"Miss Liew! You made it!" Squeaked Lily, the assistant of Mrs. Tang as she delivered her order for their sumptuous dusted cupcakes alone.
"Hello, Lily. Sicily, please. Forget the formality. Sorry, I'm a little late. Been trying to juggle lots of orders at the restaurant. By all means, thank you for having us." Xue Ting greeted her professionally. She usually introduced herself by her English name only to her customers and acquaintances.
"It's fine, Sicily. We have just started! Mrs. Tang was just about to arrive. The night is still young! Take your time!" Lily played along knowing Xue Ting's identity and past history with the Tang family. Xue Ting couldn't help but felt a sharp pierce in her heart at the sound of the surname she heard earlier.
The surname Tang reminded her so much of the past she had held so dear while living with the mistakes she made but yet she had built concrete walls in her heart to block them from ever being exposed; not even to herself if possible.
Ever since she left Shan Feng, her hometown to live far away from her past and avoid Wai Tao from the Tangs, she had been hiding in Cravine with May, her closest friend whom she met while working in the restaurant in Cravine. She dreaded coming to the event today knowing the Tangs had finally found their way to expand their business to this small town but she had no choice given the nature of her work.
She would forever always be grateful for the full-time job she had been working for over sixteen years now. Ever since she left Shan Feng, she had dedicated her entire youth to help out an old couple to run their small restaurant.
Mr. and Mrs. Jang took in Xue Ting back then as a part-timer since they were desperately in need of help. The couple was blessed with a little toddler who was six years old back then when Xue Ting first joined. Keith, who was always addressed by his Chinese name, Li Jian was overseas, furthering his studies and the old couple has made Xue Ting their longest-serving employee; the supervisor of their restaurant.
It was a homely restaurant serving seasonal drinks and desserts. The locals were regulars and they had established many other regular customers in Cravine as well who would make large orders for their occasions. The restaurant was well known for its icing-dusted cupcakes. They looked so pretty and tasted really fluffy inside unlike those commercial ones which looked good but tasted like cardboard inside.
Xue Ting over the sixteen years had envisioned her revenge against the Tang family but she knew she could only dream of it. She wondered if James or Qiu Wen were married by now but scolded herself for letting her mind wander so far in the midst of work. As for May, Xue Ting was always grateful to have met her who had helped Xue Ting during her tough times.
Xue Ting trailed along the dessert table to display the cupcakes while exchanging several nods and greetings with the guests. All Xue Ting ever craved after a hectic day was a glimpse of her fraternal twins; Liew Xin Qiu, her daughter, and Liew Qiu Xin, her son.
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Knowing Qiu Xin would be performing secretly at the bar that evening every Wednesday just because it's his hobby, her heart was never at peace as she knew he was there to earn extra money to support the family while pursuing his passion. However, she was also worried every single time he headed there that an underage kid could easily get into trouble. Despite countless times telling him not to, it felt like she was talking to the walls. Hence, she decided to trust him to be old enough to care for himself and secretly did indirectly hope for him to taste his own medicine someday for continuing his hobby as though she wasn't aware of it.
As for Xin Qiu, with her indulgence in hand-crafted self-designed accessories and tailor work, she would find an excuse to shop for her material stocks by coming up with an excuse for art lessons every Wednesday night which includes her brother too. Even then, Xue Ting never wanted to stop them cause aside from knowing they were pursuing their passion, in actual fact, not just Qiu Xin was making a good source of pocket money but Xin Qiu too from selling her products online.
Somehow Xue Ting's motherly instinct would always keep her guard up in case of anything bad and she felt bad that the twins had to help out at such a young age to sustain their source of income. She couldn't help but let the twins meddle with her mind for the rest of the night as she took a sip of a glass of juice. She would try to stay sober whenever she could, especially on Wednesdays. She only allowed herself to drink when she was with May occasionally especially when the twins were out on their school camping trips.
As Xue Ting strolled out of the reception hall to take some fresh air, she was anxious, and to keep herself occupied, she kept checking on her phone. While she let her mind wander, a commotion was hovering behind her inside the hall. She couldn't be bothered by anything with her mind all messed up with all sorts of unnecessary worries of her own as she decided to ignore the drama the Tang family came up with.
In the midst of her ignorance, a shadow hovered her and obstructed her light view from the reception hall, leaving her agitated. The loud perspiring breathing sound behind her ruined her entire mood as she was absolutely perturbed but she knew she was at work, so she forced herself to keep a cool head. She tried moving away from the obstruction by pretending to look busy swiping from individual messages from the twins to their family group messages.
"Ting Ting." A gentle breathless voice was calling out to her nickname.
The unfamiliar male voice yet distinctive in her mind took her attention as she shockingly turned around to look up at the figure. No one else and not even her twins but only her mother, brother, and May would call her by her Chinese nickname and they weren't in the city she was living in. It was definitely not May as she was busy with her art exhibition in Wai Tao.
It slipped her mind that sixteen years ago she agreed for this individual to call her by her nickname too. Xue Ting's eyes twinkled at the sight of the tall lean charming figure who was perspiring slower as his eyes couldn't stop admiring her.
"Qiu Wen." She whispered his name in her heart as her lips quivered while she blinked in shock.
Thousands of memories flew across her mind just by looking at his half-panting and smiling face as though he was glad he found her.
The one who once fluttered her heart and the one who was once the closest encounter she had brought her life close by enough to learn her lesson to not cross that boundary again.
The one whom she always imagined in mind, taking all the vengeance and revenge on when she had the chance.
He walked closer to take a closer look as though he couldn't believe the heavens were listening to his wish as she held in a sharp breath, unsure whether to run or finally confront him.
Just when he was about to create a conversation with her, she noticed an army of policemen behind them as they ambushed from the entrance.
Qiu Wen being quick-witted, dragged her anxious self into the run. It slipped his mind for a moment what was the drama he caught himself in earlier. She was too stunned to even catch her breath as she let him take the lead on the run as she admired his stunning back look.