Fan Fiction |
by manggang_hilaw
“What does it look like I’m doing?” he asked back.
“Are you following me?” her brows knit in question.
“Why would I do that?” he gave her an innocent look.
“You tell me,” she said flatly.
“No.” was his only reply.
“No what?” her voice had risen in exasperation.
“Just no.” he shrugged as he answered.
“What do you want from me?” she was growing more and more frustrated.
“Dinner.” He was quick to take advantage.
She looked at him warily. “And if I don’t agree?”
He just gave her a smile.
She considered her options.
“Well?” he looked at her expectantly.
How could Lin possibly resist Lei when he was acting like this? And why was she even considering refusing? She should be grateful for whatever time that she can spend with him. And he was the one asking this time! But still…
“Why?” she had to ask.
“Why what?” he looked at her quizzically.
“Why do you want to have dinner with me?” She mentally braced herself for his answer, telling her heart not to leap foolishly in expectation.
“Because we need to talk about the wedding.” He supplied.
Her hopes deflated like a pricked balloon. “Oh.” She answered flatly. Well what did she expect? That he’d suddenly realized he’d made a mistake in letting her go? “Get real!” that pesky voice inside her head admonished.
“Did she look disappointed?” he wondered. What if she was? What was he going to do about it?
“Pick me up at 8 tonight.” she made up her mind. To hell with the consequences! Let him deal with her brother.
“I’ll see you later then.” He said just before he turned around and started walking away.
“Wait!” Lin shouted at him.
He turned around and looked at her in question.
“Do you know where I live?”
Lei gave her a look that seemed to say “Are you serious?” and then nodded without saying anything.
He knew? How did he know? Lin was about to ask him but he’d already crossed the street and was in the process of getting inside his car. She could only shake her head in bemusement as she went back inside the boutique where she’d left Xiao You and Xiaoqiao.
***
Lei hummed to himself after he’d left Lin at the boutique. He’d sent Xiao You an SMS asking her where they were and told her not to let Lin know. He knew Xiao You would probably tease him to no end later but strangely, he didn’t care. He hadn’t wanted to waste time hiring an investigator or driving around in the city looking for them so he took the most obvious and easiest route.
He looked at his watch. Plenty of time to meet Ximen before his dinner with Lin. He wondered what Ximen wanted to talk about. He’d sounded pretty grim over the phone too.
“Well, I’ll find out soon enough.” He thought as he pulled away from the curb to drive to Ximen’s office.
***
“Where did you go off to?” Xiaoqiao asked Lin as soon as she came back inside the boutique’s private fitting room.
“Bathroom.” was all Lin said, not feeling up to explaining. Well, she was supposed to go to the bathroom when she saw Lei standing outside the boutique. She wondered how he was able to find them. They’d been moving from one place to another in the last several hours. The only shop that they’d stayed long was the coffee place a couple of blocks away.
“Hello?” Xiao You was snapping her fingers in front of Lin’s face.
“Huh?” Lin came out of her reverie. “Sorry…was just thinking about something.” she apologized quickly.
“Xiaoqiao was asking what you thought about the gown she has on.” Xiao You explained patiently.
Xiaoqiao was wearing a dress made of ivory silk crepe with crystal beading. It had a fishtail type bottom that trailed a bit on the back. (see the Sharon style dress at http://www.1stcallforweddings.co.uk showroom).
Lin looked at her friend and gasped. “Oh my God Xiaoqiao! You look so beautiful!”
“Doesn’t she?” Xiao You agreed enthusiastically.
Lin then walked to Xiaoqiao’s side and took out her friend’s ponytail so her hair fell over her shoulders, after which Xiao You draped a simply cut veil over her head (ala Virgin Mary) and clipped it to the sides of Xiaoqiao’s hair.
Xiaoqiao smiled as the three of them looked at her reflection in mirror. “I like it too.”
“We’ll use diamond hairclips instead of these so they’d serve as accents as well.” Xiao You suggested as she pointed to the ordinary ones in Xiaoqiao’s hair.
