Hidden Love
Han Yu Pin Yin: Cang Ai
Author: Jennifer
Source: AAE Village
Translators: Jules

The plane would take off in a few minutes.  The sky outside was so blue, the brilliant sunshine was reflected in SM’s heart.

She has represented the company at the design conference in Japan.  The first seven days were spent on business, with the last two days of the conference given over to networking and sightseeing.  So, she changed her flight reservation, and headed back to Seoul a day earlier than planned, only because this was a special day.  It was the day on which she had first met XZ.

He remembered when they met at Cambridge, but she was sure he wouldn’t remember this day.  She did, and she wanted to surprise him.

When she was tidying up her old schedules recently, she remembered this day - the day when he made her wait endlessly, only to dismiss her summarily.  Nostalgia is always sweet, and that sweetness still lingered in her mind when thinking of it.

It was only 2pm when she arrived home.  SM rang her father to let him know she had arrived safely, then had a leisurely bath.  After taking extra care with her makeup, she changed into an attractive lavender suit, and happily left the house.

It was 3:30pm.  He should be home watching sport on TV.  He told her so yesterday on the phone.  She had rung him last night after changing her reservation.  “Do you miss me?”  she asked.
“I’ve been too busy”, he said with a smile in his voice.
“Is that right?”
“Yes”
“In that case, I’ll stay on for a few more days”, she replied.
“Won’t you miss me, then?”
“Says who?” it was her turn to smile.
“I’ve really missed you a lot”, he finally confessed ruefully.
“It’s too late!  I’ve already changed my reservation!”

Xue Zhang, I’ve really missed you.  That’s why I’m coming back early to be with you.

She stopped at their favourite bakery. Being a Saturday afternoon it was crowded and the queues were long.  It took her more than half an hour to finally get hold of a fresh fruit cake in the shape of a heart.

With the cake in hand, she finally hailed a taxi and made her way to XZ’s apartment.  He would surely be taken completely by surprise to find her on his doorstep!

She saw him the minute she stepped out of the taxi.  The gods had to be playing a trick on her.  A young woman with a mane of beautiful long hair was holding him shoulder, whispering something in his ear in an intimate way.  SM could not see XZ’s face, but she could certainly hear the ring of his familiar laughter.  The sound sent a million tiny knives stabbing into her heart.

She could not think, could not breathe – he heart had been shattered.  She could only stand there in complete shock, the echo of his voice ringing in her head.  She watched as he drove away, the woman at his side sitting in the place usually reserved for her.

It was already 8 pm by the time SM finally arrived home, solemnly carrying the cake in its box.  Tears welled in her eyes as she examined the cake, now completely messed up as a result of accompanying her on her aimless, 4 hour ramble in the wind.  She took a knife and cut it in half.  It felt like she was cutting her own heart into pieces…….

That woman was the same one she saw in a magazine on the plane.  They had published a photograph of the heir to the Wen Rong Conglomerate with this woman at his side.  When she saw it, she asked the stewardess to let her keep a copy of the magazine, intending to use it as ammunition to tease him when she next saw him.  She did not expect it to become the evidence of her heartache.

She took the magazine out from her handbag and had another look.  The woman’s name was Zhao Meng Ting.  She was the only heir to Zhao Enterprises.  The photograph had been taken on the night of October 10th by the papparazzi, when XZ went to receive her at the airport.  In the photograph, she was hanging on the crook of XZ’s arm, the same way it was this afternoon.  SM had left for Tokyo on the 10th of October.  He must have seen her off at the airport in the morning, only to return that night to greet another woman.  Who was that woman?  Was she really his secret “friend” as the magazine had said?

SM could not believe that this man, whom she loved so deeply, would do this to her.  He was not that sort, she told herself firmly.  However, it did not stop the image of their intimate conversation from dominating her thoughts.  She did not want to believe the trashy magazine, but she saw the two of them with her own eyes and heard their laughter with her own ears.  How could this be explained?  She decided to get to the bottom of it.

That night, XZ did not return to his apartment.  By daybreak, she could not help it as her tears overflowed.  She wasn’t even sure if they were tears of pain or anger.

The next morning, she left a note for her father, who was returning home at noon, and left the house.  She needed to be alone, to think things over.  She did not want to see him until she had sorted her own feelings out.  She spent the day at ?? (Jiang Hua) Island, only leaving at sunset.  Then, she went for two movies and only got home after midnight, after she was totally exhausted.  She had been trying so hard to forget the pain in her heart, but it just wouldn’t go away.

“It’s already so late!  Where have you been?  Disappearing like that for the whole day, didn’t you even think to ring home?”  her father said sternly as soon as she stepped in.
“I went with a couple of friends to ?? (Jiang Hua) Island.  In my rush to leave, I forgot to take my mobile phone with me”  she replied meekly.  She had intentionally left her phone at home so she could not be contacted.
“I just got off the phone with Xiang Zhe.  Didn’t you tell him you were coming home a day early?”
“I decided that at the last minute, and did not have time to tell him”
“Why don’t you call him?  He’s been really worried, and had been ringing me all afternoon”
“Alright”, she said, nodding.
When she was in the bath, the phone rang again.  Her father called out to her, but did not get an answer, so told XZ that she had fallen asleep.

“Did you have a disagreement with Xiang Zhe?” SM’s father sat at her bedside and asked.
“Dad!  That’s just between the two of us.  Don’t you worry.  I’ll can take care of it”, she hid under the covers.
“Alright! I won’t interfere.  Just don’t let things get out of hand”
She didn’t lose her temper easily.  However, if she really got angry, she would not back down easily.  Even he father would have trouble handling her then.

