The Hidden Moon by Jeannie Lin

Author:Jeannie Lin [Lin, Jeannie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Jeannie Lin

Gao woke up the next morning on a bed where he could stretch out his full height. Instead of the creaks, groans, and voices of the tenement, there was silence. A servant brought a hot bowl of congee to him and, a little later, a wash basin filled with clean water. He’d known life was different up in the mansions, but he didn’t realize how different.

Once he’d composed himself, he opened the study door to see Wei-wei seated outside in the garden. It was striking to see her in the morning, first thing. Her skin glowing in the early sunlight. She was looking at him now, unlike yesterday, but there was no warmth in her eyes. Something had changed between them.

As he came closer, her demeanor remained cold.

“You were the one who attacked my brother,” she stated calmly.

He stopped cold. At least that explained things. “It took a long time for him to tell you.”

“You could have killed him, but you didn’t. That doesn’t make you heroic.”

“It doesn’t.”

“You’re a scoundrel and you always have been.”

Pain flickered behind her cold mask. It hurt him to see it. He’d always known she would come to her senses, but maybe he had started to hope.

“I should go,” he offered.

“Why didn’t you kill my brother?” She couldn’t even look at him.

“That never was the job. You can’t collect money from a corpse.”

“A job. Just business then.” She plucked at the floral pattern on her hanfu.

“Just…business.”

She shook her head in disgust. “Maybe you should go now,” she said faintly.

To explain himself would mean telling her about the darkest parts of his life. That he was hired out to the worst of people. He did what he was told to do. There were other men, more desperate than he was, who would take him out to have his place.

They called him brother and treated him with respect because he’d done unspeakable things. And even that respect was only temporary.

Gao didn’t need to explain any of this to Wei-wei. She didn’t know what his life was like, but she was clever enough to figure things out. From the way she avoided his eyes, she didn’t want the details. She already knew enough and it sickened her.

He’d lost her. Not because of her family’s disapproval or her betrothal to the wealthy, illustrious, and honorable Magistrate Li. Gao had lost her because of his own poor character. He could only hide the truth for so long.

“Before he goes, we should talk.”

They both looked up, startled by Bai Huang’s voice. “All of us,” he added.

Inside the study, Huang took his seat behind the desk. He looked every bit the scholar-official, and not at all the dice-enthralled playboy Gao had come to know. Wei-wei lowered herself onto the wooden couch where Gao had slept. Gao remained standing with his back up against the wall. Something told him it was best to keep his distance.

“I thought over what Gao told me yesterday,” Huang began. “And I requested some records from the magistrate’s office this morning.

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