[Fanfic] Bu Bu Jing Xin II Chapter 7

Chapter 7: A Place Apart

The next morning, when I got up, Ge’ge was already getting ready to leave. He frowned when he saw me walked out.

“Did I wake you?” he asked

I shook my head, “I usually get up around this time.”

He glanced at the clock, “It’s still early, not to mention it’s Sunday. You should sleep more.”

That was easier said than done. Though my body now was healthier than when I was Ruoxi, I still suffered from the same case of insomnia.

Walking toward the kitchen, I asked, “Do you want something to eat before you go?”

“No,” Ge’ge replied, “But I’ll take some coffee if you have any.”

“How about tea instead? It’s healthier.” I added

He sat down at the kitchen island, “Right now, I’ll take toilet water as long as it has caffeine in it.”

I smiled and started preparations for brewing tea.

“Uh, Xiao Xiao?” Ge’ge called, “Why do you have 5 teapots?”

I followed his gaze to my cabinet.

“Different tea types required different pots,” I explained

“And what type of pot is required by tea bags?” Ge’ge asked, teasing

I wrinkled my nose, “Comparing real tea to tea bags is like comparing water to toilet water. The only thing they have in common is that they’re both liquids.”

“You sound a lot like some of my patients,” Ge’ge observed, “Except they’re mostly talking about hospital food instead.”

“Oh, that’s right,” I said, “How’s that athlete patient of yours?”

Ge’ge groaned, “Don’t remind me of him. If possible, he’s getting worse. His coach finally convinced him to try physical therapy, but he kept saying it’s not effective and that it’s just a waste of time. Then he complains about the pain, but refused to take the pain medications. He’s also one of those who whine about the hospital foods. Even the nurses who used to have a crush on him are annoyed.”

I made a sympathetic noise, “How long do you have to put up with him?” I asked, “Shouldn’t he be leaving soon?”

Ge’ge sighed, “He is able to go home now if he wanted to, but his coach persuaded him to stay longer just to make sure.”

I gave him his tea, “If he’s so bad, why don’t you just throw him out?” I suggested

“I want to,” Ge’ge replied, taking a sip, “But it’s against the Hippocratic Oath,” he shook his head, “I hate that damn oath.”

I grinned, “That’s what you get for being a genius and getting into medical school.”

Ge’ge made a face at me before proceeding to drown his tea.

“Ge,” I chided, “tea is meant to be savored.”

“I did savor it,” he said, “Genius as I am, I was able to do it faster than normal people.”

He stood up, “Ok. I have to go now. Just so you know, Mom asked me to get all the details about your ‘date’ last night since she figured you're more likely to tell me.”

I sighed. I thought as much.

“So,” Ge’ge continued, “I’m just going to say that you had such a horrible time that you even went home separately.”

“Would that deter her?” I asked

Ge’ge laughed, “What do you think?”

Of course not.

___________

After Ge’ge left, I decided to clean the house. As I was a fairly neat person, that only took a little while. I looked at the clock. My parents should be up by now. I could go to their place for breakfast. But then I remembered what Ge’ge said and decided against it. I didn’t have the energy for my mom’s eager inquisition, now when I haven’t even come to terms with those new information yet.

Figuring I could use a relaxing day, I grabbed a book and curled up on the couch. I was well absorbed within the story when my phone suddenly rang. I reached for it, confused. Who would call me so early? It was not a number I recognized, but I picked up anyway.

“Hello?”

“Hello? Zhang Xiao?”

That voice!

“Kai Ming?” I asked, surprised

“Yes,” he answered, “I’m sorry. Were you sleeping?”

“No, I’m up.”

“I’m sorry to call you out of the blue,” he said, “but I wanted to talk to you. Are you at home? Can I come over?”

“Umm…yes. That’s fine.”

“Great. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

I hung up the phone in a daze. Kai Ming wanted to come here? But why?

I glanced around. It was a good thing I decided to clean before. Feeling restless, I paced around the apartment, putting up my book, straightening the couch. Before I realized it, ten minutes had already passed and the doorbell rang. Composing myself, I went to answer it.

Kai Ming was standing there, looking as nervous as I felt.

“Hi,” he greeted

“Hi.”

I moved aside to let him in.

“I didn’t know if you had breakfast yet, so I bought some dim sum,” Kai Ming said, holding up a bag

I smiled as I took it from him, “Thank you. Have you eaten?”

He shook his head.

