Part Two

Mei started tearing up and her heart thudded vigorously against her chest and she started to breathe faster than usual. Each breath more painful than the last. So painful that she had to clutch her chest and dragged her feet to walk. All she could hear was herself screaming at the doctors not to hurt her. Her head was throbbing and the whole world seemed to be spinning fast around her. Her vision blurred and she felt faint. Mei suddenly recalled the doctors in the midst of giving her a jab when Xu busted into the room, calling all the doctors to stop. ‘‘Xu, Xu-ge.. don’t leave me… don’t leave..’’ Mei whispered, before everything blacked out around her and she fell to the ground.
“MEI!! MEI XUE-JIE!!” Jingmei shouted at the top of her lungs as she saw Mei fell. She closed in to Mei, who was already out cold. She bent down and rested Mei’s head on her lap as she tried to wake Mei up.
“Mei Xue-jie, wake up. Wake up. It’s me Jingmei Xue-mei. Xue-jie, wake up. What happened?” Jingmei said already worried and crying. “Yuchen Mei Xue-jie.. Please don’t scare me like this…”
“Jingmei, what’s going…” Jun yin said as he approached Jingmei but was shocked to see Mei out cold. “Jingmei! What happened to Mei?” Jun yin said squatting down beside her.
Jun yin was distracted when he saw Jingmei running across the field and obstructing his way of scoring a goal. He meant to gave a good scolding but changed his mind when he saw Jingmei crying.
“Jingmei! Did you hear me? What happened here? What’s wrong with Mei? Why is she…” Jun Yin demanded of Jingmei, who was still crying. But before he could finish his sentence, Mei opened her eyes and called out for Xu. “Mei! Mei!”
“Yuchen Mei Xue-jie, Mei, you’ve come to. Senior Mei..” Jingmei was relieved as she tried to sit Mei up but Mei only collapsed again. “Mei Xue-jie!”
“Jingmei.. Let’s go, I’ll take her to the school nurse. Come, help me get her up so I can carry her.” Jun yin instructed as Jingmei and him carried Mei up.
“Senior Jun Yin… Thank you. For helping Senior Mei.” Jingmei told Jun yin.
“What nonsense..” Jun Yin scoffed at Jingmei’s ridiculous thought. He carried her to see the school nurse at the nursing station where Mei came around an hour later. Jingmei was by her side all the while waiting for Mei to gain consciousness.
“Jingmei.” Mei called out. Jingmei helped Mei up on the bed and called for the school nurse to check on Mei.
“Miss Yuchen, what happened to you? Are you feeling better already? You fainted at the school field. Your two schoolmates brought you in.” The nurse explained as she took Mei’s pulse and listened to her heartbeat at the same time. In the background, the school bell chimed.
“My two classmates?” Mei looked towards Jingmei and frowned. “Jingmei..”
“Senior Jun Yin.” Jingmei said. Mei said nothing but smiled at the thought.
‘The foolish boy! To think he wasn’t so affected by what I said this morning. He is really something.’ Mei said to herself. “Oh No! Did you inform my brother? Can I go back to class now?”
“Class? School is over already, my dear girl. You were out for about an hour. And no. we didn‘t call your brother.” the nurse explained. Mei could only sigh at her luck. Xu’ll kill me if he finds out that I missed my lessons. He’ll be worried if he finds out.
Mei walked out of the station with Jingmei towards the school gate. Jingmei kept stealing glances at Mei as they walked.
“Senior, I heard you were looking for me during lunch. Was there anything important that you wanted to tell me?” Jingmei said to break the ice. Mei was still in a daze. “Senior.”
“Huh? Oh that? No.. it was nothing.. I just wanted to say that I’m so sorry I made you worry. You know, about my behaviour towards Cai Ye. I was just scaring her. That’s all.” Mei explained. “I was afraid that you might get affected by my actions.”
“Oh that? No.. I knew what you were up to. But you were a little more scarier than usual. I thought you were going to really hurt her.” Jingmei spilled. “You didn’t quite look like yourself this morning.”
Mei could only smile at Jingmei’s words and assured her that she was telling the truth. “By the way, where did you go during lunch? Your classmate told me you left earlier. Where were you?”
“I was in the library with Miss Jokaru. She wanted to hand me my assignments for the coming term exams.. I have a lot of chapters to study for my term exams this..” Jingmei complained. “OH NO!!” Jingmei yelled as she remembered what Jun Yin told her earlier. She grabbed Mei’s hand and started running back to the school campus, dragging Mei along. “Xue-jie, come with me.”
“Jingmei! What’s with you? You startled me out of my skin. What is it? Did you forget something? JINGMEI!!” Mei said in between her pants. “Jingmei! I just fainted not too long ago if I must remind you.. Do you want me to faint again? Jing…” Mei’s sentence was cut off when she realized that Jingmei had brought her to the school notice board.
“What are we doing here? You know I don’t read the gossip column. I don’t need to know who dates who and…” Mei started.
“Finals timetable.” Jingmei interrupted Mei. Mei turned to face the board and her eyes widened. “Senior Jun Yin told me that you ran off before Mr Cheng could make the announcement. The exams timetable is already out and the instructions are there too.”
Mei’s eyes widened even more as she continued reading the timetable. She buried her head in her palms and shook her head. She most definitely cannot believe that the examinations were held much sooner than expected. Mei held her head high and sighed to herself. “I am so dead.”
“Mei Xue-jie, it’s ok. You are smart. You’ll make it through without any problems. It would be a piece of cake to you, I’m sure of it. You’ll score good grades no matter what and make it into the college of your choice. I have faith in you.” Jingmei encouraged a disheartened Mei.
Mei smiled and thanked Jingmei. They both left the campus and waited outside school. Jingmei had wanted to wait for Xu to arrive but Mei insisted that Jingmei board the bus.
“I’ve already troubled you enough today. You need not do this, I’ll be fine. Xu-ge will be here soon. Trust me.” Mei assured Jingmei. The bus drove off leaving Mei behind. Jingmei was still worried about Mei, but she had no choice but to heed Mei’s words. Mei waited on the bench for Xu with only the breeze and tree next to her to keep her company.
The Hishedori library was huge and filled with knowledge. Not surprising that the SunBoys liked to spend them free hours there instead of the cafeteria, chatting about issues that doesn’t concern them at all. A three story library equipped with state of the arts technology and even air-conditioned. Quite a tranquil scenery there too with a waterfall and a Bonsai garden at the entrance. The SunBoys were indeed burying themselves with books and revision.
“Jay, Wasn’t this topic mentioned in the last lecture? I still can’t quite get what Mr Kinuro meant when..” Lin-di asked but stops when he noticed that Xu was staring into space. He then continued asking Jay questions.
Xu stared out of the library window and thought of Mei. I wonder if she is doing alright at school now. I know that I’m doing all I can but it doesn’t feel that way. I know that there’s something else I can do for her. If only I could take away all her sorrows. I don’t wish to see her cry all alone. Ever since mom and dad are gone, all she does is cry. Now she even has nightmares of the recollection. I’m up to my neck about what I should do. Why does god have to punish her like this? She’s just a poor young soul. Mei doesn’t even know what really happened. I couldn’t bare to tell her myself too. It pains me too when I think about it. But I cannot tell Mei can I? I cannot show to the world that I’m deeply affected too, can I? Sometimes she is so weak that when she cries, I feel weak too and I’m at lost of what to do. I pray everyday that her pain will go away. That one day she’ll be happy, so happy that even I would be. Mei, that day will come. It will…
“XU!!” Jay yelled at Xu’s ear, interrupting his thoughts. Xu was startled and grabbed Jay by his neck in between his biceps.
“XU! Let go! You were in deep thoughts. Lin-di and I tried calling you a couple of times but you didn’t even hear us. I had to do it.. Ahek ahek.. Let go Xu!!” Jay said in amidst of his struggle to break free himself. Xu let go and laughed at Jay, whose face had turned blue. Lin-di joined in the laughter, making Jay frustrated. He turned his attention to Lin-di. “This is all YOUR fault. You and your stupid questions.”
