Forced by fate – Destined to be his Wife

ZhengLi was glad of the early night and headed off shortly after YuZhi did, mind on plans for tonight as he scrolled his WeChat to check in on Linlin and see if she had uploaded any posts this evening. If he knew she was out and about he would drop on by and see her after too long apart. It had been an endless quiet week without her and try as he wanted to deny it, he was more than aware he had more than average fondness for his little hell cat.

ZhengLi, got home and showered in record time. Checking his cell multiple times for a response from his earlier texts to ask her if she wanted to meet up, and her location posts on her profiles but Linlin was still blanking him. He had no idea why she was being this stubborn and if it was because she wanted him to chase her. If it was then it was working. Her lack of response was making him crazy.

After drying off and getting dressed into casual but smart attire and a leather bomber jacket he gave up stalking her social media and phone YuZhi instead.

“Dude, get TangShi to ask Linlin where she is tonight. She’s ignoring me.” He admired himself in the mirror as he finessed his newly styled hair, checking out his sharp appearance and put his car keys in his pocket. He was intent on tracking her down, energized with the fact he was free to party, and sorting this out face to face to end this silent standoff. He didn’t want to waste his time running around looking when he could be spending it with her instead.

“I already know where she is because she dropped by to see us about twenty minutes ago. She’s heading to Le Baron on Donghu road with some friends. If you’re quick you can catch up.” YuZhi was eating dinner with TangShi and had no intention of either of them going out like Linlin asked. They were having quality time at home.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

“You’re the man. Enjoy your evening with TangShi. See you at work tomorrow.”

ZhengLi hung up, smiling to himself and splashed on a little of his designer aftershave with one last look over his outfit and out he went. Focused on his task and stubborn about seeing her tonight to figure out why she was still sulking.

He abandoned her mid date, sure; he then worked like a maniac for the last two weeks and didn’t have time for her before he was forced on a date to a public event. Something as a daughter of a wealthy family she should understand. He couldn’t work out why she had gone cold, blanked him and refused to respond to any of his messages on any platform the last couple of days. He knew he should have contacted her and played Romeo a little, but this weird battle they had going on dictated it was her turn to chase, so he hadn’t.

Why she ghosted him over the event and then bailed and never showed up at all, was perplexing him. Date or not he had intended to ditch her to go be with Linlin and get rid of whatever guy she brought. They weren’t even a real thing but friends, who kissed, with the possibility of more but he still would rather hang out with her than any other girl he knew.

As he got into his sports car his cell started vibrating and he yanked it out in hopes she had finally caved, seeing one of his friends names flashing on screen and it deflated his optimism.

“Yo, Jie, what’s up?” He absentmindedly started his car and adjusted his seatbelt.

“Where you at? A bunch of us are going to Dream, you wanna come?” Jie was buzzing for a good night out and ZhengLi was always the soul of any party.

“Make it Le Baron and I will.” ZhengLi smirked to himself in his rear-view mirror and pulled out, pushing his phone into the cradle so it activated his hands free.

“Really? Cool. There’s maybe five of us but two more of the girls will come if they know you are. You won’t have a problem getting a hook up that’s for sure.” Jie was busy waving a thumbs up at his current group of friends signaling ZhengLi was coming, and just as predicted the two girls who had been undecided shot up and grinned with excitement.

“Don’t get their hopes up, I have my eye on a prize already. See you there.” ZhengLi ended the call and got moving into late night Shanghai traffic with a happier mood. His head free of the days drama and workload and looking forward to taming his spitfire kitty cat. Linlin was a hard nut to crack, and he missed her when she wasn’t firing back at him or causing mayhem with her presence. Life was all around too quiet. This was by far the longest sulky silent mood he had encountered from her.

It took him a half hour to drive from where he was to the Le Baron nightclub, and he parked his car nearby before strolling in. He caught sight of Jie and his crew right away, as they were huddled near the door in a booth. Neon blazing lights, heavy thumping music overhead and a smoky atmosphere from a fog machine set the scene. The place was bumping and full and it was hard to make out if any of the dancers nearby were Linlin.

Jie spotted him and waved him over, drawing him over to their seating with an already full table of drinks and pushed a beer his way. It was too loud to talk over the current song choice so he nodded to all present, ignoring the overly dramatic waves from the girls opposite and looked around to see if he could spot the one girl he wanted to see.

“ZhengLi, baby. It’s been a while.” ChuXuan, one of their party and a girl he previous had a short fling with slid over and draped her arm around his shoulders, purring up close to make her intent obvious and he shrugged her off.

“Not tonight, honey, I’m here to relax.” He kept his eye on the dancefloor knowing it was the most likely place for Linlin and pulled out his cell to check her updates again. She was a serial selfie poster when she went out yet tonight there was not one single picture. There hadn’t been for a few days. It stressed him out that she had gone social media silent. Maybe she was sick, or something was wrong. It hitched up his worry and anxiety and he looked around for the third time.

“I can relax you. I have ways and means.” ChuXuan leaned in close, running her tongue over his earlobe as she slid her body up against his in a suggestive manner and crossed her leg over the top of his nearest one. Her arm draped on his. Full on flirt initiated and making it clear where her sights were set tonight. ZhengLi, ignored it, used to women like this pawing all over him and usually it wasn’t something he bothered about. He was happy for the attention normally and always one to take up a pretty girl up on an offer, only lately his itch was for a small pink haired she devil, and this was unwanted attention.

