The long awaited moment

Once the rehearsal sessions started, the auditorium got crowded with the failed candidates for the role of Juliet, aka Mo Yan's fangirls who unilaterally hated Li Juan, who snatched their chances.

Unable to go against their teacher's decision, the drama club reluctantly started practising with Li Juan despite their dislikes.

But the real problem emerged when they started rehearsing the intimate scenes- like a kissing scene.

 Mo Yan, the male lead of the play, univocally declared that he will not touch Li Juan at any cost, creating an opportunity for school bullies to take it as a weapon to attack her. 

"I would rather die than kissing an ugly girl like her." Mo Yan repeated his daily chant in front of the whole team.

"You don't have to kiss her. You just need to act." ShenJiang, the teacher in charge, explained for the nth time just before his patience ran out. 

He was annoyed by Mo Yan and wished to replace the unruly boy if he finds someone else for Romeo's role. 

But it never happened since no one dared to go against Mo Yan, leaving Shen Jiang with no other option but to tolerate his arrogant student. 

"Look at poor Mo Yan." Xie Long, one of Mo Yan's peers, snickered at his friend's struggle. "His first kiss is going to be stolen by that ugly duckling."

"Xie long, do not irritate Yan. Do you know how bad his temper is?" Min Zhe, who sat next to Xie long, reminded grimly. 

"Poor fellow, a school full of girls and he still got the ugliest." Xie long couldn't control his laughter whenever he looked at Mo Yan standing next to Li Juan. No matter how many times Mo Yan tried, he couldn't make himself kiss Li Juan or even stand next to her. 

"Let's take a break." Shen Jiang announced and went outside to calm down his frustrations. 

The moment the teacher left the room, the students started booing Li Juan and calling her names. 

"Don't even think about kissing My Yan, you blacky!" a few of Mo Yan's fangirls scorned at Li Juan, who ignored them on her way out to the garden. 

Whenever her mind gets clouded with confusion and angst, Li Juan considered the garden as her healing place and safe dome. 

Apart from books, the only thing that made her happy was plants. She loved gardening to the point where half of the plants in the school garden was her contribution. 

Li Juan took the watering can and began to water the plants as she tried to keep her mind out of worry. 

"Oh, there you are! you little beauty, you look pretty." She praised a newly bloomed flower, only to get mocked by the passerby. 

"She must have gone insane after getting refused by Mo Yan. After all, who is going to kiss that ugly face?" They giggled and went away.

"Do you know what I wanted now? Some peace of mind." Li Juan mumbled and placed the watering can on the ground. 

" I had enough. I no longer want to be part of the play." She made her mind and stormed towards the staff room to inform Shen Jiang about her decision. 

"Teacher, I don't think I will be able to continue in the "Play". I would like to quit." Li Juan notified nonchalantly,

Rather than playing a role hated by everyone, she would have her peace of mind by quitting the play. 

"What?" Shen Jiang was indeed shocked. He thought Mo Yan must be the one who quits the play due to the circumstances, but Li Juan, NO.

"I know those students are giving you a hard time. But if you quit, it might appear as if you are accepting your incapabilities of playing the role." Shen Jiang tried his best to make Li Juan reconsider her decision. 

"But teacher, because of me, everyone else is having a hard time." Li Juan mumbled in a barely audible voice. 

"If they are finding it difficult to adjust, then it is their problem, not yours." Shen Jiang pointed out and looked at the girl with doting eyes. 

"Li Juan, believe me, you got the talent, and I'm 100 per cent sure that you are perfect for playing the leading role. So stop worrying about others and focus on your skills to prove others wrong."

As someone who knew about Li Juan's struggle to fit into the student community in Silver Oak, She Jiang disliked the idea of Li Juan quitting the play. But more than anything else, he does not want anyone to look down on the girl. 

Li Juan reluctantly went back to the rehearsal hall, only to witness a brimming crowd who came to watch the practice sessions. 

"What is it now? Are they here to watch the practice session or the drama behind it?" 

She muttered under her breath as she entered the hall, ignoring the murmurs from the audience. 

While walking towards the stage, her eyes fell on Tang Wei Sheng, who stood next to the podium surrounded by his friends. 

"Even senior Tang is here." She sighed inwardly. 

Since Tang Wei Sheng and Mo Yan were like blood sworn brothers, it was natural for the boys to visit each other's practice sessions. 

"The teacher told us to start without him." Li Juan conveyed the message as soon as she climbed to the podium.

"Are you craving to kiss someone so badly?" Someone from the audience howled at Li Juan. "Go and kiss that wall over there."

Even after listening to condescending comments from the audience, Li Juan stood in the corner of the stage, waiting for Mo Yan to start.

"Look at that thick faced wench. She is still standing there waiting to kiss Mo Yan." Someone growled. 

"Don't even think about it girl, I am not going to kiss your ugly face, not even pretending to kiss you." Mo Yan's loudly sneered and threw the juice carton at Li Juan as if she was some stray animal who deserve no pity. 

Though it was an empty juice carton, it hit Li Juan's shoulder, sprinkling bright red drops on her shirt. 

