Shuijing
It felt weird going home without Jie in the house. I felt lonely and kinda sad but I was happy that she finally was going to be with Lei and have her own happily ever after. I wondered when I would have one too.
I had just gotten out of the shower when Ah Si had texted me to meet up in a nearby restaurant. I texted him back saying I'll be there in 20 mins.
I changed into a long-sleeved black and white plaid button-up dress with some black tights and black high heeled lace-up ankle boots. I brushed through my hair and placed a black beret neatly on my head. I grabbed my car keys from my dresser and placed it in my black crossbody bag along with my phone and wallet. I headed downstairs, locked the front door, and got into my car. I drove to the restaurant to find Ah Si sitting down near a window-side table. I walked over to him and sat across from him as I said hi. He looked up from his phone, gave me a small smile, and looked back down again. He seemed to be really concentrated on what he was reading. My eyebrows furrowed so I just waited for Meizuo and Ximen to arrive. And when they did, they walked up behind him to try and peek at what he was reading.
"Is this your secret weapon to get girls?" Ximen asked as he grabbed Ah Si's phone and passed it to Meizuo to read aloud.
"Limited edition aphrodisiac perfume to attract the other sex." Meizu read and I laughed out loud which caused Ximen and Meizuo to laugh as well. This was ridiculous!
"This is the funniest joke I've ever seen." Meizuo teased as Ah Si began to blush in embarrassment.
"Ah Si, you know what? My friend is the one selling the perfume. Should I order one for you?"Ximen asked teasingly as I shook my head in laughter.
"Ah Si, you better stash that away properly. We won't have you ruin F4's reputation if people found out." Meizuo said as he gave Ah Si his phone back.
"Go away." Ah Si answered back in annoyance. Ximen sat beside Ah Si while Meizuo sat beside me.
"Come on, you're wasting your resources. You've got two love experts right here. Why are you reading that nonsense?" Meizuo proudly stated which made me snort.
"I highly doubt that. If you two are experts then how come your relationships don't last more than a week?" I prodded as I turned to look at the two.
"At least we've had relationships Shuijing. I don't recall you having a boyfriend or ever liked someone for that matter." Ximen smugly answered as Meizuo and Ah Si laughed.
"Hey! I may not have had a boyfriend but I have liked someone!... Pretty sure I still like him until now.." I defended, whispering the last part to myself but they all heard it.
"WHAT? Who is it Shuijing?" Ah Si asked.
"What makes you think I'll tell you?" I teased as I drank my wine.
"Oh come on!" Ximen pleaded as Meizuo just looked at me, clearly waiting for the answer himself. I sighed.
"It doesn't matter if I tell you who it is or not," I answered as I looked down.
"Why's that?" Meizuo asked and I looked deeply into his eyes. 'Because I know you'll never see me that way... And I'm scared to get hurt.' I thought.
"It's complicated okay? Can we focus on Ah Si's love life first?" I said, trying to avoid the subject. They hummed in approval and turned back to Ah Si.
"First, we want to know. Who's the target?" Ximen asked which made Ah Si choke on his drink. Ximen dutifully patted his back. He then turned to me and Meizuo with a smile.
"Could it be Dong Shancai?" He added as I smiled.
"No way. Shancai is infatuated with the other guy." Meizuo teased.
"Right. No matter who it is, those ads are to trick nerds. But you're Daoming Si. You're not like them." Ximen stated which prompted Ah Si to nod.
"Now, just let us handle the dating thing," Meizuo advised as he leaned in closer to Ximen and Ah Si. I rolled my eyes as they started to talk to Ah Si about what goes on in a date. Me knowing Ah Si would never follow through on what they were saying because I knew he wasn't 'that' kinda guy. He wasn't overly expressive of his feelings and often used pranks to get the person's attention so it wasn't a surprise to me when he got annoyed with Meizuo and Ximen explaining to him.
"Hey. What was all that crap? It sounded gross to me." Ah Si stated as he stared at the two.
"And you question why you're still single Ah Si.." I sighed as I shook my head.
"What?" Ah Si asked as we stared at him.
"You're so pathetic when it comes to romance." Meizuo pointed out in annoyance.
"Yes, that's how I am. Don't you have anything simpler?" Ah Si asked.
"All right. I'll tell you something easy." Ximen said and Ah Si listened to him intently.
"Four words. Play.hard.to.get." Ximen added as he counted each word with his fingers.
"Who's Harriet?" Ah Si said dumbly as I groaned. He then turned to Meizuo.
"Did you get a new girlfriend?" He asked him as the three of us just sighed in annoyance.
After a long night of helping Ah Si and helping him ask out Shancai in a nice away ( to no avail). Ah Si decided to ask her out through the only method he knew. He would blackmail Shancai after winning against her in a card game. After a few more hours, it had gotten quite late and I decided it was time for me to go home. Meizuo offered to drive me home in my car and I tried to decline but he insisted. I smiled and thanked him.
