𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡✦𝐑𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐥 𝐱 𝐋𝐮 𝐒𝐢 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐠

Chapter 18: Rachel Wang

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Can't tell really;
if it's frustration or concern,
perhaps something
I can't really place to.

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THE. FUCKING. CRAZY. RICH. BRAT.
'Why are you here, Lu Si Cheng?' I shot the question at the looming figure standing at the gate, my voice slicing through the chilly air. He looked like he'd been carved out of stone—sharp, cold, and unmoved. Classic Lu Si Cheng. His arms crossed, and his eyes narrowed as if he were dissecting every word I spoke.
'And why are you here?' His voice was as unbothered as his expression.
I stared at him, momentarily dumbfounded by the nerve. 'Well, I'm here to meet... uh... my friend's sibling,' I stammered, my hands swaying awkwardly at my sides like I was some lost kid. Pathetic.
His gaze didn't soften; instead, it grew more intense, scrutinizing me as if I were some puzzle he couldn't be bothered to solve. 'Hmm. I'm here to meet Ava Park. Now, move, shorty.' And just like that, he pushed me aside. Like I was nothing.
He pushed me.
He fucking pushed me.
'You– How dare you push me...?!' My voice caught up with him, my short legs struggling to do the same.
'Lu Si Cheng!' I yelled, trying to match his pace, my anger flaring like a matchstick.
He turned back, his face a mask of irritation. 'What?' His brows drew together, the perfect picture of annoyance.
'Why are you meeting her?' The words tumbled out, not from curiosity, but from a need to know because something in his presence here didn't sit right with me. It twisted in my gut, a feeling I couldn't shake off.
He gave me a look that could've soured milk, his lip curling in that convenient, disgusted way of his. 'Cause I want to?'
And just like that, he turned, his hand reaching for the door handle like he owned the place.
Panic hit me like a truck. I stepped in his way, a last-ditch effort to keep control of the situation. 'Wait. You can't go in there without telling me.'
His gaze darkened, amusement flickering in his eyes for a moment. 'What, am I your servant?'
'You– That's not what I meant.' I stumbled over the words, my confidence wavering as his stare bore into me.
Something churned deep inside, a mixture of frustration and something else, something I didn't want to acknowledge. I moved away from the door, my hand gesturing weakly, giving him the space he wanted. 'Go on then,' I muttered, unable to keep the bitterness out of my voice.
Lu Si Cheng didn't waste any time after I stepped aside. He pushed the door open with a deliberate calmness that made my skin crawl. Without a backward glance, he disappeared into Ava Park's room, leaving me standing there, my thoughts swirling like a storm.
I pressed my ear to the door, trying to catch anything—voices, movement, a clue as to why he was here. But all I got was silence, the kind that filled the space with tension so thick you could choke on it.
Minutes ticked by, each one heavier than the last, until finally, the door creaked open. Lu Si Cheng emerged, his expression unreadable, the same stoic mask he always wore. He closed the door behind him with a soft click and turned to me.
'Well?' I asked, trying to sound casual but failing miserably. My heart was pounding in my chest, each beat a reminder that whatever had just happened in that room was beyond my reach.
He met my gaze, his eyes revealing nothing. 'What?'
I took a step closer, my frustration bubbling over. 'What did you talk about?'
Cheng smirked, the corner of his mouth curling up in that infuriating way. 'Nothing that concerns you.'
I clenched my fists, trying to hold back the urge to scream. 'It concerns me if it involves Ava. She's—'
'She's what?' His voice sliced through the air, sharp as the tension crackling between us. 'Your girlfriend? Your responsibility?'
I flinched, the words hitting harder than they should have. 'Lu Si Cheng, she...Are you crazy? What're you saying?' A nervous, disbelieving chuckle escapes my windpipe. I could feel his eyes on me, cold and unyielding, but there was something else there too. A flicker of doubt, a shadow of something buried deep. Whatever it was, it vanished as quickly as it appeared, leaving behind only that infuriating, detached expression.
