30. The Madness
Chapter thirty
The Madness
Monique
“Mountain Master, you're back!”
“Sir, where have you been for these past days?!”
It was not a crowd of reporters in the corridor. It was a frantic hive of swarming with people who filled every conceivable space.
“Can we get a quick interview?!”
Not even three feet in front of us, so many of them were pressed close together behind palace security.
“Mountain Master, please look over here for a quick picture!”
They were a tangle of limbs and equipment, all jostling for a better position and a clearer shot.
My eyes darted around in fear, taking in the chaotic scene.
Further behind the first rows of people, signs bobbed above heads.
Some were scrawled with bold political statements, their words demanding and accusatory.
“Peace, Not War!”
“Open the Gates! Are we not FREE?!”
Others displayed a more personal touch, adorned with photos of Lei, framed with hearts and kissy lips.
“Our Hearts belong to the Mountain Master!”
“We love you!”
My heart pounded fiercely against my ribs.
I yearned to rush back into the quiet, candlelit place we had come from.
If not for Lei's hold on me, moving on my side, tall and strong, I might have raced away.
We remained there.
Perhaps Lei wanted it all to fully sink in for me before we headed through them.
Reporters shouted over one another. The questions were like sharp darts, each one aimed with precision but fired in haste.
“Mountain Master, why did you shut down the palace today?!”
“Was it for this woman?”
Where there weren't news cameras and reporters, there were tons and tons of onlookers crowding every inch of space.
“Mountain Master, do you have any answers to the Grand Mountain Master's sudden disappearance from the East?!”
It was flashing lights, constant loud yelling, and invasive gazes.
“Mountain Master, when will you open up the East to Paradise City?!”
And the air was thick with the sound of rapid-fire questions and the incessant clicking of cameras, providing relentless rhythm to the madness and punctuating the air with its mechanical chatter.
“Mountain Master, can we get the identity of this woman that is with you?”
Then, all the cameras pointed directly to me, and more flashing came. My skin prickled with the sensation of being watched, analyzed, judged.
“Is she with the Killer Crows?!”
I was horrified, feeling like prey trapped in the gaze of a hundred predators.
My knees almost buckled.
“Is she from the West?”
My whole body quivered as if I was caught in a violent earthquake.
“Is she a visitor or will she now be serving in an official position?”
My hands shook uncontrollably.
Oh my God. Oh my God.
Yet, I maintained a straight face, hiding my turmoil under a veneer of calm.
Lei squeezed my hand, reminding me that I wasn't alone.
“Who is she?!”
And then the crowd began to divide letting two large men in blue suits go by.
Guards accompanied them.
Lei leaned my way and kept his voice low. “The tall, skinny one is Fengge. The bulky, short one is Bolin.”
A woman snapped a camera near me.
I blinked. “Okay.”
“But are you really okay?”
“It doesn't matter. Let's just get through this.”
Fengge arrived first, towering over even Lei who was already freaking tall.
“Welcome back, Mountain Master.” Fengge bowed in front of Lei.
“Don't get too excited, Fengge.” Lei smirked. “I'm still on vacation and you're in charge.”
Frowning, Fengge stood straight. “But one can dream.”
“And one can wake up.” Lei turned to Bolin as he got to my side. “What took you two so long?”
“Uncle Leo has been sneaking spies in here all day.” Bolin stole a glance at me and then put his view on Lei. “We suspect he is trying to see what you two are doing.”
I gazed at Bolin. A dragon tattoo snaked up his neck.
As if feeling my stare, he looked at me. “Welcome to the palace, Ms. Jones.”
“Thank you.”
Fengge never acknowledged me or glanced my way, but then he also quickly jumped in front of us and yelled, “Everyone, separate! The Mountain Master must get through!”
“But who is she?”
“We have a right to know!”
“What is her name?!”
Some of the palace guards began shoving reporters to the side that wouldn't back up.
