A few days later, Katie heard from the rumours around her that Huaze Lei and Shancai were an item and Daoming Si was in an exceptionally bad mood. The finale was here: both Huaze Lei and Shancai received an F4 Joker card from Daoming Si for a Bridge showdown in two days. It was all everyone was talking about and it was very distracting for Katie. After that vacation trip, she wanted nothing more to do with F4 or Shancai in their love games.

But she knew that wasn't going to be easy. Not when Daoming Si pulled up in front of her out of nowhere and commanded her to get in it. No questions asked, Katie jumped into his blue BMW again and waited impatiently for about 3 minutes into the car ride to apparently nowhere before she spoke up.

He cut her off instead. "Whatever you're going to say," he said carelessly. "Don't say it. I'm not listening at the moment."

"What are you doing then?" she asked both sarcastically and curiously.

"Thinking and driving." He never even side-glanced at her once since she got in the car. Rude and obnoxious, as usual.

She rolled her eyes. "That's comforting. I hope you're thinking about the fact that you're driving above the speed limit." He slammed on the brakes and she noticed they were at a familiar location. "What are we doing back at your house?"

"It's the only place I can think," he retorted. "You ask a lot of questions. It's annoying." He let himself out and started walking off.

Katie scoffed. "That's it!" she muttered under her breath. She let herself out of the car and started storming off in the opposite direction to the house. She probably made it about 20 steps when he had her by the elbow and spun her around to face him. He was even angrier than before. Serves him right for being a dick. "Hey, let go!"

"Where do you think you're going?" he demanded. "I brought you here for a reason."

"It can't be a very good reason," she said. "Because you haven't been the least bit polite or nice since you picked me up." He grip on her elbow tightened and his knuckles turned white. She winced at the painful pinch he was inflicting on her. "You really should let go before I'm the one to turn pissed off. You haven't seen me in a foul mood and trust me, you don't want to see that side of me." She gave him a serious and stern look.

He released her. The mark he left on her arm was starting to fade away as colour came back to it. "Look, I just want your help." He said.

"Why should I help you?"

"Because you're the only one who can."

"What does that even mean? Where are your best friends?"

"They can't help. They're men."

"You're not making any sense."

"I want you to be my partner player at the Bridge game with Shancai and Lei."

Katie was silent, shocked. Daoming Si was officially the strangest guy she had ever met in her life. His mind worked in ways unfathomable to her. "But I don't know how to play Bridge," she stated. "How is that helping you?"

"That's fine because Shancai doesn't either," he replied. "That's the whole point."

Katie thought it through for a bit. "So," she said. "You want the game to be fair to Huaze Lei and Shancai, and I would even the odds for their team if I played on yours."

He nodded.

Katie groaned in exasperation. "Daoming Si, why are you going through with this game only to be on their side in secret? I don't get it. Just cancel the stupid game."

"I can't. It's important."

"Wh-"

"JUST do it, okay? Why do you ask so many questions? Can you do it or not?"

Katie paused for a moment. She had no idea what he was thinking and she probably never will. However, he seemed sincere enough despite his lousy attitude. "Fine, I'll do it," she finally said. "But I have one condition: you have to teach me how to play this Bridge game."

"That wouldn't be fair to Shancai. She doesn't know how to play."

"Do you seriously think that they would turn up at the game with Huaze Lei not even attempting to teach her the rules and basics of the game? That would be really, really stupid. Shancai isn't that stupid and you know it." She then added, "Besides, if you're going to have me play this card game, I won't embarrass myself. I'm going to learn to play this game right, even if I can't win."

The day of the game came and it was unnerving. Katie was in the Bridge room with Daoming Si, Ximen and Meizuo waiting for Huaze Lei and Shancai to turn up for the game. Meizuo was toying with the deck of cards while Ximen was smiling and tapping away on his mobile phone, most likely with girls of unknown origins again. Daoming Si was the one she worried about the most - he was poised at the game table looking like he was in serious thought as he drummed his index finger.

Shancai and Huaze Lei appeared, holding hands. Katie swallowed the lump in her throat. It was a bad start already. Daoming Si saw it and stopped drumming his finger. He clenched his fists instead. "Are you two going to play cards holding hands?"

They quickly let go of each other. Shancai noticed Katie. "Katie, why are you here?" she asked, puzzled.

