BARE SOULS

Shancai gazed at her husband in bewilderment, as though she could not fully grasp the full extent of what he was saying about Aisha. "Aisha is...you mean..."

Dao Ming Si nodded. "It is too much of a coincidence. I'd say she did this on purpose. She knew Hua Ze Lei is Mei Zuo's friend, so she fixed her eyes on him."

Shancai looked closely at Dao Ming Si, who was staring through the darkness of the side of the highway, his hands on the steering wheel. "You speak of Aisha too harshly. What do you know about her?"

This made him pause and think a while. When he did, he spoke with a slight lift of the shoulders. "Not much. I only saw her once, during the dance competition. I only know she is from Japan, and she met Mei Zuo in a most...compromising circumstance."

"What do you mean, 'compromising'?"

"She picked Mei Zuo's pocket."

Shancai's eyes widened at the conciseness of his words more than the actual meaning of what he had just said. "Are you saying..."

"Aisha is a thief. From what I've heard, she had become quite adept at it."

Disbelief flooding her, Shancai sank back on her seat, her eyes dazed. "Does...You think Lei knows?"

"About her being a thief?" He shook his head. "I don't know. But if you were in her place, would you tell him?" He snorted. "I doubt he knows about her character."

"Are you going to tell him?" she asked.

"I don't know." He breathed deeply, his grip tightening around the wheel. "I don't want to look like the bad guy here and appear to be destroying her in Lei's eyes."

"Hua Ze Lei seems to be really into her," she murmured, remembering how Lei acted around Aisha.

"Which makes it all the more difficult. You know how Lei is. He is the King of Unpredictability. We've been best friends ever since I could remember but I could never really figure him out. I don't think anyone ever has."

He sighed, and continued. "I'm just...I'm afraid for Hua Ze Lei."

"You make her sound like a monster."

"Maybe she is."

Shancai slowly turned her head and scrutinized her husband's profile as he stared forward. Concern was etched on his face, and she knew his worries over his best friend were genuine. But...Aisha?

The other lady's genial face and sweet smile, coupled with her stilted Mandarin, rose before her and she found herself getting confused. True, she had never been a good judge of character, take for example Ya Men, or Xiao Xuen...but something tells her there is more to this than meets the eye.

Meanwhile, more often than not, Dao Ming Si's instinct when it comes to strangers, have been right.

"What are we to do, then?" she asked. "You're right. We can't just go up to Hua Ze Lei and tell him about her. It seems...wrong."

Dao Ming Si straightened and revved the engine once again. "Right now, I don't think we can do anything. All we can do is to just sit back and go on with our lives…and just be there for the crash."

She thought for a moment. "You think there will be...a crash?"

He looked sideways at her. "With a girl like her? Most likely."

She still felt uncomfortable. "Maybe we're being too quick to judge."

The car pulled off the side of the road and rejoined the stream of steady traffic on the highway. "I hope so, Shancai. I hope so."

Silence reigned between them as husband and wife were left to their own thoughts, mulling over the predicament their friend is in, their own fragile beginnings forgotten, at least for the moment.

"I have something to tell you." Her voice sounded really lame even to her ears, and Aisha felt like she was the most wretched person alive for having to be the one to say this now, and especially to Hua Ze Lei.

Hua Ze Lei heard her but his eyes were dancing as he glanced at his watch. "I know this sounds really rude but I'm glad A Si and Shancai left when they did."

"Excuse me?" she asked, not quite sure of the meaning of what he's saying, but she saw the excitement lighting up his face as his eyes darted at his wristwatch then at the phone.

Hua Ze Lei looked at her. "Yuki called a while back, while you were in the bathroom. She gave me some news, but I'd rather she tell you herself." Once again he glanced at the time. "Any second now..."

Aisha isn't thinking of anything at the moment except getting this over and done with. Not even word from her manager could sway her. "Lei, this is important. There is something you should know."

He lifted his gaze at her. "Later," he said just as the phone rang. Jumping to his feet he reached for the phone and spoke. She instantly knew it was her manager Yuki he was talking to.

"Yes...of course...she's here. No, I haven't told her. I wanted you to be the one..." He turned to look at her and seemed to notice her troubled face for the first time. He frowned. "Yes...Sure...here she is." He handed the phone to her and she reached for it reluctantly.

"Yuki?" she said softly, wondering why her manager is calling right now. It must be something of great import, as Yuki was never known as one to make small talk over the phone.

