Debbie scratched her head in hesitation, mulling over her plan. "No. I don't think it's anything criminal, but we'll be stepping on Carlos' toes. Will you guys still do that for me?"
Her friends all looked perplexed at her words. Kasie couldn't bear hearing Debbie speak in riddles anymore, so she asked, "Okay, Tomboy, just lay it out. What are you planning?"
"Get this. I'm lying in a hospital bed, wearing these ugly patient clothes, and I've been put on a drip and had stitches in my forehead. This is all thanks to one woman! So I need your help to teach her a lesson!" Debbie said between gritted teeth.
'Her…' Even though Debbie didn't explicitly spell out the name, they all knew who she was talking about.
Familiar with upper-class circles, Jared and Kasie were both well aware of the consequences. They simultaneously shook their heads disapprovingly. Jared blurted out, "Don't do that. Mr. Huo and Mr. Li are protecting her. She's the apple of their eye."
Kasie slapped Jared's shoulder to stop him. "Shut up! That was then and this is now. Tomboy is Mr. Huo's wife!"
Jared noticed a dash of sadness flash through Debbie's eyes. Realizing that his words had hurt Debbie, he was full of remorse and hastily apologized, "Yeah. My bad. Tomboy, I'm in! Whatever you want. Okay?"
"Count me in. Anyway, Mr. Huo will probably take your side. There's nothing to be afraid of! Look what that bitch has done to you. She needs a whooping," Kasie said. She knew most of the story. She couldn't swallow her anger over what Megan had done to her best friend.
Hearing them, Debbie slapped her leg and said resolutely, "Exactly! I'm tired of being a doormat. I never did anything to get back at her because I didn't want to hurt Carlos. But she's crossed the line. She's sabotaging our marriage. My husband and I are being driven apart because of her. I won't let her off the hook!"
'On top of that, I almost died thanks to Megan's phone call!' she thought angrily.
"Kasie, you can swim, right? I may need your help for this. And Jared, I just need you to do me a little favor. Kristina, you don't have to come with us. Just stay at home and wait for the good news." Then, Debbie told everyone her plan and assigned a task to each of them.
At last, Kristina looked at Debbie, embarrassed. "Debbie, I… I want to go with you too." She also was angry with Megan and wanted to watch this good show. However, she didn't have someone that had her back once things turned serious. Everyone else had wealthy parents that could pull some strings.
Touched by Kristina's gesture, Debbie patted her on the shoulder. "Kristina, don't follow bad examples. It'll make you a bad girl. I know your heart. Thank you. Just wait for us at home and prepare a big meal to celebrate our success. Okay?"
Kristina had no choice but to nod. "Okay. Take care, all. Especially now…"
When the three of them left Debbie's ward and saw Carlos sitting outside, they all bade farewell to him politely and formally. "Goodbye. Mr. Huo!"
"Bye Mr. Huo, see you!"
Carlos felt suspicious of them. His intuition told him these kids were planning something behind his back.
They had always been courteous to him, but this time, it was more than that. They seemed to want to butter him up, as if trying to get on his good side. Especially Jared. He had even clasped his hands in prayer when he left the ward.
With that thought in mind, Carlos turned to Emmett and instructed, "Go and get some information from your girlfriend."
Emmett understood what he meant. "Yes, Mr. Huo!"
But… He suddenly felt baffled. Kasie was on Debbie's side, and so was he! Besides, Kasie was one of Debbie's best friends. Not exactly a reliable source, especially if she was part of the plan. No matter what information he had gotten wind of, he wouldn't betray Debbie. He liked the girl, though he was curious what she was up to.
As a protest against Carlos, Debbie was determined to endure a long, boring stay in the hospital rather than bow down and beg him to take her back home.
A week later, Debbie was finally discharged from the hospital.
Breathing in the fresh air outside, Debbie felt a surge of excitement coursing throughout her body. 'No more smell of disinfectant in the air! Amazing!' she exclaimed in her mind.
Truth was, if it weren't for the new semester starting in two days, Carlos wouldn't have allowed her to be discharged from hospital until the scar on her forehead vanished. So she felt really lucky.
