October 22, 20XX (Monday)The Grand Royal Palace Hotel- Paris
"So what do you plan to do now? Are you really staying in Paris for a month? And then renting out your apartment? Where are you going to stay when you return to Beijing then?"
Wu Mei Li and Zhao Yue stayed at another hotel after the revelation of Chen Zhang and Lu Yi Jie"s betrayal and the questions that were asked were countless.
Mei Li, who was sitting on her designated bed, sighed, "Calm Down."
Mei Li patted the place beside her. Yue sat down before leaning her head towards Mei Li"s shoulders.
"I can"t calm down unless you answer all my questions!" Yue stomped her feet with a pout and then cutely glancing upward at Mei Li"s.
Mei Li touched the long beach curls on Yue"s hair with a smile, "I need to go to Italy next week for the exhibit of my second collection. Aside from that, Paris is a wonderful country to draw inspiration from."
"You want to paint now, right?"
Seeing the questioning gaze Mei Li sent on Yue"s direction, the younger girl laughed at the beauty, "You always paint your emotions out. The First exhibit was themed "A Friends.h.i.+p to Last" when we became best friends for 3 years then the second one was "Hoping for Tomorrow" when you were in a relations.h.i.+p and now the theme "Breaking Hearts" clearly shows you already knew about Chen Zhong"s affairs."
Mei Li"s smile was sad and Yue could not help but hug her close. Yue had known Mei Li for ten years and this was the first that she saw her orphan friend broken hearted. Mei Li"s face was calm and at ease but Yue knew that inside she was neither but instead emotions warred. Her carefully plastered masked of calmness was the wall even Yue could not break even knowing each other for a decade.
"Don"t worry, you still have me and my parents," Yue mumbled softly. "We should call them soon too. They were really worried when I had our private plane arranged immediately after I got a text from my brother."
And suddenly Yue"s phone vibrated in a cue.
Opening the message app, Yue"s eyes widen. She showed her phone to Mei Li with glee and read the message aloud.
[ To my little sister"s best friend, You are tired (I think) - E.E. c.u.mmings ]
And then another message came from the same sender with just a t.i.tle of a poem, Yue promptly opened the other message with confusion.
[ Sonnet 116. ]
The short-lived silence was cut when Mei Li giggled as Yue pouted heavily and crossed her arms. Knowing Yue, Mei Li knew what was coming.
"What are you guys talking about? First, You in the Elevator and now my Older Brother with poems! I demand an explanation!"
Mei Li giggled again momentarily forgetting the hurt in her heart. How wonderful it was to have a true friend.
"Calm Down," Mei Li"s gentle voice did not calm the storm raging in Yue"s eyes.
Mei Li sighed while looking directly into Yue"s eyes, " Firstly, In the elevator, I told him that I already knew what Chen Zhong was doing and would like him to be lenient with whatever he wants to do with him because I might have led him to do it."
"Why did you mention those names then?"
"I made a reference about the betrayal in the book Count of Monte Christo to his situation while I made a reference to the Biblical story of Abraham with Sarah and Hagar.."
"I still don"t get it."
"You would if you read." Mei Li softly poked Yue"s side playfully.
"… but that"s boring. And the poems?"
"The Poems is merely him confirming my plea to be lenient… The first poem says that the author is as tired as the listener. The second is a sonnet by William Shakespeare saying that what we had with the cheating couple was not mutual love."
Yue blinked continuously in confusion, "Both of you are too weird. Why don"t you communicate like ordinary mortals?"
Mei Li merely smiled while still looking at the first text that CEO Yang had sent. The fact that the first poem was written as if the poet was saying it to his lover was left unsaid. The first poem had a lot of meaning, some vivid while some vague. Mei Li could not bear to tell Yue, who had already once tried to scheme them together.
"… what about the apartment? Didn"t you already bought that condo unit?" Yue continued to ask her questions
"…Yeah, but I"ll still be renting it out. The memories are still fresh so I"m just going to stay at my Studio near East Park in downtown."
Yue poked Mei Li and with a pout that was asking to be pampered, "You can always stay with me! Next month will be my 22nd Birthday so you have to help me prepare!"
"I Don"t know…"
"…Please, please, please! You don"t even have to give me a gift!" Yue began to get on her knees with both her hands clasp into Mei Li"s.
"I don"t want to bother.." Mei Li hesitantly answered. She had stayed at Zhao Mansion before, most of those nights were spent gossiping with Yue in her pink and lavish room.
"Come on! Mom and Dad love you! Besides the Mansion is big enough that even you staying for a year, would not bother them." Yue insisted. Yue"s insistence always made Mei Li uncomfortable and the more Yue begs for it, the more Mei Li would cave.
"…Just for your birthday?" Mei Li asked, unsure.
"Just for my birth month!"
Mei Li stared at Yue"s large doe eyes that were starting to water. Mei Li sighed again. Mei Li knew that Yue was doing it on purpose but she always fell for it.
"Two days?" Mei Li started negotiating.
Yue had an affronted look, "No, 4 weeks!"
"If I stay for that long, you might grow bored with my face. Whatever shall I do if you leave me all to my lonely self?" the joke was snidely said by Mei Li.
Yue refuses to give up!
"There will be a banquet on the 30th for my birthday and Mom had told me to organize it myself. She used to organize it for me so I have no idea what to do first. Help me?"
Yue widen her eyes then started to think of scary thoughts so it would water. She needs tears, dammit.
"…and I have to organize a small dinner with the family on the 28th since it"s a family tradition to always celebrate our birthday dinner with family… You know how much I hate fancy restaurants that serve small servings! I want a barbecue with meat! Lots and lots of meat…" Yue continued to act pitiful.
Yue and Mei Li stared at each other for a while. As if the person who will look away will be the loser of this argument.
Mei Li pointed out in a murmur,"…You don"t even know how to shop for yourself…"
"…and that"s why you have to stay with me and help me organize, please."
Cue the tears that gathered in Yue"s eyes.
Mei Li put her hands in the air as surrender and said, "Fine! But I plan to go back to the capital on the 7th of November so I"ll just stay at the Mansion starting on the 8th until your banquet on the 30th."
Yue started her victory dance which made Mei Li smile once again.
"YES! Wait let me text my parents!"
"Tell your Mom that I"m available to visit the exhibit together on November 4. I think that"s Sunday…" murmured Mei Li as she gathered her clothes into her arms.
Yue merely nodded.