SOUNDTRACK: Crown (TXT)

"Okay, stop, the way Mr. Lee's eyes just bulged when he caught Huang Jing with the phone?" Xinyi giggled.

"Quite funny, but please stop getting sidetracked. We have homework remember?" Mingyu nudged Xinyi.

"Fine, fine," grumbled Xinyi, "workaholic is what you are, you know?"

Mingyu laughed. The two friends were situated on a grassy hill overlooking a shimmering lake. The outdoors helped clear her mind, and Xinyi didn't like the cramped school library. Best option? The lake.

"Did you finish the project for Mr. Lee, anyway?" she asked.

"Uh-huh," Xinyi said. "I did it last night. Help me check it over?" She handed the sheet of paper to Mingyu. As she was looking it over, a shadow fell across the paper.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Tang Mingyu and Shen Xinyi."

Mingyu stiffened. She knew that voice. Too well, in fact. "What do you want, Yichen?" He grinned, revealing startling white teeth.

"Can't I just walk by the lake? I had absolutely no idea one had to want something in order to visit a lake," Yichen sniffed.

"You always do something for a reason. And that reason is never good," Mingyu bit out, which was probably not wise, considering Wang Yichen's infamous temper. However, Yichen's face stretched into a fake smile that looked more like a donkey having a seizure.

"Tsk, tsk," he said, shaking his head in mock concern, "still the same insolent child as before."

"And you're still the same arrogant snake as before."

"Dear me. Remind me again why I wanted to date you?"

Xinyi eyes widened. "Let's go, Mingyu."

Mingyu nearly jumped. She'd almost forgotten Xinyi was there.

"Mingyu, let's go," Xinyi said more insistently. Mingyu relented and let her best friend drag her away from the grassy hill, finally stopping at a block or two away from the lake.

"Sit here," Xinyi pointed at a wooden bench, "and don't go anywhere." Mingyu did as she was told, waiting for a couple minutes before Xinyi returned with two cans of jasmine tea, one of which she handed to Mingyu.

"Thanks," she said, smiling at her friend. For a while the two of them just sat there, sipping their tea and thinking.

"We should start heading home now," Xinyi said abruptly. "It's getting dark." That was true. The sky was turning pink, heading towards orange.

"I'll see you tomorrow for the party my brother's hosting?" 

"No, I have my cousin's birthday to go to tomorrow. But I'm sure you'll manage the doctor yourself, no?" Xinyi smiled. "And Sunday the tennis team has a game, so not Sunday either."

"True enough. See you on Monday, then," Mingyu waved.

"See you on Monday," she agreed, walking back towards her home. 

Mingyu started home, noting how the clouds were starting to turn a rather ominous dark gray. She hadn't brought her umbrella, because the forecast predicted a warm, sunny day—which had been true enough in the morning—but the clouds overhead told a different story. She groaned as the skies suddenly opened up and fat droplets of rain started splashing down on her. She resolved to walk home as fast as possible, speed-walking as fast as her legs would allow. Lightning flashed, lighting up the sky, and Mingyu counted the seconds—ten seconds in between the lightning and thunder. She divided by five, which gave her two.

"Two miles away," she murmured, ducking under the awning of a goose restaurant. After a good five minutes, with no more lightning to be seen or thunder to be heard, she decided it must be safe to keep walking. Almost immediately she got soaked, water sloshing on the sidewalk. She hoped Yichen was even more drenched than she was. 

About halfway home, Mingyu stopped. She couldn't feel the rain anymore. She looked up—and saw the black underside of an umbrella. A tall, vaguely familiar high-school aged man with glasses was holding said umbrella.

"Oh, thank you . . . um . . . "

"Mu Siyang," he supplied.

"Oh! You're my brother's captain!" Mingyu realized. "Wait, er . . . thank you so much, xuezhang."

"No problem," Siyang smiled. "Let me walk you home. Jiale would be furious if he knew I saw you, drenched, and didn't do anything."

"You don't have to do that, xuezhang, it's only water."

"Oh no, I insist," he said, and the look in his eyes told Mingyu it was pointless to argue.

"Mingyu, if that's you, I am so mad at you, it's literally raining and you didn't even—oh. Hi, xuezhang?" Jiale stopped, looking from Mingyu to Siyang. "Wait . . . "

"Before you get any ideas, Jiale, it's rude to let someone stand in the rain," Mingyu interrupted. 

"Sorry," Jiale said with zero apology in his voice. Mingyu stepped into the warm house gratefully.

"Thank you for bringing me home, xuezhang," she said. 

"It was nothing," Siyang said. "Jiale, we have practice tomorrow at 6:30 AM. Let the rest of the team know, will you?"

"Uh-huh, I will, duizhang. Bye!" And he promptly closed the door in Siyang's face, with no thought whatsoever on what he'd just done. 

"So, Mingyu . . . "

"I don't think I like where this is going," she remarked, shrugging off her soaking wet jacket. 

