Chapter 23: Truce
Together they left towards the Dao Ming's mansion with their respective cars. Upon reaching the main entrance, Ah Si led him in. He quietly followed from the back. His feeling was in a clamber. He doesn't want to accommodate with Ah Si but he wanted to know what does Ah Si had in mind. He was curious. Wondering how Ah Si would calmly have a talk with him after the way he treated Ah Si. It's nothing like Ah Si to want a private heart to heart conversion. One thing for sure, he knew this so-called talk or discussion must have something to do with Shan Chai.
The head butler came to welcomed them. Ah Si ordered him to bring them a pack of beer before dismissing him. Once the butler had gone, Ah Si turned around to face him. That was when he felt the pain in his stomach. Bending down, holding on to his stomach with his left hand, he looked up at Ah Si. His face cringed with pain.
With a serious expression, Ah Si answered his question in mind, "That is for stealing my date away from me and also for that sudden burst in VS!"
Straightening up, he nodded. He understood what made Ah Si did what he did. The truth was, he actually was waiting for it to happen. It would bother him if Ah Si didn't because that would meant Ah Si was not the Ah Si he knew and that would also make him less gentlemen than Ah Si.
He stood there waiting for the next hit but none came. Instead, Ah Si turned around and walked to the living room. Watching Ah Si slump his body at the sofa, he made his way towards the seat opposite of Ah Si. As if by cue, the butler came and placed a six-pack of beer and two glasses on the coffee table between them before he took off. Ah Si opened up a can and shoved it to him. Taking it, he rested his back at the sofa and sipped the beer, watching Ah Si opened up another can of beer for himself.
"I think you already guessed the main topic of this little talk we're going to have," said Ah Si, breaking the silence and at the same time starting their discussion.
Nodding his head, he remained silent. He waited for Ah Si's next words.
"I know you're upset with my decision to use Shan Chai as my shield to setback my mother's plan to arrange me in marriage. It's wrong, yes. But I have no choice. I hope you of all people understand that."
"Ah Si... tell her the truth. She deserves it for the upcoming battle from your mother," he answered back.
"She doesn't have to battle with my mother. She just has to accept Shan Chai and I will follow her arrangement. It's as simple as that! I just want to delay her..."
"Do you think your mother would accept her? Think, Ah Si... this is the most prided and respected woman in Taiwan we're talking about," Lei tried to make Ah Si see the whole picture.
Ah Si kept quiet. A worried look starting to developed on his face. Finally, a recognition. Lei smiled.
'Ah Si has finally got it!' he thought.
Looking down on his shoes, Ah Si spoke, "She wouldn't... She will try her best to get rid of Shan Chai."
For the third time in Ah Si's house, he nodded. He took another sip from his can of beer. Looking straight at Ah Si, he could see Ah Si propped his hand up on his thigh and clasped both his palm on his face. Finally looking up, Ah Si shook his head.
"I can't let Shan Chai go through to all the trouble. I'm going to tell her the truth about the trip to US. But, I don't think I can erase my mother's knowledge about Shan Chai. She already knew. She assigned one of her follower to tail all of us and report back to her all about my doings. I has just found out about it at the show."
Lei sat up. Ah Si's last four sentences shocked him.
"What? She knew? This is bad... We should expect her evil plan soon. Shan Chai must be told about all of this as soon as possible. Tomorrow possibly... She might be in trouble," he worriedly expressed.
"You really care for her, aren't you?" asked Ah Si with apprehend and sad expression.
He wanted to tell his true feelings to Ah Si's face but he didn't know how. His best friend like the same girl. Taking another sip of his beer, he turned his sight to the side, avoiding Ah Si's eyes.
"I love her," he answered shortly and softly.
"I guess I already knew that all along. It's just that I dismissed it away. Knowing that I would not get the girl and that she loves you more than me, aggravated me somehow. I was thinking, if I could let her see the qualities in me maybe she would choose me over you," Ah Si bended and stared down at his shoe with both hands clasped together in front of him.
Finally looking back at Ah Si, he put down his beer on the coffee table. Resting back at the sofa, he said, "You've liked her since that day under the tree, right? The day she threw your flowers on your face."
Ah Si looked up with an astonishing look on his face.
