"I told you, I didn't do anything wrong so why are you on my ass?" Rong yelled at his father, storming away from him even though this was Rong's office. What had started as a simple conversation escalated quickly with his unstable temper of late.
"She was my best student and the one with a quiet disposition. Now you're telling me she quit because of a drunken affair with you? That makes no sense. She recently became engaged and seemed genuinely happy, so how did it go form that to this?" Master Cai raised his voice, frustrated with his son for the shame he brought upon them by getting arrested and the damage to his school's reputation. The police were blunt about the accusations even if his son was denying them and had shared every details with him.
"She likes me. She needed to be drunk to admit it to herself because she was scared of rejection. All of this is her jealous ex fiancée's doing because he can't accept we love one another." Rong was enraged at his father's questioning him today. At first he hadn't said much when he got home from the detainment centre but after that do-gooder detective came to see him he had been like this. Talking bullshit and spreading lies about what he was meant to have done.
"They had evidence you drugged her, Rong! How can you say this was down to her being drunk? What did you do? Why did you have to go this far? Don't you see what you did wrong or have any concept why this is wrong?" Master Cai implored him, unable to understand his own son in this. Ashamed and shocked and bitterly disappointed in his actions.
"I didn't do anything. Do you know who her boyfriend is and what he's capable of? He's the heir of Leng group, who has more money and power than sense. He's framing me to get rid of me because TangShi wants me. He has her locked up and won't let me see her because he knows she would tell the truth about this whole thing. She wants us to be together." Rong paced back and forth running his hands through his hair in agitation and tugging at the strands every few strokes. Erratic in his movements and behaving manically. Getting madder by the second. His father watching him and trying to curb his own temper but there were too many doubts and questions and his concern rose that his son was spiraling again into another dark phase in his life. They had been here before and thought therapy and medication was helping him.
"TangShi was a sweet and quiet girl who stayed in her own lane. She never caused any problems and kept herself to herself. I don't believe she would stand back and see you wronged if that was the truth." TangShi was a girl he had great affection for and he knew in his gut the liar was not that girl.
"So you're saying I'm lying? That I drugged and kidnapped her to keep in a hotel room all night.... Why would I do that? Why would I hurt the girl I want to marry?" Rong laughed, a snarling and terrifying sound that wasn't melodic and clenched his fists.
"Why would they set you up this way and bring your family shame? TangShi is a good girl and if she said you did wrong to her ...."
"She isn't the one accusing me! Her idiot boyfriend is. I can't believe you actually doubt me. You're my father, you should be taking my side in this!" Rong erupted at him, swiping things from the table across the floor in a crashing sweep that startled his father, and stamping his feet like a petulant child.
His father watched him in silent judgement knowing he had always been a high strung and spoiled child who wanted everything his own way. It had caused so many arguments with Master Cai's late wife, that their son was so hard to handle and over the years he had behaved inappropriately to friends and girlfriends that always ended up leaving him. It had been hard to admit that their son was sick and she hadn't lived long enough to see him finally get help in recent years.
"Calm down and stop behaving like a toddler. When will you grow up and face the reality of life? Your actions come with consequences!"
"I'm not staying here listening to this. It's bullshit. I'm going out." Rong tramped to the door to leave, kicking fallen objects out of his way with no regard to the destruction he was causing, or that his actions were hurting his father. Master Cai exhaled heavily, held back his impulse to explode too and called after him.
"You are on bail; you are not allowed out. Come back here." He rubbed his face and stayed where eh was standing, gazing around the mess and broken pottery and scattered dirt and foliage of one of his houseplants on the floor.
"I have a curfew, not a jail sentence. I can go wherever I please as long as I'm home by eight. And soon when it's proven I am not guilty, you can eat your fucking words!" He snapped back at him, grabbing his car keys and swiping a jacket. Making it clear he had zero intention of staying or doing as his father asked. He had always been this volatile but his father could see the signs that he was not as stable as he had been a month back. Questions rising in his gut.
"Stay away from her. I'm warning you if you cause more trouble..."
"Why am I always the one causing trouble?" Rong snapped, lifting his palms skyward in question. Shaking his head in disbelief.
"Are you still taking your medication?" His father changed tact, lowering his voice and almost pleading with him. Afraid of this answer.
Knowing his son always seemed to go off the rails when he stopped taking his antipsychotic medication. He was secretive about it and try as he might he could never be sure Rong was sticking to them daily. His therapist was still an ongoing monthly visit but Rong was a master at faking his behavior nowadays and seeming so normal most of the time. He had tried monitoring his pills but Rong would make a huge fuss and accuse him of controlling him.
