Fragments

Invisible

Is friendship even sacred anymore?

Lei Zhen dithered silently behind the large stone column, the slightly chilly air whipping her long hair into gnarled tangles as she watched the arguing trio surreptitiously. Her heart was thudding haphazardly in her chest, the handsome face of Daoming Si, as always, a shot of caffeine directly to her bloodstream. Not that he even knew she existed, of course. Li Zhen's wayward hair was a perfect representation of how tangled she felt inside as she spied on her supposed 'friend' Shancai flirt with her own secret crush. How it burned her to see Daoming Si smile at Dong Shancai - the population of Mingde, herself included, were accustomed to the unruly man's signature glare, but around her, he was completely different; his edges were softened somewhat, he looked younger, kinder, much less ferocious. A stark contrast to how he had ever looked at Li Zhen, when he wasn't looking right through her, that was. She wasn't even sure she registered in his sphere of existence and it was like a blow to the heart. She would do anything to gain his admiration, and it burned her like acid to watch him pursue her smaller friend. When Daoming Si smiled at her, he did it so brightly, the happiness literally beamed out of his face like sunshine. That was also how he acted; like Shancai was the moon who was trapped in his glorious orbit, whether she wanted to be there or not. Li Zhen desperately wanted to be a part of his solar system.

It physically pained the long haired girl to look at him when he looked so beautiful, his affections so clearly directed at another woman. It hurt her heart to know he wasn't actually as shallow as to judge a girl for their mediocre looks and unassuming background as she had originally assumed; why couldn't it have been her who had dropped her phone in his path? If it had have been, would it have been Li Zhen cradled in Doaming Si's protective arms instead of Shancai? Shancai wasn't willing to give Daoming Si what he wanted, what he so truly deserved; she could be that woman for him if he would only open his eyes and look around! It was irksome; her friend had vehemently claimed it was an accident, however, at this point, Li Zhen was starting to have her doubts. I. all likelihood, the whole fiasco had just been an act, a deliberate ploy to catch his attention. Shancai was more cunning than her innocent looks let on, and her deception was working! Poor Daoming Si was like a fish wriggling on her hook, one that she tormented incessantly instead of just tossing back to sea. Shancai should set him free if she didn't want him! The long haired girl couldn't even deny it any longer; she was jealous of Shancai and the inexplicable hold she seemed to hold over F4 and company - it wasn't fair that the shorter girl had so effortlessly integrated herself into Daoming Si's coveted and exclusive inner circle.

Shancai could protest all she liked, she could assert over and over that she was completely immune to all of Daoming Si's charms, however, Li Zhen knew a liar when she saw one. And without doubt, Shancai was a cold stone liar - she herself had more than enough proof. The girl was a snake in the grass, a figurative cat in the cradle - she pretended to be friendly when face to face, however, she didn't hesitate to stab her 'friends' in the back whenever the opportunity arose, now did she? Li Zhen had fallen prey to Shancai's deceptively innocent brand of cruelty more than once, she had been burned too many times and she was at the end of her tether!

The girl couldn't understand a word of what was happening as she lingered uncertainly, her pained eyes full of longing as she drank in the scene unfolding. The words were all nonsensical noise, blurring together in a murky haze; all she knew was that Daoming Si looked murderous enough to draw blood as he faced down the foreigner from the club the other night. The one Shancai had been clinging to wantonly without sparing a thought for the other man - Daoming Si hadn't been on her radar then, had he? The girl was a complete opportunist and it left a bitter taste in Li Zhen's mouth. Seeing her with him now, allowing him to defend her against what he most likely assumed was an unwanted suitor, it was like swallowing cinders - Daoming Si has no idea how fickle his crush was, how easily she had discarded his affections for another man! It was almost degrading how easily Shancai had thrown herself at that pianist, how carelessly she had tossed aside the heir's heart. It was like he didn't matter to her at all - in fact, as far as she could tell, based on her past behaviour, Dong Shancai only cared about one person, and that was herself!