Chapter 168 - City S - Last Part
After getting discharged, Lu Chen restricted her from leaving her hotel room until they leave for their flight hence, Xiu Mei could only give up on continuing her work with the Vice-Chairman of Zen Group. Lu Chen took her place while she was being monitored by Lee In.
She casually watched the drama currently airing on TV. It was a story about a president and a poor woman who moved from the countryside to the city. The episode showing right now was when the president accompanied the woman all the time when she fell sick for days. Seeing that, Xiu Mei sneered.
In the dramas, the company presidents would always stay by the side of their wives if they get sick. Like pushing away their work just to accompany their loved ones or so but the reality is, Lu Chen has a company to run and employees to feed.
That’s why even back when Xiu Mei was hospitalized, Lu Chen would usually go back and forth from the company to work or bring his work at the hospital.
Lunchtime was probably the only time the two of them could surely spend together on usual days. And when either one of them is going for a business trip, one has to hold the fort in the company just in case something happens. It would be either Lu Chen or Xiu Mei, the company secretary, who holds the fort since Lu Shao wasn’t that very much involved in company activities as Lu Chen’s personal secretary.
Feeling that the drama was getting to cringe for her, she turned it off and distracted herself with other things instead.
She was playing around with her phone and other stuff as she waited for Lu Chen to return to the hotel. She can’t even simply call Lu Qiang even when she has so much free time just so her son wouldn’t wonder why she was suddenly so free like this.
After memorizing almost every corner of her room, it was already lunchtime.
She went downstairs to take her lunch since she was getting bored being cooped inside the room. Trying to carry her plate with one hand was a difficult feat since her other shoulder was still in a bit of pain.
She sat down in one corner and started consuming her lunch. Her movements stopped when she saw another plate appear across from her table.
"Ugh!" Xiu Mei instantly covered her mouth so that she won’t spit her food out.
Raising her head, she was scared witless by the sudden appearance of Wan Wan in front of her.
Xiu Mei:...
At this point, her smile felt so eerie for Xiu Mei that her subconscious reaction was to escape from here. Of all places, how the hell did she suddenly appear here in her hotel?
Regret started to set in her head. Why didn’t she just have her lunch in her room ah....
"Sister Meimei, I couldn’t find you again yesterday. Where did you go?" Wan Wan sounded so pitiful when she complained to her like that as she nonchalantly sat on the empty seat across her table.
The charred cherry tomato that was stuck on her fork fell off making a plop sound on her plate. The sound waking up Xiu Mei’s senses. Xiu Mei lightly coughed as she made an excuse.
"I was working so I wasn’t around." Then she stuck her fork on the cherry tomato again, resuming her lunch.
Wan Wan observed her for a few more seconds, shifting from her face to her food before her eyes sparkled to life. She clapped her hands together while exclaiming, "Seeing that you’re here... does that mean Sister Meimei is free now?!"
Xiu Mei:...can she say no?
She gulped down her food with difficulty as she desperately thought of a reply.
If she said no, she’ll surely ask why she was here.
If she said yes, she’ll surely drag her away to play.
It was death either way.
...dammit.
Why can’t Lu Chen give her something like a panic button that she could press whenever she needs help?
"I’ll need to go to work after this." In order to make it sound like the truth, Xiu Mei tried to sound nonchalant as possible.
"So, no. I’m not free." I expressed my position on this predictable conversation.
But no matter how much I wish for this conversation to be the last, I underestimated how persistent Wan Wan can be.
"Then can I follow you to work?" Just like what she tried to do two nights ago, she tried to blink her eyes adorably yet, it felt creepier than ever.
"...Ms.Ying, I am so sorry but may I ask how old are you again?"
Wan Wan was clearly baffled by the sudden question but she answered it properly.
"Nineteen years old."
"Nineteen." Xiu Mei echoed. Nodding her head, as if she affirmed something, she looked at Wan Wan straight in the eye trying to enlighten her. "Then Ms.Ying should already be old enough to understand that work doesn’t equate to the word, ’play’."
As harsh as it may sound, she said those words. Ying Wan Wan fell silent as if she realized she was being scolded.
"Ms.Ying, I’m not entirely sure why you’re here. Or whatever you’re doing here. But Ms.Ying should understand that I don’t have the time to hang out with you. Plus with all our previous conversations, I’m pretty sure you already know very well that I’m not very interested in interacting with you."
Realizing that she was being too harsh, she added. "I do apologize if I hurt you when I said that. But I had to say it just so you can finally understand my stance."
This time, even though she’s yet to finish her food, she decisively left Wan Wan alone on the table. Walking out of the dining, she strode towards the elevator.
She left feeling a bit heavy with guilt, because she knew she sounded too harsh but she knew that she had to do it no matter what.
Not only because Xiu Mei felt that Ying Wan Wan was one the verge of becoming her stalker but rather, she wanted to stay away from the Ying family. It’s the only thing she can do to respect the family.
She stepped inside the elevator following behind a couple of people. Sliding her room card inside the elevator, she silently waited for the elevator to open to her floor. Reaching her floor, she was waiting for it to open when strangely, the number quickly changed into the next floor.
Xiu Mei paused. Was her room card not working again? Did it demagnitize again from her purse?
She scratched her hair in annoyance. God, does she really have to go back to the lobby again just to have her room card fixed?
While the elevator kept ascending, she reached out to press the ground floor button when the elevator door when she felt a stinging pain shoot behind her.
Xiu Mei instantly felt her energy slowly drain from her body, her consciousness slipping away. But before her vision completely blackens, she could see a couple of people crowding around her then a cloth suddenly obstructing her vision. With that, she completely fainted.
.
.
.
Xiu Mei dreamt of Ying Yue again. It was when she was still alive and they were both doing volunteer work for their summer credits in school. They both volunteered in an orphanage miles away from the main city, where help was scarce.
This time, their school chose this orphanage to help for this school year.
"Wow! Sister, how can you use gun so well?" The little boys surrounded the 12-year-old Xiu Mei who was holding a toy gun in her hands. She lowered it after hitting the red target perfectly that was hanging on the bark of a tree.
Xiu Mei smiled tenderly at the little boys who was hovering around her.
"Of course, I played with it a lot when I was young like you." She replied, as if she wasn’t a kid herself.
"Then can you teach me how to hit it on the target please?" One boy chimed.
"Me too!"
"I want to learn too!"
Xiu Mei giggled at the energetic little boys. Then her eyes darted towards the other crowd a few feet away from her.
It was a complete opposite of hers.
It was a crowd of little girls holding crowns of flowers and dolls, sitting and listening intently at the 12-year-old girl sitting on a tree root while holding a book. She was doing some read-aloud of fairytale stories that girls like to listen to.
It was the 12-year-old Ying Yue who was in charge of playing with the little girls.
"Sister! Can I ask a question?" Xiu Mei heard a little girl ask.
"Of course, you may. What is it?" Ying Yue laughed.
"Can Wannie marry a prince once we grow up?" She heard the voice ask. Xiu Mei narrowed her eyes as she tried to see who asked that question. It was a little girl in twin pigtails and faded red dress.
As she looked at her closely, Xiu Mei recalled the name of that little kid back when they were being introduced to them by the manager of the orphanage.
What was her name again?
Ah. It was Wan Wan.