Fan Fiction |
by chrysanthemum
It was far past midnight but somnolence was elusive. Ximen had decided to walk the vast halls of the mansion just so he could have something to do. He stopped in front of the door to the office. This was where he always got busy. This was where he was always in his element. Truthfully, though, he hasn't been feeling too industrious lately.
And that is how Ximen ended up lazily settled on the creaky swivel chair, blankly staring at the black box - the one that once sparked Xiao You's intrigue - that rested on top of the wooden table in front of him.
He remembered her asking about it. And he remembered telling her that it contained things that meant the world to him.
If she only knew...
Ximen inhaled and reached for the metal box. He keyed in the PIN, waited for a certain sound, and then pulled the cover up. His heart instantly tightened as he was greeted by a scattered pile of papers. He took out the one on top, his eyes gradually taking in the text typed on it as it instantly brought him back in time...
---------- FLASHBACK ----------
There was complete silence in the conference room as the two men seated across from him in the large table studied the papers in their hands with intense scrutiny. One was Caucasian with a broad, Western build and thinning honey-colored hair. The other was slightly plump and had aged yet attractive Oriental features that contrasted well with the man beside him.
The latter slowly put the papers down and looked up at him grimly through his silver-framed glasses.
"It is indeed a very generous offer, but I need to know why you would do this?" He questioned.
The person to whom the inquiry was addressed confidently took a breath and simply responded, "I see a significant potential in your company. It would be a shame to just leave it to shut down."
The older man took a few seconds to consider his reason, obviously finding it insufficient and suspicious. Why would a multibillion corporation be interested in putting money into a company that is on the verge of bankruptcy and liquidation? Say they were just looking to make a bold risk since they had the money for it anyway, why THIS company? Out of all the brilliant prospects in all of Canada, why a relatively new company with hardly any strong foundation such as Yang Telecommunications?
Phillip Yang may not be the shrewdest businessman, but he could smell ulterior motives from a mile away. And that second, something told him that there was more to this than the young man in front of him let on.
"Somehow I find that hard to believe." Phillip frankly asserted. "Pardon my bluntness, but realize that I know who you are, Mr. Ximen Zhong Er Lang. I am hoping that this has nothing to do with personal matters, but even so I have a feeling that it does."
Ximen, for once, found himself tongue-tied in a business meeting. Now he knows where Xiao You gets her straightforward quality. The stern look Phillip Yang was giving him told him that those 'personal matters' referred to Xiao You. Ximen took it that Mr. Yang knew what happened between the two them. And, if his shady stare was any indication, he could tell that Mr. Yang didn't trust him.
Before Ximen could do or say anything, Mr. Yang spoke again, "Roger, would you let me have a minute with Manager Ximen alone please?"
Roger Douglas, the Caucasian man beside Phillip, shot him a hesitant look before nodding and leaving the room.
Funny but Ximen suddenly grew nervous. It felt like he was about to be cross-examined by an investigator for murder. This was very uncharacteristic of him but he couldn't help it. Despite his higher rank both in the corporate world and society in general, Phillip Yang exuded a kind of precedence that he couldn't quite match up to. Perhaps the simple fact that he was Xiao You's father made all the difference.
Phillip was the first to break the silence.
"You can tell me the real reason now."
Seeing that he wasn't going to be let off until he told the truth, Ximen nodded in concession.
"I am doing this for Xiao You. But I suppose you already knew that. Although, I need to make it clear that I am not doing this to get her back." He finally admitted.
Mr. Yang nodded. "Yes, I had an inkling of that. Otherwise you wouldn't have insisted on staying anonymous. That is actually why I find your intentions quite abstruse." His forehead began to crease in cynical confusion. "What exactly are you expecting to get from this?"
Under other circumstances, Ximen would have found the distrust quite irritating. But he completely understood where Phillip Yang was coming from. He had every right and reason to be leery of him. More than an entrepreneur, he was a father. He deserved an honest answer.
"Nothing." Ximen truthfully replied. "With all due respect, President Yang, I do care about your daughter in spite of what you may think of me - which I assume is not much."
The skepticism in Phillip Yang's face subsided a bit. He certainly still didn't trust Ximen but he couldn't deny the sincerity that he saw in the young man's eyes.
"Are you in love with my daughter or are you doing this out of guilt?"
The question took Ximen by surprise. His mouth slightly fell open, but he couldn't find his words. To be honest, it was both. To be completely honest, it was more of the former than the latter. But he could hardly admit it to himself, how was he supposed to admit it to Xiao You's father?
