1 The beginning of the end

Pak!

A loud sound of a slap was heard throughout the entire hall.

"How dare you protect the daughter of a criminal, Feng Zhe!"

"You are noble! The son of the King! There are many proper ladies out there! She is not fit to become the future Queen of our land! Guards, execute this filthy woman!"

"Mother no! I don't care! I don't care if her father was accused of killing someone! That does not make her a criminal! She's kind and we love each other!", the man named Feng Zhe said while kneeling on the ground in front of his lover.

"Love?! That is not love Feng Zhe! You are still young to understand that thing! Look around you. People look highly upon us. The future queen must possess high qualities to be qualified. And clearly, this woman does not reach the standard! Execute her!"

"NO!" Feng Zhen spread his arms wide, shielding his lover.

"If you are going to kill her, then kill me first! Let's see if you can do that!"

The Queen was appalled. She clutched her chest from the total rage she's feeling inside.

"My Queen, please spare Prince Feng. I know where I need to stand. I am willing to give my life as long as you promise me to let the Prince live peacefully," a weak and delicate voice was heard in the hall. It was Qi Ying, the little lover of Prince Feng Zhe.

"Ying, what are you talking about? Nobody's going to die. I will protect you. " the Prince said.

Qi Ying just smiled at him while staring directly into his eyes. Feng Zhe could see the sadness in her eyes.

"Heh! It's my duty to keep my son safe, especially from people like you! Kill her" Then the guard thrust a sword into Qi Ying's abdomen causing her to spit lots of blood.

"Noooo!!!!"

Thud.

A body fell on the cold floor.

"Ying? Ying, please don't leave me. Ying." Feng Zhe held Qi Ying's hands while crying.

"Don't cry Zhe. I believe in fate. I love you. My only regret is that I was not born wealthy and outstanding just like the other girls." Qi Ying caressed his face, then released her last straw of breath.

"Ying. Ying please don't leave me Ying." Feng Zhe hugged her dead body.

He cried so much that he forgot he was still inside the palace's hall.

"Leave him alone for now. He will get over it", the Queen ordered.

The servants and the guards left the three of them.

"I don't know why you can't at least give us the chance to prove to you that Ying is a good person." Feng Zhe said in a cold voice.

"My son, you will naturally forget her and find a new lover. There are countless outstanding women out there. Why would you settle for the worst? I am just doing what's the best for you." the Queen answered him.

"No Mother. You are doing that for yourself. Your interest. You are afraid of people looking down on you because you are the Queen. If Father is still here, I think he will not object to my relationship with Ying" Feng Zhe retorted.

"How dare you speak that way!" the Queen was truly angered.

Feng Zhe did not answer her, instead he looked seriously at Qi Ying's delicate face.

"Ying, I will believe what you believe. If there is a next life, I will protect you more. I will grow stronger so that nobody can tear us apart. I love you" Feng Zhe stands and picks up his sword.

"Feng Zhe, what are you doing?" the Queen asked seriously while hurrying to run towards him.

'Slash!'

"No!" the Queen shouted.

Feng Zhe did not hear anything else except for his breath going slowly while staring at his beloved.

'My love, I'll find you in our next lifetime'

....

"No."

"Please don't

"Someone help."

"Nooooo!!!"

"Xiao Zi! Xiao Zi! Wake up!"

The woman woke up while panting heavily.

'Is that only a dream? It feels so real. Hoooo'

"Xiao Zi? Are you okay?"

Xiao Zi realizes that there was another person in the room, her best friend, Lu Mian.

"Eh Mian, what are you doing here? What time is it?" Xiao Zi asked Lu Mian while rubbing her eyes.

Lu Mian sighed and walked towards the windows and opened them, giving light and fresh air to the entire room.

"Are you a pig or what? Since when was the last time you opened these windows? And my lady, it's already four in the afternoon, why are you still sleeping? And you are drinking alcohol again? Your whole place is a mess!" Lu Mian lectured her best friend while trying to clean up the empty canned beers scattered on the floor.