After leaving the hospital, Carlos drove her back to the manor.
Much to her disappointment, he left for his office at once, even before she'd been properly settled there.
Watching him slowly disappear from sight, she could do nothing. She searched her brain, but found no excuses to make him stay a little longer.
The rhythm of an old song began to play in the back of her mind. She tried to recall the lyrics. 'Yeah, I remember now!' Then, she cleared her throat and began to sing. "I hide my tears from you to play cool. I give you a cold shoulder, however I care. Never thought you'd leave me along the way. My heart is dripping blood, but I have no courage to make you stay. I watch, you go to a world, far, far away…"
As she sang the sad song, Debbie felt much better. Sad songs sometimes had a way of doing that, curiously. They were cathartic, in a way, and sometimes more effective than all the anti-depressants a pharmacy had to offer. Then, she remembered Carlos told her to buy whatever she needed because her luggage had been lost. They weren't going to drag the river to find someone's dresses or makeup collection. Besides, she had stayed in the hospital for so many days. She needed to break out, hang out, and do some shopping.
"Your tenderness is nowhere to be found, and I lose all reasons to be strong…" Debbie continued to sing to herself as she slowly made her way upstairs. Funny enough, she suddenly sped up the rhythm, changing the sad melody to a cheery tune.
Meanwhile, Carlos had made a call to a housemaid before driving out of the manor. He asked the housemaid what Debbie was doing at the moment. With complicated feelings, the housemaid looked at the woman who was singing happily, and replied honestly, "Mr. Huo… Mrs. Huo is singing."
Carlos was surprised. 'Singing? So she's quite happy even without me, ' he thought, upset.
Unsatisfied with the answer, he hung up the phone at once, his face darkened. He was as gloomy as ever, and the mood around him darkened as well.
Debbie went to the music studio and enjoyed herself there for a short while. She even got the inspiration to write a few lines for the song she was putting together. After that, she asked the driver to get her to the Shining International Plaza.
Debbie spotted a hair salon after getting out of the car. She touched her long hair. The idea of having a haircut came to mind. 'It is about time for a change. Maybe they can make me look like a million bucks.'
In the hair salon, a handsome man with grey-dyed hair greeted Debbie enthusiastically, "Hi, pretty girl! Welcome! What'll it be?"
Debbie scanned the spacious studio and replied casually, "My hair is a bit too long. I want it cut a little." She hadn't expected the interior of the salon was this luxurious. The price should be quite high.
"Okay, please come this way. Let me wash your hair first!"
Then, she followed the handsome man to another room to have her hair washed.
"So, just a haircut, or…? What about a dye job or perm too? Actually, you're lucky you came in today. We're running a special offer now. It'll be cost-effective if you buy a VIP card…"
Debbie paused. "Just a trim and perm the ends of my hair a little. And how do I get a VIP card?"
As the grey-hair man dried her hair, he gestured to another young man, asking him to come over. When Debbie saw another young man coming up to her, she couldn't help but marvel in her mind, 'Wow! Another handsome boy. Why are all the hairdressers here so handsome? Do they need to win a beauty contest before becoming a hairdresser?'
When Debbie knew that the price of a simple haircut was already 1, 200 dollars, she was taken aback. Her lips twitched. 'God! I'll never get a haircut in the Shining International Plaza again. That's way too expensive!
Are they hoodwinking the customers? How can Carlos allow such a hair salon to open here?' she wondered.
"But if you apply for a VIP card and save 10, 000 dollars in it, you'll get an extra 5, 000. And we have different bonuses at 30, 000, 50, 000 or 100, 000 dollars. Besides, we'll give you a coupon for one free hair dye and hair perm which is worth 3, 888 dollars… It's our 10th anniversary, so that's what we have for you. It's really a bargain. You look so beautiful, and to come here more often would only add to your beauty."
Debbie felt a little dizzy hearing the young man's endless prattling. They were doing the hard-sell here. It seemed that it would be a better deal to buy a VIP card. She would actually get a 50% discount, if her calculation was right. And moreover, she'd have a free dye and perm…
