Chapter 26 - Each To Their Own

A bright light shone through a tiny crack in the curtains as Mei slowly blinked her eyes open.

Shifting towards the bedside, she hugged her pillow, wanting to sleep again after checking the time.

Picking up her phone, she looked at the screen that glowed,

'11:37 am'

Jolting back up, Mei began to panic, her fingers fumbling, she tried calling her trainer to inform him that she would arrive slightly late.

Her breathing still unstable, she ran around her room in a haste, stumbling over her bed and stuffing her bag with her clothes.

"Mei Ling?" a voice from her phone asked.

Almost dropping her phone, she grasped it in her hands, huffing, "Trainer Wei! I'm very sorry, I wasn't able to contact you earlier regarding this, but I will reach the Academy during the afternoon today."

Confused, he replied, "What do you mean? Aren't you taking a day off today? I had received an email from your father that stated you were ill and wouldn't come for practice today."

"My father?"

Resuming, Wei began to scold her, "Sure, it is definitely not an issue that you are ill, Mei, but you ought to take better care of yourself. I know you stayed back quite late yesterday to train, and I am also aware that your eating habits are quite irregular. I'm about to assign you to a dietician that will guide you through this properly, and hopefully, you'll gain some stamina."

Baffled at his instructions, she couldn't help but stammer while agreeing, "Uh...y...yes, I will."

"That's good to hear. I will book an appointment for you tomorrow. Take care Mei Ling, have some rest for today, you did quite a lot yesterday."

Disconnecting the call, Mei stared at the screen for a minute before heading out to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

Upon entering, she heard Jian's voice from the living room, talking to somebody on the phone.

"Are you sure it was just an asthma attack? I'm sure they usually aren't that bad."

Stepping closer, she continued to eavesdrop on the conversation, realizing that he was talking about her.

"What would I need to do now? What do you mean nothing? And if she faints again? I can't just sit back and watch that sh#t unfurling again."

Her anger starting to rise, Mei walked out, sassing, "Well, don't act so stubborn, and maybe you wouldn't have to worry about 'this sh#t again."

Frowning at her, Jian ignored her while hanging up the phone as he said,

"She's awake now, I'll talk to you later."

Walking past her, he heard Mei questioning him, "Why am I not at the Academy, Jian?"

Brushing her off, he picked up a bowl of congee, placed it on the table, pointing at it.

"Eat it while it's hot. It's good for your wheezing."

"Did you send instructor Wei the email, Jian?"

Sitting on one of the chairs, he glanced up at her, alluding, "I'll answer all your questions but first take a seat and eat your breakfast."

Her stomach rumbling, she puckered her lips, recalling that she hadn't had dinner last night.

Reluctantly, she sat down and took a bite out of the congee.

A wave of nostalgia fell over her as she tried remembering the last time she had something similar to this.

Gobbling down the food, Jian covered his mouth with his hands, hiding his smile by looking at her, he confessed, "Yes, I did. You weren't really in the state to get up and go train today Mei. Even the doctor said that you needed to take some rest before starting physical activities."

Her words muffled, she responded, puzzled, "What doctor?"

"Doctor Li Qiang. He's been our family doctor since I was a teenager, so I trust him enough to check up on you here."

Squinting her eyes, she sighed, "It was nothing. I just had a small asthma attack, and it worsened because I was very tired. There was no need for a check-up."

Getting agitated, Jian raised his voice, "No need? You f##king fainted in front of me, Mei. FAINTED"

Rolling her eyes, she shrugged, "I could have just used my inhaler, and I would have been fine. Yet, you had to interfere in what I was doing. Not the first time it has happened."

Lowering his gaze, he mumbled softly, "...I didn't know you had asthma."

"Well, now you do." Changing the topic, she asked, "Did Bao Zhai cook this? It was really nice, it might have been better without the ginger."

Showing her tongue, she imitated a gagging reaction, causing Jian to giggle and stifle his laughs.

"Bao Zhai has gone to the market. I'm sorry, I had forgotten you weren't a fan of ginger."

"What do you mean forgotten.."

Suddenly, the doorbell interrupted their conversation as Jian got up to greet the person.

"Wait!" Mei called out, rushing behind him to check the entrance, thinking it might have been Bao Zhai.

Opening the large door, a man in all black stood in front, with a large bag beside him.

"Ah, you're here early. Please, come inside, let me show you around," ushering him in, Jian guided the man who introduced himself as Taio.

Pointing at the air vents, the two men discussed within themselves while Mei strolled back to the kitchen, taking a second serving of the congee.

During her third bowl, she saw Jian walking Taio out, hearing,

"Did you bring what I had asked you for?"

A loud 'thump' sound came from the corridor as Taio answered, "Be careful, it's a bit heavy, so you won't be able to move around it much. I will be back again tomorrow with the workers to install them in every room."

Shutting the door, Jian stepped back inside, carrying a large white box in his hand.

"What is that? What did he mean by installing something in all the room?" perplexed, she inspected the box as he waved her back, walking towards her door.

Following him, she saw Jian take out a large air filter from the box, plugging it in and reading the instructions.

Outraged, Mei badgered, "What is this about?"

"The doctor advised getting some purifiers, so I did. Why are you getting riled up for? It's not because of you, I was planning on buying them soon and decided to get them now." Shaking his head, he pushed some buttons on, switching the filter on.

"There we go."

Sighing, Mei asked him to leave her room, softly nudging him out.

Confused at her actions, Jian stood there, staring at her in dismay,

"Why are you doing this? What did I do wrong now?"

Disappointed, she pursed her lips as she closed the door after saying,

"I'm not asking you for anything, Jian, I never did. I keep on pleading you to leave me alone. Think whatever you want, I genuinely don't care, and I can assure you that I never will. I have had my life filled with people like you, and yet I find myself giving in to these absolute stupid lies all of you keep spouting."

Leaving Jian with his head on her door, thinking about what she had just said.