I Still… – Chapter 45

Xi Men stood in the living room with his hands in his pants’ pocket.

“Master,” Butler Pan called, after closing the door of the master bedroom, “I have informed ma’am,”

Xi Men nodded. “Thank you,”

He stood there for another minute when he heard the door opened.

CLACK (door open).

His gaze remained at the door of the master bedroom, and looked at Xiao You emerging from the door.

Xiao You looked at Xi Men, who is looking back at her.

Strange.

There is a very weird vibe that Xi Men is emitting today.

She had never felt this before.

She couldn’t explain that, but it does not feel normal.

She stood in front of him in the living room, approximately 3 meters away from him. “Butler Pan said you are looking for me,”

“Yes,” Xi Men answered shortly.

“What is it?” she asked, clasping her hands in front of him.

He clenched his teeth for a while.

“Are you seeing someone now?” Xi Men asked.

Xiao You looked at Xi Men. “Seeing someone?” she repeated after him.

Xi Men looked at Xiao You, “Yes,”

Xiao You stared at Xi Men.

She tilts her head a little.

She wondered how such thing would come up?

Displease that she isn’t addressing the issue, “I want you to remember your identity,” Xi Men said. “You are still married to me and that means you are still my wife, get it?”

Wait.

What?

She frowned.

“So are you telling me it is completely alright for you to be seeing someone else, and not alright for me?” Xiao You asked Xi Men.

Xi Men looked at Xiao You. “I? Seeing someone else?”

“Yes, you are right that we are not divorced yet,” Xiao You said. “But if you want me to not date anyone while still remained attached to you lawfully, then do your part as well. If you want to date someone else while still married to me, then do not ask for such thing from me,”

Xi Men frowned. “I am not seeing anyone, how on earth did you think about that?”

“You’ve been seen with someone,” Xiao You folded her hands on her chest.

“Someone?” Xi Men asked.

“A model,” Xiao You said.

‘Seen with a model?’

‘Huh?’

‘Oh.’

‘Rebecca? How on earth did she know?’

‘Wait…’

‘Lei and Jing saw me with Rebecca the other day. Could they have told her?’

“Nothing to say now?” Xiao You asked.

Xi Men looked at Xiao You. “She is just a friend,” he said.

“Oh really? Who’s gonna believe that?”

“I didn’t lie to you,”

Xiao You could only smirk as her gaze slowly traveled away from Xi Men.

Seeing the reaction from Xiao You, “Whatever it is. Always remember your status,” Xi Men ends up saying. “While still married to me,”

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” she restated.

“You are still my wife! How can you let his hand wrapped around your waist?!”

‘His hand wrapped around my waist?’ Xiao You frowned as she thought to herself. ‘Who?’

“Who is he?” Xiao You asked Xi Men back.

Xi Men is in disbelief. “What?! You asked me ‘who’? Don’t you even know who? When it is on the magazine?”

‘Magazine?’ she thought to herself.

‘Wait. Raymond?’

‘This whole thing is about Raymond?’

‘He assumes I am dating Raymond?’

‘And you call that ‘wrapped around my waist’?’

She lets out her breath from her mouth in disbelief. “He is just a friend,”

“Oh, so, you know who the person is now, after asking me?” Xi Men asked. “And seriously, who is going to believe that?”

Ah. Familiar statement.

Isn’t that’s what she said to him just now, and he denied that.

She also smirked, “Exactly my point,” she then looked at him again. “Who is going to believe she is just a friend, huh?”

“I said she is just a friend means she is just a friend!” he lifted his hand up and brushed his hair to the back as he then pressed his lips together; trying hard to conceal his frustration. He then swallowed the lump of anger in his throat.

“Why so frustrated, huh?”

“Why can’t you trust me, Xiao You?” Xi Men asked.

