-||chapter five - not just an affair||-

"While people were witnessing the story of the Crown Prince and the beautiful Princess from the neighboring kingdom, on the other hand, something wonderful happened to Crown Prince's best friend, the son of the Grand Duke, the Prince.

Actually, the family of the Grand Duke was blessed with a special gift. Many many years ago, when then Grand Duke of the kingdom was on a hunting trip in the dense forest neighboring the kingdom, he found a woman, injured and lost. She and her husband lived close to the boundary of the forest. She had gone to the forest to collect some wild flowers for medicine but got lost while running away from a lion.

The Grand Duke helped the couple reunite and it turned out that they were the God & Goddess of Love. For his help, the Grand Duke was blessed with the special gift of being able to recognize his one true love, the person destined for him at first glance. They told him that every descendant of his will be blessed with this special gift.

And hence, the Prince found his one true love."

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Ming Ze was one of those humans on the planet who were born with an internal clock that has him wake up at the same time every morning, regardless of how tired he is or how late he was up the night before. It's a part of his routine, one of a few. This is why, even though he had taken a day off from business, his eyelids crack open at 5:45 a.m. sharp.

Stretching his limbs, cracking his knuckles, Ming Ze ran a hand through his disheveled hair as he sat up on the bed. He let out a yawn and rubbed the sleep off his eyes before checking his cell phone. There were a few urgent messages that he replied to first before doing anything in else. His body felt stiff, a result of lack of proper sleep. Kicking the comforter off his body, Ming Ze got out of the bed and went to the bathroom. He brushed his teeth before getting dressed in track pants and a loose, sleeveless t-shirt and wore his running shoes.

By 6:15, he was ready for his second routine of the day; hour-long job. 10,000 steps, an 8 km walk to his gym. He was the quintessential fitness freak. This morning as he wore his smartwatch, Ming Ze decided to take a different route to his gym, unaware where this new route was going to take him.

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Lu Ying wasn't the one to care much about her physique. She had God's greatest gift that a girl could ever have. Even after eating whatever she wanted to eat and in whatever amount she wanted, she still wouldn't gain even a pound. It was something that her twin sister, Lu Zhi was most jealous of. So even when she didn't need it, Lu Ying still liked to take leisure walks early in the morning. The air would be fresh, the streets would be less crowded and she can enjoy a few steamed buns from one of those stalls by the roadside.

Humming her current favorite song, Lu Ying was just wandering around, having fun. It began with light movements, her snapping her fingers, skipping a step while walking, and a few minutes into this, she was almost dancing on the road.

"Got me feelin' like, ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh" she hummed, dancing happily to the tunes of her favorite song but while doing that she accidentally collided with someone and lost her footing.

Afraid that she might hurt her head, Lu Ying covered the back of her head with her hands and closed her eyes tight, ready for the fall, ready for the pain. But nothing as such happened. Lu Ying opened her eyes once she was assured that she wasn't going to fall and that someone was holding on to her, preventing her from falling down. Her grateful brown eyes then landed on the person who had saved her and found herself being stared at as if she was an alien.

It was Ming Ze who had saved her. A few minutes back he had noticed a woman dancing happily on the road while singing in her not so melodious but happy voice. Looking at such a happy person who was clearly enjoying herself, Ming Ze couldn't help but grin. He was prepared to just slide by but stopped when he he noticed that the happily dancing woman was about to fall. So he pulled the woman in his arms to prevent her from falling.

Ming Ze made a face as he watched the girl in his arms. Her hands were on her head, her arms hiding her face from him. This woman had slammed into him and was now making no move to get up. He was about to pull her on her feet but then she moved her arms away from her face, opened her eyes, and the world for him stopped.

i saw the stars fall,

like epiphyllum flowers, like fireworks,

wrapped around in countless rainbows.

smiles booming with happiness that cannot be melted away,

it was you who sweetened my dry heart,

the stars in the eyes of lovers are like sugar.

i saw the stars fall.

