He told Yue that despite asking for her forgiveness, he could continue being an asshole and she needs to call him out on it.
But how does that work out if he's doing his very best to be chivalrous but she's giving him greenlight to be bad.
Still... no matter how black he claims his soul is, there is just no getting around the distaste he feels in taking advantage of an intoxicated woman.
It doesn't matter if they still have their wits about them or if they can still form cohesive responses but as long as they've had more than just a taste of alcohol, DiDi won't bed them.
He understands the importance of allowing a woman to do something because they want it while their head is clear. He sighed, remembering the way she felt underneath him and wondered whether he could bathe in ice to cool himself down because he just might go crazy thinking about what happened a few minutes ago.
There was a knock on his and Kido's door and since the latter was in the shower, he opened it.
"What are YOU doing here?!?!", Xi Ze asked in frustration.
"This is my room, what's your problem?"
Yi Fan, Xiao Tian, and Xi Zi popped up from behind Xi Ze and they all trooped towards the room.
"Give me my money!", Yi Fan announced.
DiDi rolled his eyes at them. "Did you guys bet on me again?", he asked as the door closed.
"Until Xi Ze keeps on making bets", Xiao Tian answered smugly, "we won't stop. Also, stop acting like you didn't make a bet with Xi Ze too that "Slow Poke" over here will be able to take Xiao Wen home during your last dinner."
"Traitor!", Xi Zi flicked his forehead, "Although, I've forgiven you since I have such a big heart. Anyway, what I don't understand is how you could bet against me with Xi Ze when you know that no matter how good he is with everything else, he always lucks out. "
He flicked the other man's forehead back. "Don't you know that the fates smile upon you more when people root against you? I was doing you a favor."
"Bullshit! You knew I would do everything for Xiao Wen."
"Yes. Except tell her how you feel", Xiao Tian cut in, diving on one of the queen size beds.
"You're all idiots! And I can't believe Yi Fan's the only one who bet on me that time", Xi Zi pouted.
"He really didn't understand what we were betting about because he was in a meeting at that time. He just said he'd bet on you because we were all betting against you. He just got lucky", Xi Ze shared as he dived on the other bed.
"Yi Fan???", Xi Zi called out.
"Guys, why do even need to talk about that bet again?", the man's eyes sparkled, "Didn't we come here to drink???"
He put forward the two bottles of tequila he'd been carrying and smiled beatifically at all of them.
It is such an obvious ploy to change the subject.
"I CANNOT BELIEVE IT!", Xi Zi announced, "Do none of you believe I can court Xiao Wen and tell her how I feel???"
The resounding silence kis more than answer enough and Xi Zi immediately tackled DiDi and Yi Fan, who are the closest to him.
Kido, freshly showered, opened the bathroom door exactly to this scene of chaos.
"Xi Zi, man, you really need to start wooing Xiao Wen", he declared, "You're becoming more and more violent by the minute. Suppressing your feelings causes that."
"Kido has a point", Xi Ze, standing a safe distance away on the other side of the room with Xiao Tian, added "And you also haven't had sex in a while because you're in love with someone you can't even talk to without another person's help, hence, you really are more violent than normal."
"What the f*ck are you saying?!", Xi Zi let go of both DiDi and Yi Fan and leapt up to attack Xi Ze, who screamed for his life.
"Xi Zi wait! Before you kill any of us, what the hell were you guys betting on this time???", DiDi asked them.
"That you and Yue are...", Xiao Tian, who managed to dodge Xi Zi's attack and was now standing near the bathroom, shrugged his shoulders as a sign, "... well you know man. You both went off towards the beach where we couldn't see you, just the two of you alone so – "
DiDi's vision darkened and moving like a hurricane, he gave all his friends a wallop directly to their foreheads for their audacity.
"SH*T!!!!!", Xi Zi, the wrestling god exclaimed.
"WANG HE DI YOU MOTHERF*CKER!", Yi Fan pronounced.
"THAT HURTS GODDAMMIT!!!", Xiao Tian complained.
"WHAT THE HELL!", Xi Ze declared.
They are toddlers, the lot of them, DiDi thought to himself, remembering that Yue and his sister are just in the next room and probably already wondering about all the racket.
He really hopes she wouldn't get turned off by their noise and think to herself that she could be entering into a relationship with a five-year-old.
He got reminded of her lips and knew he just might be as violent as Xi Zi if his friends' shenanigans cost him the chance to be with the beautiful writer.
"I'M GOING TO TAKE A SHOWER YOU IDIOTS!", he declared to the room and immediately ran towards the bathroom to lock himself in and prevent anyone else from following him inside.
The idiots' bet just made him more frustrated over his decision.
"You will respect her Wang He Di", he told himself, "You will wait for her. Even if you die from cold showers trying."
***
"Those idiots are probably drinking again", Zi Wei fumed as she stepped out of the shower, commenting on the ruckus coming from the room besides theirs.
Yue smiled as she blow-dried her hair. "Are they really like kids when they get together?"
