RESPOND...IF YOU PLEASE...

Dao Ming Si's contemplation ran deep. So deep, in fact, that he was oblivious to the flurry of activity going on around him at the office. He merely sat there, going over the events that had transpired for the past few days.

By anyone's calculations, things happened pretty fast. He acquired Alar. He moved to a new office. Skylark is being run smoothly by Shanca; now he is about to embark onto something bigger than he could ever have expected.

He is buying an entire block, together with the business establishments on it.

A soft rap came on the open door of his office and Dao Ming Si looked up to find Xi Men standing there. He got to his feet and greeted his friend with a brief hug.

"You came," Dao Ming Si said, as they both took their seats on the couches.

Xi Men leaned back on his seat. "I was just in the neighborhood, and decided to drop by." Then he shook his head. "No, that is not entirely true. I heard from Reeyu about your latest business acquisition."

Dao Ming Si shook his head. "There is no acquisition yet. My people are still drawing up the proposals."

"So you are going head-to-head with your mother on this one." Xi Men's tone was so careful that Dao Ming Si was not sure whether his friend was agreeable with this or not.

He took a deep breath before answering. "Ma is not giving me much of a choice. She seems hell-bent on doing everything to destroy Shancai and I. I would not let that happen."

Xi Men could only nod to this. Then he said, "Well, if you ask for my opinion, it is a good investment. I have been checking out the property in the past myself. But I never really made any effort to actually act on it. It seems you beat me to it."

Dao Ming Si grinned wickedly at his friend. "What is this, Taiwan's Golden Boy of Business bowing down to me?" He laughed outright at Xi Men's disparaging smile.

After a while, it was Dao Ming Si's turn to regard his friend intently. "How about you, Xi Men? How have you been holding up?"

Trying to evade the real question, Xi Men replied, "Business is doing pretty well."

"That's not what I am asking and you know it."

Xi Men lifted his shoulders in a slight shrug. "I admit it has been quite a blow to me, Xiao Yo returning and all...but I am glad to see she is happy with someone." He would not give Dao Ming Si to ask any further. "Would you mind me not wanting to talk about this?"

Understanding the pain his friend is going through, Dao Ming Si nodded. "As you wish. But remember I am here when you need anything. Drew is also my friend, but you know the F4 always comes first."

Xi Men suddenly grinned at Dao Ming Si.

"You're lying."

Dao Ming Si's eyes widened. "Lying...!" he sputtered, not quite believing Xi Men's doubts of his loyalty to the F4.

Xi Men explained himself. "Shancai ALWAYS comes first, not the F4." He shrugged again. "Not that I mind, really. I would not want to contradict her and earn one of her famous punches." This time, real laughter issued out of him.

Dao Ming Si shook his head, laughing along.

He could not help but feel that the four of them have gone a long way from those four brats who wreaked terror in the hearts of everyone at Ying De - students and faculty alike. Who would have thought each of the four of them would change to this?

Hua Ze Lei and Mei Zuo are seemingly in love with the same woman...while Mei Zuo is engaged to another lady with whom he also claims he has strong feelings for. Xi Men, while making waves in the business scene, is also fighting the ghost of his own past of pushing away the one woman he loved, and now apparently he has lost.

As for him...he is battling his own mother. Of course in the past he had defied her, but this is another thing. This fight he took up with her is something more dangerous.

But he is willing to go to such great lengths to do battle with her. If it meant keeping Shancai from Dao Ming Feng's scheming.

How long the two of them stayed in that position, neither of them knew. He remained seated on the ground, his head buried in his hands, and Xiao Qiao, still as a stone, stood over him, obviously waiting for him to get his bearings back and speak to her.

Mei Zuo badly needed to say something to her...anything that would at least make some sense. In his mind a few sentences came and to him they seemed coherent enough.

But when he finally decided to get back to his feet and stood before her, he could not find any of the words. One look at the sorrow in her eyes and all thoughts eluded him.

