Forced by fate – Destined to be his Wife

“Selfies!!!” Linlin pushed in behind YuZhi and TangShi on the dancefloor, holding her phone up high to capture while on tiptoes above the three of them as they huddled in then waved frantically at ZhengLi to come over. She was picture happy tonight, more so the drunker she got because she wanted to document TangShi’s first night partying with her. It was a long time dream of hers to have TangShi live a normal life of a twenty odd year old girl in Shanghai and she never for a moment thought a contract marriage would be the key to achieving it.

“Stop taking so many.” TangShi giggled but still smiled and posed as YuZhi pulled her in beside him with an arm around her shoulders to ger in on screen, sticking his two-fingers up in a V sign as the three of them were caught for all time on Linlin’s cell. He was an old hand at selfies and having pictures taken and seemed to have no bad angles. ZhengLi wandered over with his tray in hand and a new round of shots and motioned them all to sit. Frowning at his click happy date and her reel of way too many pictures of tonight.

“You missed it!” Linlin accused, waiting for him to lay it on the circular table in the center of their booth before hauling him down beside her and forcing him to take one with just the two of them. He sighed, smiled, and obeyed. Willing to appease her in anyway because he was having way too much fun in her company.

They had been here for a couple of hours already and the four of them were at the merry drunk stage and getting more so. Companionable atmosphere had grown between them all and it had relaxed TangShi completely. It felt like four good friends out for a normal weekend session. ZhengLi and Linlin had gone from enemies on the battle front to comrades in arms and were trying to outdrink one another and flirting heavily while doing so.

TangShi was trying to be reserved in her alcohol intake, but the more relaxed YuZhi became with his, the more he encouraged her to keep up. He had no problem seeing her get drunk as he was confident he could handle his booze and wouldn’t let anything happen to her. He wasn’t old fashioned or overly sexist and believed women should be able to kick back and have fun as much as men did.

“Here.” YuZhi handed her a tiny flaming shot glass very carefully and motioned her to watch him before trying it. “Blow, Tap on the table, and down.” He raised a brow at her and then did exactly that to show her what he meant. Blowing the flame from the top of his liquor, tapped the base on the polished marble surface, and then swallowed it down in one flick back of his head before turning it upside down and thumping it on the table. It was a practiced move and he seemed very skilled at drinking. “Your turn.” He winked at her, stuck close by her side like he had been all night and she nervously chewed her lip as she fiddled with the hot little glass. So far she had stuck to the less alcoholic cocktails but ZhengLi was pushing shots for the last two rounds. One she refused already, and she was tempted to try it.

“What if I don’t like it?” She queried and was met with a cheeky smile that brought out YuZhi’s dimples. His hair was a little messier than earlier, his outer jacket discarded, and he seemed casual and approachable when he wasn’t so immaculate. She wasn’t aware that in the last two hours her faith and trust in him had expanded hugely. They were no longer awkward or stiff sitting here together but seemed very much like old companions.

“No one really likes it. Burns going down but it gets you smashed, and everyone likes that feeling.” He lifted the base of her shot with his fingertip to motion her to do it and she obliged by following his instructions. Eyes glued to his the whole time as though seeking instruction or approval and he didn’t blink or look away.

Blow, tap, and drink, and then she coughed like a maniac, thumping her chest with a balled fist as the warm foul and bitter liquid burned all the way down her throat. A taste that was so strong it made her eyes water, and she did not like it at all.

“Good girl.” YuZhi rubbed the top of her head with genuine affection like she was a puppy dog who had performed a command. TangShi giggled at how proud it made her feel. She was tipsy or maybe more for sure and felt light and giddy. All her woes had fluttered away on the breeze and her inhibitions were starting to follow. She liked this joyous feeling, and she actually liked this venue.

The busy club was more welcoming than the one Rhea had arranged the last time she drunk, it was darker, had separated booths, and sections that kept dancers and drinkers apart. It was big and crowded but it felt small and intimate with its clever design and layout.

She had seen Mr Cheng wandering around talking to customers and assumed this was his club, the one she knew YuZhi frequented. It felt private and safe even though it was full of people, but no one seemed interested in them at all and hadn’t caught anyone sneakily taking pictures either. She was sure she had spotted an A list celebrity in a far corner from one of Xiaosu’s dramas and wondered if Cheng made sure this place was a confidential place for famous people to relax. YuZhi didn’t seem to care about being seen in here and if he frequented it for years, no pictures of this place had made it onto the internet.This text is property of Nô/velD/rama.Org.

“Want to try another one?” YuZhi queried, leaning forward to scoop a different glass with a new shade of liquid inside and handed her one. This wasn’t on fire and smelled sweet and sickly as she took it from him. “You’re only allowed one of these though, as I’m afraid it might mess you up.”

“What is it?” TangShi squeaked nervously looking at it with obvious suspicious and realizing on closer inspection it was green.

“Absinthe. Don’t drink it yet. Look. Do this with it.”