“We can eat together then,” I replied as I went into the kitchen, “Go ahead and sit down.”

I transferred the foods onto a plate, and grabbed a couple of bowls as well chopsticks. Kai Ming was sitting at the dining table but jumped up as soon I walked out to help me carry everything over. I went back to pour out two cups of tea before coming over and sitting down myself.

“I just brewed some tea,” I said, “I think it’ll go well with the dim sum.”

Kai Ming nodded, “Perfect.”

We ate quietly for a while before Kai Ming finally spoke.

“I want to apologize again,” he said, “for leaving you last night.”

I shook my head, “It’s fine. How’s your sister?”

“She’s better,” he answered, “Thank you for asking.”

We fell into silence once more as Kai Ming stared uncomfortably at his plate. Finally he looked up,

“There’s something else I wanted to talk about,” he said, “At the event…did you happen…I mean, did you find out about…my family business?”

I finally knew where he was getting at. I hesitated, then nodded.

 “I see,” he sucked in a breath, “I’m sorry for not telling you.”

I shook my head, “You must have a reason why. Besides, everyone is entitled to their secrets.”

I knew that better than anyone.

“I still shouldn’t have lied to you,” he replied

“You didn’t exactly lied,” I pointed out, “You just failed to mention that ‘a mixture of things’ is millions of dollars investments.”

He smiled briefly, “I was going tell you, once we get to the event. I had it all planned out. But when you asked me in the car, I was caught off guard.”

I frowned. All planned out? What did he mean?

“I really didn’t want you to find out someplace else,” he continued, “but somehow, I just couldn’t tell you then. I know I don’t exactly have the best reputation.”

I was silent for a minute, before saying, “I don’t believe it, you know. All that the media said about you. I only know the Kai Ming in front of me, and he doesn’t seem like that sort of guy.”

He looked surprised, then his expression turned soft, “Thank you,” he said, sincerity in his voice

He deliberated for a while and I watched him gathered his thoughts.

“My parents died when I was about 5 in a car crash,” he began, “There was a lot of ice on the road that night and their car veered off course. I was in the backseat with my mom, but she used her body to shield me so, other than some minor injuries, I was fine. I don’t remember that much about the accident, or my parents in general. As the years past, my memories of them become even hazier. I stayed with my uncle for a while, but then he wanted to move abroad and didn’t want to take me with him, so I was sent to the orphanage. I was already 7 then, too old to get adopted. People preferred younger kids. I didn’t mind. I didn’t want to be a charity case again,” he paused for a second, “When I was 15, one of my orphanage’s sponsors came to visit us. He was my future adopted father, Li Song Ren. He asked to see me. Apparently he saw my school testing results and was impressed. He told me he wanted to adopt me. I was shocked. There were much younger kids available. He told me he didn’t want young, he wanted smart. He also liked that we share the same last name, stating that it proved our affinity. I didn’t realize it until later, but what he wanted was not a son, but an heir. He had recently found out that he couldn’t have any more children and his only child was a daughter. He was one of those who preferred boys to girls, believing the latter lacked ability to do anything great. He thought that if he adopted an orphan, that orphan would be so grateful that he would worship the ground he walked on and do anything he said. Therefore he decided to pass his entire lifework to an unrelated boy rather than to his own daughter. It was such a shame too. Though Meng Wei was two years younger than me, she was just as smart. Due to her persistent begging, her father agreed to let her attend lessons with me, and her results were never lower than mine. She truly had an aptitude for business, not to mention, she actually enjoyed it.”

As I listened to his story, I suddenly realized something.

“You did it on purpose, didn’t you?” I asked softly, “Made that mistake which hurt the company, in order for Meng Wei to take over?”

Kai Ming smiled, “Besides my sister, you’re the second person to figure that out,” he grew somber, “That position belonged to Meng Wei. She’s the one who truly deserved it.”

Should I say that he was different from Eight prince, as he lacked the ambition to climb higher, or that he was the same as Eight prince, in that he refused to take that which he did not earned?

We sat in silence for a little bit, before I asked,

“My dad, does he know?”

Kai Ming looked contemplative, “I reckon he does, as my file is in the University’s database. But he never asked me about it, nor did he treat me differently from any other assistant. For that, I’m extremely grateful.”

I nodded, that did sound like my dad.

“I hoped you could do the same,” Kai Ming said, looking at me, “I hoped you could still just see the Kai Ming that you know, not Kai Ming the orphan, or Kai Ming the former CEO of Mo Ti.”

