Drowning
BastardThe next few months aren’t very important to this story because nothing noteworthy happens. However, even with the lack of events, life has a quota to meet and 2021 has yet to meet its quota for our characters. Luckily, the year is not over, meaning the annual Gala has yet to happen.
“Still no word from Gale?” Mei Lin asks as she sits across from Lu Han at the cafeteria.
“I feel like I’m looking for a specific cell rather than a specific person on this planet,” Lu Han mumbles.
“You’re not going to find her unless she wants to be found, and even if you do, that doesn’t mean she’ll come back. Soon, she won’t be able to board a plane—assuming that the baby’s not born already.”
“Are all the preparations for the Gala complete?” Lu Han asks, changing the subject. “You didn’t use as much of the funds this year.”
“Am I talking to Suho or Lu Han?” Mei Lin chuckles. “I improvised the decoration by using some of the things we already had in storage but the menu is a bit different.”
“Yeah, it’s fancier this year,” Lu Han says. “Since when did you have such expensive taste?”
“Did you see some of the people’s plus ones? And besides, it’s not that expensive. If I were to overspend, I would be scolded for not knowing how to manage money.”
“But if it’s too simple, they’ll call you cheap,” Lu Han points out. “Just admit it, you can’t please everyone.”
“So long as the boss is happy, it should be fine.”
“Which one?”
Mei Lin rolls her eyes at Lu Han’s weak joke. “I work for Wu Yi Fan.”
“It’s still hard to believe that you’re still able to say that. How long has it been since you’ve been here? Three and a half years?”
“Something like that,” Mei Lin sighs and finishes her lunch. “Let me know if she decides to pop her head out into the world again.”
She makes her way back up to the thirty-seventh floor and Victoria hands her a report while going over all the ingredients that just came in for the chefs to prepare for tomorrow. “I managed to upgrade the champagne like you asked,” Victoria says. “Bai Fu says that quite a few of Mister Chang’s colleges will be coming as guests, so I had another table added and rearranged—”
“Can we have projector screens on three walls so that it’s somewhat even? Move the dance floor to the center and have catering and music set up in the back—is the orchestra booked?”
“Yes ma’am.”
“Thank you, that is all. Now to give this report to the person supposed to be doing this.” The ladies are laughing when Mei Lin enters Yi Fan’s office at the top of the steps. “Sir—”
“The chandelier was just delivered to the ballroom downtown. Why did you move it? Isn’t the Gala usually at the company building’s grand ballroom?”
“I’m surprise you know any of this seeing how you never attend,” Mei Lin says. “We have a lot of people coming from the airport and its nearby hotels, it would be more convenient and a nice change of pace. Besides, the one downtown is bigger.” Making it easier for me to stay out of sight.
“Hm, maybe I’ll attend this year.”
“Yeah, right. You say that every year and you never show. Don’t be like your father.”
“Which one?” Yi Fan chuckles. “Actually, I don’t remember ever having one. Don’t worry, I’ll come.”
“You just say that so that I’ll make it an even better showing. You just want more praise from our associates.”
“After all these years, how can you say that about me?” Yi Fan feigns hurt. “Besides, everyone knows that I’m nothing without you.” Even I know that.
“Whatever.” Mei Lin rolls her eyes and finishes her cleaning. “The point is that you won’t show. Some things just never change; I’ve come to accept that. Like how this office will always somehow manage to collect dust even though I’m in here every other day cleaning it.”
“Maybe this office attracts dust to attract you.”
“Or maybe you put dust in here so that I waste my time cleaning instead of doing real work so that you can yell at me later,” Mei Lin teases.
“No one asked you to clean,” Yi Fan points out. “Besides, I would never sabotage you.”
“The first week that I was here you told me that you like everything to be spotless. That same week, if memory serves me right, you tried to sabotage me on many occasions so that you would have a reason to fire me.” Mei Lin giggles at how she made Yi Fan flinch at the memory. “Just finish those performance reviews, alright? I have two other Departments and a Gala to get back to.”
“Yes ma’am,” Yi Fan mocks.
Zi Tao gets up from his usual seat in the lobby to follow Mei Lin into her office. “What time do you have to be at the Gala tomorrow night?” he asks, hoping to strike up some conversation that’s been lacking between them lately.
“I have to get there three hours before everyone else even considers getting ready for it,” Mei Lin says. Glancing up at the confused look on Zi Tao’s face, Mei Lin further explains, “I have to be there by noon.”
