Xiang Yu chuckled, the sound low and warm. It was like trying to coax a kid after they were scolded by their father for the first time.
Mei nodded in agreement. "Yeah, he is nice."
Lian turned to Xiang Yu, her expression turning serious. "Master, we will bring you food. You should just stay here. Otherwise, they will find trouble for you. Now that you are injured, it’s not good for you to be stimulated."
Xiang Yu felt a wave of affection for the twins. Their concern for him made his heart soften. "Okay," he said, giving them a nod of approval. "Staying here sounds like a good idea."
As he settled back against the door frame, Lian slipped the candy into her mouth, her face lighting up with joy at the sweetness. Mei smiled, relieved at the small moments of happiness that still punctuated their turbulent lives.
Han Zhan pushed through the worn door of the canteen, the familiar smell of food mingling with the scent of sweat and metal. The buildings surrounding them had crumbled over the years, but since they had settled in this city, the community had worked tirelessly to repair and restore them. Inside the canteen, people moved about in a steady line, eagerly waiting for their daily rations.
He scanned the room until his eyes landed on Su Jing, seated with her colleagues at a table. She sat with her arms crossed, a frown etched across her face. Han Zhan walked over, leaning against the table casually. "Hey, what’s up with the twins?... Did something happen today?"
Su Jing scoffed, the sound bitter, while the others lowered their heads, avoiding his gaze. Something serious must have gone down, and the silence spoke volumes. "Your cousin didn’t tell you?" Su Jing shot back.
Han Zhan’s brows creased in confusion. "Tell me what?"
A few minutes later, he stormed out of the canteen and headed straight for Han Xin’s office. Without knocking, he burst through the door, startling Han Xin. The man sat hunched over a large map, studying their territory with a furrowed brow.
"Do you not know how to knock?" Han Xin said without looking up, his voice laced with irritation.
"You didn’t kill him," Han Zhan blurted out, a mixture of disbelief and anger pouring from him.
Han Xin froze, his eyes finally meeting Han Zhan’s fierce gaze. "So you heard," he said, his voice now serious.
"He killed our people and almost destroyed us!" Han Zhan pressed. "You can’t be serious! He has to be executed publicly! Who cares what the Alliance will do? They can retaliate. We’ll be ready for them!"
The tension in the room thickened as Han Zhan paced back and forth. Han Xin remained still, the map before him forgotten.
He understood the impulse for vengeance and the fierce loyalty Han Zhan felt for their people, but the ramifications of killing Xiang Yu loomed heavy in his mind.
He leaned on his desk, frustration painting his features. "Do you think I didn’t want to kill him?" he snapped, his voice tight with suppressed rage.
Han Zhan’s hands flung into the air, a gesture of disbelief and anger. "Then why didn’t you?"
"Because the twins said if he dies, they will die," Han Xin replied, his tone serious.
The shock washed over Han Zhan, freezing him momentarily. He reeled at the thought. "You can’t be serious. Lian and Mei protecting Xiang Yu?... It doesn’t make any sense!"
"Do you believe them?" Han Zhan pressed, meeting his cousin’s gaze.
Han Xin hesitated, the weight of uncertainty resting on his shoulders. "Everything they’ve predicted has come true so far. But... do you really want to risk it?"
Exasperated, Han Zhan sank into a chair, rubbing his eyes vigorously. The tension in the room felt suffocating, a heavy fog of frustration and fear. "It’s not safe to keep him here," he finally said, looking back up. "What if he spies on us?"
"I already thought about that," Han Xin said calmly. "Someone needs to watch him all the time. We can send rumours to the Alliance that he has been talking, that he has betrayed them."
"Will they believe it?" Han Zhan asked, sceptical.
Han Xin raised his gaze, locking eyes with his cousin. "If he is walking around free, they will believe it."
A heavy sigh escaped Han Zhan as he leaned back in the chair. "Don’t you think someone will look for trouble with him?"
Han Xin straightened an edge of determination in his voice. "Issue a no execution order."
"But what if they beat him up?" Han Zhan protested, his expression torn between satisfaction and concern.
Han Xin shrugged, a subtle smirk forming. "He will have to defend himself. I won’t stop anyone from venting their anger... as long as they don’t beat him to death."
The idea hung in the air, a flicker of satisfaction igniting within Han Zhan. The thought of throwing a few punches at Xiang Yu brought a sense of relief. "Finally, something I can get behind," he said, a grin breaking through his earlier frustration. "I really want to throw a few punches and teach him a lesson."
Han Xin replied, "As long as you dont kill him."
The early morning light streamed through the cracks in the dilapidated wooden walls, but it did little to ease the darkness of the atmosphere inside the small room. Suddenly, the door burst open, and Su Jing stormed in, her presence a whirlwind.
"Wake up!" she shouted, her voice a sharp command cutting through the stillness. Lian and Mei jolted from sleep and blinked their faces a mixture of confusion and alarm. They rushed over to the other room in a panic.
"What are you doing?" they yelled in unison as they rushed toward her.
"Let go of him!" Mei cried, her voice rising in a panic.
But Su Jing had come prepared. Her goons swiftly seized the twins, holding them back with force, their grip uncompromising. "The Lord said he doesn’t keep useless people here," she declared, her tone cold and unyielding.
Xiang Yu, aware that Su Jing was intent on making his existence difficult, refrained from making a fuss. Instead, he raised a hand, gesturing to Lian and Mei, trying to calm them with a simple look that seemed to say, "It’s fine."
The tension in their expressions shifted slightly, but deep down, their thoughts turned violent, wishing harm upon Su Jing.
With a tug, Su Jing dragged Xiang Yu out of the room, and as soon as they stepped outside, he shrugged her off. The shift in his demeanour was instantaneous, his expression twisted into something dark and fierce, a facade that was both terrifying and commanding.