Her jade skin look alike shone under the sun, the timid girl was tense, although she was really smart and strong with her weapons, the choosing itself could imply how much success a person could achieve, if he or she survived during the path.
She looked at her family and seeing them watch her wasn't a good feeling since she was shy. She looked to the other side and her eyes met Beifong Li's eyes, which were filled with tenderness, and the young man smiled, waiting for her choice.
The girl had a name, it was Sun Mei. As her name implies, she turned out to be a beautiful woman. She remembered a few moments from the past when people bullied her because of the different hair color, only a few didn't bother her, but only one was her friend. He made the public humiliations stop, and in a private conversation they made a sworn, they would help each other, in any circumstance.
Another memory came to her mind, it was when they were teenagers, with fourteen years old.
Since both made the pact, they stayed together, even at school, so both took Language and Science until they were eighteen years old. Three years after theirs sworn, during a studying afternoon Beifong Li said, bluntly as always.
"Since we became friends my affection for you grew Sun Mei…"
Sun Mei looked at him, their eyes met and she looked away. If you think she is shy now it's because you didn't know her before.
"So am I" she smiled, it was pretty view for Beifong Li.
"I like being your friend" she continued.
"That's the problem, I can't be just your friend anymore."
The quiet girl started to shake, with the thinking of losing her only friend, the one that never judged her, she started to redden.
"Wait, you used the word just, didn't you?!"
"Yes."
"Wait, you don't want to end our friendship…"
"No, I want to build a…"
"Relationship." They said at the same time.
Sun Mei which was getting redden now burst in a strong red, almost as red as a the cover of her book. She was dazzled, that boy was way too blunt, or just shameless; subtle was an adjective she never gave to him.
She was shaken and out of sudden she grabbed her things and run away. Beifong Li followed her while questioning her.
"At least give me an answer until the Choosing Day." After that moment the boy went back to study, while the girl was at her room, thinking about every moment they spent together, what the future would hold for them if she chooses to stay with him. They were friends for a long time now, she knew his personality and the way he behaved. Oh, the pros and cons were a lot, but then a bad feeling came and she felt awful, she was thinking of a life without him. Where she was alone once again, where she was sad, where she couldn't see him again.
Sun Mei grabbed the grip and stabbed softly her index finger as well, the blood drops fell while she was looking at Beifong Li and she screamed.
"That's my answer, Beifong Li."
Finally, the Choosing day was over, 200 people made their path choices, 140 pick the Cooper rat, 53 chosen the Silver dog, 5 picked the Golden Tiger and 2 chose the hardest path.
Before leaving for the buffet Beifong Li turned to his parents, the smile on his face was big.
"Father, mother, with all due respect, that's your future daughter in law."
His parents looked at each other. They didn't know what to do, or say, their son never said anything like this before.
*********
At the buffet.
The mayor and others were talking, about the prospects they had about the young men and women. Every now and then they spoke about those two who picked the Jade Dragon path, the hardest of all paths. But another matter they talked about was about the low quantity chose the Cooper Rat path. They even got 5 who picked the Golden Tiger. The prospects were high for the men and women of this year.
While eating some fruits Beifong Li headed to the Sun family, which was composed of the mother, the father, Sun Mei, two sisters and the family was accompanied by 5 bodyguards. Seeing from afar Beifong Li was walking towards her family's direction Sun Mei excused herself and intercepted him in the middle of the way.
"Hey hey hey, where are you going Mr. Beifong Li" She was being really sarcastic with him, maybe Li wasn't as good as a reference.
"I'm going to introduce myself to my father in law, shouldn't I?
"Blunt as always, you shameless man."
"And no, you shouldn't. This type of thing we are going to do in private, you know how I'm shy…"
"Of course I know, that's one of your charms."
The girl was getting red again.
The young man grabbed her by the hand and they left for a table of their own, a few watched the scene as it rolled it out.
Sun Tzu, saw the scene as well.
He asked one of his daughters if they knew who was the one chatting with Sun Mei, they denied knowing him, that's why they weren't at school anymore, so couldn't know him, she just said that the man she was talking with was the other person to choose the Jade Dragon path and she was looking at him, a lot.
