The Love That Remains

The sunbeams seep through the window glass and fall in the middle of the living room. On the television, the news channel is telecasting weather report. It's going to be a bright day tonight.

Another week has passed. I haven't left the house in 3 weeks.

I check my cell phone. There are fifteen messages and ten missed calls from Wang Mei, five missed calls from grandmother Wang, three calls and four warning emails from H high school. I send a short message to Grandmother Wang that I am fine. I turn my phone off.

I don't want to go back to H high school.

Going back means seeing him again. I know that he and I are in the same class. 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.

I am afraid that my heart might waver again if I am close to him.

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 don't have goals now.

I am the illegitimate daughter. My mother is unknown. My father wanted to throw me away, but it was my grandmother who fought with her son and her husband to raise me. Because of that, she moved out of the main Fang House and lived here till her death. My father is married and has a legitimate heir to the F Corporation.

I change the channels. Nothing is interesting. I check the business news.

"Young miss?"

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"Yes, Granny Lan?"

"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. Let them lose money.

"He wants you to visit him tomorrow." Her voice is clear and firm. I press the mute button 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?"

Granny Lan sighs. "You don't eat vegetables without meat."

"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 missed the food cooked by Granny Lan.

"Young miss, your school headmaster called him. Master is angry. He said if you don't go, your name will be removed from the family register." Granny Lan eyes me coolly. "He won't give you allowances either."

"Did he threaten you? He won't make you leave, would he?"

"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 to this time? I turn off the TV and get up.

"I am going out for a while."

I should prepare for tomorrow. I am going to infuriate him so much that he will cry tears of blood.

___

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 realize that there are some things that I am the only one know. I know that Wang Ying Ying is going to the next queen of the entertainment industry. Her younger brother Wang Yu will become a famous pianist. Of course, Wang 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 the next president. I know what will happen in the next 15 years.

"Ring~ Ring~ Ring~" I sing loudly. "I have loved you for seven days~ I will love you for seven moooooore~ Then, we will paaaart waaaays~"

The bystanders stare at me with weird expressions. I laugh at myself. I have never done this before. After experiencing death once, one starts to take things easy.

What do you know, people? I have been reborn.

"Miss Fang is a funny singer."

I stop in 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 shirt. As always, his dark hair is a bit messy. I wonder how much he has heard.

It's not a bright day anymore. My mood sours instantly.

"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 in a public place. There is never telling when this guy claims that I am seducing him or attack my lips again.

"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 and places his palm against my forehead.

"Do you have a fever? Your skin is warm." He gives me a concerned look.

My disloyal heart skips a beat. This playboy!

I jerk his hand away."Who asked you to touch me? Don't touch me without my permission."

I wince when I see the iciness in those 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 asks me the obvious question.

Haven't I made it clear? If I admit it clearly, he will ask me why.

"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.

I am surprised when Sung Jun doesn't get angry like last time.

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 hit me where it hurts. How long did he take to think of that response? My self-esteem is in crisis. Damn! 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 leans closer and looks into my eyes. I feel like hiding from those penetrating eyes. He can't read my mind. Mind reading is impossible, right? Then, turning back time is also supposed to be impossible.

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

He is shamelessly flirting with me.

"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, trying to wash away his touch with mine. I know that it doesn't make sense. I don't like this jittery feeling flowing through my body. "We should forget the past. We should forget meeting with each other. Let's become strangers again."

Let's have the break up that we didn't have in my past life. Let's say goodbye.

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

"Ow!" 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?"

He grins. "You are cute. 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.

"I like kissing you." The tips of his fingers trace the curve of my neck. "Be my girlfriend."

___

"I like kissing you. Be my girlfriend."

Talking politely to this guy is out of the question. He likes to do whatever he wants. When I was chasing him in my past life, he turned me away. In this life, I don't want to do anything with him. He has already asked me to marry him and then, he asked me to become his fiancée. Now, he is asking me to become his girlfriend. He has lost it.