“Hey, don’t push the blame on me. You were the one who shouted at Xu’s ear. I was just sitting here minding my own business.” Lin-di said, still chuckling.
“Hahaha.. Ok. What did you want to ask me Lin-di? What about?” Xu asked Lin-di. Xu looked at his watch and gasped. His eyeballs looked as though they were about to pop out of their sockets.
“Well.. I wanted to ask you about this formula that Mr Kinuro mentioned.. The..” Lin-di began.
“Oh my god! Shit! I can’t believe you guys did this to me. How could you!!” Xu said accusingly while frantically packing up his bag. “You morons.”
“Hey hey hey.. What was that all about? Who’s the moron here?” Jay asked, offended by Xu’s accusation.
“I can’t believe you guys didn’t remind me that I had to pick up my sister.. HALF AN HOUR AGO!” Xu raised his tone. “Mei would be waiting there all alone! Thanks to you guys!”
“Earth to Xu! You were the one building the sandcastles in air while we were studying!” Lin-di made clear to Xu as the librarian walked by to hush them. Xu couldn’t be bothered and left the library, running to the carpark and jumping into his car. He left the campus immediately and sped off to Mei’s school.
Outside Sakura High, an anxious and frustrated Mei was pacing back and forth the pavement waiting for her brother. Even the breeze did not help. Mei stamped her foot so much it was hurting. She kept glancing at her watch every minute.
Xu.. How dare he reprimand me for being late this morning. Talk about pot calling the kettle black. This is beneath Xu to be half an hour late! Argh! I thought I told him school ends at five. How could he have missed that? He better not have done it on purpose. Mei thought as she continued her pace. She frowned so hard that she was starting to get a headache, she had to sit down again. Mei rested on the bench and leaned against the tree. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and massaged her own forehead.
“Oh no!” Mei gasped. Sitting upright all of a sudden and said to herself, “I hope nothing bad has happened to Xu. Oh god! No. No. No. It cannot be. He is just late. That’s all. Xu, please be alright.. No, no.. He will be. He cannot leave me like this. He cannot possibly do this to me. Xu will be here soon. There is so much I have to do for him, he cannot.. No. He’s just plain late.. That’s all. He’ll be here, I’ll pretend to scold him and we’ll quarrel like this morning and we’ll head home together. Yes. That’s it.”
Mei then closed her eyes and leaned against the tree again to calm herself down. When she opened her eyes, she stared up the branches of the tree and looked at the gleaming sunlight which penetrated through the spaces in between the leaves and branches. Stretching her palm outwards towards the sky, she thought to herself. Xu is the only one I have in this world. There’s so much that he has done for me. When I cry, he’s there to wipe my tears. When I’m scared, he chases away all my fears. I cannot be without him. I am what I am right now because of him. Xu helped me achieve so much things so that I can lead my life normally again. Well, almost normally. I used to not be able to talk to people and I feared everyone. I was afraid that they would… would.. kill me like they did with my parents. There is no one is this world who can ever love me as much as Xu does and I cannot possibly love Xu the way he loves me, even if I tried very hard. In my world, no one can ever take Xu’s place. My heart has no more room for anyone’s love other than Xu’s. Only Xu loves me. There is no other. None other.
Far off in a distance, something shiny caught the corner of Mei’s eyes and distracted her thoughts. It was a white Mercedes convertible, that was approaching towards Mei and at an incredible speed too, judging from the roaring of its engine. Mei stood up and smiled. She was so relieved at the thought of Xu being safe.
“Thank god he’s alright.” Mei said. “So he IS just plain late. This calls for a little acting session to teach him a lesson. Pot calling the kettle black.”
As the car approached, it slowed down before coming to a halt next to the pavement where Mei was. Mei already had her back turned towards the car. She pretended to sulk and had her arms folded across her chest, refusing to face the car.
“Sorry. If I may..” A voice began. But it was interrupted by Mei, who was determined to get back at Xu.
“No you may not! Really! Lecturing me for thinking that I was late when YOU yourself cannot keep track of the time.” Mei snapped her back still facing the car.
“I’m so sorry but..” he apologised only to be interrupted by Mei again.
“You should be..” Mei told him.
“Miss, at least hear me out. I think you’ve got the wrong person.” the gentleman explained to Mei. She quickly turned around to realize her mistake. Mei gaped in embarrassment and made a comical apologetic face, which made the young man chuckle to himself.
“I am SO sorry.. I didn’t mean to be rude. My apologies. I really didn’t mean to snap at you. I thought.. I‘m very, very sorry.” Mei apologised bowing her head.
“It’s ok. I was just going to ask you for directions. I guess I sound like someone you know. Do I?” he said, chuckling at an already embarrassed Mei.
“Yes.” Mei said before rising fro her bow to stand up straight. “You sound exactly like my brother who is supposed to be here. He’s late, well, he is usually very punctual when he fetches me but he is half an hour late now and I’m worried about him and you came and I was starting to get frustrated so I..” Mei explained when she realized that she sounded panicky and was speaking too fast and she did not make any sense to the gentleman. “Erm.. You said you were looking for a place.. How can I help you?”
Mei asked the gentleman who was staring at her in a deep gaze. He did not seem to hear her and appeared to had his mind somewhere else though he was looking at her in amazement. Mei noticed that he had bags around his eyes. He looked tired and his black brows and eyes was a perfect match to his brown hair which shone healthily and his long side-parted bangs hid part of his fairly-tanned face. It was perfected by a strong and visible jaw line, giving him a typical superstar look but his clothes suggested otherwise. The man was wearing some sort of a uniform, tie, blazer and all. There was something mysterious and dreamy about his stare that was starting to make Mei feel uncomfortable she had to distract him.
“Excuse me?” Mei said, breaking his gaze.
“Huh? Er.. I’m sorry, did you say something?” he asked, his face flushing.
“Nothing, you were asking me for directions earlier on, so I thought maybe I could be of a help.” Mei explained. She directed her vision away from his eyes and looked elsewhere, because like him, she was uncomfortable at the attention he was giving. Plus the fact that she had totally embarrassed herself earlier.
“Uh. Yeah.. If you don’t mind, could you direct me to Hishedori University? I’m not exactly local and I’m rarely in town so I’m not used to the roads here. Do you happen to know where it is? Hishedori University I mean.” he asked.
Mei’s ears pricked up when she heard the name. That’s Xu’s school. Why does this guy want to go there? Uh. Why am I asking myself? It’s none of my business. Mei said to herself.
“Erm, Hishedori University is up the next road. When you get to a junction, you need to turn right and take the road. At the next T-junction, turn right again and go by the highway. It’s a half an hour ride. Leave by the 2nd exit on the highway and it will lead you straight to the campus.” Mei directed.
The gentleman thanked Mei graciously before making an exit. Mei watched as he sped off and was once again left alone on the pavement. Somehow, Mei felt even more incomplete after talking to the guy. That’s weird. My heart is beating really fast… Mei thought to herself. Was it him? How can that possibly be? I don’t even know his name…. Never mind. It’ll go away. It should.
Mei’s thoughts were far off as she sat down and continued waiting for Xu. Her mind was full of the man in the car. There was something about him that she just couldn’t ignore. However, Mei herself was unsure of what it was.