"All of us can't escape from your observation, right? I'm sorry. I took your sudden disappearance for granted and I still failed. She really loves you. But she didn't know how you felt right?" questioned Ah Si.
Not getting any response from Lei, shaking his head, Ah Si continued, "Still the introvert. Let her know or somebody else will come and take her away from you."
Lei let out a small smile.
"I really mean it. She's still my little sister... I don't want her to be unhappy. If I ever catch her in any discontented situation, you're going to be sorry."
"I won't," stated Lei, still smiling at Ah Si, finding it funny to see him so caring about other people than F3.
Ah Si smiled, taking up his can to the air, Lei took his and clicked it with Ah Si's. Finally, the both of them had found a truce.
"By the way, about the bet... it has been cancelled earlier," told Ah Si, matter-of-fact.
"I cancelled ours too then," added Lei and clicked his can again with Ah Si's.
~~~*~~~*~~~
Shan Chai wrote a letter to her parents that morning while eating sweetens bread for breakfast and a cup of Milo. She told her parents about her upcoming exams and her longings to be with her parents on the semester break. Tears crawled down her cheeks. She looked around the house. It was quite. She felt lonely. Her memories of her parents and their funny acts played back inside her mind.
"Stop! I shouldn't feel like this. It's going to be all right... I will meet them soon," Shan Chai spoke out loud, scolding herself for feeling pitiful.
Wiping away the tears, she folded the 2 page letter and put them inside an envelope. Putting stamps on them and wrote the address, she stood up, grabbed her purse and house keys, and walked out of the house to post the letter.
She stopped by the grocery store after mailing the letter to buy some junk food, juices, instant noodles, fruits and vegetables. The food stocks in her house are decreasing. Even though she seldom eats at home, she still wants her refrigerator to have food in them. She was walking back from the grocery shop when an unknown black car with tinted glass swerved by and stopped abruptly next to her.
She yelped in surprise. At first she thought it was one of the guys of F4 trying to scare her off but when the back door opened and two big body build men came out and grabbed her, she screamed her heart out but one of the men put a cloth over her mouth and she passed out. They shoved her inside the car and drove off.
Together they left towards the Dao Ming's mansion with their respective cars. Upon reaching the main entrance, Ah Si led him in. He quietly followed from the back. His feeling was in a clamber. He doesn't want to accommodate with Ah Si but he wanted to know what does Ah Si had in mind. He was curious. Wondering how Ah Si would calmly have a talk with him after the way he treated Ah Si. It's nothing like Ah Si to want a private heart to heart conversion. One thing for sure, he knew this so-called talk or discussion must have something to do with Shan Chai.
The head butler came to welcomed them. Ah Si ordered him to bring them a pack of beer before dismissing him. Once the butler had gone, Ah Si turned around to face him. That was when he felt the pain in his stomach. Bending down, holding on to his stomach with his left hand, he looked up at Ah Si. His face cringed with pain.
With a serious expression, Ah Si answered his question in mind, "That is for stealing my date away from me and also for that sudden burst in VS!"
Straightening up, he nodded. He understood what made Ah Si did what he did. The truth was, he actually was waiting for it to happen. It would bother him if Ah Si didn't because that would meant Ah Si was not the Ah Si he knew and that would also make him less gentlemen than Ah Si.
He stood there waiting for the next hit but none came. Instead, Ah Si turned around and walked to the living room. Watching Ah Si slump his body at the sofa, he made his way towards the seat opposite of Ah Si. As if by cue, the butler came and placed a six-pack of beer and two glasses on the coffee table between them before he took off. Ah Si opened up a can and shoved it to him. Taking it, he rested his back at the sofa and sipped the beer, watching Ah Si opened up another can of beer for himself.
"I think you already guessed the main topic of this little talk we're going to have," said Ah Si, breaking the silence and at the same time starting their discussion.
Nodding his head, he remained silent. He waited for Ah Si's next words.
"I know you're upset with my decision to use Shan Chai as my shield to setback my mother's plan to arrange me in marriage. It's wrong, yes. But I have no choice. I hope you of all people understand that."
"Ah Si... tell her the truth. She deserves it for the upcoming battle from your mother," he answered back.
