Don’t Fall for Him

Huai Li Qi looked over to her mother. Getting up, her mother was looking at her with the most serious look she had ever seen.

"That boy will get you quarreled in unwanted business. Do not marry or even fall for him. He will be the your downfall." Her mother told her as she could only nod. It was like her mother knew immediately between good and bad for her own good will. Hugging her mother close to her and seeing her mother smile. Both returned back to making the jewelry as they slept in the same bed to keep each other warm. "I was gifted such a little innocent flower. In the future, you must find the new path for yourself. You mustn't be involved with the rich and wealth."

Huai Li Qi could hear her mother, she was faking to sleep as her mother snuggled close to her. She knew very well to not get involved with the rich and wealthy. She didn't want it to end like her last lifetime. Opening her eyes to see her mother's crying eyes. She didn't want her mother to suffer in her father's Manor. She wasn't going to go back. Her mother was deeply asleep rubbing her mother's cheek. Seeing how much her mother suffered had triggered her.

'Mother I won't let anyone hurt us anymore.' She said in her head as she could no longer speak. She might as well enjoy her early childhood years while she was still young.

Ten years later...

"Li Qi! Where are you!?" Hua Jun Jie yelled out with Xu Lin following him everywhere they went. Huai Li Qi would hang out with them but she mainly stayed with her mother to help make jewelry as business. Money just doesn't appear out of nowhere since one has to work for it. One necklace or bracelet made from them was worth 500 silver or gold a piece. They were known to be the most famous jewelry designers for how unique the design was. The common jewelry designs were about five silver a piece.

Over the years, Huai Li Qi still practiced her martial arts that surpassed her mother. She made herself a steel blade to use for fighting. When they practiced fighting, they fought in the cave and woods where they kept away from the village. They were not going to start alarming the village that they knew how to fight if they were rat out.

Huai Li Qi jumped up to a tree, laying on the branch was her favorite place to be when she looked at the town from afar. Hua Jun Jie and Xu Lin were surprised by her sudden action as she smiled to them from above. "Li Qi! Don't act in such manners! Your a woman and you should be behaving like one!" Xu Lin scolded her as she just smiled and shrugged her shoulders since she couldn't talk back anyway. Making her way down, Hua Jun Jie went up to her, he had more interest in her more than Xu Lin since they were kids.

"Li Qi today is the Lantern Festival. We are going there later today. Are you going?" Hua Jun Jie asked her. Huai Li Qi nodded and pointed to her mother who was coming back from the cave. "Your going with your mother?" He asked. She nodded to his response then waving goodbye to them heading to her busy mother carrying a basket full of stones to craft more jewelry. Hua Jun Jei had a look of sadness that Huai Li Qi wouldn't go along with them.

Helping her mother carry it, her mother smiled seeing how helpful and happy her daughter was when they were not rich or wealthy like others. Her right eye was still covered, never once did she show anyone besides the boy she saved years ago. She could never forget such red eyes that she had seen before. "Li Qi, do you want to go to the Lantern Festival later?" Her mother mentioned.

Looking to her mother smiling, nodding to her mother, she wanted to go with her mother no matter what. She never really had anyone but her mother anyway. Setting the materials down in their workshop. Holding her mother's hand to go. "Alright then. We'll go later when the lights have started glowing. Make sure to keep your eye hidden." Her mother reminded her. Nodding in response to know that she had to keep it hidden from being found.

Night rose, folks around the town started lighting up the lanterns all working together. Watching them all, Huai Li Qi was with her mother excitedly watching everyone light the town beautifully. Walking around with her mother, going around eating pork buns and soft side dishes, they then saw Xu Lin and Hua Jun Jie together as her mother and her hid from them.

"Jun Jie! You can't keep visiting the jewelry owner's daughter. Your parents will never allow you to marry her. She just appeared one day here and she still isn't considered one of the people here." Xu Lin said. Huai Li Qi knew that Xu Lin would be like that. Possessive and telling facts to Hua Jun Jie about her and how marriage with him was impossible.

Huai Li Qi didn't want to marry him, she had enough in her first life. She didn't want to marry a man in a higher class family that sees her for her beauty or body. Her and her mother listened close as they smiled to one another that Xu Lin was trying to keep Hua Jun Jie away.

"Xu Lin, I've only seen you as my little sister. I cannot bring myself to love you in that way." Hua Jun Jie told Xu Lin.

"Jun Jie! We've been engaged to each other since we were both born. Our parents have known each other for the longest time. We've been together since birth and you are telling me that you don't love me at all." Xu Lin was angry and sad that he didn't accept her feelings.

"I'm sorry, Lin. I cannot accept your love. My love for you is like a sister. The one I love is Li Qi." He said to her. Huai Li Qi and her mother knew things were going to get complicated at this point. Xu Lin was full of rage and hate at this point for Huai Li Qi.

"Jun Jie, your parents will never accept her. If she were to marry you then she would just be your concubine in your Manor. She is no one but a low status." Xu Lin started pointing out more of Huai Li Qi's background.

"I'm going to talk to my parents about the marriage between us." Hua Jun Jie walked ahead. Xu Lin followed behind him and yelling at him to stop. Huai Li Qi sighed knowing that he would be trying to wed her when she had no agreement to it.