CHAPTER FIVE

"Submit your project to my table immediately after this meeting." My supervisor's words rang in my head.

I remembered vividly how it had gone from here; he had given my submitted work to his girlfriend, who was also on our team, and that facilitated her promotion instead of mine.

I had tried my best to make sure it didn't happen this time by making sure I bypassed him on every step and wanted to sneak my submission directly to the manager, but somehow he had gotten a wind of it again!

I took the proposal to his office, hoping and praying the scenario would not replay just like my previous life.

"What is the meaning of this rubbish you have submitted, and you intended to submit this as someone on my team. Get yourself out of my office."

I tried taking back the proposal from his table as I left.

"Who said you could take it with you, get yourself out of my office."

Just like that, it happened again!

Even in my second life, despite how much I try to change it, things are going the exact way they used to.

'He has again stolen the Proposal. I can't continue living this pattern, or I'd just end up just like before.'

There has to be something or anything that I can do, or maybe...

'It doesn't have to happen to me, it just has to happen to someone.'

The words of a reincarnation movie I had watched came to me: nature cannot be upturned, but it does not necessarily have to be me.

'Can that be real, movies are usually deceptive, but what other options do I have? None.'

"Well let's give it a trial," I said aloud to myself.

I knew just who my first victim would be: Ming.

"Since I want her to take my fate, she will be the perfect lab rat for my experiment," I said smiling.

"Hey Ming, do you want to hang out today?"

I said over the phone with a smiling voice.

"Yeah, sure, of course, you've been kind of avoiding me for weeks now; I'd gladly hang out with you, my favorite girl."

She replied with joy in her voice.

I would never have thought she was capable of betraying me that much; she had shown me so much love, or so I had thought, well,l it's about time the tables turn.

"Ok, girl, I'd text you the location."

I had not waited for long when Ming appeared at the door looking all sweet and adorable.

"I have missed my best friend, she said hugging me tightly."

"I have missed you too, Ming, but right now, I'm famished. Let's place orders for our food." I said signaling the waiter.

"Sure and all bills on me, I'd be treating you to lunch because of how much I had missed you."

She said.

—This was it. I was reliving the moment again, and I remembered how she was putting on the same clothes and had happily offered to pay for my food, and I stood there meekly accepting the offer as the meek friend that I did not know she had other plans to disgrace me.

'Well, the tables have turned. This time, I was the one who called for lunch instead of her, and I wouldn't let her have her way.

She would take the fall for me!

"No, Ming, I called you for lunch so I'd treat you to something nice myself," I said, snatching the menu from her while smiling.

"Is there a reason you don't want me to pay?" She asked looking innocent and ready to cry.

"Come on, it's my treat or is there a reason you are insisting on paying."

"If you insist."

She said calmly

"Yes please, I do insist."

While lunch was going on, I ensured I dominated the conversation, delving into topics that made her uncomfortable,e, and she looked surprised.

She had always been in charge and I was the meek and timid one.

—Not anymore, girl.

"After lunch let's check the mall and get a few things?"

I said.

"You want to shop?" She asked looking surprised.

"Won't Wei be mad at you for spending unnecessarily?"

"Well, it's my money, not his, and I can do whatever I want with it."

"You have been behaving strangely, Mei. Is anything the matter? You show up in outfits that are not your style, and now you...

"What's my style Ming? Cheap, right? Well, not anymore."

I said cutting her short.

"I didn't mean cheap; I j— just don't know, everything is strange, you are not you anymore."

'Of course, I'm not me, Mei, you know any more, the one who allowed you to take all the shine and followed like a puppet.' I thought to myself.

"Nothing has changed; we have just been distant this couple of weeks, nothing more. Now, will you finish your food, and let's head down for shopping?"

I knew exactly what was going to happen at the mall. I had barely gotten myself anything. I just tagged along with Ming since I had to save up my paycheck.

When it was time to go the security had stopped us saying they were checking private bags of customers, the machine had detected that someone had picked something and kept it in their bag. I had surrendered my bag willingly for the search since I didn't steal anything, lo and behold and to my amazement, the stolen item was found in my bag, and for a millisecond I saw what looked disturbingly like mockery on Ming's face, but I was too embarrassed and shocked to give it a second thought.

I had cried all day with Ming by my side supporting and encouraging me.

Perhaps she had placed it in my bag when I wasn't looking.

Well, since I can't avoid my fate, then it would have to be transferred to someone else.

As Ming and I continued shopping, I made sure to keep my bag outside to avoid the reoccurrence, and when she was not looking, I dropped a new purse into her personal bag.

—Come on, Wei, when did you become this wicked?

I thought smiling to myself.

It worked! I can't believe it worked.

The stop and search happened, and this time, instead of me, Ming was the one who was publicly embarrassed, and I made it a point of duty to comfort her just like she had in my previous life.

This is just the beginning.