“Have you a dress?” Zi Tao asks.
Mei Lin raises and eyebrow, “And if I don’t? What are you going to do? Take me out shopping like Henry and Wu Yi does?”
“No, I don’t have the money for that,” Zi Tao smiles. I send all of it back to my parents…even though they pretend I don’t exist.
“Well, I’m free after work today if you want to go shopping,” Mei Lin offers. “Not for me; I already have what I’m going to wear. We’re going to update your wardrobe. How you wear the same suits everyday…it’s a miracle they’re not worn thin.”
“You have a dress already?” Zi Tao asks. I don’t remember you buying one.
“Henry sent me one as a birthday present.”
“Oh, so that’s what that package was.”
Mei Lin nods mindlessly, along with a signed copy of his debut album.
“How’s he doing?” Zi Tao asks. He regrets asking the moment he sees the look in Mei Lin’s eyes.
“Amber says that he’s an international hit. One of his songs played on the radio on our way home yesterday,” Mei Lin says.
Is that why you wouldn’t look at me the whole ride home? Were you crying? “Maybe he’ll be at the Gala.”
“He’s on tour.” Mei Lin gets up to slip on her lab coat. “Tap on the door when it’s time to go. Heaven knows I’m going to lose track of time. We’ll grab some food and then we’ll go find you a nice tux for tomorrow.”
Zi Tao nods and waits anxiously for it to be five pm.
While the two are shopping and getting a new tux fitted for Zi Tao, he could not help but feel as if they’re being watched. “Relax, why don’t you?” Mei Lin says. “You look more uncomfortable than a worm in hot earth.”
Zi Tao chuckles at the old analogy but it earns him a glare from the tailor. “I don’t like these proper things.”
“That makes two of us.”
“Why can’t they just scan my body and make it accordingly?”
“Because the best tailors are old fashioned.”
“Like your sayings?”
“Of course, that’s what makes them the best.” Mei Lin sticks her tongue out childishly and returns to her tablet.
“You shouldn’t be working.”
“And you shouldn’t be talking.”
“Do I really have to wear a bowtie? Why can’t I just wear a normal tie?”
“Stop complaining.”
“Alright, you can take it off now,” the tailor says.
Zi Tao breathes a sigh of relief and shrugs back into his graphic tee and skinny jeans. “I don’t know how duì zhǎng does this everyday.”
“I guess by now he must be used to it.”
Or maybe he just knows he looks better that way. “Are you used to designer names by now?” Zi Tao teases. “You seem more comfortable in those jeans and sweater than that three thousand dollar coat you had on earlier.” Mei Lin ignores the comment, so Zi Tao moves on to a more agreeable topic. “Should we grab dinner while we’re out?”
“It’s getting late,” Mei Lin says. “I don’t want to wait. You okay with me cooking again?”
“Of course,” Zi Tao smiles. It’s like having a mom again.
His smile does not go unnoticed. “You might as well move in. You’ve been living with me for months now anyways. Why not sell your old place and then celebrate when all this is over and buy yourself a better one?”
Having to leave your company is nothing to celebrate. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Tao, you’re wasting rent.”
I sold the place a long time ago, silly. Zi Tao lets out a dramatic sigh, “If you insist.”
Mei Lin glares over and gives him a playful punch. What a little liar.
“Hey! I’m driving!"
The two laugh prematurely.
Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Kai gets a phone call. “What?” he answers, feeling particularly tired from his construction job today.
“Mei Lin is going to be downtown tomorrow, along with Tao,” Baekhyun says on the other end. “They just went shopping and seemed pretty carefree.”
“Call Sehun and Xiumin and let them know that it’s on. I’ll call the rest.”
Baekhyun smirks; it was exactly what he wanted to hear. “Sure thing, boss.” That traitor is about to know what it’s like to get screwed over.
The next day around three pm, Yi Fan brushes his teeth after having a late lunch. Maybe I should start getting ready.
Around five pm that same day, Mei Lin is running around as she directs catering, the just-arrived orchestra, and the decoration helpers with a tablet in one hand and an earpiece in the other. “Miss Chan, you should take a break. You haven’t eaten since we left,” Zi Tao says when he finally manages to catch up with her.