The older woman's voice came on cheerfully. "Aisha! How are you doing out there so far? Having a good time?"

She swallowed, wishing she felt as cheerful as she pretended to sound. Slowly she turned her back on Hua Ze Lei, not wanting him to see her distraught, but fully aware of the full intensity of his eyes boring into her back.

"Fine. I'm fine. How are things there?"

"Oh, good, good," Yuki replied. "Aren't you going to ask why I called?"

"Hua Ze Lei told me you have some news for me."

"Oh, yes." She could just imagine her manager pausing for effect. "Listen to this."

Suddenly Aisha heard another person's voice over the phone, and she realized Yuki must have placed the phone receiver over a radio speaker. She strained to catch the words of what seemed to be a radio disc jockey.

"...and surging straight to the top, a phenomenal rise, if I may say so, straight at Number One, it's the upbeat release of Japan's latest star, Ash. Here's the Number One song in all of Japan, rocking the airwaves, Ash's RISE!"

Her eyes closed, and there is nothing else she wanted more than for the ground to open wide underneath her and swallow her whole. When she opened her eyes she still found herself in this same room, her hand gripping the phone so tight.

She didn't know how it happened but somehow she was able to say goodbye to Yuki without her manager realizing something is wrong.

Slowly she replaced the receiver back onto its cradle and stood there. Under other circumstances she would have jumped for joy and whooped in delight. Heck, she is Number One! She is Japan's hottest property!

But as she turned around and faced Hua Ze Lei, she felt like the most despicable creature alive.

He was staring at her, a slight frown on his face. "This is a first," he said jokingly, but a trace of concern is visible. "You find out you're Number One and I can see you aren't happy. I don't think the others react the way you did just now."

As she drank in the sight of him standing there, looking thoroughly serene and every bit the gentleman she had grown to care immensely about, the tears threatened to flow.

"I'm happy, Hua Ze Lei," she said with great effort. "Really, I am..."

"You sure have a funny way of showing it," he observed and when her head hung and he noticed her shoulders begin to shake, he knew something was wrong. "Aisha?" He made to move towards her.

But she took a step back, and he stopped. "What's wrong?" he asked softly.

"I'm sorry," she said and now the tears began their slow descent, but she still would not lift her glance. "I'm so sorry."

"What are you sorry about?" he asked, thoroughly dumbfounded.

She shook her head, unable to look him in the eye. "I don't want to lie to you. You've been so good to me. You had so much faith in me. You believed in me when no one else would…And I just don't want to keep anything from you..."

"Aisha, what - "

Her head whipped up and her eyes were all tearful. "Mei Zuo! I know him! Your friend..." She sniffed. "You remember how I told you about the man who helped me when I was in Taipei?"

As his frown smoothened in realization, Aisha felt the sudden urge to run away and hide but she stood her ground. Hua Ze Lei didn't deserve it. Whereas she deserves whatever punishment he deemed fit to deal her for keeping this from him.

Hua Ze Lei did not speak. He merely stood there, staring at her and her knees buckled beneath her. Wearily she sank down on the plush sofa and buried her face in her hands as the words came out in a rush.

"I had no idea, Hua Ze Lei. I didn't know he was your friend. Oh, God! I only found out when I saw the photograph at the music room...I know I should have told you there and then but I was too shocked. I was too...shocked. I didn't know how to tell you…I wanted to, but a part of me was hoping this was all a dream and…and after a while I would wake up and it would just be something I'd laugh about. That he is not your friend, that he is not...not your...your brother."

She sobbed and willed herself not to look up at him, afraid she might saw anger and contempt in his face. Her voice softened. "Then Dao Ming Si came...and I understood how he reacted to me. I am so sorry, Hua Ze Lei. Believe me, if I had known Mei Zuo was your friend, then..." Her voice trailed as she stopped to draw breath.

It was then that he spoke. "Then what? Tell me, Aisha, what would you have done had you known?"

Aisha shut her eyes tightly, welcoming whatever hurtful words he's about to utter.

"You would have kept your distance, right?" he asked. "You would have made every effort not to be involved with me in any way. You would have stayed as far away from me as possible. Maybe...just maybe...I would not have known you."

Those words weren't exactly what she expected and, in her surprise and confusion, she lifted her gaze. He was now standing so near. She could reach out and touch his arm; he was that close.

But she couldn't...she just couldn't bear to look at him straight in the eye. She jumped to her feet and swung past him. She had to get away from him. She couldn't...

