A Royal Engagement

Tail

(DAYU)

Someone is following me. Great! Just my luck, Chong put a tail on me.

My two weeks is not up yet, why is he being impatient?! Granted, I am still not close to finding my friend, ex friend, who took all the money we loaned on Chong's mafia boss, but I still have time! Four days to be exact!

I grab my hair tight and resist the urge to pull them all off. If I will die four days from now, I would like to die with my full, silky, beautiful hair.

My hair is my pride.

I stopped walking. Whoever is behind me stopped too. Whoever is following me, that person is pissing me off! Big time!

My life is crap right now. Like useless crap, the kind of crap you can't even use as soil manure to enrich the plants.

That's how crappy my life is. Manure has more value than my life right now.

I have no job. No prospect. Still disowned. Still shit deep in debt. And living on instant noodles. And not the tasty kind.

Maybe I should save Chong some time and effort and just kill myself. Why am I living for anyway? I don't even have a boyfriend? The last time I had sex with someone aside from my own hand was...uhm...I can't recall.

Wow! My life is depressing.

I started walking again. My shadow copied me. I hope this person following me had a gun or a knife and he knew how to stab or kill someone quickly.

Again, my life is depressing.

But after miles and miles of walking from the city back to the hovel where I live, the person following me didn't even bother to trip me so I can fall and crack my head or something.

No, this person just keeps on following and following me.

Now I wanna kill this person! Ugh!

This shadow is annoying so I decided to annoy it too. I ran.

I'm a fast runner. Inventive too. I can jump over fences, slid under tight spaces and climb walls.

I wanted to be a ninja when I was young so I practiced those stunts.

But my shadow is adequate too. It followed me until we came into my neighborhood. I smiled, I know this crappy place like the back of my hand. I will make this tail's life complicated.

I ran fast around the narrow streets. Climb walls and slip behind tight spaces. When I saw an opportunity, when my shadow slowed down because it had to press itself to a too tight space, I jump the wall and kick it's back.

My shadow topple, almost kissing the ground. But it recovered it's balance and stayed upright. But not for long as I deliver another deadly kick and this time I hit it's shoulder. The shadow falls to the ground.

Hah! My taekwondo black belt and sensei will be proud of that kick.

I stood above the fallen guy, it is a guy given it's tall height, built and moves. I put one shoe sole on it's shoulder.

"I really regret this my friend but can you tell your boss that I still have four days before he can kill me,"

The guy coughed and touch my leg, "What are you talking about Dayu?"

I reeled back. His voice sounds unfamiliar. The guy sounds refined and rich with a Beijing accent. Not like Chong's thugs and crews.

I eased off my foot. The guy sits up. I crouch down and peered at his face. "Who are you?" I asked cautiously. With my luck, I won't be surprise if I kicked police officer who will arrest me after hiding from my landlord for two months now. I have nothing to give as pay for the rent I owe on my current living space. If you call a small bolthole a living space.

The guy lift his head and stared at me, "It's me, Lao."

My jaw dropped. Holy hell my curse just caught up on me. I am a dead man now. This is much worse than kicking a police officer.

I just hurt the second in command of the King in Waiting.

I am dead now.

"Lao?! What the fuck man?! Why are you slinking in the shadow following me? Do I owe you money too?"

Not that I can remember. The last time I saw Lao was when my father and I came to the Royal Residence for the last time to accept the Royal Family's condolences when my grandfather died. My granddad was a former driver of the Royal Family.

I was nine that time.

Lao stood up and dust off his clothes. I stood too and face him. Lao look at me and smiled.

"It's nice to see you again Dayu ah,"

I smiled at the warmth and genuine happiness in his tone. I nodded, "You too. And I am sorry for...you know," I shyly dust off his clothes that looks expensive like Lao.

I think his rubber shoes alone costs more than my whole ensemble of cheap clothes.

"That's okay," he took my hand and gave it a firm handshake. "You are right, I followed you suspiciously and you have every right to kick me if you feel threatened. But I just don't know how to approach you Dayu,"

"You could have knocked on my door or send me a message in my weibo account," I suggest to him.

He nodded and winced, "Right, those would have been less humiliating and painful, I guess,

We laugh together and finally he hugged me and smack my back with his palm. I slap his back too and we let go of each other.

"So? Why are you following me?" I curiously asked my old playmate.

Lao's smile vanished. "The Prince is asking to see you?"

My happy feelings vanished too. "I see. Is that a royal order from his High Handedness?"

Lao winced at my hard tone. Maybe because he was a witness at how my relationship to the Prince soured.

"Dayu," his tone had a pleading note on it.

I sighed. Pitying my old playmate. When I left, Lao was left alone to tend to tend to the Crown Prince's every demand.

And now, looking at him, it shows that he is still following the whims of the Crown Prince. A fate I barely escaped myself.

For me, Wang Qing is the most selfish boy I unfortunately meet. A spoiled brat. A self entitled person. Demanding. Proud.

A SOB.

"What does he want from me?" I asked Lao.

Lao sighed in relief, at least I am not outrightly refusing to meet the bratty Prince.

"If you will permit it, I will take you to him and he can explain it to you himself,"

I stared at Lao who gave me a hopeful look. I took a deep breath and release it.

Fuck it! What could one meeting with a Prince do? It's not like it will change my life drastically if I see an old playmate and enemy.

I smiled and nodded at Lao who smiled back at me.