The Wedding

It was the morning of Yi Xiu's wedding. Shao Lin made some errands to ensure her friend got everything she needed and wanted, especially since the bride made some last-minute requests.

She then went to the salon where her hairstylist had cut her hair into fresh layers before she put it half-up in a braid and left the rest down curled in waves. The stylist then placed three small violets on the right side of her ear between some hair strands, making the crown of her head look like a garland. Her makeup artist then gave her a natural look and touch-up on her face.

Afterward, Shao Lin put on her blush-pink gown and peach-coloured heels. She finished her look with pearl earrings and a golden necklace, and then she made her way to the wedding on her own.

The ceremony was lush and elegant, filled with white flowers from one end of the venue to the other. It was full of friends and relatives, and her blush-pink dress was stark against the white. She felt emotionally overwhelmed by the beauty and atmosphere of it all.

Shao Lin found a seat mid-section, behind the bride's family, and watched as her friend exchanged vows and marry the man she loved. She smiled, genuinely happy her friend found her happiness. She did not feel any sort of envy, not when there were other things more pressing to her than finding someone to share a life with, especially when it was not her immediate interest.

When it was over, and time to head to the party venue, Shao Lin stood, turned and stilled. Way in the back sat Long Yat-sen next to a woman, but not the silver-blonde as she thought, it was someone with hair as black as night.

Shao Lin looked away, not paying close attention to them. She didn't want Long Yat-sen to see her, or worse—she did not want to run into him.

Shao Lin followed the bride and crowd and went ahead. When she made her way out of the hall, she felt a stare on her back. She cursed herself, realizing that she should have waited for him to leave first and now he was trailing behind.

She could not see him, but she felt it—his gaze. The same gaze that kept her locked at the club the other night. It was piercing yet it felt like a gentle caress on her back. She walked up ahead, trying to blend in with the crowd. The bride and groom went to take photos outside the venue and Shao Lin slipped her way to the other hall where some of the other guests waited.

She went to stand by a table that served champagne and she took it upon herself to take a glass. She then overheard some of the other guests speak.

"I did not expect Long Yat-sen or his sister to be here," a woman said to a man close to her age.

"That's his sister?" he responded.

"Indeed. Long Xiatian."

"Amazing. You rarely see them out in public."

His sister? Shao Lin thought. She wondered why Long Yat-sen brought her when he could have been with the silver-blonde today. Perhaps she thought wrong.

The woman continued. "Right? I believe they have a connection to the groom, but I am not sure. I'm also not a fan of their arrogance. It's clear they think they're too good for everyone else."

Shao Lin rolled her eyes. Or perhaps people just like their privacy, she thought.

"They look like twins don't they?" the lady rambled on. "But where Long Xiatian's feminine beauty resembles that of a night goddess, her brother looks more harsh, like a winter king, as cold on the outside as he is on the in."

Shao Lin could not help but look in their direction. Long Yat-sen was standing with his sister. She could not see their faces well since she stood all the way on the other side of the room, but from where she was, she could tell Long Xiatian's beauty was remarkable. Like her brother.

"But the sister is only the fourth," the woman continued. "Poor girl. Imagine growing up with brothers for brutes, and she would get the least of the cut from her father since there are three before her, which means she'd have to work the hardest."

"I've heard she is very well accomplished as she has done many splendid things for a woman so young," the man countered. "And that she has no ill-will against her brothers. In fact, I hear they are all close-knitted."

"Well, when it comes to a large and wealthy family, you don't know what goes on with them. With siblings and money, it tends to get messy."

Shao Lin hoped that was not the case. She did not have siblings, but she wished she had them—a family big enough to fill tables and cars, to visit on holidays and to attend events such as this so she wouldn't be alone.

Shao Lin walked away and more guests began to settle and sit down. She ate a three-course meal and found her friend and her new husband to congratulate them. She then joined the rest of the party afterward and drank.

After a while, she felt like may have had a bit too much when she began to stumble and trip over herself. "I'm still hungry," she said to no one in particular.

She found herself at the buffet and carelessly started to stuff her face with what looked delicious, when she stumbled on a label and saw: crab. She ate crab stuffed into those little cakes.

"Oh no," Shao Lin said. She panicked and looked around but everyone was too immersed with conversations and dancing and it was too damn dark.

She pushed between the party, heading towards the light that led to the exit of the hall. When she made her way out, she then collided into something warm and hard and a pair of arms caught her.

She looked up and saw it. Blue. His eyes were blue. Her expression fell, realizing whom she bumped into, but she couldn't speak. Not with her throat beginning to tighten.

And the last thing she remembered from that night was being carried in a warm embrace.