323 Trouble & Danger

Ying opened her eyes to a brightly lit room and squinted her eyes. Her dry mouth felt sticky with thick saliva. A slight movement of her body made her moan in pain as the headache was clear tell-tale of what she did last night. She wanted to retreat under the duvet to escape from the ache that ebbed and flowed like a cold tide through her skull.

A wave of nausea hit her hard making her run towards the bathroom. She needed to throw up and empty her guts before flushing her last night's shame along with it.

She was drained after puking her guts out and leaned her head against the cold glass wall of the shower. She had just closed her eyes to rest a bit when she heard, "You're finally awake."

Ying opened her eyes slowly and looked at Cali. She tried to smile but it was tiring. She barely made a sound at the back of her throat in reply. Ying licked her cracked and dehydrated lips as she continued to stay in the same position.

Cali was amused by her condition. She could tell in a glance that Ying wasn't used to this. It really surprised her that someone like Ying was actually not good at either drinking or handling her alcohol. In fact, she was the worst one Cali had ever come across in her life.

"Would you like some water? Or should I bring some more vodka for you?" Cali teased Ying on purpose. Ying who was barely holding on cringed at the thought of alcohol before crawling to throw up again as the reminder of alcohol was enough to make her feel nauseous. Cali laughed at her softly before crouching down beside her to hold her hair while rubbing her back softly. "If you know your limit, why did you push yourself?"

Ying looked at the blurry image of Cali before her because of the water that had gathered in her eyes. "I'll be a dog if I drink again."

"That's the hangover talking now," said Cali before helping her up. "Wash up, I'm gonna find some clothes for you."

Just as Cali turned to leave, she heard Ying say, "Thanks."

Cali smiled to herself. She knew why she was thanking her. But she really didn't think it was necessary. "You're helping me, so I helped you in return. I don't think there is anything to be so thankful for."

....

*Knock!*

Cali got up to open the door of her suite room and let the room service wheel in the trolley of food that she ordered for a certain someone suffering from a hangover. Just as she closed the door, she saw Ying coming out of the bedroom wearing her clothes and it made her face twitch.

Even though Ying could be considered a tall girl compared to Asian girls but before Cali's exceptional height, she was small. That's why Ying had to roll her jeans three folds to make it acceptable for her size. As for the shirt, it was way too loose on Ying's dainty looking figure and that's why it looked so weird.

Cali shook her head at Ying as she asked, "How did you manage to hold the jeans up?"

"By using my emergency pins," shrugged Ying as she shoved a berry into her mouth with delight.

"And what are you gonna do with the shirt? You look like a homeless person this way," remarked Cali.

Ying scrunched up her face slightly before she held the hems of the shirt and tied a knot in the middle making it a little more presentable than before. "Have you seen my cellphone?" 

Cali went over to unplug her cellphone from the charging and threw it towards Ying who caught it with ease. "It's been ringing all night and only went silent when the battery died. So, I put it on charge for you." Ying hummed in reply as she turned on her cellphone and it started buzzing non-stop. "Looks like someone's really missing you."

Ying shook her head at Cali who flipped open a magazine to read before she dialed the number that had called her the most number of times. "Hey, Uncle Kuan!"

"Young miss, where are you?" came the voice of the person who was trying to keep his voice as leveled as it was possible. "I've been trying to contact you since last night. It's already midday and I still don't know where you are."

"Take a deep breath, Uncle Kuan!" said Ying. "I was with a new friend I made and lost track of time. You're worrying for no reason."

There was silence at the other end before she heard, "So, you didn't go to Yan Residence?"

The smile on Ying's face stiffened slightly before she loosened it up saying, "I promised Zi that I won't go home alone. I don't like going back on promises."

"That's good. That's very good," Uncle Kuan said heaving a sigh of relief. "When are you coming back?"

Ying's brows knotted up before she replied, "Not sure. I have some work to finish up, so I might go to the headquarters from here. And most probably, I'll be staying there until I find a lead to follow on."

After talking for another five minutes, she hung up the call and continued to eat her breakfast which was actually considered lunch for others with a content look. Cali was really surprised to see her like that. Just last night, the look in her eyes reminded her of a broken person and now, she looked like the happiest person in this world. This disparity between the Ying she saw last night and the one before her right now was too much.

"That wound on your arm," began Cali making Ying look up slightly as well. "Is it a gunshot?" Ying chewed on the food while nodding her head in reply. "Is that the reason why you didn't show up to receive me at the airport?"

"Kind of," answered Ying. Taking a sip of the fresh fruit juice, she went on, "If it was just a wound, I'd have come to see you at any cost. But the problem is, I was knocked out. So, that's how I missed the time for our meeting."

"How did you get it?"

Ying chuckled at her question, "How do people get shot?" Cali squinted her eyes making Ying stop laughing on her own.  "That's not for you to worry about. The less you know, the better."

Cali nodded her head in agreement. "So are you not going home because you have to look for my cousin?"

"Not really. I just don't want to go home."

Cali frowned a little as she voiced out, "Why is that?"

"No one is waiting for me there except for responsibilities and loneliness. I can shoulder the responsibilities but the loneliness is a bit overwhelming when you're not used to it."

Cali's eyes flashed with surprise at her words. "About that burn on your hand and that mark on your cheek..."

"You're asking way too much."

"I know, but I can't help it. You looked like a mess last night. So, I'm just wondering if that swollen cheek and the hand burn were..."

"I let my guard down," said Ying before she could ask anything. "I usually don't do it but whenever this heart gets involved, I always tend to lower my guard." Cali bit her lip while she stared at Ying who was still as calm as before. "This is why I have decided not to follow my heart from now on. That bitch always gives the wrong direction and I have to suffer for no reason."

Cali ended up smiling at her words. She knew Ying wasn't gonna share much with her since if she didn't dare talk at her most vulnerable drunk state than there was no way that she was gonna reveal anything in her sober state. However, whatever Ying was willing to reveal had already left a strong impression on Cali.

As Darren once said, Cali was fond of troubles. And Ying's was shrouded in trouble and dangers from head to toe. It intrigued her to befriend this friendless girl who was too good at hiding herself behind her smiling persona.