-||chapter twenty - the intervention part two||-

"The Crown Prince's request shocked the First Princess. She wasn't able to get the Crown Prince out of her mind because of the attraction she felt towards him but is seemed that the Crown Prince was actually interested in her sister, the Second Princess.

The baffled First Princess couldn't help but ask the Crown Prince why he needed to know about what her sister likes. It was only after the Crown Prince explained to her his reasons for asking her to help him with such a thing did the First Princess feeling relieved. They decide to meet and discuss about it in more details.

They were doing this so that the Prince and the Second Princess could get together but the they didn't know that along with the Prince and the Second Princess's story, the fate was also writing a different tale of love with the Crown Prince and the First Princess as the main characters."

****************

"Will you please tell me how to impress your sister?" asked Yi Chen. 

"WHAT?!" Lu Zhi screamed so loudly that even Bai Yan was frightened as to what must have happened for Lu Zhi to react like that.

****************Flashback - About 30 minutes ago****************

When Yi Chen went back to his cabin after the meeting with the board of directors ended, he found Ming Ze lying on the sofa, waiting for him to arrive. "Don't you have any work to do?" questioned Yi Chen while taking off his suit jacket and hanging it over the coat rack stand.

"Since the moment I laid my eyes upon the most beautiful creature in this world, I have lost interest in anything else. I desire nothing expect my sweetheart." replied Ming Ze in an almost poetic voice.

Yi Chen raised in brows in amusement while Ming Ze sat up on the sofa and let out a deep sigh as if he had the weight of whole world laid upon his shoulders.

"Stop being so dramatic!" said Yi Chen as he sat on the single seat sofa adjacent to the one where Ming Ze was sitting.

"Spoke like a man who has never been in love." scoffed Ming Ze. He pointed a finger at Yi Chen and said, "Wait till you fall in love with some; deeply madly and truly. When you will not be able to be with the one you love even when she is just close only then will you realize what I am going through right now."

Yi Chen stilled hearing Ming Ze's words. His muscles fell stiff, his face hardened, regret filling his heart and soul. Seeing his cold expressions, Ming Ze realized the mistake he had committed, "I am sorry." he immediately apologized. "I didn't mean to -"

Yi Chen stood up and went to stand in front of the floor to ceiling glass window in an effort to rein in his feelings. Who said that Zhang Yi Chen had never been in love, that he never felt what was it like to fall in love with someone so hard, so deep that one would never be able to fall in love again?

12 years ago he had fallen in love with someone. He loved her so much but he failed to protect her from his father and lot her for forever. His Xiao Xi.

It's been 12 years since he lost her but he still had neither forgotten her nor did he give her place in his heart to somebody else. For him, it was not only Xiao Xi being his true love but the regret and pain that he has been living with for not being able to save her would never allow him to move on in his life.

"Yi Chen, I didn't mean to say that. I was just being dramatic, like you said." Ming Ze knew of Xiao Xi after all he was the one who acted like a messenger between Yi Chen and Xiao Xi.

Ming Ze was there when Yi Chen and Xiao Xi found each other, he saw Yi Chen fall in love with Xiao Xi, he teased his best friends with the letters that Xiao Xi used to write to him, and he was there to console Yi Chen when he lost Xiao Xi.

"I know how it feels." Yi Chen's voice croaked with emotion.

Ming Ze placed a comforting hand on his best friend's shoulder, squeezing it, "I know, buddy." he murmured, "I didn't mean to -"

Yi Chen took a deep breath and closed his eyes, letting the tears fall down his cheeks, "It's alright. I know you didn't mean to hurt me. It's just -" he wiped the tears away but could not speak anymore as he was too choked up on emotions.

"You need not to say anything, Yi Chen. I know how you feel." Ming Ze poured a glass of water for Yi Chen and handed it to him as they both sat down on the sofa.

The two friends just sat their in silence for a few minutes until Yi Chen spoke, "Well," he drawled, "should I call Miss Lu Zhi now asking her for her help for you to be able to woo her sister properly?"

At the mention of Lu Ying, Ming Ze blushed and bowed his head shyly making Yi Chen laugh. "Okay!" Yi Chen exclaimed and went behind his desk and sat on the chair. He dialed the number to Lu Zhi's office to ask her for a favor for his best friend who had been with him through thick and thin.

