Monday, September 1, 2008 @ 12:09 PM
Howl 2“I want mummy!” Rou cried and shouted with her kiddy voice.
“Young mistress, please refer to her as Madam…” Housekeeper Zhao tried to correct Rou amid the ruckus that she was causing.
“I don’t care! I want mummy!” Rou shouted and sat down on the ground heavily.
“Rou, please stand up…” Xuan placed a comforting hand on Rou’s head. “You cannot call her mummy anymore. You’ve to call her Madam…”
“Why?” Rou tugged on her brother’s sleeve, seeming to have calmed down considerably.
“I have to do it too, so please don’t ask anymore.” Xuan turned his head the other way and covered his face with his other sleeve. “Stand up.” he turned back and pulled Rou onto her feet.
“Okay… I will do as you say.” Rou smiled at her beloved brother.“Madam, I’m home.” Rou greeted her mother as she walked past the living room. Mrs Lan Yi merely nodded her head as she continued reading her magazine. Rou smiled bitterly as she walked back to her room. As she walked past the full length window which displayed their beautiful garden, Rou can’t help but to blank out in front of it as she reminisced about the time she spent as a kid playing in that garden…
“Rou? Rou, what are you doing?” Xuan placed a hand on Rou’s shoulder and shook her lightly.
“Rou, please stand up…” Xuan placed a comforting hand on Rou’s head. “You cannot call her mummy anymore. You’ve to call her Madam…” “Rou?” Xuan shook Lan Yi Rou again. Rou blinked a couple of times as she returned to reality. “Yes?”
“Why are you spacing out here?” Xuan looked at her worriedly.
“Nothing.” Rou walked away from the window quickly.
As Rou walked away, chills ran down Xuan’s spines suddenly. “What is this weird feeling that I’m having?”
Rou was about to go to bed when there was a sudden knock on her door. “Come in.”
Housekeeper Zhao bowed and smiled. “Young Mistress, the Director and Madam is asking for you. They are currently at the Director’s study.”
Rou nodded her head and dismissed Housekeeper Zhao with a wave of her hand. “What could they possibly want this time?”
As Rou climbed down the stairs to her father’s study, she bumped into Xuan at the second level. “Rou?” Xuan looked shocked. “Could it be… Director and Madam called for you?”
“They called for you as well?” Rou was getting curious as the siblings reached the study.
The two maids standing by the door bowed deeply and pushed open the door, revealing the Lan Yi parents and what they were about to announce…
“You asked for us?” Xuan sat himself down at the couch.
“We wanted to announce Rou’s engagement.” Madam walked over.
“My engagement?!” Rou practically shouted.
“Yes, dear. Your mother has decided that it is time for you to get engaged. Your partner will be Eric Lu of Lu Company.” The Director announced.
“He is the sole heir to the company and if his company can merge with ours, we’ll become even stronger…” Mrs Lan Yi carried on excitedly.
“I refuse.” Rou cut into her sentence.
“What did you just say?” Mrs Lan Yi stared at her daughter. “You’ve never defied my orders before…”
“I will not marry this man!” Rou stood up agitatedly and shouted at her mother. She had reached her limits. Her mother was really going too far this time.
“You are not to have any opinions about this marriage! You have no choice!” Mrs Lan Yi said coldly.
“And I refuse.” having said her piece, Rou exited the room.
“That child is actually…” Mrs Lan Yi fell into the chair behind her.
“Madam! Didn’t you promise me that you will not force her into a marriage so soon?” Xuan stormed out of the room feeling vexed.
“Another one!” Mrs Lan Yi pointed at her son and slowly lost conscious…
Xuan barged into Rou’s room without even knocking. “Rou…” he swallowed what he was about to say when he saw what his sister was doing. “You’re going to leave home?!”
Rou remained silent as she threw a few of her clothes into her suitcase.
“Lan Yi Rou!” Xuan reached for Rou’s busy hands.
“I cannot stay here anymore. This place… It is killing me.” Rou freed herself of Xuan’s grasps and continued what she was doing.
Lan Yi Xuan looked at his sister sadly. He too, knew that this place was too suffocating. “Take good care of yourself.”
Rou looked up at her brother, feeling surprised. “You’re not going to try and stop me?”
Xuan shook his head. “I understand your feelings. You’re a lot braver than me.” he reached into his pocket and took out his wallet. “You must take good care of yourself. Your brother won’t be there to protect you anymore.” he handed Rou a few notes. “Contact me if you run out of money. I’ll have some sent to you.”
Rou smiled gratefully and clenched the notes tightly in her fist. “Brother…” throwing her arms around Xuan, this would probably be the last time she is doing this.
Xuan braced himself for what was about to come. He had just watched Rou walk out of the mansion, walk out of the life of being a Lan Yi, and he did not stop her. He raised a hand to knock on the door of his parent’s room. “Come in.” it was his father’s voice.
Xuan pushed open the door and cleared his throat. “Rou has left home.” he said matter-of-factly.
“What did you say Rou did?” Mrs Lan Yi’s weak voice sounded shaky.
“She left.” Xuan stuck his hands into his pant pockets. “I helped her.”
Mrs Lan Yi’s face turned into a pale white as she fainted yet again.
xiaoxi's note:
updated! this time, it's a fast update*grins*
i hope the pace of this story isn't too fast. afterall, it's only chapter 2 and there's events like running away from home...
please stay tuned for Howl 3!=D
xiaoxi,loves.
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