Chapter 5: Un bel di, vendremo

Tao Xinyin glanced at the three girls sitting in front of her.

They were in MontBlanc eating lunch as it was a Thursday so classes end before 2pm. However, despite her willingness to join them, she couldn't help but feel left out. She eventually ended up scrutinising each girl while listening to their conversation.

She already knew Wu Jiahui and Mei Yun but not the vivacious one that was talking way too loudly.

Xiao Lingling noticed her stare and smirked, "So the famous Tao Xinyin likes to glance suspiciously at others, I see."

Tao Xinyin immediately averted her gaze. How embarrassing!

"Now, Lingling." Mei Yun scolded lightly, "Although Ms Tao is young, she is still teacher so we should treat her with respect."

Tao Xinyin raised an eyebrow at Mei Yun's words. She certainly wasn't speaking respectfully to her earlier that morning.

"I-I'm technically still a teacher in training so you don't have to treat me with that much respect. But thank you all the same." Tao Xinyin spoke quietly.

"Well, if you say so Ms Tao." Xiao Lingling shrugged, "But you don't have to be on edge with us. We already know how you tried to save Jiahui here." She put her arms around Wu Jiahui who was in the middle of drinking her latte.

"Oi! Watch it! You nearly made me drop my cup!" Wu Jiahui chided.

"Eh, don't worry about it. You can always pay for a new one." Xiao Lingling brushed it off.

"I'm from a single-parent household. I cannot afford this kind of fancy teacup." Wu Jiahui sardonically replied.

Watching this exchange occur, Tao Xinyin was relieved. She was initially afraid that Wu Jiahui would feel some resentment towards her for not doing enough to help her, but it seems that it wasn't the case. In fact, Wu Jiahui looks happier than before.

"Oh, that's right." Xiao Lingling remembered, "Mei Mei, did you brief Ms Tao about the plan?"

Mei Yun drank her chai latte and placed her teacup on the saucer, "Yes, but only the basics."

Tao Xinyin nodded, "I know you have video proof of Director Luo's affair with the Principal but you also want documents from her office?"

"Yes, we attempted to find them a few weeks back but the door was locked."

"So that's why you need me, is that right? Someone on the inside to take those documents?" Tao Xinyin deduced.

"Exactly." Mei Yun pointed her fork at Tao Xinyin, after taking a bite of cake.

"Hm," Tao Xinyin mused, "I do have the extra key to her office so getting in will be no problem. But the issue lies in taking those documents." She folded her hands on the table, "Because I have the only spare key, suspicion will undoubtedly fall to me as soon as Director Luo realised that something is missing."

Mei Yun placed her fork on her plate and closed her eyes in deep thought. After a while, she opened them again.

"Then time is of the essence. We have to take them and quickly submit them to the Ministry of Education that day."

"Ministry of Education? Why not the school administration?" Wu Jiahui asked.

"Because of the Principal. Even if the rest of the administration is not involved, we don't know how much power the Principal wields there. Submitting the evidence to them may be our doom." Xiao Lingling explained.

"Indeed." Mei Yun agreed, "The Ministry of Education may be a bit overkill but it's the only place we can bring up corruption in the education sector."

Xiao Lingling and Wu Jiahui nodded in agreement.

"Ok, so when do I retrieve these documents?" Tao Xinyin shifted the conversation.

"Sunday morning." Mei Yun finished her last bite of cake, "The postal service operates at a limited capacity on that day which means that all the mail will be delivered to their designated located at 12 noon sharp. In addition, I heard that the Minister of Education comes into work on Sundays from 10am to 1pm."

"Of course!" Xiao Lingling exclaimed, "Sunday is the day where workers are most efficient since it's a government mandated short day. Anyone who goes to work on that day cannot clock in more than 3 hours. By sending the evidence on Sunday…oh hoho, they wouldn't know what hit them!"

Mei Yun smiled a devious smile, "If all goes to plan, we will have a commotion on our hands by next Monday."

Tao Xinyin stared at the three girls with an incredulous expression.

'Such confidence they have. Especially Mei Yun, she is the epitome of a self-assured woman. How admirable.'

"Alright. I'll go to the office on Sunday and take the required evidence. Oh, but what about the cameras?"

"Oh, don't worry about that." Xiao Lingling assured, "I've recently found a way to remotely hack from long distances. I'll replace the live feed with a video playing on a loop so you're covered."

