Chapter 246 - Unearthing a Star

Lei Xing cast a quick glance at the Emperor and then knit her brows. She was aware that she had rushed through her explanation and that he probably understood nothing of it...and she may or may not have done that on purpose.

Naturally, he would have questions, she expected them but still, she dreaded them. Doctor Lou had acted as a buffer of sorts, she had simply focused on her irritation with him and spat out the words.

Now they were alone, it was awkward and she felt incredibly pressured to make it sound alright. She was hesitating and she disliked the feeling. 

{... I already said it and he already heard it, giving a further explanation isn't going to make him leave me or anything...What if he thinks I'm weird or crazy? Or worse, what if he gets angry that I lied to him - Technically, I never lied. I just omitted all unnecessary and confusing information, two very different things ( ￣^￣ )...Who the hell am I kidding? I'm screwed!  T_T)...}

"Xing er'..." The Emperor called when she still had not responded.

Lei Xing glanced at him and then her eyes shifted and she hesitantly began, "Um...Well...I, um, it's not that I am not her per se...This is still her body so...it's just the soul..." Lei Xing mumbled as she glanced at him again, feeling incredibly nervous.

{...Should I be begging or something?... This is so frustrating, stupid doctor! I hope you heard that! And I hope you choke on your next cup of wine! >_

The Emperor sighed, he had barely heard what she had said, "Xing er', I can't help you, if I don't understand the situation. Answer this first, if you say you are not Lei Xing, then what happened to her?...Did you kill her?" The Emperor asked with knit eyebrows.

"NO! No, I did not. I would never kill anyone." Lei Xing immediately defended, finding her courage as she directly looked at the Emperor with an appalled expression. 

The Emperor let out a sigh of relief, that was his most pressing worry. While he did not know this other Lei Xing, he did care for Lei Yong. So he would feel conflicted being with the person who murdered his sister. 

But now that was off the table, he felt much more at ease. 

The Emperor relaxed and looked at the nervous Lei Xing, who was looking away again with a frown. He could tell that she was offended and probably irritated with him for asking that question. 

Normally, she would have said more to him, but clearly she was feeling quite timid at the moment and was holding it in. A small smile tugged at the Emperor's lips and he sighed again, "Xing er', I just what to understand your situation. You should know that regardless of what you say, I will not harm you."

Lei Xing looked back at him with an irritated frown, feeling upset that he did not believe her. She said with conviction, "I did not kill anyone. I had no choice or hand in me being here. As I said, I fell off a ship and woke up in this body. As to what happened to the prior owner, I assume she had drowned in the pond." 

The Emperor raised his eyebrows as he came to a realization, "You never lost your memories..."

Lei Xing let out a little nervous laugh, "Technically, I did lose them..." When the Emperor narrowed his eyes at her, she promptly backtracked and went, "Okay... I just didn't know how to tell you the truth, especially with it being such an odd truth. I wouldn't even believe me...I mean, we weren't even close then and I thought you would kill me or lock me up or something..."

"...And later, it was just hard to bring up. You know, it's not exactly something you talk about over breakfast. I didn't know how to say it and honestly, what would have been the point of bringing it up? It would simply be starting unnecessary trouble, just like that old man is trying to accomplish with this. It's not like talking about it would solve anything. The bottom line is I'm innocent,  I didn't do anything wrong and it's not my fault." Lei Xing finished her rambling and looked at the Emperor with a pout and an accusing expression.

The Emperor blinked at her a few times and then could not help smiling. This was probably the most he had heard her talk. 

Lei Xing raised her eyebrows and blinked at him.

{...He's smiling, that's a good sign...right? I think so...I'd like to T_T)...}

"Just so we're clear, you're from another world and you died and then you woke up here...in this body, Lei Xing's body. Is that correct?" The Emperor seriously asked, his smile was gone now. 

Lei Xing was put back on edge and promptly nodded, "That's what I've told - I mean that is what I know." She knit her brows and explained, "I had thought my soul had simply traveled back in time because where I'm from, this setup, this setting, a time like this did exist about a thousand years ago or -"

"A thousand years?" The Emperor exclaimed, blinking at her.

Lei Xing nodded, "...Or more, I did say it was a futuristic world when compared to this one. You wouldn't believe the things we have there, we have lights, guns, nuclear weapons, we can fly -"

"Fly?" The Emperor exclaimed blinking with knit eyebrows, starting to doubt the validity of her claims again. 

Lei Xing eagerly nodded again, "En, well not really. There's this thing called planes which are like huge carriages that can fly, I really used to enjoy flying...Too bad I'm not mechanically gifted otherwise I would have made my own inventions...Ah, but I could still make some, like an oven, which is basically just a modification of a kiln, I think. I'm pretty sure it will work. Ahh, baked goodness~ You need to try pizza, pies, the good stuff, all amazing..." Lei Xing finished casting a longing dreamy smile in the Emperor's direction.

