Guardian Angel [Yan Ximen]

48.0

・・・☆・Forty Eight ・・・☆・

Just a couple hours after the event officially ended the group had met at a coffee shop. The couple were lucky that Meizuo had the spare key already in preparation for their two week long honeymoon where he was supposed to be house sitting. Otherwise Yingyue would have been stuck in that dress in the cold weather and she would not have been very impressed. 

Therefore, she sat in a pair of brown trousers, a white turtleneck with blue blouse on top, and her brown tweed jacket. She was the only one without a glass of whiskey in front of her. But she knew she couldn't drink at the current moment in time, Ximen looked so emotionally distressed that she needed to remain sober to make sure he was okay. Especially considering he just downed the whole glass without stopping to take a break. 

"My heart is not at ease." He started to explain to the group looking at his now empty glass with regret. In her seat opposite him Yingyue reached out to take one of his hands for comfort, hoping that would ease some of his inner turmoil. Though watched on as he flinched at her touch and she went to pull back immediately. Though was just as surprised to see him try to reach back for her not wanting her to let him go. Almost as if he was not expecting her support, had he already forgotten their conversation from earlier on in the night. This was nothing really, a small mistake Yingyue would never think less of Ximen for any role he played in what went down tonight. He wasn't the one who essentially told Si's mother to go do one with her old traditions. He wasn't the one to leave the room. He had tried to help, with not the most successful or thought out plan, but he was still trying to help. And that, that was more important that just watching on as your friends mother tries to destroy their relationship. 

"I'll probably have nightmares from what happened tonight." Meizuo voice as well him too seeming down about the events which had spiralled out of anyone control that evening. 

"Can you even sleep? I wouldn't even dare turn off the lights. I'm afraid I will hear a gunshot outside the window to punish me for helping Si and Shancai." Ximen bounced back at his friend and Yingyue had to control herself from getting up and walking over to take him in her arms and coddle him. Her least favourite thing in the entire world was seeing Ximen in any form of distress or unease and yet all because of that stupid girl Dong Shancai she was witnessing it again. 

"Lei when did Shancai learnt the piano? Why didn't we know about it?" Ximen had turned his attention onto Lei who was being rather in character as he remained silent listening to his friends woes. 

"I only taught her once. I'm not sure when she practiced by herself." Lei counter offered the look of puzzlement on his face. It would appear Shancai was doing more than the group expected yet Yingyue wasn't sure who she was doing it for, herself, Si, Lei? 

"But so what if Shancai could play the piano?" Meizuo added on "It still turned out that way today." 

"Do you still remember meeting Si's mom? In his house when we were seniors?" Lei turned to look at the two boys, Yingyue couldn't recall she had met the lady at another date, surprisingly when the boys weren't around.

Yingyue could recall the date she met the chair of Daoming Company with full clarity. She'd been 18 just shy of starting university and had been told to tag along with her father for the day. A shadowing kind of event to take another look at the company before she went away to study to take it over. Her father wanted her in attendance for his meeting with one of his most influential business partners. And Yingyue had gone along with it. She had remembered how nervous she was to meet this really important partner. 

And she should have been considering the business partner was the Daoming Company and considering how the other boys had talked about their first run in with Si's mother Yingyue ws not excited. She was so nervous she physically shook when she stood still. The anticipation of meeting the woman was well funded considering she had taken one look at the girl obviously recognised her from the photos of the group together and started questioning her about things no where near related to the meeting itself. 

"What's your purpose with my son. A girl of your calibre must be looking for a husband. Is my son one of your options? You'd be a good match." Informing Daoming Feng that she had zero attraction to Si and could never see him past the point of being a friend like a good friend was a tough debate if she ever had one. But she had won having had to key the woman into her not so little crush on her now fiancé. 

She had only really got a little bit of acceptance from the woman, one which had grown as her involvement in the company grew. Obviously forming bonds with the next company head, but Yingyue felt like there was a small chance she had gained a little bit of respect from the woman. After all she had not been told to shut up that evening unlike the boys sat at the table around her. 

Meizuo suddenly down the contents of his glass before announcing "I also don't feel good now."

"At that time we only cut class and went ice skating and we were scolded that way. What happened today, I'm not sure if Si's mom will make Shancai." Ximen ended with making the motion to suggest being killed. Yingyue wanted to feel for Shancai she really did nobody deserved to go through the embarrassment of this evening yet she also couldn't really gather those kinda feelings for the girl at the moment. This internalised what could be considered hate was really brewing now. Could Shancai just go a little while without like upsetting Yingyue's fiancé just long enough she could get back in the older girls good books. 

"Shancai even dared to have a direct confrontation with her." Meizuo piped up the disbelief on his face and in his voice as obviously none of the group actually expected this to really happen. None of them would dare have confrontation with Si's mother so Shancai was more daring then them all put together really.

"I hope she can take it." Lei added on

"I wonder how they're doing now?" Ximen queried as he continued to play with the empty glass and cling onto the outstretched hand Yingyue offered him. 

"Probably better than we are." Yingyue spoke for the first time probably since they had sat down and this caused all three pairs of eyes to be set directly upon her. She gave them all a little shrug in response she was sure the pair were out enjoying themselves as if what had conspired never happened. Those two weren't going to actually address the situation they were going to ignore it for as long as possible. Until it really caused a problem, they wouldn't admit that there was a problem or something had gone down. 

Shancai would never admit she had once again caused another problem for Si. Or for his friendship group, you know the one Yingyue was still not 100% sure the girl wasn't using to benefit herself. Until it really came back to bite her in the backside, Shancai wouldn't admit anything, of course she wouldn't. 

Dong Shancai was one of the highest stress causers in Yingyue's life and it would appear she wasn't going to leave it.