"Mo Yan!" A powerful voice echoed in the room, silencing the jeering crowd all at once.

"Don't you think you are going overboard?" As soon as the question reverberated, the audience turned their heads to the boy who stood beside the podium. 

Tang Wei Sheng!

Not only his friends but also the entire audience gawped at him in shock. 

"If you don't want to kiss her, just leave the team. No need to comment on someone's appearance." Tang Wei Sheng said sternly, loud enough to fall into everyone's ears. 

"What are you doing, Sheng?" Ye Wu Fan was the first one to question his friend on his odd behaviour. However, when he saw Tang Wei Sheng's darkened face, he immediately shut his mouth realising the density of the issue. 

Well, that wasn't the case with the rest of their gang. 

"Wei Sheng, Are you going to fight with your best friend over a girl?" Xie Long jabbed as if Tang Wei Sheng went against their bro-code and committed some grave treason.

"What were doing when he bullied someone?" Tang Wei Sheng snapped back at his friends, who began to interrogate him like a criminal. 

"We are his friends, and we must correct him if he makes a mistake." 

"Tang Wei Sheng, if you are my friend, then stand with me, not with that girl." Mo Yan, who remained silent till now, opened his mouth to validate his point.

"I know this girl is your sister's friend, but that doesn't make her any better. She is just an ugly girl, and I swear, even the dumbest guy in Silver Oak wouldn't dare to kiss her." He viciously spat words of hatred when he saw his best friend trying to protect someone he dislikes. 

"Oh, I see." Tang Wei Sheng casually shrugged his shoulders and walked towards Mo Yan in long strides. 

"Are they going to fight???" Gasps raised from the audience. 

Five of them were friends from primary school, and is this going to be the end of their friendship?

For a mere moment, Tang Wei Sheng's almond eyes fell on Mo Yan before shifting to Li Juan, who stood like a statue in a corner. 

With his head held high, he strode towards the girl and halted his steps, right before her. 

"Sweetheart." Tang Wei Sheng addressed her in a honeyed voice and extended his handkerchief to her, with a gentle smile adorning his face. 

"What is he doing? his friend is standing over there." Even Li Juan couldn't think coherently at the moment. 

"He called her sweetheart." The onlookers loudly expressed their disbelief. 

"Do you think that I am dumb?" Tang Wei Sheng shot a random question out of nowhere and gazed deep into Li Juan's coal-black eyes.

"Huh?" Just as she opened her mouth to answer, Tang Wei Sheng leaned closer and captured her soft petal-like lips. 

As the entire crowd watched the kissing couple in incredulous belief, Li Juan felt the world revolving around her as she remained frozen at the spot. 

The very next moment, Tang Wei Sheng opened his eyes and looked at Li Juan's surprised face. 

Even though her eyelids batted heavily in fear, he could see his face reflecting in her crystal clear irises. 

All these days, Tang Wei Sheng ignored Li Juan due to his guilt. However, he couldn't stand watching others bullying her. 

Though he kissed her only to prove others wrong, when Tang Wei Sheng tasted the sweetness of her supple softness, he couldn't part his lips from her. 

"Mine!" A voice rang loudly in his head as he shut out his senses to the outer world and focused on her juicy lips. 

He was waiting for a perfect moment to confess his love. However, even before that, they were forced to have their first kiss.

At the same time, the entire rehearsal hall was going crazy as they witnessed the PDA of their beloved Tang Wei Sheng with an ugly duckling. 

After what felt like an eternity, Tang Wei Sheng released his lips from hers and gently caressed Li Juan's reddened cheeks with a charming smile lighting up his face. 

"What are you doing, Wei Sheng?" Ye Shishi was the one who pulled Tang Wei Sheng back to reality. 

"Why did you kiss this ugly girl?" She furiously grumbled and pushed Li Juan away from her man, only to urge Tang Wei Sheng to hold her even more tightly. 

"Li Juan." He enunciated loud enough and turned to face the audience as he held Li Juan by his side, like a queen. 

"Her name is Li Juan, and she is mine." He firmly declared as his sharp eyes studied the stupified crowd. 

"Boy or girl, teacher or student, a friend or foe." He abruptly paused and looked at Mo Yan, who appeared horrified to death. 

"If I hear someone bullying my girl again," He stopped in mid-sentence like a blank warning as if anything might happen to the bullies who torture his girl. 

As the crowd remained mortified by his warning, Tang Wei Sheng turned towards, Li Juan who appeared dazed. 

"Find me in basketball ground once you finish the rehearsal." He ordered before leaving the rehearsal hall in straight and firm strides. 

"This is ridiculous. I'm not playing this freaking drama anymore." Mo Yan growled as he stormed out of the stage with his fierce eyes penetrating deep into Li Juan like daggers. 

It took Li Juan a while to realise that she was standing before a hostile crowd, who were practically sending daggers with their eyes at their fraternal enemy. 

Unable to endure it any longer, Li Juan picked up her bag and rushed outside without paying attention to anyone. 

