Ting Wei’s part

Flashback

"And this... belongs to you. I’m sure you will know who left this behind so open it when you’re ready." Lu Ting Wei said as he slid the letter to Ya Lun.

{ xx }

[A couple of days before the men came.]

"Can you do me a favour?"  He glared at her, giving her his uneasy look as his mind scrambling the possible favours she could be asking.

"Tell Ya Lun that I have been cheating on him, tell him to not find me and forget about me."

Lu Ting Wei glanced at the city one again, "THAT'S LYING!" He yelled out, his emotions were coming out naturally as she nodded, trying to keep her tears back.

"What if he doesn't want to do the surgery? I think the only reason he agreed to doing it... was you. I have been around enough patients to know that once they open their eyes, the one person they want to see is that special person that encouraged them from the beginning. He went into surgery knowing that the one person will be waiting for him to recover, you."

She froze, not expecting this to come out. He rubbed his temples from all the exhaustion.

"He wanted to be there for you. He thought that if he recovers fast enough, he can finally see you and become a couple that couples would normally go through. Are you telling me to lie to the kid and say something totally bogus?"

“WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO? IF I DON’T DO THIS, I’M AFRAID SOMETHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO HIM! I’M SCARED OKAY? MY DAD IS A MAN WHO COULD DO THINGS THAT I AM SCARED TO EVEN THINK ABOUT! I THOUGHT ABOUT THIS LIKE CRAZY! I AM ABOUT TO CRAZY. What did you want me to do? I’m out of options!”

It took her some time to calm down but her heart wouldn't stop beating so fast, it was suffocating her like hell. Seeing her like this wasn’t what he wanted, he wanted his friend to choose the path she wants, but this matter seemed to bother him more that he imagined. So Ting Wei bent down, pulled her into an embrace like what friends would do for comfort. For as long as he knew Ying Jie, he didn’t know the word “scared or even afraid” existed.

Deep inside, he knew that he would give into her high demands. ‘Be a friend when they are in need.’ And that’s what he plans to do.

{ xx }

The next day

"Hello—" Dr. Lu got up from his seat when Ying Jie walked in like a walking dead corpse.

"Gui Gui..." He whispered, walking slowly to her. She was about to faint when he caught her, checking her forehead and pulse before placing her on the couch.

"What are you doing to yourself?" He asked as his friend smiled meekly, handing an letter to him.                                                                                                                                                                                

"I figured it out." She whispered as he took it, examining it.

"Once Ya Lun fully recovers, give it to him." She whispered as he nodded.

"Are you okay? Do you need me to sign you into a room for recovery?" She shook her head, trying to get up.

"I just need sleep, that's all. Stop worrying about me and go back to work. I'll be fully recovered soon." He was about to say something until she glared at him, urging him to continue his work.

"Fine, don't do anything reckless. I have a patient to attend to so stay here." He stated as he grabbed his lab coat, before closing the door behind him.

End of Flashback

‘I'm sorry, Ya Lun but it's best if you stay away from her for now.’

If you had ask Lu Ting Wei if he had a choice to go back and rewrite his decisions, he wouldn’t do it. Maybe this was his way of finding a medium to keep Mr. Wu out, by separating the two love birds with his friends urgent request.

Safety, was all she wanted to achieve.

And she did so by sacrificing her heart to keep him safe, away from her father and her.

{ xx }

Qiu Sheng Yi's part

"Welcome back son." His father stated as he patted his son on the back.

"MY SON! WELCOME HOME!" His mother hugged him so tightly, afraid of losing him again. But with Sheng Yi back, all of their worries were put aside.

"I am so happy to see your face again! So how have you been? You were suppose to be on your way to Japan, but somehow you boarded the Malaysia plane?" Sheng Yi smiled, pointing to his bags.

"Mom, I’m tired, can I go unpack and sleep?" His mother looked at him like a mad-man.

"I'M SURE YOU GOT ADJUSTED TO THIS TIME ALREADY. GO AND HANG OUT WITH YOUR FRIENDS, DON'T STAY HOME!" Sheng Yi laughed, hugging hid mother one more time before waving to his father as he walked upstairs with his bags.

"That kid, what am I going to do with him?" Mr. Qiu hands rested on his wife’s shoulder, giving her a reassuring pat and a generous smile that calmed them both down.