Katie knew Daoming Si wouldn't want her to know the truth but she said it anyway. "Daoming Si asked me to be the fourth player to even out the odds for you. I've only had a day of practice so you can rest assured today's winner won't be me." She went to sit across from Daoming Si at the table while the other two took their places.

Every round was nerve-wrecking for her. Katie didn't win once but that was expected. It was a close call between Daoming Si and the other two. When it was the final round, she was holding her breath for the longest time. She felt like her chest was about to burst. Shancai, Katie and Huaze Lei showed their hands. Daoming Si was last but before he could show his, Meizuo stopped him.

"Si, are you sure you want to show your hand?" Meizuo asked.

"Why wouldn't he?" Shancai asked indignantly. "Maybe he can't win."

Meizuo ignored her. "Si, let me remind you of your wager," he said. "If you win, both Huaze Lei and Shancai will have to withdraw from Ming De. Shancai cannot fulfil her dream of being a nutritionist and Lei won't finish his music course to pursue a career in music. Is that what you really want? Think about it."

Daoming Si bent the card he was holding, clenched his jaw then threw his card away. "This is stupid," he declared childishly. "I'm not playing anymore." He got up abruptly and violently kicked his chair back, then walked around behind Shancai and grabbed Katie by the arm. "You're coming with me. Let's go."

"What the- ow!" Katie cried, confused, as she was yanked up from her seat and scrambled to catch up with Daoming Si up the spiral steps. They burst through the double doors of the Bridge room and ploughed through spectating students who were mumbling and muttering among themselves in surprise when it was them who came out first. As usual, Daoming Si said nothing as he continued to drag her across the campus and to his car. Here we go again, she thought as he practically shoved her into the passenger's seat.

Once again, he drove above the speed limit in silence, thinking most likely. Katie remained quiet herself. Shancai must be relieved he forfeited the game, she thought. But why did he? Was he going to win or lose that round? She wondered and was tempted to ask him but maybe now wasn't a good time.

"I could have won," he said.

"So, why didn't you?"

"I hesitated."

"Because of what Meizuo said?"

"Maybe."

"So you still care about them."

"No, I don't care. I just don't want to be the person to ruin their dreams."

"Huh."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means, okay I believe you. Sort of."

Daoming Si was quiet, very quiet, for the next few minutes and Katie's hands started sweating as she tossed up mentally if she should break the silence. It was killing her! What is going through that pineapple head of his? she thought and bit her lip. Don't say anything, don't say anything. She chanted in her head. She felt an implosion coming on.

"I've decided," his voice suddenly boomed through the silent cabin of the car. It made her jump a bit in her seat. He looked straight ahead at the road. "I'm moving to London. Forever."

Daoming Si walked the streets of London aimlessly. His sister had to go meet her husband in Paris for a couple of days and his mother was away on a business trip, as usual, leaving him to fend for and entertain himself. He had already gone through the stack of various courses the universities in London had to offer but nothing caught his interest.

He was beginning to regret his impulsion. A week ago, he couldn't wait to get the hell out of Shanghai. The Bridge game was the last straw and his spoiled nature got the better of him. If he couldn't have the person he want, he didn't want to be around anyone who did.

But he missed Shanghai sorely. He missed his best mates, including that wretched Huaze Lei, despite recent events. Surprisingly, he didn't think of Shancai as much as he thought he would miss her. After all, he did elect to come to London with his sister to detach himself from Shancai so she and Lei could date freely. He owed Lei that much to give them a solid chance at a working relationship. Even though Meizuo and Ximen insisted that he was being magnanimous, he didn't feel that way. Despite everything, he ultimately just wanted his friends, Shancai and Lei, to be happy.

His thoughts wandered off to Katie. She was the wild card in this game. She had come out of nowhere the day the fruitcake landed on his head, dropped a textbook on his head after that and called him an obnoxious prick. Then, she gave him such a lashing when he gave Shancai a hard time in the cafeteria in front of everyone. Not long after that, she managed to calm his temper with Shancai during the social media photo episode. And she was just help after help after help right up until he left for London.

He felt his heart sink a little. He didn't even say goodbye to her. He was an awful person and friend. He did feel selfish, obnoxious and selfish right then. Katie was right about him on multiple occasions; he just never wanted to admit it. Looking at his watch, he calculated that it should be broad daylight in Shanghai around lunchtime on campus so he dialled a video call.

