Bab 42: Yang's Soft Heart Part 1

November 10, 20XX (Saturday)

Grand Center Mall

Mei Li could not believe the events that had just happened. She could not believe that Mother Chen would treat her so badly. Her heart broke once again at the realization. It was as if she was doused with cold water. She knew, by Mother Chen's insistence, that the Chen Family wanted her condo unit but to be that shameless; it was disgusting.

'Why did I like that family before?' Mei Li helpless thought to herself while remembering the days where Mother Chen had cooked her food to eat and take home. There were also times where Mother Chen would take her to the mall and buy her clothes, shoes, and more. They would bond on certain times too, going to places and gossiping about the men in their lives.

Mei Li had been so deep in thought that she had not realized Yang parking his car. She had only noticed that they had stopped when Yang opened the car door near her and pulling her out off the car. Looking at the large building with brand signs and people littered everywhere, Mei Li blinked herself into stupefaction.

"What are we doing at the Mall?" She asked feeling like a fool. She had not noticed anything from their drive. Her thoughts of the past had hindered her eyes from seeing the future ahead of her; that was dangerous.

Yang paused for a while turning to Mei Li with a look that the painter could not understand, "You wanted that small thing…"

Mei Li tilted her head to the left and raised her eyebrows while thinking of what he meant. Realization dawn on her after a minute, "You mean the lip balm?"

Her Lip balm; the reason why she had gone back to her condo unit, the reason why she saw Mother Chen's unsightly behaviour, and the reason why her thoughts were too preoccupied.

"Was it that? I said I'll buy it for you so here we are. Where should go now?" Yang asked carefully placing words that would not cause the woman before him to be irritated at him. He had been worried about her especially when they had driven and she would not respond to him even when he had taunted or threatened her.

Mei Li stared at him. Yang could not help but smile at her, trying to calm the thoughts he knew spiralled in her head. Mei Li's stare turned into a look of amazement; seeing Yang's carefree and sincere smile was unusual and should be treasured. It was as if the CEO had controlled how many times he would smile that kind of smile that Mei Li likes. Feeling slightly better, Mei Li guided Yang into a store for cosmetics. His right hand's grip on her left wrist had remained as they walked.

When entering the store, most of the people turned to look at the CEO; immediately recognizing him at first glance. Mei Li chuckled in amusement when Yang grinned at them with all teeth showing like a carnivore about to devour a prey, stopping their intentions from coming close to him. She admits that Yang's fake smile had another purpose than just annoying her but it had not stopped the two salesladies that followed after them.

Knowing the location of the lip balm she liked, Mei Li immediately picked five and took it to the counter to pay but stopped when something caught her eyes. It was a new lip balm that would taste like strawberries and would tint her lips natural pink but what was good about it was that it had a pair that could be used by men without it turning pink.

"Do you want me to buy that too?" Yang asked when he saw Mei Li picked the sample. To Yang it looked weird; what kind of lip balm is inside a ball?

"… It says it tastes like strawberries." Mei Li replied excitedly. Anything that had strawberries in it, she would buy. This time was no exemption. She deliberated if she would buy the men's version too for Chen Zhong. She stilled when she reached to take it, realizing that Chen Zhong was not her boyfriend anymore.

"Is that for men?" Yang's question made her realize something.

"Can you try this for me?" Mei Li asked without hesitation.

Yang backed away a step. He had never touched a hint of cosmetics in his whole life. When his lips would be chapped, he would just lick it off. Fortunately, he was born with great genes that don't need that much maintenance.

"Why would you want me to try that?" Yang nervously asked, his eyes going left to right and avoiding Mei Li's expecting gaze. He knew he could not deny her if he did. She always looked so cute when she asked him to do something making him say yes to her demands and it always works, damn all the stars that fell to make Mei Li's eyes twinkle.

"I just want to know if it really tastes like strawberries at it says in the ad." Mei Li said, pouting cutely at him.

Yang's face was turned to the right but his iris slide to the corner of his eyes to look at her. He wanted to say 'No' but Yang remembered that Mei Li was still hanged up with the confrontation just minutes before so he nodded his head as he agreed, "Alright. I'll buy that."

The smile that grew in her face was worth all the trouble Yang would get from his friends when they'll know about it. He had always hated putting anything in his face. Aside from Soap when he washes, there were no other products that were used; not even moisturizers. He was a man, dammit.

Mei Li patted his left shoulder as a thank you while grinning at him. His frozen heart melted into a puddle of goo.

'Who cares about being a man when she smiles at me like that?!' Yang quickly threw all reasons of opposition. Really, this woman had the power to make him jump off a cliff without even realizing it.