Tao Xinyin was taken aback by the casual remark on hacking.

"Lingling is an advanced science student. You can trust her skills." Wu Jiahui explained.

"O-oh, ok."

With the plan confirmed, the four women (or three girls and one woman) finished their lunch with casual conversations about future careers and love prospects. It was like a casual meetup between friends. After lunch, Xiao Lingling had to go to extra classes for her humanities subjects and Wu Jiahui had to go home to clean the house, leaving Mei Yun and Tao Xinyin alone.

"I've heard from Liu Fan that you've joined their piano trio." Tao Xinyin suddenly spoke.

"Hm? Oh yeah, I did." Mei Yun forgot that Tao Xinyin was Wang Jun's ex-girlfriend and the former violinist of their trio.

"He says that Wang Jun looks happier these days."

"Hm."

"He plays with more colour in his tone and a brighter look in his eyes."

"…"

Mei Yun didn't like where the conversation was heading. She started to feel some discomfort in her stomach and it wasn't because of the cake she ate.

"I was his ex-girlfriend, you know."

Mei Yun turned to face Tao Xinyin. Her expression was almost expecting, like she wanted her to say something in response.

'Is there something you want me to say? Do you want me to happily acknowledge your love? Didn't you guys break up?'

"I see."

Tao Xinyin's expression fell. Mei Yun almost laughed out loud.

'Why should I care about your relationship? This is between you and him. I have nothing to do with it so why are you trying to provoke me?'

"In any case, Ms Tao. I'm glad you're helping us. Wu Jiahui will be saved and I can leave with the fanfare I wished for." Mei Yun changed the subject.

"U-uh yeah," Tao Xinyin awkwardly replied, "I'm envious that you have so much confidence. I should have done more."

"Well, like I told you earlier, it's something you can work on after your time in St Mary's. One does not become decisive and confident overnight, they need to learn the approach as well as the drawbacks. Only then can you be truly confident."

Mei Yun turned and walked towards her house, "See you tomorrow, Ms Tao. Have a lovely evening."

Tao Xinyin watched the retreating figure of Mei Yun and placed her hand on her heart.

'Knowing that what I've believed in previously was a lie, I wonder if I had let you go too soon?'

Later that evening, Mei Yun flopped on her bed after taking a bath, her conversation with Tao Xinyin replaying in her mind.

'Why did she bring up her relationship with Wang Jun all of a sudden?'

For some reason, it irritated her and the more she thought about it, the angrier she became.

"Argh! I can't figure it out!" Mei Yun cried out and buried her head in her pillow.

'Wang Jun is a talented piano player. He is about to sign a deal with Lynx Records to release an album. He is also a gentle and wonderful guy personality-wise. I get why women like Tao Xinyin would fall for him.'

Mei Yun rolled over to her back, eyes facing the white ceiling above.

'But didn't they break up? Why mention it again? Unless…she hasn't gotten over him or something.'

"Sigh, never mind. Relationships are complicated. I shouldn't get involved with something I haven't experienced." She rolled around on her bed.

Even though Mei Yun is a 26-year-old woman in a 16-year-old body, she has never had a long-term relationship. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't keep a man for more than a month. In the end, she just gave up and resigned to her life in singlehood.

"Ping!" Her message notification went off.

Mei Yun rolled over and checked her phone.

Wang Jun: Are you still up?

Mei Yun: Yup O(∩_∩)O Is there something going on?

Wang Jun: Ah, nothing to be worried about. I'm just informing you that the dress rehearsal will be pushed forward to next Tuesday instead of the week after. Professor Wen can only make that day, sorry for the last-minute change :(

'Oh! He used a frowning emoji.'

Mei Yun smiled as she typed out her response,

Mei Yun: No worries! Thanks for telling me （.＾▽＾）

Mei Yun put her phone down, thinking it was the end of the conversation but the message notification went off again. Puzzled, she picked up her phone.

Wang Jun: Please sleep early. You need all your energy to practice and study.

Mei Yun looked at her desk clock: 10.30pm.

She smiled.

'He's an "early to bed, early to rise" kind of guy, huh?'

Mei Yun: Ok! (￣▽￣)"

True to her word, Mei Yun did go to sleep afterwards even though she would usually stay up until midnight.