He saw how happy his daughter was and kept talking with his family. That was the first time he saw her talking with someone else publicly.
While that the others were building some Parties, and those already built were discussing strategies. Beifong Li and Sun Mei were doing the second, because their Party was built a long time ago, started as a friendship, and now they were starting a relationship out of it.
"Let's start, first my weapons are sword, scythe and spear, what about yours?" Li was looking into her eyes.
"uhmmm…I chose bow & arrow; spear and daggers."
"So we are good I guess, we have short, mid and long-range weapons."
"Yes!" Sun Mei was with a bright smile on her face.
"What time should we live?" she asked with a huge doubt on her face.
"I was thinking when the sun rises, what do you think?"
"Sounds good, a little early, but if we live that early we can find more monsters…right?"
"Exactly."
"Although we will be more exposed, because we will be more time outside, so we should finish our hunting at 17 hours or before."
"Yes, totally agreed." She answered while closing her fist.
"Just give me a minute and I'll be right back."
"Okay." she said with a happy voice.
Beifong Li left for the bathroom. After using it he cleaned his hands and went to the buffet desk, grab something to eat.
He made a plate with some grapes and pears then went off to where Sun Mei was, well, that was the idea if An Anne didn't appear.
Sun Mei watched the interruption of the girl from the family An.
"If you wanted to get my attention, mission accomplished. I'm An Anne."
She was pretty, that's a fact, with her muscles toned right on point, her beautiful body and some make up. Her beauty, that was the reason why almost every man from this buffet, at a young age, idolatrized her, those who didn't were the ones bestowed already and Beifong Li.
"I didn't want to get your attention…I'm Beifong Li." He said while smiling.
"Let's go eat with me and my friends." She said abruptly
"Look boss", said one of Xiao Yan's men, "he is talking to the goddess."
Xiao Yan' knuckles made some noises again and his face was darkened, he was mad. He headed to where Beifong Li and An Anne were, with a fake smile on his face. Arrived and introduced himself in the talking, that had barely started.
"Hi, I'm Xiao Yan. Am I interrupting?"
The answer wasn't what he was expecting.
"No." Said Beifong Li with a smirk on his face
"Yes!" Said An Anne, mad.
She looked at Beifong Li, Xiao Yan did the same.
"In fact, it is a great time. This is An Anne." He pointed to the girl who he was talking to "And I'm…out of here, Bye bye."
Both were dumbfounded with the shameless man, although Xiao Yan men were because of another reason, they couldn't hear the talking because they were far from the trio, they thought their boss scared Beifong Li.
"I'm back, sorry about my delay…"
"Yes, I saw how pretty yours delay was."
"Nothing close to you."
"What did she want?"
"I like when you get mad, you get red easily." Said Li with a pretty smile towards Sun Mei.
"Nothing, she introduced herself, thought that I was seeking her attention during the event and then I was saved by Xiao Yan." The boy continued.
"Can you believe, she thought I, was seeking her attention, she probably is crazy… ME seeking for her attention." Beifong Li laughed.
After hearing how he was talking with disdain towards An Anne, Sun Mei, laughed hard, eating some grapes along the talking.
Sun Tzu talked to his wife.
"She is laughing…" The man was shocked, the daughter he knew was a privative one and always with a serious face, now this one was almost another person.
"I never saw my sister like that." Said one of the sisters.
"Maybe she…likes him?" Said Sun Tzu's wife, while both daughters nodded.
"Don't say nonsense things. I'm arranging her marriage to the Mayor's grandson. It's almost settled, but she chose other path instead the one said to her, although she doesn't know about the marriage."
"See…that's one proof." Said his wife.
Sun Tzu stayed thoughtful during the rest of the night and talkative with his family.
On the other side, where the Beifong family was, the parents were watching those two, the son and the "future daughter in law".
"Leylin, what do you think?" said the wife
"I think he was serious when he said that." Beifong Leylin answered.
"Yes, I think the same."
"A daughter in law…" Thought Leylin out loud.
His wife chuckled.
The buffet lasted two hours more and almost everyone was with their Parties done, those who were alone, they chose to be. The families left to their homes.