BIT – Side Story One (Part 6 of 6)
The next day, Xiao Yi Dong inserts his house key, and hears someone parking in the driveway. He turns arounds, and sees Wen Cheng coming out of the car, and holding a bag of food.
‘Where’s your big sister?’ Wen Cheng asks.
‘Big brother Wen Cheng, aren’t you late coming here?’ Xiao Yi Dong asks coldly.
‘I was busy last night,’ Wen Cheng says. ‘I brought food your big sister said she likes eating from the restaurant I took her to eat last time.’
‘Busy last night?’ Xiao Yi Dong asks sarcastically, and opens the front door. ‘Big brother Wen Cheng, don’t you mean you were busy being entertained by a woman? Don’t worry, I understand. My big sister understands too.’
Wen Cheng ignores Xiao Yi Dong provoking him. ‘Where’s your big sister?’
‘She flew home,’ Xiao Yi Dong says, and grabs the bag of food from Wen Cheng. ‘Big sister’s paintings got chosen to be displayed at the national art gallery in our hometown. Last night was meant to be a celebratory dinner for big sister, but big brother Wen Cheng was too busy to come over for dinner. Earlier I drove big sister to the airport.’
Wen Cheng’s face pales. ‘What?’
‘Big brother Wen Cheng, don’t worry,’ Xiao Yi Dong says sarcastically. ‘Big sister understands why you were too busy to come over for dinner last night. If big sister ever comes back, you can buy big sister dinner.’
Xiao Yi Dong shuts the front door, and Wen Cheng calls his a.s.sistant on the phone.
‘Book the earliest flight for me to fly back to my hometown,’ Wen Cheng says.
‘Boss, you’re work schedule is fully booked this week,’ the a.s.sistant says. ‘There’s no one available to help out boss.’
Wen Cheng hangs up the phone. He feels helpless, like he lost the most important person in his life.
On the other side of the world, Xiao Bei Yuan laments to his wife in the living room.
‘Tu Quan, do you think we’re old?’ Xiao Bei Yuan asks.
‘Xiao Bei Yuan, why are you feeling insecure?’ Tang Tu Quan asks. ‘In the past, our daughter always ask why isn’t papa home yet. Now our daughter is an adult, you have more free time to sit around, and wait for our daughter to come home.’
‘Tang Tu Quan, aren’t you waiting for Luo Luo to come home too?’ Xiao Bei Yuan asks.
A servant runs to door, and makes an announcement. ‘Luo Luo’s home!’
‘Papa, my legs aches,’ Xiao Yi Jin says.
Xiao Bei Yuan sees his daughter, and his laziness disappears. He ma.s.sages his daughter’s legs on the sofa. ‘Luo Luo, after the art gallery exhibition, will there be an auction?’
‘Papa, promise me you won’t partic.i.p.ate in the auction,’ Xiao Yi Jin warns. ‘Mum, you have to help your daughter to keep an eye on papa. I rather my artwork are unsold than being bought by papa.’
‘Luo Luo, is papa a sneaky papa in your heart?’ Xiao Bei Yuan asks.
Luo Luo pouts her lips, and stands up. ‘I’m going to sleep.’
‘Remember to drink milk,’ Xiao Bei Yuan says, and smiles at Xiao Yi Jin’s back. ‘Tu Quan, I’m going to sleep too.’
‘Xiao Bei Yuan, in this lifetime you can only fool our daughter,’ Tang Tu Quan says. ‘But your true scheming ways is useless against me.’
Xiao Bei Yuan kisses his wife. ‘Tu Quan, don’t underestimate our daughter, and yourself. My wife and daughter are two people I can’t underestimate.’
On the day of the auction, Xiao Yi Jin sits on a long bench in the art gallery, and she doesn’t notice Wen Cheng is viewing her paintings nearby.
‘What are those paintings supposed to symbolise?’ a woman asks Wen Cheng.
Xiao Yi Jin hears the woman’s voice, and is surprised to see Wen Cheng. She runs outside to catch a taxi to avoid Wen Cheng.
‘I’m sorry, I think I see my friend over there,’ Wen Cheng says to the woman.
Wen Cheng runs around the art gallery looking for Xiao Yi Jin, but he can’t find her. He rings her phone, there’s no answer. He worries she is upset with him, and calls the phone number of her family home.
‘Xiao Cheng, you’re back here?’ Tang Tu Quan asks.
‘Yes aunty,’ Wen Cheng says. ‘Is Luo Luo home?’
‘Luo Luo, is on her way to the auction venue,’ Tang Tu Quan says.
‘Thank you aunty,’ Wen Cheng says.
Wen Cheng hangs up, and catches a taxi to the ferry port. He hopes he isn’t late to buy Xiao Yi Jin’s artwork.
On a ferry near the auction venue, Xiao Yi Jin remembers an important event in her life. More than twenty years ago, her parents took her on a ferry ride, and she met Wen Cheng who changed her world. That year, her parents haven’t reconcile, and her little brother wasn’t born yet. It was crowded on the ferry, and she noticed a boy holding a bottle of water for his mum to drink. The boy was Wen Cheng.