"Good night guys! I'll drop by Mingde and watch your little game okay? Bye!" I waved goodbye to Ah Si and Ximen as they were getting ready to leave as well. Meizuo was already outside waiting for me. I exited the restaurant and there he was, leaning against my car with a charming smile. 'The handsome bastard just can't stop being attractive can he?' I thought in frustration.
"Ready to go?" He asked as I walked closer and nodded my head. He walked over to the passenger side and opened the door.
"Milady?" he said as he gave me a small bow. I laughed and curtsied as I went inside the car. He got in as well and drove us to my house.
When we got to the house, I was really getting sleepy and Meizuo noticed.
"Tired?" he asked. I yawned and nodded as I gave him a small smile. He smiled back and turned back to my house. I got an idea.
"Hey Zuo, do you want to sleep over? It is pretty late and honestly, I don't really wanna be alone right now." I said as I rubbed my arms to keep myself warm. He seemed surprised and I gave him a sad smile.
"But if you don't want to, it's okay-" He cut me off by shaking his head.
"No, it's not that I don't want to. It's just... We haven't had a sleepover for so long.." he said as he gave me a small smile.
"Yeah...It has been a long time hasn't it?" I said as I moved to open the front door. We went inside and I turned the lights on.
"You can go shower and change in the bedroom you stay in Zuo, there are still clothes that you left when you slept over the last time. I think they'll still fit you. I'll just change and we can watch a movie okay?" I said as I headed to my room. He gave me a small nod as he locked the front door. I went inside my room and changed into an oversized black T-shirt and cheetah print pajamas. After that, I washed my face and headed downstairs. I found Meizuo already lying down with a couple of pillows and a blanket for the two of us already set up on the couch. I laughed.
"Sometimes I think you forget that this isn't your house." I joked as he just shrugged his shoulders and smiled. I walked to the DVD shelf and scanned the titles. I loved movies and I think I've seen every genre there is. I continued to scan the titles and when I found one that caught my eye, I took it out and showed it to Meizuo who smiled at me. The cover of the DVD was painted a dark blue and the title read: "The Last Unicorn". Hey! Don't judge the corny title, it's a great movie and it made me cry even though it's a cartoon. It's about a unicorn who is trying to find the rest of her kind and along the way she becomes friends with humans and even falls in love with a prince.
"I haven't seen that film in ages!" Meizuo said as I popped the movie into the player and sat down beside him. Meizuo turned off the remaining light source in the room which was the lamp beside him and moved closer to me. He placed the blanket around us as he wrapped his arms around me. This was normal for us and I was fine with it but I guess it was a good thing the lights were off cause then Meizuo would see how red my face was. 'Well, this is going to be a long night.' I thought as I focused on the movie.
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After an hour, the movie ended and I turned to Meizuo who had fallen asleep. I laughed softly and admired his face. I traced his face from his forehead to his eyebrows to his nose to his lips with my finger. I lingered on his lips and my heart starts beating rapidly. I leaned in closer and closer...
"Shuijing?" Meizuo suddenly hugged me and I was basically on top of him. My head was pressed against his chest as he hugged me tighter. I looked up and saw that his eyes were closed. 'He was probably dreaming..' I thought as I tried to pull away which only made him hug me tighter.
"Shuijing don't go.." He murmured as I stopped struggling in his arms and looked at him. He looked like he was in pain. My eyebrows furrowed in concern, I reached up and caressed his cheek with my free hand softly as if to comfort him. His face relaxed and he slowly loosened his grip on me. I slowly moved out of his arms and got up from the couch. I brushed through his hair and pulled the blanket up to his neck. I smiled and went to get another pillow and lied down on the opposite side of the couch. I closed my eyes and slowly, I drifted off to sleep.
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Meizuo
I woke up when I felt the sun shining on my face. I looked around and realized this wasn't my house. I was on someone's couch. I blinked and remembered that I had slept over at Shuijing's house. We watched a movie but I fell asleep halfway through it. I looked at the other side of the couch for my best friend who was supposed to be beside me but she wasn't there. I sat up and rubbed my eyes.
I smelled something good cooking and my feet brought me to the kitchen. There she was my best friend. Standing in front of the stove with an apron and cooking up breakfast. I smiled. 'Man... if I could wake up to this every day..' my smile dropped and my eyes widened in realization at what I just thought of. Weird.
Shuijing turned around and smiled.
"Good morning Zuo." She said as she dished up the bacon and the eggs from the frying pan.
"Good morning Shui," I said back as I smiled and sat down at the table. She placed the food in front of me and took out some orange juice from the fridge.