'Cut the crap, Rachel.'
My heart stuttered in my chest, his words like a slap to the face. 'She's just my friend's sister,' I managed to get out, though my voice faltered, betraying me.
He studied me, his gaze intense, probing, like he was searching for a crack in my armor. But before I could even think of a response, he was already moving on, dismissing the matter with a flick of his hand, as if it were beneath him. 'Like I said, it's nothing you need to worry about. Focus on your business, Rachel.'
My business. The way he said it, like a challenge, like he was daring me to push back, made something in me snap. My fists clenched, nails digging into my palms as I tried to keep my composure. 'Well, you're the business right–'
But before I could finish, he was gone. Leaving me standing there, the words dying on my lips, the anger simmering just beneath my skin. Alone. Again. With nothing but the echo of his name and the bitter taste of unfinished sentences.
He always did this— always left me hanging, left me questioning. The way he looked at me like I was both a nuisance and something worth his attention drove me insane. And the way he said my name, with that edge, that challenge—it made my blood boil, set my nerves on fire.
But underneath it all, there was something else, something I couldn't quite put my finger on. Something that twisted in my gut and made my heart race, even as I hated him for it.
Damn him.
I stood there, watching him go, a thousand questions and suspicions swirling in my mind. Why was he here? What did he want from Ava? And why did it feel like every step he took was pulling me deeper into a web I hadn't even realized I was caught in?
But there was one thing I knew for sure: Lu Si Cheng was hiding something. And whatever it was, it was only a matter of time before it exploded into something none of us could control.
For a brief moment, I ignored that sensation as I made my way inside the room. The hospital room was a sterile white, but it felt colder than ice. Ava Park lay conscious, her face a mask of bruised and battered beauty. The bandage on her waist was a stark reminder of the violence she'd encountered. I sat by her side, my thoughts a tangled web of confusion and anger. Song Taehyun's warnings echoed in her mind, but she refused to let them cloud her judgment. 'How are ya feeling now?' A comforting smile shapes my lips.
'It's nothing much. Jiwoo's always over worrying.' Ava smiles at me, her bruises frantically reshaping within her.
Staring at the table beside her, I asked. 'Well, d–did Lu Si Cheng say something to you?' Ava's eyes formed a questioning look. 'Um, like something that might be dangerous for you?'
'Rachel, Chill.' She smiles, thoughtfully.
One thing about her was she'd smile even in the most unpleasing events and maybe, that's what made her a killing spree. I reach out for her hand, 'Ava, you can tell me.'
'He's like a family. Don't worry about that.' Her hands gripping gently in mine.
'Family?' I question her sentence. She nods, her eyes sparkling up.
'He helped us quite a few times when Dad got in trouble. Not only, did he bail him out of jail but also visited us often and bought stuff for us.' Her pupils rotate to the ceiling. 'Such a thoughtful person.' She halts. 'Wish everyone was like him.
Him. Thoughtful?
I choked on her words. He and thoughtful?
Where did the sunrise from today?
But what caught me is that he knew their father and helped him with their business. Meaning, he knew what NeuraLife was previously named.
He's not thoughtful or shit, Ava. Your dad was helping the criminals;
and so was Lu Si Cheng.
My lips curl as I nod. 'Well, how did you exactly...' Pointing at her bandaged waist. 'Get hurt?' The tension hung heavy in the air, as she went white.
'Um, just...well, a drunken fucker randomly got me.' Her eyes contracted with nervousness and I bet on 100 million dollars that she was lying.
'Ava,' I stare at my hand, before jaw-ing up to her. 'We both know that's not what happened.'
She laughs sheepishly. 'Rachel, why would I lie to you?'
