Fan Fiction |
by Naomi
It was their last night in Hokkaido. After the New Year celebrations, Shan Cai and Dao Ming Si strolled glove in glove around the Maple Hotel, winding in and out of the fountains and hot springs. It was long past midnight but the two seemed to have no intention of sleeping. The snow fell lightly onto their thick hooded coats and the temperature had dropped to its very lowest. But neither of them felt the slightest need to go back inside, for the warmth in their hearts defeated even a frosty winter’s night.
They stopped by the jetty and looked down at the dark, cold water beneath them. The boat they had been on was floating on the water a few metres from them, stripped bare from the tiny bulbs which had once lighted its beauty.
“Dao Ming Si, can we come here again?”
“Of course we can,” he replied softly, patting her beanie, “But there are so many other places we need to leave our footprints together. Like London, Paris, New York, Barcelona, Sydney and even closer places like Beijing and Hong Kong.”
Shan Cai smiled and stood up on tiptoes to kiss him. “Look,” she held up her left hand and pulled back the sleeve of the coat, revealing the meteor bracelet, “You tied me to you. I’ll go wherever you go.”
Dao Ming Si reciprocated her smile and unzipped his coat down the front. Then he quickly took Shan Cai’s coat off and pulled her tiny body against him, zipping up his own coat with her inside. “You promised,” he whispered, wrapping his strong arms around her, “We’re one body and we’ll go everywhere together.” Simultaneously, they breathed out a sigh of comfort, overwhelmed by the amazing feeling of their warm hearts beating against each other.
Gusts of wind stirred through the city and snow began falling heavily. But from this very moment onwards, Shan Cai knew she was the luckiest woman in the world; to be wrapped so tightly inside the coat of the man she loved, protected from all wind and snow.
“Ahh-choo!”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The three-week holiday in the snowy white city of Sapporo concluded. It was as if the seven of them had been placed in a dream bubble and drifted off into another world. But it was time to return to reality. If there was anything to bring back from Hokkaido, then it was Dao Ming Si and Shan Cai’s growing intimacy, Xi Men and Xiao You’s friendship-for-now, Jing’s mysterious behaviour and Hua Ze Lei’s broken heart. Not surprisingly, Mei Zuo, the most cheerful and carefree one amongst them, was still the same cheerful and carefree Mei Zuo.
Ying De University opened its gates to mark the end of the winter holidays and the beginning of a fresh, new year. F4 and Shan Cai resumed their studies and Xiao You joined them with her not-so-hard-earned scholarship. Jing returned to her parents and began working in the Teng Tang Corporation which she had, last year, so openly severed ties with. As expected, she appeared on the cover of numerous magazines across Asia: ‘The Doll of the Teng Tang Corporation Is Back’. They were mainly negative reports, delving into the unanswered questions of her departure last year, her eight-month engagement in France, and her sudden and unexpected return to Taiwan. When asked by the media about the charity work she had planned after finishing her law degree, she told them that she will still strive to serve the poor and needy, but family duties had called her home.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“OH MY GOODNESS!” Shan Cai and Xiao You stared wide-eyed and open-mouthed at, not Qing He, but the girl he was holding hands with. It was their first morning back at university and they were standing at the lockers, having a mini reunion session.
The girl responded with a wobbly smile and stepped forward, offering Shan Cai a hug. “Hi Shan Cai. I don’t know if I’m welcome, but I’m back.”
“Li Zhen!” yelled Shan Cai, throwing her arms around her, “Of course you’re welcome! It’s great to see you again!” Then an evil grin crept across her face and she pointed a finger at Qing He.
“Oh Shan Cai, I’m sorry!” he said melodramatically, “I can’t love you forever! You’re Dao Ming Si’s girlfriend! Besides, I should be the one who’s angry! You and Xiao You left me and disappeared with those four horny guys all holiday! So much for being high school friends! I was all lonely and bored and worried about you two!” He draped an arm over Li Zhen’s shoulders. “Until this McDonald’s girl came to bring me out of my misery.”
Xiao You giggled. “Qing He, you’re a rich young man now. Why are you STILL going to McDonald’s?! That’s SO high school.”
Shan Cai shook her head with a grin. “I’m sure he doesn’t go there just for the food anymore.”
“You don’t always find such a pretty girl working at McDonald’s!” Qing He exclaimed, “I was very surprised to see Li Zhen again. Shan Cai, I know she left Ying De because of you and Dao Ming Si. But I told her you’re a very forgiving girl and you were sad that she left.”
Shan Cai nodded and drew him into a friendly hug. “Qing He, I’m very happy for you. I missed you in Hokkaido. I really did.”
