The next few nights passed without storms or crashing waves. The sea was calm, yet I couldn't shake an odd feeling, like something was about to happen.
"In five nights, we should reach Wuhan," Renshu said early at dawn.
It was my turn to keep guard, but instead of waking me during the night as planned, he insisted I rest and take over in the morning.
"That's good to hear," I replied. "We'll arrive a day earlier. But tell me, why don't you ever let me keep guard at night?"
He paused, his expression unreadable. "Hm. No reason."
Then, without another word, he smiled faintly and shut the cabin door in my face.
Well… that was not the reaction I was expecting. Nowadays he seemed more rough, like I had some him wrong and he deserves an apology.
Guarding the boat was dull. The only other person awake was the man steering, and I couldn't even understand him—his Chinese was a different dialect entirely.
Still, there was one thing that made the mornings bearable. Rong Xu often joined the early watch, and that meant I had someone to talk to.
"Day by day, I'm getting more excited," he said brightly. "About the poison, and about… well, everything. I've never been to Yunnan before. Are you sure we'll find that plant th—"
"Yes," I sighed, cutting him off. "You've asked that ten times already."
"Right, right. Just making sure," he said with a grin.
"Spotting it shouldn't be too difficult. Once I identify it, extraction will be simple enough. But there's one issue."
"Which is?"
"Yunnan is close to Bharat. I'm worried their spies might see us as a threat, especially with General Renshu on board."
"Good point," Rong Xu said thoughtfully. "We should probably disguise him once we reach Wuhan. Or, hey, you're from Bharat! Why can't you just tell them we're good people or something?" He laughed.
"Yes, I'm sure that would work wonderfully," I replied.
He laughed, and for a moment, I couldn't help but smile too. He reminded me of someone—but I couldn't place who. A family member, maybe.
Then, out of nowhere, Rong Xu asked, "Hey, Aryan… does the General dislike me?"
"What?" I blinked, caught off guard.
"He's… cold," he said, frowning. "He never speaks to me and always ignores me. It feels like he dislikes me. Could you ask him?"
I hesitated. "I'm sure it's nothing personal. He seems cold to everyone."
"Even to you?"
The question struck me harder than I expected. Was Renshu cold to me? No… he wasn't. Not really. He could be distant, yes, but I'd seen flashes of something else—emotion, anger, frustration. He didn't hide them from me the way he did from others.
But in the beginning, when I worked as a maid, he was different. Commanding, stoic, almost unapproachable. Maybe that's how he still seemed to them.
"Well?" Rong Xu pressed when I didn't answer.
"At first, yes. But he's more comfortable now. He's different at home," I replied.
"Oh, that makes sense." He leaned forward. "You know you've never told me how you both met back in Bharat—"
BANG.
The cabin door slammed open.
"Mei—Rong Xu."
Renshu stood in the doorway, his expression unreadable but his eyes sharp, focused on Rong Xu.
"Good morning, General—"
"What are you doing in my boat?" Renshu's voice was low and tense.
"An advisor was keeping guard, so I thought I'd… come here," Rong Xu said carefully.
"Why?"
"Well, perhaps to keep Aryan company?"
The moment he said it, I knew it was the wrong answer. Renshu's glare shifted to me—cold and accusing.
"Go to your boat. Now."
Rong Xu hesitated but obeyed, giving me a small, uncertain glance before leaving. The air felt heavier once he was gone.
Then Renshu turned back to me. "Inside. Now."
Oh no.
The moment the door shut, his voice rose. "How many times have I told you to stay away from him?"
"And how many times have you given me a good reason?" I shot back.
"I— You will listen to me."
"Why should I? I thought we were equals."
That stopped him. He stared at me, silent, as if my words had struck somewhere deeper than I intended.
"Rong Xu is a good person," I continued firmly. "He defended me on my first day. He helped with my work. He treats me as a friend, not as a foreigner. He is a foreigner himself. And if you expect me to ignore him every time, then I'm afraid I can't do that."
I looked away after saying it. I didn't care if he glared at me again.
"I see…" he finally said, his tone softer than before.
He looked almost—sad. As if he'd realized something and didn't know how to respond to it.
"I also think you should apologize to him," I said quietly. "He's been asking me if you have some problem with him—"
"Well, I do," Renshu said quickly. "I mean… a little. There's no way I'm apologizing—"
"Why not? Did he do something wrong?"
"You… you wouldn't understand."
"Then explain it."
He glanced at me, then sighed deeply and looked away. "Fine. I'll apologize."
"Really?"
"Yes. But I want something in return."
I groaned. "What exactly do you want?"
"Come here."
I froze. "What?"
He took a step closer, voice steady but quieter now. "You heard me. Come here."
There it was again, that strange shift in his tone that always unsettled me. Not anger, not authority… something else entirely. Something I couldn't quite name.
"You need to stop pushing me away," he said softly as he brushed his lips against the side of my face.
"When did I do that?"
"Every time I ask you a question, you find a way to escape it. To run to someone else."
"Are you implying something?"
"Maybe." His voice dropped to almost a whisper while his kisses went down to my neck.
For a moment I looked down and saw something flickered in his eyes, hurt, maybe. Then he sighed. "A few days ago, I asked you a question. You didn't answer. I lost my temper. I do that often."
He looked away. "I hope you can forgive me."
That… wasn't something I expected to hear.
Renshu had apologized before, he was never cold. So when Rong Xu asked me that question it left me confused.
"Why do you only show your emotions to me?" I asked before I could stop myself. "Or to Bao Qin?"
He blinked, startled. Then a faint color rose in his face—something close to embarrassment.
"There's no reason," he muttered quickly. "Listen, I need to rest."
Before I could reply, he opened the cabin door and gently pushed me out.
The door closed with a soft thud.