Before Wayne left for his martial arts training, he checked on Pei Li, who was still soundly asleep. He left reluctantly. Frowning and worrying a lot the whole day while not having anyone to talk to about Pei Li's symptoms made him miss Penny.
He knows very well who she is. He knows it's Pei Li whom he should focus on, but the thought of her not appearing lately made him wonder if she had perished for good.
Occasionally during his breaks, he had been checking the cameras he installed in his living room for signs of Pei Li but nothing. His messed up mind that day made him nearly injured his arm during training. He was grateful to be sent home early as it gave him more time to keep an eye on Pei Li. He sat by the balcony close to evening after making a simple shredded chicken breast congee.
It was a common meal back in high school where every house in the village would make for breakfast. It used to taste saltier back in Er Hu he recalled. Most likely because Er Hu was up north, though he added exactly a small tea spoon of salt like his mother did. He wondered if it was because of harsher water there.
Before he could figure out further on his thoughts, Pei Li stepped out of his room. To his surprise, she was cheerful again.
"Little Wind! What are you doing home so early?" She chirped while loosely holding onto his waist as he stood dumbfounded with his eyes looking at the clock telling him it was 7 pm.
It should have been Penny, but she called me Little Wind… It's Pei Li… He told himself.
"I'm hungry… What did you cook? It smells so good and familiar!" Pei Li checked as she ran to the kitchen while he trailed her.
"Oh, Congee! Yummy! Everyone used to have this for breakfast in the village, but I rarely did. Can I try now?" She jumped excitedly.
He nodded. "Why don't you sit and wait outside?" He suggested that she obediently skipped over giving Wayne some time to digest and take a breather before serving the porridge.
She sat by the dining table and closed her eyes. "Little Cloud?" He quietly called her when he stepped out as he stood in front of her.
She slowly opened up her eyes. "Are you alright?" He asked as she nodded slowly while smiling.
"What happened?" He went up to her and held her. "Nothing… Just a little tired. Why aren't you at work?" Pei Li asked innocently.
"I did. But I am home now." He smiled, not wanting to explain and not worry her.
Pei Li smiled. "Let me accompany you tomorrow, alright?" She seemed to be speaking like usual with him as he tried to hide his confusion. He nodded and encouraged her to eat more instead.
Will you be alright tomorrow, Little Cloud? What am I to do with you? He asked himself worriedly.
"Little Cloud…" He called out again as she hummed in acknowledgement.
"Have you spoken to anyone before this?" Wayne asked, recalling the mysterious person in question that Penny and he had been worrying about.
She shook her head nonchalantly.
"Are you sure? The day when you were with me at work, had anyone approached you?" Wayne pestered.
Pei Li was reminded of the person and the fear she had from his warning.
Don't tell anyone who you heard this from. Make sure he doesn't know we spoke, or he will be in great danger. The mysterious man's warning kept ringing in her head. She blinked rapidly, trying to shrug it off only to drop her porcelain spoon into the bowl and hold her head.
"Pei Li! Are you alright?" Wayne ran over to check on her as she tried to calm herself. He squatted and felt the piercing pain on his ankle as he dragged a chair to sit in front of her. He held her hands in his.
"Who was it who approached you? You must let me know so that I can protect you and me…" Wayne gently patted her hands to comfort and encouraged her, who was distressed.
"It's… I don't know who he is. He just came up to me and told me that your family isn't your family…" Pei Li muttered, and Wayne had just confirmed the exact same thing written in the book to Penny.
"Do you remember what he looks like?" Wayne prompted.
"He had been wearing all black from top to bottom, and his face was covered up. He was using a cap too." Pei Li said as Wayne maintained his eye contact with her and nodded.
"Good job… What else did he say or do?" He asked as Pei Li could not bring herself to tell him the threat.
"I cannot remember. I have a weak memory. I don't remember a lot of things that usually happen. I don't know why… I'm so useless, Little Wind…" Pei Li broke down in Wayne's arms as he gently patted her head.
