Extra Characters:(1) Bastien Dubois - nephew of Trinette Dubois Li
(2) Li Hong - Li Jie"s father
(3) Chairman Li - grandfather / Li patriarch
(4) Trinette Dubois Li - grandmother / Li matriarch
(5) Karlie Chen - cousin of Li Jie
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July 11, 20xx
Kotor, Montenegro
The man behind the tree surveyed the people in the party. He looked unkempt with his greasy hair as a result of not was.h.i.+ng it for days. The unshaven face showed his blood shot eyes and the dark circles beneath them. He traveled 1000 miles and depleted the last cent in account just to be here. He has nothing left. His wife left her for another man. His children hated him for working too much and abandoned him when his business went bankrupt.
He clenched his fist, deep enough to feel the pain of his nails break the skin as he grunted in curse watching the brown haired man laugh. "It"s all because of this man."
He produced the sound of grinding teeth as he spoke.
The laughter he heard from them intensified his anger. Bastien Dubois, the CFO for Li Group"s overseas operations was talking to a group of businessman and their wives. The troubled man identified the other three with him. They were his partners who promised to stay with him no matter what but in the end, they double crossed him. Anger strained his heart, making him grind his teeth and pus.h.i.+ng him to the brink of insanity.
Without faltering, he stepped forward in a hurried pace hiding the dagger with the tray.
Bastien Dubois never saw it coming until something sharp broke into his skin and delve deeper to his stomach then it was grabbed with force and plunged again for the second time. His eyes rounded in shock and guttural sounds came out of his lips. At the same time, his steps staggered.
Screams mixed with dropping goblets echoed to his ears as nausea flooded him.
The attacker pulled the knife in an attempt to stab him but another person snake his arm over the man"s neck and dragged him away from the wounded body of Bastien Dubois.
The moment Yan s.h.i.+"s gaze fell on the bleeding man near the fountain, she sprinted forgetting she was wearing 3-inch heel which prompted Li Jie to tail her.
The lush, new-mown gra.s.s felt a bit wet from the blood ---that gushed out -- to her skin when she knelt but ignored the unpleasant sensation.
She noticed the man"s shallow and rapid breathing and beads of clammy sweat were on his forehead as he clutched his stomach in pain. The changing color of his face and the appearance of blue tinge to the lips were evidences he was in shock.
"I need some jacket." she yelled in urgency.
Li Jie handed his and she rolled them into a pillow before elevating the man"s head so his blood can circulate properly.
"Call for an ambulance." she ordered as she tended to the man on the ground.
"Stay with me. It"s alright." her pleasant, rea.s.suring voice was heard.
In the act of unb.u.t.toning the man"s suit, Li Jie stopped her but was given an are-you-serious-glare from her. This made him realized that his jealousy was unimportant at the moment and he let her go.
Her eyes opened to two stab wounds on his left which made the women around gasped in sight of the gaping wound oozing with some flesh and blood. But its frightful appearance was nothing to Yan s.h.i.+.
"This is far from worse. " she thought, listening to their choking sounds.
The most worrisome was the 4-inch gash that entered his abdominal cavity (b) which may have ruptured his spleen or liver.
She grabbed the first towel she could find and applied pressure on the wound to control the bleeding.
"Lift up his leg." she instructed to no one in particular.
One man ignored the moist ground from wine and blood and sat before hoisting Bastien"s legs on his lap.
She acknowledged his quickness with a nod.
Noticing the constant movement of putting her loose hair behind, Li Jie gathered her brownish hair and tied it with a lousy ponytail.
Suddenly, the man started gasping for air and his bluish pallor showed he was struggling for oxygen. Then, he became unresponsive.
"Slytherin"
She faced to Li Jie and spoke "Hold this. Apply slight pressure."
Then she moved to apply CPR to the man.
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Outside the emergency room, Yan s.h.i.+ sat on a well-worn visitor"s chair and stared at her clean hands. Thirty minutes ago, it was full of red fluid and the b.l.o.o.d.y, metallic stench filled the nose.
Around her, the astringent smell of cleaning supplies, the sound of people being paged over the intercom and an alarm dinging when a saline bag needs to be checked-- gave her much familiarity. These triggered questions in her head.
Out of the blue, she thought of her job and wondered what would have happened if she never left the hospital at all.
In truth, being a doctor is fulfilling. She loves the whole idea of being able to cure people. But designing is what she loved the most. It"s a dream that is what she wanted to fulfill.
Surprisingly,the adrenaline rush tonight diminished all those worries she had early on. She realized that, even if they won"t accept her, she will stay as long as he allows it.
*
"Are you okay?" Li Jie inquired, noticing her s.p.a.cing out again. He appeared worried of her.
