Chapter 21- I Promise You

Mei lightly touched the door and felt the texture, caressing it, she felt the new rough paint on her fingertips.

She gently turned the knob and opened the door slightly.

Poking her head in, she glanced around and could immediately smell the fragrance of the newly bought furniture and a soft lavender scent that reminded her of the bed where she had slept in the Liu's mansion.

She budged the door open, stepping inside.

The room was blue and cream with beautiful murals on the wall, hand painted by someone who knew what they were doing. The scenery was of a gorgeous landscape on a snowy winter night, surrounded by the aurora. The colors were like nothing else Mei had ever seen, such vibrance and vital.

A bit washed-out greens and insipid colors with a hint of beige and black here and there.

Simple white curtains shielded the area from the moonlight. With a long grey bed on an elevated wooden platform. The oversized headboard behind the looks of the bed made Mei feel incredibly extravagant. The plush cushioning across the entire back wall made the room seem extra cozy. The ambiance provided by the sparkling built-in headboard lights lit up the entire space.

A sleek white dressing table was carefully placed near the windows, stacked with perfumes and expensive accessories with the neck of a mannequin showcasing a simple silver necklace with a small sapphire that gleamed in the light.

She walked up to the double silver doors, which she realized were giving out the soft lavender scent from inside.

Opening it, she found herself in a large wardrobe which was filled and exceptionally expensive garments such as close-knit sweaters, casual outfits, nightwear, etc.

There was an exquisite beaded purple gown that gleamed and outshone all the other clothes in the wardrobe.

There were shelves of different types of shoes, pressed on the side as she walked deeper in.

Different types of heels, slippers, jogging shoes, whatever she thought of, there it was, sitting on the rack, peacefully waiting to be worn for the first time by its owner.

Again, there were a pair of heels that caught her attention from the corner of her eyes.

A pair of lilac stilettos would be a perfect match with the purple gown.

Reminding her of the twinkling night sky she often gazed upon through her balcony.

All the items in the wardrobe were brand new. She had never owned them, and she hadn't gone shopping for any new clothes, even for her wedding dress, which was brought to her by her father without any notice.

She assumed it must have been Bao Zhai who had gotten her everything and filled the space.

She didn't even have the slightest hint that it was Jian himself who had hand-picked all these dresses according to Mei's liking.

He had gotten one of his closest friends and famous designer from China, Bingwen, to create the authentic beaded gown and the matching pair of stilettos.

Mei sighed, tugging on the wedding dress and yanking it off herself, throwing it on the ground.

She took out a large sweatshirt, slipping on as she plopped on the bed and let the reality of everything happening in her life sink in.

Frowning, she squinted around the room, noticing the small suitcase that she had asked Mrs. Lan to pack with some of her belongings and deliver them to the house.

Getting up, she shuffled through the bag, trying to find something.

Feeling restless, she started mumbling loudly, "Where is it? I know I hid it here in the back."

Peeling off a layer on the bottom, Mei pulled out her beige journal with the pen tied around the cover.

Letting out a deep breath in relief, she laid on the floor, flipping through the pages.

A letter dropped down as she picked it up and recognized her mother's handwriting.

"Oh, I haven't seen this in a while," smiling she read the last line.

'Live on without giving up.'

"This woman," she chuckled, "How foolish was she to believe in this? Yet here I am, coming to the epiphany that it's pointless. But hey? I still didn't give up, right?" her tears falling on the letter, Mei cried out loudly while laughing.

"Shit," she cursed, stuffing the letter in the back of the cover.

"Every time...I mess everything up, every single time."

Picking up her pen, she wrote down her thoughts, thinking it would make her calmer.

"I have been clinging on these dumb wishes for far too long. And how was I awarded? Pushed away to someone who I don't even know?

Too scared to get close to people and yet I hate being alone. I don't want to feel at all anymore now. Why does it feel like I'm sinking lower and lower?

Who will care? Lien is gone, my father blinded by Suyin, all I have is me but even my own breath smothers me, how do I expect to be valued if I can't do it myself?

It feels like I'm sleepwalking, that I am a puppet for whoever decides to pull on my strings. I shouldn't hesitate, I shouldn't object because what is the use of it?

I was married into one of the richest families in the world, then why do I complain? Dad said I should be appreciative of what I have but I didn't ask for this.

It feels like a joke.

What if I wanted to fight? Should I keep begging for the rest of my life?

I grew up with so many dreams and none of them came true.

I tried blocking the screams inside my head but they won't budge.

I can't carry on because I have nowhere to belong anymore.

Maybe...maybe I would finally be able to do it. I have waited for 4 years to get to Group A. Sure they would be skeptical but I could show them, I can show them that I am worthy of it.

I promise I will try my best to gain the most out of this last opportunity I got.

I promise you, Mom."