“Does it look like I have the time to—Wait! That doesn’t go there. Take that to table five.” She turns and points to the said table. “Tao, if you’re really concerned about my eating habits, then how about you be a dear and grab me something from across the street?” Zi Tao hesitates but Mei Lin doesn’t have time for this and is irritated enough to add, “They’re not going to do anything to me while I’m in a room full of staff. I’m pretty sure someone would notice if the that’s bossing them around was suddenly silenced.” Mei Lin hands Zi Tao a fifty-Yuan note from her pocket. “Get yourself something while you’re at it; you haven’t eaten since we left either.”
But not too long after Zi Tao is out of sight, a handsome young man walks into Mei Lin’s line of sight, holding Mei Lin’s dress. “Miss, where would you like me to put this? It was lying around and I wasn’t sure if it belonged to anybody.”
Mei Lin found herself staring a bit before answering, “Put it in the first dressing room, would you?” Something’s… different about him. Mei Lin forgets her suspicions the moment someone nearly drops the chandelier.
Chen makes a phone call shortly after he’s alone. “There’s not a good place to plant a tracker. This gown doesn’t have any gems or folds.”
“Every girl has a purse,” Kai says on the other end. “Did she recognize you?”
“She stared at me a bit longer than she should have, but maybe that’s because I’m good-looking.” He hears his boss laugh and they both hang up. Chen leaves unseen just as Zi Tao comes back with food.
“It looks great,” Lu Han says having spotted her from across the room. “But of course, it’s to be expected now.”
“You don’t look too bad yourself,” Mei Lin says without looking up from her tablet.
“Why can’t you ever relax at these things?” Lu Han chuckles.
“What’s a performance without its stage manager?” Mei Lin smiles.
“This isn’t a performance.”
“It most certainly is,” Mei Lin corrects him. She grabs a glass of champagne from a passing waiter. “Go enjoy yourself. You worked hard this year.”
“Speak for yourself, Miss Chen,” a familiar voice says. Lu Han and Mei Lin bow to their boss but Mr. Wu waves off the formalities. “It’s a wonder that I found you; you’re normally nowhere to be seen at these things.”
“It’s only because Mr. Lu has detained me. I have other things to attend to; please enjoy your night.” She bows again and excuses herself.
“Miss Chen,” Mr. Wu says, causing Mei Lin to stop. “This year’s Gala is rather impressive.”
“It’s nothing,” Mei Lin says as she attempts to leave again. “Besides, I’m only simply helping—”
“You are much too demure, Ms. Chen,” Ms. Wang says, approaching the party from behind. “It’s no secret that the Gala is an event that’s yours and yours alone.”
Mei Lin chuckles with the rest uncomfortably but then catches sight of something rather peculiar. “Pardon me.” She walks towards the tall figure. Am I seeing things?
“My, my, everyone’s out tonight,” Lu Han chuckles. Lu Han decides that it’s not his business and goes to mingle elsewhere, whereas Mr. Wu and Ms. Wang had already turned their attention to newly arrived honorary guests.
“Surely I am in need of an eye exam,” Mei Lin says, finally being able to switch back over to English. “Do my eyes deceive me or is Mister Wu Yi Fan in attendance at GIBI’s annual Gala?”
Yi Fan smirks and takes Mei Lin’s free hand. He bows and kisses the knuckles, making sure to make a show of it. “The one and only.”
Mei Lin simply rolls her eyes, “A simple ‘yes’ would have sufficed, sir.” She pulls her hand back but Yi Fan doesn’t wish to let go.
“Dance with me?”
“I have other things to attend to. Besides, I’m sure there are many people whom wish for a piece of your time.”
“Maybe next time, then?” Mei Lin giggles at that as she turns to leave. “You look beautiful, Mei.”
“You clean up pretty nicely yourself,” Mei Lin says, waving her hand a bit.
And just like Mei Lin said, an elephantine crowd of “important” people starts to crowd around Yi Fan, all of whom want his attention. Unluckily for him, he doesn’t know the names of the numerous people that wish to shake his hand. Victoria giggles at the sight and sneaks up on Mei Lin to take the earpiece and her tablet away from her. “You should go help him; he’s drowning,” she says still giggling. “I can handle things.”
Mei Lin bites her lip a bit. “It’s not that I don’t trust you to, it’s just—”
“I’ll help her,” Zi Tao offers. “I was here all day for set-up. I’m sure between the two of us, we can manage for however long it’ll take for duì zhǎng to greet everyone.”
