Chapter 73: Chapter 73
“Rhea, let’s go take you somewhere quiet, huh? You can dance with TangShi later. You need to lay down.” YuZhi didn’t know what else to do except usher them together out of sight, aware that this would cause a huge scandal by morning if she continued to act out and make a fool of herself. Being this drunk and acting like this would do untold damage to her image, given she had a huge following of young women.
“Uh uh. TangShi comes with me… because she’s the sure-fire way to get you to follow and give me your undivided attention, Mr. Leng!” Rhea reached out one finger, wriggling it and poked YuZhi in the shoulder playfully, laughing at her own mannerism and then clinging to TangShi once more. YuZhi’s mood nosedived, and he tensed up all over.
“I’ll take you. We can get something to drink and have a rest.” TangShi tried to help, tugging Rhea with her even though it was obvious YuZhi wanted to separate them. “It’s okay, I can take her.” TangShi nodded to him and made to move but Rhea grabbed YuZhi’s wrist and hauled him back to them.
“Nope. We three have to go, all together like one happy little family. Right, YuZhi? Because we can only be happy if you have TangShi tagging along in life, Right? Because you care for her…… you protect her… You only care about your sweet little Tang!” Rhea was slurring, her tone changing to bitter and YuZhi could sense the meltdown coming. His head beginning to throb with the stress she was causing.
“Right, she’s my fiancée after all. So that’s a given. Come on.” YuZhi’s own voice was rigid and harsh, trying to conceal his anger at her. He caught her by the elbow and turned, tugging her to follow while TangShi kept her up on the other side and they made to exit without attention. It wasn’t that easy, and he was aware of cameras straying this way.
“Do you know, Tang?…… uh I hate that he calls you that! It’s not her name, you know!!” Rhea snorted, distaste obvious as she spat out her words and then glared at first YuZhi and then TangShi. “I liked you, I did. But now, I feel like you might be a sneaky little seductress who’s trying to destroy my life. I completely underestimated you. Hats off to you, Miss. Lei for being a manipulative and yet highly skilled actress of the worst kind.” Rhea hauled her arm out of TangShi’s and turned on her. Her make up smudged, her lipstick smeared and her expression sour. TangShi took a hold again and kept them moving. Aware this shouldn’t be seen and getting anxious about the drama she could feel unfolding. This was Rhea from the night she slapped her and yet she had no idea why she was like this again.
“It’s okay, come on, almost there.” TangShi ignored her remarks and kept her cool. Inwardly questioning how someone who claimed to be her friend could say these things to her. To accuse her when she knew she wasn’t doing anything.
“Rhea, stop it, I’m warning you.” YuZhi snarled under his breath into her ear, pulled them at speed, nodding to passing guests who looked their way and pasted a pleasant smile on his face while doing so. TangShi was trying to remain the same, following his lead but Rhea slurring in her ear, fighting to be let go was making it difficult and she didn’t know how to react. It was obvious two friends were escorting a drunk girl out and raised many eyebrows.
“Of course, I shouldn’t upset your precious wife, right?” Rhea hissed at him.
YuZhi found them an empty room not far down the first corridor that seemed to be a side sitting room for this hall. No one was in here but stacks of bottled water to be replenished in the hall suggested they might get privacy if this was a temporary storeroom.
“Go ask for some lemon or honey water and we will sober her up.” YuZhi instructed TangShi, eager to get her out of the picture, as he pulled Rhea from her arms and turned her to maneuver her into a seat. Rhea launched at him head on though and wrapped her arms around his waist as she buried her face against his chest. Bursting into tears and wailing like a wounded child.
“I Love you. Don’t keep doing this. Make her go away and we can be here, just us. Like we were before. She can leave and we can be together again.”
TangShi was startled and looked away quickly as her own internal battle of jealousy reared its ugly head and she tried to swallow it down.
“Rhea, for god’s sake. Stop it.” YuZhi snapped at her, yanked her off and plonked her own in the seat behind her with a little force. “What the fuck are you doing? Do you know how stupid this is tonight? Here of all places! Where’s Lu Jeng? Isn’t he your date? Why the hell has he left you alone like this?”
“No. I didn’t want him, I told him not to come. I only want you. Make her go away.” She reached for him again and he batted her hand away with zero patience for this woman he no longer recognized.
“I’ll go get the water.” TangShi didn’t wait to witness more, aware that this was only going to improve if Rhea was less drunk. She didn’t want to hear love confessions or see her clinging to YuZhi. It only pained TangShi’s heart and reminded her he would never feel this way about her.
TangShi was quick, scurrying out and easily found a server who fulfilled her request for a drink. She was only a few minutes before hurrying back and dodging photographers as she slid back into the dull room unseen. She came to a halt as she saw YuZhi on his knees in front of Rhea’s chair, her hands in his, their heads tilted together as he softly spoke to her and tried to reason. A completely different atmosphere as he had turned on the softly softly approach and it made TangShi’s stomach turn over. A pain in her chest at seeing him this way with another woman.
