Fan Fiction |
by Naomi
“So the orange one is the fresh one?” he asked with a grin, unable to understand why he took a sudden interest in the techniques of buying groceries. It was their third day in Hong Kong, and Shan Cai was taking him around to re-stock their food supply.
“Yeah, that’s right,” Shan Cai replied, lifting an eyebrow at the weirdness of their conversation. “What else do you want to eat?”
Dao Ming Si moved up close behind her and encircled his arms around her waist. “You,” he whispered into her ear, brushing his lips lightly against her neck.
Shan Cai flushed a deep pink as she noticed the shopkeeper eyeing her with a smirk on his face. “Half a kilo of salmon, please,” she told the shopkeeper, elbowing Dao Ming Si to distract him from his public acts of seduction.
“You wait till we get back to the hotel,” he warned with a smug grin, making Shan Cai blush so furiously she had to look away. Due to the fact that they had to spend day and night inside that one hotel room, coming out only for short periods to take a walk or buy some food, it did not take a genius to guess what the two got up to in there.
“Anyway,” said Shan Cai, diverting from his favourite little topic of conversation, “Did I tell you that I contacted my grandparents while you were still asleep this morning?”
“Oh really?!” he exclaimed as they walked out of the seafood shop. “What did they say?”
“I didn’t get to speak to them. But I left a message with one of the workers at their office. I was told that my grandparents have agreed to see me tomorrow afternoon.”
Dao Ming Si looked at his wife worriedly. “What will you say to them?”
“I don’t know,” Shan Cai said with a sigh, “I just hope that we will get along. I don’t know how to ask if we can stay at their house. You know, the family conflict was never resolved since dad just left without a word fifteen years ago.”
“But you were only five years old when you left. They can’t hold a grudge against you.”
Shan Cai shrugged. “I suppose –”
“RUN!” Dao Ming Si grabbed her hand and began racing down the street, pulling Shan Cai along with him.
“What’s happening?!” she yelped, pushing people out of her way and trying to keep up with him. She took a hasty glance backwards and saw a dozen men, all dressed in black suits and appeared to chasing after them.
“I think they’re sent by my dad!” Dao Ming Si yelled out in frustration. Once they turned the corner, he pulled her into a shop and dashed behind the counter, shoving money into the shopkeeper’s hands as they ducked down to hide from the men. “Pretend you didn’t see anything!” he whispered loudly to the shopkeeper.
Dao Ming Si peered out from the side of the counter and saw another group of men running in the opposite direction. One man from the second group pointed across the road and called out to the first group, “I saw them run towards the park over there!” The two groups united and hurried across the road, disappearing into the park.
“That’s really strange,” he told Shan Cai, “They obviously didn’t see us going into the park, unless they saw wrong.”
“They might not be after us,” she quickly reasoned, “We might’ve been too paranoid.”
Dao Ming Si pounded his fist against the wall and a surge of fear and anger gushed to his face. “Shan Cai, no matter what, you have to convince your grandparents to let us stay at their house.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Mikko Hotel, Room 462, Saturday midday.
“Want some more?” Shan Cai asked with a grin, leaning over Dao Ming Si’s shoulder to give him another plate of pork pepper steak over steamed rice and a fried egg. They were enjoying a Shan Cai-made-it-so-it-must-be-delicious lunch together in the privacy of their hotel room.
Dao Ming Si chuckled to himself and pulled her onto his lap. “I didn’t know that marrying you would make me fat.” He picked up his chopsticks again and clamped a piece of pork, dropping it into Shan Cai’s mouth. “I really think you should eat more yourself. Look how skinny you are!” He poked her on the waist with the clean end of his chopsticks.
“I’m full already,” she said with a mouthful, trying to chew her piece of self-made lunch. “Is it nice?”
“I wouldn’t be eating my third plate if it wasn’t,” he replied with a satisfied smirk.
“I made too much anyway. We’ll have to eat the leftovers for dinner.”
Dao Ming Si shrugged and glanced up at the clock on the wall. “So when are you meeting your grandparents?”
“In about twenty minutes. I’ll leave when you finish eating. The café’s just a few blocks down.”
“Okay. I’ll walk there with you then wait for you back here in the hotel.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Shan Cai stood up on tiptoes and gave Dao Ming Si a quick kiss before turning around and heading into the shopping centre where the café was located.
“Wait!” he called after her, running up to his wife again.
“What?”
