TWO WEEKS AGO
"Get the hell out of my face!" Tianshi Xue shouted at the female server who looked like she was shaken to the core. The other woman ran away from her, looking like she was about to cry. The server gave her the wrong drink for the second time tonight. She already had enough.
Mengyao was at her side. "What's going on?"
Tianshi Xue glared at him. "Get lost. I broke up with you already remember?!"
Mengyao squeezed on her elbow. "You need to calm down," he whispered on her ear. "We cannot break up without the PR releasing a statement first and you're still my date, so stop acting up."
Tianshi Xue shoved him away. "Get away from me, creep!"
A few people turned their way. It seemed like the loud music didn't really drown out her voice. Not that she cared. She wanted out of her relationship with Mengyao and she did it tonight. All this crazy facade was now over.
"Where are you going?" Mengyao followed her.
"I'm going to the restroom! Stay away!" she screamed.
Mengyao held up his hands. "Fine, we're over, you stupid bitch!"
"Oh, screw you," said Tianshi Xue and made her way inside the huge yacht. It was a puzzle to her as to why people held parties out in the open water. The seasickness was killing her. It was the main reason why she was drinking tonight. She wanted to forget that she felt dizzy and uncomfortable.
She locked the bathroom door and splashed cold water on her face. She was drunk. Her mind had been swimming and she badly wanted to vomit all the alcohol but she knew her body was not going to make it.
Water, she thought. She needed water.
Tianshi Xue got out of the bathroom and made her way back to the party. Only, she couldn't. The yacht was more like a small ship. It was humongous! She was lost.
She looked around and found that she was on a dark corridor and it was too hot. Was she near the kitchen or the engine? She turned to the side and saw that it was water, loud gushing water as the yacht circled the lake. The water was as dark as the night sky.
Which reminded her, the fireworks were about to start. She needed to find her way back to the party. She was walking the sides in the darkness, using the rail as her guide, when she felt her stomach heaved.
She leaned against the railing, ready to release all the alcohol to the water. But it didn't come. She suddenly felt a hand on her back, soothing her.
"This sucks," she said as she wiped her running nose.
But she did not get to say another word as the person pushed her, making her bend over painfully against the metal railing. She struggled, but the hand was too powerful, holding her down by her neck.
No! Wait! she wanted to say, but she couldn't breathe.
Then her legs were swept off the floor then she was in the air. She opened her eyes to see her attacker but before she could see them, she was already in the lake. The water blurred her vision as she sunk lower and lower.
She tried to swim upwards, but she found that her arms and legs wouldn't work.
WHAT IS HAPPENING?! her mind screamed.
She tried again but nothing, her limbs were not responding.
Is this the end? she asked herself. Is this how I'm going to die? It all happened too fast. I couldn't even scream for help.
Then among her numbness, she felt something painful on her spine. Was she drugged? Was that why she could not move? Did someone shatter her spinal cord?
She stared at the dark abyss as she went deeper and deeper, the bubbles from her mouth getting smaller and smaller.
She didn't want to go this way. If she were to choose how she would die, she preferred it to be something worth of worldwide news. A kidnapping then she would die in the end. Something that had more drama and flair. Or even a unique disease that only she could have.
Anything other than getting pushed off a yacht! Whoever was trying to kill her was doing a bad job killing her.
Oh, if I will live through this, I will kill you, she thought in her head to the unknown person.
But it was all too late. She was dying.
The last of her breath left her body. Then she felt cold all over and her eyes closed on their own.
Death had come for her.
**
Tianshi Xue was pretty sure she had already died.
After falling into the depths of the lake and feeling her last breath leave her body… she was sure she was going to the afterlife.
But then she woke up.
In another woman's body.
And that body belonged to Princess Yingyue.