I've Been There Before

Humbert was feeling very shocked and his feelings were indescribable. He was listening to his best friend squabbling nonsense, “If only I didn’t drop my phone…”, “If only I didn’t move the nightstand away when I picked up my phone…” Humbert had a clear image in his mind, his best friend moved the nightstand away when he was trying to pick up his phone, and accidentally came across this hidden secret.

“If only I didn’t drop my phone…”

“If only I didn’t pick up my phone…”

Humbert clenched his fist, he was getting annoyed listening to his best friend repeating the disheartening “If only…” again and again. Caden was like a useless and dispirited middle-aged man whose wife had left him and whose son had died. Humbert felt like punching his best friend and beat the sense out of him. But he couldn’t do it.

“If only… If only I realized it sooner!” The whole time, Caden was very pessimistic, he was acting like a coward and was just running away from his problems, giving himself excuses. Finally, he cried out what he was really feeling deep down!

If only he realized it sooner, would the situation right now have changed?

Would his lovely wife be right next to him, along with his sweet children?

Humbert looked at Caden, his best friend of many years. He never saw Caden in this state before.

Humbert’s eyes flickered, he stood up abruptly and strode towards the exit.

Wilson was a worker who fulfilled his duty well and was rule-abiding. He waited outside of the corridor which was 3 to 4 meters away from the room. Humbert walked out of the room and saw Wilson, he said emotionlessly, “Follow me.”

Wilson hesitated briefly, but Humbert walked pass him without a pause. Wilson glanced at Caden’s room, he gritted his teeth and decided that he had no choice but to turn around and follow Humbert.

“Mr. White, where are we going?”

Wilson followed Humbert downstairs, seeing that Humbert didn’t even slow down his pace, Wilson quickly ran after him. But Humbert quickened his pace, he was silent the whole time and finally stopped in front of a small door.

“This…”

What beneath this was…

Wilson knew that Humbert was familiar with the Shaw manor, he could only follow behind Humbert. They walked down the winding stairs that led to the basement.

The stairway was dark and it led directly towards the basement. The basement was lighted with warm yellow lights that weren’t too bright, the basement also had a strong alcohol smell to it.

Humbert didn’t hesitate, he walked towards the end of the wine rack and took one bottle of wine after another, he shoved it into Wilson arms until he couldn’t hold anymore. Humbert then held 4 bottles of wine himself, he still wasn’t saying anything, he just turned around and left.

Wilson didn’t understand what was going on at all, all he could just follow behind Humbert. They both reappeared in front of Caden’s bedroom, Humbert kicked the door open and threw the wine bottles that he was holding on the bed. He was rough and didn’t care that his action might easily break the wines that probably cost a fortune.

“Wilson, put done those wines and you can take your leave.”

“But Mr. White, the master is…”

“Put down those wine and get out. I will take responsibility for whatever that happens, if he dies, I’ll die with him.” Humbert glared harshly and coldly at the butler, Wilson was having cold sweat as he gritted his teeth because he was responsible for Caden. Humbert was a respected and prestige person, but even with his promise Wilson wasn’t assured, it wasn’t his principal to walk away like this.

Humbert quietly held out his hand and took the wine bottles away from Wilson’s hand seeing that he wasn’t going to do what he said. He threw them onto the bed, the bottles were hitting each other and the noise they made give people the shivers.

Wilson was driven out of the room by Humbert as he was pondering about what should he say. Before he could even react, the door slammed shut right in front of his face heartlessly.

Humbert’s expression was frigid. In the room, he quietly took the two bottles of whiskeys on the bed and twisted them open. He held out his hand and gave one bottle to the haggard Caden who was sitting on the floor by the bedside, “Come, I’ll drink with you.”

Though Caden kept looking at his palm in a daze as if he didn’t hear Humbert at all.

Humbert squinted at Caden who was right next to him, he straightened out his leg and used his feet to kick him, “Hey, drink.”

insulting like this towards Caden normally, Caden would beat him up already. Not to mention that Caden was a prideful man, an average

heart throbbed

the Caden Shaw

did the prideful and king-like Caden become

pride, where is your confidence, where is your strength? Where are they? The Caden I knew was apathetic, full of confidence, firm, persistent and strong, where is

was this drunkard before his

He didn’t know him!

tickets. We can go anywhere. Maybe by chance, you would

you two

wouldn’t happen, she would never see me again.”

bottle lying next to him, he held it up and raised

of the bottle again, “Where is the wine? Where is the wine? Why couldn’t

was a

heartfelt letter about the truth, you thought it was just a letter… But it

of a person Caden was, he knew how rational and logical Caden always acted. It was his first time seeing Caden in this state, Caden who

he had never seen Caden bowed down or lower his head for anybody else before. “Who, who was the one that

the past came rushing in his mind. The scene before him was something he

meet again for the first time at the Royal Club’s exquisite private room after Grace got out of

believe that the arrogant and confident Grace would throw away her pride just in three years. She was humbly

he was seeing right now, was the same thing with

Was this Karma?

why she went to prison, the reason why she lost all her pride, arrogance and

for about three years, pushing Caden to the brim and destroying his arrogance and

years, a

brain felt clearer. But he

Caden loved Grace with all his heart, and that was why he tried to not be prejudice against her. He only wanted to help his friend and preventing him from making the same mistakes, he wanted to help him overcome the pain from the

then. But Caden was so in love with Grace, that was why he helped Caden and asked Grace to stay. Humbert knew very well how selfish he was,

the bottle and slowly tilted it. The alcohol smelled strong, Caden who was sitting on the floor was now drenched with the transparent liquid from head to toe, “Is this enough?

was as if

the letter was his life. No, the letter was something more important than

so carefully, he hated it but he couldn’t do anything

Caden. You put the cart before the horse,” said Humbert plainly, “I don’t know if she hates you, but Caden, what

on his hand away upon finishing his sentence, he then walked over the shitfaced Caden. He opened the door, paused for

longer. He took a

as if outside the bedroom door was another

was dim, dirty and filled

outside the bedroom saw Humbert came out, he hurriedly went up to Humbert and asked, “How is the master?”

his brow and his head was throbbing, “Just

you mean?” Was the master unable to pull himself together even after Mr. White visited him?

for

could he

from dying if he wants

had nothing

that door wasn’t open by itself from inside. Don’t knock on the door, don’t try to open it from outside.” The person inside would naturally open the door and walk out

tomorrow.”

site was an anonymous post about an unethical homestay in Erhai Lake. The poster was describing everything vividly in details, the homestay was described as not even worth a penny. The poster said that the homestay was making dirty money, driving their guests away even though they paid in advance, that they picked on people who weren’t their own size, and that all the workers generally harassed the guests together. The online post was small, but