**

On Sunday morning, Wu Jiahui, Mei Yun and Xiao Lingling were seated around a laptop. It was Xiao Lingling's and they were at her house to watch the operation occur. Right now, Tao Xinyin was retrieving the documents from Director Luo's office and Xiao Lingling was vigilantly watching the cameras to ensure they were showing the loop footage to cover their tracks.

Mei Yun's phone rang, it was Tao Xinyin.

"Hello? Yup, I got them all. All the manipulated school reports and the threatening letters made to the students and their parents."

"Good." Mei Yun replied, "Come to Xiao Lingling's place so we can package them nicely before sending it off to the Ministry of Education. I'll send you the address."

Of course, Xiao Lingling is smart enough to not let a teacher into her house so they met on the ground floor veranda of her apartment building. There was a table there where Tao Xinyin laid all the documents for all to see.

Mei Yun looked through the files, "Fabricated student records…letters threatening to sue…oh?" She pulled up a particular file.

It was the school finances record for 2009.

Xiao Lingling looked at the file with a puzzled expression, "Why would the head of music have a record of the school finances?"

Mei Yun already knew why.

To cover for the embezzlement that she and the Principal have been doing.

Mei Yun opened it and started to read. It was full of cash flows and other finance terms that a regular student might not understand. But an adult like Mei Yun? She knew enough to deduce that the money from St Mary's charity programme was being used to pay for things other than the school's infrastructure.

"Mismanagement of funds maybe?" Mei Yun mused. She couldn't very well admit that she is able to read ledgers. Her friends are already in awe of her secret skills, she cannot risk exposing more of her abilities from her past life.

"Should we send this?" Wu Jiahui asked.

Mei Yun nodded, "I think we should."

Tao Xinyin organised the information (documents from the office plus a tiny USB flash drive with video evidence of the illicit affair) into a neat pile and placed them in an A4 envelope. Mei Yun wrote the Minister of Education's name and address before sealing the envelope. Xiao Lingling carried the envelope to the nearest post office and sent it under the label 'urgent'. Wu Jiahui kept a lookout for the postman who would take the mail to their respective recipients. Once the postman had left on his rounds, they group heaved a sigh of relief.

"Now, we wait." Mei Yun spoke.

Mei Yun woke up earlier than usual on Monday morning and put on her uniform. She walked downstairs where her parents were preparing breakfast and getting ready to leave for work.

"Oh Yu Yu," Fu Qing noticed her daughter coming down the stairs, "Apparently school is cancelled for today. The Ministry of Education is conducting an audit on the staff so students shouldn't come today."

Mei Yun looked at her mother in surprise.

'That was fast!'

"Ping! Ping! Ping!" Her message notifications went off all at once.

She glanced at her messages as she ate breakfast. Xiao Lingling and Wu Jiahui were bombarding her with excited messages.

Xiao Lingling: OMG! My mum just told me that school is closed for today! Do you think it has something to do with the evidence we sent yesterday? ˋ( ° ▽,° )

Wu Jiahui: My mum also said the same thing. I think it's working! (ง •_•)ง

Mei Yun: Don't count your chickens before they hatch. It could be something else. Let me ask Ms Tao.

Mei Yun opened a different chat window.

Mei Yun: Apparently school is closed today. Do you have any idea?

Tao Xinyin: Yeah, the police came with the Minister of Education and arrested Director Luo and the Principal on embezzlement charges.

Mei Yun: I see. Apparently, the school is undergoing an audit?

Tao Xinyin: Yes. I have to stay here as part of the assessment. I'll give you more information when I can but it won't be for a while since my phone will be confiscated.

Mei Yun: Ok! I'll wait for more updates.

"Well, since you have no school today, would you like to come to Downtown and hang at the gallery?" Mei Kong suggested.

Mei Yun looked at her parents who were expectedly waiting for her answer.

When she was young, she loved to play at the gallery even though it was not a playground. She would hide among the expensive, priceless artwork and wait for her parents to find her. It was one of her fondest memories.

"Take it as a reward for the justice you helped achieve." Fu Qing encouraged.

Her parents knew full well what she was doing. She did promise to be closer to them in this life so she told them everything. They were hesitant at first, as most parents were, but they accepted it and encouraged her from the sidelines.

"Alright, I'll go."

