Wake up, Pei Li… Pei Li stirred to the familiar voice but was still too groggy to be able to tell whose voice it was.
Quick Pei Li! Wake up! The voice grew urgent and intense with fear. Pei Li forced herself to regain her consciousness and blinked at a fond apparition. She began to think she was still dreaming but the apparition seemed to be materialising in front of her in white patches as she closed her eyes, unable to withstand the glaring lights.
"Mr. Shao, we are from the police station and would like to question you about the report made by the hospital on Ms. Wu." Pei Li heard.
Shao? Why does it sound so familiar? Pei Li thought to herself while taking another look at the apparition which was much clearer now. It was a young man's back before she closed her adapting eyes again.
Pei Li wake up and save him! Penny urged in the last bit of her consciousness in Pei Li's mind.
Save who? Is it you Penny? Pei Li questioned in panic in mind as Penny struggled the fight to stay on a little longer in their consciousness.
"Mrs. Shao, in fact." Wayne corrected as the policemen nodded.
"We are supposed to be married today. I'm still waiting for her to be awake before we head to the bureau." Wayne explained.
Marry… Right, I forgot. He must be the guy then… Pei Li thought to herself.
"When did you notice Mrs. Shao was being raped and assaulted?" The officer's questions shocked Pei Li.
He knows! Penny he knows! What do we do?! Pei Li panicked as Penny sighed.
That's why... Wake up now and save your husband! It's Wayne Shao… Penny finally revealed before slipping away from her consciousness. Pei Li opened her eyes to the soothing bright lights as she blinked several times forcing herself to take a good look of Wayne's back.
"Last night when I spoke with her at her house…" Wayne explained as Pei Li thought to herself, he must have spoken with Penny. She tried to recall the events last night but she failed as she knew Penny had stood in for her.
Her heart could not stop fluttering as she blinked watching the back view of Wayne longer. She had always longed for this view back then in school. It reminded her of the nights they used to study together in primary school; before her twin, Pei Ni left this world and her life's nightmare began. It was also when she found Penny in her mind, comforting her during tough times. She forced her tears away for fear she would lose sight of Wayne who was diligently answering the police's questions.
"Would you like to charge Mr. Wu on these charges on behalf of Mrs. Shao?" The policeman's question jolted Pei Li up.
"No. I do not wish to!" Pei Li said sternly as everyone turned to check on her.
"Pei Li… Are you alright? Does it hurt anyway? Let me get the doctor." Wayne said wanting to leave her but she held on tightly to his hand while staring intensely into his eyes, still trying to believe he was right in front of her.
"It's alright. It's fine now. I promise it will all be alright." Wayne comforted her as he caressed her cheeks.
"I do not wish to press charges." Pei Li said sternly to the officers as her mother's safety was blaring like an alarm in her mind.
"Alright, we hear you, Mrs. Shao. We will make a move first, Mr. Shao. If we need any further cooperation, we will contact you again." The police officer said as Wayne nodded before the officers left.
"Pei Li, what have you been through all these years? Why didn't you seek help? Why didn't you… try to find me? Didn't you know how famous I am now?" Wayne questioned as tears unwillingly fell from Pei Li's eyes.
"Little wind… You're back..." Pei Li said while blinking her tears falling down her cheeks as she recalled their past memories. She never thought she could still hold him after so many years of enduring all the nightmares of life alone. Most importantly, she never in her wildest dream thought she would wake up to become his wife after many years of crushing on him secretly.
Wayne was touched by how she could recall the nickname she gave him when they were little.
"Little cloud, you have suffered a lot and I am here to protect you now. I am here to buy you that freedom I promised you last night. You can now buy me that happiness you wanted to last night…" Wayne said as Pei Li knew it was the conversation between Penny and him.
She was happy to hear Penny made a deal with him as Pei Li wrapped her arms tightly around Wayne, still unable to believe he was in front of her. She was really afraid he would leave her alone again and she would have to crawl back to her darkness again after opening up. For once, she felt all the will to live flowed through her with such strong force that she wanted to embrace Wayne's presence and never let go while fighting alongside him.
