I Love Your Sister
I am writing this novel. Started in 2007 as a spur of the moment thing but my younger brother liked it and he asked me to continue writing the chapters... I stopped for a long while in 2008.. but I was recently encouraged to continue.. It might be amateurish to you and I don't know who will like it but here goes..
Chapter 1
“Mei! Wake up! You’re going to be
late for school!” Xu yelled at his sister’s bedroom door.
He walked away shaking his head.
Yuchen Xu dotes on his sister, Yuchen Mei, very much. They were the only ones
left of their family after their parents died in a murder. As the elder
sibling, Xu had to play the part of both a father and mother to Mei. It was
very tough for Xu, who was still, at the same time, pursuing his university
studies in order to take over his father’s business empire.
Xu and Mei both had traumatic
childhood experiences. They grew up with nightmares of their parents being
brutally murdered. Xu was very strong for a twenty-one year old. He had to be.
Five years back, when the incident happened, Mei used to cry every night. She
was just thirteen then. She became so quiet and afraid to be alone even for a
minute and went into fits every time she was left alone by herself so Xu had to
take her to see a psychiatrist. Mei was admitted to psychiatric hospital for
treatment for three years before she was deemed to be fully recovered.
Mei was more cheerful when she was
back in the comfort of her own home and was with Xu. He was all it took to make
Mei smile no matter how she was feeling. There was nothing about Mei that Xu
didn’t know of. Mei never did anything that would upset her brother because she
knew how much he had sacrificed for her, how much he has worried about her and
how much he had done for her. To Mei, Xu was everything.
“Mei! For the last time! Get out of
bed already. You’re going to be late for school. Hurry and get dressed! I’ll
drop you off on my way to campus! Mei!” Xu yelled again, knocking the door harder
this time but there was still no response. “Mei! I’m going to be very angry at
you if you don’t get up now! I won’t talk to…”
The door swung open and there she
was, his sister leaning against the door, arms folded across her chest. She was
already dressed all ready to go to school. Xu smiled and sighed.
“Xu-Ge... I wished you wouldn’t do
that every morning. It pains my ears and head to hear you ranting every
morning. It’s not like I’ve done something bad. See? You must have thought I
was still abed didn’t you? I was getting ready. When you yelled, I was in the
bathroom. Good lord…” Mei explained shaking her head as they walked down the
corridor of Mei’s bedroom.
“Alright. Alright. I do wish you
would wake up a little earlier. I have to drop you on my way to school and it’s
quite a distance from your school. You do know that right? I’ll be late for
school.” Xu continued to nag at his sister while walking down the sixty-step
marbled staircase of their home.
“Ge,” Mei stopped in her tracks and
turned to face Xu who also had stopped. “If it’s a burden for you to send me to
school, then it’s ok. I’ll take the bus instead. I don’t want you to be late
for school and get into a row with your lecturers because of me.” Mei said to
her brother with a sad expression on her face that made Xu feel guilty. “From
tomorrow onwards, I will go to school myself. I’ll take the bus like everyone
else.”
“Mei... You’re not a burden to me.
You never were and never will be.” Xu told Mei, his eyes drooping as though Mei
had said something that hurt him very much. He took Mei by the shoulders and
looked into her eyes. “I love you very much and I will do anything for you. You
know that. You know I will go through anything so long as you are happy and
safe Mei. I will never let anyone hurt you and take you away from me, never.
You‘re all that I have.”
Mei couldn’t help but feel guilty
for what she had said before. She stared her brother face. She gave up and stamped her foot on the
steps. Mei frowned and put her hands on her hips.
“Argh! You always do that! You never
give me a chance to win once in a while. You always win! I don’t know how you
do it but you’re good. Damn good. Looks like I have to try even HARDER next
time.” Mei sulked.
Xu burst out laughing on the
staircase and ruffled Mei’s long black hair before skipping down the remaining
steps, leaving Mei behind.
“Hahaha... You shouldn’t have
bothered trying in the first place if you knew that I’ll win.” Xu teased. “Come
on. We’re really going to be late if we don’t make a move now.”
Mei could only smile at her brother
before skipping down the stairs to join him. She knew that her brother meant
every word he said. She hugged him around the waist and they both headed for
the door.
“Shao Ye, Xiao Jie, Have a nice
day.” Their servants at the door greeted them as they passed by. Xu and Mei
nodded in acknowledgement before getting into Xu’s white Mercedes convertible.
Xu sped up as they went along. It
was their routine every morning. Xu would have to wake Mei up and they would test
each other before heading to school. Should Mei wake up earlier, then they
would squeeze in breakfast into their schedule but today was like any other day
of the year. Xu looked at Mei, who was singing along to the songs that were
played, and smiled. The wind blew her hair all over the place. She stopped
singing and cursed the wind.
I wish you would be this happy all
the time. I wish I could bear your troubles. I wish you never had to go through
what you did. If it meant you not hurting, I wished you were never my sister.
The white Mercedes came to a halt in
front of Sakura High School, Mei’s school. She stopped singing and stared into
space, her face grim with reluctance.
Worst part of my morning. I wish we didn’t
have to pretend to be living a normal life but I will do it for you Xu.
“Mei... Shall I get Ah Yie Shu-Shu
(uncle) to drive your bike here or do you want me to pick you up after school?”
Xu called to break Mei’s daze. “A penny for your thoughts? Is something wrong?
Are you alright?” Xu asked looking a little worried.
“Huh? No... no... Nothing’s wrong...
I was just... Never mind. Don’t ask Ah Yie Shu-Shu to send the bike over. I want
you to pick me up. My classes end at…” Mei did not finish her sentence when her
name was called out loudly.
“YUCHEN MEI!!!! FINALLY decided to
show up, did you?!” It was Lin Jingmei, Mei’s only friend in school. “We’re going to be late. Classes are already
starting.”
Mei nodded her head and raised her
hand to acknowledge her friend. She turned around to face Xu. “This is why I
hate taking leave from school for long periods of time. I finish at five in the
evening. Don’t be late. I’ll get upset. Have a good day, stop thinking about me.”
Mei kissed Xu on the cheek and
winked at her brother before she hopped out. Xu smiled at his sister as she skipped
towards her friend. He was well aware of how she felt about going back to
school. He stayed till she turned to him to wave goodbye.
Mei
watched her brother’s car leave the school ground before turning around to face
Jingmei, who was only inches apart from her. Mei gasped and looked at Jingmei
as though she had gone mad.
“What are you trying to do, scaring
me like that?! Are you trying to kill me?” Mei asked her 2nd year
junior. Jingmei was still staring hard at Mei. “What?!”
“I have bad news, I have good news.
Which one do you want to hear first?” Jingmei asked with a serious tone.
“Give me the good news first. Being here
itself is bad news. Spill the good news first than blow me with the bad news.”