“That wasn’t enough!” He held her face and swooped down, trapping her in a long, passionate kiss which made her cheeks turn scarlet immediately. She did try to pull away at first, not particularly keen on such dramatic public display of affection, but Dao Ming Si would not let her have her way until he got what he wanted.
“Pighead!” she shouted the second her lips were free again. But she also could not help but reveal a delighted smile, keeping her eyes away from his electrifying gaze.
“You’ll be fine, Shan Cai,” he encouraged her, “They’re your grandparents after all.”
“Yeah, I know. I’m thankful that they agreed to meet up with me. But I haven’t seen them for fifteen years!”
“Are you sure you don’t need me to go in with you?”
“No, I’ll be fine. I think I should meet them by myself first. You can meet them later if it all works out.”
“Then good luck.” With a reassuring smile, he kissed her softly on the forehead and watched her walk into the building.
Shan Cai entered the large uptown café and darted her eyes around nervously to find her grandparents. She spotted a couple in their late sixties sitting in a quiet corner, the gentleman blinking her father’s eyes and the lady bearing her father’s smile. Although they had aged considerably, they were unmistakably her beloved grandparents. Her grandfather was still proudly displaying his sturdy figure, while her grandmother was just as small, sweet and submissive as she has always been.
Shan Cai hesitated briefly, then forced her legs to take her over to the table in the corner. The couple looked up at her and their faces instantly exposed a million suppressed emotions. “Grandpa? Grandma?” she called quietly in Cantonese.
“You are Tsui Hei Woon (Xu Xi Yuan)?” the man asked, his voice gentle but shaky. “My…my granddaughter?”
Shan Cai nodded and smiled broadly at the moment of reconciliation. She bit her lips and her eyes filled with tears as the couple rose from their seats and took her in a firm embrace, rendered speechless by the reappearance of their long-lost grandchild.
“Where have you been all these years?” her grandfather asked as they sat down at the table again. A waitress came and served them three cups of cappuccino.
“In Taiwan,” Shan Cai replied, “Dad took us to Taiwan.”
Her grandmother shook her head in disbelief. “How come he never contacted us?” She looked at her husband remorsefully. “He left the whole family shattered, especially Christina.”
“Christina is still angry with me till this day,” Grandfather Xu told Shan Cai miserably, “She refused to run the family business. Did you know that?”
“Christina? Is that my aunty’s name?’ asked Shan Cai, trying to locate her past in her mind, “I’m sorry, grandpa, I can’t remember. I haven’t heard about any of you since we left.”
“Don’t worry, dear,” Grandma Xu comforted her, “You were only five years old.”
Shan Cai took a sip of her cappuccino, feeling awfully relieved after the smooth reunion. “I actually sailed back to Hong Kong four years ago to renew my ID card, but dad told me not to contact any of you.”
“I don’t blame him anymore,” Grandpa Xu said quietly, his heart sinking with regret, “It was our fault. We shouldn’t have been so hard on him.”
“It was understandable,” Shan Cai reassured him, “Too many things went wrong since he married mum.”
“Do you think he has forgiven us now?” Grandma Xu asked, her voice low and humble. “He is our son after all.”
Shan Cai smiled and took their hands affectionately. “He never blamed you. He was very ashamed of himself. He regretted not asking your permission to marry. He felt useless after the restaurant business collapsed. He was hurt that you didn’t offer help when he was declared bankrupt. He had to leave.”
“We should’ve helped.” Grandpa Xu shook his head and looked sorrowfully at his wife. “We really should’ve helped.”
“At the time, we wanted him to stand up again by himself,” Grandma Xu explained, patting Shan Cai’s hand. “He was thirty-three years old. We were disappointed at his failures, but we wanted to see him solve his problems independently.”
“God knows he would walk right away from his problems and leave the country!” Grandpa Xu exclaimed, slightly agitated from his trip down memory lane.
“What about you, dear?” Grandma Xu changed the topic before her husband became too emotional. “What brings you back to Hong Kong again?”
“I…uhhh…I came with…my…my friend,” Shan Cai stuttered, knowing that she could not say ‘boyfriend’ or ‘husband’ without receiving her grandparents’ disapproval.
“Just for a holiday?” asked Grandma Xu.
“Kind…kind of. I also wanted to meet you both again.”
“Where are you and your friend staying right now?” asked Grandpa Xu.
“Mikko Hotel.”
His mouth instantly curved into a broad grin. “You’re the five-star type, eh?”
