After Ji Chu Hua left the Ji Mansion in failure, Yue Ling and Inu spent their morning inside the warm and cozy Ji Mansion. Ting didn't stay and left to go back and prepare to train with the soldiers.
Yue Ling had wanted to eat breakfast with her yeye and younger brother, but the old man did not come back. So, she and Ji Jingxu had no choice but to eat breakfast without him.
Seated at the dining table, Yue Ling sat on one end and Ji Jingxu sat on the chair next to her.
"Jie, you were awesome! I wish I had a camera and recorded Ji Chu Hua's disoriented face. Hahah, the world can finally see how ugly she is!"
The young man is beaming in pure joy as he spoke and eats his food. He is truly happy because he gets to spend time with her without the old man.
Remembering something, Ji Jingxu turn his head to the white fluff ball at the corner of the room. Inu who arrived with the appearance of a noble and elegant king is currently having his way with his food. He's eating out of his food bowl as if he hasn't eaten in days, even crumbs can be seen flying out.
Ji Jingxu furrow his brows and takes a bite of his food. Thinking back to Inu's movements, his frown deepens.
"Is Inu really a house pet? The way he attacked those three bodyguards was as if he was ninja!"
Yue Ling sees the expression on his face and she lightly shook her head. Without saying anything, she continues to eat her breakfast.
Inu is in fact a house pet. Well, more like an undercover house pet.
Halfway into his food, Ji Jingxu stops talking and lightly press his lip together. He steals a glance at his older sister and debate if he should tell her.
Since she is the old man's real grandchild, she has the rights to know that he is sick…
He put the spoon in his hand down and looks at her with a serious expression.
"Jie…."
However, he stops himself. The words he wants so badly to say does not come out. He swallows down the saliva in his mouth and sigh.
Yue Ling looks at him and furrow her brows. Setting down the spoon, she leans back on the chair.
"What is it?"
Ji Jingxu stare at his sister and his heart tighten in pain. His mouth open and close, but in the end, he closes his eyes and shook his head.
"It's nothing. I just wanted to know how long you will staying here…"
Hearing his words, Yue Ling doesn't find him suspicious and she lightly tap his head. Reaching for her spoon, she continues to eat.
"I'll be leaving in the evening."
"I see. That's good then."
Ji Jingxu spoke with a smile, but when his sister did not look at him anymore, the smile slowly fades.
He lowers his head and stare at the food in front of him.
He really wants to tell her about the old man's condition, but he respects the old man. If she were to hear about it from anyone, it should be from him.
Pushing the thought away, he holds his spoon and continue to eat.
As the sun fully rises into the blue sky, their breakfast comes to an end.
"Jie, I'm going to go train with the soldiers, do you want to come watch?"
Ji Jingxu asks as he stood up from the chair. His eyes beam with happiness as he thought about showing his sister what he learned.
Seeing his happy mood, Yue Ling sigh inside. She stood from the chair and reach for her plate and his.
"Let me take care of the dishes, then I'll come find you."
"Mm! I'll get going now!"
Ji Jingxu grins widely and turns to leave out the back door. For the longest time now, he knows how much the soldiers respect and appreciate his sister. He cannot wait to see the looks on the soldiers' faces when they see her!
Watching the boy leave out the door, Yue Ling shook her head. Turning away, she heads to the kitchen.
Usually, dishes are done by the servants inside the Ji Mansion, but she never allows them when she is here. For small things like this, she can do it herself.
Ji Jingxu walks down the stairs and he quickens this pace. He is really excited to tell the brothers about the good news. However, halfway down the stairs, he furrows his brows and decrease his steps.
"Eh?"
He sees a familiar figure standing below and he narrow his eyes before he continues to walk down the stairs.
"Ting, why are you standing there?"
Ting stood by the stairs with his back facing Ji Jingxu. After he left the brother and sister alone, he had gone back to his room to change.
Hearing Ji Jingxu's voice, he jumps in surprise, but quickly calms himself. He slowly turn to the boy and point to a direction.
"Can we talk for a bit?"
Ji Jingxu stares at Ting for a long minute. He narrows his eyes as if trying to read the young man then shrugs his shoulders.
"Sure, why not."
He places both his hands on the back of his head and walks in the direction Ting had pointed.
From inside the kitchen, Yue Ling sees the two boys from the window. She lightly shook her head and continues to wash the dishes.
Seems like they're getting along quite well.
Ji Jingxu and Ting walked to a nearby by hill. It was the same hill when Ji Jingxu put some senses into Ting's head about his doubt.
"Ah, today is a great day. Even the weather is nice!"
Ji Jingxu cheerfully spoke and drops his body to sit on the glass. He is really happy because not only is his sister here, he even got to face slap Ji Chu Hua.
