Chapter 99: Chapter 99

“Is this your favorite piece?” Rong was staring at her from his lower angle, mesmerized by her and assumed her smile was for her art.

“Not really, but at the same time, I guess so. It’s not my favorite work but it belongs to someone who cherishes it, so I guess it’s my favorite item here.” She got down; eyes glued to it as she did so before she turned back his way. His presence didn’t make her as uncomfortable as it used to, and he had backed off a lot since a fellow student had shown the class the photos of her engagement event. Rong had seemed a little cold and distant for a couple of days afterwards and had since returned to gentleman. SO now she didn’t mind his presence as much as before.

“Let me guess…. Your fiancée.” He smiled, but it was completely fake, concealing his utter disdain for YuZhi Leng and the way his stomach tightened in disgust at thinking of him. He still thought TangShi deserved better, and nothing would change his mind. He knew it was only a matter of time before she realized he was a rich playboy and not worthy.

“It’s that obvious?” TangShi giggled, a little embarrassed at her obviousness, unaware of the black dip in his mood.

“Hmmmm. He hasn’t been around to pick you up for a few days. Is he too busy now he’s got a ring on your finger?” Rong nodded towards her hand, acting like it was in jest with a fixed smile while despising the sparkling diamond since the first time he laid eyes on it. It was something showy and wasteful and in his opinion didn’t suit who TangShi was. It seemed like a flashy attempt at telling people Leng owner her. Little did he know she picked it herself, after browsing dozens, that it was her closest ideal to her dream ring since she had been a little girl. She didn’t like much jewelry, but she adored this and would often stare at it with happiness.

“Oh, no. He’s in Hong Kong until early Monday morning. He had business to take care of.”

“So, he’s not coming to our show? He’s not going to come support you and see what all your hard work, sweat and tears has produced?” There was a tone to his voice as he gritted his teeth while trying to stay expressionless. TangShi heard it and faltered not sure why he was being weird.

“He said he would try and get a flight back tomorrow for a few hours, so he didn’t miss it, but he won’t be able to stay. I know he didn’t mean to not be here, but it was unavoidable.” She excused him, knowing every word was true.

“I see. Lucky you. Not many men would spend thousands to jet back and forth for a few hours in a day. To be rich, right?” Rong tuned his head away so she wouldn’t see the furious glint in his eye at thinking of that asshole. Feeling he was neglecting something important to her and didn’t believe for one minute he had any intention of coming here for only a few hours. He knew the type and it’s why he had steered clear of working in his uncles firm so long ago and becoming just like the YuZhi Leng’s of this world.

TangShi’s phone began to ring in her dungaree front pocket, saving her form responding to Rong’s oddness, and she excused herself by waving her phone his way and walking off. Feeling a little strange about his weird mood and grinning when she saw YuZhi’s name on screen. Dismissing Rong entirely as a secondary thought.

“Hello.” She answered with sudden enthusiasm.

“Hey, baby, how’s the set up going? Are you almost done? Did you eat yet?” YuZhi stretched out in his office chair of the temporary room he was working from, straining his neck side to side and ignoring the mountain of files sat in front of him. He needed a break, and he missed his girl.

“All done. Just a few tweaks and we’re all set for tomorrow. How’s things on your end today?” She walked to a quiet corner and leaned against a wall, closing her eyes to picture her gorgeous fiancée and sink into the sound of his husky, sexy voice. Missing him so badly it made her suddenly tearful, and she hoped he really would come back tomorrow.

“Up to my eyeballs in paperwork. I have a flight to you at four pm, so I’ll get to you a little after seven. I need to get on one back to Hong Kong at two am, but I can’t miss your first show.” He knew the gallery doors closed at eight so he was planning things to a tee and hoping no flight delays as he couldn’t get in any earlier. This was as important to him as the project he was working on, and he wouldn’t miss it.

“Really? You’re really coming back tomorrow?” TangShi burst out in glee, clutching a hand to her heart as excitement bubble dover. Hopping up and down like a child in a candy store and had to curb her instinct to squeal in happiness. YuZhi laughed softly at her reaction, knowing it was worth to hear her this happy, even if the flights would exhaust him. One minute with her after days apart could make up for all of it.

Rong Cai glared her way from where he was observing her, furious rage bubbling through him like molten lava and for a second he resented how naïve she was. Knowing her happiness must mean that showoff Leng was coming here after all and snarling at the thought of it. Flashing his cash to make up for being a sad excuse of a boyfriend.