"Hello?" Katie answered.

"Hi, it's me." He waved.

"Wait, you're not Daoming Si."

He was annoyed. "What? What are you talking about, stupid? You're looking right at me."

"You can't be. The Daoming Si I know isn't a coward. He'd have said goodbye to his friends."

"I did! I-" he stopped and realised what she meant. "I'm sorry, alright? Seeing Lei and Shancai together was much too painful so I had to get out of Shanghai fast." He paused and she didn't say anything. "I'm sorry I didn't say goodbye to you. You've been a friend."

He saw her sigh loudly, exaggeratedly, probably on purpose. "Fine," she replied. "For the record, we're still friends. I'm not that petty. How are you anyway?" She smiled at him, finally.

"Bored. My sister's away and my mother's not around. I've been to a few orientations to check out the courses but there's nothing I'm into."

"So, are you going to come back to Shanghai then? The boys miss you. Shancai mentions you on occasion - she cares about you regardless and Huaze Lei doesn't seem to mind that she does. They both care about you. You're so lucky you have friends like them all."

"How about you? Missing me yet?" he joked.

"Sure do," she quipped. He felt his heart skip a beat. He wondered why. "It's been quiet without you jumping out from a corner every second day. Getting to class early or on time these days feels unusual. Normally I'm late or I totally miss dance practice because I have to play a Bridge game."

He rolled his eyes. "Please, that was one time." Boy, she sure held a grudge.

"Oh, and there were the times when I was literally kidnapped on the way home. Twice, at least." She added. "I'm really missing that."

"You have Stockholm Syndrome." He argued.

She laughed and he thought she was pretty when she laughed. "I guess so," she agreed. "And guess whose fault that is?" She looked at her watch. "Dammit, I have to go. Late again. See that? Even when you're all the way in London, I'm still late somehow when you're involved. Gotta go. Take care. Bye." She ended the video call.

Daoming Si didn't get one word in, not even a goodbye for this video call. "Stupid!" he grumbled in frustration. "If I was there, she'd get it from me. No one blows off Daoming Si like that." Then he stopped and thought hard. "Wait a minute, why can't I be there? Big Sister isn't here and neither is Mother. No one can stop me. Shanghai, here I come!"

Katie sat in a private booth in the Member's Section of the club. Loud, deafening music was playing all around her and she was surrounded by men she didn't know. The night wasn't supposed to end like this.

She had been on a date earlier this Saturday evening. It was nice. They met on a campus dating website and he was a student in Computer Science. He seemed sweet and simple enough, and he asked her out to dinner so she agreed. After dinner, he received a phone call that looked important so she offered to excuse herself so he could deal with it. Instead, he invited her to join him and said it would only take a few minutes then they could continue their date. It was only eight o'clock then but it was now 9.30pm, and she was bored to death. Luckily, she and Shancai had been texting, keeping her preoccupied intermittently.

Shen Yihao, her date, finally reappeared and looked apologetic. "I'm so sorry, Katie," he said. "I got caught up in some business with my brother." He presented her with a drink. "Here, you must be thirsty."

Katie could barely hear him over the pounding of her ear drums but she did notice the drink. It was a glass of champagne, and something else was fizzing from the bottom of the glass as it disappeared. Her eyes widened and her heart started pounding in anger. Did he seriously take her for an idiot?

"No thanks," she said and got up to look him in the eye. "You can save your dirty champagne for some other girl who actually wants to sleep with you. Goodbye." She turned to leave and was rudely yanked back by the arm. "Ow! Let go." But no one else heard her. The rest of the men in the same booth ignored them completely.

"I insist you have a drink," Yihao said coldly and picked up the drink for her. "Drink."

"No!" she yelled while wincing in pain at his grip, and slapped the drink out of his hand with her free arm. "Nothing to drink now so LET GO." She was boiling all over. How dare this prick think for second that she would be stupid enough to take a known spiked drink?

Without warning, he gave her a backhanded slap to the right cheek and she felt her eyes well up with tears. Her cheek stung like hell and her vision was starry and blurred from the impact. She felt herself being dragged along until they entered a room, a much quieter room, probably with sound proof walls to keep the club noise out. Her ear drums only started to stop pounding then. She wiped away her tears aggressively and angrily, as her vision cleared up.