Xiao Yi Jin’s phone rings, it’s her friend calling from the auction venue. ‘Jin Jin, someone bought your featured painting for a steep price.’
Xiao Yi Jin supects it’s not a stranger who bought her featured painting. ‘Who bought it?’
‘Someone with the initials KZ,’ the friend says.
Xiao Yi Jin’s suspicions are confirmed, KZ is the initials of Wen Cheng’s a.s.sistant.
‘Can you inform the auctioneer that I don’t want to sell my other paintings today,’ Xiao Yi Jin says.
‘I understand,’ the friend says disappointedly.
Xiao Yi Jin hangs up, and hears Wen Cheng’s voice on the ferry. Why is he on the ferry too?
‘I see,’ Wen Cheng says and hangs up the phone.
Wen Cheng walks toward Xiao Yi Jin. ‘Xiao Yi Jin, I really wanted to buy your featured painting.’
‘Thank you,’ Xiao Yi Jin says.
‘It’s a pity I couldn’t buy it,’ Wen Cheng says.
‘You didn’t buy it?’ Xiao Yi Jin asks. ‘Then papa must have bought it.’
Wen Cheng strokes Xiao Yi Jin’s long hair. ‘Where’s your confidence?’
‘I don’t think anyone understands what my paintings symbolise,’ Xiao Yi Jin says.
‘I understand,’ Wen Cheng says. ‘The buyer, Khang Zhen understands too. Luo Luo, many people values your artistic flair.’
A burning tear falls down Xiao Yi Jin’s cheek, and Wen Cheng remembers the little girl who changed his world more than twenty years ago on a ferry.
That year, Wen Cheng and his mum took a ferry to his mum’s hometown for him to go to school. It was crowded on the ferry so he and his mum had to sit in front of the bathroom. A man carrying a little girl stopped in front of him and his mum.
‘Papa, why don’t they have tickets to sit on the ferry seats?’ Xiao Yi Jin asks.
‘Luo Luo, if they don’t have rice, they can’t eat meat,’ Xiao Bei Yuan says.
‘Why can’t they eat meat?’ Xiao Yi Jin asks.
Wen Cheng thought arrogant people wouldn’t understand the feeling of being looked down upon.
The little Xiao Yi Jin offers her lunch box to Wen Cheng and his mum. He didn’t know why he couldn’t refuse the happy little Xiao Yi Jin’s lunch box. From that day, he let the little Xiao Yi Jin drag him everywhere to play, but he knew he isn’t worthy to be her friend.
Xiao Bei Yuan had paid for Wen Cheng’s education, and employed Wen Cheng’s mum to help Tang Tu Quan take care of the little Xiao Yi Dong. Although Wen Cheng built his own career, he was indebted to the Xiao family for his success.
When Wen Cheng became rich, women flocked to him, but he rejected them because his heart belongs to Xiao Yi Jin. He always wanted to be successful to be worthy to be with Xiao Yi Jin.
The downside of owning a company is Wen Cheng has to help generate publicity to attract new investors, and maintain connections in his industry like going to televised charity concerts.
On Wen Cheng’s road to success, he didn’t understand the high price he paid until Xiao Yi Jin left him after being let down by him too many times. He never wanted to hurt Xiao Yi Jin.
‘Luo Luo, I’m sorry,’ Wen Cheng says. ‘It’s my fault. I should have told you sooner…’
Xiao Yi Jin looks out at the sea. She didn’t want to hear Wen Cheng reject her. ‘Modern ferries are faster than this old ferry. Next year this ferry will be replaced by a modern ferry. Wen Cheng, I’m like this ferry, I can’t catch up to a modern ferry like you. I’m not a genius or an entrepreneur. I’m scared of travelling overseas because I don’t want to be away from my parents and my little brother. But I moved to U.S. because you moved there.’
Xiao Yi Jin lowers her voice. ‘But you were usually busy. Most of the time living in the U.S. I was alone. A college counsellor a.n.a.lysed my paintings, and concluded the artist of the paintings is clinically depressed. I told myself even if you didn’t want to spend time with me, I needed to be confident on my own, and paint in a way that will better convey my real inner thoughts to people viewing my artwork.’
‘Luo Luo,’ Wen Cheng interrupts. ‘Your featured painting symbolises your dream. I saw the abstract dragonfly that symbolises your dream.’
Xiao Yi Jin nods. She’s surprised Wen Cheng understands her artwork when other artists didn’t understand.
‘If I’m not mistaken, it’s the same dragonfly you and I played with when we were little,’ Wen Cheng says.
‘My dream is that we can make dragonfly wings one day so we can fly freely like them,’ Xiao Yi Jin says. ‘Wen Cheng, I haven’t forgotten my dream… but I can’t catch up to you.’
Wen Cheng feels like a shy boy standing in front of Xiao Yi Jin, and hearing her confession when he wanted to confess too.
‘Luo Luo, we’re the same kind of fools,’ Wen Cheng says. ‘Like the song lyrics… loving you for years, hoping one day I can stand in front of you, and bravely say I love you.’
End of Side Story One (Part 6 of 6)