"Eat up," she said as she poured some orange juice in my glass and I nodded. She sat down herself and began to eat. I did as well.
"Hey Zuo," she said which made me look up at her.
"Yeah?" I answered as I drank my juice.
"Can I tell you something?" she said intently. I nodded cautiously.
"Sure. What is it Shui?" I asked curiously. She took a deep breath.
"I.. I'm in love with someone," she said happily. I don't know but my heart twinged when she said that.
"O-oh? Really? Who?" I asked trying to be positive.
"A guy." She said and I rolled my eyes and laughed.
"Obviously Shui but who? Is he the one you mentioned last night? The one you said who would never love you back?" I repeated as I looked at her.
"Yeah... That's him," she answered sadly and I was a tad bit angry.
"What kind of guy wouldn't fall for you Shuijing?" I asked annoyed at whatever loser she was in love with.
"A guy like him apparently. I guess I'm just not his type," she answered sadly as she looked down. I grabbed her shoulders to make her look at me.
"Listen here Tengtang Shuijing. Whoever this guy his, he doesn't deserve you okay? You're too good for him." I said as tears began to well up in her eyes. I gave her a small smile.
"But hey if you really like the guy, I'd say go for it," I added, trying to ignore the hammering of my heart against my chest. Why am I feeling like this?
She gave me a smile and nodded. Whoever this guy was, he was lucky. My best friend was in love with him.
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Shuijing
1 DAY LATER
I was at home alone since Meizuo went home yesterday and today was Ah Si's match with Shancai. Meizuo would be playing as his partner and apparently, Qinghe was Shancai's. They were playing Poker. I got ready and drove to Mingde. I was wearing a light blue and white long puffed sleeved off one shoulder top and some black slim-fit trousers with some strappy black heels. I had on some pearl and gold fastened dangling earrings and a black clutch.
I arrived at Mingde and headed for the Bridge Club Room. A lot of students were already outside the club room, presumably waiting for the match to begin. I walked to where they were and they were stunned to see me. They all waved and greeted me which I returned. I saw Xinhui and that friend of hers. They greeted me and I smiled. I was still pissed at them for what they did to Shancai but I was in a good mood and I didn't want to ruin it. I went inside the club room and walked down the stairs. Ah Si was already seated at the table, shuffling cards while Meizuo and Ximen stood behind him.
"Hey, guys," I said as I reached the bottom of the stairs and smiled at the boys. They all gave me one back. I stood next to Meizuo and looked at Ah Si.
"Are you sure about this Ah Si? This isn't exactly the ideal way to ask a girl out on a date." I asked as he looked at me with determination.
"Yes. After this date, she'll fall in love with me," he answered cockily which made me roll my eyes and laugh.
I heard footsteps coming down the stairs and I saw Shancai and Qinghe. I gave her a reassuring smile and waved hello to Qinghe who blushed profusely.
"Welcome to the Bridge Room. I'm the referee today. Come in." Ximen said as he gestured for Shancai and Qinghe to walk to the table. They stood in front of Ah Si and Meizuo.
"What an extraordinary match." Ah Si joked which made me smile.
"To be honest, I'm feeling a bit nervous now," Meizuo added which I laughed at.
"Give us all you've got, F4! I, Chen Qinghe, and Shancai will do whatever it takes. If you guys lose today, you'll be at my mercy. You'll carry my bag for the day." Qinghe bragged, determined to beat Ah Si and Meizuo.
"Just one day? Make it ten years. You won't win anyway." Ah Si told him as he continued to shuffle the cards in his hand.
"You...Don't underestimate us." Qinghe answered back and looked at me.
"And I have one more thing to say, if we win, I get to take Shuijing on a date." He added confidently which made Ah Si laugh and I giggled in response. Meizuo frowned.
"As if I'd let you take out my best friend." he threatened. I hit his arm lightly.
"Hey. Zuo, don't be rude. Give him a chance. Alright, Qinghe, if you win, Ah Si and Zuo will carry your bag for the day and you get a date with me." I said kindly which made the younger boy smile. Meizuo looked back at me in disbelief. I leaned closer and whispered to him.
"Stop stressing, we both know you and Ah Si won't lose anyway," I said as he smiled and turned back to Shancai and Qinghe.
"What if I win?" Ah Si said as he looked at Shancai who was silent.
"What do you want?" Qinghe asked.
"You two will do whatever I want." Ah Si declared.
"Okay.Agreed." Qinghe said and Shancai looked at him in worry.
"Qinghe." She said as she poked his side.
"Don't be scared. I'm here." He reassured her.
"Take a seat. We'll begin the match." Ximen declared as the two continued to poke each other.
"You two might as well just admit defeat." Ah Si said smirking at the two freshmen.
"We'll never do that." Qinghe defended.