Lin nodded in agreement. “You won’t need any jewelry. You glow enough as it is.” she teased her blushing friend and sighed. She wondered when it would be her turn and if she’d look even half as lovely as Xiaoqiao.
Xiao You agreed. “Well, everything looks set then.”
“Thanks for your help. “ Xiaoqiao addressed the two girls as she came out of changing room carrying the dress and the veil on one arm. She was back in her regular clothes.
“We’re glad to help.” Lin answered as they waited for Xiaoqiao to finish her instructions to the shop’s attendant.
“By the way, what are you and Lei playing during the wedding?” Xiao You asked Lin.
“Lei and I will be discussing it later I suppose.” Lin answered. She was looking at Xiaoqiao and so had missed the small smile that played on Xiao You’s lips at her response.
“You’re having dinner together?” Xiao You asked, although she had been expecting it since Lei sent her the message early that afternoon.
Lin blushed and nodded, still a bit unsure about the other girl’s relationship with Lei.
“Good!” Xiao You enthused. She was glad that Lei finally made a move. Then a hint of mischief entered her head and she asked, “Hey, Ximen and I are having dinner out later too, maybe we can join you?”
Lin didn’t know what to say. Part of her was glad of the offer because it would mean she wouldn’t have to feel so awkward with Lei. But a larger part of her couldn’t help but feel a little bit put out because she’d have to share Lei’s company with them. “Uh…sure. I’ll tell Lei later and then I’ll send you an SMS so you can follow…”
“Okay.” Xiao You didn’t want to push. She only asked so she could see if Lin would mind having company. Xiao You had to hand it to her though. If she was annoyed, it definitely didn’t show.
“Well, I’m all set to go.” Xiaoqiao finally finished her talk with the attendant. “Let’s go.”
They were already by the door of the boutique when Lin noticed the car across the street.
“What the hell is he doing?” she wondered out loud.
“Huh?” Xiaoqiao and Xiao You looked at Lin in question.
“My dear brother is across the street spying on me.” Lin answered in an exasperated voice as she pointed to the car by pursing her lips.
Xiao You followed the direction of Lin’s gaze but couldn’t see past the tinted windows of the car. “Are you sure it’s your brother?”
“That’s his car.” she answered, still looking across the street at the vehicle.
“Well, he’s not doing anything.” Xiaoqiao too was looking across the street. She knew about the estrangement between the siblings as her friend had confided in her once during a stint in Europe. “Oops…seems I’ve spoken too soon,” she added as the man in question suddenly alit from the car.
“That’s your brother?” Xiao You asked incredulously. What a small world. He was the guy who tried to get to know her at the party.
“Why? Do you know him?” Lin asked curiously.
“We talked during the party.” Xiao You answered as Lin’s brother started crossing the street to get to them.
“He was there?” Lin shouldn’t have been surprised. He probably attended so he could spy on her but she hadn’t noticed him. She had been too intent on Lei that night.
Xiao You nodded as the three of them waited for Lin’s brother to reach them.
“What are you doing here?” Lin asked pointedly.
“I was about to have coffee and saw you three come out of the shop.” Yu Min answered smoothly, his eyes trained on Xiao You.
Lin snorted in disbelief and Xiaoqiao hid a smile at her friend’s unlady-like reaction.
“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friends?” he asked, quite surprised that Lin actually knew Xiao You.
Lin didn’t want to but neither did she want to have to explain to Xiao You later why she was rude to her brother so she conceded. “This is Xiaoqiao, the one who’s party you attended,” she took a stab at his furtive move to spy on her at said party, “and this is Xiao You. Xiaoqiao, Xiao You, my brother Yu Min.”
“Nice to meet you.” Xiaoqiao answered politely, silently thinking, “So this was the mystery guy at the party.”
“Same here.” Yu Min answered, taking his attention away from Xiao You long enough to shake Xiaoqiao’s extended hand.
