Chapter 38

BETRAYALS

So what if Hua Ze Lei and Teng Tang Jing was once an item? What is it to her?

This has been her mantra for the past minute or so, after Yuki told her about it, and before the door to Teng Tang Jing's office finally opened and Hua Ze Wang beckoned them to enter.

Breathing almost inaudibly, Aisha followed Yuki and Hua Ze Wang into the simple yet elegant office, trying her hardest not to fix her eyes on Teng Tang Jing and stare.

Her first sight of Teng Tang Jing in person could be likened to an assault of a thousand stars to one's senses, and she was reeling with the impact.

The photographs do not do her justice. In fact, she looked fit to be on a catwalk than inside an office, no matter how posh an office it is. There was a quiet grace about her, and it is the first thing that strikes anyone who lays eyes on her.

Clearly Hua Ze Wang is one of those who think the same thing, as he regarded Teng Tang Jing with an affection a proud father could accord his beautiful daughter.

Looking chic in a gray suit with her hair swept up in a neat chignon, Teng Tang Jing looked as though she just stepped out of the pages of one of those international magazines like Vogue.

This, Aisha thought with a sinking feeling, is Hua Ze Lei's first love.

She watched as Teng Tang Jing walked towards them, her ready hands extended, a ready smile on her beautiful face.

Aisha was stupidly mesmerized as Teng Tang Jing stopped before her and took her by the hand.

"Finally I meet Ash!" she spoke. Even her voice sounded melodious, Aisha thought in awe. "I only got to see you on television and on the papers. Hello, call me Jing."

Aisha could not seem to get a word out as she felt herself numbly shaking Jing's hand. Jing laughed and turned to Hua Ze Wang.

"Uncle, you did not tell me she is shy!"

Hua Ze Wang smiled. "Who would not be in awe of you, my dear?"

Jing turned back to Aisha with a friendly smile. "I look forward to a very good working relationship with you, Aisha. May I call you Aisha?"

This time she found her voice. "Yes, of course, ma'am. So am I."

"It's Jing," Jing insisted. "I don't feel too good being called Ma'am by someone who is only a roughly five years younger than I am."

Aisha's eyes widened, which made Jing laugh even more. "I visit fan pages dedicated to you on the Net, you know. You have quite a growing following, Aisha."

"Th-thanks," Aisha replied shyly. Drats! she thought. This is all wrong. Lately she had been finding herself always at a loss for words. And at the most inopportune moments, too!

Aisha followed as Yuki, Hua Ze Wang and Jing sat down around the small conference table at the far corner of the spacious office. She listened as her schedule was worked out among them. In a few days she would begin pictorials, while juggling recording sessions for the release of her LP. She is not complaining. Being swamped with work is better than being left alone to think unhappy thoughts anyway.

The meeting was a brief one. After about twenty minutes they were walking out of the office, and Aisha was startled when Jing fell into step beside her, walking them to the lift. Hua Ze Wang and Yuki were walking ahead.

"I understand your schedule will be pretty tight for the next few days," Jing said.

"It's no problem with me."

Jing nodded. After a while, she said, "I have not seen Hua Ze Lei in a long time. How is he?"

Aisha sucked in her breath, but she was careful enough not to let the other woman notice.

"I would not know," she said carefully. "Why don't you ask Mr. Hua Ze Wang?"

"Uncle Wang told me Lei is in Taipei, but beyond that he had nothing more to tell me. He also said you went with Lei in Taipei. Am I right?"

Aisha steeled herself from the urge to look at Jing's face and try to discern what the other woman was thinking. She was too afraid of what Jing might see in hers.

"Yes, but I did not stay long."

"I see." Aisha looked ahead and wished they would get to the lift faster. Beside her, Jing spoke again. "I heard you and Lei were quite close."

"He is my boss," Aisha said casually. "He gave me this break, and I am eternally grateful."

"Hua Ze Lei is an extraordinary man."

To Aisha's immense relief, they reached the lift and she was rescued from having to say anything else. Hua Ze Wang bade his warm farewell to Jing and Aisha graciously did the same, aware that Jing was looking at her with mild curiosity in her eyes.

