Disclaimer: -insert disclaimer here-

A/N: Thanks to all my fans out there in the world! How cool is it that I have readers from some of my favorite places? (Including Hong Kong) lol. Enjoy and keep reading!

When Xiang arrived home that evening, he noted that Arthur was absent once again. Xiang was unusually inspired lately and he had no time to worry about Arthur, or else his inspiration might be lost. Xiang reminded himself that he had to find a suitable partner for Arthur sometime soon because Bonnefoy would not do at all. He sighed and headed into the den to work on his piece.

The den was a massive room, with large windows that let the orange glow of the spring sun cascade throughout the room. Everything in this room was bright and white, even the piano that Xiang practiced on. The den was meant for a television, games, and other things to entertain guests but Arthur made it into Xiang's music room. It had everything the Cantonese boy needed regarding his musical passion: a piano, his cello, his violin, a metronome, sheet music, a vast musical library, and even a baton so Xiang can practice conducting.

Xiang grabbed some blank sheet music from a folder and a pencil and took a seat at the pure white piano. He stared at the blank piece of paper for some time, looking at it as if music was going to magically appear on the staff and it would sound like Beethoven or something. Unfortunately for Xiang, life didn't work like that; he had to work hard on this piece and nurse it like it was his baby.

He started off by drawing in the clefs, key signature, and time signature in the staves. Then he stared at the music once more. When Xiang wrote music, he usually just rushed into the process. But this time, he wanted to write for Mei; he wanted to take his time and make it perfect for her. Xiang felt himself blush.

Gosh. I'm really trying to impress her, he thought. Either that or she's the most inspirational that's happened to me so far.

It was rare that Xiang gained inspiration from a person especially a girl, for that matter! The fact that Xiang wanted to compose something for his dear friend Mei was quite shocking to him. Xiang wondered what it was about Mei that gave him the compulsion to write music. She was a sweet girl with a blazing ambition inside of her. She was talented, congenial, interesting, and pretty damn attractive. A feeling of fluttering occurred in Xiang's chest as he blushed deeper.

I don't have a crush on her… he convinced himself. He sighed internally. I should start this thing!

Xiang began to play some notes on the piano, envisioning Mei in his mind and how she made him feel. He smiled involuntarily. His fingers danced on the keys of the piano with ease, producing a splendid and calming melody. Xiang paused to scribble down the notes he just played and continued the music.

The air was resonant with the pleasing tune that was emitted from the piano. Xiang's fingers moved nimbly and naturally like he had played this song so many times it was memorized by heart. Strangely, this song was from his heart. He was slightly surprised that he could produce such a lovely song. It was playful yet peaceful; careful yet exciting; strange yet utterly beautiful. All of those things were what Mei was to Xiang.

Mei lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling after taking a nap after work. The ceiling was pure and white. White symbolized innocence; something Mei could not relate to after her encounter with Kiku. Her skin crawled when she envisioned him pressed up against her, kissing her, feeling her, and preparing to have his way with her. Mei wondered if he had done this to other girls. Maybe he did that to Natalia. Maybe he had kissed countless other young stars the way he kissed her. She shuddered.

Mei had heard of girls (and even boys) developing sexual relationships with their bosses and managers in order to advance in the business. Yes, Mei wanted the part badly, but was she willing to give up her innocence for something simple like that? Was she willing to dispose all of her values and rely on her body instead of talent for a part? Hell no. She got into Taiyo because of her talent and she was going to rely on her talent to get her far in life.

It would be awkward to be around Mr. Honda now… Mei thought.

The Taiwanese dancer wondered if she should quit the company. If he tried it once, he might try it again; he might get lucky next time. Mei thought of all of the sacrifices she had made to get where she is now. She had just graduated high school and had got accepted to her dream school: Julliard. Mei heard of the auditions just a month ago and discovered that the company travels from fall to spring. That meant that if she made it into the company, she couldn't go to Julliard. Mei turned down school to dance with Taiyo and she couldn't just give up so easily.

