TRUE COLORS

ANOTHER FIRST DAY IN WANG'S HOUSE

POV YUE
What should I do? Should I knock? Or should I wait for him to come out?
"What are you doing in front of my door?" Wang He Di suddenly appears behind me.
"Damn! You scared me!" I exclaim, holding my hand over my heart.
"You scared me! It’s not nice to find a monster in front of your room. What do you want?" he mutters, without looking me in the eye.
I only moved back here this morning and I already feel like I was wrong to accept Mr. Wang’s offer.
"I wanted to ask you what your ideas are for the Bookstore" I reply, trying not to lose my patience.
He looks at me for a moment, then he invites me to come into his room.
I look around. Our photographs are gone.
"What's up? Did you expect me to let your ugly face keep ruining the walls?"
Stay calm, Yue. Stay calm.
"Are you done? Can we just talk about the Bookstore? In a civilized way, possibly?" I ask, irritated.
He nods and invites me to sit at the desk.
He shows me a handwritten paper. "This is the list of things we’ll be doing these weeks. From tomorrow the Bookstore will remain closed and we will work to improve it. I want to rearrange it and fix the broken shelves. It’s gonna take me a while, but I want to save the money to buy new books. In the meantime, you can find out about the new releases and check their prices," he explains in a formal tone.
"I want to help you paint and fix. You’re gonna take forever, alone!" I exclaim.
"You would only bother me."
"You know you're wrong."
"No I'm not".
"I don't care. This Bookstore is in the hands of both of us and I want to collaborate as much as I can".
He looks at me for a few moments.
"What's up?"  I ask him, feeling uncomfortable.
"You've been here for just one day and I'm already tired of having you around" he replies.
I don't blame him for the hatred he feels towards me, but I can't accept that he treats me this way.
I get up and I go to the door, but he grabs my wrist.
"Don't you answer me?" he murmurs.
"What should I answer you? Leave me."
"Do you want to help me paint? Good. Tomorrow  I want you in the Bookstore at 4 o'clock in the morning".
"I'll be there" I look at him defiantly, while he just shakes my wrist and chains his gaze into mine.
"You're stupid," he says softly.
"And you are an idiot".
"Er ... Dinner is ready"
Wang Su's voice brings us back to reality.

POV SU
After eating, Dad asks us to sit for a moment.
"Guys ... I ... would like to take a little trip," he says.
The three of us open our eyes wide, surprised.
"Oh, don't look at me with those faces! Now that you are grown up and I no longer have to pay attention to the Bookstore, I'd like to take some time for myself. I don't take a trip since the Honeymoon with your mother! You have already shown me once that you don't need me, don't you?"
Dylan and I exchange a look.
We know that Daddy really deserves to take time for himself.  In all these years, he has done nothing but look after mom, us, grandparents, Yue ...
"But if you don't agree, it doesn't matter. I can stay at home," he adds, rubbing the back of his neck.
"How could we not agree? Go," smiles Didi.
"Seriously?"
"Sure! Don't worry about us" I say.
We hug him tight.
Before Dylan leaves, Dad grabs his ear.
"Woe to you if you treat Yue badly. Wang Su will be my spy" he says, sternly.
My brother's ear turns red, as does his face.
"Daddy!"
"I'm serious, Wang He Di".
"Leave me!"
A little laugh distracts Dylan from fighting my father.
He looks up and I notice that he is holding back a smile as he watches Yue laugh out loud.
No matter how hard he tries to be a bad guy, he'll never stop looking at her with that sweetness, I'm sure.

POV DYLAN
I walk past my brother's room to say goodnight, but I stop as soon as I see the figure of Yue sitting on his bed beside him.
"You've lost too much weight" I hear from Su.
I listen again.
True, Shen Yue has lost a lot of weight since I last saw her.
"Don't worry ... I'm fine. I've only had little time to cook lately. Between school and everything else ..."
"Mmh... The truth is that when you are sad, you stop eating. I know you Yueyue, who do you think you're talking to?"
After a few seconds, I feel the springs of the bed creak slightly.  I try to look out a little more to get a better look and I see Yue hug Su strongly.
"Thanks for always being with me, puppy," she whispers.
"You're my sister, aren't you? Silly."
I decide to go to my room.
I lie down and close my eyes, but I'm too agitated to sleep.
Nothing has changed.  That stupid one is still unable to take care of herself.  Does it cost her so much to eat a decent meal and stop making people around her worry?  Wang Su is always so worried about her!  As if she were the teenager and he the adult! What idiocy!