"No need to waste time with them. Taking advantage of people who don't know Poker and winning should not be something you should brag about." Shancai said as she looked at Ah Si. I smiled. I love this girl! It seems like Ah Si really has met his match.
"Fine. If you don't know how to play Bridge, you can set the rules. I'll decide what you wager. Is that fair?" Ah Si suggested which made us look at him.
"They're setting the rules?" Ximen asked.
"I'm never unfair to people." Ah Si said as he looked at him.
"You mean, we're not playing Bridge?" Shancai asked, confused.
"We could play Five-card stud," Meizuo suggested.
"What stud?" Shancai asked which made me laugh.
"What can you play?" Meizuo asked.
"We'll compare hands," Qinghe said which made us look at him in disbelief.
"What? Compare hands?" I asked, weirded out.
"We'll each pick a card and compare them to see who wins," Qinghe explained.
"Do you think this is kindergarten?" Meizuo answered in annoyance.
"You said we could set the rules." Qinghe reminded which made Meizuo to roll his eyes.
"All right. We'll compare hands." Ah Si said as he shuffled the cards. Shancai sat down in front of Ah Si while Qinghe remained standing up. Ah Si finished shuffling and laid them out in front of Shancai and Qinghe.
"Regardless of which game, F4 has never lost before. One round. Go." Ah Si added and I nodded in agreement.
"Pick a card," Meizuo said as Shancai looked at the deck before her. She seemed to be debating on which one she should pick. She dropped the cards she was holding when Ah Si suddenly slammed his hand on the table.
"Hey. Are you done yet?" Ah Si demanded as Shancai looked at one of the cards she dropped.
"Ace of hearts. You got the ace of hearts. We won!" Qinghe cheered as he smiled at Shancai.
"Not yet. Ah Si and Zuo still get to pick their cards." I reminded, backing up the two F4 members.
"How about that? We win unless you get the ace of spades. Which is impossible. Your turn." Qinghe said. Ah Si looked at Meizuo who leaned in and grabbed a random card from the deck and tossed it in the middle of the table without looking away from Shancai and Qinghe. The said opponents looked to see the ace of spades. They stared at each other in shock. I laughed and beamed proudly at the boys while Meizuo winked. As expected. What did you expect from Mingde's World Bridge Competition champions?
"How is that possible?" Shancai asked, still in shock.
"Wait. You shuffled the cards. What if you're cheating?" Qinghe added as he messed up the deck again. I noticed that he took one of the cards and placed it in his pocket. I frowned. He gave the deck back to Ah Si and Meizuo who ran through it once and started showing each card to Shancai and Qinghe.
"Five of clubs," Meizuo said while looking straight at Shancai and Qinghe's eyes as Ah Si showed the card and tossed it to the middle of the table. I watched as Meizuo continued to call out the exact cards that Ah Si showed Shancai and Qinghe.
"Six of diamonds."
"Eight of hearts."
"Jack of spades."
"Two of spades."
"Ten of diamonds."
"Three of clubs, nine of diamonds, five of hearts, king of hearts." Meizuo ended as Ah Si showed them the fan of cards in his hand. Shancai and Qinghe just stared in disbelief.
"Wait. You don't have the ace of spades. You lose." Qinghe announced smugly which made me frown more. I really don't like cheating in a game. Ah Si and Zuo were being fair and so was Shancai but Qinghe was cheating. Meizuo stood up straight, looked at me and I pointed to Qinghe's pocket.
"That's because it's in your pocket," I said sternly as I crossed my arms at him. Shancai looked at him in shock as he pulled out the card from his pocket.
"Why is it in my pocket? Who put it in there?" He exclaimed, feigning innocence. I rolled my eyes in annoyance.
"Do you think the champion team of the World Bridge Competition would lose to you?" Ximen bragged as he walked to where Meizuo and I stood.
"Meizuo has impeccable eyes. Shuijing is the same, she's second to him. No matter what we play, you'll lose for sure." Ximen said as he placed his arms around me and Meizuo. I smiled and looked at the two.
"So? Another round?" He suggested as he looked at Shancai and Qinghe.
"We lost. What do you want?" Shancai asked looking at Ah Si. Ximen, Meizuo, and I looked at each other and then back to her.
"This is between you and Ah Si. We'll back out of this." I declared as I grabbed my clutch while Meizuo and Ximen grabbed Qinghe by the arms and dragged him upstairs and out of the club room.
"What do you mean it's between them? What about me? Hey. What are you doing? What will you do to Shancai? Hey! Let go! Let go of me! Daoming Si, come to me if you want! Don't touch Shancai! Let go! What are you doing? Let go!" Qinghe said as he struggled to get out of Meizuo and Ximen's grip. I turned to Ah Si and gave him a smile.
" Have fun Ah Si! See you Shancai!" I waved at her and went to follow Meizuo and Ximen.
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