The Betrayal At The Garden

From where she stood, Xiao Mei watched Jia Qi and Guo Kai dance together in front of everyone, and it served as a rude awakening.

However she didn't have time to dwell on it, because her uncle and his wife insisted on introducing her to some 'guests' to entertain.

The guest in question was a round bellied, shorter man with gray facial hairs sticking out of his chin. He was the CEO to a mass chain of hotels, and one of Huang Jin's drinking buddies.

"This here is my niece, Xiao Mei, the one whose worthless father took heel and ran away." Huang Jin introduced.

The old man cracked a wide grin at the girl he was twice or even three times older than. "You poor thing, your life must've been hard."

Wen Ning inserted, "Yes, but we take good care of our Xiao Mei, we're even trying to find her a good family to marry into."

The old man replied, "I would've jumped at the offer. But I don't have a son..."

Huang Jin interrupted, "Nonsense! You're still young, didn't your wife die early? It isn't too late to have children."

Xiao Mei tensed up. She could smell what they were trying to do, and it disgusted her that these two were plotting to have her marry such an old man.

Wen Ning leaned in close and whispered into her ear. "You'd better seal it with the old man. Or else, it's to the streets with you." After the warning, Huang Jin and his wife left Xiao Mei to 'talk' to the old man.

As soon as they left, the cheerful smile on the geezers face contorted strictly into a lustful grin. He stood directly behind her, and discreetly started to grope her!

"Sir! Stop that..."

"Stay silent child! Or else I'll rat you out to your uncle, that you were rude to me. Do your want that?"

Xiao Mei frowned in discomfort, "I wasn't rude, you're the one acting improper..."

"And? What of it?" He let out a cackle, "You don't understand your situation, do you? Everyone in the capital knows how useless your father was, he even stole funds from his brother's company before taking off. And your mother was a damn social climber. Do you think the child of such people could ever amount to anything?" He harshly said into her ears.

Xiao Mei bit her cheeks and looked around the room for someone to help her out.

Guo Kai.

She sought after him, only to see that he was still dancing with Jia Qi, who had leaned in closer and was whispering something into his ear.

"See that? Jia Qi is lucky, because her family is respectable. She'll marry into the Guo family and become twice richer. The only way for a worthless girl like you to survive, is to stay quiet and take whatever life gives you." He went on to say, tearing down Xiao Mei's hopes one after the other.

She didn't want to believe it, but she knew it was true, because even while the old man did this, other people could see him but said nothing.

She curled her fingers into a fist, pressing her nails into her palm so tight, that a bit of blood trickled down.

Hold it In. It's your fault. Don't cry. You deserve this. Big sister has only ever looked out for me. I'm the...

Her thoughts were disrupted by some spectators close to them.

"Jia Qi is so lucky, she got to study abroad and still have such a good husband just waiting for her. Tsk, she'll never have to work a day in her life." A woman said.

Her cohort responded, "She must've done something good in her past life."

"But still, isn't she too lucky? Haven't you heard of luck stealing?"

Her cohort hissed,"You believe in such superstitions? In this day and age?"

"Think about it, how can one child be so fortunate, and the other riddened with misfortune. Maybe Huang Jin met someone to tap others luck and give to his daughter." She teased.

"Hahaha. The other Huang daughter should just drop dead, I wouldn't be able to handle living such a hellish life if it were me..."

"Right? But then, she might've done something horrible in her past life. Hehe, no one is born that unlucky unless they deserve it."

"Hahaha!"

"Hahaha!"

Their tormenting laugher coupled with the old man's provocation made Xiao Mei push the old man back and run out of the party crying, causing a large scene!

Jia Qi and Guo Kai's dance ended when Xiao Mei ran out.

The helps were tasked to go find her, whilst the party carried on like nothing had happened. Guo Kai searched the area relentlessly looking for her, while Jia Qi tried to call her cousin, but none of her calls went through.

"Xiao Mei." She groaned, standing in the garden with her phone to her ear. Guo Kai had driven out to find her, and it had been an entire half hour since then. And neither one of them had arrived or answered their phones. She had called the house and Xiao Mei was not there. She had no friends that Jia Qi knew of, or anyplace she could play hooky.

"Why the hell would she just run out like that?" She frowned, repeatedly calling her. Her recklessness had made Huang Jin angry, she had embarrassed him and they would all never get to hear the end of it.

While trying to call her, Jia Qi's mind flashed back to the conversation she had a while back when dancing with Guo Kai.

"I have to do this, there's no other way." She said to herself, strengthening her resolve.

Just as she was about to give up and go outside to help find her, she noticed someone approach her from the distance. She immediately recognized the dress to belong to Xiao Mei and rushed out to meet her halfway.

"Xiao Meimei! Did you know how worried you made everyone?! What were you thinking taking off on your own?" She asked as she approached her, but Xiao Mei said nothing and kept her head down.

She noticed something behind the girl's back and wondered what it was. More than that, something felt awfully wrong with the way she walked over to her.

Something feels off.

Finally getting closer she said in a softer tone, "Hey Xiao Mei-"

*Splash*

It happened in a fraction of a second. Xiao Mei took out the bottle behind her, and without looking she doused it's content on Jia Qi's face!

"Aaaaaah!"

Jia Qi fell miserably to her knees then on her back, and let out an ear deafening shriek!

It was hot, painful and sunk into her skin!

"Help! Help me-" she reached her hand out to Xiao Mei, but the woman slapped it away and quickly tossed the canister into the fountain next to them.

"Ah...Ah...Ah..." Xiao Mei panted breathlessly over Jia Qi's screams.

"I had to do it! I had to do it! After you stole my luck and made my life this way, you had to compensate me big sister!"she ranted with a crazed look in her eye.

Jia Qi was in far too much pain to even begin to comprehend what was said. They were in a secluded part of the garden, and no one would hear her cries over the sound of the party.

"Why do you have everything I want? Why should I have to suffer?!" The quiet girl raged, then placed her fingers over the wound Jia Qi had dressed for her the other day.

"I get abused on a daily. I didn't go to college, I work three jobs, and I don't even get to marry a good man!" She towered over Jia Qi, and for the first time she was finally looking down on someone.

"H-Help me." Jia Qi weakly pleaded, her voice almost gone from all her screaming.

But Xiao Mei walked past her and quickly made her escape, leaving Jia Qi alone in the garden.

Laying on the ground, Jia Qi tearfully remembered what she whispered into Guo Kai's ear during the dance.

Leaning in, she whispered passionately into his ears, "Please, take care of my little sister, she's been through too much and is still the kindest person I know. She deserves only the best, and I know you're the one that can make her smile again."

She then went on to say with a bright smile "My little sister is the best woman in the capital."

On the garden floor, with half of her face burning, Jia Qi breathlessly repeated her words, as she started to lose consciousness.

"My Xiao Mei is-is t-the best woman..."

She was saying, only to pass out on the cold hard grass, choked in tears from both the pain of the attack, but most importantly, the betrayal.