Q(Lei): When will you man up and face your feelings for Meiling?
Lei: I know Ming for a really long time, and I can tell she knows me better than I know myself. We were always the best of friends and I don't see any good reason for me to come and ruin the best thing that we both have.
Q(Meiling): Why did you fell for Lei? Was it his personality or was there a specific moment?
Meiling: So, as most of you know, me and Lei met due to rash circumstances, if I can say that. He was born with a slighter version of autism, and that was one of the reasons why it was so hard for him to make any friends. Some boys were bullying him, and when I saw it, I knew I couldn't stay aside and watch, so I helped him. At first I thought he was just some weak boy that I won't meet again, but after those boys left, I felt kind of bad for him. As days passed I found out my brother and Lei were friends and what surprised me about Lei was also the fact he wasn't afraid of us. As everybody knew, the kids from my family aren't the most friendly people you will meet. We are spoiled, arrogant, harsh, aggressive, impulsive, we don't take no for an answer and what we say it goes. Ah Si was never able to make friends due to his authoritative personality, and I couldn't make friends due to my way of thinking: nobody is good enough to become friends with one of the Daoming heirs. And because of that, people usually avoided us. Lei wasn't like that. In fact, no matter how rude or angry we were, he never once scolded us, or blamed us for our bad temper or personalities. I must admit, I was intrigued at first, and I started to think that maybe he is doing that because we are rich and he will use any opportunity to get money from us in the future. I interrogated him once about this problem, without my brother knowing, and Lei was never interested in our wealth. With time, I understood hardly, me and my brother finally had a friend that was true and wasn't afraid of us or just wanted to use us. And with time, after spending more and more time together....I don't know...it just happened. At first it was just a flirty game...but it got real, somehow.
Q(Cheng): Why were you so mean to Mei for all this time? Did you have a crush on her?
Cheng: Me? A crush on Daoming Meiling? I think you must have hit your head or something.
Xiaozi: He was jealous of her.
Cheng: XIAOZI!
Xiaozi: What? It's true. So guys, before Meiling came to our mansion in London for the first time, our parents informed us about her stay. When she arrived, my brother was doing his lessons with his math teacher at home. The teacher asked Cheng to solve a really hard problem. Meiling saw the problem by accident and somehow she solved it so fast that even the teacher was impressed by her. And of course, it was normal for him to be surprised, giving the fact that Meiling is 4 years younger than Cheng. When my parents heard about that they started to praise her about her brain, and of course they also praised her about her grace, manners, and so much more.
Cheng *folding his arms*: Of course, the praises about her didn't stop even though she wasn't staying with us anymore. And the best part, my parents started to compare me with her. Imagine! Me, being compared with a girl who is 4 years younger than me just because she solved a math problem before me. At some point I got so mad and irritated that I decided: maybe if my parents will see that she is not as perfect as she seems, they will stop with all the praises. After years, it started to become an habit for me and Meiling to bicker and fight.
Q(Lei): What is it going to take for you to see once you lose her she's not coming back?
Lei: Trust me, whatever the future might bring, I promised myself I won't make the same mistakes with Meiling as I did with Jing.
Q(Ah Si): Will you be standing by your sister no matter what happens?
Ah Si: Is that even a question? Look, I know people saw us bickering and fighting (verbally and physically) a lot, but by the end of the day I know she will always have my back and she knows I have hers. I will always protect my little sister, no matter what the future brings. I am not doing that out of guilt because of the stupid things I did when I was younger, but I am doing this because I am her big brother and I care about Meiling. As for the question you put, my answer is: As long as my sister is healthy and happy, then yes. I am willing to accept anything, just to see her smile.
Q(Meiling): Are you going to keep being in love with someone who doesn't even know they like you?
Meiling: Do you think I want to feel like this? I started to like Lei since I was 8, and he liked Jing. Until I was 16 I was forced to endure seeing my crush liking somebody else and hear Lei talking about Jing so much that my head was about to explode any minute. You might ask 'why didn't you tell him how you felt then? Maybe you would have lifted some weight off your heart.' . Yeah, well, it's not easy to say that to your best friend and the person you felt like truly yourself while spending time with them. I couldn't bare the thought of Lei looking at me different or starting to avoid me just to avoid my feelings about him. So I bit my tongue and suffered in silence. When I left for New York, I thought I will be able to erase all those feelings for Lei, and I succeeded, until I got back in Shanghai, back home. It's painful to be in love with somebody you can't have, not only because they don't feel the same about you, but you know not even your family wants that person in that kind of light next to you. For example: my mother still thinks Lei is a weakling for the fact he is a music major and used to have autism. As for my brother, he told me he wouldn't let me date the members of F4, not because there might be chances of break ups and that might mess up the group, but because Ah Si knows the boys too well, and knows what goes through their heads. So yeah, I am in love with someone that doesn't feel the same about me, but it's not like it's my choice.
