Chapter 110: A reunion... with a stranger
The glass was cool beneath her fingertip. It tapped softly, once, twice, then again...
Tap, Tap, Tap
...and so it goes...
The lively chatter of vendors, the rustle of silk from passing sleeves, and the laughter of children squeezing through legs and carts were all illuminated by the pale gold rays of the morning sun. Almost none of it was noticed by Feng Jiao Xue. Too familiar, too much like the one he carried to irritate her on summer patrols, her eyes followed the edge of a red parasol, catching the memory of how it had swayed when it passed earlier.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
She leaned forward slightly, trying to see through the crowds, heart skipping in a way she hated. The parasol had already vanished into the flow of foot traffic, and yet her eyes lingered, like a fool who couldn’t stop hoping.
A man in long black robes crossed the corner below, walking with the same tilt of the head, the same lazy gait Lou Xi always had. Her breath caught. But when he turned, it wasn’t him. Just another stranger.
Tap. Tap.
Her finger stilled. Her reflection looked back at her from the glass, pale and drawn. Shadows under her eyes. Eyes that searched for ghosts.
’It’s not about Lou Xi’ she told herself but the lie tasted bitter, even unspoken.
Behind her, the door creaked faintly.