"So . . . " Jiale raised his eyebrows.

"Yes?"

"So Siyang's bringing you home now, huh?" Jiale said.

"No. That was a one time thing."

"But he brought you home. He could've let you walk home in the rain." He raised his eyebrows twice more.

"His exact words were, 'Let me walk you home. Jiale would be furious if he knew I saw you, drenched, and didn't do anything,'" Mingyu turned to face her brother, exasperated, "so I don't know what you're implying." She turned and walked out of the room.

Jiale slammed a hand to his forehead. His twin sister was either really dumb or actually believed what she was saying. 

"I have to tell Dachi!" Jiale said suddenly out loud.

Jiale:
dachi, guess what just happened!

Dachi:
let me guess, you've found another possible romance

Jiale:
u know me so well. but dachi, siyang brought mingyu home today!

Dachi:
. . . 
so?

Jiale:
uh, hello, this is SIYANG and MINGYU we're talking about. they're really good at hiding stuff. 

Dachi:
okay
why are you making a big deal out of this?

Jiale:
bruh
y r u NOT making a big deal out of this?

Dachi is offline

"AAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

***

Mingyu rubbed her head, lying down on the bed. She'd thought a shower would clear her head from seeing Yichen again in the flesh, but no luck.  She closed her eyes, falling asleep from pure exhaustion almost immediately. It was far from a restful sleep.

Two years ago:

Mingyu leans her head against YIchen's broad shoulder. They've been dating for a year now. She can't be any happier.

"You'll never leave me, right?" she asks quietly.

"Never, love, I will never leave you," he replies, brushing a lock of her hair out of her eyes. "I will do anything for you, if only to make you happy."

Two days later:

Mingyu walks back home, having just said goodbye to her friend Xinyi. She stops, suddenly. She can't process what she's seeing.

Yichen.

A pretty girl with long, black hair.

Kissing.

 The next day:

"I'm breaking up with you."

***

Mingyu pushed open the doors of the clinic. She checked her watch. Ten more mintues. She sat down in one of the plastic chairs of the waiting room, idly scrolling through pictures Xinyi had sent her.

"Tang Mingyu?" the receptionist called.

She got up quickly. "Yes?"

"Please follow me for your checkup with Doctor Chang," she said, going down a hallway, gesturing towards the first door to the right.

"Thank you," Mingyu said, stepping into the room. The same doctor from before wated behind a desk.

"Okay, how's your arm been so far?"

Perfectly dandy, she wanted to say, because it's so awesome I can't use my right arm for like, six weeks?  "It's been improving, I think, based on the tenderness of when I touch it underneath the cast."

"That's good. So I want you to do this exercise every day. It won't hurt the arm, but it'll help it get stronger," Doctor Chang said, demonstrating. Mingyu did her best to copy him. "Three sets of ten everyday. We'll schedule another appointment next week, at the same time. And that's it for today."

"Thank, doctor," Mingyu said, getting up. When leaving she saw Jiale's captain, Siyang again. Weird, she thought. Siyang was just getting up from his chair when he saw her.

"Oh, hello," he greeted, "I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"Neither was I," Mingyu agreed. "I'm here because of an elbow fracture. What about you?"

"An injury in the arm," Siyang said, elaborating no further. "I assume I'll see you tomorrow for Jiale's game."

"Yup," she said. The two of them parted ways, Siyang to the doctor's office, and Mingyu back home.

***

"Are you going to tell me why we're hiding in a bush spying on some random boy?" Mingyu and Xinyi were crouched awkwardly behind a tall, wide bush, peeking through the leaves at a tall Yu Qing senior.

"Hush!" Xinyi reprimanded. "Just a few more minutes . . . "

"Xinyi, he's literally doing homework. There's nothing to see."

"Of course there is!"

"Like . . . ?"

"Oh, stop it, you don't understand!"

"You're right, I don't."

"You know I like him. Just humor me for once, okay?"

"Fine. Just this once." Mingyu blew air out through her teeth. Branches of the bush jabbed into her side, and her legs burned from hovering in that position for so long.

The senior started packing up his books and standing up. Shoot, she thought.

"Xinyi," she hissed. "He's going to see us."

"Oh no, he's going to see us!" Xinyi said, panicked. She started to creep away from the bushes, while Mingyu just stood up. The bush was tall enough to conceal her fully, anyway.

"Um, hi?"

Mingyu bit back an inappropriate word as Xinyi's eyes widened.

***

SOUNDTRACK: Crown (TXT)

I honestly don't know why Crown is the soundtrack. Cuz it's such a cheerful song lol. But anyway. I am super sorry I couldn't get this chapter out sooner, and it's not even the length I would want it to be. But also, major credits to gourmetapple, because this chapter wouldn't be possible without. Again, I am so sorry about the wait and I really hope this chapter was worth it. Also, please don't be a ghost reader! I love hearing your thoughts and opinions. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated.

Love you!
Willow