LOST

"Amy. Is it okay to ask you about something personal?"

Liu Yang utters out of the blue.

They are on their way back to the Publishing and the ride is unbelievably quiet. It was highly unlikely because Amy is a known chatterbox. Now, Liu Yang has the right to open a topic for a conversation.

"Hmm? Of course! What is it?" Amy answers with her eyes not peeling off the road.

"You know, that man earlier, right?"

"Man?" Amy tilts her head, thinking. "Ah! You mean, Second Brother! Yeah! What about him?"

"Yeah, him. I'm just confused. I saw him last time at ReadIt, you know, the bookstore affiliated with the publishing?"

"Hmm-mmm~" Amy hums, indicating she is listening.

"You see, he is working there. So, I got confused when I found out he is one of the sons of the Chairman of Yinyang Enterprise. If he is, then, why is he working at the bookstore, instead of working at the company? If...if you don't mind me asking."

Liu Yang peeks at Amy when she did not receive a reply for a while. It seems like she is thinking about something else - it is hard to tell what it is. Her eyes are staring straight at the road with no clear emotion on them.

Liu Yang licks her lips and stares down at her fiddling thumbs.

"I clearly don't know because I wasn't exactly there," Amy starts - piquing Liu Yang's interest - "but I heard from Daddy that he was disciplined for doing something illegal. I just don't exactly know what it is. For sure, it's not illegal drugs; I know Second Brother really well."

"Is that so?" Liu Yang creases her brows, blinking her eyes while staring at Amy's side profile.

"Why did you ask?"

"Uh? Ah, nothing, I'm just a bit…weirded."

"What? Why are you smiling like that?" Liu Yang asks, seeing Amy's lop-sided grin.

Amy takes a side-way glance at her. "You're curious about him."

"Yeah, you can say that."

Clicking her tongue, she says, "Eyy, Sister Yang, come on. It's the I-asked-about-him-because-I-like-him kind of curious, right?"

Appalled, Liu Yang gasps, "What? What nonsense are you talking about?"

"It's fine. This little sister knows how to keep secrets," Amy says while tapping her chest.

Speechless, Liu Yang seals her mouth and turns away to watch the view outside the window. And also, to hide her blushing face.

Little did she know her ears are red; Amy clearly saw it. The latter giggles, covering her mouth with a hand to prevent Liu Yang from hearing it.

"You know," Amy continues, "it's not that I'm giving you false hope, but Second Brother never really gets serious with other women." Because he only ever loved Big Sister up until now, Amy wanted to add but it's too much information for Liu Yang to take.

Liu Yang sighs loudly, enough for Amy to hear. "I told you, it's not like that." She declares, not giving her a single glance. "I made a mistake in asking you, right?" she adds.

Amy giggles, this time loud enough for Liu yang to hear. "I'm glad you asked, actually. It feels like I was a bit closer to you that way."

Liu Yang scoffs. Amy cannot see her face that she is smiling and she can her own reflection in the window.

Amy is right; bit by bit, Liu Yang is opening her feelings up to her.

The car stops in front of Yinyang Publishing. It is only 2 o'clock in the afternoon and Liu Yang has some things to be done.

"Thanks for the ride," she peers through the window.

"No problem, anytime," Amy winks at her and drives away.

----

Guan's steps waver seeing his mother sitting at the bedside, her back facing him, holding his Father's hand. Niu Yizhang is already awake and is coaxing his mother not to worry too much. He clears his throat and approaches them.

"You're here!" Choi Minjun instantly wipes her cheeks with the handkerchief.

"En, Mother," he addresses his mother while observing his father's face as he stood behind Choi Minjun.

Unlike the pale and lifeless face from the restaurant earlier, Niu Yizhang's complexion is now evident of color that made Guan breathe in relief.

"Leave us." Niu Yizhang tells everyone.

"But Father--"

"It's fine."

Guan Qing tries to protest. He contemplated while giving Guan sharp stares before shaking his head in agreement.

Guan had not realized Guan Qing and Min Chu are in the room. He watches as they walk towards the door with Choi Minjun.

