"No no, I don"t want you to employ your hardly used brains. I am sure it will happen as and when. It is also possible that in all this while, he has met someone else and likes her more. I have heard that the school attracts children from all over the world and you know these blue eyed blondes are way prettier and smarter", she said, speaking aloud her insecurity."Oh, you are absolutely right. That is precisely why he fought with his father for the first time in his life, the man who is his inspiration and role model", he said with sarcasm dripping from every word.
"Did you know that Uncle Xie didn"t want him to come down to Moganshan but stay in their newly acquired building in Shanghai. He told his father that he could not miss his dear friend"s sister"s wedding. I am willing to bet my favourite s.h.i.+rt that Tang doesn"t even remember the chit"s face, forget her sister"s. Do you want me to go on or is this much proof enough for you, silly girl?" he finished.
Jia Li bit her lower lip as her perennial habit, "oh, stop being sarcastic! My problems don"t end there. I have a strong feeling that mom suspects something. Before you start refuting my statement, hear me out. Every time there is a mention of Tang in any context, she always brings up the economic disparity between our families. She is constantly reminding me about the kind of future his parents would be envisioning for him. The thought of him finding a "more suitable" girl also came from her mouth and lodged itself into my head".
Li Jie gently tugged at her braid and spoke, "have you said anything to Tang about this?"
At her negative shake of head, he continued, "because you didn"t want to worry him, right? But why haven"t you come and told Chung or me about this? Never mind, let me tell you what I think is the reason for Aunt"s such behaviour. I believe she knows about your feelings for Tang and is just trying to safeguard you against heartbreak. And for the record, I believe whatever that she has said is a distinct possibility. Uncle Xie has always been slightly sn.o.bbish and now with his business doing so well, I am sure, he would be all that and more. Having said that, I don"t think you should get discouraged because whether he has confessed it to you or not, you do know that he loves you, right? Just have faith and everything will work out for the best."
The next day couldn"t dawn any sooner for Jia Li. She had hardly slept a wink in the excitement of seeing him. The weather had turned chilly but there wasn"t any fog swivelling around yet. By her estimation, he should have reached Moganshan around 8 in the morning. The clock at her bedside read 8.30 now and she was figuring out a way to slip out of her house unnoticed.
The doorbell rang and she ran towards the main door only to collide into her father.