I smiled, “You wouldn’t have told me your story if you thought I couldn’t right?”

He laughed, shaking his head, “On my way over, I kept thinking of how you’re going to respond. But you never do respond like I expected.”

I knew that right now, what he needed was not pity or compassion, but for his background not to matter to me. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t saddened by his hard life, but if he was able to overcome it, then who was I to be affected?

“You are who you are,” I stated, “As long as you’re happy, then nothing else matters right?”

His eyes were soft, “Right.”

I contemplated a bit before asking, “Kai Ming? You said I was the second person beside Meng Wei to figure out your plan. Who was the first?”

He looked surprised at my question, but answered anyway, “Han Yang Fang. He was my best friend from the orphanage.”

Han Yang Fang. Ninth prince. Just as I thought.

Changing the subject, I nodded toward the plate, “Are you not eating anymore?”

He shook his head, “No, I should get going. I’m sure you have things you need to do.”

I didn’t, but there was no need to mention that.

Though I refused, Kai Ming insisted on helping me clean up. He washed the dishes while I put the leftovers up and I couldn’t help but wondered at how domestic this felt. When we were done, I walked him to the door.

 “Thank you,” I told him, “For trusting me enough confide in me.”

 “This was the first time I ever told someone,” he said, looking thoughtful, “It actually felt kind of relieving.”

I grinned up at him and he smiled back at me. Slowly, though, his smile faded as his gaze sharpened, intensified. The look in his eyes was familiar, a bit too familiar. I looked away, uncomfortable.

“Well,” I said awkwardly, “We’re friends, right? You should be able to tell this stuff to your friends.”

“Friends,” he repeated, his lips tilting up infinitesimally, “Right.”

___________

Monday came and, for once, I was glad to be back at work. After Kai Ming left, I was too agitated to go back to my relaxing day. There were too many thoughts in my head, too many information I had to take in. At least at work, I had to push everything away and just focused on numbers and figures. Though it might seem strange, but I find that doing these calculations was sort of soothing. Unfortunately, not many shared my sentiments.

“I hate work,” Tong Lei moaned, “I want it to be Friday again.”

Xiang Xiang and I exchanged an amused look.

“Well, only five more days ‘til your wish comes true,” I said

Tong Lei sighed, “I supposed I have to survive until then.”

She suddenly brightened up and looked at me, “Let’s go to happy hour again that day. You can invite Yang Guang to come along.”

I raised my eyebrows, “Don’t you have a boyfriend?”

She pouted, “Boo. Why do you have to go and mention that?”

I shook my head as Xiang Xiang laughed.

To say that my friends were charmed by Yang Guang would be an understatement. At first, I was worried they might develop feelings for him. But, luckily, Tong Lei already had a boyfriend and Xiang Xiang was too pragmatic to fall for what she called, “the type.”

Lunchtime rolled around and Tong Lei and Xiang Xiang both went out, but I elected to stay and finished my current spreadsheet. I was getting ready to send it to my client when the office phone rang. Realizing I was the only one here, I hurriedly went and answer it.

“Hello?”

“Hello? Hi. I’m looking for Zhang Xiao.”

 “This is she.”

“Zhang Xiao? Hey! It’s me, Yang Guang.”

Yang Guang? What was he doing calling me?

“Hi.”

“So I was wondering. When’s your lunch break?”

“Umm…right now.”

“Really? Great! Let’s meet for lunch then. Do you know Bero Bistro? It’s about two blocks from your company. I’ll see you there in five minutes, OK?”

He hung up before I could answer. I stared at the phone. Did that conversation really just happened?

___________

Despite my misgivings, I ended up going to the bistro anyway.

“Zhang Xiao!”

I looked over. Yang Guang was sitting at a table in the back waving at me.

“Isn’t this nice?” he asked as I sat down, “It’s been so long since we had lunch together.”

I frowned, “We never had lunch together before.”

He handed me a menu, “That’s why I said it’s been too long.”

I shook my head but didn’t get a chance to respond as a waitress came to take my order.

“Just a sandwich?” Yang Guang asked after the waitress left, “Is that enough? Please don’t tell me you’re on a diet or something.”

I rolled my eyes, “No, but I am on a clock. Unlike you, I do work in an office and have to get back to it in less than an hour. Speaking of which, how did you find my office number anyway?”

 “By a miracle we called the internet,” he answered casually, “I’ll show you how to use it some other day.”

I glared at him, “I think I liked the flirty you better than the sarcastic you.”

