Sacrifice

Lu Xinyi woke up with a start, drenched in sweat from another nightmare. She usually had nightmares but after the prison incident they were more intensified.

They looked detailed to the point that they almost felt real. They were flashes but she couldn't remember a thing when she would wake up.

It's been days from the incident when she woke in her room and Jiang Qinqin told her that it was a mistake that she was put in the cell.

She didn't believe him. You can stomp someone by mistake but not put someone in a cell by mistake.

She was looking for an opening, a straw that would have freedom at the end of it but she didn't want to be reckless and alert them so she discretely only observed people and security.

She got off the bed and took a long relaxing bubble bath, it was one of the few things that were familiar. She must love bubble baths a lot. It was almost morning and it wasn't like she will be able to go back to sleep.

After breakfast she took out the English classic literature 'Far from the Maddening crowds' from the books Jiang Qinqin gifted her and began reading it. She was lost in the depth of the story when a maid rushed in.

"Ms Lei your friends are here to see you."

Lu Xinyi paused for a movement then nodded at her to send them in, knowing well she will have an eventful day ahead.

After a while in Lei Xinyi room:

"So they got you roasted in the Yu's exclusive cell. Hmm... would be exciting. Huh? Must feel like a celebrity." Su Qing said sarcastically as she munched on the cookies Lu Xinyi baked with her eyes still on the screen where she was posing on the runaway.

She was without a doubt a narcissist!

Lu Xinyi sat uncomfortably, shifted in her seat and whispered, "... It was scary."

He Zheng scoffed from his seat while speed-typing some complex code on his laptop, "Of course, that was the whole purpose of dungeon. Now wasn't it?"

Lu Xinyi looked at them with a questioning look. It was beyond her how they were so casual about people holding captive someone in their personalized cell, like it was a usual occurrence.

As if reading the question in Lu Xinyi gaze Su Qing shrugged, "I was Yu Youhan's younger brother, Yu Jian's... acquaintance so he showed me places, " then pointing to He Zheng "This faggot here tried to hack their system once when you dared him to. And then when you poffed off the face of earth they also did the courtesy to drag our asses there for investigation."

"I told you I am not a gay!" He Zheng shouted and Su Qing rolled her eyes.

"I am sorry you guys had to face that because of me." Lu Xinyi said guiltily as her pale face became red with embarrassment.

Su Qing shrugged, "No hard feelings that can't be gone by the sumptuous Dumplings Yu's cook make."

Lu Xinyi nodded, "I will go and ask the cook to make you some."

He Zheng looked at her with a mock disgusted look.

"What?! she was always ripping me off when she was okay! And that's not even her money and Yu Youhan got loads of it!" Su Qing muttered exaggerated and stuffed more cookies in her mouth.

She didn't look even a for a second the gorgeous Queen that she was on the screen but ate like a starved woman eating like a pig.

He Zheng shook his head, "You are awfully a glutton for a super model and actress."

Su Qing ignored him and looked at the closed door then inched closer to He Zheng.

"..pst...pst...," Su Qing called He Zheng attention, "Don't you think there is something seriously wrong with Lei Xinyi?" she whispered.

He Zheng rolled his eyes at her, "Su Qing, you know what? she just lost her memories so she is just freaked and will get back to normal with time so just give her space."

Su Qing opened her mouth to say something but Lu Xinyi came back in the room with Dumplings that Su Qing immediately took from her hand and held one dumpling in her hand.

Putting it in her mouth she moaned, "Ummmm.... these are the best things in the world."

He Zheng shook his head at her antics. She was such a glutton that most of the businesses that she had were restaurants and hotels.

"Ok I am off to work. Don't miss me too much, sweet cheeks."

He bent on Lei Xinyi level and kissed her cheeks then did the same to Su Qing. Smiling at them he left for his work.

Su Qing was glaring at the other girls on the runaway on the screen and threw dumplings on the screen and muttered,"Bitches!"

"So... You and Yu Jian?" Lu Xinyi said with blushing red cheeks and shy smile without making eye contact.

Su Qing was momentarily shocked. She was blushing! The brazen woman who would do the most audacious of things blandly was blushing! What has the world come to be!

Getting out of her trance, Su Qing looked at Lu Xinyi with a confused face and scrunched brows."Me and him what?"

"You guys are... dating."

And Su Qing thought she couldn't go any more redder but Lu Xinyi literally looked like a tomato she was bashfully smiling. If Su Qing didn't know better she would think she was a bashful virgin.

As Su Qing was amusing on her thought, Lu Xinyi words registered in her head and she choked on the air she was breathing.

"What the f*ck?! Who is spewing this nonsense?" Su Qing literally shouted getting a hold of her breathing.

Lu Xinyi was slightly shocked at her outburst and flinched, then blinked her doe eyes innocently, and whispered, "Brother Qin told me that."

Su Qing snorted, and shook her head, "No, no, no and a final no. I am not dating that asshole! You get it?"

"But Brother Qin said..."

"Damn your Brother Qin! I just f*ck him sometimes, for goodness sake!" Su Qing exasperatedly said.

Lu xInyi looked at her with blushing cheeks and blush that was creeping on her ears tips and neck now, "If you do... it with him doesn't it mean that you are... dating?"

Su Qing switched off the screen and threw the remote on the table, "The guy you f*ck and the guy you love are two different people. Love is like Russian roulette, a risk. one out of five chance you would drop dead but getting physical you are giving nothing but your time to someone. It's just you using someone to let some steam off."

Lu Xinyi looked at her for a moment, examining her face for any emotion that would give her away.

It was an obvious fact that when a woman bare her nakedness to a man, she also bares her depth and soul and no woman bare her soul to just anyone.

"So you don't love him?"

Su Qing scoffed, "For the record I did like him back then and It doesn't matter if I like him or not. He has a lot of b*tches on his beck and call and his mother don't like me. So, we can't be together."

Lu Xinyi looked at her with pursed lips and observed the emotions on her face. It was obvious she liked him.

Lu Xinyi felt bad for her. Although she didn't know who she was and she was a little strong for her taste but she had come to find a true fried in her and a little brother in He Zheng.

They weren't kind of people that would offer the kindest of words to you on a bad day but make sure to put effort in making it good for you.

They offered her a kind of comfort nobody else did. Su Qing was an A-lister actress and model and He Zheng was a genius that earned millions in a week but still they stayed casual in front of her and didn't judge her.

"You are afraid to fall." Lu Xinyi concluded.

Su Qing shook her head with a mocking smile, "Falling doesn't scare me, being the only one who falls does."

A tear slid down her cheek, "Bring on stake everything you have and any woman in love would do that because that's how we love. We express love with sacrifice. That's why in the old era a woman left her family, lifestyle and sometimes even country for the man she marries."

"But putting on stake everything that you have for a kind of man who will never do the same is scary. In fact it's barbaric and cruel. As much as a healthy relationship requires consent, it requires sacrifice from both sides or else the relation is.... toxic."

Lu Xinyi looked deep in thought before nodding. It was only fair that the relation was being held together by two people together and not by abusing one person's devotion.

"So.. you think he wouldn't sacrifice for you?"

"No, I think he would then again I just don't know if it's because I am delusional or plain crazy but I don't want to take risk with my heart. Not again." Su Qing muttered.

When she fell in love she would remeber this. Love and relationships are different. Love may but relationships don't survive toxicity.