Jia Li halted in her steps. "What has happened? Is Tang alright?" she asked in urgent concern.
Mei Zhen emitted a loud, harsh laugh.
"Of course, he is alright. He has always been alright. It was us who were worried like the biggest fools on planet Earth while he was busy laughing behind our backs," she said cryptically.
Jia Li wanted to shake her and get her to speak up clearly. But it seemed that Mei Zhen was intent on milking the situation for maximum impact.
"Mei Zhen, you may not know it but I am not the most patient man around, and I have no time for remarks which don"t make sense to me. If you have something to say, please do so directly else you really have to excuse us," he said, almost rudely.
"Tch tch, no wonder Tang has managed to stay one step ahead of you, both at work and in personal matters. He can really plan and control the situation well in advance while you simply surrender to it and react. Anyways, I know how worried Jia Li has been about Tang"s well-being. So I thought I would personally come and let her know that she should cease worrying. I thought of offering her some comfort but now that I think about it, her life suddenly has become tougher. She will have to really think hard about the tough choice which lays ahead of her now. If I were you, I would start preparing hard because what I am about to say would be a cause of worry for you the most, w.a.n.g Wei!" she smirked at him.
"Mei Zhen, what choice are you talking about?" Jia Li had also begun to get impatient now.
"Oh, I thought you would have known by now. Hasn"t Tang called to tell you that he intends to divorce me and bring you back in his life asap? I am surprised…" her words were dotted by the gasps from Mrs. w.a.n.g and Jia Li alike.
"Oops, it seems that I have spoilt his surprise. He would be so mad at me, well, I mean madder. Wei, you look pale though," she cackled.
Before Wei could react, Jia Li grabbed Mei Zhen"s hand and demanded, "what do you mean by all this? Are you saying this because Tang has got proof of your involvement in the incident with Fu?"
Mei Zhen looked at her in jealous surprise.
"I didn"t realise that you knew about it as well. Seems like he really does share everything with you. No, this so called suspicion of his hasn"t been proven yet. But I guess it has given him a legitimate reason to speed up the plan which he had concocted long ago. I mean why else would he fake memory loss and cause immense worry to everyone who loves him and cares for him?" she finally said it.
"He did WHAT?" Wei asked, stunned.
"No, no, you are lying," Jia Li said disbelievingly.
"Ha…sure, you can choose to not believe me. Call up Tang and ask him yourself. He admitted to the same sometime ago, that too in front of everyone at the Xie mansion. I am actually moved by his dedication towards you. Look what has it made him do – go against his family, his ethics, his morals. He risked all his relations just to get an opportunity to get close to you. What love!! I bow down to your charms and power," she mocked Jia Li openly now.
"Whatttttt? Wei, did you hear that? Is this the kind of woman you love? She has managed to alienate Xie Tang from his family members. I am afraid it"s your turn now," Mrs. w.a.n.g sniffed.
Jia Li turned towards Wei, unnamed emotions s.h.i.+mmering in her eyes. She was praying hard right now, hoping against hope that what Mei Zhen had said was not true.
"Will you please take me to Tang right away?" she asked him in a low voice.
Wei wanted to protest against it but the fragility of her expressions stopped him from doing so. He couldn"t deny her request. Without paying any heed to his mother"s spluttered indignation, he took Jia Li"s icy cold hand in his own and walked away.
Throughout the journey to Xie mansion, Jia Li sat as if she was carved out of a stone. Wei had started to question the wisdom of her going to Tang"s house right now. He was sure that the news wouldn"t have been received well by anyone in the Xie household. And they may end up blaming Jia Li for the same. Stealing a glance at her profile, he debated with himself. He was torn between the need to protect her and wis.h.i.+ng her to see Tang"s true colours.
"We have arrived," he announced softly.