12 THE TROUBLE HUA ZHENDAN’S IN (1/2)
When Xuan Tianmei woke up the next morning, the aroma of freshly prepared chicken noodles wafted into her nostrils.
Wondering why that was, she made her way into the sitting room. Indeed, Xuan Tianyi was at the kitchen, preparing noodles.
”What's going on?” she asked, slowing walking towards her brother.
”Oh! You're awake,” Tianyi smiled at her. ”Come and sit. I made breakfast.”
Xuan Tianmei watched as he put two bowls of noodles down on the table. Xuan Tianyi never did anything this good of his own volition. Unless he was trying to appease he after doing something wrong, she quickly concluded that he had done she might not like.Apprehensively, she asked, ”What did you do?”
”What are you talking about?” Xuan Tianyi sat at the dining table and buried his face in his bowl of noodles.
Xuan Tianyi sat, picked up her chopsticks and watched him intently as he ate. ”Are you sure you didn't do something?”
”I didn't,” he denied vehemently.
Although she doubted him, she started eating anyways.
”Last night...”
Xuan Tianmei looked up at him. She knew he was about to confess.
”I called up Hua Zong and accepted the job.”
She put down her chopsticks. Her face drained of all color. She stared at him intensely. ”After I asked you not to?”
”It pays well. And it's a real job. I don't see what the big deal is,” Xuan Tianyi shrugged.
”The big deal is you shouldn't do something like that. You're selling your body for money. What's the difference between that and prostitution?”
”What are you even saying? How are they the same thing?”
”I'm saying you shouldn't do it. You don't have any money now, and yet you can't keep your thing in your pants. If you become famous and start accruing fans, who's to say you won't die of AIDS before you turn thirty? What's wrong with living a simple life? You don't lack for anything do you?”
Xuan Tianyi chuckled and angrily smashed his chopsticks on his bowl, ”Oh! I see what the problem is. You're just upset because once I start earning good money, you won't have any other purpose in life.”
”What?”
”It's true. At twenty-two, you don't even have a boyfriend because your life is all about me.”
”Xiao Yi —”
”Do you know you're a control freak? You're upset because you feel like your position in my life is being threatened, and you might not be able to control me any longer.
”It's irritating, 'big sister,'” with that, Xuan Tianyi picked up a jacket and stormed out the door.
***
Sitting opposite Hua Zhendan was the handsome man he'd given his card to at the cafe the previous day.
Hua Zhendan picked up two blue files from the top of his table and studied them. One had Tan Yao's name printed on it in gold. The other had the two characters, 'Xuan Tianyi' written on it.
As Hua Zhendan glared at the one that had Xuan Tianyi's name on it, he felt his heartbeat accelerate, and he frowned. He hated feeling this way.
Tan Yao, who was still unable to believe his luck, stared at Hua Zhendan nervously. He wondered why it seemed he was dallying.
”Hua Zong,” Tan Yao called.
Hua Zhendan who had almost forgotten he was there looked up at him. As he stared into his face, he felt himself calm down. He had found that Tan Yao had this kind of effect on him, most especially when he contrasted Xuan Tianyi's many flaws against Tan Yao's seeming perfection.
”Here,” he gave Tan Yao the file that had his name on it. Pointing to a column on the bottom left of the last page, he gave Tan Yao a pen and said, ”Sign here.”
Tan Yao took the pen and wrote down his signature. As soon as he put down the pen, he heard the buzzer on Hua Zhendan's desk go off.
Through the buzzer, Hua Zhendan's secretary's voice echoed, ”Xuan Tianmei is here to see you, Sir.”