Jing shook Aisha's hands again. "I will see you soon for the pictorials, Aisha."

Aisha nodded. "Sure," she said and stepped into the lift after Yuki and Hua Ze Wang.

As the lift rode down, Hua Ze Wang sighed with satisfaction.

"It has been a while since I saw Jing. I am glad she is now running the Airlines." He turned to Aisha. "How did you find her, Aisha?"

Wondering why he would ask her such a question, Aisha replied, "She's amazing," with every ounce of sincerity.

For a while Hua Ze Wang stared at Aisha, as though gauging her earnestness. Afterwards he nodded. "She is."

Meanwhile, Jing remained standing at the corridor, in deep thought. She had always tried to keep track of the goings-on in Hua Ze Lei's life; his rumored relationship with Aisha had not gone unnoticed.

What happened?

Dao Ming Si did not bother to knock. It seemed unnecessary to do so, as he thought Hua Ze Lei might just turn him away.

According to the butler, Hua Ze Lei is in his room, where he went after speaking with Shancai. Right now Shancai is on her way home, feeling bad although she would not tell Dao Ming Si what she and Hua Ze Lei talked about that got her all worked up.

But he remembered hearing a trace of guilt in her voice when they spoke over the phone later.

Hua Ze Lei was seated, unmoving, by the window, looking out at the garden with unseeing eyes. Dao Ming Si sighed. Normally this is what Lei would be doing, as is his usual fashion. But this time, he knew this is not normal.

Softly, but with quite enough force, he nudged Hua Ze Lei on the shoulder with his fist.

"Hey, Lei, get up!"

Hua Ze Lei looked at him with slight irritation. "What?!" he demanded. "Just...leave me alone."

"Sorry," Dao Ming Si said tersely, pulling Lei off the chair. "Can't do that."

But Lei would not budge, and Dao Ming Si stood there, hands on hips. "Nothing good will come out of all this moping, Lei. You have locked yourself up in this house for almost a week now."

"Thanks for your concern, but I am fine."

"The hell you are." Dao Ming Si flopped down on Hua Ze Lei's bed and looked at his friend's profile.

"I heard. About Aisha leaving."

"Good for you," Hua Ze Lei replied with a measure of sarcasm, but Dao Ming Si ignored it as he went on speaking as though Lei did not say anything.

"And you have been the recluse ever since. This is so unlike you, Lei."

Hua Ze Lei did not say anything.

"So Aisha left, big deal!"

His last remark finally achieved its desired effect as Hua Ze Lei slowly turned his head to look at his friend heatedly.

"What did you say?" he asked slowly.

Dao Ming Si breathed in relief. "At least some reaction," he scoffed. "I meant no offense, Lei. What I meant was, so what if Aisha left? It is no big deal, precisely because you could always go after her."

"A Si, I appreciate your concern, but really, you don't know what is going on here."

"I don't know, yes, but I have an idea. I am not so stupid, you know." Dao Ming Si sat up. "Frankly I do not understand why you are still sitting here in your room when you were supposed to be in Tokyo right now, fighting for her."

"What's the point?" Hua Ze Lei said, defeated. "She left. Period."

"Did you even bother asking her why she left?" When Hua Ze Lei did not say anything, Dao Ming Si smiled. "I take your silence as a no."

Dao Ming Si stood up and strolled to the window. "One thing I learned about women, Lei, is that they do not always say what they are feeling, or thinking." He looked down at his friend. "Maybe she had other reasons for leaving."

"She gave up."

"No. YOU are giving up. Besides, that never stopped you before. I vividly remember a guy who was crazy enough to fly halfway across the globe to France just to be with the girl he loves."

Hua Ze Lei grunted. "Yeah, and look how that turned out."

Dao Ming Si is getting frustrated now. Hua Ze Lei had been the one with the quiet persistence among them, and seeing him so dejected doesn't make him feel at all good.

"So? At least you gave it a shot!" He drew a deep breath and this time his voice softened. "Stop being so giving, Hua Ze Lei. You had your heart broken several times before. I know. I caused one of them."

