Fan Fiction |
by manggang_hilaw
thanks for your comments and constructive criticisms are most welcome...
***
Canada. Two years after the rooftop scene.
Xiao You looked at her reflection in the mirror. She looked different. Mature. She just wished she felt differently. Everyday for the past two years she has woken up feeling exactly as she had when she left Taiwan. In love. And hopelessly at that.
"Idiot!" she growled at herself as she sighed. She had often asked herself why it was that after all this time, despite the fact that she had several handsome, eligible men chasing after her, she was still in love with him. It was not as if he ever did anything to deserve it. She could still remember the way he sneered at her after their kiss that night. She didn’t think she would ever get over the hurt. But try as she might to hold on to that bitter memory to get over him, she couldn’t. Another memory kept on nagging her and instead of focusing on his last comment belittling their kiss, the words he’d spoken earlier were the ones branded into her consciousness.
"I'm a good lover, but I'm not a good man."
Xiao You smiled at the memory. How she wished she'd found out the former for herself. She had tried her hardest to get him to treat her like one of his mei meis and she thought she had succeeded. They had gotten as far as unbuttoning her blouse but he'd stopped. She had often wondered why he did. It certainly wasn't because he didn't want her, afterall she had felt it. She had felt him! She may have been naive but even then she'd known what it meant. It was ironic really. By not showing her how good a lover he was, he had proven himself to be what he claimed he was not. And that was why even after three years, she was still in love with him. Because she knew. Ximen was a good man.
******
Taiwan. Ximen Corp. headquarters.
Ximen sighed as he finished the last of his paperwork for the day. He was dead tired. All he wanted to do was go home, shower and fall into bed. But he knew he wasn't going to do those things. Not just yet. He took out his little black book and looked through the names. "Hmmm....so who's the lucky girl tonight?" His thoughts were interrupted by the sudden ringing of his cell phone.
"Wei?" he answered on the 2nd ring.
"Ximen?" It was Mei Zhou.
"What's up?" Ximen asked as he finally chose a name from the list. Tanya.
"Lei's back. We're at VS right now. Are you coming?"
"Yes of course." he answered automatically. Shrugging as he closed the little book again. "Sorry Tanya..." he thought without a hint of regret, "but F4 comes first."
"Ok, see you later bud." Mei Zhou said just before he broke the connection.
Ximen stared thoughtfully at his phone. It was a relief actually. He was glad that Lei was back. He was glad because it meant that F4 would be together again, however briefly. And he was glad because it gave him an excuse not to have to call..what was her name again? Lana? He really wasn't up to mindless conversations and a pointless encounter tonight. Mei Zhou had long ago found someone to settle with and had often asked him why he kept up with his playboy lifestyle when it was so obvious that he wasn't even getting any kind of satisfaction out of it. He always shrugged it off but secretly, he agreed with his best friend. He never really looked at their faces anymore and he never bothered to get to know their personalities so they could be interchangeable for all he cared. Even Lei, as seldom as they saw each other now that he was busy with the family business in Japan, had also commented upon the fact. But just like he denied it with Mei Zhou, so would he with Lei, always joking "Maybe it's in the blood...," using his father's philandering ways as an excuse. But deep down he knew why. It was because they served a purpose. Because it meant that he hadn't lied to her all those years ago. Somehow it had become important for him to prove that he hadn’t lied to her. It was the least he could do. Try as he might to forget that incident by the rooftop, he never could. He couldn’t erase the memory of the pain on her face when he pushed her away by that hurtful comment. But he never dwelt on it for long. He knew he made the right choice when he let her go. He didn't have any regrets. Really.
But just now and again, when he was all alone with nothing to do, he would wonder. What was she doing now? Has she moved on? He sighed. The truth of the matter was that it was easier to endure mindless and pointless encounters with his mei meis than it was to dwell on thoughts of her. Because in the last couple of years, thinking of her had actually started to cause him pain…and who wants to experience pain? Certainly not him! No. Going out with his mei meis was better. But at the back of his mind, the questions remain. Was she really in love with him then? And if so, was she still?
***
VS. Later that night.
“So Lei, how long are you staying this time?” Daoming Si asked, who had come sans San Chai.
“A month.” Lei responded with his usual enigmatic smile. “How’s your wife?” he asked Daoming Si.
“Still pregnant. The doctor doesn’t want her to overdo it so she’s home resting.” DMS answered.
“How ‘bout you two? What’s new with both you?” Lei turned his attention to Mei Zhou and Ximen, who both seemed to be staring into space.
Mei Zhou visibly shook himself and replied “Nothing much….still marrying Xiao Quiao at the end of this year.”
“But do you still want to?” Lei asked cheekily.
Mei Zhou grinned and answered with an emphatic “Oh yes!”
“Well, no need to ask if you plan to marry soon.” Lei teased Ximen who continued to stare into space as if he had not heard a single thing.
“Hey Ximen!” Mei Zhou nudged his buddy with a shoulder.
“What?” Ximen asked, his mind obviously somewhere else.
“What were you thinking of?” Daoming Si inquired testily, annoyed at their friend’s lack of attention.
“Sorry…” Ximen smiled at his friends in apology. “Just thought I saw someone familiar walk into the club.”
“Really? Who?” Mei Zhou asked as he scoped the place up in curiousity.
“Never mind…it couldn’t have been her anyway…” Ximen whispered the last phrase almost to himself.
“Couldn’t have been whom?” Lei asked.
“No one…forget it….” Ximen tried to distract their attention by asking “So how long will you be staying in Taiwan, Lei?”
The three men burst into laughter at Ximen’s pathetic attempt at staving off their curiousity.
“What?” Ximen asked, joining in the laughter.
“Nothing….just drink your beer” Daoming Si replied. “Cheers to f4” he offered a toast as he raised his bottle.
“Cheers” the three answered in unison as they clinked their bottles together with Daoming Si’s.
*****