Xiao Zi groaned and sat up. "Stop lecturing me. I am an adult now and it's not a crime to drink alcohol. Besides, I am just inside my room. And...Ughhh, stop pacing back and forth in front of me, okay? I am getting dizzy. Just leave it there, I will clean up later."

Lu Mian stopped what she's doing and went beside Xiao Zi.

"Young Mistress Yang Zi, why are you living like this huh? Your family is very rich yet you are living in this small apartment. You are working like you are not an heiress of a multi-billion worth company. And now you are drinking like you are heartbroken. Let me remind you that you haven't had a boyfriend since birth, my dear."

"Come on. Don't be like that. I am just a normal human being. I am working because I need to earn a living. I can't depend on my family all the time. And lastly, I watched a movie last night and I was so into the movie. It was so sad that they did not have a happy ending because the man is not a human. What a sad story. I was so heartbroken like I was the female lead." Yang Zi sighed heavily while trying to grab another canned beer. However, before she could grab one, Lu Mian slapped her hand.

"Ouch!" Yang Zi retrieved her hand and pouted like a little kid.

"Xiao Zi, why are you so hard-headed eh? Stop drinking. Come! Freshen up and let's go outside to eat to fill your empty stomach. Aish! I feel like I'm your mother." Lu Mian complained.

"Fine." Yang Zi only smiled and headed towards the washroom.

She knows deep in her heart that her best friend is only concerned about her. What can she do? That's how life should work. She has been pampered by her parents for twenty years and she realized that she was not living in a fairy tale. She needs to work and be a responsible person. Now that she's 27 years old, she has already learned how to live like an average person. Working during the day as a secretary and living alone in a small apartment paying for every necessity all by herself.

Yang Zi soaked herself under the shower thinking about her life for the past five years without getting any cent from her family after she graduated from college. Now, she's already 27 years old.

'Time sure flies so fast, she thought.

Yang Zi finished showering and changed her clothes into a plain white T-shirt paired with blue jeans. She sat in front of the vanity table and dried her hair and afterward tied it into a bun. Then she put on a tiny amount of tint into her lips, making them pinkish.

Yang Zi went to the living room and was surprised to see that her place was already clean. No empty cans anymore. She looks at her best friend sitting on the sofa drinking a beer.

Lu Mian looks at her best friend's surprised face.

"What? I was bored so I thought I might clean your place a little. You can continue to clean later." Lu Mian said while drinking down the remaining beer inside the can.

"Thank you, Mian." Yang Zi said with a sincere voice.

Lu Mian smiled and replied, "It's not a big deal. Let's go. It's already six p.m. What do you want to eat?"

"Hmm, you decide." Yang Zi said while following Lu Mian going outside.

"Let's just eat nearby. I'm already famished. Aish, work is so tiring. I wish I am an heiress like you, so rich!" Lu Mian exclaimed while making a money sign on her hand.

"What are you talking about! You seemed to have forgotten that you are General Lu's granddaughter. The high and mighty General of our country." Yang Zi poked her best friend's face.

"Ouch! Stop it! Fine, but I am not like you, so rich eh!!" Lu Mian answered while trying to make a money sign again but Yang Zi slapped her hand.

The duo laughed in unison while on the way to the restaurant. They ordered their food immediately and ate peacefully.

"Mian, I want to resign from my work." Yang Zi said after drinking water and wiping the corner of her mouth with a tissue.

Lu Mian was stunned and asked, "Why? Is there a problem at work? Did someone bully you? Who is it? The blondie girl? The skinny one? or the nerd one?"

Yang Zi laughed at her best friend's reaction.

"What are you laughing at? Tell me why are you resigning?" Lu Mian asked.

"Mother called yesterday. She wants me to start handling the company to help First Brother. You know, Father is not getting young anymore and I realized that I think I should help." Yang Zi explained.

Lu Mian nodded in agreement. "Right. Aunt Yuling and Uncle Ping need alone time, you know. Let them enjoy their life. I am glad that my girl is now going to unleash her power as an heiress. Hah!"

Yang Zi sighed. "I also have another reason why I agreed to go back."

Lu Mian looked at her curiously, "What is it?"

"I want to get married."