Dao Ming Si looked out the window again. "You remember the first time when you talked to me and told me you would go after Shancai, regardless of what I think? You did not care then, why should you let it matter now?"

"Believe me, Mei Zuo is the least of my worries right now," Hua Ze Lei said softly. "And that makes me feel bad. After all, he is my brother."

"Mei Zuo and Aisha...that was a long time ago, Lei. It is time for you to worry for yourself, and stop thinking of the others. Be selfish. Believe me, it is your right."

At his words, Hua Ze Lei slowly looked up at Dao Ming Si. Those were his exact words to Shancai earlier. Somehow it sounded different coming from someone else.

Dao Ming Si tapped Lei on the back. "Time to fight for it."

The first thing Dao Ming Si felt when he arrived at Meteors was sheer happiness when he spotted Mei Zuo seated in their own private corner, drinking with Xi Men. At last, things seem to be looking up.

But he was not prepared for the welcome he received from Mei Zuo.

"Mei Zuo! This is - "

His greeting was cut short when Mei Zuo sprang to his feet and met Dao Ming Si with a sharp blow on the jaw.

Losing his balance, Dao Ming Si found himself on the floor, causing a commotion to the other customers near them. Shocked, he looked up and saw Mei Zuo flailing wildly, his fists in the air, as Xi Men restrained him.

His hand holding his jaw, Dao Ming Si wobbled to his feet, looking warily at Mei Zuo, who was shooting sparks at him with his eyes.

His words jolted Dao Ming Si. "Traitor!"

Xi Men finally let go of Mei Zuo when he was sure the latter would no longer attack at Dao Ming Si. And if he did, at least he was sure Dao Ming Si would fight back.

"Mei Zuo!" admonished Xi Men. "What are you doing?"

Mei Zuo's blazing eyes were trained on Dao Ming Si. "Some friend you are! Going behind our backs!"

"Mei Zuo," Dao Ming Si said, trying to appease him. "I don't understand..."

"Were you planning on paying me a visit as well?" Mei Zuo laughed bitterly.

"You are not making any sense!"

"I saw you!" Mei Zuo was screaming now, and almost everyone else inside Meteors was looking at them. "You are taking sides, A Si!"

"I am not taking any sides!" Dao Ming Si replied, getting angry now. Xi Men must have sensed this because he moved forward and placed himself between his two friends.

"Yes, you are!" Mei Zuo insisted. "You have always, ALWAYS, taken Lei's side! You never cared about our opinions, did you? It has always been 'What do you think, Lei?' and 'What's your opinion, Lei?' It has always been you, and your best friend Hua Ze Lei!"

Dao Ming Si moved forward, only to be pushed back by Xi Men. "That's not true and you damn well know it!"

"Oh, yeah!?" Mei Zuo taunted. "Why don't you ask Xi Men? I am sure he feels the same way, too!" He turned to look at Xi Men, and Dao Ming Si also did the same.

Xi Men suddenly looked lost, as he stared at Dao Ming Si, then at Mei Zuo, and back at Dao Ming Si. Then he shook his head.

"What is happening with you two? This is crazy!"

"Tell him!" Mei Zuo demanded. "Tell him it's true! Tell him he never treated us as friends, that it was only Hua Ze Lei whom he treated as his brother."

Xi Men looked at Mei Zuo for a long moment, battling as to what to tell him. Sighing, he moved toward his friend.

Shock was written all over Mei Zuo's face as he surmised the meaning of the look on Xi Men's calm face. Shaking his head in disbelief, he took a step back.

"I don't believe this..." he whispered.

"Mei Zuo, calm down," Xi Men said evenly. "Let's talk this over."

But Mei Zuo shook him away. He threw one last hateful glance at Dao Ming Si, and turned to Xi Men.

Without a word, he stormed off, moving past Xi Men and Dao Ming Si. Xi Men tried to catch up but, after some thought, decided not to.

They looked at each other as the sound of rubber scratching the pavement reached their ears. Dao Ming Si shook his head unhappily and walked into his office.

Xi Men turned to the others and, with a nod of his head, everything went back to normal. He flipped his hair back from his face and sighed.

What on earth is happening!?