She was halfway to her designated room when she realized he was following her. Letting herself into her room, she locked the doorknob and literally crawled on the side of the bed, slipping on to the carpeted floor, biting her lip so hard she could have sworn she tasted blood.

Aisha had never fought the tears from falling as she is doing so now. Many times before she vowed never to shed tears, but now she found that was next to impossible.

She stiffened when she felt a draft of air come in. When she lifted her gaze, she discovered her door was open, and Hua Ze Lei stood there, gazing down at her.

Confused, she could only say, "H-how...how did you...?"

"This is my house, remember?" he said softly and made to move towards her.

Aisha turned her head away. "Please...leave..."

"Is that what you really want?" His voice was closer now, and when she shifted her head slightly she caught sight of him standing right in front of her. "And is that what you think I want?"

She blinked up at him. "Lei?"

"So what if it was Mei Zuo?"

His words rocked her to the core and she stared wide-eyed at him. A small smile appeared on his face as he went down on one knee before her, such that they were eye to eye.

"Wh-what...? What are you...?"

"Do you think I care?"

His hand reached out and wiped the errant tears that streaked her face. Mesmerized, she could only look at him.

Dao Ming Si bit his lip as Mei Zuo's jovial voice came on the line. "A Si! Where are you?"

He looked up just as Shancai came out from the bath, her long hair wet and bundled up in a towel. At that moment he lay sprawled on the bed. "At home."

"Already? Why so early? Xi Men told me you and Shancai went over at Lei's for dinner."

Cautiously he chose his words as Shancai looked at him quizzically. "Yes, we did have dinner at Lei's." He mouthed Mei Zuo's name at Shancai and she nodded in enlightenment.

"And then what?" Mei Zuo persisted.

"And then nothing. We decided to call an early night. We still have work tomorrow. Then there's your party."

Mei Zuo chuckled. "I've been trying to reach Lei, but his cell phone is off, and their maids said he's busy so he could not come to the phone. What's up with him?"

Probably fixing the mess with that girl, Dao Ming Si thought with grim satisfaction. He cleared his throat. "I don't know. Maybe he really is busy."

"Have you met his Ash?" The mischievous tone associated with Mei Zuo came into play again and Dao Ming Si felt bad.

"Yes, yes, we did."

"What is she like?"

Dao Ming Si contemplated telling him there and then about Aisha, but one look at Shancai's apprehensive face told him it wasn't the right time. Besides, it was not his place. He just might regret it if he does.

"You'll find out soon enough," Dao Ming Si said, and before his friend could inquire any further, added, "Look, Mei Zuo. I'm already tired. We'll just see you at your party tomorrow."

When he hung up, Shancai spoke beside him. "I thought you'd tell him."

"I almost did," he replied and stretched out beside his wife. "But common sense took over."

"Common sense." Shancai laughed, remembering the pun she and Dao Ming Si used to have with the phrase. Then she sobered. "What do you think is going on right now at Lei's?"

"Who knows? But if I were Hua Ze Lei, I would give that girl the boot, send her straight back to Japan, away from the F4, away from Taipei."

"You're too rude."

A wry smile lit up his face. "I'm sorry. I just tend to be quite protective of what the F4 has. I would not let a woman, especially someone of Aisha's character, ruin the F4."

Suddenly the phone rang again. Sighing in exasperation, Dao Ming Si moved to look at the caller ID and saw it was Qing He. Pushing the button of the speaker phone so Shancai could also hear the conversation, he barked at Qing He.

"What on earth are you doing calling up at this hour? Don't you have a life?"

"Good evening to you, too, Dao Ming Si," Qing He said sheepishly and Shancai bit back a smile beside Dao Ming Si.

"Where are you?" he asked, hearing sounds of traffic on the background. "You're supposed to be home now."

"I'm no longer in high school! Curfews don't work for me anymore!"

"Fine. Why did you call?"

"I just came from Meteors and while I was driving, I almost ran over a pedestrian. It was a good thing I stepped on the brake just in time, or else I would be calling from the hospital right now, and my father would probably have killed me already - "

Dao Ming Si rolled his eyes. "Are we getting anywhere with this, Qing He?"

"Guess who I saw drive past me just a while back."

"Who?"

"The Queen."

His eyes met Shancai's surprised ones.

Qing He's voice came on again. "Did you hear what I said, Dao Ming Si? The Queen is in Taipei. Your mother."