The reason he had entrusted him to run the school was that he thought a focus and purpose in life might help him stay on the right path. He had never imagined he would cause harm to one of his students or he would never allowed him to have any kind of presence here among them.
"Go to hell. Fuck those pills and fuck you." Rong kicked the door closed behind him after barging through, murmuring curse words under his breath at his father and stalked across the garden to the private carpark inside their boundary. He hated taking his Haldol meds and was done with them again, feeling like all they did was give him shitty symptoms and no real cure. Despising the side effects that caused issues, like lowering his libido, headaches, and insomnia. He felt better when they weren't in his system and he was sure he didn't need them anyway. It had been almost a month now of stopping them and he didn't think it had affected him at all. He wasn't crazy, it was everyone else who imagined that he was. They had problems, not him.
Rong had been in a foul mood since the police showed up here days ago and arrested him and was desperate to see that bitch TangShi to ask her what the fuck she was playing at. He thought they had a relationship and an understanding. Why else would she stay with him that night?
How dare she accuse him of assaulting her against her will. She had no idea the lengths he had gone to make sure they had time alone together and he took real nice care of her while she slept like a baby. The ungrateful slut. He spent so much money on that dinner and that room and she was over there shacked up in her ivory tower with rich kid and sending him to the cells. He couldn't get his head around it and his rage over this had been growing steadily as his medications fully left his system.
Rong got in his car and wasted no time in driving to the registered address on TangShi's school record. The document he memorized after she started there and would look at frequently in case she updated or changed details. Having been here multiple times over the last few weeks in the hopes of seeing her he knew the way with his eyes closed. Not impressed that she moved into the apartment of that man and thought she had more self-respect that cohabiting with a boyfriend. It made him grit his teeth just thinking about the sordid shit they got up to in that place.
The traffic was heavy, annoying his impatient and restless self, and it was late in the day when he finally got to the apartment complex. He parked in his usual observation spot, near the entrance of the underground parking. A place he had spent many a night sleeping in his car these past weeks just to see her come and go and figure out her schedule. Reversing into a shadowy space that was concealed from view by trees and buildings so he could watch from across the street and pulled out his cell to call her again.
He had made endless calls, always saying the phone number was not registered but she had never told him she changed it and he was sure it had to be a mistake. Her records at the school were up to date until she quit and it had worked fine the day of the dinner. Maybe her idiot boyfriend had cut off her number or taken her phone away as he couldn't understand why she wouldn't want to talk to him. They were close friends and had seen each other almost daily before that night. He didn't know what her problem was now that she quit school and would never answer her cell.
He sat motionless and bored for the best part of an hour when a familiar black jeep rolled into view and he sat upright, poised and prickly as he narrowed his eyes and peered into the windscreen in hopes of seeing his girl. Tense and stiff, leaning forward and scrutinized the vehicle.
There she was in the passenger seat beside that spoiled rich asshole, looking at him while she spoke and seemed to be acting normally. Not the heartbroken and disheveled victim being held hostage that he expected to see. The pair of them smiled at one another and whatever that jerk said, she covered her mouth and laughed, leaning her head towards him and pushing him in the shoulder playfully. Riling Rong's jealous nature.
Rong's temper rose and that fury in his belly spread to his veins, sending liquid lava pumping to every call in his body. Burning up with venom and hatred as the jeep paused by the gates, glaring their way while waiting for them to open and then the dark vehicle slid inside as they shut behind them.
Rong jumped out of his car and marched across the street without hesitation, pulling his baseball cap down to hide his eyes and his face mask up. Before they fully closed, he slid in quick, making a swift left to dodge the security guard who as walking back to his glass box office after letting them in. He ducked under a nearby metal rail, rolled across the darkened concrete out of sight and headed for the darkest part of the car park.
He just wanted to see her for a few minutes, to energize himself and figure out what was going on with them. After that perfect night sleeping beside her and holding her close he had been so sure it was the start of something good between them. Only that bastard ruined it by beating him senseless, scaring his angel, and TangShi had fled and left him there alone. Unable to run after her or do anything about it because of his physical state and since then she wasn't accessible. She needed him to rescue her form the grips of Prince Leng.
"YuZhi, give it here. Let me help." TangShi's voice drifted his way and he spun around, getting low behind some park cars. He squatted while running along the back of them until he got level with the area that sweet noise was coming from. Finding peace in the serenity of her melodic tone.
