Chapter Twenty (Part 2 of 2)

The moment An Xiao Li got into Qin Song’s car, she cried loudly.

Qin Song helplessly drove with one hand on the steering wheel and the other hand pa.s.sed tissues to An Xiao Li. ‘If you’re this heartbroken then why did you agree to break up with him? All you need to do is go back and say a few words, little Bai won’t make it hard on you.’

‘I dumped him,’ An Xiao Li said. She couldn’t stop crying and her nose was red and runny. ‘It should be him grovelling to me to make up!’

Qin Song stepped on the brakes suddenly and the car parked at a crooked angle. He looked at An Xiao Li in disbelief. ‘An Xiao Li, are you sick of living? He’s Chen Yu Bai. You’re really a… rarity.’

An Xiao Li glared at Qin Song and didn’t blame Qin Sang for not thinking highly of Qin Song, his maturity wasn’t even on the same level as An Xiao Li.

Qin Song’s car was parked crookedly in front of An Xiao Li’s new apartment that she rented. He carried her suitcases upstairs to her home and explained his thoughts about his third brother. ‘This is the first time I’ve seen Chen Yu Bai depressed about someone to this extent. Right now, he doesn’t even want to go to work. In the past I’ve never seen him take leave for New Year celebrations. But before and after this New Year’s Day he requested many leave days. It’s all because of you. Even my first brother said that our third brother has changed. He genuinely loves you. All this time I’ve known him, apart from life threatening situations, I’ve never seen him personally use his fists to deal with someone who offended him. Think about what a lethal planner he is. Is there ever a time he lost his control like this? Who is Chu Hao Ran? If my third brother wanted to deal with someone like Chu Hao Ran, my third brother only needs to lift a finger and Chu Hao Ran is doomed. So my third brother doesn’t need to make a spectacle of himself and fight in public. Not only did he fight but he was injured too. You… think about it carefully. Living by yourself you need to be careful. If anything happens, call me straight away and I’ll always come straight away too.’

An Xiao Li’s eyes were teary and she pinched Qin Song’s arm hard. ‘Mr Wild, in the future your big sister Xiao Li will treat you good.’

Qin Song rubbed his sore arm. ‘Ok, now that Sang Sang broke up with fifth brother, you have to help me pursue Sang Sang.’

An Xiao Li with eyes full of tears and a runny nose, nodded her head as a promise.

Since there was no Chen Yu Bai in An Xiao Li’s life, she was like any other girl who graduated and started working, it was a peaceful life.

It was only during the middle of the night that An Xiao Li felt lost. She kicked her bed sheet off the bed whilst she slept and woke up freezing cold in the middle of the night, she rolled her body over to hug little Bai next to her, but he wasn’t there. Then she remembered he didn’t need to put up with her bad sleeping habits, he didn’t need to cover her with the bed sheet she kicked off the bed and he didn’t need to hug her… she lost that sense of warmth.

When An Xiao Li went to the supermarket she also felt lost the same way she felt lost during the middle of the night. At the supermarket she picked a lot of ingredients to put into her trolley then she remembered she only had to cook for herself and didn’t need everything in the trolley.

‘Hey!’ Qin Song called. He hit An Xiao Li’s shoulder. ‘Are you coming on the road trip or not?’

An Xiao Li snapped out of her daze and realised Qin Song came to see her after work. She rubbed her nose that stung and took a deep breath. ‘Is Chen Yu Bai coming too?’

‘He’s not coming. Right now he changed his crazy style, he thinks of himself as robot, he buries himself into work and takes on others workload too,’ Qin Song said.

Qin Song opened the pa.s.senger car door at the back and shoved An Xiao Li inside.

Ji Nan was waiting anxiously in the car for a long time. The moment the car door opened she mistook An Xiao Li for Qin Song and accidently kicked An Xiao Li. ‘You’re slow to death!’

There was no way for An Xiao Li to dodge a kick from a handsome martial arts champion so she could only weakly use her arm to ease the force of the kick. Ji Nan’s kick struck An Xiao Li’s elbow.

‘I’m sorry! I’m sorry!’ Ji Nan apologised. She rubbed An Xiao Li’s elbow. ‘Lucky, it isn’t broken! It’ll be swollen tomorrow. Tonight I’ll rub alcohol on it for you.’

Qin Song sat at the front in the driver’s seat and ignited the car engine. He sighed and shook his head – Ji Nan was doomed.

Ji Nan knew she was going to be in trouble with her third brother and didn’t stop trying to comfort An Xiao Li, like draping an arm around An Xiao Li’s shoulder. An Xiao Li crossed her arms and sat further away from Ji Nan – so what if Ji Nan was a handsome martial arts champion, it still wasn’t right for Ji Nan to invade a female’s personal s.p.a.ce!’

Qin Song drove for about two hours before arriving at a restaurant. Qin Song, Ji Nan and An Xiao Li were eating peacefully, but half-way through their meal, Ji Nan’s complexion paled and she put her chopsticks down and disappeared. Qin Song stood and chased after Ji Nan. Later Qin Song awkwardly scratched his head and returned to their table. ‘About that… Xiao Li, mmm… can you go to the… bathroom? Ji Nan wants to borrow something from you.’

‘Borrow what?’ An Xiao Li asked.

Qin Song’s face was bright red and he whispered a few words in An Xiao Li’s ear. An Xiao Li was so shocked that she nearly hit her head into the clay pot – tampons? Ji Nan was a girl?

An Xiao Li realised her past revelations about Ji Nan were wrong – Ji Nan wasn’t a handsome young man, Ji Nan was a female cross-dressing as a male!