Q(Ah Si): Would you accept Cheng as your brother-in-law?
Ah Si: No. Hell no. There are two reasons why. 1. Meiling hates him and he bullied her every summer mom send her to London to the He family. And 2. I know the kind of guy he is too well. He is a bad boy that is arrogant and knows everything. I should know the best. I am like that too. So to answer your question, I wouldn't accept someone like me as my brother-in-law and as my little sister's husband.
Q(Meiling): What was your relationship with your parents?
Meiling: Since birth I was as close as you can say for my family as I could be with my parents. When my father was still alive, he used to take me and my siblings to watch the sky at night (this way we learned about constellations), he used to read me bed time stories, and there was no way he wouldn't dance with me or Zhuang at any event. However, one day when I was coming from a ballet concert with my father, we got in a car accident. I was in the hospital due to some injuries, at some point me and my family were worried about me ever dancing ballet again. However, after that accident my father started to act very distant to me. I thought that maybe he felt guilty for the accident, and even though I tried to assure him it was alright he always told me to not worry about him and just focus on my things. As years passed and as I grew older, my father's behavior became colder and more distant. I asked my mother about the reason for his behavior, but she only told me that I have to start acting more mature and not always expect my parents to be always there, and that this is his way to prepare me for the real world. Of course, I would have accepted this explanation, if it wasn't for dad treating Zhuang and Ah Si the same way he treated them when they were little. In the end I just decided to ignore the favoritism, maybe Ah Si got so much love because he was the heir of our family and Zhuang got that much attention because she was the oldest daughter and child. I just hoped dad will warm up to me when he got sick, but he didn't allowed me to enter in his room, even though Ah Si and Zhuang were allowed to. However, once I got in their bedroom two days before dad's death and he confused me with Zhuang. He asked me, well her, to watch over me and Ah Si, and keep all of us safe and united. I hoped he will recognize me, but he didn't.
As for my mother, well she was mostly home when dad was alive. She used to even smile more, and I am not talking about a polite smile or a business one, I am talking about a real smile. She was warm, and caring, and kind. After dad's death she changed completely. She moved to London and we barely got the chance to talk with her. I can understand that people mourn in different ways, and me and my siblings were a permanent reminder of dad, but damn, leaving us behind for the maids to raise us? Yeah, mother of the year, what can I say. But as years passed she became worse and worse. When I look back at how my family used to be, if you would have told me that my mother was going to use her children as pawns in political and commercial marriages, I would have prepared you a spot in the mental hospital.
So yeah, this is my relationship with my parents.
Q(all characters): What are your zodiac signs?
Aries: Shancai
Taurus: Quinche
Gemini: Meizou
Virgo: Meiling, Ximen
Libra: Xiuying
Scorpio: Zhuang, Cheng
Sagittarius: Lei
Capricorn: Xiaozi
Aquarius: Ah Si
Pieces: Xiaoyou
Q(Lei): Do you still have feelings for Jing? Have you completely forgotten her?
Lei: I will be honest and I can say that my feelings for Jing started to fade away. I started to realize that she never needed me or saw me for truly who I was. There were times were I felt like a project who helped her feel better about herself. I decided that it's better to leave things as they are and accept the fact that me and Jing are friends and she was a good friend to me when we were young and Meiling was in London.
Q(Lei): What do you think of the engagement between He Cheng and Mei? Do you think they would make a good couple?
Lei: The engagement it's a ridiculous idea. I understand that Daoming Feng wants the company to get bigger and more powerful, but I will never be able to understand her ways to get all she wants. Especially the methods in which her own children are used as puppets. I don't support neither Ah Si's engagement, nor Ming's. Especially Ming's engagement with Cheng. That jerk has a lot of guts to show his face in front of Meiling after all the things he has done to her and how he treated her. As for the couple question...well both of them are good looking, but no. Giving the circumstances I don't think they will make a good couple.
Q(Lei): What do you feel for Mei? Do you consider her more than a friend?
Lei: I know Mei since forever. I love her the most along our friends, maybe even more than my family. This is one of the reasons I am so protective of her and I want her to be happy and well. I consider her more than a friend, that's for sure.
Q(Lei): If Mei decided to go out with Cheng, how would you feel?
Ximen and Meizou: *smirking while looking at Lei*
Lei: *smiling innocently* I will rip his liver.
Q(Meiling): What do you think about He Cheng?
Meiling: *looking at Cheng and then back* Where should I start?
*4 hours later*
Meiling: *in an angry voice* AND THAT'S ONLY THE FIRST THREE YEARS I SPENT IN LONDON! THEN THE ASSHOLE-
Author: I think you've got the point.
Cheng: *smirking* Oh, I don't think I got it. Can she repeat?
