Chapter 5 – The Plot“It seems like our children are getting along well...” Fang Qin Lang said to Yu Ming Zhe as they were having a drink at the mansion. They were watching their children, Xue and Jiang Wei as they were strolling at the garden. “Then, we will not have any problems with them getting married soon.” Ming Zhe said. “Yes, and your Jiang Wei looks perfect with my Xue. I bet their engagement will be the most celebrated engagement in all of Taipei... or maybe all of Asi.” Fang Xiao Yang, Qin Lang's wife, commented. Ming Zhe smiled at her, and nodded his head. “Then, I guess it's about time that we plan for their marriage, as well as for their future.” Ming Zhe. “And I understand that once Jiang Wei marries Xue, he will take over your position as the CEO of Yu Enterprises, is that right?” Qin Lang asked. “Most definitely! Of course, he is the first born of the Yu family. It is only the right thing to do to give him my position, as well as most of my stocks.” Ming Zhe said. “Then, what about your second son, Chen Yi? I know he worked hard for your company, especially during the troubled times?” Qin Lang asked again. “Chen Yi will be compensated and rewarded for being a filial son. But for now, everything that I have will belong to Jiang Wei as soon as he marries Xue.” Ming Zhe said. Qin Lang smiled at him, and then he raised his glass to him. “And I'll drink to that.” he said.
Little did they know, Chen Yi was able to hear their conversation. He can't believe, that despite his hard work for their company, his own father will give everything to his elder brother, who did nothing. He did his best to please his dad, but he didn't see all of his efforts. He is OK with Jiang Wei getting the CEO position, but his dad giving Jiang Wei everything seems to be unfair for him.
Upset, he got out of the house and drove to his favorite bar. Then first person he saw as he entered the bar is Pei Pei, his brother's ex-flings. He knew that Pei Pei is drinking herself to death everyday to forget his brother, but the more she tries to forget him, the more that she couldn't. “You're drinking too much...” he said to her as he sat beside her. “Mind your own business!” Pei Pei snapped at him. She took another glass of wine and drank it at one go. After he ordered his drink, Chen Yi just kept his silence as he watched Pei Pei drink herself to death. “Zhang Shao Pei... stop wasting your time on a man who will never ever love you. For my brother, it's over between the two of you...” he said. Pei Pei dropped her glass on the counter top, and glared at him. “It's not over between us! I know Yu Jiang Wei will come back to me. He always comes back to me after he's through playing with other girls!” she hissed at him. Chen Yi looked at her, and gave her a smirk. “Did it ever occurred to you that the reason why he keeps on coming back to you is because he had no one to play with after he dumps the girl he dates? Wake up and smell the coffee, Pei Pei... My brother never loved you.” he said in a matter-of-fact tone. “No!” Pei Pei shouted at him. He could see the tears coming out of her eyes. Those tears soon smudged her mascara, making her face look dirty. She looked so broken to him, that he wanted to enclose her in his arms and hug her tight.
Another reason why Chen Yi hated his brother is because he stole the girl he loved from her. He regrets introducing Pei Pei to Jiang Wei. Because of that, the two got close and eventually had a “relationship”, if what they even had is a relationship. He knew his brother only used Pei Pei, and is only after her body. Since Pei Pei got close to his brother, she became obsessed with him. He knew right from the start that his brother will not take her seriously, but even if Chen Yi have warned Pei Pei, she never listened to him. In the end, Jiang Wei ended their relationship, leaving Pei Pei all broken.
“He loves me, Chen Yi. Your brother loves me...” Pei Pei said softly. “I knew he did...” she said. She lowered her head, and let the tears fall from her eyes. “Well, whatever love my brother felt for you before, I can clearly tell you that it's all gone. Jiang Wei is marrying Fang Li Xue. They are already engaged. One day, my dad and his parents will announce it to the public.” Chen Yi told her. Pei Pei shot a glare at him again. “No!” she hissed. “He will marry her, Pei Pei. He doesn't love you anymore. Just like the other girls he toyed with. You're just someone... whom he plays with. Accept it.” Chen Yi said. Pei Pei took a deep breath, and clutched onto her glass. “If I can't have Jiang Wei to myself, then no one can. No even that bitch...” she said.
With that, an idea hit Chen Yi. He let out a smirk as he put his arms around her to comfort her as she cries. He could use Pei Pei to have his revenge from his brother. “Maybe you can't have him... yet. But... if you work with me, I assure you that you can have my brother with you forever.” he said. With that, Pei Pei stopped crying, and looked up at him, wondering what he was talking about. “I... I can have Jiang Wei all by myself?” she asked. Chen Yi nodded his head. “Just follow my plans. And you'll have Jiang Wei in no time.” he said. And with that, he let out a devilish smile at her.