Mei told Jingmei as they walked into the school campus.
“Okay. As you wish. The good news
is, my class is just above yours this year and the bad news is, if we don’t
speed up, we’ll get detention.” Jingmei said pacing up in her steps.
Mei could only sigh and roll her
eyes at Jingmei’s lame joke. Mei always found Jingmei adorable that way. Aways
seemed to be in a rush, always running after something or classes, even when
she wasn’t late but if there was a reason for Mei to be at school, it would be
Jingmei.
Jingmei was Mei’s 2nd year junior
who got acquainted to Mei when she was being bullied by the school varsity team
on her first day. She was rescued by Mei admist the varsity team’s effort to
bully Jingmei simply because they found Jingmei to be nerdy. Mei was not one to
get involved in other’s problems but nothing had gone right for her that eventful
day. The annoying voice and high-pitched laughter of the varsity team and their
insults was the last thing Mei needed to hear. So, like a knight to a damsel,
Mei strode across the lounge grabbed a sobbing Jingmei by the arm and led her
away to another table before returning to the varsity team. Not a single sound
was heard in the lounge as Mei gave them a piece of her mind and finished off
by splashing an innocent blueberry milkshake onto CaiYe’s beautiful Dior white
top and announcing that Jingmei was not to be touched by anyone les they wish
to incur her wrath. Since then, Jingmei had always been by Mei’s side.
Mei was one of the more well-known
people in school because she was amongst the richest students in school, be
exact, the richest girl in school. Being blessed with stunning beauty naturally
made her a target for hatred. It did not help that Mei had rejected the varsity
team’s invitation to be a part of the. That was when the enmity between them
began. Mei was also popular amongst the school boys, which some of whom she has
never even spoken to. They seem to know more about her then she did.
To
be fair, the entire school knows her past better than she does. Mei was also
frequently talked about, by the teachers of her school. There were times when
Mei would absent herself from school for long periods of time because of an appointment
with the doctor or simply because she was too tired from racing the previous
night.
She raced three times a week as a
hobby with a bunch of street boys. Xu did not bother trying to stop her because
he believed that racing kept her mind off of the traumatic memories and made
her happy. Mei preferred speeding on her Ducati 1098 than spending time in the
dance studio, an extra-curricular activity that she had to take up at school.
Despite her reluctance to it, she was rather good. Her dance instructor adored her
passion and energy when she was on the dance floor which did not help her
popularity with the varsity team and drew further jealousy from them.
In
the past they had tried to sabotage Mei, switching her tape with some other
tapes. Mei got pissed off and went into a rage, almost strangling her fellow
schoolmate. Since then, they did had left her tapes alone and kept their
distance, most likely waiting for an opportune moment.
Mei could not fathom why her
schoolmates would not just leave her alone, which was what she wanted more than
anything else. She did not see why they would want to trouble her when she has
done nothing wrong. Mei tried very hard to keep a relatively low profile in
school but often to no avail.
Beautiful day. Too bad I have to
be in this dumb place. Sigh... Mei said to herself as she walked along the
basketball court. Jingmei and herself were heading towards their locker and it
was so much easier to cross the court than weave through buildings to get to
it. The only thing Mei hated about it was that there were always people on the
court.
Wasting their energy here so
early in the morning instead of paying attention in class. What a waste.
Mei thought.
“MEI!! You’re back in school
already!”
Mei stopped in her tracks and looked
across the court. Jun Yin. Her
classmate, who was surrounded by his bandit of perverts who seemed to have
nothing else in mind but short skirts and dirty magazines and they were jogging
in her direction. Mei rolled her eyes and picked up her speed. Jun yin and his
friends ran after Mei with their school bags and closed in on her.
“Mei, where have you been? You were
away from school for two weeks this time. Are you alright?” Jun yin asked.
“I heard you went back to the
hospital because you had an attack again. Is that true?” another asked.
“Fa Yun told me that you went into a
rage and almost killed somebody. Then you got called down to the police station
and they sent you to psychiatric hospital. Did you really kill somebody?” Hun
Fa asked.
“Did you really do it? Did you?” Jun
Yin asked again.
Mei was at the verge of screaming
her head off. She stopped in her tracks, closed her eyes and took a deep
breath. She looked up at the boys with threatening. The boys took a step back in
fear that Mei might hurt them if they had offended her. Mei glanced at each of
the fear-stricken boys’ faces and lowered her eyes and looked on the ground.
“He didn’t die. There was just
SO..MUCH… blood… He slipped into a coma.” Mei said. The boys gasped in fear.
Even Jingmei looked scared. “He asked so many questions. He talked too much. It
was getting on my nerves.”
Mei then raised her eyes and stared
at Jun Yin’s face. He was turning purple and looked as though he was about to
cry. “I had to shut him up. I had to. So I punched his nose a few times before
he fell on the ground. He was bleeding and was crying for help. So noisy. So
annoying.” Mei then looked at Hun Fa, tilted her head and gave an evil-looking
half-smile. “Then I strangled him. Bothersome police had to show up and ruin
the game.”
Hun Fa’s eyes widened beyond belief.
So wide they looked as though they were going to pop out of their sockets. The
rest of them didn’t look any different from him. Jun Yin looked sick to the
stomach.
“You guys kind of remind me of him.
Annoying and asking too many questions.”
In a flash, the boys turned on their
heels and fled, leaving Mei and Jingmei alone. Mei couldn’t help but burst out
laughing when they were out of sight. Jingmei was shocked and thought that Mei
had gone out of her mind. Mei shook her head and continued walking, smiling to
herself. Jingmei followed. She became quiet all of a sudden.
“Mei Xue-Jie (senior-girl). Did you
really do all those things? I mean.. You didn’t even call me to tell me where
you were or what happened to you. You don’t even pick up my calls.” Jingmei
said, stopping in front of her locker. She too was on the verge of crying but
it only made Mei laughed even louder.
“Xue-Mei (junior-girl), did you
really believe that I am capable of doing all those things? I was only trying
to scare those boys so that they would leave and stay away from me. You know I
don’t like crowds.” Mei explained, approaching her locker and punching in the
combinations to her lock.
“Besides, did you see the look on
those guys faces? They thought I was going to kill them or something. It was so
comical. Don’t you think so? Hahaha…” Mei laughed, drawing her books from her
locker.
“I thought Jun Yin would wet his
pants there and then by the look on his face. “Jingmei said. They both laughed
at it for a good while before their laughter were drowned by a familiar and abhorred
high-pitched laughter from behind them.
“Some people really have the guts
and face to come back to school after committing a crime and being labeled a
nutcase.” Cai Ye, the gang’s leader, said loud enough for the entire locker
area to hear. She had a smug looking smile plastered on her face as she walks
towards her locker, five doors away from Mei’s.