Ting stare at the cheerful boy and he sits down. He thinks of how he should say his words, but over and over again, he doesn't know how to bring up the subject.
As he tries to think again, the words Ji Jingxu said last time cross his mind.
Regret flash in his heart and he stares in silence at the vast field in front of him.
'I know that same loneliness…'
'Not just me, but also everyone you've been training with.'
'We all have our own tragic past, so don't assume because we don't show it.'
Ting turn his head to Ji Jingxu and seeing the boy still smiling happily, he felt another tinge of regret inside.
'Just because we all smile every day, doesn't mean we aren't hurting in the inside.'
Those words slowly repeat in his head and he remembers Ji Chu Hua's words.
'A trash found in the country. If it wasn't for my grandfather, someone like you of unknown origins would never be given the surname Ji.'
Remembering those words, he thought about Ji Jingxu's expression at the time. The boy not only looked angry, he also looked hurt.
He had always thought that someone like Ji Jingxu, who is from a good family will never understand him. He even thought the kid's words were only out of pity.
Ting laughs inside at his stupidity for judging and his head lower.
"Jingxu, I'm sorry about what I said last time…"
"…."
Suddenly getting an apology, Ji Jingxu frown and looks at Ting. The smile on his face disappears and he could already guess what the apology was for.
After all, that evil woman said it like she was performing on a stage.
He turns his head to the vast field and sigh.
"What she said is the truth."
He bends his legs and rest both arms on top of his knees.
"The old man and his wife found me in the country."
Saying this, he thought about the day grandfather Ji and grandmother Ji found him. They were his benefactors and instead of leaving him, they adopted him into the family.
"My family was normal farmers in the countryside. I lived a normal life and I didn't hate it. I had a mother, a father and an older brother."
Talking about his deceased family, Ji Jingxu could feel his eyes water up, but he takes a deep breath and steady himself from crying.
"Even though I was young at the time, all I knew was that my family meant everything to me. As long as I had them, I didn't need anything else. I didn't care if we were poor or if we struggled in life. For me, they were more than enough…"
Suddenly hearing Ji Jingxu talk about his family, Ting didn't make a sound but looks up at him. His words were exactly like how he felt towards his father and mother.
He stares at the boy and a question rise inside him. Without thinking, he asks in an almost whisper.
"What happened to them?"
Ji Jingxu showed not reaction, but his heart tightened at the question. He forces out a sarcastic chuckle to hide his pain and scratch his head.
"They were murdered."
"…."
Ting's eyes shook and he stares in disbelief at the boy smiling. It wasn't the happy smile he made minutes ago, but one that tries to hide his pain.
He turns his head away and stares down at the grass.
Seeing Ting's reaction from the corner of his eyes, Ji Jingxu doesn't say anything and stayed quiet too.
He never liked talking about his past, because it makes him miss his family.
He can still remember his mother's warm smile when she cooks and the warmth of his father's palm on his head. Even though, he and his older brother fought a lot, he still remembers his older brother protecting him.
A faint smile curl on his lip as the image of his family appear in his mind and he takes a deep breath.
"After what happened to my family, I never thought that the old man would take me in. He didn't know if I was trouble kid, yet, he accepted me. As you can see from that woman's attitude towards me, only the people here treat me like I exist."
Another image appears in his mind and his expression soften.
"For them, I am grateful for this second chance. So, you don't need to apologize for not knowing."
Just when he spoke his last word, his eyes caught sight of a white fluff ball running towards them in the distance. Slowly walking behind the little ball, he sees her slender figure.
The corners of his lip curl up and he could not take his eyes off the figure.
She is the person who gave him hope more than anyone else.
She is his precious older sister.
Seeing her coming closer, he quickly got up from the ground and dust any dirt from his pant. His arms stretch out and he decides to end the conversation.
"Alright, let's get going. The others are probably nagging why we haven't shown up."
He takes a step forward but stops.
The words Yue Ling once said to him appear in his mind and he turn to look at Ting.
"Don't think of your them as they're gone."
He lifts his right hand and place over his heart.
"Bring them with you in here."
Saying this, Ji Jingxu smiles a faint smile at Ting before he turns around and runs down the hill. His arms wave up into the air and he cheerfully calls out.
"Jie! Inu! Over here! Over here!!"
From behind. Ting stares at the boy's figure. To see him smiling so happily, he knows that Ji Jingxu has moved on from his past.
As for him….
He lower his head and stares down at his palm. He imitates what Ji Jingxu did and place his palm on his heart. As he did so, a faint smile curl on his lip and he whispers the words.
"Don't think of them as they're gone. Bring them with you in your heart."