemble his mother more than he does me. I hope I’m not intruding on your date with him?”
Gracefully Qian Qian placed her elbows on the tabletop. She held her head up under her chin with both hands and laughed merrily, “Pftttt! Did you say a date? What Riceball and I do isn’t exactly a romantic rendezvous or date per say.”
“Riceball appears right in time to drink my wine and vanish before the bill arrives, but I must say I do enjoy his fun and young company. I’m the youngest in my family so for me, it’s almost like having a younger sibling or child had I married.” Qian Qian noticed the self-satisfied smile on A-Li’s face, and roughly squeezed both sides of his cheeks as if he were a toddler.
Ye Hua heard her smiled somewhat wistfully and whispered, “Why do you call A-Li ‘Riceball’?” Qian Qian’s memories were forever gone, but here she was nevertheless calling him by his baby nickname known by less than a handful of people.
“I’m not sure why but the nickname seems to suit him,” She answered casually without putting any thought into her reply.
Qian Qian responded as she deliberately motioned for the server to bring another bottle of wine, but then also requested a pot of herbal tea for Ye Hua and said nonchalantly, “Since you’re not a wine drinker. I thought perhaps you would prefer tea.”
“How did you know I don’t drink wine or alcohol?” Ye Hua asked out of curiosity.
Qian Qian met Ye Hua’s searching gaze, laughed nervously and said, “I don’t know why I knew that about you but it just popped into my head. Perhaps, A-Li once told me that you didn’t drink?” She replied offhandedly.
The waiter brought more wine for Qian Qian and the tea for Ye Hua and placed it on the table. A-Li directly grabbed the wine bottle and began to fill his cup first. But Ye Hua side eyed him, gave him a disapproving look which caused A-Li to stop and politely fill hers first. Instead of slamming one glass after the other as usual, A-Li sipped at his most respectfully.
The three of them sat in a comfortable silence. Qian Qian watched the play. Ye Hua observed her and A-Li followed the young women in his range, before sneaking away from the table to give Ye Hua and her some time alone.
Abruptly Qian Qian turned her head, met his gaze, moved her face closer to Ye Hua’s and queried most inquisitively, “Ye Hua, excuse my bold and forward personality but I have some questions about your older brother, Mo Yuan. Well, what kind of women does or did he fancy? Will he remain unmarried forever? Is it necessary to stay celibate for his role as the Master of Kunlun Mountain? I’m very curious about him.”
Ye Hua bit down hard on the inside of his lip to keep from shouting profanities aloud. He was sitting mere inches across the table from his only love sharing the first talk, and conversation they had in 40,000 years but she was asking about Mo Yuan. The twisted cruelty of his life and fate was incredible.
“Are there any particular food he enjoys? I’m a bit talented in the kitch…” Qian Qian began to lie but Ye Hua’s unexpected loud laughter cut her off, because out of anyone in the world he knew she couldn’t even boil water. She watched him confused with huge round eyes.
Ye Hua speedily composed himself and returned, “My brother, Mo Yuan, is the Master of Kunlun Mountain. There are cooks up there. He will most likely never take a wife. I don’t know and I’m not sure what he enjoys or much about his private life.”
“What? How can you not know anything about your twin brother’s interests? You and he are identical twins. I know everything about my brothers!” Qian Qian returned and seemed utterly flabbergasted by Ye Hua’s offhanded statement.
Throughout their entire conversation, he had been gazing at her with pure longing when she abruptly glanced up and met his yearning gaze. Qian Qian looked back at him demurely, baffled and fluttered her long eyelashes and spoke most sweetly, “Ye Hua, let me take a wild guess but I remind you of someone, right?”
Ye Hua nonchalantly sipped his tea and answered sadly, “Yes, you do.”
Qian Qian’s dark but soft gaze narrowed more on his face as she then asked in the same tender tone, “That someone I remind you of was your first true love, correct?”
“Yes, you’re correct. It is my first true love but I think it’s the other way around. I don’t think you resemble her but more she resembled you. Perhaps, she was sent into my life first so I’d recognize you when we met.” Ye Hua whispered back with a small smile on his shapely lips.
To be continued…