He turned away, his heart breaking just seeing her distraught and in obvious distress. He walked a few steps away from her but stopped when she spoke in a shaking voice.

"Walking away again, Mei Zuo?"

Mei Zuo looked down, feeling the weight of the world against his shoulders.

She went on. "Is this how we agreed to fix our disagreements? Didn't we agree about acting like adults, and actually talking?"

When it was obvious he would not say anything, words easily spilled out of Xiao Qiao as she seemed to be having a difficult time trying to stop the tears from falling.

"I have often wondered what I have done, what I have said to make you change so suddenly. It never occurred to me...Is it Aisha. Mei Zuo? Is she the reason?"

Abruptly Mei Zuo turned around and walked towards her, stopping an arm's length away from his fiancée. His face was stark and sad as he spoke.

"None of this is her fault, Xiao Qiao. Please don't blame her."

Xiao Qiao stared at him, noting the stormy look in his eyes, his right cheek that now began a red swelling from Aisha's hard slap a while back. Her hand slowly reached out and touched it. Mei Zuo closed his eyes as her soft touch caressed the sore spot on the side of his face.

Xiao Qiao's voice was light when she next spoke. "Why don't we head on to the car? We need to put some ice on that to stop the swelling."

His eyes opened and guilt gnawed at him. Gently he pulled her hand away from his face and stepped away. "No, I'll be fine."

"But, Mei Zuo - "

Sadly he shook his head, flipping his hair back from his face. "This is nothing," he tried to reassure her. "Xiao Qiao...I need some time alone. Will you let me?"

Her eyes pierced him and for a moment Mei Zuo felt like breaking down if not for the sheer willpower that he exerted. He would not let anyone see him break down. Especially not Xiao Qiao. He has done enough.

She swallowed visibly before answering. "Of course."

Knowing he could not just leave her hanging, he said, "I promise you, when all this is over, I will come to you. Hopefully by then...hopefully, I will have all the answers. And it will be the best for everyone."

"Best, Mei Zuo?" Xiao Qiao echoed. "Who will decide that? You?" She could not help the bitterness from appearing in her tone.

Mei Zuo did not answer her. He only said, "And also, hopefully by then, you would forgive me."

She remained standing there, her eyes trained on his ramrod-straight back as he walked towards his waiting car. When he revved the engine to life, he threw one last lingering look at Xiao Qiao and drove away.

Only then did she let the tears fall.

This was not a surprise. As a matter of fact, he had hoped this encounter would take place soon, although what good it might do, he could not truly imagine.

Maybe he wanted to clear Aisha’s name…or something like that.

Or maybe he only wants to talk.

And apparently Xiao Qiao wants the same thing.

Hua Ze Lei looked at Xiao Qiao surreptitiously, noting the slight redness in her eyes, knowing she had just turned on the waterworks not a few minutes ago.

When she appeared at the gates of the mansion a while ago asking to speak with him, he instantly knew what this was all about. Although how she found out about Aisha's involvement with Mei Zuo he does not know.

She looked up at Hua Ze Lei and caught him staring at her. She tried to smile, but it did not work on him. Wanting only to ease her obvious discomfort, he said, "You want to talk about Mei Zuo? And Aisha?"

Hua Ze Lei was uncharacteristically direct and this threw Xiao Qiao off-guard. When she recovered, she asked carefully, "You...you know?"

He nodded. "Clearly I am not the only one who knows."

She looked down and for a split second looked about to cry but when she looked up there were no tears, just signs of them threatening to spill over.

"I need answers," she said simply.

"So you came here," he responded. "I don't know what answers I could give you, Xiao Qiao. I don't think I am the person for that sort of thing."

"Mei Zuo is so incoherent, he could not give me any answers."

"And you think I could?"

"I hoped you would."

A sigh escaped Hua Ze Lei's lips. He did not say anything for a while, and when he finally spoke, it was in a firm voice.

