She went closer, close enough to hear the Xue young master greet the man. "Long time no see, my friend. How have you been? …Han Fengyu."

Teng Man Rui looked shaken as she kept her head down as if evading any eye contact with anyone at the scene.

The stranger, the man whom Xue Minhe had spoken too, staggered infinitesimally, but held his head high and sneered back.

"Couldn't be any better.  I'm flattered you still remember me after all these years.  However, you must have gotten my name wrong.  I'm s.h.i.+ Fan Hai.  How about you?  How have you been?  I thought you're stuck up in some h.e.l.l overseas, or so I've heard."

"Overseas or under the sea?  You must know better, shouldn't you?  After all, you're one of the last persons I was with before my… departure, if you weren't the last.  So you go by that name now, huh?"  

s.h.i.+ Fan Hai's visage paled but he recovered quickly.  His nose flared and his forehead knotted.  

Xue Minhe added, "You seem perplexed by my presence.  Oh, right.  Have you met my wife?"

With his statement, s.h.i.+ Fan Hai turned his gaze towards the lady beside the Xue Young Master - Teng Man Rui. "Isn't it strange how life works?  No matter what, we still ended up together - me and my betrothed."  He feigned a laugh, never tearing his eyes from s.h.i.+ Fan Hai, scrutinizing his reactions.

It was a mind game, and these two seemed to be professional players in that field.

Xue Minhe wrapped one arm protectively around Teng Man Rui's shoulders.  "And now, we're even expecting a little one.  Wouldn't you congratulate me?"

s.h.i.+ Fan Hai at first didn't utter a word, but at his sides, both of his hands were balled tightly into fists, clenching so hard, trying to control his urges to start a brawl.  'Not here, not now.'

'That's my woman and that's my child.' s.h.i.+ Fan Hai gritted his teeth.

"Congratulations." He breathed through his flared nose.

"What?" Xue Minhe appeared disappointed, "You seemed ingenuine.  But thanks!" He squeezed Teng Man Rui's arm a bit and turned to the group of uniformed staff of the mall behind them. "Can you kindly lead my wife to the lounge?"

Turning to Man Rui, he said, "I'll meet you there.  I'll just have a little catching up to do with this old friend of mine."  He planted a solid kiss on her cheek, on a spot almost adjacent to her lips.  While doing so, he stared provokingly at the man across him, who seemed holding his rage within.

Teng Man Rui was surprised at this gesture, as her back went stiff, but nodded in concurrence to his plea.

At the sides, Hw.a.n.g Meilin almost gasped after eating the dog food, almost revealing herself in the process.  She put a hand on her mouth, and another on her aching chest.  'Of course, it's normal.  They're husband and wife!' She reminded herself.

The two men continued to stare down at each other.  Hw.a.n.g Meilin could sense the animosity between them.  'Aren't they old friends?' She wondered.

"We're all alone now.  You can cut the c.r.a.p."  The Xue Young Master uttered in a neutral dismissing tone.  

They were standing in an area s.p.a.cious enough and almost open and unbounded.  It was deserted at the present, without any pa.s.sers-by.  Perhaps because this area of the mall was dedicated to those rich VVIP's so there weren't too many mallers who would intentionally go there.

s.h.i.+ Fan Hai, though raging inside, did not fall into his trap and just kept silent.

"What, you don't have anything to say to me?  After all those years you've taken from me?  Are you that surprised?  Did I shock you?  You didn't expect me to still be alive?"

"Well, all the devils must have been shocked by my resilience to just submit.  I won't stay in any h.e.l.l you put me into. And…"

"I hold grudges."  The Xue Young Master emitted this dark, deep, ominous aura that made Hw.a.n.g Meilin s.h.i.+ver.

"My friend, no one knows you better than I do.  Too bad I'm still alive.  Too bad I am after you.  And because we're such good friends, I'll make sure you experience all the exciting things I enjoyed during my absence, even just a fraction of it."

"Let's start by taking everything from you. One. At. A. d.a.m.n. Time.  See, I started with the woman you adore.  And the child, as well."

"YOU!!!" s.h.i.+ Fan Hai grabbed him by his collar.  The Xue Young Master did not even flinch.  "How much do you now, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d?!  Did she tell you?!"

"Of course, I know this and that.  It's such a small world, after all, Fengyu.  It's such a wonderful small world.  And I have some more good news for you." He smiled mockingly, keeping eye contact brazenly.  "Your world will become even smaller."

s.h.i.+ Fan Hai tugged his collar even more intensely.  "What do you mean by that?!

"Hey, hey!  I'm not here to spill the fun.  Actually, I shouldn't be giving you hints.  My, my!  I'm too excited but not too much that I would tell you everything.  Where's the fun in that?"

"And hey, you aren't too careful just now." He pointed at different directions at the ceiling.  "One, two, three.  There are several surveillance cameras around us.  We're surrounded.  You sure, you're alright being captured grabbing someone by the collar?  Me, of all people?  If, after this, I discover that footage in this area of this mall around this time had been suspiciously wiped clean, I would certainly be sure it's your doing."

s.h.i.+ Fan Hai pushed him back into freedom.  He's got the shorter end of the stick. "What do you want?  You're back safely, what else do you want?  What happened years before was an accident, an act of the G.o.ds!  The tempest! The s.h.i.+pwreck!"

"Is that what you made yourself believe all these years?  Are you sure you remember correctly?  I don't think so." The Xue Young Master put a hand on his hip, akimbo. "But what did you do to my family afterwards?  You went after my sister AND my brother and bullied them.  You almost killed my brother!  And you even coveted our wealth and found a way through my sister!  Do you think I won't be able to find out?  I have eyes.  I know everything."

"Now, it's your time to face the consequences of your actions.  Brace yourself for my retribution."

s.h.i.+ Fan Hai leered, "Oh, I am so scared! Haha!  What can you even do?  Alright!  You've s.n.a.t.c.hed Man Rui from me, so what? I own her heart.  I own her!  In time, she will return to my side, where she should be.  What else can you do?  You cannot do anything! You can only utilize the law, that's lame!"

Xue Minhe shrugged.  "Whatever.  Just a piece of friendly advice.  Brace yourself." He tapped s.h.i.+ Fan Hai on the shoulder.  "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go.  My preggy wife is waiting for me." He sneered as he turned his back away from him.

"You!" s.h.i.+ Fan Hai left there standing, trembling.

Hw.a.n.g Meilin behind the shelves in the shadows was trembling too, now with both hands covering her gaping mouth, eyes widened by what she had witnessed.  It was definitely not for any human ears and eyes to hear and see, but she was there.  Was it luck to witness two devils mocking each other?

What's more mind-blowing was that Xue Minhe…

Going back to Xue Guangxi's eighteenth birthday…

As she remembered that frightful encounter two weeks ago, she s.h.i.+vered and trembled on her seat.  She kept her eyes on the Xue Young Master in front and wondered how an angel who looked like he descended from the heavens - her hero - could take a hundred and eighty turn and become such a dark devil two weeks ago.  And now, he returned to become the gentle, kind, smart, charismatic, good man that everyone knew he was.