He hadn't contacted her for two weeks. Actually, today was the fifteenth day. Zhi Xun put away her smartphone in her drawer and went to the living room, where the girls were watching watching Love 101 and guessing what would happen next. Perhaps hanging out with them would keep her mind off waiting for Tian Yu to call.
"I bet she's going to tell him she likes him," Qiyun said, referring to the female protagonist. In comparison, the female protagonist, Yuyan, was a lot more reserved but when she was with the male protagonist, she would transform into a bubbly character, unrecognisable by her own friends.
"No, he will run away first," Runyu argued. "He's a celibate male!" They laughed, but Zhi Xun remained silent. The girls exchanged glances. Zhi Xun looked so gloomy that even the dark skies outside paled in comparison.
"Missy, are you having a row with Mr. Rich?" the two girls asked. They had been housemates for quite some time now, and between them, no secret could escape their magical eyes.
"Err," Zhi Xun stammered. "He hasn't contacted me in 15 days."
Ye Runyu was first to pop the question. "What's happened recently?" Zhi Xun told them about the incident about her getting drunk at a nightclub and waking up in his home, and seeing no signs of him for hours, before she finally gave up and went home. Unfortunately, she couldn't remember a thing after she woke up the next day after drinking, she also didn't seem to have much of a hangover, so she played a few games with Tianyin and went home.
"We'll be entering our final year soon," Runyu reminded her. "If you don't spend time now with each other, what's going to happen when you're busy with your internship?"
Zhi Xun thought of how she had asked him for a chance to intern at his company, and he had just brushed her ideas away. Perhaps it would be a good time for her to start searching and applying for internships before she had her finals. With his current state of mind, probably he would just ignore her.
"Hey, I submitted your résumé along with mine to a few places," Qiyun said. "Since I'm doing fashion design, I thought you probably be interested in applying for internships at some known fashion magazine publishers. The places I've applied to have connections with publishing companies."
"Thanks, girl," Zhi Xun said, giving her friend a punch on the fist. "I owe you one." Then she asked, "When did you submit the applications though?"
"A few days ago. Good luck!" she said, beaming all over.
..........................................................................
Meanwhile, a yawning Tian Yin asked her brother from under a fashion magazine, "Now that we're in Bali for almost two weeks, are you going to at least let my future sister-in-law know?" Her brother remained silent, as Tian Yin sunbathed. They were living the island dream at the Sundays Beach Club at one of the most renowned beach resorts in Bali, Indonesia, known as The Ungasan Clifftop Resort. The lazy and unbothered Tian Yin would choose to just enjoy a book or magazine over the comfortable white sands. A few days ago, they had just been to the Thomas Beach, which had been known for its seclusion from the public. Basking under the white sands bay would have been delightful for many, but Tian Yu was just using it to escape from reality. And since Tian Yin had messed up with her scholarship, she didn't have much studying to do for the rest of the semester, anyway. Zhi Xun, on the other hand, had just finished the last of her papers a few days ago. She wasn't due to report for her final year until almost two months later, in January. It was now mid-November.
Thomas Beach, Bali - pic courtesy of thehoneycombers.com
The Sundays Beach Club - pic courtesy of thehoneycombers.com
Tian Yin was used to her brother being emotionless, and yet becoming emotional once he started drinking or got triggered by his girlfriend. But ever since the nightclub incident, he had totally changed for the worst. Tian Yin suspected he was in denial over the truth of what had happened that night. The man he had pushed from Zhi Xun didn't seem any ordinary man. Was he a prospective suitor of Zhi Xun? She also knew from Ying that a few days later, someone had come to look for him and after the man left, he had broken his favourite mug. Who was that man, she wondered. If he had that ability to change her brother, then maybe he might be of help to her. She was already 20 years old, and would turn 21 in December as she was a year younger than Zhi Xun. She didn't want her brother meddling in her love affairs now that she was an adult.
"This is a great magazine," she said. Tian Yu frowned upon noticing the man on the cover. Su Mo. Exactly the same man who had challenged him to a fair and square competition. Even though Zhi Xun was his in her body and soul, the man had insisted he had the right to pursue her because he wasn't married to her. Su Mo was very positive that he would not yield to him in their competition. Tian Yu, with his insecurities and lack of confidence, had never seen such an assertive rival. Su Mo had been everything he wasn't. He was sexy, charming, positive, warm, sweet and romantic. Tian Yu, while making enough to live a life of luxury, wasn't as rich as Su Mo, who had been born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Plus, Su Mo was very intelligent and had a photographic memory. This man couldn't be human. "I'll not back away from a challenge" had been the last he had said to Tian Yu, which continuously rang in his ears.
