My Husband is the Emperor : I Woke Up With a Husband

When the page flipped to the second albums the last pages were empty without any pictures placed inside the clear file. Li Lian noticed how there was no more pictures until the last page and her finger turned the page backward to see the date of the last picture. Unknowingly, Li Lian found the date of the picture was about two month before her kidnapping accident.

Li Lian didn’t know what to say. Was this a terrible coincidence? Or was as she thought Madam Li was hiding something? Her eyes went to the elderly woman. Li Lian didn’t want to jump into the conclusion and fire her question and made Madam Li uncomfortable. She had to be subtle, Li Lian thought and carefully she asked, "Is the picture continue to the next album?" and Li Lian kept an eye on how Madam Li’s lips pursed and was set to a single line.

"I thought you know," Jin Nu Yuan who had been quiet couldn’t let any chance she could use to show who was the person who know most in the house, "The pictures stopped after brother Wei’s accident."

Li Lian shifted her eyes from Jin Nu Yuan to Madam Li who nodded at her, "Is it Jun Wei’s right hand’s accident?" a tone of carefulness could be pick from Li Lian’s words.

"Yes. Since that day, we didn’t have any chances to take picture as he was in rehabilitation and that time, we didn’t think that Jun Wei would like to have his picture taken. It was a very horrible time for us." said Madam Li with distress. Li Lian could sense the woman was being truthful with her words.

Li Lian found something odd that she hold in her mind. Li Jun Wei’s accident must be a great shock for the family but even after Li Jun Wei’s parents death there was still pictures of him taken. There was also the question Li Lian had to herself. Was the one who taken the picture was it really Madam and Master Li?

"Can I ask what happened that day?" asked Li Lian to Madam Li and she took another look at the pictures she passed by earlier.

When turning the page, Li Lian noticed something there was one picture in the same second album where Li Jun Wei was standing with two people behind him. The two people was not the late Mr and Mrs Li who had passed away but Master and Madam Li. This confirmed Li Lian that there was someone who took the picture and possibility there was picture that continued the album to the last page but someone had picked the picture from the album.

If Master and Madam Li wasn’t the one who hide the accident it could be possible there was someone else who helped them or all this time it was the old couple all along. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"It was when Jun Wei had just passed the second year of middle school, the window glass that was assigned to change the window weren’t careful enough and the glass fell right at the time Jun Wei passed by, he had a bad timing." explained Madam Li with her head nodded at herself.

"Is it in this house?" asked Li Lian again to have Madam Li nodding again to her reply. She then took a way to ask, "Why did you needed to change the window?"

For a moment, Li Lian noticed the prolonged silence coming from Madam Li. She didn’t reply which was understandable is she try to remember it but she doubted the silence was because Madam Li was trying to remember. It was a silence of hesitation.

Madam Li turned at Li Lian, a smile coming on her lips that disappeared since the beginning of the conversation, "I don’t really remember why. I think it was because we saw a crack on the window and had to chance that one window. It is a story of years ago, most of us don’t remember much anymore." Madam Li took the third album to place it on Li Lian’s hand, taking the second album away from her hand.

Li Lian found the behavior a little strange but pressing would be weirder. She took the third album that were lighter, "I have one more question, grandmother, who took the picture, I can see that they have been taking the picture with loveliness."

"Did you? I’m glad to hear that, it was us who took the picture. Some times it would be me or my husband." Li Lian hummed in exchange, her eyes shifting to the third album keeping her own thought in the silence.

That was one lie but why would they need to lie about that? Li Lian didn’t drew her brows but inwardly the gear on her mind continued to find how many holes she stumbled upon from Madam Li’s words.

When Li Lian flipped the first page of the third album, there was pictures of Li Jun Wei who had grown older, he was taller compared to Li Xiao Chen who was beside him that was still young and smiling at the picture. She couldn’t see the age difference now as the two brother were standing together but through the pictures, Li Lian saw how the age difference really stood out between the two.

The last picture Li Lian had was a picture of Li Jun Wei graduating middle school as the third album only consisted of two pages of picture. "Is this all the pictures, grandmother?" asked Li Lian to Madam Li and the old woman smiled at her.

"The rest is with Xiao Chen. He wants to have a keepsake to remember their past. Jun Wei doesn’t see the album often but Xiao Chen love to see them." replied Madam Li who helped Li Lian to place the third album when she was done with seeing the pictures. How odd, Li Lian thought. What was the need of the third album if they could have moved the picture into the empty space of the second album? Unless there was pictures once in the album that was taken out.

"Do you want some pictures, Li Lian? You could take a few." said Madam Li but Li Lian didn’t see the need to have the picture when she had memorized and the real person was with her.

"Thank you but I think I would be fine without one," replied Li Lian and Jin Nu Yuan frowned. The picture was rare taken out much less given to others but Li Lian had the gall to say no. If it was her, she would have agreed in less than a second.

Madam Li had a few questions she wish to ask with Li Lian however with Jin Nu Yuan, she didn’t want to appear nosy to Li Lian and instead, the older woman asked, "You must be adorable when you were a child do you have your own picture?"

Picture thought Li Lian and her smile was slowly pulled at the mention, reminding Madam Li that Li Lian’s family consisted of horrible member and she had asked the wrong question, "I don’t think I have one. Maybe I do when I was baby but I doubt my parents still keep them."

"They really hate you." Jin Nu Yuan remarked and Madam Li looked at her granddaughter who had carelessly point out the worse point she could.

"Nu Yuan." Madam Li pressed her name to remind her. Jin Nu Yuan was startled by her grandmother who had called her name with a stern expression only for Li Lian. The seductress!

Instead of keeping down, Jin Nu Yuan who couldn’t hold her tongue continued, "Did it hurt you, Li Lian? I’m sorry if I did." Li Lian heard how there were no remorse in the young woman’s words, "I just feel that they were too evil for being your family. Are they really your family? Maybe you were picked by the wrong family. There is something called DNA test, next time you should come to the hospital I’m working in to check if you are really their family. It is often heard how apple doesn’t fall far from the tree." Jin Nu Yuan directed the last sentence toward Li Lian and she rolled her eyes when their gaze met.

"They are my genuine family but some time blood doesn’t define a person, Nu Yuan." Li Lian spoke using the tone of an older woman to a young person that had Jin Nu Yuan to have her lips twitch slightly. "One person maybe born from a family of killer but it doesn’t mean that all the descendants of the family would be killer. I think it would be too childish and too small minded for us to judge people by their lineage."

Jin Nu Yuan’s lips that were smiling smugly now fell and her lips were slightly parted in surprise. Did Li Lian just called her childish and small minded aloud in front of her grandmother?

"In the past, I was judged by others that way that’s why I know speaking from experience how it hurts for being the one hated for being judged." Li Lian spoke to Madam Li who sympathized with her and held her hand warmly as if to encourage her.

"If you ever meet your parents again and they do anything to you tell me, now that you are a family member of Li, they would not be able to do anything to you."

"Thank you grandmother." Li Lian smiled thankfully at the woman and Jin Nu Yuan could only clutched tight to her skirt. She didn’t know how Li Lian had done it but whenever she tried to trap Li Lian with her words instead it backfired to her! As if she bad luck had soaked on her that stayed at her!