Unrequited

She was in exile for so long. For him. She made a lot of enemies for him. For him She gave all her friends and rights to inheritance. For him. She entered the business world. For him. She joined the underground. For him. A few years later, running into him at a dinner party, she called out to him. She wanted to know how he was doing; whether he was eating well; whether his tastes were still the same. But he bypassed her like a complete stranger. A f*cking stranger. Bai Qingqing felt her earth drop to her stomach. She felt her head spin. "Qing'er, Qing'er, "Qingqing, wake up. Wake up" "Ugh, what time is it, Yoona?" "It's 2 pm" "Too early" "2 pm, as in 2 pm in the afternoon" "Let me sleep, please". Bai Qingqing buried herself under the duvet blanket as she uttered this. She did not want to wake up to the reality of life. Yoona sat at the edge of the bed. " You've been like this for days. Can you at least tell me what's going on? " "It's nothing, just my family treating me like trash. You know, the usual", Qingqing uttered a lie, not the first and definitely not the last. Her designer friend had only scratched the surface of her life and she intended to keep it that way. "This family of yours really sticks onto you like leeches, huh? White-eyed wolves! " "They're still family", Qingqing stated, giving a weak smile, " Blood is thicker than water, after all" Yoona sighed, "Qing'er" "Mmn" "You know you can come to me if you have any, and I mean, any problem" Bai Qingqing got a bit emotional hearing this. What she needs the most is a shoulder to cry on, but she knew confidentiality is a luxury she can't afford. "Mmn, now let me sleep" "Fine", she said, getting up from the side of the bed, "Remember, you can always talk to me" "Of course", Bai Qingqing agreed, not really meaning it. Immediately Yoona shut the door, Qingqing sighed and sank deeper into her covers. She grabbed a pillow from her side, screaming into it. The sound was muffled, but not the memories going through her head. As they flashed by, Qingqing tried to figure out where she went wrong, but she couldn't tell. Her mind drifted to him. What was he doing now? Mmn. Probably working. Why did he bypass her like that? Did he not recognize her? Or did he not see her? She really didn't want to face the world. Unfortunately, she had to. She couldn't put all that pressure on Yuki. She got up from bed to prepare herself for work. She knew Yoona probably called a driver. Bai Qingqing went downstairs to find breakfast waiting for her. As she ate, she wondered how she fared without Yoona in the past. She moved casually to the driveway where a chauffeur was waiting for her. Once inside, she busied herself with her notepad. She did not want to look at the blindingly huge billboards and skyscrapers of B City. She put on a mask before stepping out of the vehicle. She snuck behind a building into a dark alley. As she stepped through the hidden door, a question that popped into her head everyday resurfaced: how many people have to sneak into their own companies? Very unconventional, she thought it was. As expected, Yuki was already busy going through some documents, his tousled hair covering his forehead. Qingqing didn't know why, but she felt he looked younger this way than his usual combed look. She leaned against the doorframe, waiting for recognition, but after a few minutes of being blatantly ignored, Qingqing felt annoyed. Clearing her throat, she watched as Yuki's expression changed from startled to confusion. He then flashed her a business smile. Bai Qingqing felt ants crawling all over her body. She always felt Yuki was a smiling fox: one can never trust nor underestimate him. One of the reasons she saw him fit for the position of CEO. "Miss Bai", he left his seat to greet her. She ignored him as she strolled leisurely to the black revolving chair. She swiped a document from the table and flipped through it. Hashima Yukito felt despair as he looked at the woman who skips work faster than he could say his name. He wondered whether she was here for the actual work or just for the profits. "Miss Bai..... ", he started, "I hope you are here to work. Shares have dropped by 3.8%. Zuixua Corporation is just beginning to stabilize itself amongst the country's pillars. If this goes on,........ " As the lecture continued, Bai Qingqing felt a headache coming. Now, she understood the saying, "The emperor is not worried, but his eunuchs are". "Mmn. I'll stay". Yukito did not even bother to tell I was rude to cut people off. " Other companies are growing wary of Zuixua. They won't let even the slightest dust pass. They are asking to see the chairman of Zuixua Corporation "Let them ask. Aren't their companies oh-so-great? Let them figure it out themselves" Qingqing smirked at the thought. Those money-grubbing, self-centered pricks could try using their resources to investigate the "chairman" all they want, but they would simply be wasting their time. Qingqing looked at her phone to find a text from Madam Bai There's a family re-union tonight. Be there and dress nicely: don't embarrass us. So typical, Qingqing thought as she laid her phone to rest. She continued reading the first document from the pile of work she would have to endure. ############################## Evening. Neon lights flashed across the streets of Being City. Almost all the billboards displayed a news report or an interview with the country's most reputed businessman, eligible bachelor and face of Jingying Conglomerate, Lu Jinning. He's known to be the top socialite, the head of the influential Lu family, leading businessman and the person who controls almost half of the country's economy. But in Bai Qingqing's heart, he had a completely different identity. Qingqing didn't know whether to laugh or cry at her current position. She knew she had only herself to blame for this matter. If only she hadn't- Anyway, what's done is done. There really is no medicine for regrets. As the car drove into the villa, Qingqing realized something was off. Her parents were waiting for her, her dad smiling. The look in his eyes were even weirder. It was the look of a person who had seen a cash cow. Qingqing found herself feeling grossed out. She took slow, deliberate steps towards them. Her father, rather impatiently, grabbed her hand as soon as she was within arm's reach, the fake smile still plastered on his face. He patted her head gently, and while one would have enjoyed this treatment and found it heartwarming, the only feeling Qingqing had was disgust. "Xiao Qing, you haven't been home for so long. Come, your mom and I will re-introduce you to the family." Qingqing really wanted to refresh her father's memory. Who was it that was nodding his head like a hen pecking at corn, to whatever his father said? She really wanted nothing to do with this her spineless father. She walked behind her parents wondering what kind of show awaited her. Her grandfather sat on his favourite sofa. He looked just as he did, ages ago, when Qingqing was still a child. Bai Tianwang watched as his son stepped into the living room with his family, his eyes fixed on the eldest of the daughters. She had bloomed quite gracefully. As he onced-over her, he nodded his head in satisfaction. Bai Qingqing looked at a pair of sisters who surely detested her as much as she did them. Bai Chunxi had her head lowered, as timid as she had always been. Bai Chuhan just glared at her, head-on. Feeling bored, Qingqing's eyes strayed to a corner of her room, where her fourth uncle sat, trying to make himself as small as possible. And as usual, his wife wasn't present. Giving him a small nod of recognition, Bai Qingqing reluctantly turned her eyes to the eyesore before her. She moved to an empty sofa and sat on it, not giving anybody present acknowledgement. "Despicable! Is this how you should treat your elders?" Shrugging, Qingqing sneered, "My elders died 5 years ago, right in this very house" "How dare you curse us to die! Don't you have any manners?" "My manners also died when you sent me away" "You little b***h!" "Only a dog gives birth to another" Qingqing stared at her nail polish, seemingly unbothered by the insults. "Aren't you afraid of being cursed by the heavens? " "If the heavens cursed that easily, none of you would really be alive" "You!", Bai Tianwang almost spat blood from rage. If it weren't for the fact that she was useful, he wouldn't have tolerated her jabs. Bai Qingqing was actually provoking him to see how much more he could take before he snapped, but since there was no response, it seemed like they really needed her help. "Qing'er, how can you say this to your old man?" "Don't treat her so nicely, just because you need a favour. It's her duty as a daughter of this family to help get worries off your back", Bai Zhengrui strutted in, holding a tray in her hands. Her cheongsam was the traditional kind, the slit just above her knee. Gu Yiyi followed her, snacks and pastries in her tray. The two women placed their trays on the center table, Gu Yiyi withdrawing immediately afterwards. "Why did you come back? Weren't you satisfied with whatever hole you were in?" "Rui'er! Don't be so rude", Bai Tianwang hurried to shut his third daughter up. This headache of a woman really had no filter, "All that's done is done. We should all let sleeping dogs lie. Qing'er, why didn't you inform us of your arrival? We would have sent someone to pick you up", Bai Qingqing internally rolled her eyes at her grandfather's failed attempt to cozy up to her. "We felt guilty for what we did to you", Bai Tianwang