Xiao You tilts her head. “You don’t believe me either,”

Xi Men closed his eyes, took a deep breath and tilts his head. He then opened his eyes. “We fought even more after we’ve separated than we ever had while still together,”

“Maybe we have learned to stop agreeing and compromising with each other since we’ve separated,” Xiao You said.

Xi Men looked at her.

“Then you’ll learn about that again with her,” she said.

Xi Men took another deep frustrating breath. “Xiao You, stop talking about her,” he said. “I didn’t want to talk about her anymore,”

“I don’t like talking about that either,”

“Point being. You are still married to me. You are still Mrs. Xi Men now and…”

“I said it already. Don’t ask me to do whatever you asked me to do if you couldn’t live it up yourself,” she said.

“You are not even letting me finish my statement?”

“I know what you want to say. You’ve been repeating that for times. Follow that concept yourself first, before you come and ask me to do it,” Xiao You said. “And I don’t want to talk about this anymore,”

Xi Men take a deep frustrating breath.

He turned around and leaves the penthouse.

**********

“Interesting,” Raymond smiled at the magazine that Xiao You had pointed to him.

Xiao You smiled.

“You actually look really good,” Raymond said, looking at the picture.

“Thanks,” Xiao You smiled faintly.

Raymond looked at Xiao You. “And you look moody now. What’s up?”

Xiao You took a deep breath. “My husband has an issue with this article… or maybe I should say, the picture,”

“You mean, he saw this?” Raymond pointed at the article.

“I guess so,”

“You guess so?” Raymond asked.

“He never said he saw this, but from the way he speaks, I guess he saw it,” Xiao You said.

Raymond returned his gaze to the picture. “What’s wrong with the photo?”

“He said I am seeing you,” Xiao You said.

Raymond looked at Xiao You, “Based on this photo, alone?”

Xiao You nodded. “Totally ridiculous, right?”

Raymond chuckled. “What’s in this photo that makes him think that?” he looked at the photo again.

“He said your hand is around my waist,”

Raymond frowned and looked at her. “Is that seriously an issue?”

“Well, for our culture here… some guys and ladies don’t really get close to each other unless they are each other’s significant other,” Xiao You said.

“Ah, I heard about that,” Raymond said. “So… you are saying, this is THE issue?”

“I think it is, to him,”

“Why does he care about that? You guys are separated. It is not that I am touching someone’s wife,”

“To him, you are messing with his ‘wife’,” Xiao You rolled her eyes.

“Huh?”

“He said I am still married to him. We are still legally bound,” she said. “So he said I need to remember my status, bla bla bla…” she rolled her eyes again.

Raymond looked at Xiao You, and then he chuckled. “I have never, ever, in my life, thought that putting my hand around a friend’s waist when taking photo means something more than being friendly,”

“It is the culture. It is different here,” Xiao You said. “Ah, don’t worry about it. We are friends and we are close, so it doesn’t matter,”

“It is probably my mistake as well,” Raymond said, sitting straight up and looked at Xiao You. “I owe you an apology,”

“Look, you did no wrong,” Xiao You said.

“Well, here is what I feel,”

“Hmmm?”

“I’ll take your lead. If you think it is not wise, then maybe we shouldn’t exactly meet up with each other,” Raymond said. “Then nobody’s gonna get upset,”

“Then I will be the one getting upset,” Xiao You said.

“Ah?”

“I have separated from my husband and I don’t care what he is thinking about you and me. You are my friend and you will only be here for few months. I am not going to see you again after the musical ends. Why am I supposed to stop meeting my friend just to please my soon-to-be ex-husband, who doesn’t even hold a special place to me right now?” Xiao You said.

“Really? Is that what you feel?”

“Yes,” Xiao You said. “You have done no wrong in this picture. I did no wrong as well. Like you have said, I am a woman who has separated from my husband and I am free to go out with anyone I want,”

Raymond smirked.

