2 Third Wheeling (1/2)

”Beep… Beep… Beep” was the sound of food being scanned. ”That would be 40RMB” he said with a fake smile and a forced jovial voice.

Mao Lu was inwardly screaming, his job as a sales assistant working at the tills of his local convenience store, was the worst.

He generally felt that every second was dragging to an impossibly long degree. If he was tired before he was even more tired now. His eyes kept drooping, and any minute he felt like he'd probably nod-off while talking to a customer.

”I knew I shouldn't have taken the early shift, but Li Qingwei was begging me to swap shifts with her. And she's pregnant there was no way I could have refused.” Mao grumbled.

He had to resign himself to his fate.

Actually his entire life Mao Lu had had to resign himself to his fate.

He hadn't always lived like this. He'd had parents who were relatively wealthy. He'd lived his early years better than most kids, however his parents had always been very strict and were quite Conservative. They wouldn't allow him to hang around certain kids, they'd beat him if his grades were too low, they always expected him to be the best at everything and live the way they planned for him. They'd even arranged his marriage to a girl called Lee Heri who came from an extremely wealthy family.

He'd felt suffocated his entire life and it only got worse when he was 13 and discovered his sexuality.

The day he realised he liked men and was in love with his best friend, was the day he felt like the world ended. Knowing the clear cut traditional ideals of his parents and the values of society he'd understood at a young age that such things weren't easily accepted.

As a result he'd swallowed those feelings, and walked on eggshells[1] around his parents to hide it. It hadn't been easy but Mao Lu had been okay doing that, he didn't mind following the path his parents set for him, he'd actually been prepared to go through with it.

Well that was until his Father's business went bankrupt. His father had ran a successful restaurant chain that he'd created and developed himself from when he was in his 20's. Almost all of their families assets were in shares invested into the company.

Yet after a powerful competitor had come on the scene a series of unfortunate events had followed. Bad review after bad review. Extremely negative press, a nasty rumour about roach infestation in his produce, and the worst of all was when his father was arrested and business was halted due to suspicions of under the table dealings with the Mafia.. Of course the arrest had turned out unwarranted and the suspicions were untrue, but the damage had been done. The business his Father had spent his life developing took a complete nosedive. Soon there were no customers and share price dropped so low that his family simply had no more money anymore.

It was the day before High School graduation, Mao Lu could still remember coming home and seeing his Mother on the kitchen floor bleeding to death, his Father holding a knife with a crazed expression saying ”let's all die together” as he ran at Mao Lu. The knife in his hand.

Luckily Mao Lu hadn't come home alone but had been with Zhao Detong and Fei Bing Bing. De Tong was a highschool champion at Wing Chun and easily restrained Mao's Dad.

They called the ambulance straight away but sadly his Mother still died and now his Father was in Prison facing a life sentence.

That's how Mao Lu had ended up like this, working 4 part time jobs, not really caring about life and just getting by everyday.

…

”Dingdonding” went the chime on the door as customers entered the store.

Mao Lu yawned and looked up, only to see Zhao Detong and Fei Bing Bing walking in, hand in hand.

Unlike the mess that she was yesterday, Fei Bing Bing was looking her usual gorgeous self, like a jade beauty straight from a novel.

Her brown eyes beamed and her pale cheeks were flushed a little pink.

Mao Lu couldn't help but focus on the silver ring on her finger that was decorated with pretty diamonds.

She raised up her hand into Mao's face. ”Lu, I can't believe it, he really proposed!”

Mao Lu stared at the ring and at Bing Bing's happy smile, and he felt a plethora of feelings. One of them being jealousy, the other shame, and the other genuine happiness for her.

”Congratulations.” he said softly.

”Thank you!” she squealed, jumping up and down.

Detong leaned on the cashier, he was wearing an expensive blue coat that was lined with with fur and decorated with blue sewn dragon on the cuffs. His black hair was neatly combed back and he looked devilishly handsome.

Mao Lu involuntarily felt his heart twinge.

”What time do you get off, let's all go and get a meal to eat. On me obviously.”

Mao Lu glanced at Zhao Detong but then quickly looked away, he really didn't want to. These feelings that he'd been hiding for years were killing him right now. He thought he'd gotten over it, but obviously not.

”I'd love to.” he said with a fake smile. Even though he was dead tired, he had to go and celebrate with them, his two best friends were getting married. ”I finish in an hour.”