How To Melt An Ice Cube 35 Wai

"Han Bing" Mai calls out as she pushes her father out of the way to get a closer look at Han Bing.

Mai can see that his once untarnished face has a burn going from his forehead to his left cheek. The rest of his body also seems covered in them.

Qin Junjie turns around and look and draws in a tight breath as he sees what the Emperor has done. In his concern he looks at Mai one more time and says "Look Zumi, please come with me."

Mai just shakes her head in denial. She no longer cares what her father is saying as all she wanted to do it tell him that everything will be okay.

"I will take my leave then" Qin Junjie says as he walks around the two men that block the door. He just a.s.sumed that Zheng Li's rage was directed at the Emperor and not at Mai.

Once he leaves the room everything is silent. Mai tries to figure out what Han bing is doing on the ground but he looks completely heart broken. Before she has a chance to say anything to him he stands up and walks out of the room.

Zheng Li on the other hand stares at her with a piercing glare. "I told you that if you were playing a game, it would end well. Yet, here we find you in the embrace of another man trying to take you away. An Emperors man." Zheng Li says with a emphasis on Emperor.

Mai stared at him in shock with her mouth hanging open "What? Did they actually think I am in on this?" Mai thought to herself.

Before she has a chance to defend herself she hears the click of the lock on her door.

"I will be back, after I insure that Han Bing is okay, to take care of you" Zheng Li says though the door. No part of his word sound like it will be an enjoyable time.

Mai slumps against the wall thinking about what just happened. "Was the expression on Han Bings face because he thought I was lying to him?" Mai thought. A million questions swirled around her mind as she tried to understand the situation.

——

"Was it all just a game?" Han Bing ask himself. "She must be a incredible lier, if it was."

Han Bing was shaking as he walked towards his room. No amount of comfort could ease his soul from what he had just witnessed and the betrayal that he felt.

Zheng Li stood beside him as he always had with nothing but concern on his face.

"Sleep, Han Bing. You will need your strength in the next few days." Zheng Li said.

Han Bing nodded his head in agreement. Deep in his heart he knows that even with all the strength in the world the following days would be his worst.

Han Bing lets Zheng Li undress him and apply ointment to every new scar that covers his body. His body was too weak to fight off any infections if one did occur.

Han Bing even accepts the tea that will put right right to sleep not wishing to open his eyes again. His one ray of hope was no ray at all.

——

Zheng Li hunts down Zhi Yan for information. When he finds her, he asks "what the h.e.l.l happened when he was gone?" She tells him about the previous day.

Some of the rage that burned deep inside Zheng Li sifted to something other than anger. "If that man was her father, than perhaps it might be a misunderstanding" He thought to himself. Not wanted to get Han Bings hope up in case he was wrong Zheng Li went to do more investigating.

Zheng Li thought about Mai's behavior when Han Bing was gone. "If it really was a act would she have practically starved herself and had sleepless nights over it?" Zheng Li asked himself.

It had been no secret to those that had seen Mai that she was not keeping good care of herself when Han Bing was gone. She barely ate any of the food that she made and each morning there would be dark circles under her eyes.

Zheng Li desperately wanted to believe that it was a misunderstanding.

___

Mia heard the click of the lock open on her bedroom door. Zheng Li walked in without any of the aggression that has been visible earlier.

"Who was it that visited you and what is your relationship with him" Zheng Li asked coldly. The anger may be gone but not the mistrust.

"My father" Mai said quietly.

"What did he want you to do?" Zheng Li asked perplexed as to why any father would let there child be here.

"He wanted me to leave because he is afraid what the Emperor will do next" Mai whispers. She couldn't take this att.i.tude that they had been giving her. She had done nothing wrong. All she wanted to do right now was find Han Bing and tell him that she loved him more than life itself. That it didn't matter if she could leave here and never be in danger from the Emperor because it wouldn't matter without him.

Mai watched as Zheng Li nods his head and says "He is right to be afraid, look at Han Bing. Why didn't you leave with him then?"

She looks directly into Zheng Li's eyes and says "I love him." That is the only thing that needs to be said. Zheng Li's face is full of relief as he studies Mai.

"Than there still might be a future after all" Zheng Li says while walking away. He still locks the door behind him afraid that something else might occur before he has the chance to fix the situation.