Mei is so going to kill me when I get there. Xu thought as he sped his way to Mei’s school. I hope she is alright. Yuchen Xu.. I’m not going to forgive you if anything happens to Mei.
Xu slowed down as he finally approached Mei’s campus. Xu noticed Mei waiting outside the school gate and she was sitting under the Mahogany tree, in a daze. Worried that she might have an attack and went to fits, Xu increased his speed and pressed on his brakes. The car screeched and came to a halt directly in front of Mei. The loud screeching of the tyres snapped Mei out of her daze.
Xu had scurried out of his car and went to Mei and shook her by the shoulders, asking her if she was alright. Mei did not answer her brother, but instead, she just stared at him and then she frowned.
“Why were you late? I have been waiting for more than half an hour Xu. Waiting alone.. Why were you late?” Mei asked.
Xu heaved a sigh of relief and smiled at Mei. She got in into the car and demanded an explanation. Sure enough, Mei bombarded him with murderous questions about why he was late. All Xu could do was apologise a million times as he drove, at the same time trying to explain why he was late. Mei did not accept his apologies and went on ranting about Xu not being punctual and reprimanding her about being late that morning. Xu only listened and smiled to himself.
When Mei finally quietened down, Xu asked Mei about her day at school and normal routine questions about school. Mei went quiet for a few minutes before telling Xu about her day, including her encounter with the gentleman who was asking for directions. Xu was impressed that she actually had a conversation with another person other than himself and Jingmei. Mei disliked talking to strangers back then, she used to hide behind Xu every time someone came near her and asked her a question. This was something very unusual and new to Xu.
“He stared at me with such eyes and daze I thought he was going to pass out right there and then or something. Then when I…” Mei stopped when she noticed Xu smiling at himself. She was in the midst of telling him about her conversation. Mei was frustrated that Xu was not paying attention to what she was saying. She frowned hard and punched her brother‘s arm. “Hey! You are so rude Xu, you’re already late. The least you can do is pay attention when I’m talking to you. You.. and what is it exactly that you are smiling at? I don’t recall saying anything funny or sweet. So what are you smiling at?”
“I heard every single word you said. Everything, from the part you were sitting under the mahogany tree until where you thought he was almost going to pass out. Every single word darling. Even your little curses. The ones where I was late.” Xu said, ruffling his sister’s hair.
Mei smiled contently and looked ahead. She was happy that Xu had been listening to every single word she said. However, she could not help but think about the gentleman whom she had a conversation with earlier. It was more than just the superstar smile on his face that had her attention. Normally, if Mei had any encounter with a guy, she would have either dismissed him or forgotten him in the next hour or so but not with this gentleman she did not. Mei wondered what it was about him that made it impossible for her to take her mind off of him. He somewhat seemed distracted from the rest of the world, looked unhappy yet it does not show in his expressions. It was as though he was hiding his misery from the rest of the world. Perhaps he shared the same fear as her, perhaps he was as afraid as she was. Perhaps HE killed her parents. The thought made Mei shudder as the car came to a halt in front of their house. Mei snapped out of her daze and scurried out of the car. She did not even take her bag with her.
“Mei! Your..” bag.. Xu finished off inside his heart when he realized Mei was already out of his sight. Silly little girl. What has gotten into her? Must have needed the toilet that bad.. She did not even take her bag along with her.
“Shao Ye, may I take that for Xiao Jie? I’ll send it up to her room. Your bag as well. Your shower is ready and the dinner will be soon. May I, please?” One of Xu’s servants offered.
“Thank you. I’ll come down with Mei for dinner. Call us when it’s ready. But do not take too long, you know Mei Xiao-Jie’s temper when she is angry.” Xu said to his servant.
Up in Mei’s room, she was lying in her bed, still in her school uniform, staring into space at her ceiling. She was still thinking about him.
I was wrong. He couldn’t have done such a horrible deed. I’m thinking too much into this. Besides, Xu said the murderer had already been locked up years ago. It cannot be him. I’ve only met him once today and I’d probably never see him again. I have to stop thinking about him. Why.. I don’t even know his name. This is absolutely ridiculous. I cannot…
Mei’s thoughts were interrupted by knockings on the door. It was Mei’s servant with her bag. Handing the bag over to Mei, she bowed and stood at the edge of Mei’s bed.
“Good evening Xiao-Jie, pardon me for disturbing you like this. I’ve already prepared your shower and dinner will be served in half an hour’s time. Xu Xiao Ye requests that you be ready by then and he will come with you to dinner.” she said.
“Alright. Thank you. I’ll be ready before then.” Mei replied, nodding her acknowledgement.
“Xiao-Jie, if there is anything you need, please call me. I’ll be right there. Have a nice shower.” her servant smiled after Mei nodded again and made her way out of Mei’s room.
Mei sighed to herself and lazily dragged herself out of the bed and head for the shower. She had finally stopped thinking of the gentleman when her servant mentioned Xu. While in the shower, Mei stared at the mirror for a few moments and wondered if she was who they said she was. Shaking her head at her stupidity, she went into her bathtub and soaked herself.
At the dinner table, Mei sat beside Xu like always only this time, Xu did the awful lot of talking. Usually, Mei would rant to her brother about the misery she had to go through in school and the usual bunch of people, the varsity team, that never failed to complete her day. Mei kept quiet throughout dinner and only nodded negligently when Xu asked her questions. Actually she did not really paid attention to the questions he asked.
“Mei!” Xu called out and pinched Mei’s cheek, snapping her out of her daze. Mei instantly looked at her brother and frowned. She rubbed her cheek and uttered curses under her breath. Xu smiled and let out a chuckle at her expression.
“A penny for your thoughts! Where in the world were you? You weren’t even paying attention to the things I’ve said. What kind of attitude is that?” Xu teasingly reprimanded her.
Mei shook her head and put down her bowl of rice and chopsticks back on the table and let out a sigh. She crossed her arms and looked at her bowl of rice, taking a moment to think about what she was going to say to Xu.
“Ge.. My finals are nearing and I haven’t had enough time to catch up, much less revise my work. I’m quite worried. I’m afraid that I’m not going to make it for this paper. I will try my best of course but I have very little time. There’s so much for me to do.” Mei said to brother feeling depressed.
Xu was somewhat relieved that she was worried about her academic matters rather than her nightmares. He would have preferred consoling Mei about her studies than her nightmares and emotional trauma experiences at any given situation. Xu smiled and looked at his down sister.
“Really? For a moment there I thought you were thinking about the gentleman who was asking for directions back outside your school gate. Haha.” Xu teased Mei but instead of giving him a smug smile, she frowned at him to denote her seriousness. Xu felt stupid and apologized immediately.
“Actually you don’t have anything to worry about Mei. You’re a smart girl. You’ll make it through no matter what challenge they throw at you. Alright?” Xu said, trying to encourage his disheartened sister.
“Yes, but this is totally different. I’m talking about the finals here. As in, it’ll determine whether or not I go to college Xu. How can you take it so lightly?” Mei complained, feeling more frustrated than ever. She stirred her rice in frustration and sulked. She could not believe her brother’s ignorance towards her worries. “Besides, Hishedori University entrance requirements are a lot higher than other universities. You and I both know that. If I don’t make it there, Cai Ye and her blasted friends will never let me off the hook.”
Mei sighed and rested her head on the table. Her appetite was definitely gone by then and on top of that she was as miserable as anyone could ever be. Everything was going wrong for her and Xu was not helping at all by keeping quiet.
“Mei. You CAN do it. The finals is nothing to you. Adapting to college life will be more of a problem. Exams, tests they’re all nothing to you. You’re very smart. I know my sister.” Xu said to Mei. He ruffled her hair and took her hand in his. Looking into her eyes he said, “ Trust me. I will help you in whatever ways I can. If it’s coaching you need, then I’m here. If it’s a ear you need, then, hey, I can’t remove it but I’ll lend it to you like this.”
Xu bend towards Mei so that his ear was only centimeters away from her eyes. Mei pushed his face away and let out a laugh. She tugged his ear and pulled it towards her. Xu yelled playfully in pain and wrestled with Mei for his ear’s safety before trying to get back at Mei by pinching her cheeks. The two were laughing merrily until they were in stitches. When they both stopped laughing, Mei sat quietly and looked at Xu, who was still wiping his tears. Xu looked so happy Mei felt a sense on tranquility and peace within her. She was contented seeing Xu so happy.
“Xu-Ge…” Mei called Xu, resting her hand on his arm. Xu turned to face Mei and arched his eyebrow to tell Mei that he was listening. Mei smiled and said, “You should always smile. I want you to smile, smile always. It makes me happy to see you smiling and laughing like this. Except tears of joy, I simply cannot bear to see you cry. If you want me to be happy, you should be too.”
Xu felt warmth in his heart upon hearing to Mei’s words. He did not even try to stop his tears. Xu let his tears to flow as he took Mei into his arms and hugged her tight. Mei hugged him back in return. The two were both in tears and smiling at the same time. Xu of course was glowing with pride and content at what his sister just said to him.
“Mei. Thank you.” Xu said, hugging Mei more tightly.
“Xu-Ge, thank YOU.” Mei replied in between her sobs. “Ge, we’ll always be together right? You won’t ever leave me, would you? Promise me you won’t.”
“Mei..” Xu said pulling away from her, “ You know I cannot make such promises but I can promise you that for as long as I shall live, you will never have to be alone, cry alone. In fact you won’t have to cry at all.”
Xu looked into his sister’s face hard and smiled. Mei smiled in return and nodded before the two siblings went into and embrace again.
“I would never let anyone take you away from me. Ever.” Xu said.

