Chapter 102: The Choice
Ru Yi madeMadam Xiao’s house felt smaller than before. Not physically—but in the way silence and worry pressed into every corner, thick with tension and something unspoken.
The four of them had once filled the space with noise, with friction and with presence. But now, something was missing.
Yexue paced back and forth, growing relentless with every second that passed without Ru Yi being with her.
"You’re all too calm about this," Yexue finally snapped, running a hand through her hair. "We’re just going to let Han Shuying take her back?"
"She was never ours in the first place," Qingyue replied calmly, even though the pinch in her forehead said otherwise.
Lieyin leaned against the wall, arms crossed, her usual sharpness dulled into something colder. "We’re not letting anyone take her away," she said flatly. "We’re figuring out how to take her back."
But what was truly on Lieyin’s mind was why Ru Yi had stepped in to save her. Why she’d risked her life for Lieyin who had always treated her unfairly.
Yexue stopped pacing. "I know Han Shuying definitely has something up her sleeve. That sneaky..." she sighed in frustration.
Qingyue sat at the table, fingers lightly tapping against the wood. Thinking as always. "The capital is not a place you storm in blindly," she said. "And let’s not forget we’re going to be killed once we step past the boundary. Han Shuying didn’t take her without a reason."
Yexue scoffed. "I don’t care about her reasons."
"I know," Qingyue replied sharply. "That’s why you’re not the one making the plan."
Lieyin exhaled quietly. "We don’t even know where she’s being kept once they leave. Escort routes, checkpoints—"
"We follow," Yexue said instantly.
"And get caught," Qingyue replied just as fast.
Silence blanketed them, tight and frustrated.
The sound of a door creaking made all three of them freeze. It wasn’t loud or dramatic, just wood shifting...the air in the room slipping away.
Ru Yi stepped in, alive and standing. Like she had never left.
For a second no one moved, no one breathed. It didn’t even feel real. Xiao Yi, who had been sitting quietly in a corner, was the first to break.
The little boy ran straight to Ru Yi, nearly crashing into her as he wrapped his small arms around her waist.
Ru Yi staggered slightly from the impact, then smiled...soft and tired, as she rested a hand gently on his head. "I came back to you."
That broke the spell on the remaining three.
Yexue moved fast, closing the distance in seconds. Her eyes scanned Ru Yi from head to toe like she couldn’t trust what she was seeing.
"How are you awake?" she demanded. The last time she’d seen Ru Yi was when she was unconscious in Han Shuying’s arms. "Are you hurt? Did Han Shuying do anything to you?" she paused to catch her breath—
"Why are you so pale?" Yexue put the back of her palm against Ru Yi’s forehead. "Do you feel faint?"
The words came all at once. Sharp, messy, and panicked.
Ru Yi blinked, then before Yexue could spiral any further she reached out and cupped cheeks. Gently. Like she was holding a fragile treasure.
Yexue froze mid-sentence.
"I’m fine," Ru Yi said softly.
Yexue stared at her, eyes searching for any sign that she could be lying. Still unconvinced.
Ru Yi smiled just a little more. "I’m fine...really."
For a moment Yexue didn’t speak, her brain went from worrying about Ru Yi to being too aware of the hands on her cheeks. Then she clicked her tongue and looked away.
Behind her, Leiyin hadn’t moved, not yet. She stood where she was, watching Ru Yi like she was trying to confirm something only she could see.
Something real. Something still there.
Qingyue was the last to approach, slow and measured. Her gaze lingered...not on Ru Yi’s face, but on her presence. Her energy. That shadow from before.
"You left Han Shuying?" Qingyue asked in a voice that wasn’t particularly accusing, but it wasn’t soft either.
Ru Yi nodded, her hands falling to her side. Yexue almost whimpered from the loss of contact. "I did."
Qingyue tilted her head. "Han Shuying offered to take you back to the capital where you’d finally be free from us. She would’ve given you protection at least, a life better than what you have with us."
There was a pause— "Why did you come back?"
Ru Yi didn’t answer immediately. Her gaze shifted from Qingyue, to Yexue, and then finally...stopped on Lieyin.
She held her silence for a moment longer. "I don’t know how to explain it." Her response was honest and simple.
"But..." her voice softened. "I cannot imagine a life without the three of you."
No one said a word at first as they tried to grasp the meaning of what she just said. Yexue looked away first, muttering something under her breath that suspiciously hinted at jealousy—but her ears turned a bright crimson.
Lieyin’s fingers twitched slightly at her side before she finally stepped forward. Close enough to see Ru Yi clearly. "You’re an idiot," she said, but there was no bite in her tone. "Whether it was coming back or trying to save me. I’m not worth your life at all."
Ru Yi bit the inside of her cheek. That moment had been born out of panic. "Maybe Qingyue was right about me not valuing myself. I just did it without thinking...but I don’t regret it."
She looked at Lieyin square in the face. "Even if I knew I was going to die, I would’ve still chosen to save you."
This was one of the very rare moments Lieyin was ever rendered speechless. "I still don’t understand it. Why? It’s not like I treat you good or any better than everyone else."
Ru Yi shook her head. "It’s not about how you treat me, Lieyin. You’re clearly the worst out of your sisters. But..." she thought back to when it happened. "The pain I felt in my core was so unbearable I would’ve died right there with you if that sword killed you."
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