Title: Looking Past the Stars
Chapter: 1
Author: Celena
[06-24-03-
From the rooftop, Hua Ze Lei stood staring straight ahead at the beautiful view of Taipei, lost in thought about his father. Yesterday, his mother had called him from the Hua Ze Headquarters in Tokyo, Japan to tell him that his father was diagnosed with lung disease. [Flashback to the phone call] "Your father never smoked anything in his entire life; his disease was from secondhand smoking," Lei's mother had sobbed, "All his clients were always smoking cigars when they were going over business plans." "How is he doing now; how did you find out about the lung disease?" Lei asked with a concerned voice. "Yesterday night, while we were taking a walk in the park, he suddenly stopped breathing and fainted. He's alright for now though; he just needs to stay away from smoke as much as possible, and take everything easy, which means that he needs to take a break from work for six months. Can you please come here and temporarily take his place?" Lei's mother asked. Lei hesitated, "No problem, I'll fly over to Tokyo in three days." [End of Flashback] As he leaned on the concrete rail, contemplating on how he should tell everyone. The "gang" had made a pact that they would actually study for their finals for once, and would fairly get a good grade; before the pact, Shan Cai and Hua Ze Lei where the only ones that ever studied. Also, if they all got anything higher than an A-, they were going to take a quick trip to Hong Kong, private jet liner, limo, and hotel rooms courtesy of Dao Ming Si, the richest of the five. "I cannot bail on them now," Lei thought, "I made a promise to them.but then father and his business.he and mother would be terribly disappointed in me if I did not go and fill in for him, and it is my duty as his son to help him when he clearly needs me." * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * "Ahh.I'm so tired!" Shan Cai thought as she stretched her arms over her head, "I haven't studied this hard since.ever! I so need a break." Shan Cai packed up her things and quietly walked out of the library. "It has been like a million years since I last saw F4," Shan Cai thought as she was going up the stairs that led to the rooftop, she was hoping to find Hua Ze Lei up there. "He's just the person that can put me in peace before finals." As she got higher and higher up, Shan Cai walked more carefully and quietly; she did not want to disturb Lei, she knew that if he was up there, he would be doing some intense thinking. When she got to the opening to the rooftop, Shan Cai spotted Lei. "Hey Lei!" she cheerfully said. "Shan Cai." Lei's voice was barely a whisper. He was still leaning against the railing and looking out. Shan Cai felt an air of awkwardness between them, "Is anything wrong?" she asked. Without blinking, he said, "No." Shan Cai knew something was wrong, it was his tone of voice; she could tell that his mind was not on her, it was on something else. When Lei normally talked Shan Cai, he was attentive, and his voice was like slate, hard and straight forward. Today though, it was far off and sad. "Which can only mean that there's something he isn't telling me," Shan Cai thought, "What could it be? What would he want to hide from me?" "She knows something is wrong," Hua Ze Lei sensed, "I can just feel it. She can't hide her emotions very well." Lei looked at Shan Cai who was looking straight ahead, as Lei was before. There was a look of concern on her face, and her eyebrows were furrowed together in deep thought. "She's so cute when she's...What am I thinking? She's Ah Si's girl! I can't think betraying thoughts like that, even if I do love her...," Lei thought to himself.
From the rooftop, Hua Ze Lei stood staring straight ahead at the beautiful view of Taipei, lost in thought about his father. Yesterday, his mother had called him from the Hua Ze Headquarters in Tokyo, Japan to tell him that his father was diagnosed with lung disease. [Flashback to the phone call] "Your father never smoked anything in his entire life; his disease was from secondhand smoking," Lei's mother had sobbed, "All his clients were always smoking cigars when they were going over business plans." "How is he doing now; how did you find out about the lung disease?" Lei asked with a concerned voice. "Yesterday night, while we were taking a walk in the park, he suddenly stopped breathing and fainted. He's alright for now though; he just needs to stay away from smoke as much as possible, and take everything easy, which means that he needs to take a break from work for six months. Can you please come here and temporarily take his place?" Lei's mother asked. Lei hesitated, "No problem, I'll fly over to Tokyo in three days." [End of Flashback] As he leaned on the concrete rail, contemplating on how he should tell everyone. The "gang" had made a pact that they would actually study for their finals for once, and would fairly get a good grade; before the pact, Shan Cai and Hua Ze Lei where the only ones that ever studied. Also, if they all got anything higher than an A-, they were going to take a quick trip to Hong Kong, private jet liner, limo, and hotel rooms courtesy of Dao Ming Si, the richest of the five. "I cannot bail on them now," Lei thought, "I made a promise to them.but then father and his business.he and mother would be terribly disappointed in me if I did not go and fill in for him, and it is my duty as his son to help him when he clearly needs me." * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * "Ahh.I'm so tired!" Shan Cai thought as she stretched her arms over her head, "I haven't studied this hard since.ever! I so need a break." Shan Cai packed up her things and quietly walked out of the library. "It has been like a million years since I last saw F4," Shan Cai thought as she was going up the stairs that led to the rooftop, she was hoping to find Hua Ze Lei up there. "He's just the person that can put me in peace before finals." As she got higher and higher up, Shan Cai walked more carefully and quietly; she did not want to disturb Lei, she knew that if he was up there, he would be doing some intense thinking. When she got to the opening to the rooftop, Shan Cai spotted Lei. "Hey Lei!" she cheerfully said. "Shan Cai." Lei's voice was barely a whisper. He was still leaning against the railing and looking out. Shan Cai felt an air of awkwardness between them, "Is anything wrong?" she asked. Without blinking, he said, "No." Shan Cai knew something was wrong, it was his tone of voice; she could tell that his mind was not on her, it was on something else. When Lei normally talked Shan Cai, he was attentive, and his voice was like slate, hard and straight forward. Today though, it was far off and sad. "Which can only mean that there's something he isn't telling me," Shan Cai thought, "What could it be? What would he want to hide from me?" "She knows something is wrong," Hua Ze Lei sensed, "I can just feel it. She can't hide her emotions very well." Lei looked at Shan Cai who was looking straight ahead, as Lei was before. There was a look of concern on her face, and her eyebrows were furrowed together in deep thought. "She's so cute when she's...What am I thinking? She's Ah Si's girl! I can't think betraying thoughts like that, even if I do love her...," Lei thought to himself.
