"Human feelings are weird. The more you know you should forget him, the clearer he becomes in your heart." - New Non-Stop4
[Post Taiwan MG season2] After Mei Zuo finds love and Ah Si and Shan has been reunited, it is time for Xi Men and Lei to fac...
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"How beautiful."
Yang Xiao You was staring at a beautiful watercolor portrait of a woman. The woman had her face turned on one side, obsuring most of her features in shadows. But with long ebony curls tumbling down her shoulders, a staight nose, a pair of perfectly-shaped lips and a long slender neck, the woman was no doubt a beauty beyond compare.
Xiao You's brows creased into a frown. Weird but she looks familiar.
But of course that was not possible. For the last two and a half years of her stay in Toronto, Xiao You had not gone out to a single social event where she could have met some new people aside from her classmates at the university.
And if her Design 402 professor had not required her students to see this art exhibit by the graduating Fine Arts students, Xiao You would never had gone. As it was, she was more than perplexed how uncanny the woman in the painting looked to her. Xiao You was positive she had seen this woman before.
But where? In one of my classes? In my neighborhood?
"Or maybe she's from Taipei," Xiao You said, noticing some hint of Chinese features from the subject. Xiao You had not realized she had talked out loud until a voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Whose from Taipei? This woman?"
Startled, Xiao You turned to her left to meet a pair of chocolate brown eyes. It was a man about six feet tall with a medium built body and a slightly tanned complexion. He had a strikingly good-looking face complete with a smile that could warm the loneliest of hearts.
Xiao You blushed a light scarlet color as she realized what she had just been doing. She was checking the man out! What was she thinking?
For but some reason, Xiao You couldnt turn her eyes away. Something in this man attracted her at once and no man has ever attracted her ever since Taiwan. . . ever since Xi Men Zhong er Lang. . .
Finally noticing the expectant smile in the man's face, Xiao You blushed deeper. "Yes," Xiao You managed to answer, "She looked awfully familiar to me so I thought that maybe she's from Taiwan too."
The man's smile grew bigger. "From Taiwan too? What you mean is you're from Taiwan as well? What a coincidence, I'm from Taiwan myself." The man turned his head to examine the painting. His face suddenly turned wistful "Well, you're right this woman is from Taiwan."
Xiao You was confused at his sudden sad expression. To distract him, she continued on "You talk like as if you drew this portrait."
The man turned back to face Xiao You. He laughed good- naturedly. "Why? Don't I look like an artist?"
Xiao You thought for a moment. Actually, the man looked very much how Xiao You always thought artists ought to look like. Mysterious. Strange. Eye-catching. The man looked so much like an artist that Hua Zhe Lei's image suddenly came into Xiao You's mind.
"No, it's not that you don't look like an artist, it's just because this exhibit are works from the graduating Fine Arts students and you look. . ."
"Older?" the man supplied.
Xiao You smiled apologetically. "Yeah. You look like you're maybe twenty-five?"
The man shook his head. "Twenty-six actually. See back in Taiwan, my parents, especially my father had forced me to take a business course instead. Now I'm here in Toronto and I'm taking Fine Arts to indulge myself."
Xiao You stared at this man, both amused and confused. Amused that he had easily talk to her about his life when they haven't known each other for more than five minutes! Confused too that this man's parents would force their son to take business.
Unless this man was a heir to a big business empire like Dao Ming Si or Ling Mei Zuo and needed proper education on the market, Xiao You thought there was no need for parents to force their children to take such.
Xiao You was then reminded how Mr and Mrs Dong had forced Shan Cai to take business too. But then again, their intention was to have Shan Cai meet a young and rich bachelor to marry that's why they had sent her best friend off to Ying De University.
"What's wrong?" the man in front of Xiao You asked as he noticed how her face furrowed in thought.
"Nothing. I just remembered who this woman reminds me off. She looks a lot like Teng Tang Jing."
The warm smile on this handsome man froze. He didn't say a word, instead he turned to stare at his painting again. His actions practically confirmed her suspicions. This painting was indeed inspired by Teng Tang Jing.
And if it was Jing then maybe this man was indeed a business tycoon heir? He was dressed so casually but who knows? Xiao You was suddenly immensely curious but she could sense some reluctance in the man. There was no way she could ask him more about his painting or anything about the story behind it. As she watched him, his wistful expression suddenly reminded Xiao You of Xi Men. How Xi Men too was once reluctant to tell her a story from his past, the story of Xiao Gen.
Xi Men. Xiao You still thought of him every day. Still reminisce those brief yet wonderful moments when he had held her in his arms. Like that time at the hotel before she left Taiwan. But more than any other memory, that time at the rooftop haunted her the most. When after she showing him Xiao Gen's message, Xi Men began to cry. When Xi Men took her in his arms, Xiao You knew he was thinking of Xiao Gen then; but it didnt matter to her, Xiao You had only been aware of her pounding heart.
Xiao You was finally pulled from her reverie as she heard the man ask her a question. She shook her head, trying to clear off any more thoughts of Xi Men.
She realized that was futile though when she noticed once more the man's warm smile. Xiao You could have sworn it was just Xi Men's! Just as the man's eyes mirrored Xi Men's brown orbs.
"I said I'm getting hungry, it's way past lunch time. I would be very happy if you could join me, Miss. . .?"
Xiao You stared at this man, debating whether she should give him her name and accept his invitation. Before she knew what she was doing, she heard herself answering him.
"Yang Xiao You," she said extending her hand. "Thank you for the invitation, I'm a bit hungry myself."
The man took her hand. A shy and hesitant smile. "Tian Li. Xi Men Tian Li."
--- Disclaimer: Taiwan Meteor Garden I and II is not mine.
Author's Note: This is story at fanfiction.net(username: angel_leigh), I am posting this on this site with some revisions but this is MY story from 2004. Hopefully 16 years will have given me better writing perspective.