“You can’t be like this. It will cause you so much backlash if you’re filmed this way. Your image will be stained. It could mess up a lot of your contracts and sponsors, Rhea. The public opinion can be brutal and end careers for the most minor things, you know this. You have to pull yourself together for all our sakes.”
“I can’t. I told you already.” She sobbed again, sniffing and swallowing hard.
“Here.” TangShi moved in, attracting their attention as she walked forward and held out the glass of water for Rhea.
The sight of her returning seemed to flip a switch in Rhea’s demure and calm state, and she suddenly hauled herself up, turning furiously at TangShi. She grabbed the glass from her hands with a sharp tug and threw the cold sticky liquid in TangShi’s face. Hitting her with icy shock as TangShi gasped and stumbled backwards. Unprepared for an assault and blinded by the flavored water for a second.
Lifting the glass in the air, Rhea made to throw it after her, but YuZhi caught her wrist in flash speed. He grabbed the glass from her hand as TangShi blinked their way in shock, wiping her eyes as it ran down in little rivulets and made her make up run.
“Rhea, what the…” YuZhi exploded, and tugged her back to sit her down but she fought him. Wriggling and twisting and screaming at TangShi. Shoving his arms away and using her legs to force his knees back.
“I hate you; I hate you!!! I want you to die. I want you to go back to the hole you crawled from and never show face again.” She was hysterical, spitting venom TangShi’s way.
YuZhi dumped the empty vessel on the table but kept a firm hold of her wrist. His temper bubbling on high and he took even breaths to cool down before he did or said something he would regret. The impulse in him to pick her up and dump her ass flat on the floor was overwhelming and his fury at TangShi getting targeted was making him irrational. TangShi attempted to mop up the water from her dress, aware her hair was falling down over one eye and that she must look awful now.
“I’ll go.” She mumbled, mentally trying to remember where the nearest bathroom was and how to get out unseen.
“Stay right there. Rhea, you have lost your fucking mind. Sit down!” He growled his last command and pushed Rhea into the chair harshly, using more strength than he ever would on a woman, pulling out his cell and pressed it to his ear. He put one hand on Rhea’s shoulder and held her down so she couldn’t get back up even though she was trying.
“Zheng, I need you. First door, corridor on the left by the fountain. Bring something to clean up TangShi and someone to take Rhea home.” His mood seemed stable, but he was inwardly seething. Trying to gain control of this situation.
“I’m not leaving.” Rhea crumbled in her chair and let her head roll to one side. No longer fit to resist as all her energy drained and YuZhi let go.
“Yes you are. I’m done with this bullshit, Rhea. I’m done with you attacking Tang because you cannot get your shit together. This is never who you were, and I don’t know if I never really knew you and this is something you hid for a long time, or if you need help that I’m not qualified to give. Either way, you’re leaving. We will deal with this when you’re sober.” YuZhi turned away, taking a moment to calm his own self and think before shaking himself off.
Rhea jumped to her feet as he moved to tend to TangShi and hauled him back from behind in a fit of jealousy, grabbing his arm and pulling him sideways so he lost his balance. YuZhi grabbed at the arm of the chair and yanked himself free, shoving her away in reaction and scowled at her.
“What about you? Were you always like this? You care so little for me now and switched all your attention to some bitch who has been in your life for five minutes.” Rhea didn’t back down but came at him with unbridled venom. YuZhi’s temper flared from being manhandled, having her scream in his face and insult Tang that way, and he let rip without meaning to.
“Five minutes? Try eight fucking years, Rhea. She’s Alice! do you really think that she doesn’t matter in this? I’m who I always was but if you treat me like shit then expect retaliation.” as soon as the words were out of his mouth, he wished he could take them back and knew he said the wrong thing. Groaning internally at blurting this out. Rhea’s eyes widened as it registered who Alice was and the truth of what she meant to him when he was younger.
“What?” She faltered, her words clear and shocked and TangShi didn’t know whether to stay or run. Rhea’s glare came to her in question, and she recoiled with the intense hatred in that look.
“Alice? From Beijing, from that ball? The girl you left the night your father died?” Rhea seemed to have a moment of clarity. Her mind putting so many things together and getting flawed results as she spun on YuZhi, grabbing his lapels. “The kiss was real, wasn’t it? All this time, the reason you have been dodging me was because you and her…… you’re having sex, kissing, going on dates, right? Because she’s the one that got away and you hid this from me. You’ve been lying and hiding the fact that she’s the girl you want. FUCKING TELL ME!” Rhea escalated from babbling to outright yelling into his face again and YuZhi hesitated.