Life carries on for Xu Xu and Ji Bai . . . but we now get a little glimpse into Xu Jun’s possible future, as well as that of Shu Hang and Yao Meng. All three will feature in upcoming WASFIL Short Stories, so we hope this epilogue whets your appet.i.te for what’s coming soon!
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Till the Flowers Bloom
Ji Bai & Xu Xu Short Story Part 2.2
EpilogueA year had pa.s.sed in a flash.
Today, a wine reception in honor of Xu Jun"s company"s anniversary was taking place, in the city"s best hotel. It was early in the evening and the immense ballroom was already brightly lit as the vibrant clothes fleshed out a grand scene, while everyone continued to laugh and talk.
Ji Bai and Xu Xu also came to support her brother. The child was left with Xu Xu"s father, who was of course more than happy to babysit.
Xu Jun walked around in the hall with his beautiful female secretary. The Ji couple looked for a quiet corner and sat on the sofa, whispering intimately and enjoying each other"s company.
They saw a tall figure walk into the hall and smile at them. "Ji Bai, sister-in-law, you guys are hiding here?"
It was Shu Hang.
Ji Bai released Xu Xu from his embrace and toasted him with his gla.s.s. "When did you come to Lin City?"
Shu Hang smiled as he answered, "I came here to play. Sister-in-law, I"ll have to borrow Third Brother for a while to introduce him to a couple of friends."
The two men walked for a while and reached the terrace outside. The sky was ink blue and the stars were bright. Ji Bai laughed lightly, "How much have you progressed with Yao Meng?"
Shu Hang sighed, "No progress, I"ve stopped trying."
Ji Bai no longer asked. Shu Hang had pursued Yao Meng pa.s.sionately this year, with fruitless effort, so it was very normal for him to give up The two men quietly sipped their wine. Shu Hang looked at the garden downstairs, then suddenly put down his gla.s.s, "I need to go to the bathroom. You should go accompany sister-in-law." Then he left like a gust of wind.
Ji Bai"s eyesight was very good. He could see the license plate of the car parked by the sidewalk very far away. Wasn"t this Yao Meng"s car?
This kid, even though he said he wasn"t pursuing her anymore, clearly he was still smitten.
Ji Bai held in his laughter and turned back to the reception hall to find his wife.
. . . .
Xu Jun"s company was quite well known in the country. Many journalists were camping out at the door. As Yao Meng entered in a cheongsam that curved about her body, the cameras flashed constantly.
"President Yao, we heard that your group intends to invest in Xu Jun"s company?"
"President Yao, did you come here today to discuss some terms about a collaboration arrangement with Mr Xu Jun?"
Yao Meng only smiled faintly. The bodyguard next to her cleared the crowds, and she walked on quietly.
At this moment, some reporters rushed over and asked,
"Miss Yao, three months ago, the serial killer Feng Ye was arrested. I heard you provided the police with a lot of clues. Is this true?"
Yao Meng paused, but she continued to walk forwards without answering. The journalists continued to ask questions incessantly.
"Miss Yao, I heard Feng Ye has repeatedly asked to see you in prison, but you have refused. Why are you not meeting him?"
“Feng Ye will be executed next month. Before he dies, will you meet him?"
Only then, did Yao Meng stop. She slowly turned around, saying, "No, I will not go meet him him."
Flashes from the cameras burst out instantly. Yao Meng turned into the reception hall, leaving the hustle and bustle of the journalists behind.
Shu Hang, a few steps away from her, looked at her slightly cool face and kept silent.
He had been in Beijing for one month on business, so he couldn"t come back to Lin City at all. Who would have thought that in his free time, he would hear about this explosive news casually? Yao Ming’s ex-boyfriend was a serial killer and, after committing two murders, had caught the attention of the police and had been locked up as a key suspect.
He wasn"t clear on the details. But, at the very least, he knew Yao Meng had indeed helped Ji Bai, Xu Xu and others to catch Feng Ye.
In fact, he had pursued Yao Meng for half a year. As he had told Ji Bai, his heart had indeed lost some hope. But when he heard this news, he had immediately and anxiously returned to Lin City.
He hadn"t come for anything else. But how come Yao Meng couldn"t help but worry him? Obviously, she had already been kidnapped by a perverted killer once, so how did she dare to cooperate with the police ? Didn"t she know how to take care of herself?
When he saw her at the entrance of the banquet hall, a perfect smile emerged on his face. Shu Hang took a sip of the wine in his hand, and hurriedly caught up to her. "Yao Meng? What a coincidence."
Coincidence? Of course not. He had flown several thousand kilometres to attend this reception where he might meet her. If he hadn"t met her today, perhaps, he would have vomited blood*.
*Expression that refers to total frustration
Yao Meng looked back at him with a complicated expression on her face and nodded. "h.e.l.lo."
She immediately turned and left, but how would Shu Hang be willing to let her go? "Don"t go, how come you run away when you see me?"
Unfortunately, he had stepped on her skirt. The floor was smooth marble, and since she was walking quickly, she lost her balance and took a hard fall.
Now, Shu Hang"s heart became distressed. He immediately squatted down to hold her in his arms, saying, "Don"t move."
Yao Meng tried to stand up, but pain shot through her ankle. Shu Hang lifted one small corner of her dress to uncover her ankle and gently pressed on it. "I think your ankle"s twisted."
