Milady's Fine Gentleman 197 IN A SLUMP

After that night, Xue Guangxi did not return to Beijing yet. He spent a few days more in Indonesia following Kang Sola around behind the shadows.

One could say that he's adding more fuel to the fire and he's pretty much rubbing more salt to his wounds.

In those few days, he ceased to care about anything.

And oh, he had forgotten that he's still a student at the university, and the COO of Xue Shipping. With his mobile phone turned off, he had cut all communication from and towards the outside world. Consequently, he was not updated on what was happening in Beijing and the dilemma his family was facing related to him, because of him, even.

There he was, intoxicated with alcohol almost always, with nothing productive to do other than follow Kang Sola around. He couldn't even make his presence known to her because once she found out, it would be the end of his chronicles as a hidden shadow, a stalker.

Most days, when he couldn't bear to see her with him, he would simply stay at his abode, lie on his bed facing down, with his head covered under the pillows. Who knows, probably he was crying his heart out.

Time passed by without him accomplishing anything nor was he ambitiously dreaming of anything worthwhile such as trying his luck again with Kang Sola. After the first abrasive encounter, he could not muster enough courage again to approach her, though he also could not take a day without having a glimpse of her. But, as he saw her, it's quite inevitable not to see her with him, the sight of which made him feel so much of a loser even more than he thought he already was.

And the cycle went on.

He hired a motorcycle to freely transport himself anywhere he wanted. It gave him the flexibility without being recognized since he was always wearing a helmet anyway.

After two to three days of listlessly wandering around towards her north star that was Kang Sola, he abruptly stopped at his tracks, pulled up his helmet, and muttered audibly enough, "Come out."

At the time he was in a deserted street just in the neighborhood of his temporary lodging. At first, there was only howling of the wind, and the rusting sound of stray paper and undistinguishable plastic material that were rubbing each other in company in the middle of the night. It was almost midnight.

A few more seconds passed, and one – no, two to three – people came out from hiding and approached Xue Guangxi.

"Second Young Master."

"En."

The leader bowed, and the two behind him followed suit.

"I don't want to feel your presence. Scatter farther away."

"Second Young Master, I'm afraid we cannot do that. We have to keep an eye on you and keep you safe, especially you are too far from home. It's our job." He ended his small talk there, proceeded in digging up and into his pocket and retrieved something – a paper – from it. "The Master has a message for you, I have written it down on this note", he said while he passed it to Xue Guangxi, "verbatim, it was dictated through phone, so excuse the profanity, Sir."

Xue Guangxi could have guessed what the letter contained. With the extent of his mischief this time, and the hint of his security's head, it wasn't too difficult to guess that it contained mostly scoldings. He wasn't looking forward to reading the letter.

"En. I'll check it out later. Disperse."

He tucked the letter into the inside pocket of his leather coat.

Xue Guangxi's security did what was asked of them. They returned into respective hiding places away from people's discernment.

The lad wore his helmet again and rode off in his rented motorcycle into the dead of the night.

As usual, he was intoxicated with alcohol, and the stench was actually too strong. Even his security team was able to tell. However, they were not in a position to butt in and meddle into the Second Young Master's private matters. Only Butler Lee could do that. Unfortunately, he wasn't there. The leader of the security was worried about his welfare and safety. After all, they would be in such a bad position if anything unfavorable happens to the prince.

They could only sigh, yet still continue to closely monitor him from such as considerable distance. It was a tough job because they were too far off. In the event that anything would happen to him, if circumstances prevailed, they might not be able to react and reach him on time. Then again, they were being paid a big sum by the family so they should not complain, rather deliver good results.

Xue Guangxi once again stayed in front of Kang Sola's apartment. In the few days that he was there following Kang Sola around, he could easily surmise around what time she usually reaches her homestay. That day was no different. She alighted from the car, followed by her boyfriend.

Xue Guangxi watched their sweet but short interaction with such cold unblinking eyes behind his helmet. On the outside, he appeared just like any ordinary motorist idly sitting on his motorcycle, on standby.

But the secret lies beyond the helmet. His eyes watered feebly at the sight of them. He was too angry at his idiotic, egoistic self. Truly, regret comes afterwards, when everything's said and done, and when you've already reached a point of no return. He would have wanted to hit himself, strangle himself, and hurt himself even more than how much he's already hurting. After Su Jingjing, all the girlfriends that he had paled in comparison against one Kang Sola. Even Su Jingjing, the first love, could not compare. What did Kang Sola do or have that bewitched the prince? Oh well, even Xue Guangxi could not tell. Probably it's because Kang Sola was probably the only girl who did not see him the way all the other girls do. And probably she's the only girl he could not have.

Kang Sola went inside shortly after she and her boyfriend parted ways, while Xue Guangxi lingered for a little while more along the gutter in the streets across her homestay. One window lit, which he speculated to be her room. She was there, in that room, most probably still floating in Cloud9 after being lovey-dovey just a while ago. He could imagine her grinning happily from ear-to-ear just like how she was in her vlog when she made them public.

At this thought, Xue Guangxi gritted his teeth even more, and the waterfalls that were his tears increased its intensity.

Chapter end

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