29

“Put her down here.” 

The room they have prepared for her was a simple room, it wasn’t dark nor too bright. If you turn to your right, there was a single-bed with simple white bed-sheets and pillows. The focus point isn’t about the bed, it was the windows that allowed light in. Out of all the rooms they have, this room was not used often, so ultimately this would be hers for the time being. 

As Alan looked around the room, he came to another conclusion that he doesn’t like this room. Aside from the fact that this was one of their unused room, there was a reason behind it. He took a glance out the window and stuffed his hands in his pockets. How far is he from uncovering everything? It has been years since he first started this. He turn his gaze back on her, how long has it been exactly?

“Boss.” Ah Wei leaned against the door and stuffs his hand into one of his pocket as his presence behind him. So he made way and quickly signal his men’s attention. They stepped aside for Alan to absorb the surrounding before him, then as if every object in the room was commanding his attention, his eyes fell onto the girl they brought in. “Boss, we finally found her.”

“What did you guys do to her?” Ah Wei finally walked over to the girl, checking her pulse as he noticed no one did it. “Relax, she’s not dead… yet.” Ah Wei smirks as he glanced at the men beside him. 

“When you are kidnapping girls, be less aggresive.”

“Boss, this one refused to come with us, so we had to–” 

Alan gave them a glare, signalling them to shut up if they don’t want to regret it. Change was rather rare in their field so he knew that they weren’t planning on listening to him. After dropping the girl off, the guys left the room to attend to other things. Leaving the room to Alan and Ah Wei. Ah Wei stood back up and noticed the time, 11:52 PM.

“What are you planning to do with her?”

“Go check on our other guests, I am sure they are dying to see who we are.” 

Ah Wei had been silently watching Alan now, he turns his gaze back on the girl and nods. Agreeing to his simple request, Ah Wei walked out of the room leaving Alan alone with the girl. 

When the door closed behind him, Alan walked over to the window and slide the curtains over. He never liked this room, it was always too bright for him. All the other rooms were dark and resonated with mystery but this room had to be different. Even though he hated this room, aside from the rest of the rooms in the building, this room was probably the best for her. It was no 5 star hotel but it was close in his books.

He could hear the wind pick up, the trees were swaying more than usual, it was as gloomy as it was inside as it was out there. He sat down next to her, she who laid asleep would freak out. How would she react to see him? Would she remember him? How ironic. How is it that these two people from two different worlds, with different paths somehow manage to meet?

Even for a second, if he was still the boy he used to be, there might be a chance for him to revert back to that innocent boy who had never been tainted with the evil doings done by those around him. But it has been years since, the past belongs in the past. Nothing good will come if he shows a drop of regret.

He once said that he never remembered his past self. In these 7 years that went past him, there was once this girl who dared went against him. She wasn’t beautiful like her older sister, no; her looks did not captivate him at all. So what is it about her that he can’t seem to forget? Alan slowly got up and made his way to the door. He had other business to attend to anyways. He walked out, warning the guards to keep a close watch before looking over to see his brother leaning against the wall playing with a lighter.

“What are you doing here?”

“I heard... and I have to say, what do you think you are doing?” His eyebrow arched. “Work.”

“Bullsh!t. Can’t you tell me what you’re doing without all hidden messages?”

“I’m not lying, I’m working.” Alan spoke up. “Kidnapping? I haven’t went against you yet but—”

“Then stay out of this.” Wang Zi scoffed. “Look, I don’t want to become your enemy so hear me out. Whatever it is you are doing, stop.”

 “Why? I don’t intend to stop when I am this close.”

“INNOCENT PEOPLE WILL DIE!”

“This is what I ever wanted. If that means sacrificing a few, then it has to be done.”

“AO LONG!” Alan was about to walk away when Wang Zi grabbed his collar and pushed him against the wall. Alan smirked as he stared at his brother. He knew him all too well, they both knew that, it was one of their flaws as brothers. “I will say it once more, I have no intention of giving up. Not when I am this close to fulfilling father’s wish.”

“HIS WISH?! IS THIS WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT?!” Alan kicked him away as he straightened his shirt in front of him. “Revenge... YOU’RE DOING THIS OUT OF REVENGE?” Wang Zi yelled out as Alan raised a brow. 

“Dad wanted this more than anything. To him, this was his life. Everything turned around when those scientists stopped halfway in the experiment. Unlike you, I am doing this for dad. Whether you want a part of this or not this depends solely on you. I will not force you but you must’ve remembered what happened to us 7 years ago, we lost everything. But this time, I am going to do this without missing an heartbeat. And I will not stop until I seek whatever it is dad spent his entire lifetime eyeing. I will find out what it is and re-create it. So get out of the way because I won’t be as nice as I am next time.”

“ARE YOU INSANE?”

Wang Zi kicked the wall repeatedly, it has always been his way of calming himself down. Who knew that his habit stayed with him for all these years? 

“7 year ago, this stupid thing was the reason why our family fell apart! It has nothing to do with anyone except dad! WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE SUFFER THE SAME FATE AS US? WE ARE JUST STEPS AWAY FROM REPEATING THE PAST!! DON’T YOU SEE IT? I AM TRYING TO SAVE YOU FROM DOING SOMETHING YOU’LL REGRET OR ARE YOU CHOOSING TO IGNORE ALL THE SIGNS?”