“Yeah, maybe later.” ZhengLi slid her leg off with a casual maneuver and sat forward with his beer bottle to get her face out of his ear. Irritated with her but not wanting to be overly rude. Looking up as he did so to gaze around the club once more and froze on the spot when he locked eyes with the small but openly staring figure about six feet in front of him. It felt like time stopped as they locked eyes and ZhengLi’s insides flipped over.

Linlin was dressed in a black boob tube dress with a frilled-out hemline over that perfectly formed sexy figure. Her usual bold make up, and smokey eyes homed in on him, only her hair was now a darker shade of deep magenta bordering on purple. Her focus on him was like a laser beam, questioning, accusing, but her facial expression was not anger or deathly intent. Instead that of genuine unconcealed hurt that caused a stabbing reaction in his chest, and he swallowed, suddenly uncomfortable.

It made him hesitate for a second as he realized it was her, the one person he had been looking for. Waiting for the explosive moment she marched over and laid claim to him in volcanic Linlin fashion like she normally did when a girl got too close. Actively anticipating it and slightly pleased she found him entangled with competition to incite her jealous streak and then gawped when she turned on her heel and walked away.

ZhengLi sat staring after her for a full thirty seconds, blinking in disbelief that instead of coming over and making a scene, she slunk away into the shadows and didn’t utter a word to him. His heart sunk and his stomach clenched as real apprehension kicked in that this was different from her normal MO.

Linlin stalked back to her booth to her friends and swiped up her coat, no longer wanting to be here. Her throat aching and her heart pulsating with pain after witnessing ZhengLi cuddling up with some bimbo across the club. She had come here tonight to forget him. Tears close as they pricked her eyes and yet she refused to break down and make an idiot of herself. She had decided to let him go and cut him loose after a long week of thinking this over. He was too unpredictable, too good at messing with her head and making her feel like she never knew where she stood, and she couldn’t deny it anymore.

ZhengLi had gotten under her skin and into her heart without any effort and her crazy reactions and jealousy over him were proof that she was falling hard for the worst kind of playboy. He brought out her insecurity and craziness and made her chase after him and beg for his time and attention like she wasn’t worthy. She had never been in this situation before, never wanted one man to be exclusively hers and yet somehow it happened. Never had to plead to be the center of someone’s attention and she hated how it made her act.

“Linnyboo? Wait up.” She was heading for the door after making excuses for abandoning her friends, saying she felt unwell when he caught up with her in the corridor to the exit. Catching her by the elbow and pulling her aside to let people pass. “You not going to say hello?” ZhengLi leaned down to her smaller frame trying to look her in the eye, but she dodged him. Wriggling her arm out of his grip and remaining cut off and blank. Putting up an invisible barrier between them that was so obvious he let her go and gave her space.

“You seemed busy so….. enjoy your night.” Linlin’s tone was deflated, hoarse as her emotions spiked and she wanted him to go away before he saw her cry. Her heart crumbling at seeing him again and hearing him use his pet name for her broke her in two. Knowing he couldn’t spare her time lately but would happily make out with some other woman in a club had told her everything she needed to know. She knew she should leave and forget him.

“She’s just someone I know. Nothing was happening. I came to see you. YuZhi told me you would be here.” ZhengLi had a weird sensation in his gut, a mild panic sweeping up, making him nervous. Throwing his usual playful banter aside because he was getting strong vibes this was not the time for it and diving into serious explanation. Linlin was being off and weirdly distant, and he didn’t like it.

“Yeah, looked like it. I need to go.” She slid out from beside him and pulled her jacket on over her dress, but ZhengLi followed, a sense of utter fear overtaking him.

“Are you mad at me? Linlin, stop. Talk to me.” His tone dropped to serious, his cute name abandoned because he felt like he was losing her, and genuine concern etched all over him. Mr. Suave and in-control fizzing away to reveal the ZhengLi that only YuZhi ever got to see. Who he could be when it was needed.

“Why would I be mad? I’m nothing to you. You don’t even have time or inclination to reply to me or call and it’s not like we see each other anymore. You weren’t even attracted enough to sleep with me, so….” She tried to hide the bitterness in her tone, but it leeched out anyway. ZhengLi swallowed hard, regretting not making more effort if he knew this was really how she felt. He had assumed it was all another push-pull game of them driving one another crazy and Linlin being dramatic. Punishing him. He never thought for a second she was cutting him loose for real.

ZhengLi was momentarily at a loss for words, having never been in this situation before. His stomach churning up and a very real uptight tension growing out of control in his heart at the thought of not seeing her anymore.

“Look, you’ve got this all wrong. I’ve been working crazy hours. I thought you didn’t want me to call. I haven’t tried to sleep with you because ….” He really didn’t know. At first it seemed fun to make her want him more by not caving. Building the sexual tension between them. He figured they would last longer if sex was delayed and then….. something always held him back from taking the step and he never examined it. “Don’t go. I really did come to see you. I miss you. I’m sorry I haven’t been around and haven’t been in touch. I’ll make it up to you, I won’t do it again. Come on, why are you being this way?” He was floundering, not knowing what to say as he had never had to persuade a girl in his life to give him a chance. This was all new. He had never cared enough to want a girl to give him a second chance or to stick around. He was normally the one to end things. He could tell this wasn’t a trick or a game to manipulate a response either, he could feel her seriousness in pushing hm away.