The S-City National Art Gallery was the biggest gallery in the city. It was also the most prestigious among the art students who wish to have their work exhibited there one day. The exterior was a repurposed Victorian-era parliament building but the interior was full of modern lighting, air conditioning and marble flooring.

Mei Yun cannot remember the last time she visited the gallery. Besides her childhood, she never took a good look at her parent's workplace. She wandered through the exhibitions while her parents were working. One perk that came with being the daughter of the gallery owner was that she was able to enter any exhibition and access the backrooms.

The popular exhibition on display at the moment was of Japanese Ukiyo-e woodblock paintings. It was the first time that traditional Japanese art was showcased which drew crowds of tourists and students who visited throughout the day. Mei Yun, though descended from a fine art's background, wasn't interested in the visual arts. Music had always been her calling so she just walked through without taking a good look at the artworks.

After walking through the same exhibitions a few times, she sat down and took out her phone. A few messages from Xiao Lingling and Wu Jiahui asking for updates. No new message from Tao Xinyin.

She sighed, "Who knew waiting would be so frustrating."

"It may be troublesome but good things come to those who wait." A low voice replied.

Mei Yun tuned towards the voice, it was Wang Jun standing a few metres from her.

"What are you doing here?" She was surprised to run into him here.

"That should be my question." Wang Jun walked closer to her, "If I recall correctly, today is Monday."

Mei Yun smiled impishly, "You think I'm skipping school? If I were, would I go to a gallery to hang out?"

Wang Jun shrugged, "I'm not sure. Perhaps the more artistically tormented students skip school to come here?"

Mei Yun thought for a bit, "I stand corrected. Would you like to have a seat? It's a long story."

Wang Jun sat next to Mei Yun and listened to her talk about the plan she and her friends managed to carry out the day before with Tao Xinyin's help before ending off at the events from this morning.

"Hm, I now understand why you have no school but that doesn't explain why you are at the gallery?"

"My parents own it. They invited me to come here and spend the day."

Wang Jun's eyes widened, this girl just has more surprises! He smiled, knowing that this isn't new to him.

"I assumed your parents' had a musical background." Wang Jun admitted.

"What makes you think that?" Mei Yun asked.

"Your knowledge on music and your performance expertise. Most students your age wouldn't know as much as you do so I thought you came from a musical family."

"Haha, that's unexpected." Mei Yun chuckled.

"What is?"

"You having preconceptions."

Wang Jun was speechless, "Y-you…Who doesn't have preconceptions about people they meet for the first time?"

"Hm, but my impression of you didn't take you for that kind of person" Mei Yun replied.

"Then you thought wrong."

Mei Yun looked at the vast lobby of the gallery, watching the people move in and out of the exhibitions.

"I feel that my day has gotten much better, now that you're here." She whispered.

Wang Jun looked at Mei Yun's profile: A girl looking at the scenery in front of her with a straightforward expression.

"Oh! By the way, you didn't tell me what you are doing here?" Mei Yun suddenly remembered and turned to face Wang Jun.

Wang Jun nodded to the group of students at the ticketing counter, "My composition elective class is looking at the exhibitions to gain inspiration for their final assignment."

"Final assignment? Isn't it too early?" Mei Yun gave Wang Jun a questioning look.

"The weightage is high so we're starting early." Wang Jun explained.

"Hm…do you like it?"

"Hm?"

"Composing?"

"…It's not bad but I am too much of a perfectionist to be a composer. I'm never satisfied with anything I produce." Wang Jun spoke in a thoughtful manner.

"Hm…but isn't that the same as performing then?" Mei Yun countered, "Each interpretation of a piece differs from individual to individual. If you say you are a perfectionist, then every performance you do makes you sad."

Wang Jun was silent for a while, "That's a good point. But I'm never sad when I'm performing."

Mei Yun opened her mouth to speak.

"Wang Jun" Another male voice called to him.

Wang Jun looked up and saw his classmates waiting for him.

"Sorry, we can chat another time." Wang Jun stood up and began to walk.

"Wait." Mei Yun called.

Wang Jun turned.

"When you're done, we can continue. I'll be here all day after all."

Wang Jun smiled and walked to join his classmates.

Mei Yun watched Wang Jun's retreating figure with a locked gaze.

'Why does his retreating figure look so sad?'