"I'm just glad our son is back, safe and sound." She stared at the family portrait hanging proudly above their fireplace. “You can say that again, darling.”

Ying Jie's part

"Where is she?"

Mr. Wu asked as the two maids that were in charge of Ying Jie fell silent, not knowing how to respond to his question. Mr. Wu stared at the stairs, having a good idea where she might be.

"Leave her, she'll come down when she feels like it." He stated as they nodded, going back to work. Mr. Wu continued to look at the stairs, knowing his daughter's stubbornness, he sighed.

"She is unlucky that she inheritated that trait from me..."

Flashback                                                                                                                                                                   

"That kid... Yan Ya Lun was it?" He held up a folder that might have all of his information he ordered someone to look for. Knowing that her father had managed to go into her weak spot makes her vulnerable, he was a person that gets what he wants.

Ying Jie stopped and faced his father, knowing  that this battle was going to go one way, his way.

"You know how I can crush ants with a finger if I wanted to, I can do the same with this one. He's no different from other people, other than he might be easier to erase."

Ying Jie maintained her emotionless expression, refusing to show any kind of emotions to her father only to be used against her.

"You wouldn't dare."

"Oh but I will. You know my interest in this field. If they don't benefit me, they are rendered useless."

"What if I make a deal with you. Mr. Wu loves making deals, always has." Her father dropped the folder, crossing his arms at his daughter's request. Deals, a lone man’s decision that could be either be beneficial or betrayal with a mask on.

“I’m listening.” He signalled her to proceed as she spoke.

“I will come back on two conditions. One, grant me two more weeks of freedom and second, leave innocent people out of this. If you choose to break any of these conditions, I will be forced to withdraw and continue to run away.”

She heavily stated as her father contemplated on her ability to make decisions.

“Do you stand by your words? When two weeks are up, you will leave quietly without any tricks?”

“That’s only if you hold to the agreement.”

“Terms granted. I’ll see you in two weeks Wu Ying Jie.”

He stated as he turned back to the window, with his hands behind his back like before. She was about to leave when she stopped, smiling for the first time.

“Thank you daddy.”

She whispered quietly as he chuckled, knowing how stubborn her daughter was.

{ xx }

When Ying Jie walked out of the house safely, the secretary walked in, standing behind him as he watched Ying Jie hop into the car.

“She has grown up to be a fine lady, she looks more and more like her mother every day.”

“Are you really going to wait another 2 weeks?” He struck an interesting question as Mr. Wu cleared his throat.

“I waited for four years, two more weeks isn’t going to kill me. However, what caught me in an ambush was her ability to make conditions. I don’t doubt that she’ll be able to manage our business, she has eyes as caring as her mother and the mind-set like her grandmothers. Her strong traits are what makes her unique.”

“She did manage to graduate with a business degree with honours.”

“That’s merely a title that anyone can hold.” The secretary looked at Mr. Wu, not quite understanding him. “Only time can tell what will happen, present and futures to come.”

End of Flashback

Ying Jie laid emotionless on the ground as she stared at the ceiling, recalling all the small memories of her and Ya Lun.

“I hope I can move on...”

She twisted and turned around the floor, feeling discomfort all over. So she got up and tucked herself under her blanket.  Deep down, she didn’t want to admit it but she knew it wasn’t the right choice. She had to give him up in order for her father to look away. How could she ruin someone’s else’s life when its beginning to fall back into place? She couldn’t... no. She can’t. It wasn’t hers to destroy and definitely, no one had the ability to destroy it other than the owner themselves.

A million thoughts went through her mind:

What if she choose to go up against her father?

                        Answer: It will be something no one wish to witness.

What if she gave into her father and leave Ya Lun?

Answer: His safety. His safety was her priority. His future, his future was beginning to start so how can I break it to pieces?

She choose to abandon her feelings for him. The more she goes back, rewinding every second, she will make herself go crazy. If she keeps on repeating ‘what if’, she will be going nowhere.  

So in the end, she decided to give her heart up. Push all the thoughts aside, placing them into a back of her head, where the deepest memories are stored. This was Ying Jie’s resolution to everything.

“I....hope... I ....” and she slowly drifted to sleep.

End of Part I.