Meiling: YOU STUPID DEVIL!
Q(Meiling): Do you think Cheng will be able to make amends with his mistakes?
Meiling: Time will tell. He will have a long way to come to become just my friend. And my revenge list it's really interesting:
1. Bleach his hair and dye it neon pink
2. Prepare a bucket full of cold water to wake him up every morning (I will need Xiaozi's help for that)
3. Forcing him to eat spicy food (he put once 5 red peppers in my soup without me knowing)
4. Onions undercover (onions painted as sweet apples)
The list can go on. I still have to ask my brother for more ideas for pranks.
Ah Si: *running quickly in the room* You are playing pranks on Cheng
Meiling: *nodding*
Ah Si: GREAT! WRITE THIS DOWN
Q(Meiling): Is it worth it to wait for someone who shows no interest in you (Lei)?
Meiling: As I said before it's not my fault. It 's my heart's. If I could have a button to stop me from ever falling in love or stopping me for falling for the wrong guy trust me, it would have long been pressed.
Q(Meiling): Do you think that you and Cheng can have a love relationship?
Meiling: If me and Cheng will ever get married then... *looks at Cheng who smiles at her and then she looks back* After a week of marriage I'm burning the house down, with him in it. *smiles innocently*
Cheng: I don't feel safe right now.
Q(Ah Si): Would you be willing to sacrifice your happiness for Mei's well-being?
Ah Si: Of course. The real question is: Who would dare threaten my baby sister's well-being?
Q(Ah Si): What do you think of He Cheng as your future brother-in-law?
Ah Si: He won't ever be my brother-in-law. I already explained why.
Q(Ah Si): Do you think Lei deserves Meiling?
Ah Si: In my opinion, no one deserves my sister. But if I will have to think about all the possible suitors, then I think Lei is the best option. I am not saying he is perfect for her or that he loves her more than anyone and that everybody should back off. I know he made a lot of mistakes, he is strange and weird most of the times, and he is also lazy. But he understands Mei, sometimes even better than me. I know how much of a shitty brother I am, but Lei was mostly the reason why I started to accept Mei as my baby sister. So yeah, I think, in some weird and complicated ways, that Lei deserves a chance to be with Mei.
Q(Ah Si): Have you ever been angry with Lei for the unconscious pain that he caused to Mei?
Ah Si: You're asking me if I ever wanted to punch Lei until he started to feel the same pain I saw in my sister's eyes every time she saw Lei and Jing together? If you answered yes, you've got your answer. If you answered no...then I have no idea for what other reason I should punch him. Did you find another reason for me to punch Lei?
Q(Cheng): It's not a question, but you are so handsome.
Cheng: *smirking and looking at Meiling* See? Others think I am handsome too.
Meiling: *rolling her eyes while folding her arms* Whatever feeds your already enormous ego.
Q(Cheng): What do you think of Meiling?
Cheng: She used to be a tomboy in pretty dresses. She used to kick whatever and whoever she wanted to kick. In my opinion she was really violent but only with the ones that were pissing her off.
Xiaozi: So, just you, right?
Cheng: *rolling his eyes* As for now, she seems like she changed a bit, but not too much. Maybe the violent part, but even about that I am not that sure.
Q(Cheng): What did you feel when you saw her fulfilling her dream?
Cheng: I must admit, I was really impressed. I remember I used to tease her a lot about her dream, but after I saw her dancing as the Black Swan, I realized how serious dancing was for her.
Q(Cheng): Is Mei your type?
Cheng: Pff. No. My ideal type is a quiet and calm person, short, someone that can keep me grounded, support me as much as I am willing to support her, to accept my family, also to not work too far from me, since I wish to see my girlfriend every day and my love language is holding hands and hugging. As for Mei, she is 170 cm, so she is taller than my liking. Meiling is not quiet or calm, her family is known for their hot temperament. Since I used to tease her about her dream in being a ballerina, I doubt she will support my dream in making my family's company even bigger and powerful than it already is. And since I want my girlfriend to work close to me, Meiling can't do even that since she might have ballet concerts in other states or cities. So no, Meiling is not my type.
Q(Cheng): What do you think about Lei's and Meiling's relationship?
Cheng: It's a childish one. I found out about the mysterious other girl, the one Huaze Lei is so in love. Tengtang Jing looks like a typical girl born in a rich family, and even though she is pretty and beautiful, I don't consider she is better looking than Meiling, but who am I to judge, right? Anyway, I heard she was suppose to be engaged and then she broke it off, to focus on her career as a lawyer. I must say, that caught me off guard, but aside from that, I don't see something special about her. And last time I saw Meiling and Lei together I saw how he looked at Mei. The idiot is so obvious to his own feelings that even I get annoyed every time I think how much he is hiding them. As for Meiling, I don't know why she is suppressing her feelings, but maybe it's because she knew about the engagement? I don't really care about this kind of stuff, but I just hope things will end well.