Mei Lin bows in gratitude and takes a quick look at herself in the window glass before joining Yi Fan. “Sir, Mister Wu wishes to see you,” she lies. “Please excuse us.”
Yi Fan breaths a sigh of relief as the two walk away. “What’s it about?”
“I don’t see why you bother even on showing up when you don’t even know the guest list,” Mei Lin scolds. “He didn’t call for you, but you really should see him if you’re here.”
“Why?” Yi Fan scoffs.
“Why are you here?” Mei Lin stops and turns around to face him.
Yi Fan shrugs, “I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.”
“You’re a worse liar than I am,” Mei Lin sighs. “If you don’t want to see him, that’s on you, but you really should go before you embarrass yourself in front of the head of one of our partners. What would we do if it were to get out that the future of this company has no clue about the present?”
“You’re not going to leave me again, are you?” Yi Fan asks. He smiles knowingly because even Mei’s not cruel enough to leave him out to dry like that.
She sighs like a tired mother worrying about her helpless son. “I suppose if you’re staying, then I would be obliged to stay by you. We wouldn’t want tomorrow’s papers to read ‘Hopeless Heir,’ now would we?”
Yi Fan laughs and smiles brightly in spite of the harsh jab. So for the majority of the rest of the night, Mei Lin whispers very quickly who everyone is before Yi Fan greets them with a winning smile and something smart to say (also supplied by Mei Lin). By the final hour of the Gala, both are mentally and physically exhausted. When both believe that they’re in the clear of having to mingle with anyone else, they slip away to the other side of the large windows onto the veranda.
“You should sit; your feet must hurt from being on them all day,” Yi Fan says as he leans all his weight onto the railing, “especially in those shoes.”
“I’m fine,” Mei Lin says. “Besides, there’s nowhere to sit.” She tilts her head back to feel the breeze.
“We shouldn’t stay out here for too long,” Yi Fan says.
“It’s not like we’re in Canada, Wu Yi. The winters here are like a cool summer night.”
Yi Fan ignores Mei Lin’s accurate comment and takes off his blazer to drape over her bare shoulders. “What am I going to do if you catch a cold and can’t work?”
“Drown?” Mei Lin suggests dryly. She unconsciously pulls the jacket closer around her and leans on the railing as well. Now that he mentions it, my feet are a bit sore.
Mei Lin frequently shifting her weight does not go unnoticed by Yi Fan. “Should we go inside?” I should get you a chair.
“It’s quieter out here,” Mei Lin says. “Much more peaceful.”
Indeed.
Yi Fan sneaks back inside but Mei Lin hears the door click. Just when she thinks that she’s alone, she feels Yi Fan’s arm snake around her waist and pull her backwards. Having lost her balance due to surprise, she falls—into a chair. “Wha?”
“Take a break, please?”
The genuine sincerity and concern in Yi Fan’s voice makes Mei Lin drop her defensive shoulders and sit back. She sinks into the blazer and finds herself breathing in a familiar scent. It causes her to open her eyes and stare at the man in front of her. The moon is a strange thing, she thinks. Its light makes even the most incompetent of us appear appealing. Wu Yi, you look so at peace. What’s on your mind?
You, Yi Fan says mentally in response to Mei Lin’s accidentally spoken thought. “Even the moonlight doesn’t do that gown on you justice.”
“I think you’ve had too much to drink, sir, if you’re saying things like that.”
Yi Fan feels a bit saddened at the sound of his formal nickname and the distance that Mei Lin’s putting between them after feeling too vulnerable from the intimate moment. “I only had one glass of champagne and that was for show. It’s going to take more than that to get me drunk; my tolerance is much higher than that.”
“Maybe it weakened from your abstinence,” Mei Lin says softly.
“No,” Yi Fan says with a note of conviction that does not escape Mei Lin. “I am well aware of what I am saying and all that it implies, Mei.”
The cold air is suddenly still and Mei Lin starts to feel uneasy under the fabric of the blazer and Yi Fan’s serious gaze. She wants to blink like she does every time she’s put into a position that’s uncomfortable to her, but she finds that she can’t because unbeknownst to her, she’s not uncomfortable or shocked like she usually is when she blinks repeatedly, she’s something she hasn’t felt in a long time: intrigued. So how can one honestly blink when they are staring at something—or in this case: someone that intrigues them?