“How can the school authorities take
in such dangerous people like them? What were they thinking?” another member,
Hu Li added.
“That is not the problem. The
bottom-line is, if I was a nutcase and am already being labeled by society as
one, I wouldn’t even show up at school. Would you Shun Mei?” Xiao Qiao said,
trying to add fuel to the fire.
Mei stood at her locker’s door
looking on the ground. She was trying so hard to control her temper. Mei closed
her eyes and tightened her grip on the handle of the locker as the varsity
members shot their mouths off. Good god,
why on my first day back at school.
“I certainly wouldn’t. I‘d probably
quit school and get married. Wait. I probably shouldn’t. Or maybe I couldn’t. Is
there a man who wants a nutcase?” Shun Mei asked her fellow bimbo friends. They
laughed at her statement.
“Lonely Nutcase!” The Huang twins,
Wen Ting & Wen Ling said together. Again the varsity members laughed at
their own lame jokes. Except for them, the whole locker area was as silent as a
funeral. Their high-pitched laughter echoed throughout the area and corridor
but was silenced as Mei slammed shut her metal locker door startling everyone
present.
Jingmei sensed trouble and tried to
intervene by tugging on Mei’s uniform but Mei pulled away from Jingmei’s reach.
Mei took slow steps towards Cai Ye and stared at her. Cai Ye looked a little
intimidated but could only look at Mei with her big puppy eyes and her
breathing pace quickened. Mei was now only inches away from a frozen Cai Ye.
Mei moved behind Cai Ye and put her lips closer to Cai Ye’s ear.
“You see, this is what happens when
a nutcase is standing close to you. Your heart beats faster, it races like mad.
You breathe faster because you are afraid it will be last time you do and then
you freeze and tense up.” Mei whispered into Cai Ye’s ear. Cai Ye stopped
breathing. She jumped when Mei rested her arms on her shoulders. “But what you
really need to know about nutcases is that you shouldn’t piss them off. You
shouldn’t even try. You might put your life at risk. Remember that.”
The whole locker area was now so
dead silent, you could hear a pin drop. Mei patted Cai Ye’s shoulders, who
jumped at the contact, and gestured a frightened Jingmei to leave for class. Jing
Wen, another member of the varsity team, ran over to the panic-stricken Cai Ye
and asked her if she was alright. Cai Ye snapped out of her stroke-moment and
panted, cursing Mei, promising that she would get back at Mei.
Xu’s tires screeched as he comes to
a halt in front of his school campus. At Hishedori University, Yuchen Xu was a
superstar at school. He was the whole package, as far as his reputation goes. A
second-year student majoring in Business and Finance, dashing good looks and
height, he had it all. Xu was well-liked by his peers and was the major gossip
subject amongst the ladies of the campus although he did not seem to show much
interest in them. Xu believed that Mei deserves his full attention rather than
the girls at school, which was nothing anyone who knew him, was not aware of. Hishedori
University knew that Xu was his sister’s protector. He did after all bash a
schoolmate black and blue just because he called Mei a mental retard. He was
not one who explode in anger except when it came to his sister. Xu was sociable
and trustworthy. Even the teachers at school liked him. Hardworking and diligent,
Xu respects his elders very much especially the ladies, even if they were just
his friends.
He
has two best friends since high school, Huang Lin (whom they address as Lin-Di
and Fang Jun Yu (also known as Jay). Lin-di, Jay and Xu (Xu Shao Ye) were termed
the SunBoys. The trio was top at school in academics and sports. Lin-di and Jay
knew Xu inside out. They were both by his side because they knew Xu had no one
else left in his world other than Mei. Lin-di and Jay were like two big
brothers to Mei and they were at the Yuchen residence most of the time.
Jay and Lin-di drove in moments
after Xu and parked their black convettes behind Xu’s car and entered the
campus together. The campus was buzzing around with students and teachers like
any other days of the week. The SunBoys headed towards changing room.
“You weren’t around for the past two
weeks, did something happen to Mei?” Lin-di asked Xu when they were in the male
changing room. They were changing into their gym attires and Xu’s voice was
muffled. Lin-di arched his eyebrows and rolled his eyes. “What was that?”
“I said, yes. I took Mei to the hospital.
Mei had an attack and she fainted. She had to be admitted there. I couldn’t
possibly leave her alone.” Xu repeated when he was done putting on his attire.
He sat down on the bench and rubbed his knuckles. “She was screaming and
calling out to my parents. Then she cried for me not to leave her. She wasn’t
even conscious when she said all that.”
Xu sighed. Jay and sat down beside
Xu and put his arm around him. Xu had his head buried in his hands and seemed
tired. Jay looked at Lin-di hopelessly and gestured Lin-di to say something.
“Look Xu, she’s going to be alright.
It’ll take time of course but she has gotten better hasn’t she? Is she back at
school?” Lin-di asked, wiping his face with a towel.
“She’s already in school but I’m
worried that she hasn’t recovered fully from the last attack. I feel so
helpless about her.” Xu said shaking his head.
Jay playfully punched Xu’s shoulder
and cursed him. “Bullshit. If there was any award for the most caring brother
in the world, you should… No... You WOULD win it. No questions asked.” Jay
encouraged Xu, smiling at him. Xu gave a half-hearted smile back to his best friend.
“Everyone
knows that you love Mei very much and would do anything and everything for her.
But she has to live her own life. There’s a limit to how much one can help
another human being, even if it was their family. Some things are just beyond
us. Hmm?”
“Jay’s absolutely right Xu. You’ve
done all you can to help Mei. Let her recover on her own. You just have to be
there for her and stop worrying yourself. If you get sick, that’ll upset Mei even
more and she doesn’t need that.” Lin-di added. Xu shook his head and looked at
his two pals and smiled.
“Come on. Let’s make a move, or
we’ll shock the entire school by being late. Then we’ll be on front covers.
Hahaha.” Jay said to lighten the mood. The trio laughed and made their way to
the gymnasium. They were stopped by a junior at the entrance who wanted to
speak to Xu.
“You guys go ahead. I’ll be right
behind you.” Xu told Jay and Lin-di. Xu led his junior aside so as to not block
the entrance. Girls glanced enviously at the junior as they passed by.
“You’re Asakura Kanna from 1st
year class aren’t you?” Xu asked. The junior looked surprised that Xu had
recognized her. “Is there anything that I can do for you? I‘m sorry but you‘re
going to have to hurry a little. I‘m not fond of being late for class.”
“You can call me Kanna. Sorry to
bother you senior. I just wanted to give you this.” Kanna handed Xu a piece of paper that had
numbers on it. “That’s my phone number. Please call me when you are free.”
Xu took the piece of paper but he
did not look too pleased with Kanna. She could not look at Xu so she kept her
head down and felt scared. Xu sighed and smiled at her. “Kanna.”
