Lu Han groaned in annoyance and partly in pain as well when an unfamiliar phone was ringing right by his ear. Raising his hands to close his ears to block the sound out, a wave of nausea hit him. And the ringing didn’t exactly go away so it amplified whatever dread he was feeling. It was as if someone had taken a hammer and started pounding his head with it.

Mentally cursing because he realized he couldn’t quite form any coherent words out of his parched mouth, he blindly d for the source of the ringing. He found the phone in no time and placed the receiver to his ear.

“Good afternoon, sir, this is the front desk. You are registered to check-out at two or would you like to extend your stay?” a cheerful female voice greeted from the other end.

Suddenly, Lu Han’s eyes snapped open. Ignoring his pounding headache, he sat up and gasped out a raspy question, “What did you say?”

“The hotel check-out time is at two or would you like to extend your stay with us, sir?” the lady repeated politely.

This time, Lu Han was pretty sure he heard the woman right. Rubbing his temple, he took in his surrounding in confusion.

The thick curtains were drawn, blocking out the sunlight and casting the room into dark shadows with only the bedside lamp on, glowing pale yellow. He was sitting on a modest queen-sized bed, and his clothes were folded neatly on a couch nearby. A paper bag was placed on the work desk.

“What day is today?” It was a stupid question but he wasn’t so sure if it was stupid given his condition.

“It’s Tuesday, sir,” the lady replied again but this time there was a hint of suspicion. “Are you alright, sir?”

“Yes,” he quickly replied. “I’ll be right down.”

He slammed the receiver back onto the phone and took another glance around him. Still clueless and very much hung-over, he climbed out of bed and headed to the bathroom to clear his head. The last thing he could remember was having dinner with Xiao Shan and he was pretty sure he drank lots.

Xiao Shan came to his mind and abruptly he ran out of the bathroom to retrieve his hand phone. If there is anyone who could answer him, it would be her. Gosh, he groaned inwardly, he’s such a terrible friend. What happened after the dinner?

His latest in line phone was on the work desk, along with his wallet and his watch. Everything was arranged tidily as if a maid had come and gone. But he knew it must have been the good friend of his.

His eyes caught the large paper bag. Xiao Shan has been carrying that the whole day yesterday. She wouldn’t tell him what was inside and wouldn’t even let him hold it. So he thought it was something important. Did she forget about it?

Carefully, he pulled the bag closer and open to check inside. There were several items inside and carefully, he took them out, one by one. The first one was a long rectangular box and he immediately knew what was inside. It was the bracelet he got her for her birthday recently. He opened it.

The bracelet looked untarnished, perfect just like when he first bought it at the shop. Resting on the velvet cloth, it looked like she has never even taken it out of the box. He sighed; maybe she didn’t like her present after all. He put it aside and went on to the next object.

Another larger box revealed even more past presents. He frowned a little but chose to ignore the nagging feeling at the back of his head. He diverted his attention back to the remaining.

This time, it was a plain white handkerchief in a small transparent plastic bag. A smile crept onto his face. He recognized it of course, from the small deer head that was sewn cutely at a corner. It was the handkerchief he lent her years ago when they first met. She sewn a deer head onto it and tried to return it but he told her to keep it. It was a piece of memento.

Next, was a larger box and when he lifted it, he was sure it was something huge due to its weight. He opened the lid and softly, a small gasp left his lips. Inside was Swarovski crystal sculpture of a pair of mandarin ducks. The hues of violet, yellow, orange and blue sparkled when he gently picked it up to survey it better. A note fell out. He picked it up to read the small card.

Do you know that our culture believes that mandarin ducks are auspicious for married couples? I wish that your marriage will be a blessing and joy. Congratulations!

Lu Han chuckled to himself. He knows Xiao Shan has this silly side. She was always denying it but every girl believes in happy ending and true love. And truthfully, she deserves it.

His phone rang the moment when he was considering calling her up to ask her about the returned presents and the sudden expensive wedding gift. Quickly putting down the crystal, he picked up the phone. It was his mother.

“Mom, I’m sorry, I was out with a friend and…” Lu Han said quickly before his mother launched into a series of naggings.

But his mother cut him almost immediately. Her voice was somber. “Listen, Lu Han. There is bad news.”

“What’s wrong, mom?” he asked, worried.

“Lee Xiao Shan is dead.”

The phone slipped out of his grip and he dropped onto the floor. What has he done?

*

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome onboard Flight C47B with service from Beijing to Vancouver. We are expected to take-off in five minutes time. We ask that you fasten your seatbelts at this time and secure…”

Xiao Shan snapped her belt into place and looked out of the small airplane window. Beside her, her mother was scrambling to fasten her seatbelt as well while the flight attendant droned on about the flight information and safety. The sky was clear, not much of clouds and plenty of sun. It was a sure sign for pleasant flight.

A hand covers hers on the lap and she turned to see her mom smiling reassuring at her. “Are you sure about this? We can still turn back, Xiao Shan. I will not judge you.”

She shook her head calmly. “Everything is just the way it’s supposed to be. I will be fine.”

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Another update~~ Kept telling myself I should update at least once a week. XD  So here it is... Closure for one of them~

Thank you for all comments and subcribers!! ^^ It's very motivating and deeply appreciated. Keep them coming~ XP