Up in Mei’s room, she was in the shower tying up her hair and fixing her leather jacket. Earlier after dinner, she had called Ruo De, one of her riding buddies. After making an arrangement, she was now getting ready to leave. Xu was at first reluctant to let her out after dinner on a school night, but recalling that Mei had just came back from the hospital, he did not want her to feel cooped up like a chicken at home. So he let her.
An all ready Mei left her room and knocked on Xu’s bedroom door. She had to knock on his door a couple of times, hard, before he came to open it.
“What took you so long? I told you they’re expecting me to be there at nine thirty. What were you doing?” Mei asked, hands on her hips.
“Haha, I’m so sorry. I was on the phone. I mean.. I’m still on the phone. Will you be back tonight?” Xu asked holding the cordless phone in his left hand and covering the mouth piece with the other.
“No. I’ll go to school on my own. I mean I’ll ride there in the morning.” Mei explained. Xu did not look too pleased when Mei said she wanted to drive to school the next morning. He frowned and put on a doubting look on his face. Mei raised her eyebrows and folded her arms across her chest. “Ho. Hold it right there. What is that look suppose to mean? I’ll be fine alright? I can manage. I won’t speed. I’ll be back at seven in the evening tomorrow. If there’s anything urgent, you have my cell phone number right? So you have nothing to worry about.”
Xu can’t help but sigh at his weakness. He nodded half-heartedly before closing his bedroom door and making his way towards the window to see Mei off. The roaring engine of Mei’s Ferrari super bike echoed and died off as she went further in the distance. Xu suddenly remembered that he had put Jay on hold for ages. The connection was already been cut off when Xu picked up the receiver again. Xu then redialed Jay’s home number.
“Hello. Jay. Is that you? It’s me, Xu.” Xu began.
“Oh hello. Looks like you’ve got a little more conscience than Lin-Di. He wouldn’t have bothered to call me back. Let me see, why would you want to call me? Hmmm.. Maybe because you MADE ME WAIT FOR AGES ON THE PHONE!” Jay said sarcastically, frustrated at the same time.
“I’m sorry. Mei was leaving. I had to see her out first. I completely forgot about you. I’m sorry.” Xu apologized, trying his best to win his friend over.
“Alright. Alright. So you. Always using Mei as an excuse to get yourself out of trouble. Anyway, I forgive you.” Jay said sympathetically. He knew that Xu was not lying about it. “Right. Anyway, where were we just now? Oh yes. I was telling you right. When you left the library earlier this afternoon, Lin-di and I stayed back till eight in school to finish up. Did you by the way know that Lin-di is so ignorant? I don’t know how he does it.”
“Does what? I don’t get what you mean.” Xu queried.
“The fact that he is always dozing off in class and then scoring distinctions in all of his papers like us. Maybe we should start sleeping in class too.” Jay joked.
“Stop it man. Lin-di doesn’t doze off ALL the time. Just MOST of the time. Haha. He’s a genius then. Maybe he dreams of all the answers while he dozes off.” Xu continued and the two gentlemen laughed at their own jokes.
“Hey Xu. I was saying. When you left earlier, Mr Kinuro was looking for us. It was about this new project that we’re going to take charge of. It’s an airline company management this time.” Jay explained.
“Really? That’s interesting. They didn’t include an airline company management in the course notes.” Xu said, puzzled.
“It gets better. We’re supposed to have frequent meetings with the co-owner, well not really co-owner of the company, the heir to the company. He’s a Hishedori. Ring any bell Xu?” Jay said.
“Hishedori? That’s our campus name. Was our campus named after him? Or like, has he got anything to do with our school?” Xu asked, getting more interested.
“Yep. You got that right. He’s family owns our school and I heard the brat’s going to own the airline company. So we’ll be working with him on this project. I’m not too keen myself but hey, if it’s for my education.. I’ll put up even with the nastiest brat in the world.” Jay said, exaggerating the issue. He meant every word he said though.
“Come on Jay, give the fella a break. We haven’t even met him yet. We’ll judge him when we see him, ok? Anyway, do you know his name or anything about this guy?” Xu said, defending his unknown guest.
“Yeah. He’s a pilot with the company. That’s about all the information of him I have and oh, yeah, he’s Sir Fukuda Hishedori’s one and only son. If I’m not wrong, Mr Kinura mentioned that his name was Tanaka, Tanaka Hishedori. Smart kid, very ambitious and definitely passionate. From what I heard that is.” Jay told Xu.
“Interesting. Well the only thing we need to do right now is verify those facts when we meet him and when will that be?” Xu asked.
“I think our first meeting is tomorrow.” Jay replied.
“Great. I’ll see you in campus then. Have a good night.” Xu hung up the receiver after Jay wished him back. Xu laid down on his bed and thought about Tanaka and imagine what he was like in person. As it is, Xu finds Tanaka an interesting person but Xu hoped that he has better manners than what Jay thinks he does.