Q(Cheng): Do you think Lei might be an obstacle?
Cheng: In this marriage? I hope not. I have a plan, and I hate when this kind of things are in my way.
Q(Cheng): Were you ever in love?
Cheng: Yes.
Q(Cheng): Do you dislike the idea of being engaged to Meiling?
Cheng: I hated it, when I found out about it. But with time, I started to make my peace with the fact that maybe one day me and Mei will get married.
Q(Cheng): Do you think Lei is a fool for not telling Mei about his feelings?
Cheng: YES! And I think I am not the only one.
Q(Ximen): What do you think about the Daoming sibings' engagements?
Ximen: I know they are unfair, but this is how our world works. For some people, this kind of arrangements are normal. Me, Meizou, Ah Si, Lei and Meiling were raised to believe we have to find a good partner with a rich background and a lot of beauty. If we didn't reach our parents expectations we could only expect an arranged marriage prepared for us. Ah Si wanted to chose Shancai, which is the complete opposite of his mother's expectations, and Meiling is not willing to date other people and has eyes only for Lei, who is also someone Daoming Feng is not fond off. So it's not like any of us didn't see this coming.
Q(Ximen): Do you think Lei can tolerate seeing Mei marrying someone else?
Ximen: Oh hell nah. I doubt it.
Q(Ximen): Why do you think Lei is not as expressive with his feelings with Mei as he was with Jing?
Ximen: If I am being honest, I don't really know. Among the F4 members, Ah Si and Lei are the most impulsive. You will never know what is running through their brains. One minute they might think the food is good, the next one they are thinking how to get on the moon. My theory about your question is because Lei is afraid. He once expressed his feelings and Jing knew about them too, but she chose her career and left Lei behind. Now Lei might be afraid he will be left alone once again and loose Meiling just as he lost Jing.
Q(Ximen): If Meiling decides to date He Cheng, will you support her?
Ximen: Good question. I don't really know how to feel about that situation. I always wanted and imagined Mei and Lei together, even though Lei liked Jing. Thinking that Meiling might end up with someone and that person is not Lei, made me wonder if I died and ended up in an alternative universe.
Q(Ximen): Have you always seen Mei only as a friend?
Ximen: Of course. Look, ever since me and the boys created F4 we knew, Ah Si's sisters were also our sisters. And since Meiling liked to follow her big brother almost everywhere, we realized that if she was on Ah Si's head, she was on ours too. At first we didn't get along, but we found out we like a lot of my books, and Meiling was really interested in the art of tea. So, in the end she became like a little sister to me, and started to act around me like she acted around Ah Si.
Q(Meizou): What do you think about He Cheng?
Meizou: I don't really know how to feel about the dude. From what Meiling and Lei told us, he used to be a really awful person, but I don't know about now. I mean, he doesn't look like having any ill intentions about Meiling. He also took her out and looked happy around her, even though Meiling looks like ripping his face off.
Q(Meizou): Based on your experience, do you think He Cheng can be a playboy?
Meizou: I don't know...But if he is and he hurts Mei...
Ximen, Lei and Ah Si: *appear with bats in their hands*
Meizou: Even if he runs on another planet, he won't escape us.
Q(Meizou): How do you think Lei will be in this situation?
Meizou: Angry, jealous, sad, mad, irritated. You can choose.
Q(Meizou): What's going on with Xiuying? Do you like her?
Meizou: I get along with her very well. At first I thought she is just a girl Meiling spends time with just to fill the space Jing left behind, but with time I saw they became good friends. In fact, Xiuying started to get along really well with Ah Si and Lei too. F4 is treating her nicely, not because she is a girl, but because she is Mei's friend. As for me, well, I can speak freely and joke around with her without her judging me. She is not the kind of girl to just fall for a little flirty trick, or for just some sweet words, and I like that about her. She is like you know, that girl friend I never had.
Meiling: *giving him a judgemental look*
Meizou: Beside you. She is the girl friend I never had beside you.
Q(Meizou): If Mei decided to go on a date with Cheng and Lei didn't agree, who would you support?
Meizou: I will just wait for Mei to call me.
Author: Why would she call you?
Meizou: Ok, you know that kind of friend that you put to call you when you are at a shitty date to get you out of there? I am that friend for her. So, even if Meiling goes to that date, I know that she will call after 10 minutes to tell me to call her or come pick her up and act as if it's an urgency. I will support Meiling to go to that date only for my entertainment.
And this was the Q&A. I don't know if you guys are more confused or you have a better view of the characters of my story. Either way, thank you for your questions. It was really fun to put myself in my character's skin and answer these questions from their perspectives.
The next chapter of the story will come out this Friday. Stay tuned.