Liu Yong was always lurking around, hovering over her,his eyes never leaving her like a devoted stalker. He was always on guard, keeping an eye on every man attractive or not — any man that breathed too hard near her direction or stared longer than necessary and the ones considered his biggest rivals were the ones that dared to smile at her or strike a conversation with her.
When they started dating five years ago, during their last year in high school Sheng Yumei thought it was normal for guys to be possessive but as time went by she realized his jealousy and possessiveness wasn't normal or at least what was considered normal. He reacted aggressively whenever guys tried to talk to her,even beat up her male friends and no guy ever approached her since that day.
Over the years the couple had fought over his irrational behaviour and whenever she threatened to break up with her he always had clever ways of making up with her wrapping her around his finger.
That morning a few days after their college graduation,Sheng Yumei woke up first and left their shared apartment to get the croissants across the street they both loved. On her way back she ran into a friendly guy who had recently moved into the apartment complex.
"Morning beautiful," the guy chirped gleefully,"I'm Song Yuan your new neighbour," he introduced eagerly stretching out his right hand to greet her.
Sheng Yumei frowned slightly, startled by his enthusiasm and then she smiled politely,her delicate hand meeting his in a firm handshake.
"Sheng Yumei," she said gently.
"What a beautiful name for a beautiful lady," he complimented, smiling brightly.
Unbeknownst to them, someone had been watching their whole interaction. Liu Yong stood in their living room ,arms dipped inside his pockets looking out of the window. His jaw clenched as he watched the guy prolong the handshake,the way he smiled at her . He knew his girlfriend was very beautiful and having suitors was inevitable but that didn't stop the ugly feeling crawling inside him.
A few minutes later,the door creaked open and Sheng Yumei walked in unaware of the storm rising inside her boyfriend. She walked inside and paused when she saw him seated on the couch watching in TV.
"You're up," she said in acknowledgement and headed straight to the kitchen. She placed the croissants on the counter and began brewing coffee.
"Who is he?" A voice came from behind her.
She turned around to face her boyfriend who had a murderous expression on his handsome face.
She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, "What are you talking about?"
"The guy you were talking to on the driveway," he said.
Her shoulders visibly relaxed,"Oh he? He's our new neighbour. A ball of sunshine,too excited for this world," she remarked casually,a small smile adorning her face.
Liu Yong's jaw clenched,"He seemed touchy. Does he know you have a boyfriend?" He asked solemnly.
Sheng Yumei chuckled,"God you're impossible. We just met, how would he know?"
Just like many times before Liu Yong wasn't joking," Why didn't you tell him you have a boyfriend?" He questioned," Or you like him now?" He accused.
She let out a humourless chuckled,eyes widening in disbelief," So you're here to confront me his because a guy talked to me? We barely talked for five minutes and you're suddenly jealous?"
" You allowed him to touch you,"he said firmly.
"It's just a handshake. It's a formal greeting," she said in defense.
" You shouldn't have let him smile at you like that."
"What!? You expect to control a person's emotions? Are you crazy? Besides I never say anything whenever that crazy Liu Xiu comes over and you chat and laugh with her," she pointed out.
"She's my cousin," he retorted in defense.
"But you also get jealous when I spend too much time with my brother," she deadpanned.
" That's different!"
" How is it different? You always want my full attention as if you're the only person in my life and the rest are just toys. Sometimes I think you behave that way because you don't get enough attention from your parents,"she snapped.
That hit a nerve. Liu Yong's relationship with his parents was strained hence it was considered a sensitive topic. His expression instantly darkened and he closed the distance between them,fingers curling into fists his nails digging into his palms.
" I dare you to say that again,"he said in a low ominous tone.
Sheng Yumei stepped backwards but held her chin high,a look of defiance on her face. She refused to be intimidated by him.
" What? You're gonna hit me now?" She taunted.
At her words,he took a deep breath shutting his eyes to calm himself down. Because of his aggressive behaviour,she had vowed to leave him if he ever dared to hit her and he couldn't afford losing her no matter how agitated he was.
"Of I wouldn't. Why would I hit you?" He chuckled awkwardly.
