I huddled my legs together and shivered. The park was empty and it was cold. That’s what I always hated about living freely but not having a real home. But this time, I felt lonely. I frowned.

Lonely? I always went around being independent. This was the first time in ages I had felt lonely. I looked up into the night sky. If I were still living in Aaron’s mansion, we’d be arguing right now. And I would be talking to Mei Mei and she would giggle at everything…

I snapped back to reality. Why was I thinking about that?? I was free, no longer roped with that jerk. But how come I didn’t feel satisfied? Then, I heard a voice.

“Excuse me? Could you be…Gui Gui?” I looked up. It was Aaron.

No, it wasn’t Aaron. It was a female version of Aaron. She had black, curly hair that was all parted on one side. Despite the dress she was wearing, she wore a scarf to protect herself from the cold.

“Ummm…” I said. “Who are you?” The girl smiled. Damn, she was pretty.

“My name is Min Pei, but you can call me Da Pei or Dai Men,” She introduced, waving her hands about. “Dai Men as in diamond! I’m Ya Lun’s sister.” Ah. So that explained why they looked so alike.

“But didn’t Aaron’s sister go to America to study?” I asked.

“It’s holiday time over there,” Min Pei answered. “So I’m back to visit my big brother!” She looked at me and frowned.

“Ya Lun told me a lot about you when I was in America,” She said. “But why are you stuck here in the cold? Aren’t you supposed to be back at the mansion working for him?” I shuffled my legs closer to myself.

“I escaped,” I said bluntly. Min Pei cocked her head to the side.

“Why?” She asked.

“I’ve always been free,” I replied. “I wasn’t used to living in a mansion and being forced to do chores everyday.” Somehow, I wasn’t sure if I was telling the truth or lying. Min Pei didn’t say anything for a while. Then, she bent down in front of me.

“I’ll tell you something?” She said.

“What?” I asked.

“You started stealing when you were about 10 or so, right?” She asked. I frowned.

“Yes…Why?”

“When Ya Lun was about 10 and I was 8, we rode around the city every Christmas,” Min Pei said. “Ya Lun couldn’t go outdoors much because he was always sick. The ride around the city at Christmas was always something he longed for. Then, at that time when we were cruising around the city, we saw you and a bunch of other kids playing around in the snow.” Ah, I remember that. They were kids from the neighbourhood. Min Pei leaned forward.

“And you know,” She continued in a softer tone. “Ya Lun was quite jealous of you.” I blinked.

“W-What!?” I cried. “Why?” He was rich and smart. He had everything. Why would he be jealous of someone like me? Min Pei smiled sadly.

“Because you were free, kid,” She said. “You were free and you could go play outside in the snow with the other children. Ya Lun was bound by our parents and was pressured into working hard. He was always sick and could never go outside to play.” I listened to her story.

“Really?” I asked. “But he doesn’t look like it! He’s always smiling and stuff!”

“He tends to do that,” Min Pei replied. “He does it to hide all the pain.” I nodded slowly.

“Young mistress,” A man said from no where. “It’s time to go back to the young master’s house.” Min Pei turned to him.

“Alright,” She answered. “I’ll be back in a sec.” She turned to me.

“Would you like to come?” She asked me. I thought for a while and then shook my head. I didn’t want to look like an idiot and go back when I was the one who wanted to leave in the first place. Min Pei looked at me for a minute before shrugging.

“Alright,” She said, getting up. “Well, it was nice meeting you, Gui Gui.” I nodded and Min Pei skipped away to her car that was parked nearby.
I sat in silence for a long time after she had left. Was Aaron’s life really like that? I felt my heart pang with sadness and my hand slowly turned into a fist. It was just weird. I felt a sudden strong urge to see him. I sat still. No, it was an absurd thought. I couldn’t possibly…Possibly…Screw this.

I couldn’t help it anymore. I stood up and ran towards the mansion. I didn’t care anymore.

I need to see him. I must see him.

Finally, I got to the big mansion. I was so tired and hungry that my eyelids kept trying to close in exhaustion.

“YAAAANNN!!” I yelled to the mansion, using up my remaining energy. “YOU-“

Before I could finish, my legs gave way and I out.

~~~

When I opened my eyes again, I was lying down on a bed and Min Pei was staring down at me.

“Hello again,” She said, grinning. I sat up on the bed slowly and looked around. I was in a big, white room that had other beds on it. It was the resting place for sick people in Aaron’s mansion.

“What happened?” I said, my voice sounding awfully croaky. Min Pei handed me some water from a nearby desk.

“You ran,” She replied. “You yelled. You didn’t finish. You fainted on the spot.” I stared gloomily into my cup of water.

“Oh.”

“But you know what was really amazing?” She said, grinning even more. “Even on a cold night like this, Ya Lun ran right out of his mansion and carried you in!” She put her arms into a bridal style carry.

“Like this!”

I stared. She chattered on.

“He’s not usually allowed outside you know,” She said. “Because of his sicknesses. But he still went out!” I didn’t care. He probably did that to other girls as well.

“Where is he?” I asked. Min Pei rested her face on the palms of her hands.

“As soon as you regained consciousness,” She answered. “He ran out to get a doctor. It’s been ages since I’ve seen him look so hurried.” She looked at me.

“I think he like you, Ghostie,” She said.

“I think you’ve been utterly mistaken,” I said. “He does that because he’s flowery hearted and thinks he can impress girls with money.”

Min Pei shook her head.

“No, no, no,” She said. “I’m pretty sure this is for real.”

Impossible. It was absolutely impossible.

~~

Author’s Note: And so, Aaron’s little sister Min Pei shows up! In this story, she’s smart, like her brother and she’s quite cheeky.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter!