The Love That Remains

It seems like I am really stuck here.

I check my cell phone. There are fifteen messages and ten missed calls from w.a.n.g Mei, three messages from cla.s.smates, five missed calls from grandmother w.a.n.g, three calls and four warning emails from H high school. After sending a short message to Grandmother w.a.n.g, I turn my phone off.

I am not going back to H high school.

Going back means seeing him again. I know that he and I are in the same cla.s.s. It"s funny how I have wanted to see him once more in my past life. Now, I want to do anything but see him again.

The heart wants what it wants. Our hearts are like children. They don"t know what"s good or bad for them. They only know how to want. Just following heart is not enough. People should also use brains. I am determined to take a different path this time. I will avoid him and distance myself from w.a.n.g Mei.

I change channels and find nothing interesting. I check the business news.

"Young miss?"

"Yes, Granny Lan?" I keep my eyes on the details of the share market. Interesting. There is a rise in the Asian market. It should be about the time...

"Master Fang called this morning." The Fang shares are doing well. If they don"t invest in those corporations like the last time, there should not be any problem. Then, they should invest in those startups. They are new, but they are going to do well in the future.

"Oh, why?" If I alert that old man, will he listen to me? Should I alert him? It will save the money though. I don"t think that he will trust me. That old man"s head is full of plastic wastes that can"t be recycled. Maybe he should lose some millions. Hmph!

"He wants you to visit him tomorrow." Her voice is clear and firm.

I press the mute b.u.t.ton and turn to look at Granny Lan who is chopping radishes on the table. I don"t like radishes.

"Are we going to have meat tonight?" I stare at the white radishes.

"You don"t eat vegetables without meat." Granny Lan sighs.

"Granny Lan, I like spicy meat. Don"t put radishes. I am fine with meat only." I lick my lips. Spicy meat without vegetables is heaven. I really missed the food cooked by Granny Lan.

"Young miss, he said if you don"t go, your name will be cut from the family register. Your school headmaster called him." Granny Lan observes me curiously. "He won"t give you allowances either."

"Did he threaten you? He won"t make you leave, would he?" I ma.s.sage my forehead. Meeting that old man will not be easy.

"He did threaten me. He also threatened me with Yao-er." Lan Hui Yao is her only son. That old man probably threatened her that he will kick out Lan Hui Yao if she doesn"t convince me to go. Despite that, Granny Lan doesn"t show any distress or displeasure. She is calm and steady. She always supports me despite everything.

"I will go, Granny Lan." I turn back to watch the numbers on the screen. "You should call me by my name. Calling me "young miss" is too formal."

"As you wish, Little Aisa." Granny Lan sounds happy and content.

I feel uneasy about tomorrow. Meeting that old man won"t be an easy task. Also, he will bring that up. How should I respond this time? I turn off the TV and get up.

"I am going out for a while." I should prepare for tomorrow. I should have fun with that old man.

**

It"s warm and bright. I stretch my arms under the sunlight. I didn"t leave the house since I have been reborn. It feels good. It"s a new day. It"s a new life. I feel like singing.

I start humming the song that"s going to be released after five years. I realise that there are some things that I am the only one know. I know that w.a.n.g Ying Ying is going to the next queen of the entertainment industries. Her younger brother w.a.n.g Yu will become a famous pianist. Of course, w.a.n.g Mei is going to be the next mafia head despite her wussy personality. I know where I should invest to get rich. I know who is going to be next president. I know what will happen in the future.

"Ring~ Ring~ Ring~" I sing loudly. "I have loved you for seven days~ I will love you for seven moooooore~ Theeeen we will paaaart waaaays~" The bystanders stare at me with weird expressions. I laugh and stick tongue out. What do you know, people? I have been reborn. I am a miracle. Yes, G.o.d exists. I am the proof. Can"t you see?

"Miss Fang is a good singer."

I stop on my tracks and turn around. Sung Jun is walking toward me with that same "almost" smile. His hands are in his ripped jeans pockets. He is wearing the same plain white s.h.i.+rt. His dark hair is a bit messy. I wonder how much he has heard.

It"s not a bright day anymore.

"Miss Fang, how are you doing?" He stands close to me intentionally. I step away, keeping an arms-length distance between us. We are standing at a public place. There is never telling when this guy claims that I am seducing him.

"I was doing well," I answer him crisply.

"Not doing well anymore?" He furrows his thin brows. I click my tongue. Did I lose all my quota of good luck in my past life? I leave the house and the first person I meet is him.

"I was doing well until I saw you." Sung Jun ignore my words. Instead, his places his palm against my forehead.

"Do you have a fever? Your skin is warm." He gives me a concerned look. I can"t not feel anything. He makes me uneasy. I jerk his hand away.

"Who asked you to touch me? Don"t touch me without my permission."

I wince when I see his icy stare with his phoenix eyes. Even with cold expressions, this guy manages to look like a sculpted ice beauty. The "beauty" genes are wasted on a two-faced guy like him.

"Miss Fang, do you hate me?" He scowls at me.

"I..." I do hate him. If I tell him, I have to tell him why. That"s out of the question. So, I improvise my answer.

"I don"t hate you. I just don"t like your face. I am prejudiced against a girly faced guy like you." I mentally give myself a high-five. Sung Jun doesn"t get angry like last time. Instead, he beams at me.

"I understand, Miss Fang. You have a plain face and a flat chest. Now, you even have a scar on the top of your nose. You must be reminded of your ugliness each time you see yourself in the mirror. With that face, you can probably never marry a handsome guy. So, you hate me because I am naturally gifted with looks."

His words. .h.i.t me where it hurts. How long did he take to think of that response? I feel a crisis for the health of my self-esteem. I can"t win against him. He is too exasperating.

"Sung Jun, why don"t we make a deal?" Let"s change strategies and make peace. "Let"s forget that we met and treat each other like strangers."

He watches me with amus.e.m.e.nt. I feel like hiding from those penetrating eyes. He can"t read my mind. Mind reading is impossible.

"We are not strangers." He puts the strand of my hair behind my ear playfully.

"I mistook you for someone else when we met for the first time." I smile at him and touch where he touched my hair uneasily. I am starting to have jitters. I don"t like this feeling. He is shamelessly flirting with me.

"We forget the past. We forget meeting each other. Let"s become strangers again." Let"s have a clean break up that we didn"t have in my past life.

He pinches my cheeks. "You are interesting, Miss Fang."

"Oww!" I slap his hands. "Sung Jun, is something wrong with your head? Why do you keep pinching my cheeks? Do I look like a child to you?"

"You are cute." His eyes gleam dangerously. "You are funny. Your expressions are also quite entertaining to watch."

"What does that got to do with anything?" I don"t feel good hearing him say all that. There must be something he wants. I have a bad feeling.

"Let"s become friends, Fang Aisa."