“Yes?” Kanna finally looked up and
blushed. From a corner, Jay and Lin-di hid out of sight to spy on the two. Jay
smiled as he watched Kanna’s bravery from a distance. Lin-di was amazed at her
courage.
“She’s amazing.” Lin-di and Jay both
said together. They turned to face each other and let out a laugh.
“What do you think Xu will tell her?
She looks very cute. Chinese you reckon Jay?” Lin-di asked Jay.
“Nah... She has to be Japanese. Her
skin is far too white to be Chinese. But yeah, she does look very cute. Xu
would be dumb to not take her number.” Jay replied. “But he will reject it.”
“Kanna.. I appreciate your attention
for me. I see you around everywhere I go and I know it is you who left me gifts
in my locker. My schoolmates told me it was you. Thank you very much. That is
very kind of you.” Xu said to an embarrassed Kanna. “But I really think that
you should waste your time on me. You should concentrate on your studies
instead. I’ll be more proud of you if you were topping your class with
excellent scores.”
“My friends and seniors told me that
you wouldn’t entertain such things. I knew that you would reject the idea that
I made a move.” Her crestfallen face was riddled with disappointment and
heartbreak.
“Kanna. I think you are very brave
to have come forward like this. Plus, you are cute too. But I really have no
time for this. If you have been listening to people about me, than you must know
why I say so too.” Xu reasoned.
“I do. But I have no regrets coming
forward and doing this. I hope you will not take offence. If we cannot go out,
then maybe we can be friends?” Kanna said with a wishful heart.
Xu smiled and tapped Kanna’s head. “I’ll
accept your friendship. Thank you.” Xu told Kanna. “Please do not drop me gifts
anymore.”
“But it’s not a bother..” She looked
as though she was about to cry.
“Kanna, if you regard me as your
friend, please accept my request and stop sending those gifts. You can give me
one on my birthday. Alright? Besides, my locker is getting full.” Xu winked.
Kanna relaxed and nodded her head. “I should go. I will see you around.”
Xu turned around and walked away
into class, smiling to himself. Lin-di and Jay rolled their eyes and waited for
him to come in.
“He is really something isn’t he? Just
because he is Yuchen Xu huh? You’d think he would at least give that girl a
shot for being so gutsy. Still... Wait till he gets here...” Lin-di said to
Jay, cracking his knuckles. Jay could only chuckle to himself.
Xu walked towards them still smiling
and holding the piece of paper in his hand. He was stopped by Lin-di who stood
only inches apart from his face. “What
are you doing?”
“What am I doing?! That’s MY line.”
Lin-di said to Xu with a raised tone but Xu smiled. This made Lin-di more
frustrated. “Argh! Stop smiling?! You are so loathsome! That girl was cute AND…
she gave her number to you! Why did you reject her?! What were you thinking
of?!”
Xu turned his back towards Lin-di.
He kept quiet for a moment. “Mei.” Lin-di’s expression softens. “I was thinking
of her. Kanna... Reminds me of Mei. That’s all. I cannot give her what she
wants.”
Jay stood up and walked towards the
two. “That’s understandable. I couldn’t date my sister. The thought of it, brrr.”
Xu turned around to look at Jay and smiled. So did Lin-di. Then the trio
laughed. “Come on. Let’s warm up before Mr Himura gets here and beat us three
to pulp.
Ding Dong Ding Dong, Ding Dong
Ding Dong. The lunch bell rang and Mei immediately left the classroom. Mr
Cheng made an announcement to the whole class.
“Minna chotto mate! (Everybody! Hold
on a minute) The finals timetable is already up on the main campus notice
board. Please check for your scheduled papers. The instructions are posted
there as well. Have a nice day.” The classroom started buzzing with chattering
and voices of student’s discussion about the finals.
Mei was frantically running towards
Jingmei’s classroom only to find out that Jingmei also had left earlier. Mei
panted as she walked around the school grounds looking for Jingmei. Mei
remembered how worried Jingmei looked before they went to class because of what
she did Cai Ye earlier.
Mei was so tired she could hardly
stand on her own that she had to sit. Mei dragged herself towards a giant
Sakura (cherry blossom) tree where she and Jingmei usually have their lunch.
Mei sat down and unpacked her lunch.
‘Forget it. She’ll show up later.
Jingmei is always rushing for time. Perhaps she had some assignment or errand
to do for a teacher or something. I’ll just have to talk to her later then.’ Mei
thought to herself, eating her sandwich.
Mei’s mind drifted to Xu as she ate
her lunch. It pained her to be reminded that she was his source of worry but as
much as she was, she still could not imagine living without him. Feeling very
sorry for Xu, tears rolled down her cheeks.
Mei stood up holding her crumpled lunch
garbage. ‘Perhaps if mom and dad were still alive, Xu would be happier than
he is right now. If only mom and dad were here....’
Thinking of her parents brought her mind to the
psychiatric hospital after the attack. Memories of screaming, tossing and
turning in her sleep flashed through her mind. She had thrown the blankets and
pillows all over the room and yelled for Xu not to leave her. The doctors had a
hard time trying to restrain her down to the bed to calm her down. Emotions
flooded Mei like a dam that had just broken. Her head started spinning and Mei
reached out for the tree to keep her balance.
Jingmei was approaching the field
after coming to know that Mei was looking for her. In the distance, Jingmei
noticed Mei’s gestures were weird and she was trying to steady herself as
though she was drunk. ‘Mei? Why is Mei...? Oh No!! Another attack?!’
Jingmei sprinted towards the Sakura tree yelling out Mei’s name.
Mei started tearing up and her heart
thudded vigorously against her chest and she started to breathe faster. Each
breath more painful than the last. So painful that she had to clutch her chest
and drag her feet. All she could hear was screaming in her head. Her vision
blurred and she felt faint. Mei suddenly recalled the doctors giving her a jab when Xu busted into the room,
calling all the doctors to stop. ‘‘Xu, Xu-ge... don’t leave me… don’t
leave....’’ Mei whispered, before everything blacked out around her and she
fell to the ground.
“MEI!! MEI XUE-JIE!!” Jingmei
shouted at the top of her lungs as she saw Mei fell. She closed in to Mei, who
was already out cold. She bent down and rested Mei’s head on her lap as she
tried to wake Mei up.
“Mei Xue-jie, wake up. Wake up. It’s
me Jingmei Xue-mei. Xue-jie, wake up. What happened?” Jingmei said worried and
crying. “Yuchen Mei Xue-jie... Please don’t scare me like this…”
“Jingmei, what’s going…?” Jun yin
said as he approached Jingmei shocked to see Mei out cold. “Jingmei! What
happened to Mei?” Jun yin said squatting down beside her.
Jun yin was distracted when he saw
Jingmei running across the field and obstructing his way of scoring a goal. He
meant to give a good scolding but changed his mind when he saw Jingmei crying.