Shan Cai giggled at his reaction, remembering all the six-star hotels Dao Ming Si has taken her to – and of course, the International Maple Hotel he owns.
“Well, you should come and stay with us for a while,” Grandma Xu offered with a welcoming smile, “Your friend as well.”
“We’ve moved three times since you left,” Grandpa Xu said proudly, “But other than that, not much has changed. In fact, your grandma and I are just about to make the biggest change to our daily lives.”
“What is it?” Shan Cai asked, immediately curious.
“We’re close to our seventies now,” he continued with a half-hearted laugh, “Don’t you think it’s time for retirement?”
“Yes,” Grandma Xu agreed before Shan Cai could respond, “Would you like to help us, dear?”
“Of course!” Shan Cai exclaimed, overjoyed by the warm acceptance she was receiving so quickly. “How can I help?”
“There’s actually quite a few ways,” Grandpa Xu explained with an eager smile, “Perhaps, you could help us convince Christina to take over the business. If she sees you again, I’m sure it’ll take away a lot of the bitterness in our relationship for the past fifteen years.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Late in the afternoon, Shan Cai quickly made her way back to Mikko Hotel and was desperate to bring her good news to Dao Ming Si. Her grandparents actually offered to let them stay at their house! She hurried through the hotel lobby, and suddenly, her attention was snatched by a newspaper that was left on a couch. “WHAT?!” she shrieked, completely flabbergasted at the totally unexpected headline.
She picked up the newspaper and held it out in front of her face, her eyeballs falling out of their sockets as she read the article. “…Early this morning, Mr Teng Tang called off his daughter’s three-day engagement with the heir of the Dao Ming Enterprise. Mr Teng Tang has recovered from a serious illness which he had suffered since late last year. It was confirmed that his daughter had returned from France and taken over his position as CEO of the Teng Tang Enterprise due to his illness. It is rumoured that Miss Teng Tang’s engagement with Mr Dao Ming’s son was to fulfil her father’s age-old wish of merging with the Dao Ming Enterprise. However, Mr Teng Tang’s recovery has led to dramatic changes to their business plans and prospects. He will resume his position as CEO when his health is fully restored, while his daughter is likely to return to France to continue her career as a lawyer…”
A wild grin splashed across Shan Cai’s face as she flew into the lift, wondering if Dao Ming Si has read the news yet. Perhaps, the good news about living at her grandparents’ house was not even relevant anymore! Since the Teng Tangs have withdrawn from the engagement, Dao Ming Si and Shan Cai will be safe – at least until his parents come up with another engagement. They can go back to Taiwan and see their family and friends again. It finally dawned on Shan Cai all the incentives, the motivation and the secrets behind Jing’s behaviour and actions in the past few months. Jing’s father was ill.
“DAO MING SI!” Shan Cai crashed into their hotel room, waving in the air the newspaper she had pinched from the lobby. “Did you hear the news?! Dao Ming Si?!” She checked the bedroom. No one. She checked the kitchen. No one. She checked the laundry. No one. She checked the bathroom. No one. She checked every corner of their hotel room. No one. “Dao Ming Si! It’s not a good time to play hide-and-seek! Where are you?!”
This can’t be right, she thought. They had promised not to leave the hotel room without letting each other know. That was their biggest safety precaution. The second was to go everywhere together if possible. Besides, he had said that he would go straight back to the hotel after walking with her to the café. Where was he?
“Dao Ming Si, if you’re planning to surprise me, then do it now,” she warned, trying to convince herself that she was just over-paranoid. She paced around the room, still holding the newspaper she had so happily brought up to show him. “Seriously, you’re scaring me. Please come out. Dao Ming Si?” She felt like she was talking to herself.
She looked around the room thoroughly once more, and realised that it was exactly the same as she had left it two hours ago. Every shoe, every magazine, every stray piece of clothing, every cup and every dish, were still lying in the same locations, unmoved since lunchtime. Dao Ming Si had not returned to the hotel.
Shan Cai slumped down onto the sofa and stared at the empty wall in front of her, trying desperately to hold back her tears. “No, I’m just paranoid,” she assured herself. Seconds turned into minutes and minutes turned into hours as she listened and waited anxiously for her husband to come in through the door and tell her that he had only gone on an ultra-long shopping spree. But it was patently obvious that the men they had encountered in the streets yesterday must have found and caught Dao Ming Si before he reached the hotel. She sat still for the rest of the afternoon and into the evening, witnessing the slowing of time as she ached to be in his arms again.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Xi Men mansion, Taiwan.
