Chapter 157 - Exposé

When Lei Xing finally ran out of the room, Doctor Lou had disappeared. She walked over to the front and found him happily arranging dishes on the table in Pavillion. He turned around as soon as she turned the corner and raised his eyebrows "surprise", "Oh Xing Xing, you're done? Come eat!" He finished with a smile.

{...-_-)...Yeah like you forgot you chased me out...}

Lei Xing came forward with a pout and begrudgingly sat down as she scanned the table. There was a foggy looking pink soup, black rice, and a weird-looking vegetable stir-fry, she was not sure what vegetables she was looking at.

"Go on, try them!" Doctor Lou eagerly said handing her a pair of chopsticks. Lei Xing did not take them but instead stretched out her hand, "The ring."

Doctor Lou blinked and then pouted, "What? You don't think I would poison you...right?" When Lei Xing did not respond and simply narrowed her eyes at him, Doctor Lou frowned. He dropped the chopsticks and he held his beard and defended, "I wouldn't!... If I wanted to poison you, you would be dead already so... I also wouldn't create something that would work against me...You, on the hand, maybe..."

Lei Xing immediately frowned, "Wha-"

"I'm just joking hehe~ Just trust this old uncle of yours and enjoy the meal, these rare delicacies and very nutritious. You'll like it!" Doctor Lou said with a smile.

"Give me the ring first." Lei Xing flatly stated. 

Doctor Lou pouted again, "I don't have it.." Then he mumbled, "Why do you have to be so difficult about everything? I'm just trying to feed you..."

{...Not this again? -_-)'...}

Lei Xing frowned, "Seriously, just give it to me. I've had a long morning already. You even almost killed me! Cut me some slack here, I'm tired." 

Doctor Lou awkwardly laughed, "I'm being serious...Ah, you shouldn't hold the past against me hehe~ That was an accident, a misunderstanding! And you're fine so no harm done...That scene just brought up some bad memories hehe~...As for the ring, I gave it to Xiao Kai to give to you, I really don't have it!" He finished waving his hands to emphasize his innocence with a sincere smile.

Lei Xing immediately frowned and groaned, "Why?" Then she covered her face and then plopped down on the table. Remembering him and all their recent encounters made her turn red and feel incredibly embarrassed.

Doctor Lou's smile disappeared as Lei Xing hit the table, he frowned at her wrist and then went, "Hey, be careful! There's already a scratch!"

Lei xing looked up at him with a frown, "Scratch?"

"Here!" Doctor Lou suddenly pulled out a little magnifying glass from his sleeve, leaned over and held it over the bracelet on her wrist, "You see it now, right?" He asked with a frown.

Lei Xing looked down to see a tiny scratch on one of the stones and then pouted, "I didn't do that..." then she blinked and narrowed her eyes at him, "Do you know what this bracelet is?"

Doctor Lou's frown turned into a pout, it seemed her question upset him. He sat back up and haughtily said, "Of course I do! These are three hundred thousand-year-old crystals infused with -" He paused, then glared at her and bit out, "Anyway, be careful with it!" Then he looked off to the side holding his beard still pouting.

Lei Xing was not bothered by his bad mood, her eyes lit up and she sat up, "You know what this is! Help me take it off!" 

Doctor Lou glanced at her excited face, and opened his mouth but before he could respond, the Emperor arrived at the table, "We're leaving." 

Doctor Lou and Lei Xing immediately turned to his direction, and Lei Xing quickly glanced down as soon as she met the Emperor's eyes. While Doctor Lou went wide-eyed and protested, "But you haven't eaten yet! I specially made all these too...You'll like it!"

The Emperor glanced between the unnerved Lie Xing and the pouting Doctor Lou and then sighed. He grabbed Lei Xing's arm and gently pulled her up and then held her hand. Lei Xing bit her inner lip and kept her head down and obediently went along with it.

The Emperor then turned to Doctor Lou and then said, "Thank you for your hospitality but we do not have the time. I will choose another day to send my thanks and will be sure to send people to clean up as well."

Doctor Lou was not pacified, he looked down still pouting and did not respond. The Emperor slightly bowed his head in respect and appreciation and then turned and left pulling Lei Xing with him. The guards who were standing around, also quickly followed behind them. 

