Chapter 13: Brunch

Shao Lin's eyes fluttered open.

She flipped onto her side on the bed, the angry pink octopus coming into full view. The scowl on its face reminded her of the man that gave it to her.

She thought of him and how everything the day before went smoothly and how it ended in disaster.

'I would like it if you stayed away,' Long Yat-sen had said to her. At the reminder, bitterness crept up in her throat.

What was Long Yat-sen afraid of? Was he scared she'd discover the truth she hoped wasn't true, or was it something else?

He treated her so well that she had nearly forgotten what she had against him. It scared her how intense his presence was; how easily he could make her lose her judgement. How simple it was for her to not care about anything else whenever he was around.

Long Yat-sen had gone ahead and ruined her evolving impression of him, resentment welling in the pit of her stomach. He must have been guilty of something; otherwise, he would not be too eager to forbid her from nearing him. He would not have given her those multiple warnings, and he would not resist her charms.

But perhaps Shao Lin may have been too ignorant to believe he'd be different and perhaps too stubborn to stay away.

Often when you're told to stay away, you find yourself crawling toward it, daring the consequences despite the dangers that lurked beneath.

But Long Yat-sen was not a man to be trusted.

Shao Lin's attraction to him was merely physical; there was nothing else about him that could save her impression of him, and she had declared that she would one day unravel him. That would be soon.

Shao Lin rose out of bed and washed up before heading to work.

She had a morning filled with meetings and paperwork, trying to keep her mind off the other thoughts and memories that broke her concentration. She kept busy until it was time to meet a friend.

At lunch, Shao Lin went to a beautiful café to meet with Yi Xiu. Inside, they ordered a meal that crossed between breakfast and lunch with glasses of spiked cranberry juice. Shao Lin did not have time to catch up with Yi Xiu shortly after her honeymoon since she was busy, so she decided to invite her to meet over her break.

"How was the honeymoon?" Shao Lin questioned her, sipping her juice.

Yi Xiu took a bite out of her raspberry-filled tart and chewed it slowly before she answered, "Oh Lin. It was so wonderful and romantic. You know, I expected my husband to take me to one of those expensive resorts to shower me with gifts, but instead, he took me to a place no one else would be, just the two of us, and he showered me with..." she blushed, not finishing her words. Shao Lin understood the insinuation just as she looked at her friend, who practically beamed with happiness.

This was a friend she went to school with. Yi Xiu was the only person that knew the important details of her personal life. Now, she was a happily married woman, and Shao Lin never felt such joy.

"It dawned on me how great things really are when it's just the two of us, alone," Yi Xiu continued.

Shao Lin wouldn't know the exact feeling. She had been in love. Once. And she felt like she could not bring herself to do it again nor to get to experience the blissful marriage her friend had. It seemed way too far out of reach.

"I'm happy for you and Ming."

Her friend smiled. "Thank you, Lin. Ming wanted to be here today, but he got held up at work."

Shao Lin realized that she had seen less and less of him lately, and she did not know much about his field of work. Ming was a mechanic, but that was all she knew. She did not know the details or thickets of his business. "You once said Ming was acquainted with Long Yat-sen?"

Yi Xiu's eyes widened slightly; surprise flickered on her face from the question. She picked up her drink, sipping from a metal straw. "Yes, they are," she finally answered.

Shao Lin stared at her friend. "How so?" she pressed, watching as Yi Xiu averted her gaze, stiffening uncomfortably. She knew something.

"They're acquainted by work," Yi Xiu answered. Shao Lin could tell that Yi Xiu was telling the truth to some degree, but she still omitted some important information. How would Long Yat-sen be acquainted with an ordinary mechanic?

"Why were Long Yat-sen and his sister at your wedding?"

Yi Xiu shifted like she knew something she did not want to tell. "My husband's business is his and his only. As for why Long Yat-sen was at my wedding, it's because they know each other. Long Yat-sen wanted to be there. That's all I can tell you."

Shao Lin narrowed her gaze. She didn't want to press her for information since she invited Yi Xiu to catch up over her lunch break, not to interrogate her.

"I saw Zhong Bai."

Yi Xiu spat her drink. "What?" her expression softened with something like shock and pity. "Oh, Lin, please don't tell me you've fallen back with him." She grasped one hand in hers, looking into her eyes. "He left you in dust years ago. That man can go back to wherever he ran off to if he's trying to invade your life now."

Shao Lin chuckled. "It's not like that," she assured her.

"I can set you up with someone."

Shao Lin laughed. "Oh, yeah? Like who? You don't have many men in your company, and you always say you don't want me to meet Ming's friends."

Yi Xiu was thinking carefully and cringed. "Yes, you're right. I have a few cousins?"

"Like who? The groper?"

Yi Xiu pursed her lips. "Yeah, no, not him."

"Or the one that urines in public everywhere he goes?" Shao Lin countered.

"Oh yeah, you know what? Never mind, let's forget about it."

Shao Lin laughed. "Don't worry about me. I do not see Zhong Bai for…companionship if that's what you are thinking," she clarified. "I need his help for something important."

Yi Xiu looked at her warily. "As long as you're playing it safe, that's all I care about. I want you to be happy."

At that, Shao Lin reached out to her in a tight embrace. "I've missed you, and now you're going to be too busy for me."

"I missed you too, Lin, and don't worry. Ming can't keep me busy all the time."

Shao Lin smiled. It was not that Yi Xiu may or may not get too busy for her. It's that Shao Lin may be dancing and juggling with more than she can handle, and her friend didn't know.

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