“NOUVEUX RICHÉ! GET OFF MY GIRLFRIEND! AHH-CHOO!”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Although Dao Ming Si was the only person who caught a cold, Hua Ze Lei felt the winter more than anyone. It was as if the cold weather was mourning with him, locking him in his bitterness as he suffered the loss of love. But it was no loss. Jing never loved him.
It was late afternoon and the auditorium was dark and empty, but Hua Ze Lei only felt relieved. He switched on a set of lights and walked onto the stage, setting up a chair and stand. As he sat down, he placed his violin case on his lap, and after brushing off some dust, he opened it and carefully took out the precious instrument he had not touched for many months. He ran his fingers gently over the delicate metal strings before lifting the violin up to his shoulders and resting it under his chin. It felt almost magical to experience again the familiar touch of the smooth, polished wood beneath his fingers. He shifted his left hand down the ebony fingerboard to the fine tuners and picked up the bow in his right hand. As he drew the bow over each string, he listened sadly to the awful, untuned sounds it made. He used to be inseparable with his instrument, but now he wondered how neglected his violin must have felt, if violins had feelings.
Hua Ze Lei finished tuning the violin, and after a short rest, he lifted it up to his chin again. He took a deep breath and then began pulling the bow over different strings, the fingers on his left hand dancing gracefully on the fingerboard. A slow, sad melody filled the empty auditorium, and each note came straight out from the bitter coldness Hua Ze Lei felt in his heart. A pained expression took over his face but he continued playing, enhancing each phrase with long, sonorous vibratos. The music he created was soft and beautiful, but his heart cried out to him, unwilling to endure such loneliness. Before long, he began harmonising each note, drawing his bow over two strings at a time, playing a much faster, richer and happier melody. He decided it was better to hear two notes at once. At least, he did not feel so alone.
But he was not alone. A petite girl was standing at the doorway and had been listening to him from the time he began tuning his violin. She watched him with intense interest, wondering why this handsome young man was here by himself, playing such beautiful music with an unhappy face. After a short hesitation, she entered the auditorium. Hua Ze Lei saw the intruder and quickly put down his violin. He scowled and was about to ask her to leave when an earlier memory suddenly filled his mind. Shan Cai had once stood where this girl was now standing. He knew that this girl, like Shan Cai, had been silently admiring his music. He had been rude to Shan Cai. But he was not going to do it again.
“I’m really sorry for interrupting you,” the girl apologised with a timid smile, “I here came to practise piano. May I stay for a while?”
Hua Ze Lei returned her a brief smile. “Sure, you’re welcome.” He noticed a funny accent in her speech even though she spoke smoothly.
“I’m from Hong Kong,” she explained as if she read his mind, “My family is still there.” She looked around uncertainly, then made her way onto the stage, walking slowly over to him. “You played so beautifully and I liked the sudden change of feeling. What is the piece called?”
“The piece? I made it up just then.” At this point, Hua Ze Lei began studying the girl with increasing interest. She seemed really shy and something about her reminded him of a kitten. She was petite and skinny, very much like Shan Cai. But unlike Shan Cai, she had quite short hair, around his own length, and the sides were tucked behind her ears. It was neatly layered and she had a fringe which was swept to one side. She had a sweet, friendly face like Xiao You, a pair of sparkling eyes like Shan Cai, and a small, pretty mouth. She was not beyond perfectly beautiful like Jing, but like the other two girls, she had charms of her own. However, what captured Hua Ze Lei’s attention was the girl’s clothes. She wore a plain, white sweater with a zipper down the front, long khaki pants and a simple pair of runners. She wore no make-up but only a light pink shade of lipgloss. The only jewellery she wore was a necklace with a small silver cross. From afar, he could have easily mistaken her as a boy. But at their current distance, it was impossible to not notice such a cute, girly face with long, curly eyelashes. Nevertheless, from the first moment he looked at her, he was sure of one thing: she was not a high-class rich family’s daughter.
“You look so shy. Are you new? “ Hua Ze Lei asked curiously, “I don’t think I’ve seen you around before.”
“Yes, I am,” she replied sweetly, “I’m in first year. What about you?”
“I’m one of the F4. We’re four guys whose parents are the sponsors of this university. We’re in fourth year.”
“I know, I’ve heard all about F4 already.” She took out a few sheets from her folder and placed them on his music stand. “It’s called ‘The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto’. Would you mind to play this?”
Hua Ze Lei thought for a moment and found no reason to refuse. “Sure. I’ll try. I’ve played it before.”