“Can I see yet?” asked Xiao You, waving her arms in the air to make sure she was not walking right into a wall.
“Just keep walking and be patient!” Xi Men replied, grinning to himself as he escorted the blindfolded Xiao You down the staircase. The two of them were still clad in their pyjamas, and Xiao You had obviously just been dragged out of bed.
“This better be good,” Xiao You warned with a smirk, “Or I’d beat you up for pulling me out of bed so early!”
“I’m sure you’ll like it,” Xi Men said smugly, “After all, you’re a real sucker for my romantic moves.”
“You keep telling yourself that,” she told him with a snort.
He led her into one of his living rooms and locked the door once they were both inside. “Hungry?” he asked, bringing his hands up to untie the scarf around her head.
“What do you think?!” Xiao You cried, “We haven’t even had breakfast and you’re already playing little surprises with me!”
Xi Men lifted the scarf away from her face and greeted her with a charming smile. “Well, surprise, surprise.”
“OH MY GOODNESS!” Xiao You had to blink several times before she could believe her eyes. The room had been meticulously decorated with fresh, blooming red roses arranged in every corner and placed in every vase on the mantelpiece. In the middle of the room was a small table with two seats, surrounded by roses laid out on the floor in a heart shape. Soft orchestral music was playing in the background, there were candles set and lit on the table, and their deluxe breakfast had been served.
Xi Men took Xiao You’s hand and led her towards the table, pulling out a chair for his lady. “What would you say to ninety-nine roses and a candlelit breakfast?”
Xiao You took a seat and looked dreamily at Xi Men as he sat down at the opposite side. “Why ninety-nine roses?” she asked with a shy smile, reaching across the table to stroke his hand.
“Don’t you know, sweetheart?” he teased, speaking mushily on purpose. He always took so much pride and pleasure in making her blush. “It’s our ninety-ninth day together.”
“Wow! I can’t believe you remember such things! I didn’t even –”
She was interrupted by the ringing of Xi Men’s mobile phone. After a brief conversation, her boyfriend dropped the phone on the carpet and looked at her with an unreadable expression. “That was Ah Si’s mum.”
“What?! Why did she call you?”
“To tell me that Ah Si’s back.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Dao Ming mansion, Taiwan.
‘LET GO OF ME!” Dao Ming Si yelled in rage, trying to wrestle away from the six men who were holding him to the sofa, “WHERE’S MY DAD?! I WANT TO SPEAK TO HIM!”
“I’m amazed that you still call me your dad,” a powerful voice entered the room, followed by the towering figure of Dao Ming Cheng’s standing. “Especially after disappearing so rudely and causing me to search for you like a crazy father.”
“Your search as a crazy father involves sitting around and waiting for phone calls from your men!” Dao Ming Si fired back, momentarily forgetting all his manners and respect.
“I was so foolish to assume you were kidnapped,” Dao Ming Cheng continued, his voice strong and composed, “And I can’t believe it has taken this long for them to find you.”
“So what?! I've read the news! The Teng Tang’s have already cancelled the engagement!”
“What do you mean by ‘so what’? You are my son and I want you home.”
“Cheng?” Dao Ming Feng entered the room, looking apprehensively at the two beloved men in her family. “Where is Shan Cai?”
Dao Ming Cheng stared at his wife as if she had just shrunk five inches. “In Hong Kong, of course. Far away from OUR son.”
“DON’T YOU DARE DO ANYTHING TO HER!” Dao Ming Si roared at his father, exasperated by his spiteful tone.
“How about prolonging her little holiday?” Dao Ming Cheng suggested sarcastically. He turned to his wife and explained loudly and clearly, “I’ve left a few men in Hong Kong to keep looking for her and to make sure she stays there.”
“Make sure she stays there?!” Dao Ming Feng repeated with a gasp.
“Not forever!” Dao Ming Cheng rolled his eyes. “I thought you were smarter than this, my wife. I’m planning to keep her there until she’s no longer an impediment to our business advancements.”
“What do you mean?” Dao Ming Feng asked slowly, careful to keep a smile on her face. “I thought the Teng Tangs cancelled the engagement yesterday. Unless there’s another one…”
“Dad, mum, how can you do that to me?!” Dao Ming Si cried, “Why are you deciding my marriage for me? It’s the twenty-first century! First, it’s Xiao Zi. Then it’s Qing Qing. Then it’s Jing. Who is it going to be this time?!”