“You don’t understand... You never did understand... Is that why you kept running away from dad? This is you, you run away. You escape reality Ge, why would you escape only to get pulled back in? You threw all of this away and walked away from it Sheng Yi and I didn't care about it. But since you stepped away first, you do not get to walk back in here demanding what you want. If you walked away, then walk away.”

Wang Zi fell silent as Alan grabbed his collar, recalling what his brother did earlier.

“You of all people should know this better than anyone else, don’t you remember? Dad promised his sponsors that he was going to have this drug ready. This drug was the key to his success and power, what dad was seeking for, ultimately. Power... He was going to change things around here. But when those stupid scientists threw the experiment away, like it was nothing, everything changed, our lives were destroyed. Then when dad tried to cover it up, his enemies killed him. A liar, useless, stupid, power-hungry, an idiot, a fool that only knows how to talk big. Have you ever thought about him? What he went through? I’m going to break it down for you, this is not just about living your own life anymore, you got to do things you don’t want to. In this society, in my world, we call this surviving. This is what we need to do in order to live. Which I bet you are no stranger in that department. You never cared to think what it was like for him to do the things he did have you? You and Angela are selfish. You guys only care about yourselves to even think about why dad did the things he did. If you utter a word to anyone about what I just said, I will personally deal with you.”

“We are just worried about you! Angela is practically going insane trying to trace your steps and I am here, stuck between you guys as always! While you and Angela heads all the time, leaving me in the middle to referee and be the one who decides which side I should be rooting.”

“Then take action Sheng Yi.” Alan loosen his grip on his collar. “Angela has always been playing it safe while I like to walk this thin line. Even if you and Angela want to stop me, you guys can’t.”

“Ao Long.”

“I can’t stop you from coming in here but don’t do anything stupid. I have my men watching your every move so if you step out of line, they won’t hesitate.” Alan gave his last warning to Sheng Yi as he walked away, leaving him there to defend for himself. Despite all his efforts to build a safe ground for his Angela and Alan, he knew they won’t see eye to eye. It was true, he hates confrontations so he ran. Against everything, he never thought about it until Angela brought him back in. Alan knew about it too; he knew there was no escape for him.

When Alan was out of his line of sight, Wang Zi walked to the door that Alan came out off. The guard standing by stopped him briefly. “I was called in to check on her.”

“On whose orders?”

“Ah Wei.”

“Make it quick.”

At that moment, Sheng Yi stepped into the room without hesitation and closed the door behind him. It didn’t surprise him when he found her laying on the bed. He walked over and lifted the curtains, letting the bright moon shine through the room. Despite how cold-blooded his brother can be, there might be a shred of hope in him. As Sheng Yi noted how considerate he was in letting the girl stay in one of unused rooms. Everyone who knows that Alan isn’t fond of bright spaces, no one dared to provoke him. Wang Zi walked over to see her sleeping, he didn’t have the slightest interest to wake her up himself so he made his way to the door. He wanted to talk to her but he would have to come another time. He put his hands on the doorknob, until she woke up. “NO! DON’T LEAVE ME! DON’T LEAV–“ She instantly shot up, clenching onto the blanket as Wang Zi whip around to see her wrapping herself with the blanket, breaking out in cold sweat.

Where am I? How did I get here?

Where is Hebe Jie? AARON? WHERE IS HE?

When she noticed the unfamiliar surrounding; she quickly pushed the blanket off her and backed up as far as she could, only to feel the wall behind her. She hugged her knees, on the verge of crying. From the distance, she saw someone standing there. Wang Zi walked closer, she opened but nothing came out. Why?

“It’s okay! Are you okay? Do you need water? How about food?” She quickly grabbed a pillow and threw it at him. “Now that’s not the way you treat me... You see, I’m precious.” Her eyes widen when he stopped at a safe distance, just in time to hear her gasp. “Y–Y–Y–YOU! A–Ao Long?” Ao Long, a name she hasn’t said in a long time. She stuttered, she could feel her heart beat faster, she’s scared. Her heart raced insanely fast that it might give her a heart attack.

“NO DON’T COME NEAR ME!” Wang Zi stopped halfway at her request. “Ao Long...? You know my brother? Anyway I am Wang Zi, as in ‘Prince.’ So I’m am precious in that aspect.” He knew she was scared, afraid to know where she was, who did this and for what?

“LIAR! YOU ARE HIM! W–W–Where a–am I? Wh–” Her eyes widen, she remembers Aaron and how ruthless the men were. “AARON! WHAT DID YOU GUYS DO TO HIM?” Wang Zi sat down on the chair as he his chin.‘Aaron? Who’s Aaron?’ He thought.

“Do you know why they kidnapped you?”

“N–N–No... L–LET ME O–O–OUT RIGHT NOW!” Gui ran to the door, opened it to see two men step in front of her. She gasps as Wang Zi pull her back into the room. “Don’t worry about a single thing, continue with your... guarding... duties guys, I got this.”