Zi Wei sat on the bed, uncoiling the towel on her hair. "Yes. They can only really be themselves around each other that's why they become children whenever they see each other", she answered, "Because of who they are, they act differently around their own families. There's a certain set of expectations when you're inheriting not just money but your family's legacy. Di-Ge loves us and has a great relationship with our parents but he still isn't as carefree as he is around the guys in the next room."
She considered this answer. "I cannot imagine the kind of pressure all of them are always under."
"It really is hard to imagine", the Wang heiress stopped patting her hair dry and looked thoughtful, "Those guys, they have the weight of their family's reputations on their shoulders. They have to be polished, suave, perfection down to the very tips of their fingers. They have to be likeable and yet threatening enough that their competitors would cower before them. They have to be ruthless, cunning, discerning, and still maintain a good heart for the people they are surrounded with. They also have to think about the number of employees who rely on their intelligence and quick thinking to continue feeding their families. They live a life, wherein, their actions affect more than just themselves but up to a thousand or more other lives. It is not easy being any of those guys inside the next room."
"Hence, they only really let loose and go back to being children when they're around each other", Yue concluded.
"And that's why I also just let them", Zi Wei added, "I haven't been able to see them like this often enough, even though I want to."
"I thought they hang out a lot."
"Well... lately, they do."
"Lately?"
"I guess... they were all worrying for Di-Ge."
That gave Yue pause. She turned the blower off. "They worry for DiDi?"
Zi Wei nodded, smiling guiltily. "I think that's because of us."
"US?!?!"
"Well... I don't know how much you and Di-Ge have been able to talk about. But I think you understand how bad his condition was when Zuer and Feiyu happened", the other woman explained, "They were all there with him, Yue. They saw him go from bad to worst and I guess they worried for him when I sought you out and you guys collided."
"They worry because, through me, he will be reminded of Zuer. "
"To put it simply, yes. Kido told me that ever since I decided to seek you out, he and the others have been talking more and more so they can make sure that as soon as the day comes that I finally talk to you and you happen to agree to write my story, they can be there with him and for him. I've put a lot of strain on all of them that I will always be sorry and grateful for. They're doing what they are doing because they don't want him to go back the dark path he took when he was at his lowest."
Yue felt something squeeze her heart.
She remembered how uncaring she was of his feelings the very first time they met. She had no idea then how badly he had hurt and how much she had misjudged him.
She felt grateful that she had the chance to see the other side of that colossal mountain that had blocked her sight before.
"Zi Wei... I'm sorry", she found herself saying.
The other woman looked at her, stunned by her declaration.
But Yue knows that nothing can be more true than what she just said. "I told your brother I cannot be sorry for what I have written in my first book but as I get to know him... as I get to know you... your family and all your friends... I realize that I could have written my book better. I could have written your character and DiDi's character in a more human light... I could have –"
"Yue...", Zi Wei stood up from the bed and was kneeled in front of her, holding her hand and cutting off anything else she is about to say, "I appreciate your apology. I can't say that I was waiting for it or that I even needed it because in my head and in my heart, you were not someone that I blamed for the cards that life has dealt me with but it touches my heart that at this very moment, you said sorry. You do not need to explain yourself anymore and you are right about feeling that you don't want to apologize for your first book because there isn't anything you really should be sorry for. We both know what happened before and what you wrote was the truth. Don't be too hard on yourself."
She shook her head. "I still am sorry. I'm very very sorry."
The Wang heiress embraced her.
"Thank you too Zi Wei for finding me... and for giving me the chance to write your story. If you didn't, I would have missed out on such a wonderful friend."
"Or such a wonderful boyfriend for that matter", Zi Wei teased.
That made her laugh. "Your brother isn't my boyfriend yet."
Zi Wei looked at her shrewdly. "I hope you don't plan on making him woo you too long. As it is, I'm already excited for the wedding!"
"WHAT IN THE WORLD! You're getting ahead of things at the speed of a bullet train."
"Honestly, though, why don't you guys just get together?", Zi Wei took a hold of the blower and used it on her hair, "I know my brother. He is one of the most romantic guys ever. He'll continue to woo you even when he's already your boyfriend."
Yue blushed, remembering what had happened on the beach a while ago. "I am not saying I don't want to be your Gege's girlfriend", she responded in an almost whisper, "It's just that... well... I mean... the thing is... he hasn't really asked me yet."
"WHAT?!?!?!"
"Your Di-Ge is really wooing me", she clarified, "It's just that he hasn't asked me yet if I could be his girlfriend."
"WHAT THE HELL!", Zi Wei moved towards the door and Yue, as fast as lightning, immediately blocked her way.
"WHERE ARE YOU GOING???", she asked the other woman in horror.
"To the other room to scold my brother."
Yue pulled her back towards the bad. "ZIWEI, NO!"
"SHEN YUE!!!"
They ended up wrestling with each other.