“Really?” he asked, smiling charmingly, “You’re in luck then, because flirty me is about to make his appearance.”

Before I could asked what he meant, Yang Guang waved his hand and called out,

“Ge! Over here.”

I whirled around and widened my eyes in surprise when I saw Zhenqing walking towards us. Judging by the expression on his face, he hadn’t expected to see me either.

“Zhang Xiao,” he greeted

I smiled weakly back at him.

“Since this place is near Zhang Xiao’s office, I decided to ask her to come join us,” Yang Guang explained, ignoring the scowl I sent him.

Zhenqing nodded but otherwise said nothing. I was unable to gauge his mood. Why was he so different today? 

“So Zhang Xiao,” Yang Guang said, “why don’t you continued on with what you were saying before?”

“Uh…”

What was he talking about?

Yang Guang winked at me conspiratorially, “You know, about how much you enjoyed my company last Thursday?”

Luckily I was saved from having to answer with the waitress returning with my food. She turned to Zhenqing for his order but he wasn’t looking at her.

He stared at my plate, “Is that all you’re having?”

I frowned. What was the problem men kept having with my sandwich?

“I have to be back at my office in a little bit,” I answered, taking a huge bite

The waitress cleared her throat purposely.

Without taking his eyes off me, Zhenqing said, “I’ll have the lunch portion A and B.”

“Are you that hungry? Ordering two portions?” Yang Guang asked

“One of them is for Zhang Xiao,” Zhenqing replied

I gaped as he took my plate away and gave it to the waitress.

“You shouldn’t eat just a sandwich or so hurriedly,” Zhenqing said, “It’s not good for your health. Just tell your manager that you’re having a business lunch with me. I’m sure he won’t mind.”

“And I really do need to ask you something about our account,” he added before I could object

I stared at him, then glanced at Yang Guang, who was watching us with amusement twinkling in his eyes.

I shook my head, “I thought that you two cousins were very different, but now, I think you’re actually very similar.”

Yang Guang grinned, “Did you hear that, Ge?” he asked, “She just complimented you.”

Zhenqing rolled his eyes.

Yang Guang turned back to me, “So, do you have any cousins?”

I raised my eyebrows at the abrupt question, “Uh…yes, but I’m not really close with any of them.”

“Really?” Yang Guang sent a furtive glance Zhenqing’s way, “What about siblings? Do you have any?”

 “I have an older brother.”

“Oh?” Yang Guang smiled knowingly, “Are you two close?”

 “Very.” I answered

“Do you have a picture of him? I want to see if you two look alike,” Yang Guang said

I stared at him, what was going on? He quirked an eyebrow at my silent question but didn’t say anything. I glanced at Zhenqing. He was looking down with his eyes closed, his brows furrowed. It was as if he wished he was anywhere but here.

Sighing, I reached into my bag for my wallet. I opened it to a picture of my family on my graduation day.

I handed it to Yang Guang, “The guy on my left is my brother.”

“He’s a good looking guy,” Yang Guang said, “I can see that you’re related. Look Ge.”

Zhenqing took the picture from him and stared at it for a while, “This is the guy that was in front of your apartment.”

“Oh, you saw him?” I asked, “Yeah. He had just gotten out of work and wanted to check in on me.”

Zhenqing handed the picture back to me, “What does he do?”

“He’s a doctor,” I answered

“A handsome doctor,” Yang Guang said, “He must be really popular.”

I glanced at him, “Yes, but probably not as popular as a flirty photographer.”

“A handsome, flirty photographer,” Yang Guang corrected

“I think Zhang Xiao had it right the first time,” Zhenqing commented

Yang Guang glared at him while I laughed. He certainly seemed better now. The waitress came back then with our food.

Zhenqing pushed the plates towards me, “Which one would you like? Portion A have beef while B is chicken.”

I took the second plate and thanked him.

“You want to know what I think?” Yang Guang asked

“No,” Zhenqing and I answered in unison

Yang Guang ignored us both, “I think my cousin should be the most popular one of all. I mean, look at how caring he is to girls. Plus he has this whole mysterious CEO thing going on. Women like that. Of course, that’s before they get to know him and realized that he is just a boring businessman,” he added cheekily

I glanced at Zhenqing. So he told him about that didn’t he?

“What about his weird taste in Peking Opera?” I asked

Yang Guang leaned forward, “I forgot about that. Did you hear it in his car? Which one was it?”