They say that women are too complicated to understand. What about men? Men are not easy to comprehend either.

Before I can refuse his friendship offer, I am struck with a sickening waft of rotting mice. My stomach churns and bile rises in my throat. I resist the urge to throw up and cover my nose. A middle-aged bald man with beady eyes approaches and steals a glance at me.

He stops behind Sung Jun and eyes us with mild interest.

When did this man bathe last time?

Sung Jun follows my gaze. He is astonished to see that man. I don't know their relationship, but I can't tolerate this bad smell. I turn around and run. Behind me, Sung Jun cusses loudly.

I am relieved to find that Sung Jun isn't following me. I don't take a chance and keep running until I collide with something.

The person I collide with is a small boy with dark hair and big round eyes. I scrunch my nose. He also smells like rotting eggs. What's up with people these days? Why are they skipping baths? I ignore the smell and help him get up.

"Are you hurt somewhere?" I ask the kid.

The boy doesn't answer me. He stares at me with his haunting eyes like he has seen a ghost. I guess that I look scary sometimes, but I don't look like a witch.

"Are you okay?" I ask again. The boy blinks his round brown eyes and sniffles. Why are children so hard to deal with? I only asked a simple question and he looks like I stole his toys.

"Kid, where is your mother?" I try again.

The boy starts crying and runs away from me. He screams for his mother. A woman in her late twenties comes out of nowhere and picks him up. The boy points at me and says something to that woman. I don't want to get into trouble. So, I run away before that woman could find me.

What a troublesome day!

I stop at the hair salon. I wanted to get a haircut and buy some makeup supplies. I already have a nice dress to wear tomorrow. I have a feeling that tomorrow is going to be an important day for me. If things go right, I will save myself from a well-made trap.

I go inside the hair salon. The hairdresser lady gives me a welcoming smile. I give her a nod and take a seat.

"You have nice hair." The hairdresser lady has dyed purple and blue hair. She is wearing purple lenses. I guess that it's a trend these days. "Should I wash your hair before the haircut?"

"Sure."

She slowly massages the shampoo in my hair while I look at the catalog. Her fingers are soft and relaxing. I start to doze off.

___

It's snowing. The man in the dark coat watches me with undisguised hate and disgust. He clenches his jaw and flares his nostrils. Before I can introduce myself, he leans toward me and says, "You look just like your mother."

"Father...?" I say softly. We are meeting for the first time. Today, I am wearing my favourite brown coat with a red dress and black shoes. Is it bad to look like my mother?

"I am not your father." That man snaps at me. He looks too scary. I bite my lower lip. Grandma said that he is my father. Why is he saying otherwise? I don't understand. Did I do something to displease him?

"But, grandma said that you are my father." I look into his unfathomable dark eyes. His face contorts with fury when he hears me.

"You are disgusting just like your mother."

___

I wake up and find myself in the hair salon. My eyes are blurry. My cheeks are wet. I realize that I have been crying in sleep.

"Miss, are you okay?" I hear the hairstylist ask.

"Yes." I rub the tears away. "I had a nightmare."

"I am sorry to hear that." She combs my hair carefully. "We just finished doing your hair."

"I see." A young girl with complicated expressions looks back at me. Her shoulder-length hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes are a neon pink colour. Her face is pale and her lips are red as cherries. Who is this girl?

"What do you think?" She watches me with her sparkling eyes.

"Why are my hair pink?" I gape at my reflection.

"Isn't that what you chose?" She shows me the catalogue. The hairstyle is called 'Pink Lollipop'. I don't remember choosing something like that.

"When did I tell you that I chose this?" I glare at her.

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"You were asleep. I found your finger on that style." She replies nervously. "Miss, this is a trend among youngsters these days. Your hair will even glow in dark."

Glow in dark...

I try to comprehend those words.

"We will give you a fifty percent discount because today is Wednesday." She smiles at me professionally. "After the discount, it's only two hundred dollars."

I smack my forehead. My bad luck is too strong in this life.