“Jingmei! What happened here? What’s
wrong with Mei? Why is she…?” Jun Yin demanded of Jingmei, who was still
crying. But before he could finish his sentence, Mei opened her eyes and called
out for Xu. “Mei! Mei!”
“Xue-jie...” Jingmei was relieved as
she tried to sit Mei up but Mei only collapsed again. “Mei Xue-jie!”
“Jingmei... Let’s go, I’ll take her
to the school nurse. Come on, help me get her up so I can carry her.” Jun yin
instructed as they helped Mei up.
“Senior Jun Yin… Thank you.” Jingmei
told Jun yin.
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Jun Yin reprimanded
at Jingmei’s gratitude. He carried Mei to the nursing station where she came
around an hour later. Jingmei had stayed by her side all the while waiting for
Mei to gain consciousness.
“Jingmei.” Mei called out. Jingmei
helped Mei up on the bed and called for the school nurse to check on Mei.
“Miss Yuchen, what happened to you? You
fainted at the school field. Your two schoolmates brought you in.” The nurse
explained as she took Mei’s pulse and listened to her heartbeat at the same
time. In the background, the school bell chimed.
“My two classmates?” Mei looked
towards Jingmei and frowned. “Jingmei...”
“Senior Jun Yin.” Jingmei said. Mei
said nothing but smiled at the thought.
‘Idiot! To think he wasn’t so
affected by what I said this morning. What an idiot.’’ Mei said to herself. “Oh No! Did
you inform my brother? Can I go back to class now?”
“Class? School is over already, my
dear girl. You were out for about an hour. And no. we didn‘t call your
brother.” the nurse explained. Mei could only sigh at her luck. Xu’ll kill
me if he finds out that I missed my lessons. He’ll be worried if he finds out.
Mei walked out of the station with
Jingmei towards the school gate. Jingmei kept stealing glances at Mei as they
walked.
“Mei, I heard you were looking for
me during lunch. Was there anything important that you wanted to tell me?”
Jingmei said to break the ice. Mei was still in a daze. “Mei.”
“Huh? Oh that? No.. it was
nothing... I just wanted to say that I’m so sorry I made you worry. You know,
about my behaviour towards Cai Ye. I was just scaring her. That’s all.” Mei
explained. “I was afraid that you might get affected by my actions.”
“Oh that? No.. I knew what you were
up to. But you were a little scarier than usual. I thought you were going to
really hurt her.” Jingmei spilled. “You didn’t quite look like yourself this
morning.”
Mei could only smile at Jingmei’s
words and assured her that she was telling the truth. “By the way, where did
you go during lunch? Your classmate told me you left earlier. Where were you?”
“I was in the library with Miss Hotaru.
She wanted to hand me my assignments for the coming term exams.. I have a lot
of chapters to study for my term exams this..” Jingmei complained. “OH NO!!” Jingmei yelled as she remembered
what Jun Yin told her earlier. She grabbed Mei’s hand and started running back
to the school campus, dragging Mei along. “Xue-jie, come with me.”
“Jingmei! What’s with you? You
startled me out of my skin. What is it? Did you forget something?” Mei said in
between her pants. “Jingmei! I just fainted not too long ago if I must remind
you.. Do you want me to faint again? Jing…” Mei’s sentence was cut off when she
realized that Jingmei had brought her to the school notice board.
“What are we doing here? You know I
don’t read the gossip column. I don’t need to know who dates who and…” Mei
started.
“Finals timetable.” Jingmei
interrupted Mei. Mei turned to face the board and her eyes widened. “Senior Jun
Yin told me that you ran off before Mr Cheng could make the announcement. The
exams timetable is already out and the instructions are there too.”
Mei’s eyes widened even more as she
continued reading the timetable. She buried her head in her palms and shook her
head. She most definitely cannot believe that the examinations were being held
much sooner than she had expected. Mei held her head high and sighed to herself.
“I am so dead.”
“Mei Xue-jie, it’s ok. You are
smart. You’ll make it through without any problems. It would be a piece of cake
to you, I’m sure of it. You’ll score good grades no matter what and make it
into the college of your choice. I have faith in you.” Jingmei encouraged a
disheartened Mei.
Mei smiled and thanked Jingmei. They
both left the campus and waited outside school. Jingmei had wanted to wait for
Xu to arrive but Mei insisted that Jingmei board the bus.
“I’ve already troubled you enough
today. You need not do this, I’ll be fine. Xu-ge will be here soon. Trust me.”
Mei assured Jingmei. The bus drove off leaving Mei behind. Jingmei was still
worried about Mei, but she had no choice but to heed Mei’s words. Mei waited on
the bench for Xu with only the breeze and tree next to her to keep her company.
The Hishedori library was huge and
filled with knowledge. A three-story beautiful building equipped with state of
the arts technology and yet it boasts tranquil scenery with a waterfall and a
Bonsai garden at the entrance. It was not a wonder that the SunBoys spent most
of their time there. They were the ironically greek-god looking geeks.
“Jay, Wasn’t this topic mentioned in
the last lecture? I still can’t quite get what Mr Kimura meant when..” Lin-di
asked but stops when he noticed that Xu was staring into space. He then
continued asking Jay questions.
Xu stared out of the library window
and thought of Mei. I wonder if she is doing alright at school today. I know
that I’m doing all I can but somehow it doesn’t feel that way. I know that
there’s something else I can do for her. If only I could take away all her
sorrows. I don’t wish to see her cry all alone. Ever since mom and dad are
gone, all she does is cry. Now she even has nightmares. But I’m up to my neck
about what I should do. Why does god have to punish her like this? Mei doesn’t
even know what really happened. I couldn’t bear to tell her myself too. It
pains me too when I think about it. But how will I tell her? I cannot show to
the world that I’m deeply affected too, can I? Sometimes she is so weak that
when she cries, I feel weak too and I’m at loss of what to do. I pray every day
that her pain will go away. That one day she’ll be happy, so happy that even I
would be. Mei, that day will come. It will…
“XU!!” Jay yelled at Xu’s ear, interrupting his
thoughts.
“You were in deep thoughts. Lin-di
and I tried calling you a couple of times but you didn’t even hear us!” Jay
said. He turned to Lin-di. “This is YOUR fault. You, and your stupid
questions.”
“Hey, don’t push the blame on me.
You were the one who shouted at Xu’s ear. I was just sitting here minding my
own business.” Lin-di said, still chuckling.
“What did you want to ask me Lin-di?”
Xu asked Lin-di. Xu looked at his watch and gasped.
“Well.. I wanted to ask you about
this formula that Mr Kimura mentioned.. The..” Lin-di began.
“Oh my god! Shit! I can’t believe
you guys did this to me. How could you!!” Xu said accusingly while frantically
packing up his bag. “Idiots!”