She was kissed by Tang Wei Sheng, and that too in front of everyone. Li Juan felt like digging up a hole in the ground and bury herself.

 It's too embarrassing.

It was true that she liked him, but she kept it a secret, even from her best friend. 

How is she going to face Tang Wei Lan from now on? 

The status of their relationship bugged Li Juan as she kept herself locked in the room due to embarrassment...

 Within the two days of her absence, a lot of things happened in school.

Mo Yan quit being part of the drama club, and to everyone's surprise, Tang Wei Sheng volunteered to replace him for the role of Romeo- that hammered the last nail on the coffin of their 14-year-old friendship.

While Mo Yan and Xie Long drew their boundaries with Tang Wei sheng, the rest of the gang struggled between the two parties.

The only person who gained from the situation was Li Juan. The title of Tang Wei Sheng's girl protected her from the bullies for a while.

------------------

On the cosy couch of Tang Corporation's private Jet, Tang Wei Sheng sat beside Li Juan as he continued to gape at her sleeping beauty. 

Even after ten years, he doesn't know how he fell in love with her.

Everyone bullied her physical features, but he could not find any defect in her.

For him, her tanned- honey coloured face outshined all the pretty faces in the crowd.

All these years, he met many who showed their interest in dating him. Some of them even dared to sent official proposals. But not even for once, he felt like reciprocating to them. 

His heart belonged to no one but Li Juan. 

He was waiting for the right moment to confess his love and take her as his girlfriend. 

And finally, the moment is here. 

" Li Juan, I love you." 

With a trembling heart, Tang Wei Sheng whispered to the sleeping girl. 

Her enchanting fragrance penetrated deep into his senses, creating chaos in his head, igniting carnal desires in him. 

Unable to resist anymore, Tang Wei Sheng tilted his head and placed a gentle kiss on Li Juan's soft lips.

The girl, who lost herself in the dreamland, never knew she got kissed by her long lost love while asleep. 

As his eyes shone brightly, Tang Wei Sheng adjusted Li Juan's sleeping position by allowing her to lean on his shoulder. 

With her enchanting fragrance lingering all around him, Tang Wei Sheng kept looking at Li Juan's serene beauty until he slipped into a deep slumber. 

Yang Xiong, who returned from the lavatory, was left shocked when he witnessed his boss kissing the sleeping girl. 

He knew that his boss wanted to talk to Li Juan, and that's why he gave them some privacy. But he never expected something like this from Tang Wei Sheng. 

On a fear that he might witness something even more obscene, Yang Xiong silently took the seat next to the door. 

While sleeping in Tang Wei Sheng's arms, Li Juan had a dream.

In the dream, she saw herself chased by a couple of masked figures, 

She was running through unfamiliar alleys.

The mud roads, small thatched buildings made up of wood and people wearing traditional clothes.

It felt as if she got transmigrated into an ancient world. 

The people in the streets were watching her chased by hooligans, but no one dared to her. 

While her heart pounded heavily, Li Juan felt her limbs almost ripping off due to the continuous running.

As she began to feel her energy draining out, letting the hooligans catch up with her pace, a man appeared out of nowhere. 

He stood before her, with his dark obsidian eyes digging deep into her soul. 

A saviour, she believed, until she saw him aiming an arrow at her. 

With the arrow coming at her heart, Li Juan abruptly woke up from her nightmare. 

Jolted awake from sleep, Li Juan frantically looked around, unable to distinguish between reality and dream. 

 But the instant her anxious eyes caught the sight of Tang Wei Sheng's handsome face, she felt her palpitating heart halted stop. 

In a glimpse, reality kicked its way into her mind, and Li Juan finally felt herself calming down. 

She picked up the water bottle and drank a mouthful of water to steady herself. 

Feeling slightly better, she took a tissue and wiped her sweaty face before leaning back to the seat.

"When did he sat next to me?" She asked herself as she positioned herself back into Tang Wei Sheng's side.

As they remained close to each other, Li Juan could feel his gentle warmth passing to her. 

His face, his lips were only a breath apart. 

Under the effect of an intense but random urge, Li Juan lost control over her heart as she leaned closer to steal a kiss from his lips.

Just as her lips touched, Tang Wei Sheng fluttered open his eyes, only to catch her red-handed. 

Even under the dim light, Li Juan saw it clearly- Tang Wei Sheng was staring at her, with his eyes wide open.

Feeling a chill travelling down her spine, Li Juan remained frozen under his watchful gaze. 

She was scared and embarrassed by her immoral actions. 

Gulping down in horror, Li Juan somehow found a tiny bit of courage to move away from his lips. 

However, even before she could turn her face, Tang Wei Sheng grabbed hold of her chin and looked at her dark molten pools of coal-black eyes, with a low alluring whisper leaving his mouth. 

"Let's finish what you have started." 

He suggested and pressed his lips into her tender petals without any delay. 

Though she was startled for a mere second, it didn't take much time for Li Juan to respond passionately to him. 

As the private Jet flew across the skies of Xi city, Tang Wei Sheng and Li Juan reopened a chapter once they were forced to shut in the past.