Yao Meng bent down and saw his slender, fair hand around her foot. His touch felt warm and powerful. His slightly upturned face was calm and quiet. Even at this moment, he maintained his calmness, and the corners of his mouth turned slightly upwards, as if in a happy smile.
As she was lost in a trance, Shu Hang looked up at her as he picked her up. "I will take you to the hotel infirmary."
“I don"t need your help . . . put me down,” she whispered in defiance.
Yao Meng’s bodyguards and a.s.sistants had also reached her by this time . They recognized Shu Hang and tried to take over. “President Shu, we need to take care of President Yao.”
Shu Hang evaded them and moved Yao Meng"s body away from them. In an indifferent voice, he said, " No, she has a sprain. I am good at this, you can just follow my lead."
Her a.s.sistants and bodyguards looked at each other – they had received special training just for these types of circ.u.mstances, okay?
Before Yao Meng could speak again, Shu Hang had already asked for directions from the manager of the Qing Lobby, with her still in his arms. Then with large steps, he walked to the infirmary.
It was a minor injury. Although it was painful, she did not need to go to the hospital. Shu Hang laid Yao Meng on the white sickbed. The doctor on duty carefully checked her.
"It"s nothing. Just apply some medicine, it should be fine."
He took out a bottle from the cupboard. Shu Hang took it from him, "I will do it. You"re busy so you can leave."
The doctor, of course, understood the situation, nodded, and left.
As Shu Hang realized it would be difficult to act if there were bodyguards and a.s.sistants in the room, he had thrown them out of the room and closed the door.
Now with the doctor gone, there were only the two of them in the small room
In the dim light, Shu Hang smiled and slowly applied medication on her ankle.
"I am just being a good samaritan. When I was a child, my grandfather was always the one who gave me medicine. I am not bragging, I am a professional. When I was in college, I was the team doctor."
As he spoke, his hands were skilful, but gentle. As he rubbed the medicine on her ankle, he went into a bit of a trance – her ankle, her skin, the feel of it..
In his heart, he suddenly felt something was wrong. When he looked up, he saw Yao Meng looking at him, her eyes full of tears. He didn"t know how long she had been crying silently like this.
His heart ached, and instinctively, he wanted to hold her. But both his hands were smeared with the medicine. As their gazes met, Yao Meng cried even more fiercely. Shu Hang didn"t care anymore. With one hand, he pulled her in his arms and held her lightly, so she could break free if she wanted. "Don"t cry, don"t cry. You see, you"re ruining your makeup. Don"t cry, everything will be ok. Believe me, believe me."
After Shu Hang called Ji Bai away, Xu Xu walked towards the dining room to get something to eat. On her way there, she b.u.mped into Xu Jun.
On such an occasion, Xu Jun could not avoid drinking. His face was slightly flushed from the alcohol. He asked the secretary accompanying him to go ahead without him. The secretary spoke softly, "I will wait for you in the hall. I have to go say h.e.l.lo to the chief."
Xu Jun nodded with a smile.
As he left, brother and sister gazed out at the quiet night through the window. After some time, Xu Xu said, "When I had the baby, you said you wanted a girlfriend. Now it has been one year, and you aren"t getting any younger."
Xu Jun narrowed his eyes, "You think girlfriends are so easy to find, right? Look around. In this banquet hall, almost all the ladies of this city are present. Which one is suitable for me? No, you can"t find someone for me."
As he said this, Xu Xu seriously turned towards the banquet hall and quickly scanned the crowds. She thought for a while and said, "There are a few good candidates. Remember what you said to me? Look actively, do you want Dad to worry about you for the rest of his life?"
Xu Jun was stunned, then he laughed as he replied, "Ok, why don"t you tell me which one is suitable? Let me see."
Xu Xu pointed to a girl in a formal dress, "She is a good candidate. She has a beautiful face, clear eyes, is behaving with decorum, has no male partner, and she has been looking at you several times."
Before Xu Jun could answer, Ji Bai appeared in the corner of the corridor. With a smile, he said, "Wife, it"s late. Let"s go home."
Xu Xu nodded. They had to go home to take care of their child. She turned around and looked at Xu Jun as she said, "Brother, we are leaving now. You have to seriously think about what I said."
Xu Jun answered offhandedly, "I am determined to look actively. Now I will meet people, you can rest a.s.sured."
Xu Xu really wished that Xu Jun would leave the past behind and get married. She watched him as he actually took a gla.s.s of wine and walked straight towards the girl. Her heart softened. Deeming that no more interference was required, she looked to Ji Bai and said, "Let"s go."
Xu Jun walked towards the centre of the banquet hall and stood in front of the girl that Xu Xu had pointed out. The girl was speaking to someone else. As she became aware of him standing in front of her, she blushed and dropped her gaze, appearing shy and timid.
With his peripheral vision, Xu Jun saw Ji Bai and Xu Xu leave the hall. Immediately, he put down the gla.s.s and walked away.
It was late at night and the crowds had dispersed, although the lights were still bright.
Xu Jun stood on the terrace, looking up at the stars in the sky while drinking alone.
Half intoxicated and almost in a trance, he thought to himself, "Yes, my sister was right. Life is long, it"s time for a new beginning."
Translator: miumiu
TL Checker: Tranzgeek
Proofreader: Librismuse