"I'm sorry, I mean no disrespect but I have my own reasons, Mr. Yang." Was Ximen's attempt at courteously dodging the awkward question.
Phillip Yang's eyes widened a bit, his mouth stretching to a grim line, obviously displeased with the answer he received. Nevertheless, he respected Ximen's discretion.
Phillip drew a sharp breath, "Then what assurance do I have that you will not use this against her in the future?"
At that, Ximen paused a while to take it into consideration.
"If you wish I'm willing to sign a formal agreement now. With your terms of course."
---------- END of FLASHBACK ----------
The paper that bore that deal now had small yellowish spots in some portions and felt like it had thinned out somehow over time.
It had been five long years, after all.
Ximen went over the terms that Phillip Yang had laid down, and which he had agreed to adhere to.
... you guarantee to keep the transaction between Ximen Corp. and Yang Telecommunications confidential, as concurred.
... it has been agreed that Roger Christopher Douglas will be the claimant of the investment made by Ximen Corp. The said Corporation will not be explicitly associated with Yang Telecommunications in any way.
... you guarantee never to disrupt Miss Yang Xiao You's life. You understand that the aforementioned business contract shall not serve as grounds for you to have permission to do so and neither will it be used to give you a personal advantage.
... you guarantee not to be romantically involved with Miss Yang Xiao You again.
... in the occasion that you believe that you truly love Miss Yang Xiao You with your whole being and feel that you are ready to risk everything, to vow your love and loyalty to her alone for the rest of your life, this formal agreement shall be rendered void.
Ximen found himself stuck on that final clause.
Suddenly, he heard Shan Cai's words echoing in his head...
*The only reason she agreed to marry him was because they owed Kyle's family a lot for saving Mr. Yang's company when it went bankrupt, and she couldn't turn the proposal down... She's marrying him out of gratitude, but she would have turned her back on all of that if you asked her to... she loves YOU...*
Ximen's heartbeat picked up as he was suddenly overcome by the scariest, yet most certain, feeling he has ever felt his entire life. It was almost as though an electric shock had jolted him back to life.
He checked his watch.
Then he took a deep, decisive breath.
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"I still think this isn't a very good idea." Mei Zhuo said with a shake of his head as he walked towards the door to Ximen's house with Ah Si and Lei. "I'm betting he didn't get an invitation. And even if he did, I doubt that he'd fly to Canada to witness Xiao You marrying someone else. So why do we even have to do this?"
"True, but we at least have to let Ximen know that we have been invited to that wedding tomorrow and that we're going. And if by some miracle he decides that he wants to come, then we'd take him with us." Ah Si shrugged.
Mei Zhuo strode ahead of his two buddies and intercepted their path. "What? Are you nuts? That would be an instant recipe for disaster! He hasn't exactly been himself since Xiao You left, you know. He hardly even leaves the house!"
"Mei Zhuo," Lei quietly smiled and patted his edgy friend on the shoulders. "Relax."
Just then, the front door opened and out walked Butler Lang. He froze, obviously surprised, and jerkily straightened up at the sight of the three Masters.
"Good day, Master Ah Si, Master Lei, Master Mei Zhuo." He acknowledged, graciously bowing to each of the dashing gentlemen before him.
"Same to you, Butler Lang. Is Ximen home?" Lei politely spoke.
Butler Lang appeared slightly confused. "Oh, he didn't tell you?"
The three exchanged curious glances.
"Tell us what?" Ah Si questioned.
"Master Ximen left a little before dawn today. He booked a flight to Canada, said he had matters to settle."
The three were flabbergasted.
"What?!"
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Xiao You was keeping herself busy with the pot of tea that she was preparing when the doorbell to her apartment rang. She was still a little jetlagged because she hasn't been able to get a proper shuteye from the time she got back until now, hence the heavy dark bags beneath her eyes. Thank God for the brilliant minds that came up with concealers.
Her father had phoned earlier to let her know that he would be dropping by. She couldn't let him catch a trace of the trouble she was feeling. Certainly not now that her wedding was only a day away. Sighing to herself, Xiao You forced the smile that she had been rehearsing since her plane landed. She set the potholder onto the granite kitchen counter and hurried to the door.
She pulled it open expecting to see her old man on the other side.
Her fabricated smile immediately faded.
The handsome face that greeted her instead belonged to the last person she had wanted to see.
"Ximen," The name felt weird on her lips.