Yihao started to remove his jacket and belt. Katie couldn't believe the change in this person. Earlier tonight, he was gentle, sweet and basically a nerd. What else could a student in Computer Science be? But she realised that they could be anyone but a nerd. They could be this sleazy lunatic she just had dinner with. It was unbelievable but it was real. And she was in real trouble stuck in a room with him and there was no one else who would hear her cry for help.

"Actually," he said casually. "I'm not interested in sleeping with you. I just needed you knocked out so someone else can sleep with you. You see, there are so many men out there who are into girls studying at university. I think it gives them some pleasure knowing they are screwing apparently smart and intelligent girls."

Katie was still defiant. There was no way in hell she was going to give in to this piece of trash standing before her. "Clearly they're not very smart or strong themselves to resort to drugging girls to have a good time. Where's the satisfaction in that? Bunch of wimps and cowards. Where do you come in, Yihao? You're a gigolo."

His good mood faded. "It doesn't matter," he said. "I have something different for you since you can't seem to keep your mouth shut and obey." He grabbed her by the neck with one hand - his hand was huge - then slammed her against the top of the desk with his grip tightening every second. She felt herself asphyxiating as she struggled to breathe through her constricted trachea, clawing at his hand desperately. "I will knock you out, have my way then cart you off to the sex slave trade."

Did he say sex slave trade? Total lunatic! Those were her last thoughts before her vision blacked out completely. This was it. She would wake up - if she woke up at all - among other women like her, tricked into sex slavery, and never see her family or friends again. Then she no longer felt his hand around her neck and she could breathe again. Her brain and body were re-oxygenated and she mustered the strength to get up, first on her elbow then pushed herself upright. She blinked a few times to focus before she heard a crash and jerked her head in the direction of the noise.

She couldn't believe her eyes. She thought she was hallucinating. "Daoming Si," she whispered to herself. Her voice was hoarse and barely audible. But it was him. Him and Yihao were in a tussle as they tumbled this way and that, crashing and smashing into things in the room. Daoming Si was a conditioned fighter for his moves were swift and calculated. Yihao was more of a ruffian, punching this way and that, using more body weight than skill, and missing most of the time with the odd chance to score a hit which Daoming Si blocked like a boxer in a ring.

Finally, Yihao had taken one too many punches. He backed away toward the door. He had blood dripping off his left eyebrow and a cut lip. He walked unsurely while cringing, holding his right side. Daoming Si had given him a good beating. Before he could let himself out, Daoming Si kicked him squarely in the torso with such force Yihao hurled back into the door and destroyed it. He laid there on the other side of the door in a dark corridor, unmoving.

Daoming Si was standing before her. "Are you stupid?" he asked in his arrogant fashion. "Why would you come to a place like this with a guy you don't even know?" She said nothing but her eyes started welling up with tears again, and she started to cry. She didn't want to but the tears wouldn't stop and she crumbled in a heap on the ground, holding her face. "Don't cry," he said gently and touched her head. He stooped down next to her. "Are you alright? Did he hurt you?"

She didn't know how to answer that. She just wanted to cry and cry some more. She hadn't cried in a very long time. It was useless to cry. Crying was an act that no one around her ever cared for. She found crying an absolute waste of time and energy. Instead of crying, she always sought a solution to her problem. So she never cried. Until now.

But she wanted to this time. Despite how she had always psyched herself not to, it felt like she had been bottling up all the times she wanted to cry but couldn't, and right here and now was the time to cry it all out, for everything. She cried so hard her heart, lungs and sides hurt as she buried her face in her arms and knees.

"Come on," Daoming Si tried again. "If you don't stop crying, it's going to look bad, like I made you cry." He cupped her face in both hands and tried to lift her head.

She resisted at first because she knew her face was an absolute mess but then she cried even harder, if it was possible, and buried her face into his shoulder. She didn't know why she did it but it helped. He wrapped an arm around her while she continued to cry. She felt his warmth and gentleness, and if she wasn't bawling like a brat, she would have told him he was a big softie on the inside despite his hard exterior.

"C'mon," he said softly in her ear. "Let's go." She took a deep breath and was about to get up from the floor herself when he took her arm and threw it around his neck then she felt him slide an arm under the back of her knees. He lifted her from the ground effortlessly and started walking out of the room. She didn't contest - she felt at peace as she continued to bury her face in his chest. She had stopped crying by this time but she felt numb all over. She didn't even feel the difference when he put her in his car.