“Come on!” Fengge pointed to other guards. “Let's go! We don't have all day!”
As the crowd parted, we began to move forward.
Shivering, I remembered Lei's advice and focused on one point off in the distance.
“How will you address the rising tensions in the South? Will war come?”
Lei let go of my hand and brought his arm to my waist, keeping me as close as possible to him. “I've got you.”
I put my arm around him too. There was no way I would get lost in this craziness without him.
“How will you ensure peace and stability in the East?”
We continued.
The sensation was akin to walking through a storm, the noise of voices like thunder, questions and camera clicks melding into a merciless torrent.
“What message do you have for the East's youth?”
The flash of cameras was blinding, transforming the corridor into a strobe-lit gauntlet filled with lightning. My eyes struggled to adjust, darting from face to face, each one a mask of fervent curiosity, each expression etched with an unspoken demand for answers.
“Are you consulting with your father on current economic issues?”
Lei and I were the eye of the storm, moving steadily through the swirling vortex of curiosity and speculation surrounding us.
And then things began to get tighter as more reporters refused to move without Lei answering.
The guards pushed and the reporters shoved.
I thought several fights were about to break out.
“Get out of here!” Fengge elbowed several away. “Come on! That’s enough! Back it up!”
As we moved forward, the crowd seemed to breathe with us, expanding and contracting like a living entity.
The poor palace guards' efforts to maintain order were met with resistance.
Each step was a battle, a small victory against the overwhelming force of public interest.
One man reached out to me. His fingers barely grazed my arm before a guard gently but firmly pushed him back.
“Fengge, have someone grab that man.” Lei glared. “Keep him under the palace for tonight. I want to talk to him later.”
“Yes, sir.” Fengge pointed to two guards. “Get that guy! Now!”
I squeezed past several guards and remained close to Lei. “What are you going to do?”
Lei tilted my way and brushed his lips against my ear.
Cameras flashed.
He whispered, “I’m just going to have a conversation with him.”
“Don’t do anything crazy.”
“Me? Doing something crazy over you?” He grinned. “Never.”
Oh God.
As Fengge and Bolin cleared a path, the crowd seemed to surge forward with renewed vigor.
Reporters—with microphones thrust forward like weapons—maneuvered for any gap they could find, their questions crashing over us like relentless breakers.
“Lei! Look here!”
Lei's arm around my waist was the only thing anchoring me in this chaos. I clung to him, feeling the press of bodies all around us. The guards struggled to maintain a barrier. The reporters remained relentless, each one fighting for their own slice of the story.
And the crowd continued to breathe and move as one entity, pulsing and writhing with each step we took.
“Answer us!”
Many of the guards had to use their bodies as shields, pushing back against the press of people. It was a physical struggle, a slow, grinding advance through a human forest dense with curiosity and excitement.
“Enough!” Bolin took out his gun and pointed at several in front. “Get out of the way!”
Lei scowled. “Bolin, don't shoot any of them. You know the rules.”
“Yes, sir.” Frowning, Bolin lowered his gun but didn't put it back in his holster.
Still, due to that gun, many hurried away while others came up.
Somehow, we slid through.
Shit!
The press of bodies was overwhelming. Heat emanated from the crowd, the warmth of so many people packed so closely together.
Someone shoved a microphone in my face. “What's your name and why are you here?”
Bolin shoved the man away. He fell back into others, yet that didn't stop the questions or more people trying to bring the microphone toward me.
Lei's arm around my waist was the only anchor in the shifting sea of faces, his grip firm and reassuring.
“Mountain Master, what designer are you wearing today?”
The air was thick with the scent of sweat and perfume.
Lei had mentioned the various sections of people. We must have been in the entertainment and lifestyle section now.
“Will the Charity ball still be held this year?”
To my shock, Lei stopped us and turned to the woman who had asked.
Everyone held their breaths, including me.
Some even froze right there.
Lei nodded at her. “The ball is an event that has always been important to my mother. It will be held this year, right on time.”