The entire scenario felt strange and surreal. But there he was in a black, long-sleeved dress shirt under a copper-colored coat, and casual jeans. His attractively tousled long-ish, dark hair framed his face nicely. His eyes, though somewhat weary, focused on her in quite a disarming fashion.
For a second, Xiao You thought she was going to fall over. The lack of sleep seemed to have left her in a passing state of wooziness. Her grip on the door handle reflexively tightened. If not for the blush she applied on her cheeks, she was sure that she would have turned as white as a sheet of paper. She wanted to slam the door on his face, but she was frozen to the spot, completely thrown off balance by this very unexpected visit.
Tension was thick as both sides momentarily lost all vocal ability.
Ximen was the first to fight it.
"Xiao You," His voice was low and a little hoarse, but Xiao You's heart still leapt at the sound of it. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
Red lights and warning whirrs promptly began to go off in her head. She could really, really do without this right now.
"I'm busy." Xiao You curtly replied and was about to shut the door when Ximen blocked it with his hand.
"It will just be a minute." Ximen pleaded.
It was very tempting to cackle and say something really mean like 'what makes you think you deserve even a nanosecond of my time?' or 'so how does it feel to be shut out?' but she decided against it. Truth be told, she wasn't sure if she could deliver any of those lines without bursting into tears. And right now, the last thing she wanted was for Ximen to see her cry over him again.
Xiao You looked away and pursed her lips thoughtfully, the alarms in her head going crazy.
Oh, to hell with it. Maybe she'd be asking for trouble by doing this but she needed it too, and she knew it. For closure's sake, if nothing else.
Finally, she took in a breath and stepped out of the apartment, closing the door behind her. She crossed her arms on her chest as she stonily looked up at Ximen.
"You have a minute."
Ximen just stared at her for a moment, wondering if they were seriously going to do this out in the hallway. Xiao You's expression didn't hint anything to the contrary so he figured that this was, indeed, where it had to happen. It didn't matter, really. He was happy enough that she at least gave her this. And certainly he had no intention to beat around the bush.
"Why are you marrying him?"
Surprise flashed in Xiao You's cool and hollow expression upon hearing the bluntly stated query. Instantly, her forehead creased in resentment.
"What kind of a question is that? And how dare you ask me that?!" She irately exclaimed.
Ximen's shoulders rose in a shrug, his tone and mien unapologetic. "It's a simple question, Xiao You."
An incredulous laugh escaped Xiao You. She had thought this would be trouble and she was right. But she wasn't going to let him get to her now. Not again.
"If you came all the way here just to mess up my head, then you're wasting your time." She indifferently bit back in dismissal.
"Well, if you can't answer a question as simple as that, then maybe you shouldn't be marrying him."
"Yeah? And who do you think should I be marrying? You?" She wasn't sure what came over her exactly, but all of a sudden she found herself flushed and retaliating.
Xiao You shook her head at her own question, a contemptuous smirk on her lips. "I think we both know that's downright absurd."
Ximen's brows furrowed in displeasure, as though her words had hurt him somehow.
"That's not true." His meaningful gaze bore into hers.
"Stop it, Ximen!" Xiao You angrily yelled, shutting her eyes tight. She hated him for springing this up on her like this now.
*Don't let him mess things up for you, Xiao You. Don't believe a word he says.* She quietly coaxed herself. She had only wanted closure. And despite the fact that Ximen seemed to have something else in mind, she was going to get what she wanted.
Xiao You looked up at Ximen with resolve in her eyes.
"Tomorrow, I will be marrying the man who has loved me and cared about me from the very beginning, and you're not going to change that!"
Xiao You abruptly turned away and took hold of the doorknob, just itching to get as far away from Ximen as possible. She couldn't stand any more of this.
"But you don't love him!" Ximen's exasperated assertion made something in Xiao You snap. How dare he tell her what she does and doesn't feel?
Xiao You spun back around indignantly and faced him.
"And how the hell do you know that?!" She furiously demanded.
A beat passed. And then...
"Because you're in love with me." Ximen simply responded, as though it was the most basic fact that puts everything straight. That, and another fact that he was about to declare for the very first time... "And I love you, too."
Xiao You just had to look away as she felt her eyes growing misty. The deepest kind of sadness overcame her. She had wanted to hear him say that for the longest time. She had played the scene over and over in her head. And now that it finally happened, she wished that it hadn't.
She swallowed a lump in her throat before addressing Ximen once more.
"No, you don't." She said, her tone low and firm. "You have absolutely no trouble letting me go. In fact, you always drop me the first chance you get. That's not love!" Xiao You's voice shook as the tears overflowed.
