Chapter Eight - Staying the same way
It had been a week since she'd damaged her leg and now Xiao Qiao was back to her old self, just as bright and lively as she'd been before. As soon as she'd seen him after leaving the infirmary she had thanked Gan Ning a million times. She knew how lucky she was to face a white tiger and survived.
True, she had a few marks on her leg made by the tiger's teeth, which would fade in time, but she was thankful just to be able to walk again. One of the marks was very dark and would probably leave a permanent scar, which would remind her of her ordeal and how lucky she'd been.
There had been several missions throughout the time she'd been off to heal her injuries but she was assured that it wouldn't damage her reputation to be out of action.
She exited the Wu's main library, turning to thank the librarian for saving her a copy of 'Survival Strategy in the Wild' as she left. She opened the book and flicked through, turning to the section explaining 'tiger attacks' and was so engrossed that she didn't notice the spiky haired boy running towards her, not looking where he was going.
"Ow!" Gan Ning exclaimed as he crashed into the smaller girl, falling back on his ass.
Xiao Qiao had dropped her book and was reaching to pick it up.
"I'm so sorry Xiao Qiao, are you okay?"
He quickly handed the book to her and helped her up.
"I'm fine, I should've been looking where I was going. Oh, now that I've found you I can pass on the message I was given. Sun Ce wants to talk to you."
Gan Ning's eyes widened as he heard the name of the person his mind had been filled with all week.
"Um...did he say what he wanted?"
"No. He just told me that you should go and find him before sunset. I think he said something about being outside by the lake, he was kinda in a hurry because he took off straight away."
"How long ago did he tell you this?"
Xiao Qiao shrugged "Not too long ago.?"
Gan Ning looked up, it is almost sunset. He nodded and ran off back the way he came. Why did Sun Ce want to speak to him? His mind flicked through all the possibilities as he jogged towards his destination.
***********************
Sun Ce looked as the sun sets. He sighed. Why had Gan Ning not replied his note? He'd noticed Gan Ning's strange behaviour when he was around him, the way he'd look away and excuse himself from being near him. Sun Ce had eventually come to the decision that he should talk to him.
Gan Ning too had noticed the other's behaviour over the last week. Sun Ce wasn't as loud as before and hadn't hunted Gan Ning down so he could pick on him like he usually did on a regular basis.
As he approached the lake he saw who he was looking for. Sun Ce stood alone, his head moving slightly every so often to check if the shorter boy had arrived. Gan Ning had thought about Sun Ce a lot over the last week and now he had a strange feeling that he was beginning to harbour some kind of affection towards the arrogant man. He'd tried to push it to the back of his mind but he kept remembering the night of the party. He had even been distracted during his preparation for a mission yesterday at the thought of Sun Ce.
Sun Ce's profile was breathtaking as the sunlight made his hair appear to be sunkist brown and his face had a glow that made his whole body radiate with energy. Today he is not wearing his usual battle clothes, but a gold and red silk robe. Gan Ning hated to admit it but he did find Sun Ce's appearance very pleasing to the eyes.
He approached him slowly until he was roughly ten meters away.
"Lord Sun Ce, you wanted to speak to me?" he yelled to Sun Ce, waving his arm to alert him of his presence.
"Yeah. Come on over." Sun Ce replied as he dusted some invisible dirt from his shoulder.
Sun Ce sat down on the ledge at the edge of the lake and beckoned for Gan Ning to join him. He couldn't help but notice Gan Ning's blush as he sat down.
"So" Sun Ce began, "did you get my note?"
Gan Ning paused for a brief moment before answering.
"Yes...Yes I did."
"Then why didn't you say anything? You could've replied."
Gan Ning didn't know what to say.
"I've....been real busy"
"I bet you have Ning boy." Sun Ce smirked.
"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked angrily, narrowing his eyes.
"Rumour has it that you and Xiao Qiao are something of an item."
Gan Ning raised an eyebrow. Where had Sun Ce heard that? It was true that he spent a lot of time with Xiao Qiao, especially after the white tiger attack incident, but people thought they were a couple?
"Huh?"
"Are you denying it? People are saying that you've been at it like rabbits...I could be wrong though...But she does seem like a bit of a whore..."
Gan Ning's hate for Sun Ce re-entered him. How had he thought he could like this jerk?
"Shut the fuck up! Don't talk about her like that!" Gan Ning yelled as he pushed Sun Ce into the lake.
The taller man looked up, his whole body drenched and his robe swaying around him as he sat there, leaning back on his arms.
"Did I hit a nerve? I'm sorry for insulting your girlfriend." he snickered.
Sun Ce continued to baffle Gan Ning. He was just thrown on his ass into the edge of the lake with people staring at him and he was still his arrogant, cocky self.
"How could I have even thought that you'd changed!?" Gan Ning said angrily, more to himself than anyone else.
And with that he stormed off, people moving out of his path, not wanting to get in his way while he was in such a bad mood.
Sun Ce stood up slowly and stepped out of the lake, bowing to the audience he'd attracted, his boots squelching with each step as he walked back to his room.