Chapter One

So Noisy..So annoying

I Love Your SisterChapter 1

"Mei! Wake up! You’re going to be late for school!” Xu yelled at his sister’s bedroom door. He walked away shaking his head. Yuchen Xu dotes on his sister, Yuchen Mei, very much. They were the only ones left of their family after their parents died in a murder. As the elder sibling, Xu had to play the part of both a father and mother to Mei. It was very tough for Xu, who was still, at the same time, pursuing his university studies in order to take over his father’s business empire.

Xu and Mei both had traumatic childhood experiences. They grew up with nightmares of their parents being brutally murdered every night. Xu was very strong for a 20 year old. He had to be. 5 years back, when the incident happened, Mei used to cry every night. She was just 13 then. She became so quiet and afraid to be alone even for a minute. Mei went into a fit every time she was left alone by herself so Xu had to take her to see a psychiatrist. Mei was admitted to psychiatric hospital for treatment for 3 years before she was deemed to be fully recovered.

Mei was more cheerful when she came back home and was with Xu. He was all it took to make Mei smile whether she was angry or sad. There was nothing about Mei that Xu didn’t know of. Mei never did anything that would upset her brother because she knew how much he has sacrificed for her, how much he has worried about her and how much he has done for her. To Mei, Xu was everything.

“Mei! For the last time! Get out of bed already. You’re going to be late for school. Hurry get dressed! I’ll drop you on my way! Mei!” Xu yelled again, knocking the door even harder this time but there was still no response. “ Mei! I’m going to be very angry at you if you don’t get up now! I won’t talk to…”

Xu didn’t finish his sentence when the door opened and Mei leaned against the door, arms folded across her chest. She was already dressed all ready to go to school. Xu smiled and sighed at her.

“Xu-Ge.. I wished you wouldn’t do that every morning. It is such a sore to hear you ranting every morning. I’m not even in the wrong. See? You thought I haven’t even woken up didn’t you? I was getting ready. When you yelled, I was in the bathroom. Haiyo…” Mei explained shaking her head as they walked down the corridor of Mei’s bedroom.

“ Alright. Alright. I wish you would wake up a little earlier. I have to drop you on my way to school and it’s quite a distance from you school and mine. You do know that right? I’ll be late for school.” Xu nagged at his sister while they were walking down the 30-steps staircase of their home.

“Ge,” Mei stopped in her tracks and turned to face Xu who also had stopped. “ If I’m burdening you to send me to school, then it’s ok. I’ll take the bus instead. I don’t want you to be late for school and get into a row with your lecturers because of me.” Mei said to her brother with a sad expression on her face that made Xu feel guilty. “ From tomorrow onwards, I will go to school myself. I’ll take the bus like everyone else.”

“ Mei.. You’re not a burden to me. You never were and never will be.” Xu told Mei, his eyes drooping as though Mei had said something that hurt him very much. He took Mei by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. “ I love you very much and I will do anything for you. You know that. You know I will go through anything so long as you are happy and safe Mei. I will never let anyone hurt you and take you away from me, never. You‘re all that I have.”

Mei couldn’t help but feel guilty for what she had said before. She stared her brother face. She gave up and stamped her foot on the steps. Mei frowned and put her hands on her hips.

“GE!! You always do that! You never give me a chance to win once in a while. You always win! I don’t know how you do it but you’re good. Damn good. Looks like I have to try even HARDER than always.” Mei sulked.

Xu burst out laughing on the staircase and ruffled Mei’s long black hair before skipping down the remaining steps, leaving Mei behind.

“Hahaha.. You shouldn’t have bothered trying in the first place if you knew that I’ll win.” Xu teased an already frustrated Mei. “Come on. We’re really going to be late if we don’t make a move now.”

Mei could only smile at her brother before skipping down the stairs to join him. She knew that her brother meant every word he said. She hugged him around the waist and they both headed for the door.

“Shao Ye, Xiao Jie, Have a nice day .” Their servants at the door greeted them as they passed by. Xu and Mei nodded in acknowledgement before getting into Xu’s white Mercedes convertible.

Xu sped up as they went along. It was a routine every morning. Xu would have to wake Mei up and they would challenge each other’s love before heading to school. Should Mei wake up earlier, then they would squeeze in breakfast into their schedule. Today was like any other day of the year. Xu looked at Mei, who was singing along to the songs that were played, and smiled. The wind blew her hair all over the place. She stopped singing and cursed the wind.

Mei looks so happy. I hope it stays this way Mei. I cannot bear to see you heartbroken again. If only I could give the whole world to you Mei. I would. You know I would. Xu said to himself.

The white Mercedes came to a halt in front of Sakura High School, Mei’s school. She suddenly became quiet and stared into space. I hate to leave Xu-ge. Every time I leave school for long periods of time, I‘m so happy. Even if I only have Xu-Ge to spend my time with, even if it is at the therapy sessions. I only have him, he‘s the only one who loves me and the only one I love. The first school bell rang.