"WHY DON'T YOU WANT ME TO TALK TO HIM?!?!", Zi Wei exploded.
"WHY WOULD YOU EVEN TALK TO HIM?!?!", she responded, locking arms with the Wang heiress to make sure she wouldn't be able to move from the bed until they both agreed that what she is planning to do is a stupid idea.
"BECAUSE I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW SLOW HE IS!!!"
"ZI WEI! EVERYTHING IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING TOO FAST!"
The other woman stopped fighting against her and then looked at her with a scary twinkle in her eyes. "What did you just say?!?!"
Yue realized her mistake and immediately covered her mouth.
"YUE YOU WERE SAYING SOMETHING!!!!"
"I just mean we were just enemies a few days ago and then BAM! Everything is happening so fast now!"
Zi Wei seems to have considerably calmed down and looked at her thoughtfully.
"Is it the timing of it or the speed of things the only concern you have about what's happening between you and Di-Ge?"
She was about to say yes but held her mouth closed and really considered the answer she should give to her friend's question.
If Xin had not been busy with her wedding, she might have been the one that Yue opened up about this first, but as things stand, it seems that it's going to be Zi Wei who she would have this conversation with.
"Yes?"
"Why are you unsure about your yes?"
Yue sighed. "Honestly, Zi Wei, everything just feels so surreal. Your brother and I actually talked about this because I can't seem to help how I feel scared about all of this."
"Well... first off, do you have feelings for my brother?"
"I think that is already pretty obvious."
Zi Wei smiled. "That's good."
"You just want me to say the thing I didn't tell you over the phone a few days ago."
They laughed.
"I have to be very sure, you know", Zi Wei defended, "And anyway, I think that what's more important here is that it you both seem ready to move forward but you're waiting on each other. Which isn't surprising for you Yue, really, but quite a feat for my brother."
"A feat for your brother???"
"You know him well enough. Has he ever stuck you as someone patient?"
Well... she does have to agree that he isn't, indeed, a very patient man. "No... no he isn't."
"How do I characterize Di-Ge so that you understand how he's both a patient and impatient man...? Uhmmmm... you already came to his unit, right? You saw his sofa?"
She doesn't know what this analogy is leading to but Yue nodded. She does remember that couch Zi Wei is talking about.
"For a year, my brother has been searching for the couch that would fit his unit. He absolutely did not allow his designer to force him to buy just any couch (no matter the cost) because he had a couch in mind that would fit his living room. We were in London when he saw THAT couch. It didn't matter if we were out of the country. It didn't matter the cost that that couch would incur him with taxes and freight cost. It didn't matter that we were actually in the middle of lunch when he saw that sofa. He just walked on over the other side of the street, entered the shop, and arranged everything in the span of ten minutes. When the designer saw it, it was indeed perfect for the unit's design and after inspection, that couch is so sturdy, it could last for fifty years or more. He could take a lot of time looking for what he wants because he is very specific in his head about what he is looking for but when he does find it, he becomes single-minded and he won't waste time taking it."
"So...?"
"I'm amazed that after showing you how much he likes you is he is taking his sweet time now. Didn't Zuer ever tell you? He, I think, technically only courted her for three days."
"I... uhmmmm... actually no. She never told me that."
"Well... that's what he did", Zi Wei chuckled at the memory, "Kido told me that he was like a character out of a movie when he talked to Zuer. He told her, "I like you. And I think you like me too. Instead of wasting our time, why don't you let me be your boyfriend? I promise I'll woo you everyday." And then he didn't wait for Zuer to answer positively or negatively. He just started to do everything a boyfriend would do for his girlfriend and more."
"Maybe he isn't sure about what he feels for me?"
The other woman looked affronted. "Shen Yue, you've met my brother's friends. If he really isn't sure of you, you wouldn't even get a whiff of any of those guys."
"But he really hasn't asked me anything and that's ok. REALLY. I told you. As it is I already feel that everything's going too fast."
Zi Wei shook her head. "If you would only allow me, we could remedy that!"
"Didn't you hear what I just said???" Seriously... do all the Wangs suffer from selective hearing?
"I heard it but I have decided to not retain that information."
SERIOUSLY, THESE PEOPLE.
Yue took her hand. "Please... Zi Wei. Please don't talk to your brother about this."
"But Yue –"
"Please just...", she sighed, "I am happy that your brother is waiting for me. No one has ever waited for me before. I have no plans of making it difficult for him and it's weird that I am telling you this since you are his sister but whether we become an official couple now or later, what matters more is how he makes me happy and by some miracle, I seem to make him happy too. Labels are not important."
"I still want you to be his girlfriend!"
"Have faith in your brother", she winked at Zi Wei, "He wants the same thing too."
The other woman shrugged, respecting what is being asked of her – albeit reluctantly. "Oh well, as it is, you are already part of the family. Take care of my brother, ok? I am going to be Mrs. Ma soon. You will end up becoming the youngest Wang female then."
That made her smile.
Wang Yue.
It sounded like candy to her ears.