Xiao You wanted nothing more than to ignore Yu Min as his continued staring was starting to unnerve her, but she didn’t want to be rude so she had no choice but to answer, “Nice to meet you too.”
Yu Min was disappointed that she hadn’t extended her hand, but was glad of small favors. At least his sister’s association with Xiao You would ensure that he had an excuse to be around her. “The pleasure is all mine.” he smiled charmingly, hoping she’d at least smile back.
Lin looked at her brother in surprise. She’d never seen him act quite so taken with a girl before. He’d always been the more serious one between the two of them and had rarely had time for women, even though he’d been included in the list of Taiwan’s most eligible bachelors. It was obvious he liked Xiao You a lot and had not wanted to make a bad impression otherwise he’d have reprimanded her for her rudeness.
“Xiaoqiao, Xiao You and I will be having dinner out.” She was quick to take advantage of her brother’s distraction, hoping her two friends would back her up on her lie.
“Really?” Yu Min asked, throwing his sister a doubtful look.
“Really.” Xiao You answered for Lin, quickly catching on to the fact that Yu Min might not like the idea of Lin going out with Lei.
Yu Min couldn’t think of a reason to refuse so he just nodded. He’d wanted to ask Xiao You out for dinner but thought it prudent to back off at that time. “Well, it was nice meeting you both.” He had no choice but to say his goodbyes. “Don’t stay out too late ok?” he addressed his sister with a warning look.
“I won’t.” was all Lin answered just before Yu Min crossed the street again to get into his car. She heaved a sigh of relief. Now all she had to do was call Lei so they could just meet instead of him picking her up at the house.
“Well, your brother’s pretty charming.” Xiaoqiao voiced her observation to Lin and teased Xiao You, “And he seemed to be quite taken with you,” as she remembered how Yu Min approached the other girl during the party.
“I’m sure he was just being polite.” Xiao You answered, not wanting to give Lin any ideas. The truth was, Xiao You would have been charmed if they’d met under different circumstances. He was very good looking after all. Maybe if she’d met him before she knew Ximen, he would have had a chance. “Oh My God! Ximen!” she suddenly remembered his reaction to the flowers. What if Yu Min had been the one who’d sent her the flowers? How would Ximen react?
“What’s wrong?” It was Lin who noticed.
“Nothing…” Xiao You answered, not wanting to dwell on her thoughts. “So where to next?”
“Could you drop me off at the house before you meet Ximen for dinner? I don’t want to have to call Mei Zhou.” Xiaoqiao asked.
“Sure. How ‘bout you Lin?” Xiao You offered.
“Could you?” Lin didn’t want to impose, but neither did she want to wait for a driver to pick her up.
“Of course.”
“Ok thanks.”
***
“Has he been told already?” Yu Min asked over the phone.
“It seems he hasn’t.” the voice on the other end of the phone answered.
“When do they plan to tell him?”
“As soon as his father comes home from abroad.”
“And when would that be?” Yu Min was getting impatient. He’d thought that when they’d been approached everything was all settled.
“With all due respect Sir, is it really necessary to rush?”
Yu Min couldn’t very well tell the other person that he was getting worried. Lin hadn’t taken the news of her engagement well. He’d wanted to make sure she met her fiancé before she flew to New York, but it seemed that it wouldn’t be possible. “Just inform me as soon as he’s been told.”
“Yes Sir.”
Yu Min disconnected the call. It seemed that Lin had just earned herself a reprieve.
***
A/N: I’m sorry if some of my chapters are short. Like I’ve said before, I write on the fly and without any specific length requirement in mind so chapter lengths vary. I could have one that runs through several pages and I could have one that’s barely a page long, depends on the mood and the way the scenes develop as I write them. Anyway, I hope the length of this one is ok. (because it’s my only post for today) and that it wasn’t too boring. Peace =)
p.s. any other suggestions, criticisms etc. are most welcome.
p.s.2. I do not own MG & its characters.