𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭

twenty-five

"Oh, and you remembered the time when you scratched your knee?" Yunyi recalled. "Zimo even fainted seeing your blood!"

Shuzhen laughed at their childishness, "I wish I can be a kid again someday."

Yuntian grinned, then leaned on the table, "So back to business,"

"Wait," Zhou Rui interjected. "What business are we talking about here?"

"Back off, maid," Yuntian growled drawing a circle between him, Yunyi and Shuzhen, "The conversation is only up to here. You are not invited."

Zhou Rui scoffed and slumped on his chair, "When you need a maid, don't expect me to come help you clean your house!"

"Ge, what are you doing?" Yunyi asked, pointing at Zhou Rui, "We might need her someday. Do you think I like picking up your underwear on the floor?"

Yuntian rolled his eyes, "Who says its mine? It can be yours,"

"There's only one of us here who loves marking his supposedly stage name on his underwear," Yunyi pointed out, "And it doesn't say Pop Shine,"

"Okay," Shuzhen spread her arms out before the twins could play arm wrestling and they'd end up staying in the restaurant the whole day, "Let's just talk about something else."

Zhou Rui felt tired looking at the two, "Can we just go home?"

Shuzhen took her phone out as she felt it buzzing in her pocket, "You're right. It's getting late,"

"We can drive you home," Yunyi offered.

Shuzhen was about to say yes but Zhou Rui intercepts them again, "No thanks. We'll take the bus. Come on,"

He grabbed Shuzhen's hand and dragged her out of the restaurant before the girl could even say goodbye to her old friends.

"What is wrong with you Rui-ge?" Shuzhen asked, pulling her hand away. "You're acting very weird."

"I'm acting weird? Why don't you ask those two! They've been sending signals to each other ever since we met! I don't trust them,"

"They're my friends. And if you don't trust them, it's like saying you don't trust me at all," Shuzhen muttered making Zhou Rui's jaw drop.

Shuzhen didn't wait for Zhou Rui to reply as she pointed at the bus, "Come on, that's our ride."

.·:*¨¨*:·. .·:*¨¨*:·.

Zimo almost fell asleep outside Shuzhen's house. He was waiting for her to come home. He would've walked inside but he forgot the key in Peiyao's car.

He felt footsteps coming near him. A very furious Shuzhen walked in the gate followed by a distress Zhou Rui.

"Shuzhen!" Zimo called out, "Where were you?"

Shuzhen ignored him as she put the keys in, opening the door. The two boys followed her inside.

Zimo grabbed her wrist and made her face him, "Where have you been?!"

"What? You too?!" Shuzhen exclaimed, "For once, can you not act like you own me? I can go anywhere I want and I can hang out with whoever I want to! I don't need some security or bodyguard or one of your friends trailing behind me all the time,"

The words Shuzhen released felt like an arrow hitting Zimo's heart. He didn't know she was feeling that way. All he wanted was for her to be safe.

"We just want to protect you, Shuzhen." Zhou Rui spoke up.

"Protect me from what? The stalkers already stopped, yet you're still here! You're still playing superhero!"

Zimo walked closer, "Shuzhen, you don't know what's going on here."

"Then what?!" Shuzhen faced him, "Tell me, tell me, so I can fucking understand!"

Zimo eyed Zhou Rui before speaking, "It's about Yunyi and Yuntian -"

"The twins? Oh wait - did Zhou Rui tell you that we met them?"

Zimo widens his eyes, "You met them?! Zhou Rui -!"

"I'm sorry!" Zhou Rui pleads, "I tried to stop it, Zimo but Shuzhen..."

Shuzhen scoffed, "Are you going to stop me from seeing them now? For pete's sake, Zimo, they're our friends! We spent almost half of our childhood together with them!"

"That's the point, Shuzhen." Zimo said, his eyes focusing on her again. "They know everything about our past and they could use it against us!"

Shuzhen massaged her forehead, trying to process what's happening, "I know what this is about. You just want me for yourself, is that it?"

Zimo furrowed his eyebrows, confused at the sudden accusation, "What? That's far off the track, Shuzh -"

"That's why you put those CCTV cameras up. You think I'd bring home a guy one day and forget all about you?"

Zimo's head is spinning with the words Shuzhen has been spouting out because it's really not what he was trying to tell her. If she could shut up for one second and listen to him then maybe this conversation is over.

But knowing Shuzhen, she doesn't listen. God, is this going to be Yanzhu 2.0?

"I don't want to last that long again," Zhou Rui whispered to Zimo. They were thinking the same thing.

Zimo ignored the older boy and said something stupid that can change their relationship forever, "I don't give a damn on whoever you date or whoever you fuck with,"

Shuzhen felt weak when she heard those words. Zimo was too late to realize what he said and tried taking it back, "No - I didn't mean it - Oh, shit, if you just listened, my mind would've been functioning well."

Shuzhen backed away, bumping on the side table, her tears were already forming, "You already said it. Glad we know how you feel,"

"Shuzhen," Zimo tried holding her arms but she swatted them away.

"No," Shuzhen's face was full of hurt and anger. "Get out, Qin Zimo. And lock the door."

Shuzhen pushed him away, as she hurriedly walked upstairs, ignoring Zhou Rui's call.

Zimo clenched his fists as Zhou Rui walked towards him, "You mess up big time,"

"I just wanted to tell her about who adopted the twins," Zimo uttered, a tear falling from his eyes.

"Did you find out who it is?"

Zimo nods, "The one who adopted us before. The one who hurt me and abused Shuzhen. Liu Wei."