--
Kaoshiung, Taiwan.
Jiang Wei decided to take some time off from work, and have a week long vacation with Xue, Ah Ren and Chen Yi. They arrived at their villa in Kaoshiung. He was looking forward to spend more time alone with his fiancee, and with his best friend and brother as well. What he didn't know is that he will have an unexpected guest in their villa.
As they were getting their luggages from the van, another car arrived. All of them were wondering who arrived, as they knew that it will only be the four of them alone. “I though it's just us. Did you invite someone else?” Xue asked Jiang Wei. Jiang Wei just shrugged his shoulder. “No. You know that I wanted to be alone, so I knew it will be just us.” he said. Then, a girl came out of the car. Jiang Wei was surprised to find who the unexpected guest is – it was Pei Pei. “Hey, Jiang Wei!” she greeted. She smiled at him, and walked up to him, giving him a kiss on the cheek. She then turned to Xue, and smiled at her. “Uh-oh... I'm smelling trouble...” Ah Ren whispered to Chen Yi. The two of them just watched the three. They could feel the tension building up among them. Pei Pei turned to Jiang Wei, and let out a seductive smile. “I see that you brought your fiancee here. Or is she one of your meantime girls?” she said in an insulting tone. Xue was annoyed, but she tried to control herself. “Yes, I'm Jiang Wei's fiancee. I'm Fang Li Xue. And you are...” she said, extending her hand to her. Pei Pei looked at her, and looked haughtily at her, not daring to take her hand. “I'm Zhang Shao Pei, Jiang Wei's ex-girlfriend. The one he was with for almost two years.” she said.
Xue could feel the blood rising to her head. She gave Jiang Wei a glare, but she realized that he was just as mad as she is for seeing Pei Pei. “I think I told you to stop following me, Pei Pei. We're through.” he said in a firm tone. Pei Pei just smiled at him as he folded his arms. “I am not here to bother you, my dear Jiang Wei. I'm here for a vacation as well. Someone just told me that you'll be here, so I decided to pay you a visit.” she said. Jiang Wei turned to Chen Yi and Ah Ren, as if asking them if they told Pei Pei that they will be here. The two could only shrug their shoulder. “Don't worry, honey. I won't stay here in the ville like I used to, when we have a vacation. We have a rest house somewhere here, remember?” she said. She said goodbye to them, but before she left, Pei Pei kissed Jiang Wei on the lips, which made Xue mad. Because of that, Xue stormed inside the villa, mad at what she saw.
“The nerve of that girl!” Xue thought as she entered the villa. “Maybe Jiang Wei never really broke up with her. Maybe they are still having an affair. And that Jiang Wei... why did he let her kiss him like that in front of me?” she thought. The moment Pei Pei kissed Jiang Wei again, she wanted to punch the two in the face. It took a lot of self-control for her not to do that. “Xue...” she heard Jiang Wei calling him. She looked at him. She rolled her eyes at him, and then turned away from him. Jiang Wei walked up to her, and tried to hug her, but Xue pushed him away. “Xue, please don't be mad. I didn't know that she will come here.” he said. Xue folded her arms, and ignored his pleas. “Xue, you know that it's all over between me and Pei Pei. You know that you're the only girl in my life now...” he said. Xue turned to face him and gave him a glare. “Then, how can that bitch follow you here?” she snapped at him. Jiang Wei just shrugged his shoulder. He let out an innocent smile at her. “Don't be jealous now...” he said. Xue looked angrily at him as she puts her hands on her waist. “Who says I'm jealous?”
“Look at you. You're obviously jealous of Pei Pei.”
“I am not jealous of her.”
“Then why are you mad?”
Jiang Wei let out a smile. He walked up to her, and hugged her tight. “You don't have to be jealous of Pei Pei, Fang Li Xue. You know that it's you that I love. She is my past, while you are my present and my future...” he whispered to her. That's all the assurance Xue needed to hear from him – the assurance that she will be the last love of his life. “Are you sure?” she asked him. Jiang Wei raised his right hand at her. “I am 100% sure. Boy Scout's honor.” he said. “Will you promise me that I will be the last girl in your life?” she asked again. He smiled and nodded his head. “I swear. You will be the last girl in my life... well except for our daughter, our granddaughters, or great-granddaughters...” Xue gave him a smile. Then, she reached up to him, and kissed him on the lips. “I love you, Yu Jiang Wei...” she whispered to him. “And I love you too, Fang Li Xue...” he said.