“Hey hey hey.. What was that all
about??” Jay asked.
“I can’t believe you guys didn’t
remind me that I had to pick up my sister.. HALF AN HOUR AGO!” Xu raised his
tone. “Mei would be waiting there all alone! Thanks!”
“Earth to Xu! You were the one
building the sandcastles in air while we were studying!” Lin-di made clear to
Xu as the librarian walked by to hush them. Xu couldn’t be bothered and left
the library, running to the car park and jumping into his car. He left the
campus immediately and sped off to Mei’s school.
Outside
Sakura High, an anxious and frustrated Mei was pacing back and forth the
pavement waiting for her brother. Even the breeze did not help. Mei stamped her
foot so much it was hurting. She kept glancing at her watch every minute.
Xu.. How dare he tell me off for
being late this morning. Talk about pot calling the kettle black. This is
beneath Xu to be half an hour late! Argh! I thought I told him school ended at
five. How could he have missed that? He better not have done it on purpose.
Mei thought as she continued her pace. She frowned so hard that she was
starting to get a headache; she had to sit down again. Mei rested on the bench
and leaned against the tree. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and
massaged her own forehead.
“Oh no!” Mei gasped. “I hope nothing
bad has happened to Xu. Oh god! No. No. No. It cannot be. He is just late.
That’s all. Xu, please be alright.. Xu will be here soon. There is so much I
have to do for him, he cannot. No. He’s just late.. That’s all. He’ll be here,
I’ll pretend to scold him and we’ll quarrel like this morning and we’ll head
home together. Yes. That’s it.”
Mei then closed her eyes and leaned
against the tree again to calm herself down. When she opened her eyes, she
stared up the branches of the tree and looked at the gleaming sunlight which
penetrated through the spaces in between the leaves and branches. Stretching
her palm outwards towards the sky, she thought to herself. Xu is the only
one I have in this world. There’s so much that he has done for me. When I cry,
he’s there to wipe my tears. When I’m scared, he chases away all my fears. I
cannot be without him. I am what I am right now because of him. Xu helped me
achieve so much so that I can lead my life normally again. Well, almost
normally. I used to not be able to talk to people and I feared everyone. I was
afraid that they would… would.. kill me like they did my parents. There is no
one is this world who can ever love me as much as Xu does and I cannot possibly
love Xu the way he loves me, even if I tried very hard. In my world, no one can
ever take Xu’s place. My heart has no more room for anyone’s love other than
Xu’s. Only Xu loves me. There is no other. None other.
A gleam of bright reflective light
caught the corner of Mei’s eyes and distracted her thoughts. It was a white
Mercedes convertible that was approaching towards Mei and at an incredible
speed too, judging from the sound of its engine. Mei stood up and smiled. She
was so relieved that he was safe.
“Thank god he’s alright.” Mei said.
“So he IS just plain late. This calls for a little acting session to teach him
a lesson. Pot calling the kettle black.”
As the car approached, it slowed down
before coming to a halt next to the pavement where Mei was. Mei already had her
back turned towards the car. She pretended to sulk and had her arms folded
across her chest, refusing to face the car.
“Sorry. If I may..” A voice began.
“No you may not! Really! Lecturing
me for being late when YOU, yourself cannot keep track of the time.” Mei
snapped her back still facing the car.
“I’m so sorry but..” he apologized
only to be interrupted by Mei again.
“You should be..” Mei told him.
“I think you’ve got the wrong
person.” the gentleman explained to Mei. She quickly turned around to realize
her mistake. Mei gaped in embarrassment and made a comical apologetic face, which
made the young man chuckle.
“I am SO sorry.. I didn’t mean to be
rude. My apologies. I really didn’t mean to snap at you. I thought. I‘m very
sorry.” Mei apologized bowing her head.
“It’s ok. I was just going to ask
you for directions. I guess I sound like someone you know.” he said, chuckling
at an already embarrassed Mei. “Do I?”
“Yes.” Mei said before rising from
her bow to stand up straight. “You sound exactly like my brother who is
supposed to be here. He’s late, well, he is usually very punctual but he is
half an hour late now and I’m worried about him and you came and I was starting
to get frustrated so I..” Mei explained when she realized that she sounded silly
and was speaking too fast and she did not make any sense to the gentleman.
“Erm.. You said you were looking for a place? How can I help you?”
Mei asked the gentleman who was
staring at her. He did not seem to hear her and appeared to have his mind
somewhere else. Mei noticed that he had bags around his eyes. Despite looking
tired Mei could not help but stare in return and admire his profile. His black
brows and eyes was a perfect match to his brown hair which shone healthily and
his long side-parted bangs hid part of his fairly-tanned face. It was perfected
by a strong and visible jaw line, giving him a typical superstar look but his
clothes suggested otherwise. The man was wearing some sort of a uniform, tie,
blazer and all. There was something mysterious and dreamy about his stare that
was starting to make Mei feel uncomfortable she had to distract him.
“Excuse me?” Mei said, breaking his
gaze.
“Huh? Oh.. I’m sorry, did you say
something?” he asked, his face flushing.
“Nothing, you were asking me for
directions earlier on, so I thought maybe I could be of help.” Mei explained.
She directed her vision away from his eyes and looked elsewhere, because like
him, she was uncomfortable at the tension.
“Uh. Yeah.. If you don’t mind, could
you direct me to Hishedori University? I’m not exactly local and I’m rarely in
town and it seems that there has been some fairly new roads done. Do you happen
to know where it is? Hishedori University I mean.” he asked.
Mei’s ears pricked up when she heard
the name. That’s Xu’s school. Why does this guy want to go there? Uh. Why am
I asking myself? It’s none of my business. Mei said to herself.
“Erm, Hishedori University is up the
next road. When you get to a junction, you need to turn right and take the
road. At the next T-junction, turn right again and go by the highway. It’s a
half an hour ride. Leave by the 2nd exit on the highway and it will
lead you straight to the campus.” Mei directed.
The gentleman thanked Mei graciously
before making an exit. Mei watched as he sped off and was once again left alone
on the pavement.. That’s weird. My heart is beating really fast… Mei
thought to herself.
Mei’s thoughts were far off as she
sat down and continued waiting for Xu. Her mind was focused on the man in the
car. There was something about him that she just couldn’t ignore.
Mei is so going to kill me when I
get there. Xu thought as he sped his way to Mei’s school. I hope she is
alright. Yuchen Xu.. I’m not going to forgive you if anything happens to Mei.
Xu slowed down as he finally approached
Mei’s campus. Xu noticed Mei waiting outside the school gate and she was
sitting under the Mahogany tree, in a daze. Worried that she might have an
attack, Xu sped. The car screeched and came to a halt directly in front of Mei.
The loud screeching of the tires snapped Mei out of her daze.