continued, "We promise not to obstruct you when you head for a relationship. You haven't had one for some time. Have you been in contact with Lu Jinning lately?" "Mmn, maybe you still have a chance to rekindle your old flame", Bai Zhangqi added. Realization dawned of Bai Qingqing. She really should've known better. When Lu Jinning didn't have status, power or wealth, she was expected to shun him like the plague, but now that Jingying Conglomerate was on top of the business food chain, she had to get into his good books. She really felt like applauding these people with double standards. " Don't bother. He doesn't like me. I tried" "Maybe he's just angry. You should try to contact him again. After all, you did have a good relationship with him once" "I did. 5 years is a long time, time enough to let one have a change of heart", Bai Qingqing stated nonchalantly, unlike how she truly felt. "Ha! She can't even hold on to one man", Bai Chuhan scoffed. "Don't you feel embarrassed taking your mom's name instead of your dad's? If you don't, I feel it terribly on your behalf", Bai Qingqing poked a wound. "At least my parents actually care for me, especially my dad" "And where is he now?" "You! ", Bai Chuhan lunged at her cousin, her eyes filled with murderous intent. Unfortunately, she was stopped by some manservants who were rather rough. "Bai Qingqing, this time, you've really gone too far. It's bad enough you don't want to help your family. How can you say such things?" "Xiao Qing, mom feels sad that you're not happy in this family, but surely you won't block your meimei's course of happiness, will you?", Qingqing sat up, not seeing where the conversation was headed. "Huh?" "As the older sister, why don't you create an opportunity to help Mei'er meet Lu Jinning? You do share a slight resemblance. Maybe, he'd like you sister instead". Despite the clear smile on her face, Bai Qingqing was beyond furious. At that moment, she really wanted to pry open her mother's heart to see whether it's only filled with Bai Xiumei. Isn't she also her daughter? Right from childhood, Qingqing was always the last to be thought of. She'd studied hard to excel in academics, piano, sado, chess, painting and etiquette, but she'd always had to make way for Xiumei. Their mom would always say she was hogging the limelight from her sister, that she was a horrible sister for making Xiumei look bad. And thus, Qingqing withdrew from all the extra-curricular activities, and Xiumei became known as B City's top talent. One time, Qingqing was forgotten and left in a park. If not for her fourth uncle, nobody would have come searching for her. Is she not also a Bai? Why was she being treated as a tool and Xiumei like some kind of goddess? Won't they even leave Jinning for her? She wouldn't help her, not when her target is Lu Jinning. "Can't. He won't see my face. How am I supposed to help them meet?" "Think of a way. Your sister is so kind and gentle. Submissive too, the kind powerful men like Lu Jinning would fancy", her grandfather voiced out his opinion. Bai Qingqing couldn't believe her ears. Her own family was ganging up against her. She wouldn't help them climb up the social ladder. " I can't decide who he likes and who he doesn't, can I?" "B-but you used to be close. Perhaps, you could give a few tips to your sister, so that-" "So that what? She can steal Lu Jinning from right under my nose? No way!" "Such an ungrateful wench! We raised you from birth and you actually to-" "To what?", a young man stepped into the living room. He was tall and lanky, lean muscles were outlined on the sleeves of his button-up shirt. His gentle look gave him a scholarly aura and his bangs almost reached his questioning eyes. Bai Wei Ci, the second male heir of the Bai family, currently stood as the only heir, following the disappearance of Bai Luwang. "Xiao Ci! When did you arrive? You should have called for a driver to pick you up" "I wanted to surprise everyone. Qing'er, what's going on? Is grandfather bullying you? You can tell your big brother". Bai Tianwang glared at his granddaughter, silently warning her to be quiet. He had spent time and effort building a reverend image in the boy's minds and with Luwang gone, he couldn't afford for Wei Ci to get angry because of her, else the Bai family would lose all its male heirs. "It's nothing", Bai Qingqing put on a reluctant and slightly wronged expression. Bai Wei Ci immediately got suspicious, but knew it wasn't the best time to ask. "Will you stay for dinner?" "Sorry, I can't. I was just about to leave", Bai Qingqing got up. "Stay. We have a lot to catch up on ". She started to back towards the door. "Which I'm sure we can do another day", she sighed, " Look, I'm tired, okay? We'll talk later. I'll add you on Weibo". With that, she scurried away.