・・・☆・Eighteen・・・☆・

YingYue had awoken the next morning after the supposed 'ladies night', in the arms of her fiancé yet something did not seem right. She felt unsettled and a little sick. Gently prying her way out of his arms she went to the bathroom in case she was sick, yet was relieved that as soon as she reached the toilet there was no pressing urge to bring her stomach contents up. She remained in the bathroom for a couple more minutes, just in case yet eventually went to the sink. She splashed some water onto her face to see if this helped in any matter. Though the feeling of unease didn't leave. 

Desperate to head back into a place she knew would provide comfort she headed back towards the bed. Upon lying down she checked her phone to see what time it was. Alas it was only 6:15 am, the rest of her phone only showed her lock screen she had received no messages since she had last been on it, just before bed the night before. She easily placed her phone back where it belonged and moved her thumb and forefinger to rub her temple. YingYue could still not place that feeling of unease. 

"Baby, are you okay? You spent forever in the bathroom." Questioned Ximen who it would appear she awoke by accident whilst moving that morning. She slowly turned to look at him to find him already staring at her perched on the bed in almost a model like pose. 

"I've just got this feeling of unease and can't work out why." YingYue replied 

"No messages to say anything, or assignments due in?" He offered as potential reasons, Yingyue only shook her read in response, she had an assignment she was yet to start by the due in date was not for another week or so yet. 

"Maybe we're due a weather change, you've always felt off before a storm. Come here." He pulled her towards himself without giving her a chance to agree and she let out a little sound as they collided. 

The pair were not the most comfortable lying on their sides and soon shifted, it had resulted in Yingyue practically lying almost exactly on top of Ximen with one of his arms around her waist and the other running through her hair, with hers clasped to the material of his shirt. Soon enough the pair became settled enough to be able to start to drift off again. Until Yingyue made a realisation.

"No messages. No messages Ximen." She spoke up interrupting the young man who was almost asleep. Though he didn't seem to be on the same page as her only moving to raise an eyebrow at her in question.

"Shancai was supposed to send me a message when she got home and never did. What if she's not okay?" Yingyue managed to elaborate as she finally came to terms with the unease. Sure she wouldn't call herself and the younger girl close friends, maybe just friends could even be considered a step too far. Shancai was technically just a good acquaintance who was possibly dating one of her closest friends. Yet this didn't stop Yingyue from worrying about the younger girl and what might have happened. 

"Maybe she got home very drunk and just went to sleep. Hmmm? She wasn't very sober when we left and it more than likely she continued drinking when we went. Then she probably got home and went straight to bed the idea of texting you just slipping from her mind. Meizuo does it every time we go out." Ximen tried to reason his voice gentle but strong enough to get his point across.

"You're most probably right." Yingyue spoke her head wizzing around the probabilities as she spoke. With the points he had raised it was the most likely situation. The pair promptly put it behind them and continued on with their day as if there was nothing else to expect. There was still a tiny sliver of unease that Yingyue could feel but she did not dwell on it and was quite easily distracted from said feeling by her fiancé.

It would appear that she was right to have felt unease about the fact that Shancai didn't text her at all that following weekend. Though Yingyue wouldn't have known that until late in the afternoon the next Monday. 

Sometimes she truly disliked the fact that she had chosen to do extra language courses along with her business degree. The extra course load meant she couldn't spend as much time with her friends and was going to have to drag herself to the library. The three F4 members had plans to go to the swimming pool and relax and despite being invited and really, really wanting to go. She knew she had this assignment due in a few days but had yet to start it. 

"Are you sure you can't come Yeye?" Came the ever whiney voice of Meizuo the boy obviously not being the biggest fan of their limited friendship group not spending loads of time together. 

"I have to do this work, but I'll meet you guys afterwards." 

"Come on if I have to listen to Ah Si go on about how pretty Shancai is, how amazing she is and how she still isn't his girlfriend, so do you." Meizou continued to whine she could only shake her head at the boy and give a little laugh. She gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder in sympathy for the upcoming 'torture' he was going to go through before turning to face her fiancé smiling at him.