"I'll carry them. You go on ahead and I'll follow. I got it, it's not heavy." YuZhi pulled the wooden box of pictures from the back seat, and the bags of food they picked up on the way home. Aromatic smells wafting up at him and making his belly rumble. Smiling after her at how relaxed she seemed after going for a scenic drive to find a great soya crab seller. The talk about her mother seemed to have distracted her from the obvious mess of their lives and he was enjoying seeing glimpses of the girl he loved the most this evening. Planning on a quiet night on the couch with her. movies and food and maybe like the old days she would want to curl up and get close.
Rong snarled from his concealed spot, hunching low, clenching his fists, and tried to follow them by using cars as shade as they walked towards the elevator station to go up to the apartments. Sticking close as he dared without being seen.
"Evening, Mr. Leng, Miss. Lei." The security at the second entry point nodded to them, recognizing residents by face alone and opened the barriers to let them through to access the elevators. Rong knew he had no chance of going any further. Security was lax at the entry to the car park but not when you got over here. He had tried to access this many times and even claimed to be a delivery driver at the main entrance on the other side of this building before and always failed.
"Evening. You guys have a good one." YuZhi nodded and TangShi smiled their way, walking through and pressing the first elevator closest to them. TangShi pulled out her apartment access card and leaned against YuZhi absentmindedly as they waited here. Tired and nuzzling into his arm and shoulder to help hold up her weary body while his arms were occupied. It was an impulsive and absentminded habit and it made YuZhi's heart swell with joy.
YuZhi glanced down at her, beaming with the fact she did this without thinking about it and tilted his head to rest his cheek on top of hers for a second. Gauging her response and ready to be rejected but she only wriggled to accommodate him further and stayed put. The elevator pinged open and dislodged them from their cozy posture but YuZhi was content. Happy that she was initiating some physical contact again and taking note of how many times she had this past two days. Each one giving him a sense of hope and expanding happiness that in time he might be able to salvage his relationship with her again.
Rong glared coldly from his spot, a chilling aura of darkness emanating from his still figure. Seeing them close and cuddling up, he cursed under his breath, turning away fast and spat at the ground before kicking the back tire of the nearest car. Hating them for their public show and wanting to rip Leng's fucking face off for touching her. Knowing it was all fake and a lie and there's no way in hell he could still be all sweet and loving to that whore, knowing she was in bed with another man only three weeks ago.
It made no sense to him and he had been expecting to see TangShi being dragged around like a dog, shackled to him and kept as a prisoner against her will because she dared to cheat on her precious rich boy. There's no way a man like him could endure the thought of his woman with another guy so what the hell was this bullshit he was seeing now. It had to be a show for the public and not the truth of what was happening between them.
As they wandered inside, TangShi slid her arm into the crook of YuZhi's elbow and he automatically leaned in and kissed her on the temple. An impulsive need to shower her with some form of affection, seeing as she was being so touchy but his hands were full and it was killing him to not be able to act on this rare interaction. TangShi blushed and looked away to hide her obvious response but said nothing as the doors slid shut and Rong Cai wanted to put his fist through the nearest windscreen, such was his rage. A growing black hole of toxic hate aimed at that slimy fucker who still owned his woman.
This wasn't the plan. He was supposed to throw her away, cut off their engagement and hate her for the betrayal. TangShi was supposed to realize how much Rong meant to her and come to him willingly, leaving that jealous and possessive controlling CEO behind.
This wasn't fucking it!!!
He wanted to gauge out his own eyes and throw them away for deceiving him with this lie.
This implied she was part of the hate campaign against him, trying to frame him for kidnapping and what? .... Fucking rape? Was she having a laugh? Was she serious? Stupid bitch had no idea how well he cared for her that night. How carefully he undressed her before staging the room and laying her to bed like a princess, being careful not to hurt her in anyway. Admiring her, stroking her face and beautiful body and preserving her innocence for a special day. He had bent over backwards to accommodate her and set that up for their future happiness.
Didn't she understand how much he idolized her and wanted her as his perfect woman, to spend the rest of his days worshipping her? She was so ungrateful, so blinded, and dumb, and he obviously hadn't done enough to break the brainwashing that Leng prick had done to her. It highlighted now to him that he would need to put in more effort to get her back and he should up his ante to seeing her and pulling her home. She needed him to come for her for her own good.
Rong wrung his hands and tugged at his hair, his vision blurring and swimming as angry emotion overwhelmed him and he had the urge to beat or break something. Unable to control the inward spiral of devastation and outrage at witnessing them together. He knew he had to do something more extreme if he was going to ensure TangShi was his. He would have to come up with a better plan, a solid and foolproof one that left no room for that Leng fucker to intervene.