Song Sheng and Qian Meigui danced playfully, daring; they swayed, and she dipped back as she stared into his deep amber-topaz eyes. She was panting breathlessly as he guided her, her chest rising and falling as they held their gazes. But, they quickly composed themselves, afraid of getting lost in the moment.
Once the new song started, they decided to return to their tables, waiting out the evening to be over. Every guest left by 3 A.M and Song Sheng and Qian Meigui chose to leave the banquet to go home. They were both red from the exciting evening and the kissing session they had in a private room from the hall.
Song Sheng hung his arm around Qian Meiguis shoulders while his other hand held his jacket over his back. Qian Meigui held his waist with one of her arms, while her other hand held his hand from the arm that hung around her shoulders.
They were at the entrance when they were going to walk out of the banquet. As they walked, Qian Meigui heard someone call out her name, her real name. "Qian Meigui?" said a familiar voice.
Both Song Sheng and Qian Meigui froze on the spot, abruptly. But it was Song Sheng who guided her to keep walking without glancing behind them, making them move forward. Qian Meigui kept her head low as she continued to walk, but the voice said, "It"s me, Qian Hongli."
Qian Meigui froze again. After all this time, why now? Why is he here?
She gritted teeth before turning around sharply. But she was startled to see the man that resembled her father, and most importantly, her. She narrowed her gaze, "Who are you?" she asked him, though Qian Meigui knew who it was; she wanted confirmation.
The man smiled, and it was the same one from the person she b.u.mped into at the Long Banquet, without wearing his mask. "Is it you?" he asked, unbelieving.
Song Sheng stepped to her side, grasping her hand protectively, reminding her that he was there. It gave her more courage. She then turned to face the man in front of them, the ghost of her past. "I asked who are you before I report you for hara.s.sment and stalking," she said to him. Qian Hongli appeared to be disheartened, "I"m sorry," he began. "I was just surprised since I couldn"t believe it was you the first time I had seen you. I thought you died with my brother and his wife all those years ago."
Qian Meigui"s eyes widened slightly. Was he her uncle? But it"s been so long since she had seen anyone from her father"s side.
Qian Hongli continued, "I figured it could have been someone that happened to look like her. But then I received an anonymous email saying that you were with the Song family. I should have known; I should have checked," he said solemnly.
Qian Meigui let go of Song Sheng"s hand, clenching her fingers together. She didn"t know what to think of it. It was too overwhelming. "Thank you, sir," she began. "But I am not interested in my extended family. If my parents didn"t trust me with any of them besides the Song family, then I am not interested. Good day," she said before turning, walking away with Song Sheng.
"Wait," he called out desperately. He sprinted towards them, but Song Sheng blocked him in front of her, towering her uncle. Qian Hongli paused, reaching something from his pocket. He gave her his business card, "if you need anything, please contact me," he said before turning around and walking away from them.
Song Sheng took Qian Meigui home to tell Song Rui about what happened.
"You need to leave the city," Song Rui began. "If what you said was true, then Qian Hongli isn"t the first one to found out about you being alive. But I think he was the first one to know how to find you because of me, because of us."
Song Rui kept running his fingers through his hair, mumbling some things to himself that were incomprehensible. Song Sheng and Qian Meigui glanced at each other worryingly.
Qian Meigui felt terrible for causing so much trouble for them since she was young. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before she said, "I"m not leaving."
Song Rui furrowed his brows. "You have to," he responded with a demanding tone.
"No," Qian Meigui began firmly. "If I run, I will abandon everything I have here. My whole life is in this city; running is for cowards."
If this were another matter, Song Rui would have been impressed, but it made him worry even more.
"Very well, then," he began. "But you have to stay home, no leaving after curfew and you have to come straight home from school," he told Qian Meigui.
Qian Meigui thought for a moment, "But I—" she was at a loss for words. What Song Rui also implied was that she couldn"t see Song Sheng, or meet with him outside of the mansion. It wasn"t safe.
"All right," Song Sheng answered for her, looking towards Song Rui. Qian Meigui glanced at him worryingly. "But am I permitted to take her to and back from school?" Song Sheng asked Song Rui. His father rubbed the bridge of his nose, pinching the s.p.a.ce between his brows, "Very well," he said.
Afterwards, Song Sheng followed Qian Meigui into her bedroom, tucking her into bed, ensuring she was doing well. She didn"t want to separate from him, but he had to return to the apartment.
After Song Sheng left her in her bedroom, he returned to The Wake Complex. Upon entering his s.p.a.ce, he chucked off his shoes. Every inch of his apartment had something that belonged to her, whether it"s something new he bought her or something she picked up. Gradually it became an apartment for two people, bringing the once simple apartment into something lively, leaving behind her lingering scent.
Song Sheng called his friend Rong Ming about helping him with something important. Rong Ming came from a military background, and in college, the two used to train before Song Sheng dropped out to pursue his career. He needed his friend to do him a favour.
The next morning, Qian Meigui heard some chaos in the foyer of her home. In her pyjama"s, she ran down the staircase where she heard Song Rui arguing with some people. "You have no right to be in here!" she heard him say. "And you had no right to be hiding her from the family!" Another person responded.
Qian Meigui was trembling in fear when a woman spotted her. Qian Meigui stilled. That woman looked exactly like her mother; she nearly fainted. She rubbed her eyes, knowing it wasn"t her. But still, it hurt. The woman approached her quickly, steadying her. Her eyes were soft and gentle, "h.e.l.lo, Qian Meigui," she said. "I haven"t seen you since you were a child."
Qian Meigui was shaking. She didn"t want to look at her, because it hurt to be reminded of someone she loved and lost. But she already knew who she was; it was the twin of Qian Aiguo, her aunt.
Her aunt looked at her worryingly, but Qian Meigui refused to look at her. Memories flooded her mind. The blood. Their pale white faces, lifeless and stiff. It was too much.
Then her aunt stood up to yell at Song Rui, "Is this taking care of her?" she heard her scream. But Qian Meigui felt disoriented, and slowly she drifted into darkness.