“Mei.. Shall I get Ah Yie Shu-Shu (uncle) to drive your bike here or do you want me to pick you up after school? MEI!” Xu called to break Mei’s daze. “A penny for your thoughts. What had you in a daze? Is there something wrong? Are you alright?” Xu asked looking a little worried.

“Huh? No.. no.. Nothing’s wrong.. I was just.. Never mind. Don’t ask Ah Yie shu-shu to send the bike over. I want you to fetch me home. Ok then. I finish at…” Mei did not finish her sentence when her name was called out loudly.

“YUCHEN MEI!!!! YOU’RE FINALLY HERE!! HURRY!” It was Lin Jingmei, Mei’s only friend in school. “We’re going to be late. Classes are already starting.”

Mei nodded her head and raised her hand to signal to Jingmei that she heard her. Mei turned around to face Xu.

“This is why I hate taking leave from school for long periods of time. I finish at five in the evening. Don’t be late. I’ll get upset. Take care.”

Mei kissed Xu on the cheek before she got out of the car. Xu smiled at his sister and told her to have a nice day at school. Mei could only smile and lied to him that she would. Xu too knew that Mei did not like coming to school but there was not much that could be helped. Xu waved goodbye and drove off.

Mei watched her brother’s car leave the school ground before turning around to face Jingmei, who was only inches apart from her. Mei gasped and looked at Jingmei as though she had gone mad.

“What are you trying to do, scaring me like that?! What if I had fainted here?” Mei asked her 2nd year junior. Jingmei was still staring hard at Mei. “What?!”

“I have bad news, I have good news. Which one do you want to know first?” Jingmei asked with a serious tone.

“Give me the good news first. Being in this school itself is bad news. Spill the good news first than blow me with the bad news.” Mei told Jingmei as they walked into the school campus.

“Okay. As you wish. The good news is, my class is just above yours this year and the bad news is, if we don’t speed up, we’ll get detention.” Jingmei said pacing up in her steps.

Mei could only sigh and roll her eyes at Jingmei’s lame announcement. Mei always thought Jingmei was very adorable. She always seemed to be in a rush. She was always running after something or classes, even when she wasn’t late. Mei had to smile at Jingmei’s child-like behaviour. Jingmei was Mei’s 2nd year junior who got acquainted to Mei when she was being bullied by the school varsity team on her first day. The varsity team found Jingmei very nerdy and had tried to bully her on her first day at school but Mei came to Jingmei’s rescue. Mei rarely intervened in other people’s business but she was unstable that day and stood up for Jingmei. Mei exchanged a few slaps with the varsity team before pulling Jingmei aside.

Mei was one of the more well-known people in school because she was amongst the richest students in school. By far the richest one of them all. Not to mention one of the prettier girls in school, so the varsity team decided to recruit Mei into their sorority club, which of course Mei turned down. That was when the enmity between them began. Mei was also popular amongst the school boys, which some of whom she has never even talked to. They seem to know more about her than she does herself. In fact, the entire school knows her past better then she does. Mei was also frequently talked about, by the teachers of her school. There were times when Mei would absent herself from school for long periods of time because of an appointment with the doctor or she was too tired from racing the previous night.

Mei raced three times a week as a hobby with a bunch of street boys. Xu did not stop her because he believed that, so long as it can keep her mind off of the traumatic memories and make her happy, there shouldn’t be any reason why he should stop her. Mei preferred speeding on her Ferrari super bike than spending time in the dance studio, an extra-curricular activity that she had to take up at school. As much as she preferred racing, she was good at dancing too. Her dance instructor adores Mei’s passion and energy when she was on the dance floor.

Her being well-liked by the dance instructor drew further jealousy from the varsity team who were also in the dance club. In the past they had tried to sabotage Mei, switching her tape with some other tapes. Mei got pissed off and went into a rage, almost strangling her fellow schoolmate. Since then, they did not dare to try anything else on Mei.

Mei herself did not understand why her schoolmates would not leave her alone, which was what she wants to be in school. She did not see why they would want to trouble her when she has done nothing wrong. Mei tries very hard to keep a relatively low profile in school but often to no avail.

Beautiful day. Too bad I have to be in this dumb place. Sigh.. Mei said to herself as she walked along the basketball court with Jingmei. They were heading towards the locker area, so they had to pass by the basketball court, which in the mornings were buzzing with boys playing basketball.

Wasting their energy here so early in the morning instead of paying attention in class. Such a waste. Mei thought.

“MEI!! You’re back in school already!” Someone shouted across the court.

Mei stopped in her tracks and looked at the direction the voice was coming from. It was her classmate Jun Yin. He was with his normal bunch of ignorant friends who thought of nothing else but girls in short skirts. Mei rolled her eyes and kept on walking. Jun yin and his friends ran after Mei with their school bags and crowded around her.

“Mei, where have you been? You were away from school for 2 weeks this time. Are you alright?” Jun yin asked.

“Mei I heard you went back to the hospital because you had an attack again. Is that true?” another asked.

“Mei, FaYun told me that you went into a rage and almost killed somebody. Then you got called down to the police station and they sent you to psychiatric hospital. Did you really kill somebody?” Hun Fa asked.

“Did you really do it Mei? Did you?” Jun Yin asked again.

Mei was at the verge of screaming her head off. She stopped in her tracks, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She looked up at the boys with eyes filled with annoyance and danger. The boys took a step back feeling threatened and feared Mei might hurt them if they had offended her. Mei glanced at each of the fear-stricken boys’ faces and lowered her eyes and looked on the ground.

“He didn’t die. Lost too much blood. He slipped into a coma.” Mei said. The boys gasped in fear. Even Jingmei looked scared. “He asked so many questions. He talked too much. It was getting on my nerves.”

Mei then raised her eyes and stared at Jun Yin’s face. He was turning purple and looked as though he was about to cry. “I had to shut him up. I had to. So I punched his nose several times before he fell on the ground. He was bleeding but he was crying for help. So noisy. So annoying.” Mei then looked at Hun Fa, tilted her head and gave an evil-looking half-smile. “Then I strangled him. That’s when the police came.”

Hun Fa’s eyes widened with fear. So wide they looked as though they were going to pop out of their sockets. The rest of them didn’t look any different from him. Jun Yin looked sick to the stomach.

“You guys kind of remind me of him. Annoying and asking too many questions.”

The boys fled at those words, leaving Mei and Jingmei alone. Mei couldn’t help but let out a giggle when they left. Jingmei was shocked and thought that Mei had gone out of her mind. Mei shook her head and continued walking, smiling to herself. Jingmei followed. She became quiet all of a sudden.

“Mei Xue-Jie. Did you really do all those things? I mean.. you didn’t even call me to tell me where you were or what happened to you. You don’t even pick up my calls.” Jingmei said, stooping in front of her locker. She too was on the verge of crying but it only made Mei laughed even louder.

“Eh. Xue-Mei, did you really believe that I am capable of doing all those things? I was only trying to scare those boys so that they would leave and stay away from me. You know I don’t like crowds.” Mei explained, approaching her locker and punching in the combinations to her lock. Jingmei heaved a sigh of relief and smiled at Mei.

