5 Her Life

Our worlds had been apart.

How can my feelings restart?

When the wounds have yield deeply,

And it was so steeply.

***

The year 2021, 500 centuries away from Zhaochong Empire.

Chen Li said as he looked at how beautiful she was. He had a deep crush on Althea since the very first time he saw her and he was mesmerized by the round eyes that she had. She had a coil of leaf-brown hair that was flowing over her shoulders, a pointed nose, and she had a saccharine-sweet lip. She wore elegantly, not like a simple office worker that you will come right at the side of the streets, and she had a dashing personality.

She smiled through that shiny, halo-white teeth and she said, "It's still a preliminary audition, it's not that big. I have to pass five rounds through that competition so that I can finally say that I am a winner."

The people through the office ran up the steps, ignoring the two people who were talking in the middle, and Chen smiled at her. He muttered, "Still, you're so great. You had been my writer for years. And I see so much potential in you."

He grinned as he wanted to hug her right then and there but he knew that he got to have permission. He lengthened his arms wide and Althea was so surprised by what he did. He laughed at her while she took steps towards him and clasped both of her arms around his waist. Chen's heartbeat got louder as they both hugged each other tightly.

He looked up as he saw a little of the snow that draped over her hair. He smiled as he unclasped his hands from her and he brushed off the dirt from her hair. Althea grinned as she removed her hands from his waist and nodded towards the entrance of the Hanzi Times. Chen Li followed her as she bumped up towards the ground due to the happiness that she felt when she saw that she got into the competition.

They stepped on the mat and the glass doors opened immediately. The security guards holding their rifles closed through their chest bowed down their heads and greeted them both by their names. Althea Xi and Chen Li both grinned at their sides.

Hanzi Times was a wide and glass dome with a fountain on the center of the entrance. The glass doors will lead you towards the neat and cold white marble tiled floor. There was a resting area on the side of the glass doors and the marigold-colored couches had been occupied. There was a table in the center too, and a shop behind the walls that sold the sweet coffee and their traditional drink, Baijiu. The whole lobby area was filled with people who were rushing to get to the elevators and to their own offices.

The dome was shining on the broad daylight that was brought upon the Lunar New Year coming. It was like majestic scenery when Althea stopped at the front of the fountain, with Chen Li beside her, and she looked up at the statue of Wenchang Wang, the God of Chinese Writing and Literature, who was sitting on the pillar of the fountain, with the robes draped all over his body. He was holding a quill in his hand. He was smiling towards the glass doors and his statue had been cemented on the rock, supporting him. His face was a square one, and the sculptor had been so crafty about putting details on his mustache and beard.

Althea retrieved a wallet from her coat and picked up coins. She closed her eyes as she put her hand by her forehead while Chen Li averted his eyes towards her. He chuckled a little as he shook his head and he knew that she was making a wish. Althea whispered quietly, "Please, guide me towards the final audition of Zuozhe Inquirer. I want to be their author."

Althea closed her eyes tightly as she glanced at the statue once again and threw the spare coins she had left on the waters of the fountain. She heard the streaming of the waters that flowed out through the holes on the pillars that Wenchang Wang was sitting and she observed it for a while. Chen Li spoke up, "You're done praying for the competition?"

Althea sighed as she stared towards her colleague and editor while she beamed. She nodded as he motioned for them to ride the elevator while there was still time to kill. She grinned as she pressed the upwards button while her cell phone rang on her coat. Chen Li furrowed his eyebrows a little as he pocketed his left hand on his slacks while Althea was retrieving her cell phone.

She swiped the green button once again and she put it by her ear. She nodded as she heard her name on the other end of the line. She covered the mouthpiece first before she said to her editor, "Can you go ahead first? I need to answer this call for today."

Chen Li opened his mouth slightly as someone rode in the elevator across while Althea bit her lip. Chen Li nodded as Althea turned her heel around to ran towards the resting area of the lobby inside the Hanzi Times. Chen Li stepped foot on the elevator while creasing his forehead and was confused about the phone call Althea received again.

Althea put her phone by her ear and asked, "Oh, hello. This is from... from Zuozhe Inquirer, right?"

The woman's voice answered on the other end of the line as she continued, "This is Althea Xi of Hanzi Times, right? The notice that came earlier about the preliminary audition had been bugged, and we were sorry to inform you that you had been disqualified from the competition."

Althea froze in her place and left her mouth open as soon as she heard it. She gaped in the lobby as several people walked past ahead of her. She couldn't believe what she had heard as the woman on the other end of the line called out to her. She laid down her cell phone slowly on her side as she pursed her lips and inhaled a large amount of air. She creased her forehead as she shook her head and couldn't believe why did she got disqualified.

Althea had the courage to lift up her arm once again and asked, "Why... why did I got disqualified?"

The woman cleared her throat from the other end of the line as Althea's eyes welled up with the tears that she didn't want to show. She looked across from the lobby, while she grimaced and bit her lip. The woman explained, "We had skimmed up towards the entries earlier, and we saw that your work had been describing the prohibited folklore of the country. The Legend of the Cursed Dragon or any other scheme towards the forbidden tales had been withdrawn from the themes of the competition---"

"But you put up that theme on the first day of the contest!" Althea spat out as she closed her eyes and the tears escaped from her eyes. She felt so hopeless and restless about what happened. She was so happy earlier in the morning, and she didn't have the time to think that her entry might be out of the limits. Althea covered her eyes for a second as the people took turns glancing at her for a second as she walked up swiftly at the exit.

The woman sighed on the other end of the line while Althea removed her cell phone from her ear. She panted as she hanged up the line and she closed her eyes as soon as she got out of the glass doors. The snow started to dip down on the broad daylight as she gripped her cell phone tightly while crying. She drooped her head down as she put her hands over her eyes.

She couldn't believe that in just a few hours, she had been taken back from the happiness that she felt earlier. She sat down on the bench as she propped up her elbows by her knees while huffing the cold air from her mouth. The tears fell down from her eyes continuously and she doesn't know how could she not tempt her to cry the pain in her heart.

"I'm sorry, Grandma, I didn't make it," Althea whispered as she leaned her back on the seat while she was sobbing uncontrollably. She clutched the hem of her coat as she looked down and her brown hair swept over both sides of her face. She felt the anger rising in her veins as she recalled the Legend of the Cursed Dragon. She looked up as she glared at the skyscraper of the Hanzi Times as she gritted her teeth.

She stood up from her seat as she pocketed her cell phone on her coat once again as she whispered furiously, "That damn legend."