She sat in the huge living room and looked around with so much amazement in her eyes like it was the first time she was stepping into the house. Her eyes sparkled as it fell on each material in the room- from the high chandelier that glittered when the sun ray fell on it to the least thing as the designer tile which she stood on. They were all very expensive and they were all hers, at least so Chang Yang thought.
" It's all mine! All mine" Chang Yang said to herself excitedly as she spun round the room. She barely made a perfect circle when she stopped abruptly. Her smile disappeared as they fell on him. His eyes, his eyes were so cold. It made her insides freeze. Why did he make her so scared? The look on his face was like he could kill anyone with just his hands. He wasn't saying anything. Just glowering at Chang Yang, his hands stuffed in his pockets and his face set in a frown that might never go away. Chang Yang swallowed. She couldn't be intimidated by him, he couldn't let her know that she was scared of him. She wasn't even supposed to be scared of him. He was her husband after all.
With this thought in her head, Chang Yang swallowed her fear and smiled sweetly at him.
" Lu Shen, I didn't see you there" she said. She took two steps towards him and made to put her hand on his shoulder but his hand held hers roughly before she even made it halfway.
" What do you think you're doing?" His voice was fear-instilling. It made her swallow rapidly.
" I… there was something…I…" Chang Yang immediately realized that she was stuttering. She couldn't let him see her fear, it would ruin everything for her. Once again, she pushed her fear aside and decided to be bold. He wouldn't dare hit her, so what else could he do?
" Is it wrong to touch my husband?" She said, putting on a seductive smile on her face as she drawled out the words.
Lu Shen looked at the woman in front of him and he felt disgusted. What was she even doing in his house? She would be better off at a brothel. She was so shameless. Her smile managed to do the opposite of what it was supposed to do. It pissed him off and he couldn't understand why. But it didn't piss him off as much as the way Ah Cy cowered whenever he was around. He hated the way she was scared of him. He didn't hate her, he hated her lack of self esteem and boldness. But she didn't understand that and he wasn't ready to change that. She was a good wife in other aspects but that wasn't what he needed. He had the maids to do the things she did but she decided to do them anyway and it only reduced her in his eyes. She had even begun to look like one. He was THE Lu Shen, his wife had to be worthy of the title. She had to be beautiful and bold. A timid wife wouldn't fit into his world. She would be easily broken by everything that happened around him and the people around him would definitely hurt her. So that was why he kept her at home. That was why he never took her out or introduced her to any of his business partners. He was scared for her. He didn't want her to get hurt. But she didn't understand that either. She misinterpreted his actions as hatred and took to complaining to her best friend, the best friend who had been trying to seduce him since God-knows-how-long.
Lu Shen needed Ah Cy to understand that he didn't choose to kick her out or hurt her. He had tried so long to resist and ignore Chang Yang's advances. He had been faithful to her since the day he vowed to, he had had no plan to cheat on her. The move he made had arose from desperation. He needed a wife to make known to the public, cause that was what it was all about after all- the publicity. He needed a wife that met the terms of the society, that was okay with having every of their activities broadcasted on the news and the internet. Ah Cy could not fit in to any of that but her best friend could. He didn't have a choice. His family and business needed this, they had been the major reason he did any of this. Ah Cy didn't deserve any of the things she was going through and he couldn't bear to see her go through any more of it. This was the best thing to do, it was in her favour. But he couldn't tell her that. He couldn't tell her anything. He just had to let things be the way they were. She would get over it- they always did.
He knew he had hurt her. Each tear that fell off her eyes pricked at his conscience. He had made sure to stay out of everything. Chang Yang had been the one to do everything, from letting their affair out in the open to arranging the divorce papers which Ah Cy had signed with tears in her eyes. She had confronted him before she signed them and he had been a jerk towards her. He still remembered how she had shouted at him while crying. She had recounted how good of a wife she had been to him, she stated every thing she did and asked him why he hated her so much. Her words managed to hurt him. He didn't hate her but he couldn't get himself to say that, especially since he was trying to end their marriage,so like an asshole he was, he simply asked her to sign the papers and leave his house. She did and didn't return, not until today. He wondered why she had come. He should have listened to her, or at least not shut the door like that and leave her in the mercy of Chang Yang. Lu Shen had never felt anything as intense at the guilt he was feeling. Maybe if he had done a lot of things differently from the beginning, it would have turned out right. But it was too late now. No need mopping over spilt milk. He was just going to get on with his plans and she would get on with her life.
