I have returned! I'm finally not as busy at my college so I have time to write again and I'm so happy seeing a lot of people enjoying this story, so thank you and hope you enjoy it.
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Episode Twelve :
"The new Lei"
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Daiyu was enjoying a blissful few days with her new boyfriend, Rui. After meeting up with him in her personal blue Maserati GranTurismo, Rui had the pleasure of actually seeing Daiyu put her license to use. The two went out for ice cream, where the liberal arts graduate tried to tease the heiress about the night she was drunk, only to get an eye roll and a pinch on the arm from the blonde. Afterwards, they argued briefly about where Rui was going to stay for the next few days, which ended up with Rui staying at a hotel and Daiyu using her family name to get him a reduced price.
Daiyu was in such a merry mood that even her mother had noticed. The older Zhang women had noticed her normally cold daughter was all smiles and seemed to have a bounce in her step that Daiyu hadn't had since she was a child. With a smirk and the burning desire to tease the youngest Zhang, she texted her oh so loving husband the news before texting her closest friends the same thing. Almost instantly her gossip hungry friends were begging for more details that Mey laughed at before muting the messages and getting back to planning her party for her new fashion line.
So imagine Daiyu's surprise and disbelief when the next morning she noticed that only Si had texted her, saying to meet up with him at the entrance to her school and that was it. She rolled her eyes at his blunt message before getting dressed for the day, deciding to try on her new hot pink, knee-high boots her mother gifted her after they finally got to have dinner together. "He hasn't even really apologized to me, and he's acting like everything's fine. Ugh, just what the hell does Shancai see in him? " Daiyu asked out loud to herself before leaving her home in her car, and drove off for Mingde.
Arriving at the university, Daiyu smirked to herself seeing everyone's eyes on her and her car they've never seen her drive before. Seeing Si impatiently waiting on the main staircase for her, tapping his foot, and staring her down, Daiyu exited her car and walked up to him with an impatient expression on her face.
"What is it, Si?" Daiyu asked once she was in front of him, "You made get out early for this."
"Just come with me." Si said before walking away from Daiyu. She sighed before following after him and realizing at the last minute that he was going to meet Shancai who was hugging a girl that was staring back at Si.
"This, again? Don't you ever get tired of following her around?" Daiyu asked Si who glared at her before pinching her cheek.
"You're getting chubby. There's actually fat now."
"Asshole! Don't you know never to say things like that to a girl?!" She slapped his hand away before cradling her cheek mentally cursing out the hothead. Si, pleased with himself, went off to talk to Shancai and try to give her a new phone as an apology which led to one of their typical arguments. Daiyu, bored out of her mind as her next class wasn't until 12, took out her phone and took a selfie and posted to QQ space deciding there wouldn't be a better time.
"Is the couple bickering again? Why are you making princess have to listen to your bickering as well?" Shancai and Si looked away to see Meizuo and Ximen looking at them with teasing smiles on their faces. Daiyu was too busy replying to people on her QQ space to notice the surprise addition.
"Lei!" Si greeted their fourth member excitedly. Daiyu finally looked up and smiled upon seeing him as well.
"Hi. I'm back." Lei greeted them all.
"He just arrived this morning. He called us when he landed." Ximen explained to Si and Shancai.
"Si, princess, we should get together tonight. Unless... your too busy making out with your new boyfriend, princess." Meizuo teased the blonde who rolled her eyes back at him.
"All of you just want an excuse to drink tonight. Well fine, I'll join since we're celebrating Lei's return." Daiyu said, all with a smile. Lei's smile dropped for a moment at her not using her personal nickname for him but it quickly vanished remembering that he wasn't the same him anymore.
They made up plans to meet a restaurant they had been meaning to try for awhile. And just so no one felt lonely with Daiyu and Si being the only one's in a relationship they all agreed to bring a date. Daiyu texted Rui about the change in plans which he was fine with as he knew how much her friends meant to her.
"He is such a child in an adult's body. Seriously, it's a miracle he's gotten this far with Shancai." Daiyu muttered after hearing the end of his and Shancai's phone call. 'If you can't talk, let's meet up'... just how desperate was he?
"Not everyone has dating figured out like you two." Ximen told Daiyu and Rui.
"Si really has some growing up to do if he wants to get anywhere with Shancai." Meizuo agreed with Daiyu. Rui looked back and forth between the three friends wondering if he was supposed to give his opinion as well. "Princess, don't all girls like sweet talk?"
"If it's every once in awhile. And you have to say it a certain way or she'll know if your just a player whose said the same thing to a hundred other girls." Daiyu explained while Rui sat next to her taking down mental notes.
"Before Si learns how to do that, he should just shut up." Ximen half teased their leader. Said man had just walked up to their table noticing the guest of honor wasn't there.
"Where's Lei?" Si asked Daiyu figuring she'd know as always.
"Am I his mother?" Daiyu asked, waving around her olive on a toothpick before eating it.
"He's getting some air. He'll be back soon." Rui chimed in patting his girlfriend on the back. Despite, the numerous amount of times he'd seen the group interact and behave around one another, he still couldn't quite get use to their teasing and quick retorts that at times felt more like jabs.