“Gui Fei Zui Jui,” I replied

Yang Guang groaned, “Seriously, Ge?”

Zhenqing looked up, having studiously ignoring us this whole time, “What? Boring businessmen can’t listen to Gui Fei Zui Jui?”

“I don’t think it’s the boring or business part that we’re worried about,” Yang Guang said

Zhenqing glared at him before turning to me, “Did Yang Guang ever told you about the time he was a bridesmaid at his ex’s wedding?”

“What?” I choked

“Ge!” Yang Guang cried, horrified

Zhenqing ignored him, “Yes. He even wore a dress and everything.”

“Are you serious? Was it pink?”

“With a big bow in the back,” Zhenqing confirmed

I burst out laughing.

“Hey!” Yang Guang said, “She made me promise to get her whatever wedding gift she wanted. I didn’t know what she wanted was…that.”

“He even sang The Moon Represents My Heart at the reception,” Zhenqing added

I laughed until my stomach started hurting.

Yang Guang glowered at us, “Laugh all you want. That incident just proved that I, Yang Guang, keep my promises no matter. It showed that I’m a stand up guy.”

“Please tell me you have videos or pictures,” I pleaded

Zhenqing grinned, “I do. I’ll show you next time.”

“Hey,” Yang Guang said, “Don’t you have to be back at work, Zhang Xiao?”

I ignored him, “Tell me in details what the dress look like.”

“Well, first of all, it was strapless,” Zhenqing began

Yang Guang groaned, burying his head in his hands.

___________

All things considered, lunch went fairy well. I couldn’t remember the last time I laughed so much. At the end of it, both Zhenqing and Yang Guang refused to let me pay my share.

“A gentleman should never let a lady pay in his presence,” Yang Guang stated

I turned to Zhenqing, “You already treated me last time. At least let me pay for my food.”

“Last time?” Yang Guang asked

Zhenqing shook his head, “I was the one who ordered without your permission, so I should pay as an apology.”

“Last time?” Yang Guang repeated

“That doesn’t seemed fair,” I said

Yang Guang pouted when he realized neither of us was going to answer him.

Zhenqing smiled, “I heard that life is often not.”

I gave up. How could I argue with that logic?

When we walked outside, I rejected Zhenqing’s offer for a ride.

“My office is only a couple of blocks away,” I replied, “With the traffic right now, it’ll be faster if I walk.”

I suddenly remembered something.

“What did you want to ask me?”

Zhenqing looked at me blankly.

“You said earlier you needed to ask me something about the account?” I prodded

“Oh, right. Umm…how’s the financial statement going?”

“Good,” I answered, “I should have it to you by the end of the week.”

He nodded, “Alright then. That’s all I wanted to know.”

I stared at him for a second before laughing, “I’m sure Manager Hu would be happy to know that’s why I took a two hour lunch break.”

“What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him,” Zhenqing replied calmly

“You must be an amazing boss,” I commented

Yang Guang snorted, “Are you kidding? He’s not like this with his employees. He’s basically a demon. That’s what they called him behind his back. Make a mistake on that financial statement and you’ll see his true colors.”

Zhenqing glared at Yang Guang, then turned to me, “Come by when you have the statement done and I’ll show you those pictures of Yang Guang in that dress.”

“Ge!” Yang Guang protested

I grinned, “Alright. I’ll look forward to it.”

I waved my goodbyes and was walking away when I heard footsteps behind me. I turned around to see Yang Guang running up to me, while Zhenqing was at the same spot, watching his cousin through narrowed eyes.

“I almost forgot,” Yang Guang said when he caught up, “Can I get your number?”

I looked at him, “Why?”

“Let me explain the concept of a phone number to you,” he said, “It is used for people to call one another to talk, or relay important information, or…”

“Or trick someone into lunch?” I glared at him

He grinned, “That too.”

“Can’t you just get it from the internet?” I asked sarcastically

Yang Guang made a face, “That’s creepy. Possible. But still creepy.”

I sighed and he seemed to sense my defeat. Grinning, he pulled out his phone and handed it to me. I punched in my number.

I pinned him with my best glare as I gave the phone back, “You better not do something like this again. Or else I’ll steal those pictures of you and post them on the internet.”

Yang Guang rolled his eyes, “Please. Like my cousin haven’t threatened me with that a thousand times already.

I shook my head. What have I gotten myself into?

___________

The next few days past by with no more unexpected phone calls, which I was thankful for. I did receive a couple of texts from Ge’ge, reminding me to come to the hospital for my test results. Deciding it was best to get it over with, I dropped by right after work.