Mei thought of Yao and how upset he was when he found out that his baby sister decided not to attend this elite college but dance with the sun. He was upset initially, but Yao grew into her greatest support system. Then her mind thought of Xiang, a new friend who meant more to her than someone she's known for years. She thought about how she had lied to him today. Should she have told him about what Kiku had done? Would he even believe her?

The girl sighed and sat up in her bed. She reached for her cell phone that was on her nightstand and clicked a button to make the dim screen come to life. Searching though her contacts, Mei stumbled across Xiang's number. She looked at it for a brief moment and hit the "call" button.

Xiang was still at the piano, writing his song for Mei. He had promised himself that he would stop after an hour to get a snack but the process lasted well into the evening. Xiang never got so into writing a piece of music before. It was beautiful, and he was sure Mei was going to like it.

The teen heard his phone ring and looked at the caller ID and blushed upon seeing it was Mei's number. He answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Xiang. You busy?" She asked. Xiang thought she sounded lovely over the phone, even if she was a little bit quiet and sounded troubled.

"No. I can make time. What's up?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to hear your voice."

Xiang's face flushed a hue of scarlet. Did he hear her correctly? "Wh-what?" he managed to choke out.

Crap! What just came out of my mouth? Mei thought. "Oh! I meant a voice," she replied and laughed slightly.

Xiang calmed down a bit and laughed along. "Oh, r-right! So what's on your mind? You sound down."

Mei bit her bottom lip, contemplating whether or not she wanted to tell Xiang or not. After hearing her name called on his end of the phone several times she decided to answer.

"I…I'm thinking of quitting Taiyo."

"What? You can't do that! Why?"

"It's just a problem with someone in the company." It wasn't a lie; she just didn't give any specific details.

"Like bullying? Mei, I know you're tougher than this."

"I am! But this whole thing is a major distraction!"

"You don't seem like the type of person to let one person stop you from achieving your dreams. However, I am. If you quit, I'm quitting."

Mei's mouth went agape and she was searching for words to describe her shock, gratitude, and guilt. "Xiang? You sh-shouldn't do that for me…" she whispered.

"I could. I should. And I most definitely would."

"But you've been there for so long," she protested.

"I could use a different job."

The line was silent while Mei took all of this in. A boy she had only met recently was willing to give up his dream if she gave up on hers. This was strange; the only person who made these types of sacrifices for her was Yao-ge. It felt good that someone cared about her.

"So, Mei," Xiang began. "Are you still going to quit?"

"No," she said, her voice sounded like she was smiling (which she was doing). "We can do this thing together!"

Xiang smiled. "Good. I have to get going in a sec. Dinner calls."

"Hm, okay. But one more thing!" Xiang listened. "Xiang…do you…like me?" Mei blushed, grinned and threw her head in the pillow all at once, embarrassed that she even asked such a thing.

Did she mean as a friend or more? He assumed the latter was the safest bet because he didn't want to feel embarrassed if he confessed and she denied him or vice versa. "Why wouldn't I?"

That's not what I meant, Mr. Oblivious! Mei just smiled. "I like you, too. Have a nice evening. Bye!"

"Bye-bye, Mei." The two hung up.

Mei was on a high that was difficult to come down from. She was so pleased she had Xiang as a friend, but deep down, she knew she wanted more. He was like the catalyst in a chemical reaction to her. When she was by herself, she moved at a steady pace, but Xiang pushed her to go the extra mile. In the end, like any chemical reaction, something new and beautiful is created.

Mei hopped out of bed and proceeded downstairs to the kitchen. Yao hadn't called her down for dinner yet and it was about that time. She entered the living room to see her brother snuggled up with some unknown blonde man. Yao saw her. "Oh, Mei you're up! We can head out to dinner now, aru."

"Um, yeah." Mei eyed the other man. Compared to Yao, he was beyond huge. Larger than her brother and herself, this man had a sweet smile planted on his face.

After a moment of awkward silence, Yao introduced the man to his sister, "Ah, of course. Mei, this is Ivan, aru."

Mei waved, as a courtesy. However, as the trio headed out for dinner, Mei couldn't help but to be suspicious of this man.