She angrily wiped the trails off. She hated herself for this weakness and for subjecting herself to Ximen's pity and ridicule by showing it like this. She hated Ximen for being right about her being in love with him. She hated him for rubbing it in her face. She hated him for lying about loving her when she knew it wasn't true.
Ximen wanted to say something... anything. But he didn't know what to say to make her believe him. He could feel his heart tightening in his chest. Even as she stood right in front of her now, she has never felt so distant to him.
"And apparently, you have no trouble forgetting about me, either." Xiao You bitterly snapped.
"You say you care about me, but where were you when I was in trouble and my family was suffering? I knew Shan Cai had problems at the time, but I had hoped that somebody would at least care to call and ask how I was doing, and I had wished that it would be you! I never heard from you once but I didn't stop wishing and hoping that you'd think about me. I was worried sick when I heard that you were in the hospital. I sent my regards, hoping that you'd remember to call me back, but you never did! Do have any idea how that made me feel?!"
Ximen could only watch in pain as her tears incessantly spilled down her cheeks. There was an overwhelming desire to take her in his arms and just make it stop. But knowing that he was the reason behind her pain held him back.
"I meant nothing to you, Ximen! And I still don't!" Xiao You cried.
All the agony he'd cause her all these years flashed in her eyes and stared back at him. His heart broke all over again.
Ximen was guilty of all that she accused him - dropping her, disappearing, and never calling back. Guilt was slowly and painfully eating him up inside because of it. But he couldn't bear to leave with her still believing that she meant nothing to him. Ximen struggled with his words until he finally found his voice again.
"There are some things you don't know about, Xiao You..."
Xiao You tersely cut him off, "And I don't want to know."
She turned her back to him and quickly opened the door to her apartment. She was about to walk in when she felt Ximen's hand on her wrist.
"Xiao You, wait..."
Xiao You vehemently wriggled free from his grip.
"Your one minute's up, Ximen. Just leave. Please."
--------------------------------------
Ximen listlessly stepped into his vehicle, suddenly completely exhausted. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he leaned his head back on the head rest of the driver's seat.
Maybe he shouldn't have come here. He said it himself, Xiao You has made her decision. All he was now was the man who attempted to ruin her wedding. He couldn't blame her for shutting him out this time.
His gaze landed on the passenger's seat beside him. On it rested the black box that held all his deeply-hidden secrets.
He came here to tell Xiao You everything - even about the contract. After all, based on the terms it held, it was certainly void now. It troubled him that according to Shan Cai, Xiao You was only marrying Kyle Douglas out of gratitude, when the truth was that she didn't have to. The person who saved Yang Telecommunications wasn't Kyle or Roger Douglas. It was him.
Now that he thought about it though, what exactly did he expect from her once he told her the truth? For her to marry HIM out of gratitude instead? Certainly she would be livid. She would be angry with everyone, including her father, for keeping this from her. It would only leave her devastated and hurt again.
How could he be so selfish?
All he seemed to cause her was more and more pain.
Perhaps he should just let go.
Ximen could feel his face heating up at the onset of tears as a tremendous and crushing feeling of defeat overcame him.
Tomorrow, she will indeed marry Kyle Douglas, and she will never have to cry over him again. With Kyle, she can and she will lead a happy life, far from all the misery that he caused her. She, more than anyone else, deserved that.
Ximen heavily breathed in and then out in an effort to keep the tears and his broken heart in check. He started the engine and immediately headed out of the parking lot of Xiao You's building as music blasted from the speakers. He turned the radio up, willing the sounds to drown out his sorrow.
There was an uncomfortable feeling rising in his stomach, and that's when he remembered that he hasn't eaten anything for hours. In fact, he hasn't been eating much the last couple of days. He decided to just bear with it. Food was the farthest thing from his mind right now. At this point, anything would just taste like sawdust in his mouth.
As he was maneuvering right toward the highway, a sharp pain suddenly shot through his stomach and traveled like an electric current throughout his body. The pain came too much at once that Ximen couldn't stifle a yelp.
Marbles of sweat formed on his forehead as he struggled to keep control of the wheel with one hand while the other clutched his aching middle.
The pain intensified by the second.
It wasn't too long before Ximen lost control.
The car violently reeled and swiveled until it skidded off the road and smashed head-on against a pole.
Ximen passed out on the wheel, blood oozing from his head, his bleeding hand hanging limply at his side.
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A/N: What do you guys think? ^_^
Please pardon typos/grammos. Comments are always very, very welcome. ^_^
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