"My mother!" Pei Li suddenly realised.
"It's fine… Once the doctors check on you and you're discharged, we will get our marriage registered as the families wanted." Pei Li could feel the coldness in his eyes but she did not question it just yet as her main concern was her mother's safety.
"Mother… She … I need to see her before nightfall…" Pei Li fidgeted as Wayne held her hands.
"Pei Li, my assistant had arranged for her to stay in a closeby nursing home here in Qi Tai. You don't have to worry anymore about her being harmed by that useless man back in Er Qu. That place is not somewhere we both should return to either." Wayne said with many hidden meanings as Pei Li eased down a little in his arms.
She finally nodded in agreement to his arrangements as she had too many going on in her mind to be able to be concerned about him. She was grateful that both her mother and herself were finally freed and it was all thanks to Wayne. With that, she let herself smile happily and hugged Wayne as she was willing to fulfill the promise he made with Penny; to give him happiness.
Back in Kung Tap, Violet sighed at Sebastian's question.
Right, my future… What do I plan to do next? Violet questioned in her mind.
Sebastian looked away from her gaze, with an idea brewing in his mind but was unsure if his plans would be well accepted by her. He too, did not just have a love life problem but his career was on the verge of breaking down if not for the remaining nine months of the contract. With a month taken off, he wondered if he would still be receiving any offers for filming or advertisements per se.
I wish I could answer you honestly but perhaps there's still half truth to this answer. Violet thought to herself.
"Editing this video log first and start this channel. Looking for some gigs maybe to try emcee but that's insane since I had no connections just experiences on stage from young…" She randomly said.
"Keep dreaming big. You never know where it would take you…" Sebastian knew she was speaking from her heart and that she had still not seen her true potential.
She smiled. "And you? What's your plan next?" She asked.
"Where to next tomorrow?" Sebastian asked trying to change the topic as he was not prepared to answer the question he threw at her himself. The uncertainty he just thought about made him hesitate to offer her to join him as his personal assistant not related to this company.
He had been thinking about being able to do more of other jobs independent of his controlling company since his contract did not explicitly state that he could not take other jobs not arranged by the company. No doubt he must always practice keeping his image protected at all times but after the recent divorce saga, it would take some time to die down. Hence, he shelved the ideas he had once again.
"Aren't you busy? Shouldn't you have work to do? Artists are always so busy!" Violet laughed and that made Sebastian a lot more relaxed around her.
"Artist deserves a break too!" Sebastian retaliated as she laughed.
"Right... You know if you didn't tag along I might try the famous island here, Hai Yut but in this case, I think I will just head to Phut Bi!" Violet cheered.
"I am put on a short break before some commercials shooting but even then, it's not confirmed at this point after the chaos of the divorce episode. I didn't want it to be headlines but she had blown things to proportion that most work was put on hold." Sebastian shrugged as he noticed Violet's mood was toned down because of him.
"So, can I join you to Phut Bi?" He asked which took Violet by surprise.
"Not bad of an offer. I could do the coverage and you could film! I have seen the footage, you're a great cameraman!" Violet cheered.
"And you're talented… I have been thinking, if I needed marketing help, you're definitely on my list." Sebastian told her as she laughed out loud.
"You really think so? I felt like my skills are very subpar compared to so many professionals." Violet said humbly.
"You're great for a beginner. Your genuine vibe is all that matters. You just need a little practice on pacing and articulation but that can be helped with a script. For your footage, editing would help you improve this part." Sebastian explained.
"Wow, coming from the artist himself. Thanks a bunch! I'm very proud!" Violet clapped.
"Wanna stay over at my sister's house tonight? I'm sure she would be welcoming you…"He invited her.
She gave it a thought and shrugged.
"Only if they are alright. Else, it's fine. I can always stay in my homestay facing the sea." She explained but he was already dragging her to Carrissa's house which was also facing the sea.