When she saw him looking at her with a puzzled and amused expression. She immediately recalled the kind of situation she was in and promptly reined herself in and demurely said, "...But that doctor told me it was a different world. So that's it..."

The Emperor calmly looked at her for a bit as he thought things through. He was seeing her in a different light. She seemed different just now when talking about "her world". He was honestly not sure how he felt about all this, but it was not necessarily a bad feeling.

If he had to put words to his current state, he felt as if he had just met her for the first time. It was different, she was different. Perhaps, they were different?

The Emperor let out a sigh and then asked, "So what is your real name then?" 

Lei Xing blinked at him, "Oh, it's still Lei Xing..."

"How convenient." The Emperor remarked with slightly knit eyebrows.

Lei Xing gave a small nervous laugh and glanced off to the side, "It really is..."

The Emperor silently contemplated again and then he frowned, "Is this the real reason you want to leave the palace? To return to your world?"

Lei Xing looked back at him, to find the Emperor looking at her with a piercing gaze, she swallowed and then carefully responded, "Well, um...At one time, I would have liked to, but it seems impossible..." Lei Xing sighed and lowered her eyes and quietly added, "My body was most likely lost at sea, long devoured by fish...there's nothing to return to."

As the Emperor watched Lei Xing's solemn expression, he could not help feeling upset at the knowledge that she wanted to leave him to go somewhere out of reach. In his mind, even if she ever left the palace, she would always be within his reach, where he could always find her if he wanted to.

He could understand that she might have left loved ones behind in this other world. Although, it might be selfish of him and he felt horrible looking at her despondent expression, but he felt relieved when she said that it was impossible.

Lei Xing sighed again and then looked up to find the Emperor looking at her with an obscure expression. He did not seem angry but Lei Xing could not properly read his expression. So she bit her inner lip, hesitated a bit, and then carefully, 'You...Are you angry?"

The Emperor raised an eyebrow at her, "Should I be?"

Lei Xing let out a little nervous laugh, "Noo...I think not?"

The Emperor looked at her awkward form for a bit and then let out a breath, "I can understand you not wanting to talk about this...it's not an easy conversation to have and it is quite the strange tale. So withholding this is a perfectly rational decision. I would have done the same...Also, I wasn't exactly honest with you from the start either. It was only yesterday that I told you the truth about why I chose you...So I can't exactly criticize you for withholding information..."

Lei Xing blinked at him as she realized that she had greatly underestimated him. He had proven himself time and time again, to be quite the reasonable person, one with a broad mind and the patience to understand. She suddenly felt a bit foolish for thinking that he would actually blame her for a situation in which she clearly had no control of. 

Lei Xing let out a breath and then smiled at him, "I am not sure if I have ever said this, but you're an amazing person...I don't think I've met anyone quite like you before." Lei Xing insightfully added. 

The Emperor smiled back at her and simply said, "When faced with bizarre situations, we can only do the best we can..."

Lei Xing let out a silent sigh of relief...They were fine, thankfully.

There was one more thing she needed to get off her chest, "My fa - I mean, her family, the Lei family...Can you not tell them?" She tentatively asked. She did not want to have them go through the pain of losing a child. She could imagine they would find it much harder to understand than the Emperor. She would honestly rather spare them the pain.

"You keep my secrets, so I must naturally keep yours." The Emperor simply responded with a smirk.

Lei Xing smiled, "I guess that settles it..."

"It does." The Emperor curtly said and the two of them sat there just staring at each other with strange, perplexed smiles on their faces. Lei Xing inwardly sighed.

{...I panicked over nothing...That was easy, so easy, too easy...He always makes everything too easy...}

The Emperor let out a breath, glanced around, and then stood up and walked over to Lei Xing and held out a hand for her with a smile, "Now that this is settled, how about we return to your study? I can play the qin while you continue telling me about this world you come from...Perhaps with some wine?"

Lei Xing's smile brightened and she put her hand in his and said, "Sounds amazing..."

The two then walked out of the room with small smiles and a renewed, better sense of each other.

Lei Xing glanced at the Emperor's face and then faced forward as her face reddened. She felt like a great load had just been lifted off her chest, light as a feather and gliding through the halls. Her heart was also feeling warm, weird and jittery...but in a good way. 

Lei Xing glanced at the Emperor's face again and he looked at her with questioning gaze as his smile widened. Lei Xing promptly faced forward as her heart flew into a dancing frenzy, she brought up her hand up to her heated face and let out a shaky breath,

{...I think I -  I think this might just be...I mean, this could be...maybe love?...Perhaps?...}