A hand on his shoulder snapped Lu Shen out of his thoughts. He turned his attention to the hand on his shoulder and back at it's owner. He was still holding her hand but she dared touch him with the other one.
" What are you thinking love?" Chang Yang stated, oblivious of the rage her simple action had sparked. Lu Shen glared at her and tightened his grip on her wrist. She winced and immediately removed her hand from his shoulder. He didn't let go of her other hand but instead he tightened his hold.
" Ahh!" Chang Yang cried. " Lu Shen, you're hurting me. Please let go" she said.
" You'll be spared today cause you were uninformed. Don't ever touch me, do you understand that?" Lu Shen said, his eyes locked on hers and his grip still tightened around her hand. For a moment, he saw fear in her eyes but it was immediately replaced by that shameless look he knew too well.
" No I don't understand, Lu Shen. I mean, there will be need for a lot more than just touching your shoulder when we get married. That is, if you do need an heir" Chang Yang said with a smirk on her face. Lu Shen released her hand almost immediately like he was repulsed. How the hell did Chang Yang become so shameless? She wasn't this way while they were growing up.
" Don't worry, I'll be a good girl for now. But once you put that ring around my finger, trust me, you won't be able to resist me any longer" she added as she bit her lower lips.
Lu Shen turned and made to walk away like he always did when she started her madness but then he stopped. He turned back to her and asked,
" Why was she here?"
" Who?" Chang Yang asked. Lu Shen said nothing. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and fixed his eyes on her. He knew she knew who he meant. And he was right.
" Oh! You mean her? That useless girl" She said. Lu Shen clenched his jaws. She insulted her like they weren't always best friends since high school. No remorse at all for betraying her best friend.
" Why was she here?" He asked again.
" Well … our pre wedding photos were released yesterday so I guess she just got wind of the news and came here to confirm" Chang Yang said absentmindedly.
" What did you tell her?"
" That we're getting married, duhh!!! Why would you care anyway?"
Lu Shen stared at her for a while as a thought popped into his mind.
" Don't you feel guilty… at all, that you betrayed your best friend?" He said.
Chang Yang chuckled with disbelief.
" Do you feel guilty?"
" That's not the question I asked you"
" Well… I don't if that's what you wanna know. Ah Cy is just some useless girl, she didn't belong here in the first place. You and I know that she can't fit in. You were mine from the start, I was simply taking what belongs to me"
His thoughts were confirmed. She felt not a single bit of remorse. She was such a fake friend.
" Ah Cy is stronger than you think. She'll get over it" Chang Yang added.
Lu Shen said nothing. He turned and started walking away.
" Lu Shen" Chang Yang called. He stopped.
" Umm… how would you like to go shopping tomorrow? I need some things for the wedding on Saturday" Chang Yang said. Lu Shen rolled his eyes.
" I'm busy" he simply said and started walking again when she stopped him again.
" But Lu Shen, you can spare me a little time. I won't take your whole day, I really need to…"
" I said I'm busy" Lu Shen cut in, his voice raised as he turned to look at her. Chang Yang frowned.
" What do you mean by you're busy? We're getting married in barely five days time. I'll be your wife, you had better start treating me like one. I'm not Ah Cy, I won't let you mistreat me" She said. She didn't realize when Lu Shen covered the distance between them. He grabbed her shoulder roughly.
" You wanna know why I chose to marry you? It's cause you seem to be very bold but sometimes you don't know when to not be bold. I won't condone you talking to me like that. And yes, you're not Ah Cy. She's way better than a cheating shameless slut for a best friend" Lu Shen said. He released her and stormed out before she could even process the words.
Chang Yang breathed out as he walked away. Did he just say that to her? How could he be so rude to her? Was he having second thoughts about this? No! She couldn't let that happen. She had worked so hard for this. She couldn't let it be ruined now. Lu Shen was hers and that was not going to change.