" stop" repeated Su Wan and Lin Yan stopped not because he wanted to but because her grip on his hands was a lot more hurtful now that his mind was back to his senses. He looked up and swallowed because Su Wan looking at him with that inquisitive stare that he didn't like one bit, she was confused most likely not understanding what was wrong with him.
How can she when you didn't tell her? sneered his consciousness. Lin Yan wished that his consciousness would just go up a cliff and jump down it because it was all because of it that he was so miserable.
His days were getting better and better, weren't the officials building a bridge in the next village or something? Maybe he should go there and try his luck, if his luck was really this bad then maybe the bridge would fall right on top of him and end his misery.
" you are hurt," said Su Wan though she wanted to ask what was wrong with Lin Yan. They had a lot more to worry about his weirdness, though he was staring at her with a blank face, fingers still twitching because of the sheer torture they had to suffer when Lin Yan went ahead and grabbed a blazing hot pot with them. Distantly, she registered that Lin Yan's hands were sticky and warm. He dropped the pot when it was still on the stove which meant it was hot – really hot. And he didn't flinch instead he rushed to clean up the mess.
Su Wan didn't know what was wrong with him, she literally had no idea. Lin Yan was acting weird since the morning, he was completely out of it and the most important thing was that he didn't even go out yesterday. There was no way, he would be this shaken up by his brothers, was there? She wanted to ask what was wrong with him, shake the answers out of his throat but first, she needed to treat his burns. The sight of his red skin was burning her eyes as well.
" alright out with it, What's wrong? why are you acting like you just got caught stealing " said Su Wan as she slowly and softly cleaned Lin Yan's burned skin " you are acting like someone is chasing you… is everything okay?"
Lin Yan didn't know how to respond, he so freaking wanted to jump ten feet high in the air. However, he managed to tame his jumpy nerves as he grinned " it's nothing, I just had a very bad dream – you know something about your uncle chasing me with a cleaver or something"
What Lin Yan didn't say was that he would have loved to have this dream instead of the nightmare he had last night. After the prank that Luo Xin pulled on him, he was too afraid to even close his eyes. And when his body couldn't take it anymore and closed on its own – he was back in that dark room tied to ropes with that she monster in front of him.
Though Lin Yan pretended that he was fine something still bothered Su Wan. His smile was the same and so was he, but today his smile bothered Su Wan on a visceral level.
" Are you sure?"
" Yeah, it was just my mind – nothing, I mean I was acting a bit like a scatter rain. Everyone has those days don't they?"
" well they do but-"
" exactly, let's go and prepare the breakfast or Lin Chen would come hounding asking us to bring his breakfast – and I don't want to listen to his babbling about how we are starving him, that's so annoying right?"
' no, Lin Chen is not someone who babbles. He charges in, snatches what he wants and then leaves but babbling, no he wasn't the babbling type but as for you' thought Su Wan as she stared at Lin Yan's hurrying back. Something was up even if her husband wouldn't tell her, she knew he was hiding something.
Lin Yan knew he messed up now he had two inquisitive gazes locked on him. He didn't have the slightest bit of idea how he finished his breakfast, of course since he burned his hands by ' accident', the cleaning job was taken over by Lin Chen who volunteered after seeing his hands wrapped in thick gauze. Of course, Su Wan's explanation of his stupidity helped.
So, he was free. With no bowls to clean and it's being physically impossible for him to go to the restaurant.
Lin Yan wanted to sleep again to fill up the sleep that he missed on but as he laid down on the bed, he couldn't even close his eyes. He rolled here and then rolled there before jumping up and walking out of his room.
He needed to breathe some fresh air or else ge might go mad. He left his room and went to the front yard – generally he always took a walk in the back yard but after yesterday night's incident he was too scared to go there alone. So he came here in the front where he could see everyone and everything coming and going. Here, Luo Xin wouldn't come to attack him because as a rich woman who has a decent business in the town and capital she too has an image to withhold. There was no chance for her to stand on the road in front of his house and –
His train of thoughts paused, he just walked past by Lin Yu's room when he felt someone's presence behind him. His breath hitched as he tried to stable his shaky hands but it was no good – All he could focus on was the presence behind him looming like a death harbinger, dark and menacing, it wanted him. He couldn't move a finger nor could he bring himself to look who was behind him . He couldn't move. He felt like he was trapped.
He felt his demons escape and touch him in the most intimate way he could think of .
And he screamed.