There was a soft "hmm" as she patted the gra.s.s that got to her dress.
"What a waste. " she lamented eyeing the dress that got stained and ruined with bodily fluid.
Thinking of her quick response to the situation, it made him proud and glad for saving his uncle Bastien. Of all his uncles, he"s his favorite and closest to.
He held her hand and studied her candle like fingers. It"s bareness made him thought of that red velvet case in his suitcase.
He planned on giving the ring to her tonight but the pendant was better. By seeing the important diamond necklace on her, his family will get the message that he is serious and not some random romance just to annoy nor placate his grandmother. Furthermore, it was to show Li Hong that there"s nothing he can do to refute his decisions.
His greatest worry is his grandparents teaming up with his father. Chairman Li will not be a problem but he can be swayed easily by his perfectionist wife. His cousin, Karlie reported that their grandmother, Trinette Dubois Li invited the woman she meticulously selected to become his wife. The Li matriarch will never stop till she sees him say "I do."
He pursed his lips. At 28, all sides are coming to him, just to marry him off.
Luckily, he met Yan s.h.i.+ already. As for the ring, he"ll find a way to slip it on her finger later.
*
Small footsteps closed in and both of them looked up to meet their gazes.
An old man walked with a cane. The wrinkled face, grayish-white hair, white whiskers as his stubble and white forehead having numerous lines showed evidence of aging.
Next to him was President Li Hong which she recognized from the photos. At a glance, one will say Li Jie is a younger version of his father but studying the mid 50"s man, there"s the difference.
Her husband might have inherited this man"s sharp jaw and cheekbones but not his slightly crooked nose, and sloppy brows furrowed in frown now. On top of that, the father emits the aura of being dangerous. She didn"t like the feeling of his eyes gawking at her.
"Thank you for saving Bastien" Chairman Li"s croaky voice conveyed a strong sense of grat.i.tude. Bastien Dubois is his wife"s nephew and if he died, it would given a huge blow to her. He has to make sure to have the culprit be investigated for his motives.
"It was nothing." she replied in respect to him
"Though this is hardly the best setting to introduce the two of you, this is my grandpa." Li Jie revealed, ignoring his father"s darkened expression.
Followed by a tender tone, which made the old man wonder if he"s his grandson.
"Grandpa, this is my wife, Blythe."
Yan s.h.i.+ politely bowed in respect, masking the worry to face this seemingly imposing old man.
When he put his hand forward, she took it, noticing the bluish green veins showing on the crinkled skin.
Chairman Li sized her up. Her appearance shows a gentle and calm personality but in his understanding of his grandson, there"s more than beneath. A meek and boring person can never pique Li Jie"s interest, basing on fixated look he gives her.
His wise years made him receptive and a good judge of character. Based on what he"d seen, how she calmly responded to the situation awhile aback --- shows an in depth character of being sympathetic, unpretentious and straightforward. Unlike well-groomed women in the party who were screaming, if not gasping with the sight of blood, she never showed disgust.
President Li Hong, who was standing next to his father showed anger when his first born son"s words fell to his ears.
"This is impossible." he surmised. A few days ago, his son was still single.
And who is this woman he married?
However, due to his father"s presence, he held the looming anger and the idea of having his marriage checked crossed his mind.
Chairman Li perceived his son"s demeanor and what it meant. Sometimes, he couldn"t understand why his first born son has this need to control all aspects of Li Jie"s life. He never learned his lessons.
"Call me grandpa." Chairman Li murmured with an amiable smile glued on his thin lips, similar to Li Jie"s
Although she felt shy and made her miss Grandpa Yan, she called out "Okay, grandpa."
The upward curve never went away and he turned to Li Jie "Take your wife to rest first, bring her to join us for breakfast tomorrow."
The grandson nodded in agreement and with his hand propped behind her, guided her out of the hospital.
The two watched them leave with different things in their mind.
To Li Hong, he will never allow their marriage.
To Chairman Li, he hoped Li Jie will be happier and luckier this time.
That he will no longer suffer the pain of losing a person he loves.
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Tidbit of Info:
(a) body cavity - is any fluid- filled s.p.a.ce in a multicellular organism other than those of vessels
There are 4 major cavities in a human body:
(b) abdominal cavity - is the s.p.a.ce that encloses most of the digestive organs and kidneys.
(c) dorsal cavity - the brain and spinal cord
(d) thoracic cavity - the hearts and lungs
(e) pelvic cavity - the bladder and reproductive organs
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Extra:
Li Jie: ?What medical gibberish are you sprouting again?! ??
TC: ? Be quiet!
Li Jie: Why?
TC: I am meditating.
Li Jie: (Confused) What for?
TC: If I should escalate your pervert tendencies to a mental disorder. ?
Li Jie: ????