He pushed her back harder then he normally would, the guards was about to come in when Wang Zi slammed the door as hard as he could. By the time he turned around, she was on the ground, hugging herself. “I–I don’t... w–want to... be.... here... I want... to... go.. back... to... Aaron... my sister.... my dad and uncle...”

Wang Zi bent down in front of her, watching the tears stain her complexion. He listened to her plead but it was no use, no matter how much she begged, he couldn’t let her go. Unable to watch her tears stroll down, he took out his handkerchief and passed it to her. “I had no choice but to show you my ugly side.” He was out of his jurisdiction. If he didn’t push her and slam the door on the two guys out there, they would’ve came in and done something to her. He knew his brother wanted revenge on those who ruined their family. But to bring innocent people into this? Does he really know what he’s doing? 

“What’s your name?”

“...”

“Okay fine, you don’t need to tell me.”

“.....”

“I’ll see what I can do but I can’t guarantee anything. Everything is chaotic and you’re probably scared. Can I ask you to stay hidden and don’t do anything stupid? This building is packed with guns, knives and bullets.”

She stared at him, wondering if she should believe him. 

“It doesn’t matter if you trust me or not.” He added, like he was reading her mind. “But can you promise me this much?”

“How?”

‘She has finally spoke!’ Wang Zi smiled as he rubbed his chin once again. “I’ll think of something but in the meantime, promise me.” She looked at him skeptically. “Quick, I have to leave soon and if I’m not—” He saw her nod and it was enough to trust her. “Okay.” Sheng Yi knew that he was going to be going behind Ao Long’s back. He isn’t going to be Ao Long’s trustful partner and he isn’t going to turn around when there might be something he could do. At this rate, he doesn’t want his brother to go down the same road his dad has been on; so Ao Long gave him this big decision.

He got up from the dusty floor, convinced that he is the one who will end this 7 year long battle without blowing flames and bringing a helicopter to send him faraway after all this ends.

“Why...are you doing this? Aren’t I your enemy?” After a long pause, he flashed his prince-like smile. ‘Who are you? Why do you look so much like him?’ Gui thought as she points out all she could remember about Ao Long and compared it with him. This person… looks so much like him. “I am not doing this for you. I am only interfering because I have been asked to do so.”

He opened the door and walked out. Leaving the scared and clueless girl behind. As he did, he froze and raises his eyebrow. ‘Wait… What is it about her that Ao Long needed? How close is he and does she really hold the key to success?’ As Sheng Yi walked out of the building under the watchful eye of others, he turn around to look at the building one more time. 

When the door closed, she heard the sound of the lock and she knew there was no way out. Gui got up from the ground, dragging her feet over to the window to see the gloomy sky above her.

“Please be okay.” She whispers as her fingertips touch the glass window as the other hand went to touch her shoulder. 

“Aaron, please be okay.” She wipes her tears away. “Hebe Jie, I miss you...”

................

As the night continue to grow cold,

As the day goes by, Gui repeatedly reject any food that came in. She was either in bed or lifelessly looking out the window. She spend hours replaying what happened. 7 years ago, they ran away and went into hiding. A couple of weeks ago, Aaron who had been buried deep in her memories resurfaced.

She had no appetite to eat, she couldn’t bring herself to eat. So she just stares out the window, watching the trees sway back and fourth as the wind blew heavily. A few cars going back and forth from the building into the city, she must be away from the bustling city. Suddenly, she snapped out of her thoughts to see the weather change drastically. She can hear the trees cry and the roaring of thunder. Still, despite the ugly weather outside, she wasn’t scared of a storm.

Her ears perked up when she heard someone walk in. Her heart beat faster with every step he took. “Why aren’t you eating?” She got up from her seat but ended up tripping over her blanket. “Ow!” She felt the cold ground hit her body. She quickly got up and backed up as far as she could. And in that moment, a flash of lightening broke out, brightening the room for a second. But she didn’t see who it was.

She gasped when she felt her back hit the wall. *RUMBLE* Another flash of lightening brightened the room once again, Alan was now standing in front of her. Her eyes widen when she saw who it was standing there. It was like her nightmare, only she was not dreaming this time. 

*RUMBLE* Another lightening hit and at that moment, Gui’s eyes landed on his. The warm eyes that Ao Long look-alike had was no longer there, she knew who he was. The last memory she had of him came back to her, the way he touched her, the way he tried to kiss her, there is no mistake.

How could she forget him?

He steps into her dreams every night, haunts her over and over again. Gui broke out in cold sweat as she came face to face with him. ‘Those eyes’ There is no where to go. He took a step closer to her. It was her former upperclassman, Qiu Ao Long. She trembled uncontrollably, she wanted to scream, to run, to hit him but she had no energy left. 

“It’s you! I-It’s Y-Yo—” 

She lost herself to sleep.

“ He who wants the rose must respect the thorn. ”

Persian Proverb.

He stood where he was and caught her before she took the fall. 

The game that lasted for more than 7 years, will this game finally end this time? As he carried her to bed, he brushed her hair away from her face and smiles. She’s not beautiful and still, she left him anticipating for their next encounter.

‘All it took was 7 years to find you.’