Present DayXie Mansion
"How could she do this to me? Why did she come for the wedding if she wasn"t planning to stay the entire period? Have you managed to see her or speak with her since then?" Tang vented out to Deng Chung on the phone.
He was leaving for his honeymoon in the next few hours but a part of him was worried about her. The sudden departure post that bittersweet afternoon had shook him up. He had nearly jeopardized the wedding by booking a flight to Beijing to go after her. His mother"s rationale and Jia Li"s cold note had stopped him from doing so. But he wanted to know… needed to know if she was alright. He knew exactly how she would be feeling right now as he had felt all those many years ago.
Five years ago
Post the fiasco with his father, he had gone back to America to lick his wounds in private. His cowardly heart had known that there would be repercussions once the truth of his relation with Jia Li had come out but he wasn"t prepared for the severity of it. He had needed time to re-strategize about how to approach his dad. To top it, Jia Li"s incessant calls hadn"t helped. He didn"t have answers to the questions which she was asking. When she sent him the mail about breaking off, he had been secretly relieved to get some respite from the whole episode. He had unflinchingly believed that they were destined to be together and for that to happen, these small b.u.mps were expected and also needed.
Once both sets of parents were aware of the break-up, they would also ease the pressure and it would buy them time. But what he didn"t foresee was her taking such a drastic step as marriage. She hadn"t even give him time to react. By the time he heard from Chung and called up her house in Moganshan, the wedding was already happening. The sense of disbelief hadn"t left his side for days and then it finally dissipated leaving a sharp, death-like pain behind. Everything else had ceased to matter for him.
Present Day
So yeah, he knew how it felt and that"s why he was worried about Jia Li going through the pain now.
"I tried reaching her but her cell phone is switched off and the landline isn"t being picked up either. She hasn"t been in touch with Li Jie as well. Give her some time. She is a strong woman. I know you are tensed about her but she is married and has her husband to take care of her. You need to concentrate upon the new chapter in your life and a wonderful partner who awaits you. Let the past be where it is supposed to be. Have a great time in Europe. Call me once you are back," said Chung briskly.
Putting down the phone, he looked at Li Jie who had insisted upon not sharing anything about Jia Li"s whereabouts with Xie Tang.