'I don't know.' My eyes darkened. 'But, I'll figure it out soon.' The room fell silent as I finished the sentence. But soon, the door creaked against the air. Lu Si Cheng's sudden appearance was a storm breaking through the fog. He walked in with a deliberate calm, though his eyes betrayed a deeper storm. The bandage wrapped around his hand was a ghost of that night, a night that lingered like a shadow neither of us could escape. It was a raw, unspoken truth between us, a silent tether that pulled my gaze every time we crossed paths. He wore it like a badge he'd rather forget, a battle scar he'd dismiss with a shrug and a half-hearted smirk as if it didn't matter.
But it did.
I knew it did.
'You're still here,' Lu Si Cheng said, his voice low but laced with an undercurrent of something I couldn't quite place—frustration, perhaps, or concern.
I get up, bidding farewell to Ava, my face a mask of exhaustion and determination. 'Where else would I be?' I shot back, my tone sharp. My anger was not just about the present but about the tangled web of secrets that seemed to be drawing tighter around me.
As we got out of the room, he stepped closer, his eyes flicking to Ava before returning to me. 'This isn't a game, Rachel. You're getting involved with dangerous people. You don't know what you're dealing with.'
My jaw tightened. 'And you do? You think because you don't care about justice, you can just dismiss everything I'm trying to do? I can't just walk away.'
His expression hardened; his gaze intense as he held my stare. 'I'm not saying you should walk away. I'm saying you should be careful. This isn't just about you. There are bigger forces at play here.'
I felt a surge of frustration. 'You think I don't know that? But I can't just stand by and let it all happen. Not when I know there's something wrong.' My eyes were fierce, the resolve in them as sharp as the edge of a blade.
His eyes softened slightly, a flicker of something—concern, maybe—showing through the stern façade. 'You're pushing yourself too hard. You could get hurt. More than you already have.'
My breath hitched. I didn't want to admit it, but his words cut deeper than I expected. The bandage on his hand was a reminder of his own sacrifices, and for a brief moment, I saw the cracks in his armour. Every time I looked at that bandage, it felt like a knife twisting in my chest—a reminder that he'd put himself in the line of fire for me. He'd saved me from the darkness, literally held the blade that could've ended me, yet he pretended it was just another night, just another wound. But I knew better. I saw the way his jaw tightened when he caught me staring, the way his eyes flickered with something unresolved, something he'd never admit. 'I'm not going to stop. I need to find out the truth. About everything.'
He sighed; the sound heavy with unspoken words. 'Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you.'
There was an unspoken connection at that moment, a tension that went beyond our professional antagonism. But before I could explore it, he turned and walked out, leaving me with a mix of emotions I wasn't ready to face. 'Hey, wait!'
He stopped as I caught up to him. Hesitation creeping up in my voice. 'How—is...your hand, now?' I pointed at his bandaged hand, my eyes shimmering with a soft sparkle, I could say it. He glanced down at his bandaged hand, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, but it didn't reach his eyes. Instead, they softened, just for a moment, as if he was letting me see something he usually kept hidden. 'It's fine,' he said, his voice quieter than before, almost as if the admission cost him something. His gaze locked with mine. 'But if you're asking because you're worried Rachel...you don't need to be.' His tone was gentler now, his eyes searching mine as if he were trying to tell me something more.
'I guess I just want you to be okay,' I continued, my heartbeat thumping in my ears.
He raised an eyebrow, a hint of a smirk playing at the corners of his lips. 'Worrying about me, huh? How noble of you, Rachel Wang. Next thing I know, you'll be signing up to be my nurse.'
I grinned at his words, but the heat in his gaze kept my heart racing.
'You know, I'll actually stab you if you do that.' I gave him an evil smile. 'And also, that doesn't mean I'm going to be any nicer with you. You're still an asshole.'
He smiles the same one, the one you won't notice unless you look closely enough. He crossed his arms against me. 'Now, move your big ass giant body!' As I finished, he stepped closer to me, 'Shorty, I already told you not to curse.'
The sweet lovey dovey tension is long gone, readers. So, ya'll better stop with your delusions. I pushed him back, my eyes firm. 'Nuisance.'