****************Flashback Ends****************

"WHAT?!" Lu Zhi repeated. She was baffled after hearing Yi Chen's request.

Bai Yan attracted her daughter's attention through random hand gestures and when Lu Zhi finally looked at her she mouthed, 'What happened?'

Lu Zhi just shook her head as if it was nothing so as to ease her mother's worries, "Can you repeat what you said, please? I think I misheard you."

Yi Chen cleared his throat, "Uumm, I asked if you would please tell me about different ways to impress your sister."

Ming Ze facepalmed himself on hearing Yi Chen rephrase his already horrendous statement. Noticing Ming Ze's reaction, Yi Chen added, "Actually, I am asking for my friend. He is the one who is interested in your sister."

For a minute Lu Zhi said nothing. Yi Chen thought that the connection must have been cut off and was about to put the receiver down when Lu Zhi spoke up, "Give me a minute, please. Stay on the line." 

"Okay."

Lu Zhi covered the mouthpiece before telling her mother to leave, "Mom, it's an urgent business call and I feel there's a lot of yelling going to happen so I request you to please leave." spoke Lu Zhi politely.

"But -"

"I'll eat the whole lunch that you prepared and will be back at home tonight, I promise."

"Fine!" Bai Yan raised her hands up as if in surrender. She then picked up her handbag and kissed Lu Zhi's temple before leaving.

After making sure that her mother had left and the door was locked, Lu Zhi went back to talk to Yi Chen, "Now, you were saying?"

"It's going to sound like a terrible fantasy movie but what I am going to tell you is the truth." Yi Chen began, "You know my best friend Ming Ze, right?" he asked.

"Umm hhmm, I do." hummed Lu Zhi.

"Well, the thing is that your sister is actually my friend, Ming Ze's soulmate. Kind of like a fated one true love." Yi Chen was right. It did sound like a plot of a fantasy romance movie.

"What? How?" Lu Zhi was perplexed and it reflected in her voice.

Yi Chen took a deep breath before explaining everything to Lu Zhi. He told Lu Zhi about the special gift that the Lin family has been blessed with, about when and how Ming Ze and Lu Ying met and how Ming Ze realized that Lu Ying was his romantic soulmate.

Yi Chen told Lu Zhi about Ming Ze and Lu Ying's recent interactions as well where Ming Ze had tried to woo Lu Ying using his usual flirting techniques only to face failure for the first time in his life.

Yi Chen also didn't hide from Lu Zhi the fact that Ming Ze's reputation in the media and among the social circle was nothing but a pretense that he had been keeping up in front of others. Yi Chen also revealed to Lu Zhi that Ming Ze was actually still a virgin and was never able to go past the second base as he was inadvertently saving himself for his one and true love, the woman he was destined to spend to his whole life with.

In his eagerness to make sure that Lu Zhi believes him, Yi Chen revealed too much, especially the last bit of it.

While Lu Zhi couldn't help but laugh, Ming Ze, on the other hand, let out a painful groan. He laid down on the sofa on his stomach and buried his face in the cold leather.

"I know it is hard to believe what I telling you. In fact, I didn't believe it either until I met and talked with Ming Ze's family. Each one of them have experienced the same thing. If you don't trust me, which I know you must not right now, we can arrange a meeting with the Lin family. They will be able to describe you in detail and in a much better way than me." admitted Yi Chen while Ming Ze remained unmoved as he was still embarrassed.

Lu Zhi thought about it for a minute. She had no reason to doubt to Yi Chen or Ming Ze. It wouldn't hurt to meet the Lin family and see if this is all actually true or not. "Can we meet tomorrow and discuss it in person? I would like to meet Ming Ze's family and know more about this special gift of his family."

After talking to her mother and getting to know that the astrologer had said that Lu Ying had a fated partner, Lu Zhi wondered if it was Ming Ze.

"No problem. We can schedule a meeting for tomorrow." assured Yi Chen.

"Will you be there?" asked Lu Zhi.

"Yes." confirmed Yi Chen and Lu Zhi smiled.