That night An Xiao Li wanted to make it up to Ji Nan for thinking badly of Ji Nan in the past like Ji Nan’s bathroom fetish. They shared the same room and An Xiao Li was considerate of Ji Nan beyond expectations, if Ji Nan went to the bathroom then An Xiao Li would follow suit.

Ji Nan came out of the bathroom and saw An Xiao Li waiting outside the bathroom. An Xiao Li put on a jacket over her night shirt and she was rubbing her eyes, it gave Ji Nan a familiar feeling like Ji Nan met An Xiao Li before meeting third brother.

Ji Nan and An Xiao Li returned to their room. Ji Nan couldn’t sleep and chatted with An Xiao Li. ‘Xiao Li, you and Gu Yan are actually similar.’

‘Do you mean we’re both beautiful and loveable?’ An Xiao Li asked in her drowsy state.

Ji Nan laughed and pinched An Xiao Li’s cheek. ‘Gu Yan is cold, you’re a day dreamer but you both met the right person. Gu Yan has first brother and she doesn’t think highly of others even more. You have third brother, no matter what a day dreamer you are, no one dares to trap you.’

‘Chen Yu Bai traps me enough, as if there’s anywhere left for someone else to trap me?’ An Xiao Li said.

Ji Nan laughed. ‘You’re still young, you don’t know, having one person trap you for life is a good and a beautiful situation.’

Chen Yu Bai drove his Land Rover like a maniac to the destination Qin Song gave him. He wore a white jacket over his black skivvy and pants and he also wore leather boots. After he parked his Land Rover, he jumped out, ignored Ji Nan and Qin Song and strode straight toward Xiao Li. ‘Which arm is injured?’

An Xiao Li reflexively put out her injured arm for Chen Yu Bai to see. When she woke up, she felt more pain in her swollen arm than last night. But in front of Ji Nan, An Xiao Li pretended her injured arm was ok because she didn’t want Ji Nan to feel bad.

Chen Yu Bai rolled up Xiao Li’s shirt sleeve and looked at the bruising on her arm. He pressed gently on her arm and she took a deep breath. His hands trembled slightly and stiffened.

Ji Nan was scared for her life when she received Chen Yu Bai’s icy glare. ‘I didn’t do it on purpose. I thought it was little Qin Song but it was Xiao Li.’

Chen Yu Bai smiled with Ji Nan and spoke gently. ‘It’s nothing.’

Qin Song heard his third brother’s familiar gentle tone and his whole body shook. Last time his third brother used that same gentle tone he was exiled for half a year!

Chen Yu Bai maintained his smile and gentle tone. ‘Let’s go.’

Qin Song and Ji Nan’s hearts pounded in fear of their third brother’s gentleness. They quietly forced An Xiao Li to sit in the pa.s.senger seat.

Chen Yu Bai drove them along a scenic route and when they arrived back to their district, Qin Song and Ji Nan understood their fragile situation and took the initiative to go ‘sightseeing.’ Chen Yu Bai smiled and agreed to release them nearby Qin Sang’s neighbourhood. Whereas, An Xiao Li was obliviously sleeping in the pa.s.senger seat.

Chen Yu Bai parked in front of Qin Sang’s house. He hesitated for a while and gently pushed Xiao Li’s shoulder. ‘Wake up.’

An Xiao Li mumbled in her sleep. ‘Don’t… little Bai… I’m sleepy…’

It was a cold morning but after Chen Yu Bai heard Xiao Li’s mumbles, it felt like a warm morning.

In the past Chen Yu Bai hated Xiao Li sleeping in the most. When he had a rare weekend off, he wanted to take her out but she’d lay in bed until the afternoon. He used to think it was because he tortured her too often during week nights so he held back on Friday nights when he knew he had a weekend off. It was a waste of those Friday nights, she still slept in. She hugged the bed sheet with her eyes shut and refused to wake up. She waited for him to have an angry outburst before coaxing him. ‘I’m sleepy… little Bai, I’m begging you, let me sleep in…’

Chen Yu Bai stared at Xiao Li that was sleeping soundly next to him on the pa.s.senger seat, he thought about the sense of warmth he felt when he was beside her and suddenly felt he was too foolish.

Chen Yu Bai felt that in each person’s life, happiness was scarce but they had go through struggles and jump over deep holes before coincidently meeting another person that could keep their heart. How could he easily let her go?

Finally An Xiao Li woke up, in her dreamy state she saw Chen Yu Bai was looking at her like he was reflecting. She sat upright, wiped the corner of her lips to check if she was drooling and rubbed her tired eyes. Then she spoke in a weak voice. ‘Mmm… I’m sorry, am I delaying your plans?’

Chen Yu Bai turned away from Xiao Li and looked outside. He spoke in his usual cold tone. ‘Um.’

An Xiao Li looked outside the window and was surprised. ‘Huh? Why did you bring me here?’

Chen Yu Bai reversed the car and drove away from Qin Sang’s house. ‘I forgot you moved houses. Are you hungry?”

An Xiao Li shook her head but changed her mind. ‘Let’s eat lunch. My treat, I want to thank you for coming to pick me up.’

‘I came to pick up Ji Nan and Qin Song,’ Chen Yu Bai declined An Xiao Li’s good intention.

An Xiao Li was familiar with Chen Yu Bai’s weird temperament. ‘Then I’m hungry, let’s got eat.’

Chen Yu Bai snorted, turned at an intersection and drove Xiao Li to a restaurant.

End of Chapter Twenty (Part 2 of 2)