Present Day"Jia Li, open the door. How much will you sleep?" shouted Xie Chu outside her door.
"Has fate conspired today not to let me have a moment of peace?" muttered Jia Li as she opened the lock.
Before she could say anything though, the bundle of energy called Chu grabbed her in a crus.h.i.+ng embrace, "I can"t tell you how much I have missed you all these years. Wait a second…what is wrong? Have you been crying? I am just going to call brother Tang."
She s.n.a.t.c.hed the phone from Chu"s fingers lest she summoned the irritating man again.
"There is absolutely nothing wrong with me. I just seemed to have developed an eye allergy due to lack of sleep. It shall subside soon. Please don"t stress and tell me how have you been. I am truly sorry that I haven"t been able to catch up with you ever since I came here. Why don"t you sit down and tell me about the exciting world of media?" she babbled.
"I got worried for a minute looking at your swollen red eyes. Do you have any idea how scary you are looking right now?" she teased.
Jia Li made a face and replied caustically, "thank you very much. That is all I needed to hear first thing in the morning. By the way, why are you up so early? The party got finished just a while ago. I thought everyone would want a snooze before the long day of activities."
Chu fiddled with her phone and replied with a casual air, "actually, a friend of mine has just landed from New York. I had gone to receive him at the airport. Do you know he is one of the most reputed journalists in the field these days?"
Jia Li grinned as realization dawned upon her, "Oh, now I figured out the reason for this early morning love for me. All this while I kept wondering about your sudden urgency to meet me at dawn. First things first, show me his picture."
Chu thought of carrying out the charade for a bit longer but caved in with a smile after a minute of thought. During her adolescent years, it had been Jia Li who had acted as her confidante. Tang had been abroad during that entire time. So Jia Li was the one always around to play the older sibling role.
"I think, no I am kind of sure that I am in love. Ethan is funny and kind and charming and intelligent and…" she prattled on, only to be interrupted by Jia Li dryly, "I think I get the point. So when do I get to meet this paragon of virtues?"
They sat chatting for the next half hour where Chu described all about Ethan, her work and aspirations.
"Can I ask you something?" she started tentatively.
At Jia Li"s smiling nod, she said, "why did you and brother Tang not rebel against your families? I always believed that you guys were meant for each other. I am not challenging yours or his choice of current partners but don"t you think your relations.h.i.+p was worth fighting for?"
Jia Li crossed her fingers behind her back and spoke her white lie, "I am quite content in my marriage and I think Tang looks to be extremely happy with his relations.h.i.+p. Let past remain where it belongs. At this moment, all other conversation or thoughts have no place. Why don"t we concentrate upon the American instead? We don"t want him falling for any of the other gorgeous Shanghai girls, right?"