“I promised you, didn’t I? We can go for dinner after, then home for a little while before I need to go back to the airport. I’ll be home Monday around six am as planned after that so it’s not much longer. Next time, I’m kidnapping you as I hate this.” YuZhi rubbed his face and eyes, stretching out but totally serious.

Rong couldn’t stand it any longer. Even thousands of miles away, during school hours, he was still monopolizing TangShi’s attention. If they were in class then calls would be forbidden right now and it irked him on another level. Clenching his fists as he watched her animated gestures and bright expression and wanted to snub Leng out.

“Hey, TangShi, after we’re done with this we’re going for dinner. Put your pretty face on and get over here.” He shouted loudly making sure YuZhi would hear him on the other end of the phone. Smirking to himself.

YuZhi paused recognizing the voice, tapping his thumb on the desk and gritting his teeth as his stomach twisted and his happy energy nosedived. Even though Tang never gave him reason to doubt her he just couldn’t stand this guy and it was almost irrational how much he could piss him off with the briefest of words. He knew he was jealous and being dumb, but that guy was like a black cloud in his happy life, and he’d be glad when TangShi graduated from there.

“Oh, okay.” TangShi waved Rong’s way before returning to her call. “I think that he’s hinting at me to get off the phone. I’m not supposed to use it in school hours.” TangShi apologized, reddening at thinking she was being told off.

“Is it just the two of you? For dinner, I mean?” YuZhi asked, then scolded himself internally for sounding like a possessive lover and showing an insecurity that made no sense. As much as he didn’t ever want her alone with him, he knew he had to trust her, and this guy was part of something she wanted to do. It involved her future career. He had no right to say anything about it.

“No. There’s three other students here too, so five of us together. I won’t go if you don’t want me to.” TangShi offered, hating the change in YuZhi’s upbeat tone to a deflated one. YuZhi exhaled slowly with relief at knowing she was with other people too, yet it only dug up a sense of shame for being this way.

“Don’t be silly. Go, relax, you earned it after working so hard. Enjoy your time with your classmates. I’m fine about it, honest. I’ll be home tomorrow afternoon and we can do something together then. Don’t drink much when I’m not there to look after you, okay?” YuZhi made an effort to sound upbeat and brushed off the insecurity as him being an idiot.

“I won’t I promise. I don’t like drinking much anyway.”

“Baby, I gotta go. I have so many things to sign and ZhengLi will be back about now to take me to the next meeting. I miss you, behave, and I’ll see you tomorrow.” YuZhi didn’t want to hang up, but the lurking figure of a secretary at his open door reminded him he still had a full schedule to get through. Sighing at having to hang up when he wanted to listen to her for longer.

“I miss you too. I love you.” TangShi smiled to herself, lingering on the phone to hold onto him for seconds longer.

“Love you, baby.”

TangShi stared at her phone for a minute after he hung up, a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach that gave her anxiety and then pushed it aside as her being overly sensitive. After years of being her families verbal punching bag she sometimes didn’t know how to relax with someone who only ever treated her well. His slightest mood or change in tone made her expect something to erupt even though it never did. Always doubting herself and assuming every minor change in him was somehow her fault and she knew it was an ingrained flaw and something she had to work on.

“You ready to go?” Rong walked over, glad to see she had ended her call and still riled up with jealousy.

“Umm, yeah, let me get my bag and check it’s all done.” TangShi dodged by him, her mind still occupied on YuZhi and didn’t see the way he stared after her. Eating up every inch of her with a determined look in his eye.

From the first day he met her he felt like they had clicked and in his head TangShi was the girl for him. Besotted and a little bit obsessed with who she was to him, and he couldn’t move on to anyone else. To him she was his ideal woman, in looks and personality, and it didn’t faze him at all that she currently had a boyfriend. He just needed that asshole Leng to exit and clear the path for the two of them to be happy together. Something he was sure would happen.

The way TangShi lit up whenever he spoke to her irritated him and he knew he would have to do something to push them apart if it didn’t happen on its own soon. Rong was a man of action and he had wasted weeks in hopes she would come to her senses while being nice to her, and it was using up the very last ounces of his patience. He had never been known to wait for anyone.

TangShi wandered back, oblivious to his inner thoughts and smiling his way, a look of joy in her eyes and her steps lighter. Happy about how her work was displayed and looking forward to time to relax with her classmates to unwind before going home.

“Lead the way, I’m starving.” She walked on merrily, her head on the happy thoughts and that her fiancée was coming home to see her tomorrow which was the best gift she could ever ask for.