Ming Ze felt an electrifying current run through his body, his body felt as if it was lit on fire, his heart started beating faster, and his soul felt complete. A sense of peace, contentment and serenity settled inside him. He was of chaotic nature and was always almost hyperactive but the moment Ming Ze's eyes connected with that of the ethereal woman in his arms. It felt as if a romantic tune was being played as the soft wind blew.

It felt as if everything in his life just got a new meaning to it. Everything was exactly what his father, uncle, and grandfather had told him would happen when he would find her. 'So this was all true?!' Ming Ze thought while staring at the woman in his arms.

"Thanks." Lu Ying breathed, the smile on her face reflecting how thankful and relieved she was.

That single word felt like a melody to Ming Ze. He was so lost in that moment and was smiling like a fool that it made Lu Ying uncomfortable. "Are you in real or are you just an exquisite figment of my imagination." he whispered making Lu Ying stiffen. She felt uncomfortable under Ming Ze's constant and unwavering gaze.

"You can let me go now, I am fine. Thanks to you." Lu Ying tried to smile but as Ming Ze was making her feel very uneasy, that smile came out forced.

"Oh, I am sorry." Ming Ze apologized and helped Lu Ying stand. He didn't want to but he did let go of her because he didn't want her to think that he was a creep which by the look on her face, she definitely was.

Lu Ying breathed a sigh of relief and created some distance between them. She muttered a quick thanks again before walking away taking long strides and without looking back. Her heart was beating furiously, anxious that the guy she had run into was a creep who might be following her. It was after 10 minutes that she finally decided to stop because there were other people around.

Holding on her breath, Lu Ying turned around to check if she was being followed and breathed a sigh of relief when she found that the creep was nowhere in sight. Her gaze then fell over the steamed buns stall at the roadside and she happily went over there to enjoy some delicious buns as she had planned to.

"Hello, can you please pack two steamed buns for me." the same thing was spoken by two different voices. One belonged to Lu Ying and the other one -

Lu Ying's eyes widened in horror when she noticed that the creep from before (Ming Ze) was standing beside her. 'Is he following me?' she thought and that thought filled her with horror. She stepped away from him, creating some distance between them. Lu Ying wished she hadn't skipped all those self defense classes that Lu Zhi took and had asked her to take as well.

"Hey!" Ming Ze's smile was over-enthusiastic and it made Lu Ying more and more anxious. She started moving away from him and as she was doing so, her eyes fell on the newspapers and magazines hanging at the connecting stall.

Her eyes narrowed at the familiar figure in the pictures displayed on the first page. Recognition dawned upon her and a different kind of horror settled in Lu Ying's mind. She moved over to the newspaper stall and grabbed one, her eyes widening as she read the news article covering almost the whole first page of the newspaper.

"Here are you steamed buns." the carry bags that Ming Ze was holding in both of his hands fell down on the ground with a light but audible thud. His face mimicking the horror on Lu Ying's face as he read and re-read the headline of the full page news article, "Oh, shit!" they both exclaimed in unison.

Ming Ze hastily grabbed onto a magazine and began reading the featured article, "The Secret Engagement - Zhang Yi Chen & Lu Zhi"

"'The Romantic Affair between the Crown Prince of the Zhang Kingdom & Elegant elder Princess of Lu Empire!' who in the world is writing these headlines?!" Ming Ze made a face but continued reading the article that claimed that his best friend was now engaged.

"The Hitched Diaries, Not Just An Affair" read Lu Ying. "What the?! Did these two meet to end the rumor about their relationship or encourage them more?" she felt like smacking her sister's head for starting a new rumor instead of eradicating the previous one.

"They shouldn't have met out in open. Media is sure gonna have fun with this one. They are gonna have a field day reporting about the biggest engagement of the century!" Ming Ze chuckled making Lu Ying frown.

'Why is he still here?' Lu Ying made an unpleasant face and simply ran away from there while holding onto the newspaper. She had some calls to make and matters to handle.