The girl beamed at his reply and sat down at the grand piano, lifting up the lid. “I’ve been practising the piano accompaniment. Let’s try it together.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Shan Cai and Xiao You were working at Italian Tomato and eating a quick takeaway dinner. They were engaged in one of their deep and meaningful conversations about F4 when Ya Men popped his head into the store. Instinctively, Shan Cai pushed Xiao You behind her and put on her most menacing expression.
“Hi Shan Cai. How was Hokkaido?” Ya Men said in a too-friendly voice, “You should have gone with me. I missed you heaps, darling.”
“Darling my ass!” Shan Cai coughed, “If you’re here to buy cakes, then quit the useless greetings and hurry up!”
Ya Men rolled his eyes. “You don’t need to be so rude. And stop shielding that poor girl. I’m here for you, not her.”
“Do you want something or not?” Shan Cai asked irritably, pointing to the display of cakes.
“You.”
“Me what?”
“You’ll see.” He grinned at the two girls, turned around and left the shop.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Shan Cai and Xiao You finished work at eight o’clock. They had just stepped off the bus and were walking back to their ‘hut’.
“That Ya Men guy is seriously starting to freak me out,” said Xiao You, looking worriedly at her best friend.
“Me too,” said Shan Cai miserably, “That’s the third time he’s approached me like that. Do you think I should tell Dao Ming Si about it?”
“You mean, you haven’t?!” cried Xiao You, shocked. “He’s your boyfriend! He needs to know that another guy has been bothering you!”
“I know. I know. I’ll call him tonight. It’s just that, you know him, he’s so worried about me all the time and he gets jealous easily. He’d probably smash Ya Men into a hundred pieces or shoot him or drown him or...Xiao You? Xiao You?” Shan Cai looked around nervously but her best friend was nowhere to be seen. “Oh my goodness, don’t scare me like this! Xiao You, it’s not funny! Let’s go home before we play hide-and-seek. Come on, it’s dangerous out here and there might be monsters hidinmmm...MMM! MMM!”
Before Shan Cai could make any sense of what was happening, a hand had covered her mouth and she found herself being dragged behind a row of bushes. She caught a glimpse of the front gate to her house before being thrown down, hitting the ground hard. A silhouette towered over her.
“Hi darling.”
“YA MEN! ARE YOU CRAZY?!”
“Don’t shout at me like that! Why did you choose to be with that arrogant fool? What makes him so much better than me? He’s the heir of the richest family in Taiwan, right? And his mother asked me...PAID me to get you away from him, right? Looks like I haven’t quite finished my job.”
“SHE LETS ME STAY WITH HIM NOW!”
“BUT I DON’T! I told you. Sooner or later, you’ll be mine. Actually, make that NOW!” Ya Men shoved a scrunched ball of paper into Shan Cai’s mouth. “MINE!” He grabbed her arms, pulled her up to her feet and pinned her against a tree. She kicked and kicked but he was strong and commanding. Shan Cai closed her eyes and trembled with an indescribable fear, praying with all her soul that it was only a nightmare. Ya Men released one of her arms, and in one rough movement, he yanked down the zipper of her jumper. She kicked with all her strength and used her freed arm to hit his face. It was useless. Tears rolled down her face as she felt his hands gripping the collar of her jumper and jerking it over her shoulders.
“GET OFF MY GIRLFRIEND!”
Suddenly, Ya Men was hauled away from her and she heard five worried voices calling her name. Moments later, Shan Cai found herself wrapped in the arms of Dao Ming Si, holding Xiao You’s hand and watching F3 beat up the horrid monster. She managed a weak smile, then fainted.
Hua Ze Lei brought down the last deadly punch that was required to knock Ya Men out of his mind. “YOU ####ING BASTARD!”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Shan Cai opened her eyes and saw five blurry faces, with identical worried expressions, staring at her from above. She blinked the vision back to her eyes and realised that she was lying on Dao Ming Si’s bed. The owners of the five faces were sitting on the bed, surrounding her closely; they were truly her guardian angels. She giggled. For some reason, these angels were all in their pyjamas and they looked very silly. “Are you all sleeping over?” she asked blankly.
Dao Ming Si’s bent over her and brought a gentle soothing kiss to her lips. “Don’t worry, baby,” he said softly, caressing her face, “The doctor was here earlier. She said you’re okay. Everything is okay now.”
“You shouldn’t be kissing me,” said Shan Cai, blushing, “You have a cold.”
“No, I’m fine now,” he said, bringing another kiss to her lips.
