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sunlight filters through the leaves and spotlights the various florae that fill the carefully manicured garden. however, ‘garden’ is perhaps inadequate to appropriately describe such a devotion of labour and love. a slice of eden on earth, it’s as though all time stops here.
even the most fleeting of glances would reveal the fervor with which flowers were chosen and sown. precision defines every corner of the estate, every choice intentional and yet subtle at the same time. it was perhaps no surprise that mo yi studied horticulture in his free time.
he prided himself on having an eye for beauty, even that of the most imperceptible kind. and roses, abundant in his garden, were the most beautiful flower of them all. he kept red roses all over his house: in the kitchen, in his music room, in his study, and even next to his bed.
the rest of his home reflected his love and attraction for all things beautiful as well. poetry books littered his shelves. art pieces worthy of a royal’s private collection adorned his walls. his china was full of various antique and vintage teacups and coasters. a gorgeous grand piano served as a centerpiece in his home and music books filled with his careful notation were kept nearby, neatly shelved and organized. a classic phonograph can be found in his study.
mo yi believed that he managed to collect and display all of the most aesthetically beautiful things this world had to offer. he felt content and serene, not a wave of turbulence in his heart. everything was in order, as it was meant to be.
but he met her and soon suddenly all the roses seemed dull and drab next to her. the same paintings that made his heart swell before no longer excited him. his favorite pieces of classical music no longer moved him and even his favorite desserts and tea has lost their magnificent tastes. he knew exactly why from the very first moment he met her.
love at first sight was not becoming of the ever rational mo yi. and yet he had fallen for her at their very first meeting, a meeting of chance and convenient circumstances. and in that time since he only grew to adore her more. slowly, she added far more beauty into his life and home than he could ever have imagined possible. music sounded better with her, art looked more beautiful with her, and even tea tasted better with her.
he did everything possible to capture her attention. he found himself displaying behaviours and feeling emotions more unlike himself with every passing day. he had initially invited her to audit his classes but soon seeing her sitting in the last row wasn’t enough. he quizzed her concepts he knew she had a hard time with until she asked if he could teach them to her privately over the weekends. he, of course, gracefully accepted.
he often also offered to drive her home after class. on a few occasions, he drove her home after nxx meetings, which she gladly accepted. there was never any sign that she felt uncomfortable with this, instead chatting away with mo yi the whole ride home before bidding him goodbye with a grin. one day, he surprised her after work. she recognized his car right away. dr. mo, why are you here? is something wrong? you didn’t even call.
the look of concern was adorable on her face, and he simply shook his head and gestured for her to get in. dinners after work between the two of them slowly became commonplace. mo yi always insisted he had just arrived, making sure she never knew how long he had actually waited for her to leave her office each day.
and when he had the chance, he appealed to her emotions and garnered sympathy for himself, tears and all. all so that he could feel her warmth and even for a moment, be in her arms. he lost himself with her and for a second, his mask slipped. though unaware that she had caught his expression in that moment, he managed to recollect himself and quickly reassure that what she had seen must have been an illusion.
jealousy was not something mo yi ever thought himself capable of either, much less the silent anger that came along with it. who was there to be jealous of? who was capable of stealing what was his and his alone? his desperation to have her was growing, and the rational part of him being pushed to the side as a more selfish side of him rose from recesses of his mind.
selfish, at best; obsessive, at worst.
it had started out simple enough. inviting her for afternoon tea and a visit to an art exhibition or musical theater. she often said yes with an excited grin, exciting his own racing heart. but when work or their colleagues would seemingly get in the way, mo yi took the liberty to have cases reassigned, whether from themis or nxx. he managed it… somehow, and she was none the wiser. he knew how she had quickly enamored their team, and he couldn’t risk one of the others spending more time than necessary with her.
zuo ran would have worried him most, being her superior at work and thus having the most access to her, were he not woefully inexperienced and insecure. mo yi had his suspicions when the senior lawyer had suddenly nominated her to join nxx, and upon meeting her, his suspicions were proven correct. unfortunately for zuo ran, inviting her to join their team and requiring a psychological evaluation had sealed his fate to silently pinning for her eternally.
should he have felt guilty for setting his eyes on another’s object of affection? perhaps, but mo yi was justified, was he not? what could zuo ran or any of the others provide for her that he could not?
though he grew ever impatient with her, he was a gentleman. he would never coerce her into a position when he knew he could just as easily guide her to it. and so he continued their gentle waltz, inviting her to functions while maintaining her absolute attention on him at all times.
the fruits of his slow, meticulous labour slowly started to bloom. she had come to him one sunday afternoon, when their private tutoring was over, with a question that left him absolutely buzzing.
i’m still trying to understand; why doesn’t zuo ran trust you?
why ask that all of a sudden? mo yi forces himself to keep his face emotionless and uninterested.
she rambles off, listing many of his ‘extraordinary’ qualities, and finds herself unable to square it with the subtle warning zuo ran had given when she was first sent of to mo yi’s house with a placebo package in tow.
perhaps he feels inferior to me. he freezes momentarily, worrying he had spoken too honestly.
but after a moment, she chuckles next to him. he glances at her, eyes slightly wide.
it’s certainly hard not to feel so in your presence, dr. mo.
and though zuo ran was her partner at work, rosa often called mo yi when she needed assistance. what would start as calls for help with cases would devolve into friendly banter and sometimes even flirtatious. at first she kept things as professional as possible between her and mo yi, but that thin line was getting thinner by the day.
at one point, without even realizing exactly when, mo yi had become her days and evenings, her mornings and nights, her noon and midnights. her stays at his house became more frequent, as she turned him down for a dinner reservation to instead help him cook at home instead. she didn’t know how, but suddenly it felt so natural to be by his side. just how did they get so close?
mo yi could only smile to himself as he watched her crouching among the roses in his garden. she wasn’t entirely his just yet, but she certainly wasn’t anyone else’s either. her belongings had started to pile up in his guest room, evidence of her long stays at his residence. when she was done with work, she would rush downstairs to where he was waiting for her, as always. she worked better in his study than at themis, according to her.
lost in his thoughts, her voice calling out his name quickly broke mo yi out of his daze. she was absolutely brilliant and dazzling, shining brightly among the flowers. he set his teacup down, walking over to where she was. he eyed the rings and bracelets that glinted on her fingers and wrists, as well as the empty spot on her ring finger.
a small velvet box with a simple silver band, a promise ring, sat untouched in mo yi’s bedroom. he knew he could give it to her today, and she would jump into his arms. but, a part of him was uncharacteristically afraid. he didn't want to frighten her away and lose her to someone else. and so he bided his time. he wanted to become irreplaceable in her world, and make it so that he was the only one she could depend on. he wanted her to be as infatuated and obsessed with him as he was with her.
he wanted her for himself entirely. and he was willing to wait until she only saw him in this world. then, of course, he would take full responsibility for her. and of her.