Ah Ren watched from the door as Jiang Wei and Xue kisses. He was about to go inside the villa when he saw the two of them being intimate. He know, he should get used to it since they've been together for a couple of months now, but seeing them together still breaks his heart. He have loved Xue for as long as he could remember, and no matter how hard he tries to forget what he feels for her, he just couldn't. He knew Xue have always been in love with Jiang Wei before, and being married to him is what she wanted the most. Jiang Wei have also fallen in love with Xue, he knows that. He have never seen him this serious about this girl. He was there to witness their meeting, and he could tell by the way Jiang Wei looked at Xue that he was smitten by her. It's only the right thing to do to sacrifice what he feels for the two most important people in his life, so that the two of them could be happy.
He took a deep breath, and composed himself. As he walked inside the villa, he let out a smile at the two. “Stop that! You're making me envious.” he shouted at the two. The two stopped kissing, an looked at him, giving him a shy smile. “I told you before to get yourself a girlfriend.” Jiang Wei told him. He let out a faint smile as he eyed Xue. The only girl he ever wanted to be is her, but that could never happen now. He put his hands inside his pockets, and looked down. “Well... I don't think I'm ready to jump into a relationship right now. I'm busy with my career, you know.” Ah Ren said. “And what about the girl you've been eying for so long?” Jiang Wei asked. Ah Ren was taken aback at what he said. He looked at Xue, and she was giving him a confused look. “Ah Ren ge likes another girl? Is she someone I know?” she asked. Ah Ren let out a nervous laugh and shook his head. “Ha! I... I got you with that, Yu Jiang Wei. I was just kidding when I said I like another girl.” he said. Jiang Wei gave him a confused look as well. “But you seemed serious...” he said. Jiang Wei let out another loud laugh. “I got you! Of course, I have not found the girl I like yet.” he lied. Jiang Wei just nodded his head. Xue smiled at him, and then held on to his arms. “Of course, Ah Ren ge deserves a perfect girl. So, if you find yourself liking another girl, she have to pass me and Jiang Wei first, OK?” she said. Ah Ren smiled at her, and nodded his head. “I will. Don't worry.” he said. Then, he looked at Jiang Wei, and threw the bag he's holding to him. “Take your fiancee's bag. It's your job now.” He said. Jiang Wei to the bag, and watched as Ah Ren went upstairs.
--
“Everything is settled then...”
“Yes. All we have to do is make Jiang Wei go out with me...”
“Of course. I know how to persuade him. He can never his own little brother down, right?”
A laugh.
“You're so brilliant, Chen Yi. You're hitting two birds with one stone – with Jiang Wei out of your way, you'll be able to get your father's position and wealth, and at the same time, you're helping me fulfill my wish to be with him forever.”
A smirk.
“I badly wanted that jerk out of my life... he always takes everything from me...”
“Then, I'll wait for that day to come. It would be soon, and me and your brother will be together forever...”
“Just make sure you'll ready yourself. I can't afford for our plan to fail.
“But... but what if our plans fail?”
Silence.
“Then, I guess I'm left with no other choice...”
“But Chen Yi -”
“It's our last option. As if I am really going to do that. This is our bet laid plans. Don't worry, Pei Pei...”
Silence.
“Trust me on this...”
--
Chen Yi leaned back on his chair. He took a glass of brandy, and drank it up. He could finally taste his victory. Once his brother is out of his life, he will have everything he ever wanted – power, fame, and respect from his father. He can't let Jiang Wei take away everything he worked hard for. He can't even let Jiang Wei be with the girl he loves and be happy. He can't let Jiang Wei live in bliss.
He can't let Jiang Wei be with Pei Pei.
He hated his brother ever since. He hated the fact that their father always favors him. When they were young, Jiang Wei would have the vet clothes and toys, while he would have his hand-me-downs. Jiang Wei was able to study abroad, while he was never sent abroad to study. Everything that their father decided, he would consider Jiang Wei first and never asked for his opinion. He had enough of his dad's favoritism. It's about time that he show him that he is much better than his elder brother, and he can only do that if his brother is out of the way.
He also hated him for stealing Pei Pei away from him. Pei Pei is the only girl Chen Yi have loved, but then Pei Pei chose Jiang Wei over him. He just kept his silence all this time, but the fact that Jiang Wei will get everything after he marries Xue is too much. It's about time that he get his revenge, and turn the wheel this time – now, he will take everything from his beloved elder brother.