“Besides, did you see the look on those guys faces? They thought I was going to kill them or something. It was so comical. Don’t you think so? Hahaha…” Mei laughed, drawing her books from her locker.

"Yeah it was. Especially Jun Yin Xue-zhang. I thought he would wet his pants there and then by the look on his face. “ Jingmei told Mei. They both laughed at it before their laughter were drowned by high-pitched laughter from behind them. It was the varsity team.

“Some people really have the guts and face to come back to school after committing a crime and being labelled a nutcase.” Cai Ye, the gang’s leader, said loud enough for the entire locker area to hear. She had a smug looking smile plastered on her face as she walks towards her locker, which was only 5 doors away from Mei’s.

“How can the school authorities take in such dangerous people like them in? What were they thinking?” another member, Hu Li added.

“That is not the problem. The bottom-line is, if I were a nutcase and am already being labelled by the society, I wouldn’t even show up at school. Would you Shun Mei?” Xiao Qiao said, trying to add fuel to the fire.

Mei stood at her locker’s door looking on the ground. She was trying so hard to control her temper. Mei closed her eyes and tightened her grip on the handle of the locker as the varsity members shot their mouths off.

“I certainly wouldn’t. I ‘d probably quit school and get married. Wait. I probably shouldn’t. Or maybe I couldn’t. I mean if I were a guy, would I marry a nutcase?” Shun Mei asked her fellow bimbo friends. They laughed at her statement.

“Lonely Nutcase!” The Huang twins, Wen Ning & Wen Ling said together. Again the varsity members laughed at their own lame jokes. Except for them, the whole locker area was as silent as a funeral. Their high-pitched laughter echoed throughout the area and corridor but was silenced as Mei slammed shut her metal locker door. It startled everyone there.

Jingmei sensed trouble and tried to intervene by tugging on Mei’s uniform but Mei pulled away from Jingmei’s reach. Mei took slow steps towards Cai Ye and stared at her. Cai Ye looked a little intimidated but could only look at Mei with her big puppy eyes and her breathing paced. Mei was now only inches away from a frozen Cai Ye. Mei moved behind Cai Ye and put her lips closer to Cai Ye’s ear.

“You see, this is what happens when a nutcase is standing close to you. Your heart beats faster, it races like mad. You breathe faster because you are afraid and then you freeze and tense up.” Mei whispered into Cai Ye’s ear. Cai Ye stopped breathing. She jumped when Mei rested her arms on her shoulders. “But what you really need to know about nutcases is that you shouldn’t piss them off. You shouldn’t even try to. You might put your life at risk. Remember that.”

The whole locker area was now so dead silent, you could hear a pin drop. Mei patted Cai Ye’s shoulders and signalled a frightened Jingmei to leave for class. Coincidentally, the 2nd bell rang. Jing Wen, another member of the varsity team, ran over to the panic-stricken Cai Ye and asked her if she was alright. Cai Ye snapped out of her aura and panted, cursing Mei. Swearing that she would get back at Mei.

Xu’s tires screeched as he comes to a halt in front of his school campus. The crowd, especially the girls, went wild as he steps out of his car. Which was nothing new to Hishedori University. Xu was a superstar at school. A second year senior in Business Management who was very popular at school. A crowd pleaser and a good-looking one too. Xu was well-liked by his peers and was the major gossip subject amongst the ladies of the campus. He was not very interested in any of the girls at school because of Mei. Xu believes that Mei deserves his full attention rather than the girls at school, which was not something new. Everyone at school knew that Xu was very protective of his little sister. Xu did after all bashed a schoolmate black and blue just because he called Mei a mental retard. It was not like Xu to show his temper, so since then, none of the students at school dared to speak ill of Mei. Xu was sociable and trustworthy. Even the teachers at school liked him. Hardworking and diligent, Xu respects his elderly very much especially the ladies, even if they were just his friends. Xu had two best friends since high school, Huang Lin (whom they address as Lin-Di- and Fang Jun Yu (also known as Jay). Lin-di, Jay and Xu (Xu Shao Ye) made up the SunBoys. The trio was top at school in academics and sports. Lin-di and Jay knew about Xu’s past and his character very well. They were both by his side because they knew Xu had no one else left in his world other than Mei and them. Lin-di and Jay were like two extra big brothers to Mei as they always hung around with Xu at his house during most of their free time.

Speaking of which, Jay and Lin-di drove in moments after Xu and halted their black convertibles behind Xu’s. Jay and Lin-di stepped out of their autos and slapped Xu high fives before the trio walked into campus together. The campus was buzzing around with students and teachers like any other days of the week. The SunBoys were heading towards changing room.

“Eh, Xu, you weren’t around for the past two weeks, did something happen to Mei?” Lin-di asked Xu when they were in the male changing room. They were changing into their gym attires and Xu’s voice was muffled. Lin-di arched his eyebrows and rolled his eyes. “What was that?”

“I said, yes. I took Mei to the psychiatric hospital. Mei had an attack and she fainted. She had to be admitted there. I couldn’t possibly leave her alone, can I?” Xu repeated when he was done putting on his attire. He sat down on the bench and rubbed his knuckles. “She was screaming and calling out to my parents. Then she cried for me not to leave her. She wasn’t even conscious when she said all that.”

Xu sighed. Jay and sat down beside Xu and put his arm around him. Xu had his head buried in his hands and seemed tired. Jay looked at Lin-di hopelessly and gestured Lin-di to say something.

“Look Xu, she’s going to be alright. It’ll take time of course but she has gotten better hasn’t she? Is she at school already?” Lin-di asked, wiping his face with a towel.

“She’s already in school but I’m worried that she hasn’t recovered fully from the last attack. I feel so helpless right now I think that I’m a useless brother.” Xu said shaking his head.

Jay playfully punched Xu’s shoulder and cursed him. “Bullshit. If there was any award for the most caring brother in the world, you should… No.. You WOULD win it. No questions asked.” Jay encouraged Xu, smiling at him. Xu gave a half-hearted smile back to his beast friend. “Hey, you don’t look convinced. Look Xu, we all know that you love Mei very much and would do anything and everything for her. But she has to live her own life. There’s a limit to how much one can help another. Some things are just beyond us. Hmm?”

“Jay’s absolutely right Xu. You’ve done all you can to help Mei. Let her recover on her own. You just have to be there for her and stop worrying yourself. If you get sick, that’ll upset Mei even more. You don’t want her any more upset than she already is do you?” Lin-di added. Xu shook his head and looked at his two pals and smiled.

“Come on. Let’s make a move, or we’ll shock the entire school by being late. Then we’ll be on front covers. Hahaha.” Jay said to lightened the mood. The trio laughed and made their way to the gymnasium. Before they entered the gymnasium, the trio was stopped by a 1st year junior who wanted to talk to Xu.

