Chapter 1
‘An An, have you decided?’ Gu Yang asked.
‘I’ll take on the bet,’ An An said.
An An put on a bravado front, because she didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing she was scared of losing. Losing was an understatement. Growing up, any bet they made between them the outcome was always the same winner and loser. Since Gu Yang was always the winner, she felt there was no need to acknowledge who was the loser.
Gu Yang smiled deviously. ‘Ok. Let our bet commence now. By tonight I’ll announce our engagement to both our parents.’
Unlike his usual charming smile his devious smile gave her a cold sweat. As if he had a hidden trump card.
At work An An dealt with her daily tasks. But she couldn’t shake off bad premonitions. She stood by the window and the clear blue sky and white clouds helped her push aside her anxiety to call Li Mu.
When An An called Li Mu, he was busy observing an injured pregnant panther.
‘Take care of your safety,’ An An said.
An An chickened out and an awkward silence followed.
‘Bao Bao (darling), is there something on your mind? Did you make another eccentric bet with Gu Yang?’ Li Mu asked.
Li Mu disliked any connection between Bao Bao and Gu Yang.
An An was embarra.s.sed Li Mu could sense why she was anxious.
‘There’s nothing on my mind,’ An An said and hung up her phone.
At night Gu Yang acted on his threat and came over her parents’ home. Her dad Yu Bai and Gu Yang were playing chess in the living room whilst waiting for her mum’s infamous cooked meals. The two men sat close together and made a unique handsome portrait.
An An wasn’t certain if Gu Yang lost deliberately or was outmanoeuvred by her dad, because it was a close match. She sat behind Gu Yang and subtly poked his hip. Gu Yang smiled politely and asked her dad to explain the strategy her dad used to beat him. Gu Yang’s exuberance show of attentive listening made her gloat on the inside that he deserved a long winded step by step demonstration from her dad for ignoring her subtle poke to get his attention.
Her dad’s long slender finger adjusted the bridge of his gla.s.ses above his nose and gave his trademark icy stare in her direction. She knew her dad recognised the gloat in her eyes and rushed to open the front door for her little sis Xiao Xiao (aka Xiao Bao, little darling) to escape her dad’s scrutiny.
Xiao Xiao was seven years younger than her and by the time Xiao Xiao was in the seventh grade it felt like Xiao Xiao’s IQ surpa.s.sed her IQ.
‘Hi sis,’ Xiao Xiao said.
After Xiao Xiao greeted her, Xiao Xiao ran into the living room where the two handsome men sat.
‘My dearest dad,’ Xiao Xiao said and back hugged their dad. ‘Dad you’re even more handsome today.’
‘Get to the point,’ dad said. He used his usual cool tone and had no patience for trivial small talk. ‘What trouble did you cause this time?’
‘I accidently burnt down the school’s lab,’ Xiao Xiao said and poked out her tongue.
Their dad coldly smiled and gave off a silent murderous vibe. Xiao Xiao wasn’t nonchalant as before and started shaking. Xiao Xiao turned to Gu Yang and pleaded with a pitiful tone. ‘Brother-in-law…’
Gu Yang looked up at An An and An An gave Xiao Xiao a dirty look. But Xiao Xiao shamelessly hid behind Gu Yang’s back.
‘Brother-in-law, save me!’ Xiao Xiao pleaded.
‘I can’t save you,’ Gu Yang said and grinned. ‘But I have good news that will soften the blow of your bad news.’
Their dad’s curiosity about Gu Yang’s good news temporarily adverted their dad’s mind away from Xiao Xiao’s confession.
‘Mmm,’ dad uttered and turned to exchange a glance with An An. ‘Let’s eat dinner first.’
Their mum An Xiao Li’s culinary skills pre-marriage and post marriage remained static. Statically hard to swallow. The two handsome men’s reaction after each bite remained indifferent. An An and Xiao Xiao on the other hand didn’t need to control their expressions, because they opted for milk whenever their mum cooked.
‘An An, have a bite of the braised pork ribs. It’s to die for,’ Gu Yang challenged.
‘My daughters aren’t used to eating late dinners,’ mum said and gave An An a comforting smile. It made An An felt in that moment… mum was a unique bouquet of flowers.
Gu Yang smiled even more charming than usual. ‘An An’s not fat at all. I find girls with curves are attractive. An An, you should get used to eating more.’
Gu Yang’s implied message you-have-no-excuse-left-not-to-eat-your-mum’s-food made An An queasy.
An An was about to retaliate but her phone rang and an international number was displayed. She hid her excitement. She stood up to leave the dining room but didn’t miss Gu Yang’s cold disapproving glance.
Away from the dining room An An answered the phone.
‘h.e.l.lo,’ An An said.
‘Haha! Bao Bao! I’ll fly home soon,’ Li Mu said.
‘Uh, what’s your arrival date? I’ll pick you up at the airport,’ An An said.
‘No need. I’m on the same flight with Liang Xing. She’s been volunteering at an orphanage-’ Li Mu said.
An An sighed and hung up the phone in disappointment. She stood where chilly breezes pa.s.sed through her for a long time. By the time she returned to the dining room, dinner was over. She stared at the empty dining table, silently forced a smile… suddenly she felt hungry.
End of chapter one.