Chasing My Dream Lover - Chapter 194：A Free Man

Actually, Takeshi still determines to accompany and take care of Aiko. He indeed doesn’t love her in a man loves woman way, but he really cares for her. He loves her like she is his sister, his best friend. So, the next morning, with a bouquet of flowers in his hand, Takeshi walks in to Aiko’s room at the hospital. But to his surprised, the room is clean.. and empty. There is no trace of Aiko’s belonging there.The bed sheet, that used to be silk as a request of Mr. Waseda, is now back to a normal standard hospital sheet. Takeshi walks to the nurse station nears the room.

“Where is Aiko Waseda ?” he asks to a nurse that used to take care of Aiko, ignoring other nurses’ greetings.

“Ah, Hasegawa-san. Aiko-chan.. last night she moved out from this hospital. Her father also stopped all upcoming treatments and took care all the financial and administration matters,” the nurse’s explanation gives him more shock.

After murmurs a thank you, Takeshi reaches his cellular to contact Aiko. He can not reach her. Takeshi tries to call Mr. Waseda and gets the same result. Finally he calls Mr. Waseda’s house and gets info that Mr. Waseda and Aiko are leaving Japan for vacation. Takeshi is really shock. He can’t believe that Aiko really doesn’t want to meet him again.

A week later, Takeshi receives another shocking news. He is asked to come to Queen company. Once he arrives, Yuki Waseda, Mr. Waseda’s nephew who is now incharge as the CEO replacing his uncle, gives him an exclusive contract with Queen label. The contract only requires him to produce an album every two years. It doesn’t control his other roles in entertainment business nor his private life. It takes Hiroshi to read it carefully twice and still he can not find any scheming or ambiguous statement. Takeshi is guessing that it may be the promise Aiko made for him. At first he wants to declines the contract. He feels like he doesn’t deserve it. But Hiroshi insists him to accept it. “It’s the karma of the goods you’ve done,” Hiroshi says. So, after having some thoughts, finally Takeshi signs the contract.

——–

Xiao Ping walks through the small alley toward her house. Her hand is carrying a pack of beers and some crackers. Her parents invited Yu Jin to have dinner and he is now accompanying her father to watch soccer. Xiao Ping voluntarily went out to buy them beers in the convenient store near by.

When she accross the empty house that used to be Mrs. Chang’s, she sees a shadow moving close to her. Before she can scream, a hand covers her mouth while her body is pushed to the wall.

“It’s me.. It’s me..” a whisper tries to calm her down. But instead of calming, Xiao Ping becomes stunned to hear the familiar voice.

“Takeshi..” she says in murmur as her mouth is still muffled by Takeshi’s hand. Takeshi opens his hand, takes off his mask and smiles sweetly to her.

“I miss you, Shiawase..”

“What are you doing here ?” Xiao Ping hisses, still disbelief that the person in front of him is Takeshi Hasegawa.

“I wanna meet you..”

“Meet me ? For what ?”

Takeshi looks her in the eyes with a longing stare. “I finally free,” he says, trying to suppress his emotion.

“What do you mean ?”

“You must have heard, my wedding was canceled..”

Xiao Ping nods. It was even being headline of some local entertainment tabloids, how can she doesn’t know. “What had happened ?”

Takeshi sighs. “Aiko’s cancer was back and worse than the earlier. She is dying. Her father asked me to marry her, so I had to.” Takeshi touches Xiao Ping’s cheek softly. How he misses her so much. Xiao Ping grabs his hand to stop him. “And then ?” she asks him to continue.

“She knew I didn’t love her. At first she still wanted to marry me. But then she finally knew that she is dying and decided to cancel the wedding and left me.” Takeshi skips many details that he thinks Xiao Ping doesn’t need to know.

“I.. I have no obligation to sell my love anymore. I’m a free man. I can love whoever I want to.. and I want you.. I want you back as my lover. Shiawase… ”

Suddenly Takeshi places his lips onto Xiao Ping’s lips and kisses her passionately. Xiao Ping is carried away for couple of seconds, before she struggles to let the kiss go.

“But.. you don’t love him, right ? I heard you said you love him, but it was a lie, wasn’t it ?”

“I..”

“Xiao Ping,” Yu Jin’s call makes both of them stunned. Xiao Ping is the first who manages to recover from the shock. She lets herself go from Takeshi’s embrace and runs to Yu Jin’s left side.

“Yu Jin.. it’s not.. it’s not what you think it is..” Xiao Ping says in fear. Yu Jin embraces her. With help of a stick, he limps toward Takeshi, still with Xiao Ping in his embrace.

“彼女は真実を語る (kanojo wa shinjitsu o kataru – she is telling the truth) 何も.. (nani .. – nothing..),” Yu Jin raises his hand to stops Takeshi’s sentence.

“Please speak in English so Xiao Ping can understand,” Yu Jin asks Takeshi in English.

“Okay,” Takeshi exhales before continues, “Nothing is happened. I come here to tell her that I am now a free man. I can love whoever I want again. And I want her to be my lover again.”

“But I refused you, Takeshi.”

Takeshi nods in sad. “She did. She refused me. She said she has you now,” Takeshi confirms Xiao Ping’s words.

“I saw you two kissed,” Yu Jin says, his tone is stone cold so is his sight.

“I kissed her. I’m the one who kissed her. If you saw it you must knew that she struggled to refuse me,” Takeshi corrects Yu Jin’s words, putting the blame all to himself. “I’m sorry.”

“Please go, Takeshi. It’s over between us. I’m with Yu Jin now,” Xiao Ping says to Takeshi between her sobs.

“I know it now,” Takeshi takes a deep look at Xiao Ping’s face before he moves his sight to Yu Jin. “I’m sorry. i’m leaving now.” He bows deeply to the couple in front of him, turns his body then walks away.

“Yu Jin.. nothing is happened. You have to believe me,” Xiao Ping pleads to Yu Jin who still watches Takeshi’s leave with a scary look.

Yu Jin softens his sight when he sees Xiao Ping then kisses her head softly. “I believe you.”