“T-thank you, Mountain Master.” She looked like she was about to pass out. “And can I get the identity of this woman?”
Several people hushed others.
Many leaned forward.
I turned my view to him.
He wore a confident expression. “While I would like to keep her identity private to allow her. . .peaceful adjustment to the East, there will be a more formal speech coming soon.”
His words struck like a bolt of lightning, eliciting a collective gasp from the stunned crowd.
However, Lei's declaration had only fueled more curiosity.
“But Mountain Master, why the secrecy?”
Then, Lei guided us forward. “We're coming up to the gossip bloggers. Just ignore them.”
“Okay.”
Their questions cascaded over each other in a frenzy, each one louder and more demanding than the last.
“Is she related to the current political situation?”
Amidst the pandemonium, a few bold reporters tried to edge closer, their microphones stretched out like weapons.
“Could her arrival signal a new alliance with the Killer Crows?”
His grip on my waist tightened slightly.
“Is it true that you have been on drugs? Was she the one that got you to start?”
Almost past the middle of the corridor, I could see the elevator getting closer.
The press of bodies became more intense, the air hotter and heavier.
Yet, Lei's presence was a shield, protecting me from the overwhelming attention.
“Is she the reason why the Grand Mountain Master left? Did he not approve of this woman?”
Lei glared at the man and pushed us by him.
I shivered.
Lei whispered in my ear. “We're almost done, Moni.”
I nodded.
The flurry of questions, the flashes of cameras, it all blurred into the background as I focused solely on Lei, on the connection we shared that no amount of public scrutiny could diminish.
“Is she the reason why you closed the East?!”
The guards struggled to maintain order, their faces etched with concentration as they worked to create a deeper path through the turbulent sea of reporters and onlookers.
“Is she why you have been missing?”
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, we reached the elevator.
Thank God.
My chest rose and fell.
I had never dealt with any form of social anxiety in my life, but this moment tested that.
How does he live like this?
Now I understood even more why his mother hated being in the palace and preferred Lotus Blossom.
There was no way I could do this every day.
It would make me crazy. They would have me on camera fighting this person and that.
Some of those damn questions were bullshit.
How long could I walk by stupid stuff like that and keep my mouth closed?
Finally, we reached the elevator.
Lei rushed us on.
Bolin and Fengge came too.
Lei shook his head. “We won't need you upstairs.”
More of his men hurried on.
Fengge sighed. “Unfortunately, sir. There's a crowd upstairs too.”
“Who the fuck is crowding that level?”
“Your harem and our aunts.”
Lei groaned in annoyance.
Bolin bobbed his head. “But it won't be as bad as this. We have men maintaining a path to your bedroom.”
The doors closed, cutting off the flashing lights and loud voices.
Lei looked like he was about to scream. Instead, he sighed again and gazed at me. “I’m sorry you had to go through this, Moni. It can be bad walking around the palace but not this damn bad.”
“It's like you’re the president.”
“I hold more control over their day-to-day lives than the president, so to them, I am.”
The elevator rose.
“I’m sorry I didn’t get the chance to say hi earlier.” Fengge looked at me. “Welcome to the East, Ms. Jones. Duck has already told us a lot about you.”
I widened my eyes. “Well. . .I hope Duck said nice things.”
Fengge smirked. “Probably too many nice things.”
Lei frowned.
Glad to be out of that chaos, I leaned against Lei and was grateful for his protection and the safety of his presence. That walk had been a rough reminder of the life Lei lived—one where privacy was a luxury and every moment was under scrutiny.
Lei kept his arm around me and traced small circles on my hip. “Are you alright?”
“Yes, thanks to you.”
Lei's expression softened. “You'll never have to deal with shit like that on your own. Okay?”
“Yes.”
“We would always face that together.”
“Okay.”
The elevator stopped.
The doors opened and tons of bald-headed women in blue cookie monster pajamas greeted me.
These chicks are crazy.