"No, you're not useless, Pei Li. You will be alright with me. Promise me, tell me everything when it happens, cause in a week we will be at a filming location. The danger would be worse." He sternly emphasised as she nodded and held onto him as he fed her dinner.
He knew the reasons for her memory gaps, but he was not sure if she could handle the reality. Instead, he could only accompany her and slowly reveal her conditions to her since Penny had disappeared with the uncertainty of returning. It was only right for Pei Li to know of her condition. Though he wanted to protect her, he knew it was the only way for Pei Li to safeguard herself against others as well.
The next day, Violet went to check on Sebastian while Sam prepared breakfast. He was not in the mood to wake up, but she prevailed by flipping open the blanket he kept flipping to close his head.
"I was going through the work, but I couldn't see what happened to the press and that night?" She asked randomly after a few flippings.
"Which night?" Sebastian frowned in annoyance as he sat up to face her.
"The dinner night… where we…" She said shyly, thinking back on their kiss as he took a breath of relief and smiled.
"Of course, we deny it all, Vi. That's what we do best…" He tapped gently on her nose as she chuckled.
"Little Ms. Director, recover soon. We need your HR expertise in new hires." Sebastian gave her some encouragement as she smiled.
"I have vetted the resumes and sorted them. Sam has them."
"Not in a hurry. Rest a few more days…"
"I will be so bored… I am heading to a new homestay nearby to do a review…" She updated.
"I wanna come!" He said excitedly before jumping out of bed.
"But but… hey!" She could not stop him from preparing and wearing his disguise to go with her.
Violet suddenly felt her life was not so bad after all. Her decisions and choices lately were bringing her more good things than before as she counted her blessings. Even Sam thinks it was a good idea for Sebastian to escape a little at breakfast.
To her surprise, Sebastian went on the trip to sleep all the way. This homestay was a mini getaway for people who wanted a short break near the outskirts of the city. It was an hour and a half car ride or by train. Violet opted for the train as she did not have to worry about navigation, and she could enjoy the mountainous view along the way.
The homestay was located uphill. They boarded a taxi to get there on mountainous roads. She was hoping for some good old towns or cafes to explore, but instead, she was greeted by a secluded homestay in the jungle itself.
The owner was a super busy and pretty tall lady. As Violet stepped in with a sleepy Sebastian in disguise on a windy morning, the owner rushed out from the kitchen to the counter.
"Oh, hello! You must be Miss Vi V?" She asked as Violet smiled and nodded at her website's pseudonym.
"You're my only new guest today! Just a minute, let me get breakfast done! Have you both eaten?" She asked while rushing back to the kitchen, leaving Violet confused whether to reply or not.
A couple of minutes later, the owner resurfaced at the reception counter after serving breakfast to some guests.
"Apologies for the wait. I made some breakfast for you all too." The owner said.
"Oh, you didn't have to, but thank you…" Violet said politely. "Alright, so you will be staying here for two days and one night, correct?" The owner asked after checking her booking records on the laptop. Violet nodded.
"I see you have a guest. Just one room?" She reconfirmed as Violet turned to Sebastian, who nodded. Violet nodded to her as well.
"Alright, here's the key. Let me help you with your luggage. If you need a ride to the nearby farm, just let me know. I can drive you all there, alright?" She said while directing them to their room.
"Alright, sure! Thank you very much, Ms.?" Violet finally asked.
"Miss Tung, please. Once you have settled down, please come for some breakfast by the dining hall near the reception earlier!" Ms. Tung said before rushing back to that section, leaving Violet chuckling while Sebastian walked into the room and surveyed the bed.
He instantly took off his jacket, cap, and glasses. Left them by the couch and climbed into bed.
"Sebby! What are you doing?!" She went up to his bedside as he mumbled. "Sleeping…"
She noted his heavy eyebags and sighed as she patted his head. "Alright, sweet dreams! I will wake you for dinner, alright?" Her question went unanswered as he instantly fell into deep sleep. She chuckled to herself before strolling down to the dining hall, enjoying the slow pace of life.