YuZhi pulled his glass forward and lifted a strange flat metal thing from the tray and laid it over the top of his glass, it had small holes in it like a sieve and he picked up a sugar cube from a bowl on the table and laid one on top, so it was suspended over his drink. He grabbed a small water jug and poured a tiny amount over it so it trickled on the cube and filtered into his drink before placing the jug in front of TangShi.

“Let it dissolve a little and as soon as the absinthe turns cloudy, tip it in and use the spoon to stir the sugar away completely. Don’t down it but drink it slowly. That’s how you drink Absinthe.” He demonstrated by waiting for a moment and then doing what he said and mixing the last remnants of the cube into his drink. Tanghin copied him exactly with her little glass and then both of them lifted in unison and took a sip of the strong liqueur.

TangShi Coughed and wretched and screwed up her face in distaste. Visibly shuddering as it went down and couldn’t hide her abhorrence of this awful stuff.

“Eww, it’s like sweet aniseed and tastes disgusting.” She wretched and patted her chest to alleviate the burning while YuZhi chucked under his breath at her.

“You get used to it but congratulations on being initiated into the seasoned drinkers club.” He patted her on the head again, smiling at her for at least tasting it even though she put it down and pushed it away with a head shake. It wasn’t for her and YuZhi drank his up seemingly entertained with her reaction. He had been so patient with her tonight, acting like a teacher of sorts and enjoying watching her try some drinks for the first time. She had an expressive face, and he found her mannerisms irresistible.

“I’m drunk.” TangShi blurted out as the woozy feeling hit harder, coming over her like a heavy cloak. Her shot obviously working fast, and slumped back against her seat so her flopped to his shoulder. She was instantly lifeless, swaying her foot to the low music drifting this way that barley covered nearby chatter of other clubbers.

“You’re a lightweight. I need to up your tolerance by bringing you here a lot more.” He continued drinking from the beer he had placed aside, done with shots for now as he knew how to pace himself. He relaxed back to watch Linlin and ZhengLi who were now on the dancefloor pushing one another around, propping a foot up on the corner of the table so he was angled against TangShi to provide a better cushion for her. He knew that tonight those two would be going home together as their sexual chemistry was off the charts. Two free spirited party animals who were obvious about fancying each other.

“What if the clinic is successful this time.” TangShi broke in, knowing they had an appointment in two days so drinking after that wasn’t wise until she knew is she fell pregnant. “I can’t get drunk and frequent clubs if it is.” She pointed out with a sigh, her mood deflating at the thought of it, and lifted her feet to wedge in the bar under the table to prop them up like his. She was feeling ultra-relaxed now and warm and cosy by his side.

YuZhi was a surprisingly comfortable companion who had kept his promise of taking care of her tonight. He had stuck by her and been the guide when it came to booze and what to order. He had even danced with her a couple of times and proven he was a smooth mover. She felt like she could let her hair down and trust he would get her home just like he promised.

“Maybe we should skip it this month and go with the flow. Have some down time to go out and have fun. There’s no rush, we have two years and work has been a nightmare lately. I need the stress relief.” He shrugged, mellowed by alcohol and turned his head to see the little face that was now tucked in against him and concealed by shadow. She looked sleepy and smiley and he had the urge to hug her.

“Hmmmm….. I hate going there.” TangShi sighed, being honest with this new liquid bravado in her stomach an YuZhi tensed a little. Guilt gnawing at him that his choice made TangShi uncomfortable, but it was a necessity he could do nothing about.

“Me too, but the alternative isn’t plausible. Rhea would never forgive me for sleeping with you.” He took another swig of his beer and pushed down rising questions that were nipping at the back of his skull.

TangShi giggled inappropriately at his words and poked him in the cheek with her pointer finger. Reverting to a playful child.

“But you sleep with me every night.” She laughed at her own joke and YuZhi chuckled at her innocence, genuinely amused by how cute she could be when she was drunk.

“You know what I mean. We share a bed which is no different to sharing a couch, while both unconscious. Besides, it keeps things straight, less messy. No sex means less chance of emotions getting misplaced. It’s better this way.” He had told himself this a million times and yet had purposely avoided telling Rhea that grandfather had made them share a room and one bed from day one. He knew it would only upset her and cause doubts even though he never touched TangShi when they slept.

“Why didn’t your grandfather approve of Rhea as a wife and mother to your heir? The public lover whom everyone adores and she’s ….. lovely.” TangShi slurred, always curious as to why he had never married his girlfriend or made moves to fall pregnant so his family couldn’t refuse it. He was respectful of his grandfather’s decisions but why did he let them date and then change his mind.

“It’s complicated. My grandfather has a pretty reasonable grudge against the Cheng family. I forced his hand by making us public so he couldn’t stop me from dating her, but he refused to agree to engagement or marriage and forcing a baby into that situation wouldn’t have gone the way you think. He would have disowned it…. I thought in time he would change his mind, until he introduced me to your family, and I knew he hadn’t.” YuZhi’s tone soured, and he shifted to pull his foot down, drinking more of his beer, obviously frustrated with the memories.