Granting You A Second Life

Apartment 5

Li Xiuying assessed all the ingredients that she had displayed on top of the kitchen counter. She glanced at the kitchen clock it was 12:30 pm.

Li Xiuying had her menu all planned out. She planned to cook stirred fried spicy beef noodles, shrimp wantons, Kung pao chicken, eggplant in garlic sauce and vegetable spring rolls. She was also going to make a light fresh salad, 2 dipping sauces and steamed rice.

Li Xiuying rolled up her sleeves and put on the apron she bought from the supermarket. It was a black and white stripped chef style apron. She felt very professional whilst wearing it.

Li Xiuying grouped the ingredients together according to the dishes they would go in to, she then started washing, crushing, chopping, slicing and dicing.

....

Ren Residence

Ren Daiyu was getting ready for her girls day with Li Xiuying. She wore an over-sized full sleeved nude cashmere jumper that came down to mid t.h.i.g.h, paired with long thick black t.h.i.g.h high socks. She looked at herself in the floor length mirror and was happy with her outfit choice.

This was the first time in a year that Ren Daiyu was socializing for personal reasons and she was both excited and nervous. This past year she only went to work functions or occasionally met up with some socialites to keep up to date with the latest gossip. Most of the girls in the upper circle were better than private investigators and journalists combined at finding out information.

It was actually one of these very socialites she spoke to that had hinted at the the affair between her ex-best friend and her then boyfriend. At first Ren Daiyu didn't believe her words. but the seed of doubt had been planted. Eventually she ended up hiring a private investigator to follow them for a month. The private investigator gave her two large packets of photos. Her ex-boyfriend and former best friend had been meeting up every day. She couldn't believe her eyes there were pictures of them hugging, kissing, walking hand in hand there was even one that caught them going at in a ladies room at a restaurant.

Ren Daiyu push the unhappy memories to the back of her mind.

She put her hair back in a messy ponytail and sat down in front of her vanity mirror dressing table to apply her makeup.

There was a knock on her bedroom door.

Ren Daiyu answered whilst applying her foundation: "Come in."

The door was opened, revealing Ren Longwei who was still dressed in his pj's. He had messy bed head and was yawning.

Ren Longwei: "I was coming to ask if you wanted to go out to grab some lunch. But it looks like you already have plans. Where are you going?"

Ren Daiyu: "Over to a friend's house."

Ren Longwei's face was a mask of calm but inside he was utterly surprised. This was the first time in a year that Ren Daiyu had mentioned the word "friend." He thought that perhaps she had made up with her old friends.

Ren Longwei feigned nonchalance as he inquired further: "Oh, who?"

Ren Daiyu: "Li Xiuying." She put down her mascara and started putting on a nude lipstick.

Ren Longwei's face now had shock written all over it: "What Dr. Li?!"

Ren Daiyu ignored her cousin's surprise. She grabbed her small black tasseled handbag that was on the side of her dressing table and took out her phone and checked the time; 1:20 pm. It would take approximately an hour for Ren Daiyu to get to Li Xiuying's apartment from here. She still had 40 minutes to kill.

She put her phone back in her bag, along with her lipstick, mascara and a small container of foundation. She rose from her chair and went to pick up the two shopping bags beside her c.h.e.s.t of draws.

Ren Daiyu laid out the contents of the bags on her bed and started checking the contents of the bags for the umpteenth time. Yesterday she was so excited when she received Li Xiuying's text that she immediately drove to the nearest convenience store to pick up as many snacks and treats as she could get her hands on her.

The bags contained popcorn (sweet, salty and toffee), various types of chocolate, Wei long latiao spicy strips, WangZai QQ gummy in all the flavors she could find, snow cookies and she also bought some ice-cream.

Ren Longwei: "Hey stop ignoring me, since when were you and Dr. Li so close? Didn't you just meet her at lunch yesterday? When did you talk to her? Did she actually invite you? Where are you going? What are you planning to do?"

He couldn't understand how someone like his cousin could be friends with Dr. Li. Although his cousin was a public prosecutor; outside of work she was lively, bubbly and could fired off over 200 words a minute, but Dr. Li just seemed to be super serious and treated her words like treasure.

Ren Daiyu: "Since Friday. Yesterday night. Yes. Her apartment. Mind your own business."

She finished checking the snacks and put them back in the bags. She carried them over to her dressing table, put her black bag on her shoulder and started heading downstairs to the kitchen to get the ice cream.

She walked past her cousin who was still standing by the doorway.

Ren Daiyu suddenly remembered something; she stopped walking and turned to face Ren Longwei.

Ren Daiyu seriously said: "Ge, make sure you don't tell uncle. If he found out I was meeting Xiuying he would probably try to come along or follow behind me in his car."

Ren Longwei didn't even try to defend his father; he knew what Ren Daiyu said was true. His father had the best intentions he wanted to repay Li Xiuying for saving his life, he felt like he owed her a debt of gratitude. What his father failed to understand was that his methods can come across as over bearing, annoying and bordering on creepy.

Ren Daiyu turned around and strolled to the kitchen.

When Ren Daiyu arrived at the kitchen door she found her father, Ren Guiton taking a tub of ice cream out of the freezer.

Ren Daiyu abruptly shouted out: "NO!" She ran to her father and snatched the tub of ice cream out of his hands.

Ren Guiton was startled:"Why are you shouting? There's more ice cream in the fridge, did you have to give me a heart attack?"

Ren Daiyu put the tub of ice cream in the carrier bag. She then nudged her father out of the way and put the other tubs in her bags too.

Ren Daiyu: "I bought these for someone else you can't just eat them as you please."

Ren Guiton looked like a hurt puppy: "Just how much ice cream do you need? You can't even spare some for your old man?"

If any outsiders saw Ren Guiton pleading with his daughter for the sake of ice cream, they wouldn't know whether to laugh or cry. Ren Guiton was one of the most highly respected lawyers in the country. He was known to be stubborn, unrelenting and even merciless but here he was now behaving like a hurt puppy.

Ren Daiyu closed the freezer door and casually spoke: "Ice cream is bad for you health plus... dad you could stand to lose a few pounds. You're suits are starting to look a bit tight on you."

She quickly ran away after speaking.

Ren Guiton reached out his hand to pinch his daughter's ear, but she had escaped. He shouted after her fleeing figure: "Damn girl, just who are you calling fat. You're fat! You're whole families fat! I'm just well built! Well built!!!!"

Ren Daiyu laughter filled words echoed from the hallway:"You are my family. He he."

Anybody could tell by looking at Ren Guiton that he wasn't really angry. He always had a playful relationship with his daughter full of teasing, practical jokes and pranks. Today was the first day since everything happened with that [email protected]$*£^d that she had laughed with real joy.

Ren Longwei arrived in the kitchen and sat at the counter.

Ren Guiton: "Longwei, what's going on with Xaoi Yu?"

Ren Longwei: "She's going over to Dr. Li Xiuying's apartment apparently they're friends now."

Ren Guiton was surprised: "Dr. Li Xiuying? Friends? Apartment?" He wore the same look of shock that Ren longwei had earlier. For the last year the word friend was taboo to use around his Xaoi Yu.

Ren Guiton decided he would ask his daughter for all the details when she got back home. He opened the fridge to grab some juice.

He paused and spoke again: "Don't tell your father. If he found out about Xaoi Yu meeting Dr. Li, he would probably try to go along or follow behind her in his car."

Ren Longwei: "..."