Straight In Between

Chapter 1 Liang Wei’s hand trembled as he picked up his phone from the glass table in front of them, his vision blurred by tears he refused to let go of. He glanced towards Mr Shen but he didn’t say a word; he was even laughing as he sipped his drink, which upset Liang Wei even more. He stood up and pushed away from the table. “Wei Wei…” Mr Shen called in his usual dull deep voice reaching for him.Liang Wei stepped back sharply. “Don’t!” he hissed, holding out his hand and stepped back. That drew Mr Shen to his feet in an instant, his breath catching a little as he caught a glimpse of the tears finally rolling down Liang Wei’s cheeks and stepped forward instinctively, trying to get hold of Liang Wei’s hand. “Bab…e,” his voice cracked. Liang Wei shoved him away and headed for the entrance. Secretary Xu Yang shifted uncomfortably in his seat, almost glaring at the grin on Gao Ming’s face. Liang Wei’s legs brushed through the crowd desperately shoving bodies aside and ignoring Mr Shen’s voice behind him air hit his face the second he burst into the hallway, drawing more tears from his eyes and making him curse. “Wei!” Mr. Shen’s voice followed him out. Liang Wei didn’t stop walking or even try to slow down. “Wei, Wei.. stop!” Mr Shen screamed frustrated. By the time he got to the end of the hallway, Mr Shen’s hand was grabbing his arm, and in a split second, he was caged between him and the wall. “Don’t touch me,” he snapped, twisting violently. Mr. Shen’s grip tightened around his waist whilst his other hand was carefully placed on the wall to restrict Liang Wei’s movement. “Listen to me.” Liang fought harder, struggling to break free, his fists pounding uselessly against Mr. Shen’s arms. “Let go!” he screamed, digging his nails into Mr Shen’s chest. “You..” Mr Shen began, but suddenly grabbed his hands and went for his lips. Liang Wei froze for a minute at the sudden contact before trying to push Mr Shen away,just then,secretary Xu Yang’s breath caught through the air as he quickly turned his back to the scene, cursing silently at himself for running after them. Mr Shen didn’t spare him a glance, but he quietly pulled away from the kiss, his hand still firm on Liang Wei’s waist. “I.. I was joking, you can’t seriously be so upset over that? and you know Gao Ming is always playing around, I was just feeding him something to his taste.Can you calm down?..please.” “ Babe..say something…Why are you reacting like this?” Liang Wei still didn’t answer. After keeping quiet for what seemed like years, he finally opened his mouth, fresh tears sliding down his cheeks. “Let’s break up.” The words landed softly. Mr. Shen’s hand instinctively dropped from where it had hovered, his face going completely still; he looked genuinely hurt. Xu Yang gasped from where he stood, swiftly turning to look. During their last make-up, he was there to witness Wei Liang’s last words: “If I bring up break-up again... we’re done for good.” Liang Wei didn’t wait to hear what Mr. Shen would say. He turned and walked away, his phone clenched tightly in his hand, leaving Mr. Shen standing in the hallway, silent and staring at the empty space he just created. His face was void of emotions as always, but his heart ached, it ached so bad that his chest rose and fell rhythmily in response with every second… then, he snapped. Xu Yang took a step back; his own heart was already in his throat. Mr. Shen took to his heels; he ran down the street, the noise of the club fading behind him. His head, spinning, his hands trembling; he was trying very hard not to take what just happened seriously.He came to a stop, scanning the empty sidewalk and alleyways. Liang Wei was already gone. He stormed back into the club. Secretary Xu tried to keep up but by the time he got in, Mr Shen was already grabbing Gao Ming by the collar,his heart raced. What he hated most was seeing bruises on his boyfriend and most of the time, Mr Shen was the cause of it. Chi Cheng stared blankly and made no move to stop Mr Shen,when he saw Xu Yang approach ,he sipped his drink quietly and looked away from the two men in front of him. He didn’t like seeing Liang Wei cry but he was just like Mr Shen, he wasn’t really one that expresses much. “You’re so annoying!” Mr Shen yelled, pushing Gao Ming back into the chair. He smirked. “What did I do now?” He asked,more like he mocked. Mr Shen glanced at Chi Cheng, snatched his phone and car keys from Xu Yang and stormed out. The sharp edge of the key caught Xu Yang’s palm, instantly leaving a cut; he stiffened a cry. “Shen Yuxuan!!” Gao Ming yelled, standing up, his smirk immediately gone. It was very obvious Mr Shen did that intentionally. He grabbed Xu Yang’s hand, looking at it worriedly. “So noisy,” Chi Cheng muttered, standing up. “It’s just a little cut,” Xu Yang murmured, as Gao Ming pulled him to the washroom to wash off the blood. By the time Mr Shen got to his apartment, it was already late. He stormed through, kicking off his jacket. “Liang Wei!” he called, his voice echoing off the empty walls. He checked his room and two others; there was no sign of him. He grabbed his keys and ran out. Soon, he was in front of Liang Wei’s apartment breathing like he just got back from a marathon. He stood for a moment, calming himself, then he knocked. “Wei Wei... Wei Wei, open up. Liang Wei!!! Open the damn door else I’m breaking it!” Nothing happened. He reached into his pocket for his spare key. He groaned, ran back to the elevator, got to his car and ran back to the door. When he opened it, the hall was empty, but the TV was blasting with music. He turned it off, grabbed a bottle of water from the kitchen and headed to Liang Wei’s room. He was curled in bed, not asleep, but made no move. After standing at the door quietly for what seemed like a lifetime, Mr Shen went to the washroom to freshen up. When he got back, Liang Wei was still curled in the same position; he had not made even a single move. If you didn’t look close enough, you’ll think he was asleep. He quietly climbed into the bed from behind him but the moment he slid his hand around his waist, Liang Wei dashed out of the bed, sending his butt straight to the floor. He winced in pain before glaring at Mr Shen, who looked like he was holding his breath. “Mr Shen, what are you doing in my house? We broke up.” His jaw tightened. “We didn’t. We didn’t break up.” Liang Wei bit back a laugh, pushing himself upright on the floor. “I said it so clearly, how come we didn’t?” “I’ll assume you said it because you were upset. Wei Wei, please calm down first then we talk about it okay?.” “Wait, it’d make a difference? You treat me poorly all the time, in front of everyone!” Liang Wei yelled.Mr. Shen took a step forward. “But.. I—” Liang Wei’s chest heaved. “Get out.” Mr. Shen dropped to the tarred floor immediately. The sound of his knees hitting the floor,very loud and heavy. His head bowed, and shoulders turned rigid, his hands clenched at his sides as shivers ran through them.