“Ah, wait, I don’t mean going out as in ‘dating’ but going out as in… go… out. Like, go, out,” Xiao You corrected. “Out of the house. You know, going to places,”

Raymond laughed. “I know, Xiao You! I know,”

Xiao You chuckled.

“But seriously, you are moody just now. Do you have any issues with the photo published?” Raymond asked. “I mean, for you, personally,”

Xiao You shook. “To me, it is just attending the event with a friend. But whether it will turn out differently for anyone else… I don’t know,”

“Xiao You, I am sorry about that,” Raymond said.

“Don’t apologize. I have given it a thought before I go to the event with you. I already know photos will be taken in that event,” Xiao You smiled. “Perhaps, that explains to you why it took me a while to decide if I wanna go?”

Raymond smiled. “I get it now,”

‘I saw Xi Men went out with the model. If he is happy to be seen in public with another woman, then it means I can be seen with someone else regardless I date him or not. That is why I go to the event with Raymond,’ Xiao You thought to herself.

“Oh before I forget,” Raymond said.

“Hmm?”

“I have been invited to a formal dinner next Saturday. Will you attend the dinner with me?” Raymond asked.

“Formal dinner? What kind of event is that?”

“My production’s local sponsor’s event. They are inviting all of us for it,” Raymond said. “And since it is a formal dinner, I thought of bringing you along. Who knows I may need you to do the translation for me,”

“Ummm…”

“Hey, free food, you know?” Raymond said.

She laughed. “Gosh! So what if it is free food! I don’t really care about that!”

He laughed. “I am just trying to persuade you to come with me!”

“Hey, I am kid no more, you know! Luring me with free food is not gonna work!” she threw a smack on his arm.

He laughed again. “So, wanna go with me?”

“Umm… hmmm…”

“I sense hesitation,”

She just smirked.

“You have some concerns?” he asked.

She looked at him. “You said it is formal dinner. I just wondered what kind of formal dinner,”

“Are you asking about what is formal dinner, or…?” he frowned.

“I mean, the people that will go,”

He frowned again. “That… I am not sure,” he said. “But… does it matter?”

She took a deep breath. “Well… my husband… umm… if it so happened that the people going knows my husband and me… then it is not so appropriate to go with you,”

“Because of your husband?”

She nodded.

“I thought you just said you don’t care about him,” he said.

“I know…”

Raymond then chuckled.

“What’s with the reaction?” Xiao You asked.

“You were telling me about not caring what your husband felt and sort… and that you are alright to be seen with me at the event and even with my hand around your waist for photographs. And now that I am asking you to go to a formal event with me, you showed hesitation,”

“To be honest. It is not about him… but…”

“But?”

“It is about the people,”

“The people?” he frowned. “I don’t understand,”

“Okay, here is what I can say in simplicity,” Xiao You said. “The after-party is more to a closed-up party attended by casts and friends, and official photographers,”

“Okay…”

“Where as for a formal dinner, there is a likelihood that it will be attended by people sharing the same status as my husband as elites,” Xiao You said.

“Okay…” Raymond repeated.

“These people know me personally as my husband’s wife. It is not going to be nice to be seen attending the event with someone else, I mean, you,” Xiao You said.

“So, you are saying, the concern is… being seen with me, by these people,” Raymond said.

“Yes,”

Raymond nodded briefly. “Wanna hear what I think?” Raymond asked.

She looked at him. “Okay,”

“You told me the news about your separation is out. Everybody already knows. It means you are free to go anywhere you want with whoever you like,” he said. “I think you shouldn’t get yourself imprisoned by that status anymore,”

She looked at Raymond.

“It may not look nice if you are married with someone as reputable as that and at the same time, you are going to events with me. But what I felt is… you have separated from him now. You may have the label tagged with you as Mrs. High-Reputation but it is ‘formerly’ now. You are free to go out with a friend, another man…”

She took a deep breath and then exhaled it.

“Xiao You, you did no wrong in going out with someone else because you have separated from your husband,” Raymond said.