“No, there’s no engagement at the moment,” Dao Ming Cheng told his wife, “But I’m going to see if I can get one soon.” He turned to Dao Ming Si and lightened his tone by a fraction. “I’m sorry, son. But I’m not going to let you be with Shan Cai.”
Dao Ming Si threw his father a disgusted look.
“In other words,” the older man continued, unaffected by his son’s blatant displeasure, “I’m going to arrange for you to get married as soon as possible. Now, I just need to wait for some good offers.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Mikko Hotel, Hong Kong.
While Shan Cai was washing the dishes from her lonely breakfast, she jumped at the sudden ringing of her mobile phone. She had turned it on after Dao Ming Si disappeared yesterday, hoping that he would call her soon and tell her what to do. It was no longer necessary to keep the phone off to prevent incoming calls that could be tracked down by Dao Ming Cheng’s men. After contemplating for a few moments, she picked up the phone, wishing with all her heart to hear the warm and affectionate voice of her husband.
But it was her husband’s mother. “Shan Cai? Is that you?”
“Uhhh…yes it’s me,” Shan Cai answered hesitantly.
“I can’t talk for too long, Shan Cai,” Dao Ming Feng spoke hastily, “Cheng doesn’t know that I’m calling you. He still doesn’t know where you are.”
“How do you know where I am?”
“I knew where you and Ah Si were going before you two even reached Xiamen,” Dao Ming Feng explained with a sigh, “Didn’t you find it odd that they allowed you to board the ship? Didn’t you find it odd that they let you into Hong Kong?”
“What?!”
“Didn’t you find it odd that it’s taken a whole week for Cheng’s men to find Ah Si? I sent out a group of men to Hong Kong to distract Cheng’s men from finding you two. As much as I wanted my son back home, I also wanted him back home willingly.”
Shan Cai gasped in shock, completely taken aback as she confronted the moment of truth.
*FLASHBACK*
Dao Ming Si peered out from the side of the counter and saw another group of men running in the opposite direction. One man from the second group pointed across the road and called out to the first group, “I saw them run towards the park over there!” The two groups united and hurried across the road, disappearing into the park.
“That’s really strange,” he told Shan Cai, “They obviously didn’t see us going into the park, unless they saw wrong.”
*END OF FLASHBACK*
“Are…are you telling me…that you’re the mysterious person who’s been tracing our journey?” Shan Cai asked, breathing heavily as her mind began to grasp understanding of the situation.
Dao Ming Feng let out a soft laugh. “Yes, I am. But Cheng thought I was helping him to look for you two.”
“How…how did you know…about our escape plan?”
“Those four silly boys planned it at my house. I kept an eye on Mei Zuo that whole day. In fact, I’ve been keeping an eye on all of you since I came back to Taiwan. I knew this was going to happen…because…because of what happened when I tried to separate you and Ah Si. But Cheng had not seen Ah Si for three years. He had no idea that his son would run away from an engagement.”
“What’s happening in Taiwan now?”
“As I said, I can’t talk for too long. I think you would know by now that the Teng Tang’s have cancelled the engagement. However, Cheng is waiting for more engagement offers. He’s doing everything he can to prevent you and Ah Si being together.”
“WHAT?!”
“He left some men in Hong Kong to find you and keep you in Hong Kong until Ah Si is married,” Dao Ming Feng told her quickly, “Shan Cai, you have to be very careful. Don’t go out unless you have to. Stay in the hotel. Watch out for followers. Cheng’s men are still trying to find which hotel you are in and I don’t know why it’s taking so long.”
Shan Cai knew why. She was registered under a different name. “How is Dao Ming Si?”
“He’s fine,” Dao Ming Feng assured her. “Shan Cai, Cheng’s men might reach you any time. Don’t panic. I’ll arrange for you to come back to Hong Kong as soon as possible.”
After putting down the phone, Shan Cai began pacing around the room, trying to keep her emotions within her. Dao Ming Feng is on our side? She helped us escape from the engagement? Shan Cai regretted treating her mother-in-law so heartlessly and finally discovered the deep warmth inside the woman who had once treated her heartlessly as well. She continued pacing around nervously, wondering how much longer there was until Dao Ming Cheng's men would find her as well.
Within minutes, the doorbell rang.
27-Aug-2005