Chapter 5
41 0 5
X
Reading Options
Font Size
A- 15px A+
Width
Reset
X
Table of Contents
Loading... please wait.

After that incident, I avoid Chen Mingzhu like the plague. I call in sick for work for four days in a row until my grandma, sick of seeing me sulking, kicks me out of the house. So I slowly trudge to work. The minute I walk in, Li Sha pushes up her glasses and clicks her tongue.

"Well, look who decided to show up." I scratch the back of my head sheepishly. "Hi Li Sha..."

"Well? What are you waiting for? These books need to be shelved." She says, her tone businesslike. I walk over to the cart and lightly tap my hands on the rim.

"Well, uh..."

"What?" She snaps, glancing up with a raised brow.

"Is boss around?"

"He's out on the beach." I glance out the window noticing the dark, gloomy skies. Is he out there? But it's raining-

"Hey." I look up, hearing Li Sha's voice. "You...what's been going on with you recently?" I laugh dryly and shrug. She stares at me for a moment and I feel my scalp prickle under her examination.

Finally, she looks away. "Fine. Be that way. And get a move on, these books aren't going to shelve themselves!" She says swatting at me. Ducking out of her range, I push the cart into the back. After finishing all of the miscellaneous tasks Li Sha assigns me I walk over to the front of the store only to see her frowning at her phone.

"What's the matter?"

"There's going to be a hurricane..." She murmurs. 

"What?" I freeze. All the other noises around me disappear. "What did you say?"

"There's going to be a hurricane and it's one of the most massive they've seen-" 

Before I have time to think further I've rushed to grab my coat and I have one hand on the doorknob.

"Hey, where are you going?!" Li Sha calls.

"To the beach!"

"What?! That's the most dangerous place to be right now!"

"Exactly!" I reply, my mind filled with a familiar slender figure. I rush to the beach amidst the torrential downpour. I can hardly see through the fierce gale and curtain of pouring water. I arrive on an elevated portion of the beach, watching the waves rage below me. Is he still here? Where could he possibly be?!

I desperately scan the shore until I notice a figure on another elevated mound parallel to my own. Is that...? I squint. It seems to be two figures. What...?

Regardless, I rush towards the figures, struggling to wade through thigh high raging water and somehow scramble over to the other cliff. I rush up only to see Chen Mingzhu standing on the mound. Instantly I feel my heart drop in relief...until I notice a kid clinging onto a branch growing out of the side of the mound. He must be one of the town children and Chen Mingzhu is trying to save him...my chest tightens. I rush forward only to see Chen Mingzhu struggle and pull up the child...at his own expense. Using momentum to pull the child safely onto the mound, he himself goes toppling over the edge of the cliff.

Everything goes blank. I stop processing anything as I pitch myself over the edge of the mound after him. My mind remains blank until I have the familiar warm, slender figure wide eyed, staring up at me from within my arms. 

"You-you..." Cough! Cough! He weakly tries to speak before his words turn into a coughing fit. I reach out to pat his back, then freeze. My hands are claws. And that's when I become aware of the sense of weightlessness, the feeling of the fierce breeze swirling around me stronger than it ever is on land, the fierce thump, thump of wings beating above my head. And that's when I realize...I look down at the man in my arms.

"I'm sorry, I'm late."

"You-you..." Chen Mingzhu-my Pearl's eyes transform from shock to bone rending sorrow and his body starts to shake as he sobs. "You're late! You're so late!" He cries as his fists weakly pound against my soft underbelly. Whilst cradling and protecting him from the raging storm, I bow my head at a loss, repeating the same words: "I know, I know, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

We stay like this until his sobs die down and with it, the storm. I've risen up high enough that I shouldn't be visible to anyone on the ground. Slowly Chen Mingzhu becomes aware of our surroundings as he peers out of my claws. 

"Why are we so high? Let's go down. But don't get caught!"

"Yes." I reply, a goofy, doting grin on my face. I transform mid air to reduce my size and land off in a corner of the beach rarely frequented by anyone. As soon as we come down, Chen Mingzhu scrambles out of my arms. I glance down at my now, empty embrace, somewhat at a loss. We stand there facing each other. My gaze takes in Chen Mingzhu in his entirety hungrily. This is the first time I'm not afraid of openly starting. Under my heated gaze, he looks off to the side, blushing. Clearing his throat, he opens his mouth and starts to speak.

"After you left...I've been waiting."

"I know." At this, his eyes once again turn red.

"Why were you gone for so long?!"

"I-I'm sorry. I lost my memory and a lot happened. But I found you didn't I? And I'll never leave you again." He looks into my eyes and I feel exhilarated about having his complete attention for the first time.

"Really?"

"Really."

Our gazes intertwine and I see something molten in his that I'm sure mirror's mine. I lean forward, my gaze on his full, soft lips and...my face runs into his hand.

"Huh?"

"You're still a minor aren't you?" I freeze.

"...Just my physical body." I mutter.

"So you are a minor."

"But-but it's just my body! And besides it's just kissing!"

"But you are still a minor. And things can escalate fast."

"But-but-" I watch his back, speechless as he struts away. A few meters away he turns back to me. "Coming?" 

Seeing his bright, teasing appearance my own visage collapses into a helpless, doting smile and I rush to catch up with him. However, I mark the incident down. Dragons are vengeful creatures after all. 

 

5