He took another sip from his brandy, and a devilish smile appeared on his lips. He made Pei Pei believe that she will be with Jiang Wei forever, but she is wrong. With his own plan, he will have Pei Pei by himself. He have gained her trust, and when all is set, he have to make her believe that by killing Jiang Wei, it's the best way to get her out of the mess she got into.
--
A black BMW stopped in front of the gate. A young man in his early 20s got out of the car, and stared at the sign by the gate. “Crimson Skies Resort...” he muttered. A smile formed in his lips as he remembered her. He felt nostalgic, as he remembered the memory of his first love. It's been a long time since he last set foot in this place. He wanted to go back to this place, and find the woman he loves, but after taking over his fathers company, he had no time to find her. Good thing he was here for a convention, and he was able to visit the resort again.
All these years, he wanted to find Nadine. He wanted to explain what happened to them in the past, and ask for forgiveness. Eight years have passed, and his feelings for her have not changed, it has never changed, for she will be the only girl he have loved in his lifetime. He may have dated other girls in the past, but they are nothing compared to Nadine. And now that he had the chance, he will do everything to have her once again.
He entered the reception area, and saw a lady staff by the front desk. “Hi...” he said, letting out a boyish smile. “Welcome to Crimson Skies Resort. How may I help you, sir?” she asked. “I'm looking for Ms. Nadine Llanes. Is she around?” he asked. “I'm sorry sir, but Ms. Nadine is not here at the moment...” the lady said. The smile on his face slowly disappeared upon hearing her answer. He got disappointed that he was not able to see Nadine today. He is looking forward to meeting her again, before he leaves for the States to take care of their business there. He said goodbye to the staff, and got out of the resort. As soon as he left, another car came. This time, it was Nadine's car.
“Kara... how's everything?” Nadine asked as she entered the resort. “Oh, Ms. Nadine... someone is looking for you.” Kara said. Nadine gave her a wondering look. “It's not the guys from the bank, right?” she asked. Kara just shook her head. “It's not. But he is wearing a suit and tie...” she said. “Did you get his name or contact number?” she asked again. Kara shook her head. “I was about to ask him that, but he said goodbye and left. Maybe he'll come back again.” Kara said. Nadine let out a sigh, then she smiled back at him. “All right, then let's wait for that guy to come back.” she said.
--
He found himself sinking into the drak and salty water. He tried to paddle himself up, but something is pulling his leg down. “Let go!” he wanted to shout. “You can never have everything by yourself, Yu Jiang Wei. You don't deserve to be happy. You deserve to die!” a dark voice was telling him. The more he tried to get out of the dark water, the more that he is being pulled down. He's running out of air to breath. “Let go!” he shouted in his thoughts. But whatever or whoever it is that's pulling his leg, won't even heed what he wanted.
As he looked up to the surface, he saw Xue's sad face. Her hand was reaching out to him. “Jiang Wei... don't leave me! Jiang Wei!” she shouted. He reached his hand up to her, but it was beyond her reach. “Xue!” he shouted. Xue broke down as she tried to reach for him. “Jiang Wei... please don't...” she sad. Then, he saw Ah Ren came up to Xue. He put his arm around her, and let Xue cry in his shoulder. “Ah Ren! Save me!” he shouted at him. Upon hearing him shout for help. Jiang Wei reached his hand to him. He could almost reach the tip of his finger. “Hold on, Jiang Wei...” he said. He was able to hold on to his hand, but then, his hand slipped to Ah Ren's hand. Then, he found himself sinking into the deep abyss. “Jiang Wei!” Ah Ren shouted. He jumped into the water to save him, but he is too late. The abyss have already devoured him.
“You deserve to die, Yu Jiang Wei. You deserve to die...”
Jiang Wei sat up from his bed. Bead of cold sweat formed in his forehead as he awoke up. “It's just a dream...” he thought. “A really bad dream...”
--
He opened his eyes. It was morning. The sun blinded his eyes, making him close it again. “Where am I?” he asked himself. He felt his body ache, that he can't move. It must be because of the struggle he did, in order for him to reach the surface. Suddenly, he felt light-headed It's as if nothing is inside his head. He opened his eyes again, this time, something is blocking the sun. That something seems to glimmer with the sun. “Angel?” he thought. The figure reached up to his cheek, and he coul feel her warm hands caressing his cheek. “You will be fine...” a sweet voice said. He smiled to himself as he let that warm hand soothe the pain he is feeling. “You will be fine...”
Labels: original story, Paper Stars
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