August 5, 20XX (Monday)
Various PlacesMei Li and Yang slept late the night they went home together to the condo. They were filled with happy congratulations and some weird and forced out compliments from ladies that were aiming for Yang. Mei Li had smugly smirked at those forced congratulations with her hands on his arm like she had the world. Mother Zhao, Aunt Qinyang, and Yue were jumping with joy, and Ru s.h.i.+ joined their excitement by starting to talk about the incoming wedding that was not even thought of because Mei Li was still floating on cloud nine.
The orphan kids had thanked Mei Li and Yang with the last song of their theme song. All the orphanages had gathered not only the amount for this year"s expected expenses but also half of next year. The matron and the people that worked on the orphanages expressed their heartfelt congratulations and gratefulness with a full bow. Mei Li stopped them before they could and magnanimously said, "I know what these children are going through; I will be their pillar or support should they need too."
Yang agreed with her immediately, "And I will stand beside her to hold the other pillar to strengthen the foundation of their lives."
Suddenly, small hands tug on Yang"s sleeves on the hand in Mei Li"s back. The CEO and the painter looked down to see sweet little Ling Ling smiling at them with lacking front teeth. Mei Li bent down and gathered the four-year-old into her arms, but because of her pet.i.te frame, she stumbled a little, causing Yang to steady her with one hand as another hand helped carry Ling Ling"s weight in Mei Li"s arms. Yang was very grateful to this little girl; she was the one that snapped Mei Li from her dazed on the first part of his proposal. Without this little one, he couldn"t imagine what he would do. He"d probably make a fool of himself.
All of his family were amazed when Yang kissed the little girl"s cheek and said, "You help me loads with my proposal, do you want anything?"
The little girl"s pigtails bobbed as she giggles and hide her face in Mei Li"s embrace in embarra.s.sment. Being an orphan kid, they weren"t used to being asked those kinds of questions. In fact, Mei Li had only been asked that kind of question when the person that had guided her named "Uncle Wu" was still working in the orphanage. Uncle Wu was the one that let her borrow his family name so she could have one as well. To little Mei Li, Uncle Wu was both her father and her uncle at the same time. It would be wonderful if Uncle Wu were with her at her wedding with Yang. She would love to introduce them to each other.
Yang tickled Ling Ling"s side causing the little girl to bury her head more into Mei Li"s neck and making Yang laugh as her pigtails were starting to irritate Mei Li"s lips. He patted the little girl"s back and said, "Come into my arms. Your Miss Wu is going to be squished by you."
Ling Ling shook her head, and she mumbled, "No, we will go back to the orphanage soon. I don"t want to spend anymore minute away from Miss Wu."
Yang and Mei Li"s heart softened and let her get away with being in Mei Li"s arms for the whole event. The little girl clung to Mei Li as if she had been glued into her arms. Yang lessened the burden of the kid in her arms by putting a hand beneath Mei Li"s. All the well-wishers for their engagement cooed at their plus one. Her matron had tried to pry her away from Mei Li, but it prompted for Ling Ling to cry more. Yang and Mei Li did not have the heart to separate Ling Ling from their warmth.
It was hard when the orphan kids were loaded into the van, and Mei Li and Yang handed an asleep Ling Ling into the hands of her matron. They liked that little girl with boundless energy who stuck to Mei Li"s side like a leech. The little girl was not even afraid to say no to Yang; not even grown-ups could do that. When Mei Li and Yang went home, they drunk themselves to forget little Ling Ling and the rest of the orphan kids who were longing for love. Yang could imagine Mei Li as Ling Ling, and his heart would hurt.
When they slept, Mei Li mumbled a soft, "I love you."
Yang"s eyes suddenly open in surprise. He blinked with awe and kissed her forehead, "Good night. Sweet dream and I love you too, my dear fiance."
The blush that colored Mei Li"s cheeks was response enough for Yang. They both entered their dream world, hoping for a brighter world where negativity does not exist, and all children lived happy lives. The cruel Yang had once again met with emotions that made him more intuned with his primal instinct to protect.
When the sun rose the next day, Mei Li"s phone rang with endless abandon as many well-wishers were testing her as Yang"s had also done on top the side table near him. They greeted the day replying "thank you" to many "congratulations."
Meanwhile, on another high-rise condo near the Palace Residency- Condominiums, David sat with hands clenched in anger as he stared at the television with narrowed eyes. He had not only been unsuccessful with the a.s.sa.s.sination attempts that had lost him more than ten hidden guards he had brought from Greece to die, but this Zhao Yang was not one-upping him for Miss M"s hand for marriage! He threw the ashtray towards the tv in anger, destroying the screen with a loud smash as it smacked together with too much force.