“I… I don’t know. That label…”

“With that label plastered on you, do you plan to just stay at home and be single until you die?”

“With this status… probably…”

Raymond rolled his eyes. “Come on. You can’t stop what other people will say and think of you. Trust me, even if you stay at home and makes a vow to stay single until the day you enter the grave because of that precious status, people will still talk about you and they will find something to say about you, whether you like it or not,”

Xiao You looked at him.

“There are nasty and cruel people out there. It is a fact. Can you really guarantee no one is talking about your separation, when they are not seeing or meeting you now?” Raymond asked.

Xiao You took a deep breath. “I know… I have always known…”

“That is what I believe,” Raymond said. “Just the same when people told me someone else can make a better Phantom than I am, it doesn’t mean I need to persuade them to like me. Everyone will have a different point of view and different actors have different interpretation towards how and what the Phantom should be and react. So, to me, I am doing what I like,”

Xiao You pressed her lips together.

Raymond then smiled. “It is okay. If you are not comfortable going to the event with me, for whatever reason it is, I will respect you. Because most importantly, I want you to be comfortable. I mean, there is no point for me to have a perfect translator next to me if she is not comfortable being there,”

Xiao You smiled faintly.

“But you are always free to make or change your decision. The spot as my partner for all events in Taiwan will always be open for you. So, it is either I go with you, or I will go alone,”

Her smile grew slightly as she lowered her head down a little.

“But, I just wanted to let you know,”

She lifted her head up and looked at him. “Hmm?”

“If you are going to the formal dinner, you need to prepare for this,”

“What is it?” she asked.

“In my humble opinion, I’m pretty sure I am going to get a lot of attentions that night compared to any other people there. I am the Phantom, okay?”

She laughed and she threw another smack on him. “What do you mean by ‘humble’ opinion! You sound so full of yourself!”

He laughed. “Just trying to make you laugh,”

She laughed again, and then as soon as her laughter subsides to a smile on her face, “I think, you are right,”

“About?”

“Public knew about my separation. It is not a crime to go somewhere with someone else. People will always say things about me regardless of what I do. They even talked about me when I go places with my husband,” Xiao You said.

Raymond smiled. “So, are you saying you will go to the event with me?” he asked.

“How much do you want me to go anyway?”

“Of course it will mean a lot to me! I have a free translator!”

“HEY! Is that really the only reason?!”

He laughed. “It wasn’t the only reason, but I have to be honest with you that it is indeed one of the major reasons. But then, that is also because you are my friend, and I need a partner since I am here all alone. It will be lovely to have you attend the event with me,”

She smiled and nodded. “Alright, I’ll go with you,”

“Nice,” he said gratefully. “Thanks a bunch,”

“No problem. And thank you,” she said.

“For?”

“Convincing me and tell me that I shouldn’t lead my life around the status…”

He smiled. “You are welcome,”

“Yeah, I need to learn to break free of that,” she said.

He just smiled.

“Oh, where’s the venue of the event?” she asked.

“At the ballroom of the hotel I am staying. 7pm,”

“Alright. I’ll ask my chauffeur to send me there,” she smiled.

“Okay. Should I be waiting for you at the lobby or entrance of the ballroom?” he asked.

“I think, since you are the ‘center of the attention’ that night, maybe it is best you are in the ballroom. I’ll go in and look for you, perhaps?”

“That won’t be easy to actually spot me in the ballroom… you know?” he lifted his eyebrow to look at her.

“Hmmm… true,”

“What about just… drop me a call when you are about to arrive. I’ll wait for you at the ballroom’s entrance so that you can see me when you’ve reached?”

“I think that will be good as well,”

“So, ballroom entrance it is. Remember to call me,”

“Alright,” she smiled. “It is this coming Saturday or next Saturday again?”

“Next Saturday,”

“Okay,”

---

Previous Chapter | Contents | Next Chapter