Unfortunately for us, this intense moment is cut short by a sudden opening of the doors. “There you are!” Zi Tao and Victoria say to their respective bosses.
“Mister Wu is making his toast to close the night and starting the dinner service,” Victoria says. “Both of you have to be present!”
Yi Fan straightens himself and walks towards the two holding the doors and Mei Lin smoothly hands him back his jacket while fixing her bangs. They walk in just everyone is applauding and just as Mr. Wu is about to finish. “To this company’s success,” Mr. Wu says, holding up his champagne glass; everyone follows suit. He makes sure that it is pointed in the direction of Mei Lin, “And to the future.” His glass moves ever so slightly to the right for Yi Fan always stands in front of Mei Lin’s left.
Everyone’s glass is now tilted slightly in the direction of the two, forcing them both to bow and drink from their own glass handed to them by Zi Tao and Victoria.
The dinner service that follows runs smoother than reeling silk and is just as eventful as the past few months. Mei Lin stays afterwards to oversee the clean-up. Zi Tao stays with her and Yi Fan chooses to wait for his two friends. It is well into the next day by the time that they leave. The three walk into the parking garage together but when they reach Mei Lin’s car, Zi Tao slaps himself on the forehead. “I don’t have the keys. I must’ve left them in the dressing room.”
“Hurry back and get them. I’ll stay with Mei,” Yi Fan offers.
Yi Fan isn’t sure if Zi Tao really forgot or if he’s simply giving him and Mei Lin some time alone. Sadly, that is not the case at all because Mei Lin is thinking: the dressing room was empty when I left it. What’s he trying to pull?
Somewhere in that parking garage Kai is smirking, good job Sehun.
And somewhere else in that parking garage, Sehun is spinning Mei Lin’s keys on his fingers. Sorry miss, but this is what happens when you get involved with Kris.
Back on the floor that Mei Lin and Yi Fan are on, Kai tugs on his gloves and adjusts his night-vision goggles. He spots Yi Fan standing alongside Mei Lin and her car. Karma must be smiling on us tonight.
On the other side of the parking garage, Baekhyun kills the lights, causing the couple to jump a bit at the sudden outage. Yi Fan hears the familiar click of a gun but misjudges the direction in which he should’ve pulled Mei Lin. She cries out at the new hole in her upper leg, but is suddenly hyperaware, hearing the click of the gun again. Something along the lines of, I’m already shot once, what’s one more? went through Mei Lin’s mind and she pulls as hard as she can on Yi Fan to force him towards the ground while simultaneously pulling herself up to shield him. The second hole is not a through and through, stopping somewhere in her lungs.
Kai curses for not being able to shoot Yi Fan properly. .
The sound of approaching feet causes the whole gang to disperse. Meanwhile Mei Lin is bleeding profusely in two places though that cannot be seen due to the black fabric of her gown, even with the lights back on. Although Yi Fan does not need to see to know that she’s hurt, for his hands are soaked in attempt to stop the bleeding. He clutches her closer to him as if that would do anything, yelling at Zi Tao to get help. “Mei! Mei! Mei!”
Mei Lin pulls herself from the dull, falling feeling and forces her heavy lids to open. “Wu Yi,” she says hoarsely, finding it hard to breathe. Am I drowning? She coughs and feels a warm substance threatening her air supply. The bright red splattered on Yi Fan’s white dress shirt is such a contrast that even Mei Lin can see it though her vision is blurry. “Are you hurt?” she manages to ask.
Yi Fan clenches his jaw and finds that tears are stinging his eyes. Idiot. You’re the one who was shot. He wants to tell her that he is fine, but he can only manage to shake his head. It’s just like you to worry about others like that.
The forced and visibly weak (and blood-stained) smile chokes Yi Fan and it’s not until Mei Lin says, “Thank goodness,” that he remembers that he’s not breathing.
Knowing that Yi Fan isn’t hurt, Mei Lin relaxes in Yi Fan’s shaking arms and finds that her eyes are very difficult to keep open. “Mei! Mei! No! Stay with me, Mei, you can’t—Mei!” His tears have no more restraints when he realizes that she’s no longer responsive. “Mei…please…don’t…”
Something beautiful could be said about how his tears mixed with the growing pool of blood. It’s hard to say which it has more of at this point.
The ambulance felt as though it had taken forever to arrive.
#justice4gale2k14
- Kim
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