Xu had scurried out of his car and
went to Mei and shook her by the shoulders, asking her if she was alright. Mei
did not answer her brother, but instead, she just stared at him and then she
frowned.
“Why were you late? I have been
waiting for more than half an hour Xu. Waiting alone.. Why were you late?” Mei
asked.
Xu heaved a sigh of relief and
smiled at Mei. She got in into the car and demanded an explanation. Sure
enough, Mei bombarded him with murderous questions about why he was late. All
Xu could do was apologize a million times as he drove, at the same time trying
to explain why he was late. Mei did not accept his apologies and went on ranting
about Xu not being punctual and reprimanding her about being late that morning.
Xu only listened and smiled to himself.
When Mei finally settled down, Xu
asked Mei about her day at school and normal routine questions about school.
Mei went quiet for a few minutes before telling Xu about her day, including her
encounter with the gentleman who was asking for directions. Xu was impressed
that she actually had a conversation with another person other than himself and
Jingmei. Mei disliked talking to strangers; she used to hide behind Xu every
time someone came near her and asked her a question. This was something very
unusual and new to Xu.
“He stared at me with weird eyes and
I thought he was going to pass out right there and then or something. Then when
I…” Mei stopped when she noticed Xu smiling at himself. She was in the midst of
telling him about her conversation. Mei was frustrated that Xu was not paying
attention to what she was saying. She frowned hard and punched her brother‘s
arm. “Hey! The least you can do is pay attention when I’m talking to you. You..
what is it exactly that you are smiling about? I don’t recall saying anything
funny or sweet. So what are you smiling at?”
“I heard every single word you said.
Everything, from the part you were sitting under the mahogany tree until where
you thought he was almost going to pass out. Every single word darling. Even
your little curses. The ones where I was late.” Xu said, ruffling his sister’s
hair.
Mei smiled contently and looked
ahead, she could not help but think about the gentleman earlier. It was more
than just the superstar smile on his face that caught her attention. Normally,
if Mei had any encounter with a guy, she would have either dismissed him or
forgotten him in the next hour or so but not with this gentleman she did not.
Mei wondered what it was about him that made it impossible for her to take her
mind off of him. He somewhat seemed distracted from the rest of the world,
looked unhappy yet it does not show in his expressions. It was as though he was
hiding his misery from the rest of the world. Perhaps he shared the same fear
as her, perhaps he was as afraid as she was. Perhaps HE killed her parents. The
thought made Mei shudder as the car came to a halt in front of their house. Mei
snapped out of her daze and scurried out of the car. She did not even take her
bag with her.
“Mei! Your..” bag.. Xu
finished off inside his heart when he realized Mei was already out of his
sight. Silly little girl. What has gotten into her? Must have needed the
toilet that bad.. She did not even take her bag along with her.
“Shao Ye(Sir), may I take that for
Xiao Jie(Young Miss)? I’ll send it up to her room. Your bath is ready and the
dinner will be soon. May I, please?” One of Xu’s servants offered.
“Thank you. I’ll come down with Mei
for dinner. Call us when it’s ready. But do not take too long.” Xu said to his
servant.
Up in Mei’s room, she was lying in
her bed, still in her school uniform, staring into space at her ceiling. She
was still thinking about him.
I was wrong. He couldn’t have
done such a horrible deed. I’m thinking too much into this. Besides, Xu said
the murderer had already been locked up years ago. It cannot be him. I’ve only
met him once today and I’d probably never see him again. I have to stop
thinking about him. Why.. I don’t even know his name. This is absolutely
ridiculous. I cannot…
Mei’s thoughts were interrupted by
knockings on the door. It was Mei’s servant with her bag. Handing the bag over
to Mei, she bowed and stood at the edge of Mei’s bed.
“Good evening Xiao-Jie, pardon me for disturbing you like this. I’ve
already prepared your bath and dinner will be served in half an hour’s time. Xu
Xiao Ye requests that you be ready by then and he will come with you to
dinner.” she said.
“Alright. Thank you. I’ll be ready
before then.” Mei nodded her head in acknowledgement.
“Xiao-Jie, if there is anything you
need, please let me know. I’ll be right here.” Her servant smiled after Mei
nodded again and made her way out of Mei’s room.
Mei sighed to herself and lazily
dragged herself out of the bed and head for the bath. She had finally stopped
thinking of the gentleman when her servant mentioned Xu. While in the bath, Mei
stared at the mirror for a few moments and wondered if she was who they said
she was. Shaking her head at her stupidity, she went into her bathtub and
soaked herself.
At the dinner table, Mei sat beside
Xu like always only this time, Xu did the awful lot of talking. Usually, Mei
would rant to her brother about the misery she had to go through in school and
the usual bunch of people, the varsity team, which never failed to complete her
day. Mei kept quiet throughout dinner and only nodded negligently when Xu asked
her questions. Actually she did not really paid attention to the questions he
asked.
“Mei!” Xu called out and pinched
Mei’s cheek, snapping her out of her daze. Mei instantly looked at her brother
and frowned. She rubbed her cheek and muttered curses under her breath.
“Where in the world were you? You
weren’t even paying attention to the things I’ve said. What kind of attitude is
that?” Xu teasingly reprimanded her.
Mei shook her head and put down her
bowl of rice and chopsticks back on the table and let out a sigh. She crossed
her arms and looked at her bowl of rice, taking a moment to think about what
she was going to say to Xu.
“Ge.. My finals are nearing and I
haven’t had enough time to catch up, much less revise my work. I’m quite
worried. I’m afraid that I’m not going to make it for this paper. I will try my
best of course but I have very little time. There’s so much for me to do.” Mei
said to brother feeling depressed.
Xu was somewhat relieved that she
was worried about her academic matters rather than her nightmares. He would
have preferred consoling Mei about her studies than her nightmares and
emotional trauma experiences at any given situation. Xu smiled and looked at
his down sister.
“Really? For a moment there I
thought you were thinking about the gentleman who was asking for directions
back outside your school gate.” Xu teased Mei but instead of giving him a smug
smile, she frowned at him to denote her seriousness. Xu felt stupid and
apologized immediately.
“Actually you don’t have anything to
worry about Mei. You’re a smart girl. You’ll make it through no matter what
challenge they throw at you. Alright?” Xu said, trying to encourage his
disheartened sister.
“Yes, but this is totally different.
I’m talking about the finals here. As in, it’ll determine whether or not I go
to college Xu. How can you take it so lightly?” Mei complained, feeling more
frustrated than ever. She stirred her rice in frustration and sulked. She could
not believe her brother’s ignorance towards her worries. “Besides, Hishedori
University entrance requirements are a lot higher than other universities. You
and I both know that. If I don’t make it there, Cai Ye and her blasted friends
will never let me off the hook.”