"I feel like Lei came back as a different person this time." Meizuo looked concerned for their naturally quiet friend.
"How is he different?" Si asked while bringing a chair around so he could sit with the others.
"Look, he just got back from getting his heart broken by Jing. Again. It takes time to bounce back from something like that, even if the girl is a selfish snake." Daiyu reminded them all before spotting Meizuo's and Ximen's dates for the night. Rui looked to Daiyu for help on what to do now only to see she was already looking at him.
"Is this how all of your plans usually go?" He asked as jazz music played throughout the restaurant's speakers.
"Pretty much. We love our casual drinking." Daiyu held up her martini for emphasis before taking a sip. Rui chuckled to himself remembering his own university days before taking a sip of his own beer. The couple kept to themselves as Si waited for Shancai to show, Lei was off doing who knows what, and Ximen and Meizuo were too busy flirting to have any type of conversation.
At some point Daiyu leaned into Rui and was resting her head on his shoulder while they talked. He had brought up that his friend, Huangfu, had kept asking about her and when he was gonna finally meet 'the rich girl Rui lucked out on' as Huangfu oh so elegantly put it but Daiyu wasn't convinced. "He'll just think I'm a snob. Or I'm rude and expect everything to go my way instantly. Probably both."
"*bǎobèi, I've known him forever. He'll lo- like you almost as much as I do. Besides, I doubt anything you do or say will be boring to him." Rui quickly stopped himself before saying something he wasn't sure of. He looked down at Daiyu to see if she had noticed but she seemed too busy making grossed out faces at Si and his attempts to woo Shancai over. He looked around to see if Meizuo and Ximen had noticed but they too had been preoccupied with their own things to notice how Rui almost used the big L word.
'That was too close. Damn it, Rui what are you doing? Thinking of saying something like that so casually.' Rui scolded himself, while Daiyu looked up at him wondering why he looked so bothered. She patted his hand which was casually resting on her hip to get his attention.
"Something wrong?"
"No, no I'm just thinking a lot. Uh, how much longer are we going to be here for?" Rui asked still frantically thinking about how he almost said the big L word. Daiyu frowned at his strange behavior but decided not to keep bothering him about it. If he wanted to tell her he would.
"Whenever Lei decides to finally come back then maybe we can get going. Honestly, he's usually the first join to join, I don't know why he's making us wait for him for so long." Daiyu complained about the violin boy. Rui patted her hip to try and comfort her which Daiyu appreciated but was still mad that Lei was making them wait around for him.
"Oh! There he is and... his date?" Daiyu immediately straightened up and had her gaze focused on the girl he brought with her.
"Since when is getting air code for bringing a girl?" Daiyu muttered while looking the girl up and down. Rui held her hand to keep her from freaking out.
"Hi, Shancai." Lei greeted Shancai who also seemed confused.
"This is Kiki." Lei introduced the girl to his friends.
"Hello." Kiki greeted in English. Daiyu had a few choice words in English to say too but swallowed it down.
Lei's eyes traveled over to Daiyu, pleased in himself seeing how bothered she seemed, but his smile diminished when seeing how Rui was holding her hand which Daiyu held almost as tightly. The burning feeling in his chest returned and Lei silently cursed out his stubborn feelings for still making him feel this way about Daiyu.
"I finally get to meet the F4. And the legendary princess herself. When can I play Bridge with you?" Kiki asked the group. Si was asking Lei what was going on silently with his eyes and raised eyebrows, Daiyu was in a similar, silent heated discussion with Ximen and Meizuo who were just as confused and concerned.
"Uh, if you want to play, Lei can bring you here anytime. We're okay whenever." Meizuo, the brave soul, stood up and answered Kiki's question.
"Really? That's great." Kiki turned to Lei and smiled at him warmly.
"Come on." He told her before leading Kiki to the empty booth behind Daiyu and Rui. The said couple looked at each other with wide eyes before joining back with the table. Daiyu got one last glance back at Lei while sipping on her new martini only to choke on it seeing Lei and Kiki kiss.
"What the fuck? Since when is Lei like one of you morons?" Daiyu said to herself and Rui overhearing. He brought her hand up to his mouth and pecked it not liking how uncomfortable she seemed.
Ximen walked over and stood by the middle of the table and looked at them all, speaking quietly so Lei wouldn't overhear, "What did Lei do wherever he went? He's changed so much."
"I think he grew up."
"With that? Yeah, no I doubt it. I think he's just going through something and now he's trying to cover that up the only way he knows how. By acting like one of you." Daiyu chimed in looking mostly at Ximen and Meizuo.
"You think it has something to do with Jing?" Si asked her.
"Who else could this be about?" Daiyu retorted before finishing off her martini.
"I'm going home." Shancai randomly declared before standing up and going to leave the restaurant.
"You just got here!" Si exclaimed before going after the girl.
Daiyu let out a sigh feeling herself stressed out. She stood up and gestured for Rui to do the same, "let's get going too. I feel sick." She said with a frown on her face. Rui stood up, took her by the hand, and they walked out not noticing that Lei was watching them go.
DAIYU'S CAR
DAIYU'S OUTFIT
* darling