“ You guys go ahead. I’ll be right behind you. Go on.” Xu told Jay and Lin-di. They left Xu at the entrance with the junior to talk. When they had left, Xu walked with the junior and took her aside so as to not block the entrance. Girls glanced enviously at the junior as they passed by.

“Er, you’re Kurakanna of 1st year class aren’t you?” Xu asked. The junior looked surprised and embarrassed that Xu had recognised her. “Is there anything that I can do for you? I‘m sorry but you‘re going to have to hurry a little. I‘m not fond of being late for class.”

“Enn. You can call me Kanna. Sorry to bother you senior. I just wanted to give you this.” Kanna handed Xu a piece of paper that had numbers on it. “That’s my phone number. Please call me when you are free.”

Xu took the piece of paper but he did not look too pleased with Kanna. Kanna could not look at Xu so she kept her head down and felt scared. Xu sighed and smiled at her. “Kanna.”

“Eh? Yes?” Kanna finally looked up and she was blushing. From a corner, Jay and Lin-di was peeping at what was going on. Jay smiled as he watched Kanna’s bravery from a distance. Lin-di was amazed at her courage.

“She’s amazing.” Lin-di and Jay both said together. They turned to face each other and let out a laugh.

“What do you think Xu will tell her? She looks very cute. Chinese you reckon Jay?” Lin-di asked Jay. Trying to figure out the junior.

“Nah.. She has to be Japanese. Her skin is far too white to be Chinese. But yeah, she does look very cute. Xu would be dumb to not take her number.” Jay replied.

“Kanna.. I appreciate your attention for me.. I noticed you looking at me since the first day you came into school. You leave gifts for me too in my locker I know. My schoolmates told me it was you. Thank you very much. That is very kind of you to do so.” Xu explained to Kanna. Kanna was embarrassed and looked away. “ But I really think that you shouldn’t waste your time on me. You should concentrate on your studies instead. I’ll be more proud of you if you were topping your class with excellent scores.”

Kanna looked up. She looked disappointed with Xu’s reply even after all those things she has done for him. “My friends and seniors told me that you wouldn’t entertain such things. I knew that you would reject the idea that I made a move.”

“Kanna. I think you are very brave to have come forward like this. Plus, you are cute too. But I really have no time for this. If you have been listening to people about me, than you must no why I say so too.” Xu reasoned.

“Enmm.. I do. But I have no regrets coming forward and doing this. I hope senior Xu would not take offence. If we cannot go out, than maybe we can be friends. Eh?” Kanna said. She still looked disappointed at the same wishfully hoping that Xu would give in.

Xu smiled and tapped Kanna’s head. “Kanna.. You are very silly. But I’ll accept your friendship. Thank you.” Xu told Kanna. “Please do not drop me gifts anymore.”

Kanna was disappointed at Xu’s refusal to accept her gifts. “Dakedo.. I don’t mind spending on you.” She looked as though she was about to cry.

“Kanna, if you regard me as your friend, please accept my request and stop sending those gifts. You can give me one on my birthday. Alright?” Xu comforted her. Kanna looked a little relaxed and nodded her head. “Well, I’d better be moving off than. Thank you Kanna. See you around.”

Xu turned around and walked away into class, smiling to himself. Lin-di and Jay rolled their eyes and waited for him to come in.

“That Xu.. He is really something isn’t he? Upsetting brave girls like that. If only I had as much attention as he does. Not that I don’t from Kahure but.. Still.. Wait till he gets here..” Lin-di said to Jay, cracking his knuckles. Jay could only chuckle to himself.

Xu walked towards them still smiling and holding the piece of paper in his hand. He was stopped by Lin-di who stood only inches apart from Xu. Xu was startled by Lin-di’s behaviour and asked what he was doing. .

“What am I doing?! What am I doing?! What are YOU trying to do.. That’s my question.” Lin-di said to Xu with a raised tone but Xu smiled. This made Lin-di more frustrated. “Argh! Here I am trying to get some senses into him and all he does is smile?! Xu! You are so detestable! That girl was cute AND… she gave her number to you! Why did you reject her?! What were you thinking of?!”

Xu turned his back towards Lin-di. He kept quiet for a moment. “Mei.” Lin-di’s frustrated expression faded and soften. “I was thinking of her. Kanna.. Reminds me of Mei. That’s all. I cannot give her what she wants.”

Jay stood up and walked towards the two. “That’s understandable. Even I couldn’t date my sister. Yucks. The thought of it.” Xu turned around to look at Jay and smiled. So did Lin-di. Then the trio laughed together. “Come on. Let’s warm up before Mr Hikumura gets here and beat us three to pulp.

Ding Dong Ding Dong, Ding Dong Ding Dong. The lunch bell rang and Mei immediately left the classroom. When Mei had left the room, Mr Cheng made an announcement to the whole class.

“ Minna chotto mate! The finals timetable is already up on the main campus notice board. Please check it out for your scheduled papers. The instructions has been posted there too. Have a nice day.” The classroom started buzzing with chattering and voices of student’s discussion about the finals.

Mei was frantically running towards Jingmei’s classroom only to find out that Jingmei also had left earlier. Mei panted as she walked around the school grounds looking for Jingmei. Mei remembered how worried Jingmei looked before they went to class because of what she did Cai Ye earlier. She felt guilty and wanted to explain to Jingmei that she was only trying to scare Cai Ye. If only Jingmei had not left her class earlier.

Mei was so tired she could hardly stand on her own that she had to sit. Mei dragged herself towards a giant Sakura tree where she and Jingmei usually have their lunch. Mei sat down and unpacked her lunch.

Forget it. She’ll show up later. Jingmei is always rushing for time. Perhaps she had some assignment or errand to do for a teacher or something. I’ll just have to talk to her later then.’ Mei thought to herself, eating her sandwich.

‘What right have I got to be mad at Xu? After all that he has done for me, after all the troubles I had put him through. What right have I got to trouble Xu? He has done everything for me. Protected me, loved me, cared for me even more than a mother or father would have.’ Mei said to herself. ‘I can never repay all of Xu’s kindness and love him the way he loves me. No one can ever love and care for me the way Xu can. No one.’

Mei stood up holding her crumpled lunch garbage. ‘Perhaps if mom and dad were still alive, Xu would be happier than he is right now. If only mom and dad was here..’

Mei recalled at the psychiatric hospital out of a sudden. Images of herself screaming, tossing and turning in her sleep flashed through her mind. She threw the blankets and pillows all over the room and yelled for Xu not to leave her. The doctors had a hard time trying to restrain her down to the bed to calm her down. Mei felt all the emotions all over again

Jingmei was approaching the field after coming to know that Mei was looking for her. She has to be at the field. Jingmei noticed that Mei’s gestures were weird and she was trying to steady herself as though she was drunk. ‘Mei? Why is Mei.. Oh No!! She’s having an attack!’ Jingmei paced up and starting running across the field of boys playing soccer. “MEI!!! MEI!! STOP! MEI!” Jingmei yelled trying to make her way through.