It had been a week since she'd damaged her leg and now Xiao Qiao was back to her old self, just as bright and lively as she'd been before. As soon as she'd seen him after leaving the infirmary she had thanked Gan Ning a million times. She knew how lucky she was to face a white tiger and survived.
True, she had a few marks on her leg made by the tiger's teeth, which would fade in time, but she was thankful just to be able to walk again. One of the marks was very dark and would probably leave a permanent scar, which would remind her of her ordeal and how lucky she'd been.
There had been several missions throughout the time she'd been off to heal her injuries but she was assured that it wouldn't damage her reputation to be out of action.
She exited the Wu's main library, turning to thank the librarian for saving her a copy of 'Survival Strategy in the Wild' as she left. She opened the book and flicked through, turning to the section explaining 'tiger attacks' and was so engrossed that she didn't notice the spiky haired boy running towards her, not looking where he was going.
"Ow!" Gan Ning exclaimed as he crashed into the smaller girl, falling back on his ass.
Xiao Qiao had dropped her book and was reaching to pick it up.
"I'm so sorry Xiao Qiao, are you okay?"
He quickly handed the book to her and helped her up.
"I'm fine, I should've been looking where I was going. Oh, now that I've found you I can pass on the message I was given. Sun Ce wants to talk to you."
Gan Ning's eyes widened as he heard the name of the person his mind had been filled with all week.
"Um...did he say what he wanted?"
"No. He just told me that you should go and find him before sunset. I think he said something about being outside by the lake, he was kinda in a hurry because he took off straight away."
"How long ago did he tell you this?"
Xiao Qiao shrugged "Not too long ago.?"
Gan Ning looked up, it is almost sunset. He nodded and ran off back the way he came. Why did Sun Ce want to speak to him? His mind flicked through all the possibilities as he jogged towards his destination.
***********************
Sun Ce looked as the sun sets. He sighed. Why had Gan Ning not replied his note? He'd noticed Gan Ning's strange behaviour when he was around him, the way he'd look away and excuse himself from being near him. Sun Ce had eventually come to the decision that he should talk to him.
Gan Ning too had noticed the other's behaviour over the last week. Sun Ce wasn't as loud as before and hadn't hunted Gan Ning down so he could pick on him like he usually did on a regular basis.
As he approached the lake he saw who he was looking for. Sun Ce stood alone, his head moving slightly every so often to check if the shorter boy had arrived. Gan Ning had thought about Sun Ce a lot over the last week and now he had a strange feeling that he was beginning to harbour some kind of affection towards the arrogant man. He'd tried to push it to the back of his mind but he kept remembering the night of the party. He had even been distracted during his preparation for a mission yesterday at the thought of Sun Ce.
Sun Ce's profile was breathtaking as the sunlight made his hair appear to be sunkist brown and his face had a glow that made his whole body radiate with energy. Today he is not wearing his usual battle clothes, but a gold and red silk robe. Gan Ning hated to admit it but he did find Sun Ce's appearance very pleasing to the eyes.
He approached him slowly until he was roughly ten meters away.
"Lord Sun Ce, you wanted to speak to me?" he yelled to Sun Ce, waving his arm to alert him of his presence.
"Yeah. Come on over." Sun Ce replied as he dusted some invisible dirt from his shoulder.
Sun Ce sat down on the ledge at the edge of the lake and beckoned for Gan Ning to join him. He couldn't help but notice Gan Ning's blush as he sat down.
"So" Sun Ce began, "did you get my note?"
Gan Ning paused for a brief moment before answering.
"Yes...Yes I did."
"Then why didn't you say anything? You could've replied."
Gan Ning didn't know what to say.
"I've....been real busy"
"I bet you have Ning boy." Sun Ce smirked.
"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked angrily, narrowing his eyes.
"Rumour has it that you and Xiao Qiao are something of an item."
Gan Ning raised an eyebrow. Where had Sun Ce heard that? It was true that he spent a lot of time with Xiao Qiao, especially after the white tiger attack incident, but people thought they were a couple?
"Huh?"
"Are you denying it? People are saying that you've been at it like rabbits...I could be wrong though...But she does seem like a bit of a whore..."
Gan Ning's hate for Sun Ce re-entered him. How had he thought he could like this jerk?
"Shut the fuck up! Don't talk about her like that!" Gan Ning yelled as he pushed Sun Ce into the lake.
The taller man looked up, his whole body drenched and his robe swaying around him as he sat there, leaning back on his arms.
"Did I hit a nerve? I'm sorry for insulting your girlfriend." he snickered.
Sun Ce continued to baffle Gan Ning. He was just thrown on his ass into the edge of the lake with people staring at him and he was still his arrogant, cocky self.
"How could I have even thought that you'd changed!?" Gan Ning said angrily, more to himself than anyone else.
And with that he stormed off, people moving out of his path, not wanting to get in his way while he was in such a bad mood.
Sun Ce stood up slowly and stepped out of the lake, bowing to the audience he'd attracted, his boots squelching with each step as he walked back to his room.