Doctor Lou glanced at their departing backs and then at the table of untouched food and sighed, "What a waste of good ingredients..."

Outside Doctor Lou's pharmacy, a carriage was already there waiting and Lei Xing and the Emperor quickly got in and made their return to the palace.

As they went along, Lei Xing sat on the edge twiddling her thumbs. The Emperor did not say anything and neither did she for a long while. Eventually, she finally remembered her ring and covertly glanced at him to see a deep frown on his face. She quickly looked back down and knit her brows as she inwardly groaned.

{...He's back to frowning again T_T)...How am I supposed to ask for it like this?... And more importantly, why the hell am I being such a coward?! Get your freaking self together! This is not appealing, AT ALL...We did nothing wrong and therefore should not have to cower in fear of ANYONE!...So be-...}

"My mother knows about the incident with my brother." The Emperor calmly informed, interrupting her thoughts. Lei Xing immediately looked up at him wide-eyed with her mouth open, but she had no words and so closed it. Then she blinked repeatedly, pursed her lips and then massaged her head. This news succeeded in exacerbating her headache.

{...Th-that woman...Of all f**king people! You know, she might have even set all this up. I knew all that religious stuff was bullshit! -_-)...}

"Relax...Although she has complicated the situation by kicking up a fuss, she was at least smart enough not to publicize the details..." The Emperor calmly informed with knit eyebrows.

{...At least she has some basic respect for me...Or fear, but either will suffice...}

After finishing up with his bath and getting dressed, the Emperor was about to leave when he realized something odd about Lei Xing's ring. He could have sworn the gem was red last night, but today it was blue. He had also seen it blue in the past, but last night he had been paying attention and thought nothing of it then. But now seeing it like this, it was quite perplexing and so stood there scrutinizing the ring for a short while before one of his men arrived with the very important report.

Apparently word had reached his mother and she had opted to go on a rampage in the city instead of leaving for her journey to the temple. In his absence, she had mobilized the palace guards to go search Prince Yi's manor.

Although she did not tell them what exactly they were searching for, the guards still stormed in without a target on the Empress dowager's orders and were currently turning his manor upside down looking for anything that seemed out of place. 

Lei Xing quietly listened as the Emperor explained what was happening. The Empress dowager was obviously aware that Lei Xing did not return to the palace. And since she was last seen in Prince Yi's arms, the reasonable assumption was that she was with him. 

{...The worst  - or best case scenario really, it just depends on who's talking would, of course, be me getting caught on his bed -_-)...This, of course, would be beyond dumb of both him and me, but I was out of it and he doesn't seem to be very smart either -_-)'...}

Lei Xing let out a shaky breath. She knew something like this was coming, but she was not sure how she was going to get out of this. It's not like she could prove that she was drugged, even if she stripped and showed the dots, that would only show that she was recently pricked. Not to mention, she could easily be accused of doing it herself to create a cover story. It was not like she could have a blood test done or something. She frowned and put her hands over her eyes and then squeezed them shut.

{...This is a real mess! I knew I should have stayed away from that guy! I tried! T_T)...Yet somehow I still ended up wrapped in an "affair" with him! This is an epic fail! >_

The Emperor sighed and then removed her hands from her face and held them in his and reassuringly said, "I'm here."

Lei Xing blinked at him then looked down at their hands. She knit her brows and then asked, "You're not angry?" Although he had not treated her badly, rejected or even pushed her away in any way, she still got the feeling that he was upset with her.

"Is there a reason I should be angry with you?" The Emperor responded with a question of his own. Lei Xing glanced at the calm expression on his face and then lowered her eyes and then she shook her head, and then she frowned.

"Then it's fine." The Emperor said, then he gave her hands a gentle squeeze to reassure her and then he released them. Then he sat back, folded his arms and closed his eyes.

Lei Xing blinked at him and then pouted, he definitely seemed upset. This was just like the other time he was upset with her. Although he said he was not angry then too.

{...Is this a guilty conscience acting up?... Wait, why the hell should I feel guilty? It isn't my fault and he knows, and I know that he knows so...what's my problem? -_-)'...}