"I have two questions for you, one, which you may not have the answer to, the other, which I am sure you do. Do you think Tang and Mei Zhen are satisfied, forget happy, in their marriage? Second, do you believe that Jia Li is here because she is extremely attached to the language inst.i.tute despite living alone, away from the familiar people in her life, or is it serving as an escape for her - from her failed marriage and from her ex-boyfriend, whom she may still be in love with?"
Ethan asked him but didn"t wait for his answer and went back. Wei stood alone with his thoughts for a long time before tracing his steps back to where everyone had gathered for lunch.
"What took you so long? Are you contemplating buying the place?" Jia Li teased Wei as he turned up last.
"I will, if you promise to run it for me," he kept his tone light but the expression in his eyes was bleak.
She gave him a thoughtful look before turning her attention to something which Chu was saying.
Wei took this opportunity to speak softly with Tang, "let"s have a talk post lunch, you and I."
Tang gave him a short nod.
All of them were handed ap.r.o.ns by the helpful staff. There was a mild argument about what soup to order for the pot. Finally, they decided to split the pot into two, one on the spicy side, other slightly milder.
Amongst continued banter and bickering between the siblings, the group ordered a full load of meats and vegetables and went to the "sauce bar" which had flavours like vinegar, BBQ sauce, spicy oils, finely cut herbs, sesames and pastes. After everyone made their selections, they came back to the table to wait for their food. Chu decided that maybe a portion of sweet and sour pork was needed along with as well. By the end of it, there was simply no place at the table to even keep a gla.s.s of water or tea.
The meal was a noisy but pleasant affair. Both men seemed to be in a mellow mood, unlike the confrontational behaviour from before. But Jia Li was slowly becoming agitated with the situation that she found herself in, currently. It was hilarious that both Tang and Wei were trying to claim her as their territory. One of them had already broken her heart earlier and the other, she was wary of giving her heart to. So where did that leave her?
"Are you mulling over world economic crisis?" Tang brought her out of her musing with that question.
She shook her head and gave him a distracted smile.
"What"s wrong? Has anyone said anything to you?" he frowned, directing his gaze at Wei.
She brought back his attention by placing her hand on his arm.
"Calm down. Nothing is wrong. The doctor has advised you to take it easy. Can you not overthink things and simply enjoy the moment? All your favourite dishes are here," she cajoled him.
He grinned at her words, "you forgot to add, all my favourite people too. Actually, all but one."
She rolled her eyes at his dogged att.i.tude towards Wei but didn"t say anything. Wei had been watching the interaction between the two pensively now. Ethan"s words kept ringing in his ears.
Once the lunch was over, the women decided to take a walk around the property to digest their food. Ethan kept them entertained and distracted as he saw Tang and Wei slipping away.
"What is it that you want to speak with me about?" Tang"s stance was confrontational.
Wei looked at him steadily before picking his words carefully, "I want to make a few things clear to you right now. I know you have a head injury and trauma but I also know that you have a razor sharp brain, so what I am going to say now shouldn"t be tough for you to comprehend."
At Tang"s raised eyebrow, he gave a tight smile and continued, "Jia Li is a lovely girl who has been through a lot, mostly because of her need to do what"s best for people around her. This may sound strange to you under the current circ.u.mstances but believe me when I say this – there is a real possibility of her getting hurt again real soon and this time it may damage her self-esteem as well. As her…err, well-wisher, I can"t just stand by and let it happen. Which is why I am warning you, memory loss or gain, you CANNOT let Jia Li get hurt ever again. I won"t let you get away with it, consequences be d.a.m.ned."
"That was quite a pa.s.sionate speech. Are you this involved in all your employees" personal matters?" Tang started.