"You know what? I just lost my appetite," she said walking away,"I'll be in the guest room don't disturb me," she added disappearing out of his sight.
For two consecutive days the couple barely interacted. They merely exchanged a few words during meals. While Sheng Yumei stayed at home,Liu Yong was busy at his family's prestigious company as he would soon take over as the CEO.
One evening he came home looking overly anxious reason being the news he had just received. He rushed over to the guest room which was currently occupied by his girlfriend and barged inside. His eyes immediately landed on the suitcase beside her bed. The room was empty but he could hear the shower running. Moments later,Sheng Yumei stepped out of the bathroom,a white towel wrapped around her slim body.
When she saw him,a look of surprise flashed across her face but she immediately schooled her expression.
"Your brother said you're going abroad. Why didn't you tell me?" He asked in an agritated tone.
"I forgot," she replied nonchalantly.
"You forgot? Your flight is in two hours and you're telling me you forgot?" He questioned in disbelief.
"I need a break from this relationship. I'm tired of handling you," she said straightforwardly.
"And going abroad is the solution?" He asked his voice surrounding more vulnerable than he intended it to be.
"I feel like I can finally breathe if I go abroad," she confessed.
Liu Yong walked towards her, taking her wet hands in his.
"I'm sorry for overreacting. It was stupid of me to accuse you of such things. I know I've been irrational and uh... I was wrong. Please don't leave. If you want a break I can stay away for a while but I'm begging you please don't leave the country," he pleaded staring into those beautiful chocolate brown orbs of hers. His eyes were now glassy and that made her chest tighten.
" But I've been wanting to go abroad,"she insisted although her resolve was wavering.
" After everything settles at the company I will take you on a vacation. We'll go wherever you want,"he promised his voice earnest and sincere.
" Really?" She questioned,eyes searching his.
"I swear," he said firmly, tightening his grip around her hands.
" Okay. Let me put on some clothes. You must be tired too. Why don't you go and freshen up and maybe I'll prepare dinner for us?" She suggested.
" Sure,"he said excitedly and walked out.
As planned, Sheng Yumei prepared a hearty meal which they shared while chatting.
"Were you really intending to leave without informing me or you were just being dramatic to see what I would do?" He asked teasingly in the middle of dinner.
Sheng Yumei sighed slightly before replying,"Guess I was just being dramatic but you almost cried and that was a rare sight," she teased.
He chuckled in amusement,"So you like seeing me cry?"
" You could say so,"she said playfully.
After their meal they did the dishes together and sat in the living to watch a movie.
" Do you want a beer?" She suddenly asked while watching the movie.
"Sure."
The young woman walked to the kitchen and grabbed two beers from the fridge and veered off the lids before walking back to the living room.
" Here I opened it for you," she said extending the can towards him. Liu Yong took a few sips,eyes fixed on the screen. It was his favourite movie.
Liu Yong always had a high alcohol tolerance but strangely enough after taking a few sips of the drink he was already feeling drowsy. He shook his head, frowning in confusion but still took a few more sips and the effect intensified. Sheng Yumei sat beside him pretending to watch the movie.
On the other hand,Liu Yong's head was spinning,eyelids heavy. He batted his eyelids struggling to keep his eyes open but finally gave in to effect of sleeping pills she had slipped in his drink and got knocked out on the couch. After confirming he was indeed asleep,she switched off the TV and ran off to her room and quickly changed her attire,grabbed her suitcase and left the apartment taking a taxi to the airport.
★★★★★
The device rang for the umpteenth time rousing him from his sleep. Liu Yong jostled awake fishing the device out of his pocket and found fourteen missed calls from his father's secretary and three from his father. His eyes widened like saucers when he saw the time; the time read 10:00 A.M. He sprang up from the couch noticing something was off.
Even if he overslept,Sheng Yumei would have atleast woken him up. He ran around the apartment barging into every room screaming out her name but was met with dead silence,he rummaged through the drawers and sure enough apart from her suitcase her documents were missing. He recounted the previous night's events,how he passed out after drinking half a beer, sleeping through his alarms and her disappearance. Realization dawned on him— she had tricked him and it was too late to catch up with her. He collapsed to the ground and broke apart, sobbing hard feeling lost for the first time in his life.