"Whatever you three get up to please do not loose your glasses at the swimming pool this time Yan Ximen" she spoke in a teasing manner all she got in response was a wink. She spun on her heel and headed off in the direction of the library praying that she would be able to do some actual work. 

The work attitude lasted a whole 15 minutes which was 10 more than it usually did in the library. There was something about the place that just deterred her from doing any actual work whilst there. It was silly really considering how well equipped the place was for her to do the work but she very quickly found herself sat at her desk books in two piles next to her yet no actual progress had been made on the written side of the assignment. Rather she had turned her attention to her social media accounts. She had started by simply uploading a photo of herself in the outfit she was currently wearing. She had spent around half an hour that morning forcing Ximen to be her personal photographer so she wanted to put one of those photos up. Plus she looked real good in her outfit today the white camisole and blush pink skirt combination was pretty and it suited the weather. Her baby pink heels were also very pretty. Not posting would be serving an injustice to the clothing. 

Though she had very quickly turned her attention to just scrolling through the many posts by different people from the school and the people she knew outside of it. Not forgetting to like or comment on certain pictures such as Ah Si's older sisters post of her with a glass of wine or the photo Jing had uploaded of her and Lei in Paris. What caught her attention was the school gossip page. She found it ridiculous in the first place it had existed but still found herself following the page. It was like a bad addiction seeing what they were posting. She felt herself pale at the photo that they had posted most recently. She found herself looking at it for what must have been two or three minutes not able to process it.

For there was a photo of Shancai clinging to a man who was not Si. And not in a friendly clinging way like she did to some of her friends. That was a photo which looked like two people who had very high sexual attraction. But the next photo completely rattled her. It was the same two people Shancai and this unknown man but she was asleep in the bed and he was perched in front of it shirtless. It was easily to make connotations for what had happened. Yingyue didn't want to clasp onto it or try to read into it she just knew whatever this was she couldn't let Si just stumble across it. She took a screenshot of both photos before turning to her messaging app.

Husband

iMessage: Today

12:34pm

Ximen whatever you do do not let Si check the school gossip page

He cannot see it

Whatever you do I don't care just don't let him check it

Ye? Babe what's going on?

[Picture attachment]

Oh my god

I know I'm on my way!

YingYue worked quickly to tidy up her desk checking out three of the books before rushing towards the swimming pool to wait outside for the others. It wasn't long until the three young men met her outside full of glee. So obviously Si hadn't seen the posts yet. She quickly approached the trio going straight into the arms of her fiancé. Peering up she noticed he was without his glasses and her mind quickly went to the fact that he'd probably left them in the changing room.

"Glasses?" She questioned watching as he smiled and went to pat the pocket of his jacket. Giving a nod she turned her attention to the other two young men trying to think of their best option to bring the photos up.

"Food?"

"Im so down" "Only if your paying" 

Taking both responses in her stride she took Ximen's hand and started to drag him in the direction of the groups favourite restaurant hearing the other two behind them laugh. Once sat at the table with food in front of them Yingyue questioned to herself how she was going to do it. What words was she going to string together to inform Si that the girl he was hopelessly in love with might just be with another man. It would crush him but it could also all be a massive mis understanding. She was torn and her unusual silence had alerted her ever attentive husband to be. Who gave her hand a squeeze in support him too not sure how to approach the subject. 

"Si I've got something to tell you." Yingyue started drawing the attention of said man who was currently stuffing his face with food. 

"You're not pregnant are you?" He responded giving Ximen an almost harsh look, one you'd expect from a protective older brother. This caused her to giggle before she realised that it wasn't the time.

"No." She was serious which was a clear sign that it was something of importance.

"There's some photos of Shancai going around on the school's gossip page, of her and another man." She slid her phone over so he could see the photos and could only prepare herself for what his emotions would be like as he looked at said photos. It was almost as if she could hear his heart breaking as he took into account what the photos were showing. 

"I've got to go and speak to her." And with that she could only watch her best friend who's hair was forever styled in that ugly pineapple style promptly leave the restaurant and head off in a rush to go and confront the girl he had quickly fallen for.