Su Bin, who had just arrived, looks at the group exiting the room with alert eyes.

"Why are you out here? Where's Guan?"

"Father wanted to talk so…," Guan Qing says but does not explain further leaving Su Bin baffled on his feet.

----

Inside…

"Your eyes, they always show your true emotions. It always breaks you from the tough and cold façade you made," Niu Yizhang says as soon as they are the only ones left.

Guan exhales loudly. He stares at his father lying on the bed; his somber face somewhat surprises him – more like confused – far from the icy expression that he always shows him.

"Sit."

Just like an obedient child, Guan occupies the seat emptied by his mother. Right now, he did not know what expression he should be wearing or what to feel. He just sits there quietly, waiting for him to speak.

"You know," Niu Yizhang speaks after a while, "I've been blaming myself for what happened. I shouldn't have been tough on you, I should have listened to you, or I should have been patient with you - things like that." He gives out a long sigh and pauses.

Seems like he is out of breath.

Guan sits there, listening attentively. A tingling pain starts to creep on his chest that he could not explain. Listening to his father say those words, it feels like he is taking his last words—no, that can't be!

His father continues, "I have noticed even before how much you adore Min Chu. The thought that you are close friends makes it even harder for me to announce their betrothal. But I cannot break my promise to her Father."

"There's no point in dwelling about the past. Aren't they happy now?" Guan interrupts, his head bowed down.

"But you are still in the past! You are angry at everyone – the world – because you are still living in the past!" Niu Yizhang's voice went up a notch, making it crack. "The way you look at her right now shows how much you long to be with her."

"It's not like that!" Guan argues.

He clenches his fist, trying to suppress his emotions. "I knew from the moment she laid eyes on Big Brother that she likes him, but I still took my chances and confessed to her. Now, Father, tell me," Guan lifts his chin, eyes turning red, "am I wrong to feel that way? Maybe if I accepted everything right from the very start, things might not be like what they seem, right?"

"The truth is, I'm jealous – of everything. I don't know where my hatred comes from anymore. I don't know what to do."

"I am lost, Father."

Without him knowing, Guan's tears race down his cheeks.

Niu Yizhang smiles at the sight of him. It ached him watching his son this way but at least, he finally showed his true emotions to him. With difficulty, he raises his body, and reaches out to Guan, giving him a hug.

When he felt his father's warm embrace, Guan bursts into tears. This is the first time that he had cried in his life as an adult. He had not known that he had been bottling it all inside.

----

Outside, Guan Qing could help but feel anxious about what is happening inside the room. He keeps on pacing back and forth.

"Darling," Min Chu tugs the hem of his suit to stop him, "will you please stop? You're making me dizzy."

Seeing Min Chu massaging her temples, he immediately stops and sits next to her. "Okay, I will. Shall I get you some water? Are you hungry?" he asks in a cajoling tone.

Min Chu nods her head, to which he abruptly left to get what she wanted without asking.

Su Bin, who is leaning against the wall in front of them, helplessly shakes his head. His Big Brother is totally wrapped around Min Chu's finger, especially now that she is pregnant.

"Mother, they're just talking." Min Chu pats Choi Minjun's hand in assurance.

"I'll check on them," Su Bin volunteers, watching Choi Minjun's troubled face.

He slowly turns the knob and pushes the door open. Approaching the bed stealthily, avoiding alarming the others inside.

His footsteps suddenly halted when he saw the scene in front of him. With wide eyes, Su Bin's face turns from shock to confusion. He could see Guan's shoulders shaking while he is in Niu Yizhang's embrace while patting his back. The latter saw him and put a hand on his lips, indicating not to tell anybody.

Su Bin smiles at the old man and nods his head. He immediately hid behind the wall when Guan broke free from the embrace and clears his throat.

"Please don't tell anybody about this especially Su Bin and that brat Amy."

Su Bin almost made a loud snort. He bit his fist and slowly but surely, exits the room before Guan finds out about him or he will be dead meat.

Min Chu and Choi Minjun stares at him strangely when he went out grinning from ear to ear.

"Ah, they're just talking, Auntie, no worries."