The cover read 'Su Vogue'. In his frustration, Tian Yu grabbed the magazine and tore it to shreds. Tian Yin scowled, but just ignored him and continued sunbathing with a towel instead. This man is hopeless, she thought to herself. Then she realised what had just triggered him. Su Mo... He had to be the man who challenged the emotionless Gao Tian Yu. A plan had formed in her mind. She had heard that Su Mo was in the exact beach club they were in, being a VIP himself.
They decided to go to the bar that night, and Tian Yin ran off and disappeared among the crowd. Unable to find his sister, Tian Yu sat in a corner to enjoy his vodka on the rocks. He drank glass after glass, until he finished a total of six glasses, but still felt himself sober. Upon downing the tenth glass, he felt someone approach.
Was she Zhi Xun? A sense of similarity fell over him. If she wasn't Zhi Xun, why did she look so similar to her? She even shared the same taste as Zhi Xun in her perfume. She had smelled so good, he thought. He allowed the girl to sit next to him at the bar table. She had long curly waves, and big eyes resembling Zhi Xun, but something about her made him feel that she was Huo Zhi Xun.
Wen Yuwen smiled before the seemingly drunk stranger and took a seat beside him at the bar table. The bartender took her order instantaneously. She looked at the drunken man strangely. Why was he staring at her in that manner.
"Miss Wen, here's your Long Island."
"Thank you, Jimmy."
Miss Wen? She wasn't Zhi Xun? Why had they seemed so alike? Even the way she sat and smiled at him, she had seemed so alike Zhi Xun.
Then she played with her hair, tossing it over her shoulder. No, this wasn't Zhi Xun. Zhi Xun didn't do that with her hair. In fact, Zhi Xun barely was that feminine to play with her hair, she was often very serious but yet, naive. Though Zhi Xun was very sensual, she didn't enjoy tossing her hair around like cooking spaghetti in oil. Her hair had often been laid neatly, either bound or in plaits. This woman was also naturally very seductive, as compared to Zhi Xun. While he felt tempted by Zhi Xun, this woman was at a different level. She was more of a 'playful seductive' type rather than a sensual woman. She had a very positive and arrogant air, coupled with a very radiant aura, that just drew people to her with her strong vibes. And she had seemed more mature than Zhi Xun, in a way.
The next thing he knew was, that he had just toppled over and everything blacked out. The woman quickly tried to wake him up, eventually calling for help from the bartender Jimmy.
In the same club but in the far end of the room, Tian Yin was engaged in a very fruitful conversation with Mr. Su himself on Zhi Xun. Since he was in Bali for a social trip, it had been fortunate for her that he hadn't had his 'men' with him, otherwise she wouldn't even have a chance to come near him. She wondered why she had been so preoccupied with her dancing that night that she didn't notice him. While she had someone else on her mind, she thought him a very good option for eye candy. She schemed to get him to be the 'third party' and stir some jealousy in her brother, so he would be preoccupied trying to improve himself and become the 'victor' in the competition for Zhi Xun. And while he was busy with his little competition, she would have the opportunity to date whoever she wanted.
She heard some loud noises, some yells and screams, but when she got to the bar table, her brother was gone, causing her to wonder what had happened and if her brother had a part in it. As Su Mo followed behind her, they headed towards the white sands, having a stroll, while talking about the situation between Zhi Xun and Tian Yu.
"Oh, they started dating not long ago, but it's very early for us to say anything about them yet," Tian Yin said casually. "Sure I like her, but now she just had her finals, and she's a great friend to have, but.. they're just so young. Surely they're too young to get married? Plus, my parents don't even know of her existence." She hoped she wouldn't go to hell for what she had just told him, but it was the truth they had been dating for under six months, and Zhi Xun hadn't met her parents. Many couples' relationships didn't really last beyond six years. Tian Yin did not believe in love at first sight, nor did she believe that they would get married at such an age. Furthermore, she wasn't a passenger or family member of Aranya or Chen Ye's lifetime then, so she didn't know of their past or how they had come to be reborn as who they were now.
"Thank you, Miss Gao," Su Mo said in a very pleasant and charming voice, causing shivers to go down her spine as he patted her on the shoulder. "It was a pleasure meeting you."
"You're welcome, Mr. Su, but please, call me Cherry." She smiled back at him. Her smile had seemed very pleasant, but he hadn't felt that strange attraction like how he did with Huo Zhi Xun. He had already made up his mind long ago to pursue the girl, and nothing would hold him back. It was the twenty-first century, not the Stone Age where humans who mated would have to marry each other. He cared not for who she had been with, and whether or not she had relations before meeting him. Lady Luck had to be on his side, since even Gao Tian Yu's sister was on his side. And they were friends now. She had given him her number.
Tian Yin could only think of how she would obtain her freedom, while a love triangle would exist between her brother and prospective sister-in-law. She felt slightly ashamed for having to do this, but as she thought, if they were meant to be, Su Mo wouldn't be able to affect them at all, even no matter how charming or rich he was.
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