Mei sighed and rested her head on
the table. Her appetite was definitely gone by then and on top of that she was
as miserable as anyone could ever be. Everything was going wrong for her and Xu
was not helping at all by keeping quiet.
“Mei. You CAN do it. The finals are
nothing to you. Adapting to college life will be more of a problem. Exams,
tests they’re all nothing to you. You’re very smart. I know my sister.” Xu said
to Mei. He ruffled her hair and took her hand in his. Looking into her eyes he
said, “ Trust me. I will help you in
whatever ways I can. If it’s coaching you need, then I’m here. If it’s an ear
you need, then, hey, I can’t remove it but I’ll lend it to you like this.”
Xu bend towards Mei so that his ear
was only centimeters away from her eyes. Mei pushed his face away and let out a
laugh. She tugged his ear and pulled it towards her. Xu yelled playfully in
pain and wrestled with Mei for his ear’s safety before trying to get back at
Mei by pinching her cheeks. The two were laughing merrily until they were in
stitches. When they both stopped
laughing, Mei sat quietly and looked at Xu, who was still wiping tears. Xu
looked so happy it gave Mei felt peace
within her.
“Ge(Brother)…” Mei called Xu,
resting her hand on his arm. Xu turned to face Mei and arched his eyebrow to
tell Mei that he was listening. Mei smiled and said, “You should always smile.
I want you to smile, smile always. It makes me happy to see you smiling and
laughing like this. Except tears of joy, I simply cannot bear to see you cry.
If you want me to be happy, you should be too.”
Xu felt warmth in his heart upon
hearing Mei’s words. He did not even try to stop his tears. Xu let his tears to
flow as he took Mei into his arms and hugged her tight. Mei hugged him back in
return. The two were both in tears and smiling at the same time.
“Mei. Thank you.” Xu said, hugging
Mei more tightly.
“Xu-Ge, thank YOU.” Mei replied in
between her sobs. “Ge, we’ll always be together right? You won’t ever leave me,
would you? Promise me you won’t.”
“Mei..” Xu said pulling away from
her, “ You know I cannot make such promises but I can promise you that for as
long as I shall live, you will never have to be alone, cry alone. In fact you
won’t have to cry at all.” .
“I would never let anyone take you
away from me. Ever.” Xu said.
Earlier after dinner, Mei had called
Ruo De, one of her riding buddies. After making an arrangement, she was now
getting ready to leave. Xu was at first reluctant to let her out after dinner
on a school night, but recalling that Mei had just came back from the hospital,
he did not want her to feel cooped up like a chicken at home.
Mei left her room and knocked on
Xu’s bedroom door. She had to knock on his door a couple of times, hard, before
he came to open it.
“What took you so long? I told you
they’re expecting me to be there at nine thirty. What were you doing?” Mei
asked, hands on her hips.
“I’m so sorry. I was on the phone. I
mean.. I’m still on the phone. Will you be back tonight?” Xu asked holding the
cordless phone in his left hand and covering the mouth piece with the other.
“No. I’ll go to school on my own. I
mean I’ll ride there in the morning.” Mei explained. Xu did not look too
pleased when Mei said she wanted to drive to school the next morning. He
frowned and put on a doubting look on his face. Mei raised her eyebrows and
folded her arms across her chest. “Ho. Hold it right there. What is that look
supposed to mean? I’ll be fine. I can manage. I won’t speed. I’ll be back at
seven in the evening tomorrow. If there’s anything urgent, you have my cell
phone number right? So you have nothing to worry about.”
Xu can’t help but sigh at his
weakness. He nodded half-heartedly before closing his bedroom door and making
his way towards the window to see Mei off. The roaring engine of Mei’s Ducati
echoed and died off as she went further in the distance. Xu suddenly remembered
that he had put Jay on hold for ages. The connection was already been cut off
when Xu picked up the receiver again. Xu then redialed Jay’s home number.
“Hello. Jay. Is that you? It’s me,
Xu.” Xu began.
“Oh hello. Looks like you’ve got a
little more conscience than Lin-Di. He wouldn’t have bothered to call me back.
Let me see, why would you want to call me? Hmmm.. Maybe because you MADE ME
WAIT FOR AGES ON THE PHONE!” Jay replied sarcastically.
“I’m sorry. Mei was leaving. I had
to see her out first. I completely forgot about you. I’m sorry.” Xu apologized,
trying his best to win his friend over.
“Alright. Alright. Typical you.
Always using Mei as an excuse to get yourself out of trouble. Anyway, I forgive
you.” Jay said sympathetically. He knew that Xu was not lying about it. “Right.
Anyway, where were we just now? Oh yes. I was telling you right. When you left
the library earlier this afternoon, Lin-di and I stayed back till eight in school
to finish up. Did you by the way know that Lin-di is so ignorant? I don’t know
how he does it.”
“Does what? I don’t get what you
mean.” Xu queried.
“The fact that he is always dozing
off in class and then scoring distinctions in all of his papers like us. Maybe
we should start sleeping in class too.” Jay joked.
“Stop it man. Lin-di doesn’t doze
off ALL the time. Just MOST of the time. He’s a genius then. Maybe he dreams of
all the answers while he dozes off.” Xu continued and the two gentlemen laughed
at their own jokes.
“Hey Xu. I was saying. When you left
earlier, Mr Kimura was looking for us. It was about this new project that we’re
going to take charge of. It’s an airline company management this time.” Jay
explained.
“Really? That’s interesting. They didn’t
include an airline company management in the course notes.” Xu said, puzzled.
“It gets better. We’re supposed to
have frequent meetings with the co-owner, well not really co-owner of the
company, the heir to the company. He’s a Hishedori.” Jay said.
“Hishedori? Anything to do with our
school?” Xu asked, getting more interested.
“Yep. His family owns our school and
I heard the brat’s going to own the airline company. So we’ll be working with
him on this project. I’m not too keen myself but hey, if it’s for my
education.. I’ll put up even with the nastiest brat in the world.” Jay said,
exaggerating the issue. He meant every word he said though.
“Come on Jay, give the fella a
break. We haven’t even met him yet. We’ll judge him when we see him, ok?
Anyway, do you know his name or anything about this guy?” Xu said, defending
his unknown guest.
“Yeah. He’s a pilot with the company.
That’s about all the information of him I have and oh, yeah, he’s Sir Fukuda
Hishedori’s one and only son. If I’m not wrong, Mr Kimura mentioned that his
name was Tanaka, Tanaka Hishedori. Smart kid, very ambitious and definitely
passionate. From what I heard that is.” Jay told Xu.
“Interesting. Well the only thing we
need to do right now is verify those facts when we meet him and when will that
be?” Xu asked.
“I think our first meeting is
tomorrow.” Jay replied.
“Great. I’ll see you in campus then.
Have a good night.” Xu hung up the receiver after Jay wished him back.
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