"None of this is Aisha's fault. Don't put the blame on her."

A bitter smile appeared on Xiao Qiao's face. "Funny. That's eexactly what Mei Zuo told me." She looked up into his eyes, her face strained. "I do not want to hate Aisha, Hua Ze Lei."

His voice was full of conviction. "There is no reason to hate her, Xiao Qiao. I told you, this is not her fault."

His next words jarred her.

"If there is anyone to be blamed in all these, it is me. You should blame me."

"What?"

"If it were not for me, all these would not have happened. I brought Aisha back."

She shook her head vigorously. "You are a victim in all these, Hua Ze Lei. As I am."

Slowly Hua Ze Lei shook his head. "No, Xiao Qiao. Aisha is the victim here."

Exhausted, she looked down and now a single tear escaped. "I don't know what to do, Lei. I don't want to lose Mei Zuo. I can't lose him."

He tried to be as comforting as he could. “You have not lost him yet, Xiao Qiao. You will not lose him.”

"How can you be so sure of that?" she demanded.

"I'm not," he replied simply. And it is the absolute truth. As much as he thinks he fully knew Aisha, at this moment he is no longer too sure of that. Lately he found himself having a hard time figuring her out. She had always been quite transparent to him; whatever emotions she is going through had always been apparent to him.

Now whenever they are together, he is having a hard time reading her.

And he had always wanted to ask this one question, but at the same time not really keen on finding out the answer.

Does Aisha still love Mei Zuo?

Love Mei Zuo...

...or love Hua Ze Lei...

Aisha leaned back on the headboard of the bed. She had spent the better part of the morning locked in her room, waiting for word from Yuki. A few minutes ago she watched secretly from her window as Xiao Qiao drove away, all the time wondering what she and Hua Ze Lei talked about.

She had the answer to the previous question. She knew who her heart wants.

But she also knew what staying on would mean…what choosing would bring to the others.

Heartaches. Pain. If not for her, then possibly for others.

She jumped as the bedside phone rang. Hoping it is the one call she's waiting for, she picked it up gingerly.

Sure enough, it is Yuki.

"It's done, Aisha. Your flight is tomorrow at ten. Everything has already been fixed. All you need to do is show up at the airport on time."

"Thanks, Yuki."

"Will the boss be seeing you off?"

The boss. Hua Ze Lei. "Yes, he is," she lied, glad that this conversation is not taking place face-to-face, or else she would really have it.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow, then. I will meet you personally when you arrive in Tokyo."

After thanking her manager one last time, Aisha hung up. With a heavy heart she spread her gaze around the room she had occupied for the past few days. This was not how she pictured her 'vacation' to have turned out.

Mechanically, as though all feeling had left her, she went about packing her things in the two suitcases she had brought along with her. Some of these she had never even worn.

After a few minutes, all her things were neatly packed in the suitcases propped against the wall, hidden from view to anyone who would enter the room unannounced. Finally deciding to get out of the room before anyone else gets suspicious, Aisha let herself out of the room.

Hua Ze Lei just hung up the phone when she entered the den. Trying to act casual, she smiled at him.

"Who was that?" she asked, in an effort to make conversation.

He shrugged. "It is just A Si. He is inviting us tonight at Meteors."

"What's the occasion?" she asked.

"No occasion, just a simple get-together."

"What did you say?"

"I said we will see."

She thought for a moment, then said, "I want to go."

Hua Ze Lei was visibly surprised. "You want to?" After the last encounter at Meteors where Mei Zuo's mother appeared, he was surprised that she would still want to be anywhere near the place.

"Sure!" she said, smiling in excitement. "Come on, Lei. Let us not miss this!"

When Hua Ze Lei nodded his reluctant agreement, Aisha clapped.

Her last night in Taipei. Possibly the last night she will ever have to spend in this city. She will make this night count. To hell with all the rest.