The next day, she arrived at MBS just after 9 am.  Monday was her scheduled inspection day on the project.  She picked the time because she knew he had his weekly meetings on Monday morning, and she would therefore not bump into him.  She had decided not to ever see him again.

Yes, she had won the contract for, and without any intervention from XZ.  He avoided any participation in the selection process, and she had won the contract based on merit alone.  She had been so happy on getting it, because it gave her the opportunity to get involved with him and his company.  Ironically, she was now anxious to avoid all contact with him.

XZ went down to the Cultural Gallery at 3pm in search of her, and did not find her.  He was not overtly surprised.  He knew she was upset at him.  She had refused to take any of his calls, did not want to talk to him, and was obviously avoiding him.  However, he could not fathom why she would be the one upset at him.  It couldn’t be that he did not pick her up at the airport when she arrived.  After all, he had no idea she was coming home a day early.  The night before she left Japan, they had teased each other on the phone in their usual way.

“Xiang Zhe, did you hear a word I said?” Xian Da noted the distraction on his face.
“I’m sorry!” XZ pulled back his thoughts.
“What’s wrong with you today?  You’ve been distracted all morning”
Am I really that obvious?  He thought to himself.
“Hey!  Surely it’s not because of Shan Mei?”  XD teased.
XZ smiled glumly.
“Well, it’s about time you learnt what it’s like to be in love!  Women!  Just apologize and humour them, and it will all blow over”  XD advised sagely.

“Humour her?  I don’t even know why on earth she’s angry?” he burst out.
“You really don’t know?” XD looked at him strangely.
“Don’t tell me YOU know?” he looked suspiciously at XD.
“Hey old boy!  The rumours have been spreading in the company like wildfire.  Surely….”
XD looked at XZ’s serious expression, and decided he wasn’t joking.  He opening the office door and asked XZ’s secretary, “Miss Lee, do you have a copy of this week’s entertainment magazine?”
XZ’s secretary sheepishly took out a copy of the magazine from her drawer and handed it over.
“Here, have a look for yourself”, XD flipped the pages and put the magazine in front of him.
He frowned as he finished reading the article.
“It’s pretty scandalous”, XD looked at him.
“How can you even believe this trashy magazine?” he was irritated.
“Xiang Zhe, don’t tell me that isn’t you….”
“You’re right, it IS me.  But…..”,
“If she and you weren’t close, why would you pick her up at the airport in the middle of the night?  It’s not like you.” XD interrupted.  “I think you owe Shan Mei an explanation”.
“She’s very understanding.  She’s won’t get upset over something like this”, even as he said it, XZ started to worry.
“Is that so?  This may have been the case in the past.  But this time, the evidence is startling.  Even I am convinced that the woman is more than a friend”. XD replied.

Just after 5pm, XZ rang Shan Mei from the lobby of her office block.
“I’m too busy”, she said.
“I only need five minutes”
“I really can’t get away”, her voice was cool and distant.
“If you don’t come down, I’ll come up.”
Ten minutes later, she appear in front of him.

Without speaking, she started towards the little park across the road.  XZ took her hand, only for it to be pulled away.
“Why are you so upset?”
She stood with her back towards him.
“Is it because I didn’t pick you up at the airport on Saturday?  I didn’t even know you were arriving that day!”
“I went to the airport yesterday and waited three hours for you.  You came home early, and didn’t even bother to let me know.  Do you know how worried I was?  I spent the whole afternoon ringing your home.  Then, you pretended that you were asleep to avoid my phone call.  Even if you were upset, surely I’ve been punished enough?” his conscience was clear.  He been frantically trying to contact her, and she completely ignored him.  If any body deserved to lose their temper, it was him!

She acted as if he hadn’t said anything.  He was completely flabbergasted.  He had never seen her this way.
“What did I do to upset you?” he asked again.  She had quietly returned from Tokyo and started to avoid him, even hanging up on all his phone calls.
“You should know”
“Shan Mei, please stop being so childish” his patience was wearing thin.
How dare he say I’m being childish!  He only waited 3 hours at the airport!  I spent the whole night waiting in vain!  SM grew angrier at the thought.
She had intended to listen calmly to his explanation, but completely lost her temper when he accused her of being childish.
“Let’s not ever meet again”  she burst out.
XZ was shocked at her response. “Shan Mei!”
“You… don’t have to force yourself to be with me.” She said coldly.
“Do you know what you’re saying?”  XZ’s strong hands force her to turn around.
“Are you really doing this because of some trashy magazine article?”  he looked her in the eye. “I can explain that”.
“I would rather believe my own eyes”, she cried.
The painful image floated across her eyes, and she turned away.

XZ was starting to get irritated.  How could she initiate a separation based on such a trivial thing?
“I really don’t believe how childish you are”, he said.
“Being childish is better than being a cad!” she threw back angrily.  How could he even think she would lose her temper over some stupid little photograph?
“Who are you calling a cad?  Tell me!” XZ was starting to lose his temper.  A cad?  All because of some stupid little photograph?
“You know who!”
She was in comprehensible, implying this and that, calling him a cad.  It made his blood boil.
“Don’t you even trust me?  Zhen Shan Mei, I’m so diappointed in you”, he told her angrily.
She would rather believe some stupid photograph than listen to him.  He gave up!  He wasn’t going to waste any more time and effort explaining things.

“I want to trust you, but you’ve disappointed me” she bit back.  She could no longer control her temper.
“Director Yin, I’m going back to work.  I’m only a lowly employee, and I have to earn my keep”.  Saying this, she turned and walked away.

He looked at her angry retreat and let out his breath in exasperation, but he did not follow.  She was so angry, she could hardly speak.  He was angry at her for having so little trust in him.