“Calm down, Tang. Please, just breathe, and calm down. Stop and look at me.” Linlin caught hold of TangShi who was racing from one room to another in the apartment, searching for YuZhi and despairing over the lack of him. She had called Linlin to come get her when she dressed and raced out of the hotel after him and couldn’t find him anywhere around. Freaking out and in a neighborhood she wasn’t familiar with and no idea what she should do. She had abandoned Rong in his beaten state without a second thought and ran after YuZhi.
Linlin clung to her upper arm to restrain her, hugging her in with a struggle, and smoothed away her hair that was sticking to her clammy face in a bid to soother her. Her heart breaking for seeing her this way.
“Take a second to be still and take a deep breath. This isn’t going to help you.”
“He won’t answer my calls. He’s not at Leng group or home, he’s not with Zhe
“Stop it. She wouldn’t do this and that Rong Cai motherfucker is a skeezy letch who has done something to make this look this way. I thought you would be on her side in this, with an ability to think beyond what he saw.” Linlin snapped, full on anger as she stomped after him once more to a third trip to the cupboard, then walked into his back with a thud as he stopped dead and snorted. The ZhengLi she knew and adored was wise and levelheaded and could often see things other’s couldn’t. It seemed not this time.“Why did she get so drunk with him if he was someone so untrustworthy? Why go out for dinner in the first place? Why did she still appear to be walking around in her underwear when YuZhi showed up, and not hightailing it out the door if she was so innocently set up? She seemed pretty happy half naked around with him while he showered.” ZhengLi just couldn’t believe anyone would go to those lengths and hope the other party
YuZhi stumbled against the wall, tripping over nothing, putting his hands out to stop the fall he knew was coming and staggered onwards with intent. The world swaying back and forth, and his sense of realism was greatly skewed. It was late, past midnight and he had slipped out of Cheng’s bar while ZhengLi was in the bathroom. Needing air, to be alone and to clear his head now his drunkenness levels were extreme. He could barley see straight and had that surreal dopey mind of a badly intoxicated person.Booze hadn’t stopped the internal agony and splicing pain of discovering TangShi with that scumbag Rong Cai this morning, in the Ritz Carlton looking very much like the aftermath of a one-night stand. Instead it felt like it had taken away his ability to put it out of his head and focus on other things. Now it was torturing him alive and he gone looking for solace. The memory of it turned his stomach again, his head a blurry mess of chaos and confused thoughts as he
Rhea flicked through his call list and hit ZhengLi’s name on the recants without a second thought. Waiting for him to pick up as she flicked at her nail and watched YuZhi maneuver himself face down on the floor, nestling into her fluffy rug, and seemingly pass out. Nonplussed with what he just did and probably doing what was the best for his body and mind. She did pity him his heartbreak even if it was somehow justified after breaking hers.He had hit his upper limit of alcohol consumption and she didn’t dare to think how much he had consumed. He was a seasoned drinker who rarely got like this so he must have been downing it like water all day. It was a testimony to how much TangShi had royally screwed him up.“Yo, buddy, where are you? I’ve been searching everywhere.” ZhengLi’s worried tone came through loud and clear, and Rhea was at least glad to hear he sounded sober. Someone she could rely on to actually help her tonight.
Linlin was impatiently thrusting her boba balls in her tea around with her straw, tapping her sandal clad foot over her crossed legs and eyeing up the oncoming food traffic as she waited. Growing irritated with every second she sat here. The sun was shining bright, so she had come to rest outside the small cafe on her way to the clinic and was in no mood for bullshit. She had agreed to meet Rhea for five minutes and the wench was already late. Only here because she said it was important and related to YuZhi and TangShi.Linlin was battle ready and not about to fall for any kind of manipulation on her part. She had no time to be messing around while TangShi slept at home if this was an attempt to further separate them. After a sleepless few days and sedatives before she had a mental break, Linlin was eager to get back to her. She didn’t want her to be alone for any length of time given she was struggling emotionally over losing YuZhi.“Miss. Choi.” The
TangShi stood outside the huge and foreboding Leng group building as it’s mirrored structure stretched into the clouds above her like a black dagger. A foreboding skyscraper that helped shape Shanghai’s skyline in its impressive size. Her hands shaking and her heart rhythm chaotic as nerves got the better of her. Terrified right down to the roots of her soul, but she desperately had to see YuZhi. Days of being shunned by him had left her bereft as though mourning a death. She had no sense of closure due to the fast and traumatic way it ended to help her get through this and she couldn’t stop yearning for him.She had waited until Linlin left to go run errands, pretending to be asleep and slid out to come to the office buildings in hopes of catching him. Just one minute to see him. Linlin had kept telling her to give him time and space, but she didn’t understand the agony of the long silent emptiness, or the deep dark hole his lack of presence left. She
The click of the door opening had her turn back with a bright welcoming smile, reaching for her sunglasses to cover her obvious tear inflicted puffiness. Expecting to see the receptionist returning with a tray and froze mid task when two suited familiar men strode in, faces in files as they walked in unison. Mumbling details to one another as they read.TangShi stood up abruptly, dropping her glasses back into her pocket, her heart hammering through her chest at the sight of YuZhi and yet it was ZhengLi who raised his head and spotted her first at catching her movement. Stopping in his tracks mid walk to the desk and tugged on YuZhi’s navy suit sleeve with a nodding gesture her way. His brow furrowed and his cheek flexed.“What?” YuZhi looked to him on his right then followed his line of sight to the sitting area and froze too. His expression blanked out almost immediately and he locked eyes on a nervous trembling TangShi. Like laser beams being initi
“Don’t tell her. Not yet. Let me speak to ZhengLi first and get him on board. She is probably already a mess and might march right back in there and make this worse and not let us take her to the hospital.” Rhea advised Linlin as they sped towards Leng group after ZhengLi called Linlin to collect TangShi from the street. He had told them she might be upset, and she had hurt herself so they should be quick.“I want to strangle her for going there. I told her to wait it out, but TangShi can be surprisingly headstrong. I want to know exactly how she hurt herself and if I find out that YuZhi….” Linlin was simmering in temper. Not only because of her friend but that cold and distant bastard and his cryptic calls and texts which were always short and sweet about TangShi, and never once asked Linlin how she was. She was so over that asshole.“He’s not like that. I’m sure whatever happened wasn’t deliberate. Let&rsqu
“You can leave. I don’t need you of all people going anywhere with me. I don’t know what this is, or why you’re getting involved in my business, but go away. I won’t thank you for it.” TangShi turned on her heel, showing that hint of sassy she kept concealed most of the time. Her walking still a little fragile from her throbbing ankle but it was nothing to be overly concerned over.“Wait.. TangShi wait.” Rhea panicked. Her concern escalating with TangShi’s whole demeanor being weird for her. The hostility and aloof behavior and strange attitude which quite frankly shocked Rhea. Who knew TangShi did possess a backbone at times?“Bye.” TangShi paid her no heed, walking on with intent and ignored Rhea coming after her, pulling her arm free as Rhea tried to latch on and determined to be left alone for the rest of the day. Even if it took her hours to walk home from here she didn’t care. Her entire life