“Oh good, you’re here,” Ge’ge said as I walked in his office, “Glad to know you got my texts.”

I rolled my eyes and sat down, “Yes, all five of them. Was there anything wrong with the tests?”

“Yes,” he answered, “That’s why I sent the five texts.”

He pulled out my results and handed it to me, “You have a slight case of anemia.”

I glanced at the paper, “That’s it?”

Ge’ge glared at me, “Do you know how serious this can be? It might be minor now but can very easily turn severe. Not to mention, it can cause other problems, such as organ damage, neurological damage, or even cancer.”

I raised my hands in surrender, “Alright, alright. I get it. What should I do?”

“Well first off, you need to take vitamins, which I’ll write you a prescription for,” he answered, “But the most important thing is you need to change your diet. You have to start eating more food with iron in them. Actually, you need to eat more in general. I’ll draw up a diet plan for you and make sure-”

A knock at the door interrupted his tirade. A nurse poked her head in,

“Dr. Zhang, Dr. Tong needs you for a consult.”

Ge’ge sighed, “Alright. Shen Li, would you mind taking my sister down to the pharmacy? Here’s her prescription.”

He turned to me, “We’re not done here. Come back and wait for me after you get your vitamins.”

With that, he walked away.

“Yes sir,” I muttered

The nurse chuckled, “Come with me,”

“So you’re Dr. Zhang’s sister,” she said as we were walking, “We heard lots about you.”

“All good things I hope.”

She nodded enthusiastically, “Oh yes! Your brother absolutely adores you. He’s been so stressed lately, but talking about you always brings a smile to his face.”

I frowned, “He’s stressed?”

“Well,” she said, her voice dropping down a notch, “it is his last year of clinical and that tends to be stressful in itself. Plus, his patients aren’t exactly helping, especially the one in room 312.”

“Is that the athlete one?” I asked

“So you heard about that? Yes, that’s him. In all my years as a nurse, I’ve never seen a more difficult patient. Not just Dr. Zhang, the whole hospital staff is stressed because of him. But we can’t really do anything about it, since he is a high profiled patient and all,” she sighed, “It’s a shame. Such a pretty face, but such a bad attitude.”

I didn’t realize Ge’ge was having such a hard time. Guilt flooded me. All this time I have been worrying about my problems so much that I neglected to see his. What a great sister I was.

“Here we are!” the nurse announced, interrupting my thoughts

She handed my prescription to the pharmacist, then turned to me, “Do you think you remember your way back to Dr. Zhang’s office?”

I nodded.

“I’ll get going then,” she said, “It was nice meeting you.”

“You too,” I replied

I looked around as I waited. The inner hall past the pharmacy was the patients’ room. I squinted and could make out the numbers 301-320 on the sign in front of it. 301-320. That must meant that the difficult athlete’s room was in there.

“Miss?” the pharmacist called

I walked over and he handed me a small bag.

“These are iron supplements and vitamin C tablets,” he said, “Take them together and with every meal.”

I nodded and thanked him. Clutching the bag, I glanced around. Curiosity got better of me and I quickly made my way over to the patients’ room. 302, 304, 306, 308, 310. A-ha! Here it was, 312. The door was opened and I could hear someone’s voice coming from inside.

“They called this food?! A dog wouldn’t eat this!”

I rolled my eyes. I got the right room alright. Trying to be as sneaky as possible, I took a peek in. The guy on the bed had his face down, probably staring in disgust at the tray of food in front of him. So this was the guy who had been torturing my brother. He definitely had the stature of an athlete, tall and full bodied. I willed him to turn just so I could have a face to direct my dislike to. As if he heard me, he glanced up and stared straight in my direction. I dropped my medicine in surprise.

Those eyes…that face…

Fourteenth prince.

___________

A/N: I’m sorry for the late update, but I hope the long chapter is enough to make up for it. I had a test this week, so I’ve been busy studying. Anyway, this is my longest chapter yet, mainly because I didn’t want to end without the reintroduction of Fourteenth prince. I feel bad for having him wait until chapter 7 to make an appearance (though he was first mentioned in chapter 4). But I will have a few chapters centering on him to make up for it. Well, this is it. All of our princes have appeared. I’m probably not going to add Tenth prince in, just because I felt he already had his happy ending, so there’s no need to mess with it. Though he could appear as a cameo or something. We’ll see J