11 | Sunshine - Part 2

Meiying slightly tilted her head to see why the man in front of her took so long. The young man let out a small scream after checking his pockets. Meiying had to cover her lips when his fingers were sticking on his pants’ back pocket. It seemed that he lost his wallet that way.

‘Uh, can you make my order and wait? I lost my wallet and I have to go back to the office for the money,’ the man said.

‘Sorry, Sir. You’d have to queue again if you don’t pay. See the queue behind you?’ the staff regretfully said. ‘We accept e-payment, Sir.’

‘I forgot to top up my balance,’ the man replied.

‘Then, I’m sorry. You’ll have to queue again.’

‘Oh, please! I need to leave with my team after this and won’t be able to buy food for the whole day. I’m begging you!’ He clasped both of his palms. ‘Please! Please! Please!’

‘I’m sorry, Sir.’

‘Please make his order and mine. I’ll pay,’ Meiying said to the cashier. ‘One ham and cheese, please.’

The blink on the man’s eyes was like that of puppies. He dramatically knelt before her and said, ‘You’re a life saviour, Miss! I don’t feel good about making you pay for five so, can you come with me to my office so I can pay you back?’

Meiying chuckled and waved her hand. ‘No need to, Sir. It’s all good.’ Meiying took out her cell phone and paid her orders with electronic payment.

‘Thank you! Thank you so much, Miss! I’m Yang Zhixian, by the way!’ He flashed the smile that matched the brightness of the sun while extending his hand to shake hers. Now that Meiying took an overall view of the man, he wasn’t jaw-dropping handsome but there was something that made people happy when they looked at him.

Zhixian seemed to have a habit to scratch the side of his mouth whenever he talked. His windswept spiky hair explained the little effort he did to maintain his looks. From the way he walked and moved, Meiying was getting the impression that he was a clumsy person. However, he didn't look like a bad person.

‘Tsai Meiying. Nice to meet you, Mr. Yang,’ Meiying said as she accepted Zhixian’s hand. The moment her hand touched his, Meiying widened her eyes as something surging through her system up to the side of her cheeks. The wind blew past Zhixian and she could smell the refreshing scent of the summer breeze.

‘Oh, call me Zhixian!’ Zhixian laughed and firmly held her hand. ‘I’m not used to formality. Can I call you Mei?’Meiying, who was still staggered by the sensation she felt, subconsciously nodded. ‘You’re really helping me a lot. Are you working around here?’

‘N-no. I have a meeting around here. It’s been a while since I visited this area,’ Meiying replied with a smile.

‘I see. It must be a stressful meeting. Are you going for a job interview or what?’

‘Eh?’

‘You keep fiddling with your fingers, holding your stomach, frowning and sighing from time to time. That’s why I thought you’re really under pressure. Or . . .’ Zhixian glanced around. ‘Are you being stalked by anyone?’

‘Oh, no! Not at all! I’m not being stalked! It’s just . . . I’m a little nervous about my upcoming meeting. That’s all!’

‘I see . . . Then stay calm! Relax! Everything is going to be alright!’ Zhixian exuberantly said.

She wondered if he could advise her the same thing if he knew what she went through.

‘Thank you for your kind words. Are you working around here?’ Meiying faked her excitement.

‘Yeah. I’m working in the Criminal Investigation Bureau,’ Zhixian gleefully replied but his answer only made her stomach churned into a sickening motion.

‘I see . . . W-wow! What a cool job!’ No wonder he could tell she was anxious from her gestures alone. Zhixian was the second detective she met and she really didn’t want to imagine how her life would be if she was surrounded by detectives. Their eyes were like X-rays that see through everything, including lies.

‘Where do you want to go? Can I send you there as thanks?’ Zhixian muttered thank you to the staff that brought their orders.

‘Songshan Cultural Park,’ Meiying said while rubbing her poor stomach.

‘Oh, that’s perfect! We’re heading in the same direction! It’s near my office!’

Meiying hated to imagine Zhixian and Huijing worked in the same place. The two detectives shared too many opposite traits that Meiying couldn’t imagine them knowing each other, let alone be friends. Zhixian was an optimistic and cheerful person, the kind of person that was able to change the mood inside the room like a sun.

Though it was only a few minutes of knowing him, Zhixian already told her a lot of things about what he did daily, as if they already knew each other for a long time. For a moment, he made her forget about what was going on in her life and be herself. Never in her life, she liked someone’s presence as much as she did at that moment.

‘You seem to have a lot of friends, Zhixian,’ Meiying said with a smile.

‘Well . . .’ he trailed off. ‘Maybe you can say so, but I only have one best friend in my lifetime.’

‘Best friend?’

‘Yeah, I met him during conscription. He’s the exact opposite of me. He barely smiles and being an arse the whole time. Can you imagine someone wearing gloves all the time in the whole Taiwan? He did!’

Suddenly, her sense of hearing was fading. She couldn’t imagine someone but that very man. She believed there was no other eccentric person with those traits.

‘That cleaning freak never wants to touch anything bare-handed. And yet, here he is working as a detective!’

Meiying curled her lips and squeezed her eyes shut. Deep inside, she had screamed a line of curses words.

‘Oh, talking about the devil . . .’

Meiying widened her eyes when she saw that very man standing near the entrance of Songshan Cultural and Creative Park in all his glory. He didn’t seem to realise that the passing women and teenage girls were giggling while looking at him.

Ironically, she was one of them the day before.

‘What are you doing here, Bastard?’ For someone that was being called a best friend, t

‘I bought our breakfast, Arsehole! Oh, wait! She did! I’ve lost my wallet somewhere! You better thank her.’

She hadn’t even had her breakfast.

‘Tsai Meiying. I’ve been waiting . . .’

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author's note

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In Taiwan, the policy of conscription for all qualified males of military age (18-40 years of age) has been maintained since 1951. The government originally planned to end this policy in 2014 but abolishing conscription is quite controversial, hence the government has not yet created a firm schedule for its abolition.

Females from outlying islands within the province of Fuchien, which are geographically closest to mainland China were also required to serve in a civil defence role, although this requirement has been dropped since the lifting of martial law.

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