"She doesn't have to battle with my mother. She just has to accept Shan Chai and I will follow her arrangement. It's as simple as that! I just want to delay her..."
"Do you think your mother would accept her? Think, Ah Si... this is the most prided and respected woman in Taiwan we're talking about," Lei tried to make Ah Si see the whole picture.
Ah Si kept quiet. A worried look starting to developed on his face. Finally, a recognition. Lei smiled.
'Ah Si has finally got it!' he thought.
Looking down on his shoes, Ah Si spoke, "She wouldn't... She will try her best to get rid of Shan Chai."
For the third time in Ah Si's house, he nodded. He took another sip from his can of beer. Looking straight at Ah Si, he could see Ah Si propped his hand up on his thigh and clasped both his palm on his face. Finally looking up, Ah Si shook his head.
"I can't let Shan Chai go through to all the trouble. I'm going to tell her the truth about the trip to US. But, I don't think I can erase my mother's knowledge about Shan Chai. She already knew. She assigned one of her follower to tail all of us and report back to her all about my doings. I has just found out about it at the show."
Lei sat up. Ah Si's last four sentences shocked him.
"What? She knew? This is bad... We should expect her evil plan soon. Shan Chai must be told about all of this as soon as possible. Tomorrow possibly... She might be in trouble," he worriedly expressed.
"You really care for her, aren't you?" asked Ah Si with apprehend and sad expression.
He wanted to tell his true feelings to Ah Si's face but he didn't know how. His best friend like the same girl. Taking another sip of his beer, he turned his sight to the side, avoiding Ah Si's eyes.
"I love her," he answered shortly and softly.
"I guess I already knew that all along. It's just that I dismissed it away. Knowing that I would not get the girl and that she loves you more than me, aggravated me somehow. I was thinking, if I could let her see the qualities in me maybe she would choose me over you," Ah Si bended and stared down at his shoe with both hands clasped together in front of him.
Finally looking back at Ah Si, he put down his beer on the coffee table. Resting back at the sofa, he said, "You've liked her since that day under the tree, right? The day she threw your flowers on your face."
Ah Si looked up with an astonishing look on his face.
"All of us can't escape from your observation, right? I'm sorry. I took your sudden disappearance for granted and I still failed. She really loves you. But she didn't know how you felt right?" questioned Ah Si.
Not getting any response from Lei, shaking his head, Ah Si continued, "Still the introvert. Let her know or somebody else will come and take her away from you."
Lei let out a small smile.
"I really mean it. She's still my little sister... I don't want her to be unhappy. If I ever catch her in any discontented situation, you're going to be sorry."
"I won't," stated Lei, still smiling at Ah Si, finding it funny to see him so caring about other people than F3.
Ah Si smiled, taking up his can to the air, Lei took his and clicked it with Ah Si's. Finally, the both of them had found a truce.
"By the way, about the bet... it has been cancelled earlier," told Ah Si, matter-of-fact.
"I cancelled ours too then," added Lei and clicked his can again with Ah Si's.
~~~*~~~*~~~
Shan Chai wrote a letter to her parents that morning while eating sweetens bread for breakfast and a cup of Milo. She told her parents about her upcoming exams and her longings to be with her parents on the semester break. Tears crawled down her cheeks. She looked around the house. It was quite. She felt lonely. Her memories of her parents and their funny acts played back inside her mind.
"Stop! I shouldn't feel like this. It's going to be all right... I will meet them soon," Shan Chai spoke out loud, scolding herself for feeling pitiful.
Wiping away the tears, she folded the 2 page letter and put them inside an envelope. Putting stamps on them and wrote the address, she stood up, grabbed her purse and house keys, and walked out of the house to post the letter.
She stopped by the grocery store after mailing the letter to buy some junk food, juices, instant noodles, fruits and vegetables. The food stocks in her house are decreasing. Even though she seldom eats at home, she still wants her refrigerator to have food in them. She was walking back from the grocery shop when an unknown black car with tinted glass swerved by and stopped abruptly next to her.
She yelped in surprise. At first she thought it was one of the guys of F4 trying to scare her off but when the back door opened and two big body build men came out and grabbed her, she screamed her heart out but one of the men put a cloth over her mouth and she passed out. They shoved her inside the car and drove off.