1:
The story starts off some time after Shancai and DaoMing Si met Harlem Yu.
School has started for some time already, and Lei has just got back from a second trip to Japan.
Today is Lei's first day at School.
----------------------------------------------------------
"Lei! You are going to get married?" ShanCai asks in shock.
The news had been pinned on the school's notice board.
Lei sits on the ledge of the school's balcony, his face a picture of silent endurance, and agony.
2:
Lei turns to ShanCai, and his eyes cringes from the glare of the sun.
"Whom are you marrying to?" ShanCai questions urgently.
"Why do you care?" Lei replies nonchalantly.
"I-" ShanCai's sentence stops midway.
Lei is right, she knows. She has no right to interfere. Yet, she still feels something for Lei that stirs her heart with emotions, a feeling of deep concern- like when a spoon stirs a cup of tea to dissolve the sugar at the bottom. She feels like that- her past emotions that she thought had long settled down were being raised again, stirred upwards.
"Jing," MeiZuo appears at the doorway, "Lei is marrying to Jing."
ShanCai raises her eyebrows, "But I thought..."
"Did you think that Jing's parents would let their only daughter be free so easily?" MeiZuo explains, "No matter how much Jing loves a man, in their eyes, she is a princess, and only someone like Lei can match her."
"You mean that neither Lei nor Jing have agreed to it?" ShanCai tries to fit the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle she knows so little about together.
MeiZuo nods and continues, "It does not matter if they have consented to it or not- their marriage had been planned years before any of us were born. That was how Jing came to know us when we were children."
ShanCai feels the news like a slap to her face. "Such a carefree spirit like Jing," she thinks, "who can force her to do anything against her own will?"
FLASHBACK:
***
"My life is to be decided by me alone."
Jing says with a voice brimming with confidence.
***
"Lei," ShanCai turns to him, "What is your decision regarding this matter?"
"I plan not to do anything," he replies quietly.
"What?" ShanCai stares at him.
Lei gives a smile none of them had seen before, a smile of freedom, unburdened by anything. The breeze blows Lei's hair ever so gently.
"What do you mean?" ShanCai chokes.
"ShanCai," MeiZuo says, turning his face down, the shadows hiding his facial expression, "Lei has lost his memory."
"What?" ShanCai's mouth drops open, "What happened?"
3:
MeiZuo shakes his head sadly; "DaoMing Si will meet you after work at the cake shop, and explain everything to you. Sayonara!"
MeiZuo smiles cheerfully, and it lightens ShanCai's serious expression.
*** Lei walks the long, lonely halls of the school, his head turned down. He goes to the music room, and walks on the stage. Soundlessly he takes his violin out, and plays a symphony so sad and sweet; it would break even the happiest lover's heart. "No one knows anything," he mutters to himself, and smiles a small smile, sad at the edges. ***
"DaoMing Si! Are you retarded? How could you come so late? Look! I've waited for you for an hour already! Why didn't you tell me about Lei earlier?" As ShanCai shouts, her eyebrows rise in anger.
"Why are you so concerned about Lei! After all, Lei is marrying Jing, it's a good surprise, isn't it?" DaoMing Si asks innocently.
"Arrgh! I give up on you!" ShanCai turns her back to him.
"How can you give up on me? I-I would never give up on you! You..." DaoMing Si defends himself, "You stupid woman!"
ShanCai takes her bag and slams it over DaoMing Si's head.
"Hey!" He moans, "That hurts!"
"That's for calling me a stupid woman! And this," she slams the bag again, "Is for being an idiot!"
"Who's the one being an idiot slamming her bag around?" DaoMing Si retorts.
"Look who's talking? Look- who's the one supposed to tell me something about Lei and is right now talking rubbish?" ShanCai folds her arms.
"Why should I tell an idiot anything?" DaoMing Si folds his arms.
"You idiot!" ShanCai scolds.
Then DaoMing Si grins. "If you want to know anything about Lei, don't you think you should be polite and ask me nicely?"
ShanCai looks at DaoMing Si as if he committed an evil crime.
"Fine!" she says, "I will apologize! BUT- after you tell me about Lei!"
DaoMing Si smiles, "That's more like it!"
"About Lei," DaoMing Si begins, "He went back to Japan a second time to help his father. But this time..."
FLASHBACK:
"Lei," HuaZhe Lei's father whispers coarsely from the sofa of the posh white marble house, "I'm too old. I am in no position to take care of the HuaZhe business anymore. Now is your time to reveal your potential, do you understand, my son?"
Lei nods solemnly, thoughts of taking charge of the business tumbling in his mind. Lei waits until his father leaves the dinning room, before silently turning towards the doorway.
He walks towards his silver car, parked outside the palace-like house, the wind soft blowing his hair.
"SCHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH!"
A car swerves sharply, hitting Lei with immediate effect.
He falls, and in that still moment he fell, the world is silent. He sees the tree branches move, but he cannot hear the leaves rustling against each other. He falls hard against the floor.
"Jing..." He murmurs.
