401 Visiting Harry 4

"You must be hungry. The food is ready. Let's go to the dining room," Mrs. Si invited. She led the uncomfortable Ryn out of Harry's room and through the long corridor to the huge stairs. 

Ryn looked back toward Mei Li who was following them. She gave her manager a cry for help using her eyes but Mei Li was powerless against the much 'stronger' Mrs. Si. They were in the Si's territory so it was impossible for them to get away without Mrs. Si's permission. Mei Li gave Ryn a 'sorry' look. She had no idea how to solve this problem without hurting the older woman's heart. It was as clear as the sky how excited Mrs. Si was when Ryn arrived.

"I'm not sure about your favorite so I ask the kitchen to prepare a variety of food," Mrs. Si said when they were entering the dining room.

Mei Li's eyes widened seeing how huge the room was and the decoration. The chandeliers, the vases decorating the room, the flowers... all were expensive. She unconsciously took small steps worriedly as she did not want to break anything.

Silently she wondered how Long's family's house looked like. She never went there and knew Ryn always went there to spend time with Mika since young. What was Ryn's thought when she first went there? Was she as worried as her when she saw the decoration and the wealth? It felt like anything could break even when she was breathing.

"You can sit here," Mrs. Si said, signaling the butler to pull a chair for Ryn. It was on her right side as the elder woman took the head seat.

Ryn, again, glanced at Mei Li. She truly felt uncomfortable with the way Mrs. Si treating her. This felt so wrong and weird.

Mei Li wanted to sit beside Ryn, hoping the younger woman could help give her strength by holding her hand. But her plan was thwarted when the butler pulled the chair on Mrs. Si' left side. Unhappily, she sat on the chair and murmured her thanks.

"Go call the rest," Mrs. Si told the butler.

"Err... maybe I should sit beside Ryn," Mei Li grabbed the chance and stood up. She quickly made her way to the seat beside Ryn. Surely the family members would feel weird if they saw where she was sitting just now, right? She should sit beside Ryn, as the visitor.

Mrs. Si did not bat an eye when Mei Li chose to sit beside Ryn. Her focus was totally on Ryn, which made the younger woman almost squirm uncomfortably. When would this awkwardness end?

Soon enough Angela entered the dining room. Her hair was a bit wet but her face was clean. Reddened but clean. Her eyes lit up when she saw Ryn. She quickly headed toward Ryn, ignoring the disapproving look from her sister-in-law.

"You're here, Ryn," she hugged Ryn before gave her a puppy-eyed look, "Did you bring a chocolate cake?"

But why did she feel otherwise?

"Angela," Mrs. Si reprimanded her sister-in-law disapprovingly. Why couldn't her sister-in-law behave herself like a truly elegant woman? Not only she did not watch her words but she also did not care about her attire. She should change her clothes before she came into the dining room. See how dear Catherine was behaving. So gentle and graceful.

Just like a true Lady.

As Mrs. Si looked at Ryn, she liked the younger woman more and more. And she was determined to have her as her daughter-in-law. With her handsome son and Catherine's beauty, she had no doubt her future grandchildren would be beautiful and handsome. Ooh... she could not wait for the two of them getting married. Oh, should she start preparing the nursery?

Angela ignored her sister-in-law. She took the seat which was left by Mei Li. Then, she signaled the maid to start serving the food. 

A few maids came in holding trays. The butler also entered back the dining room and helped to serve the food for the women. He made sure every glass never left half of the drink inside and whenever Mrs. Si or any of the women lift up their head, he would be prepared to serve them anything they wanted.

Which was a bit of a burden for Ryn and Mei Li. They were not used to being served like this. Even when Ryn was at the Longs. The family ate like any normal family. The butler did not serve them. Mrs. Long served her husband while the kids (Jeremy and Mika) took the food they wanted by themselves. Of course, the butler was there, hovering after them but even for pouring the drink, it would be the job of the family members.

Yes, compared to the Si's, the Long's was much more down-to-earth.

And suddenly Ryn wished she was at Long's mansion. Even though Jeremy and Mika could be quite annoying with their possessiveness and forceful attitude, they were not as 'weird' as the way Mrs. Si was behaving right now. In fact, Mrs. Long would always help her by reprimanding her two children to behave themselves and not to force her to do things she did not want to.

She did not feel suffocated when she was in Long's mansion compared to her.

And this made her miss Jeremy and Mika. These two people always acted as if they owned her but she knew deep down in her heart the reason behind their action. They loved her too much until they were unable to help themselves.

Sigh.

But it did not mean she forgave Jeremy easily. She was still pissed at him for trying to force his decision without discussing or asking for her thought. Hmph... not that easy for her to forgive and forget.

"Ryn dear, is the food not to your liking?" Mrs. Si asked when she noticed Ryn stopped eating. She looked at Angela questioningly but her sister-in-law was so engrossed with her own meal, she did not look left or right. Apparently, spending hours painting in her studio made her stomach hungrier and she needed food to refuel her energy.

Mrs. Si narrowed her eyes at Angela but could not reprimand her sister-in-law in front of the guests. She turned back her attention to Ryn, giving the younger woman a worried look.

Ryn looked at Mrs. Si blankly before she lowered her eyes and looked at her plate. Although she loved eating steaks so much, and the cook even prepared her favorite food today, but her emotion was still troubled with what just happened between her and Jeremy. She lost her appetite after three small pieces of steak. This never happened to her before but alas...

Mei Li who was being ignored by everyone tried to make herself as small as possible. She cut the steak quietly and carefully. She tried as she could not make any sound. Even when she reached for her glass of orange juice and took a sip, she did it slowly as not to attract others' attention. Better to eat her fill before she started to plan how to get out of this place with Ryn safely.

"No... nothing is wrong," Ryn denied. She put down the fork and knife onto the plate and smiled at the elder woman.

"Is the food not to your liking?" Mrs. Si asked worriedly.

"It's delicious," Ryn assured with a smile.

"Then, eat some more. Don't be shy," Mrs. Si urged. She signaled one of the maids to bring more dishes for Ryn to choose from.

"It's okay, Mrs. Si," Ryn put a hand to stop the maid from scooping more food into her plate.

"What Mrs. Si Mrs. Si? Just call me Aunty," Mrs. Si chuckled.

"Err..." Ryn blinked her eyes, a bit uneasy with how friendly and eager this older woman was. Of course, she was glad to see Mrs. Si being friendly and not stuck up like some rich women but right now, this friendly treatment sent her shiver. Something was definitely not right with the way she was behaving.

"Don't be shy. Aunty," Mrs. Si instructed with a smile and sparkled in her eyes. She wished she could ask Ryn to call her mama or mom.

Ryn glanced at Mei Li who shrugged at her back. She cleared her throat and smiled weakly at the elder woman, "Aunty."

"Good. Very good. Good girl," Mrs. Si praised. She reached for her drink and sipped it before handed it to the butler to refill. "Do not call me Mrs. Si, Mrs. Si. I feel like we're being strangers like this."

"Err... okay... Mrs... I mean, Aunty," Ryn stuttered.

"Very good. Come. Continue eating. Later, we'll go back to check on Harry," Mrs. Si urged her to eat more.

Ryn sighed heavily. Why would she need to go upstairs to check on Harry? Hadn't they just go there? Would Harry's fever get better just from her second visit? This was illogical.