“I WON’T LET THAT MONSTER LIVE ANOTHER DAY OF HAPPINESS!” yelled Xi Men.
Xiao You patted his shoulder. “Calm down, Xi Men. It’s all right now. The police will deal with him.”
Xi Men clenched his fist. “This is Ah Si’s girlfriend...OUR Shan Cai...we’re F4! That monster should be thankful that he’s still alive!”
Shan Cai looked worriedly at Xiao You. “And what happened to you? How come F4 suddenly appeared out of nowhere?”
Xiao You smiled assuringly. "Don't worry, Shan Cai. Nothing happened to me."
“We were planning to take you girls out to VS,” Hua Ze Lei explained, “But when we got out of the car, we found Xiao You tied to a tree outside your house. She was crying, but like you, she had a ball of paper stuffed in her mouth. Ya Men probably did that so Xiao You can't get help or call the police while he attacks you.”
Xi Men was aggravated again. “I’M GOING TO KILL HIM!”
“Man, if it makes you feel better, I think we paralysed him.” Mei Zuo, being Mei Zuo, did his magic to lighten up the mood. “You know what, Shan Cai? Lei swore at Ya Men! That was the first time he ever swore at someone!”
Her lips curved into a smile and she poked Hua Ze Lei playfully. Then Shan Cai, being Shan Cai, joined Mei Zuo in comforting everyone else. “That monster probably got more than he deserved. I bet you guys almost killed him.” Then she looked at them sheepishly. “Besides, he barely managed to take my jumper off. I was wearing five layers of clothing.”
Mei Zuo roared into laughter. “Our hardworking virgin indeed!”
Dao Ming Si nodded with a grin. “That’s why it took so long to take her clothes off and get her into the bathtub.”
Shan Cai's mouth dropped open and finally realised that she had been washed up and smelt of lavender and roses. Along with everyone else, she was also wearing a pair of pyjamas. A silky pink one, to be precise. She narrowed her eyes murderously at her boyfriend.
Mei Zuo took the cue and backed off the bed. “Umm, umm, Lei, Xi Men, Xiao You, let’s...let’s leave Ah Si to handle this himself! Ah Si, we’ll take the guest...guest bedrooms now. Umm, Shan Cai...goodnight!”
Shan Cai watched four of her guardian angels leave the room, preparing herself to grill the last one. “DAO MING SI!” But her heart melted when she looked into his pained, watery eyes. Her boyfriend, the leader of F4 who used to bash people up as a hobby, the one who was most unlikely to show his weaker side, was crying for her.
“Shan Cai.” It was barely a whisper but he finally allowed himself to release his emotions. He climbed under the blanket and rested himself over her body protectively, sobbing quietly on her chest. “I was so scared, Shan Cai. I was so scared I couldn’t breathe.”
Shan Cai used the sleeve of her pyjama shirt to wipe the tears from his eyes, although she was crying herself. Then she pulled the sleeve back and showed him the meteor bracelet. “Dao Ming Si, I belong to you. Always.”
Without warning, Dao Ming Si pressed his mouth against her trembling lips and trapped her with all his strength and passion. He devoured her uncontrollably, sending all his love and frustration into one long, possessive kiss. Shan Cai ran her fingers through his hair, holding him as close as she could. If it were any other time, she would not have allowed him. But tonight, at this intense moment of affection and relief, she surrendered to his desire for her. Dao Ming Si held her face firmly and acquired the help of his tongue, tasting the delicate sweetness of his girlfriend’s lips which overwhelmed him beyond his senses. He ravished her with a loving ferocity, drowning her in each enticing movement, revelling in her softness and beauty. Shan Cai whimpered quietly, beginning to understanding that his passion for her had now obliterated every ounce of sanity in him. She adored him all the more, her heart savouring every delightful beat as she melted in his embrace. If he ever failed to express his love in words, he knew that his mouth had other lovely uses.
It was not until an hour later that Dao Ming Si ended his wild, conquering kiss. They were breathing heavily and Shan Cai was still lying beneath him, their eyes locked unshakably and their gazes completely entwined. He gave her a sheepish smile.
“Pighead! Did you really take my clothes off?” asked Shan Cai, still gasping for oxygen.
“No! I asked the maids to do it, you stupid woman!” Dao Ming Si rolled his eyes, thinking she had dropped the matter already.
Shan Cai smiled and gave him a kiss. One more. Two more. Three more. He held her face and was about to devour her again when she shot him another stupid question, “Am I sleeping here tonight?”
Dao Ming Si shook his head and gave her a naughty grin. “You’re sleeping here EVERY night!”
05-Jan-2005