The story starts off some time after Shancai and DaoMing Si met Harlem Yu.
School has started for some time already, and Lei has just got back from a second trip to Japan.
Today is Lei's first day at School.
----------------------------------------------------------
"Lei! You are going to get married?" ShanCai asks in shock.
The news had been pinned on the school's notice board.
Lei sits on the ledge of the school's balcony, his face a picture of silent endurance, and agony.
2:
Lei turns to ShanCai, and his eyes cringes from the glare of the sun.
"Whom are you marrying to?" ShanCai questions urgently.
"Why do you care?" Lei replies nonchalantly.
"I-" ShanCai's sentence stops midway.
Lei is right, she knows. She has no right to interfere. Yet, she still feels something for Lei that stirs her heart with emotions, a feeling of deep concern- like when a spoon stirs a cup of tea to dissolve the sugar at the bottom. She feels like that- her past emotions that she thought had long settled down were being raised again, stirred upwards.
"Jing," MeiZuo appears at the doorway, "Lei is marrying to Jing."
ShanCai raises her eyebrows, "But I thought..."
"Did you think that Jing's parents would let their only daughter be free so easily?" MeiZuo explains, "No matter how much Jing loves a man, in their eyes, she is a princess, and only someone like Lei can match her."
"You mean that neither Lei nor Jing have agreed to it?" ShanCai tries to fit the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle she knows so little about together.
MeiZuo nods and continues, "It does not matter if they have consented to it or not- their marriage had been planned years before any of us were born. That was how Jing came to know us when we were children."
ShanCai feels the news like a slap to her face. "Such a carefree spirit like Jing," she thinks, "who can force her to do anything against her own will?"
FLASHBACK:
***
"My life is to be decided by me alone."
Jing says with a voice brimming with confidence.
***
"Lei," ShanCai turns to him, "What is your decision regarding this matter?"
"I plan not to do anything," he replies quietly.
"What?" ShanCai stares at him.
Lei gives a smile none of them had seen before, a smile of freedom, unburdened by anything. The breeze blows Lei's hair ever so gently.
"What do you mean?" ShanCai chokes.
"ShanCai," MeiZuo says, turning his face down, the shadows hiding his facial expression, "Lei has lost his memory."
"What?" ShanCai's mouth drops open, "What happened?"
3:
MeiZuo shakes his head sadly; "DaoMing Si will meet you after work at the cake shop, and explain everything to you. Sayonara!"
MeiZuo smiles cheerfully, and it lightens ShanCai's serious expression.
*** Lei walks the long, lonely halls of the school, his head turned down. He goes to the music room, and walks on the stage. Soundlessly he takes his violin out, and plays a symphony so sad and sweet; it would break even the happiest lover's heart. "No one knows anything," he mutters to himself, and smiles a small smile, sad at the edges. ***
"DaoMing Si! Are you retarded? How could you come so late? Look! I've waited for you for an hour already! Why didn't you tell me about Lei earlier?" As ShanCai shouts, her eyebrows rise in anger.
"Why are you so concerned about Lei! After all, Lei is marrying Jing, it's a good surprise, isn't it?" DaoMing Si asks innocently.
"Arrgh! I give up on you!" ShanCai turns her back to him.
"How can you give up on me? I-I would never give up on you! You..." DaoMing Si defends himself, "You stupid woman!"
ShanCai takes her bag and slams it over DaoMing Si's head.
"Hey!" He moans, "That hurts!"
"That's for calling me a stupid woman! And this," she slams the bag again, "Is for being an idiot!"
"Who's the one being an idiot slamming her bag around?" DaoMing Si retorts.
"Look who's talking? Look- who's the one supposed to tell me something about Lei and is right now talking rubbish?" ShanCai folds her arms.
"Why should I tell an idiot anything?" DaoMing Si folds his arms.
"You idiot!" ShanCai scolds.
Then DaoMing Si grins. "If you want to know anything about Lei, don't you think you should be polite and ask me nicely?"
ShanCai looks at DaoMing Si as if he committed an evil crime.
"Fine!" she says, "I will apologize! BUT- after you tell me about Lei!"
DaoMing Si smiles, "That's more like it!"
"About Lei," DaoMing Si begins, "He went back to Japan a second time to help his father. But this time..."
FLASHBACK:
"Lei," HuaZhe Lei's father whispers coarsely from the sofa of the posh white marble house, "I'm too old. I am in no position to take care of the HuaZhe business anymore. Now is your time to reveal your potential, do you understand, my son?"
Lei nods solemnly, thoughts of taking charge of the business tumbling in his mind. Lei waits until his father leaves the dinning room, before silently turning towards the doorway.
He walks towards his silver car, parked outside the palace-like house, the wind soft blowing his hair.
"SCHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH!"
A car swerves sharply, hitting Lei with immediate effect.
He falls, and in that still moment he fell, the world is silent. He sees the tree branches move, but he cannot hear the leaves rustling against each other. He falls hard against the floor.
"Jing..." He murmurs.