140 Public debacle?

Ethan and Wei had walked out by then, listening to their raised voices and started to pull them both towards the exit.

"Let's not turn this into a public debacle," Ethan murmured in Tang's ear, soothingly.

Nostrils flared, Tang took Mei Zhen by the arm and walked out of the station's gate. A subdued Jia Li also stepped out with Wei and Ethan by her side.

"Tang, why don't you and Mei Zhen head towards the hotel that she is staying in? I am going to help Jia Li pack in the meanwhile. We will coordinate about leaving for Shanghai on the phone," Wei said to him.

Tang nodded at him and went away. Ethan followed suit. Once they were out of earshot, Jia Li turned to face Wei.

"Now that Fu has been caught, I don't have to go to Shanghai anymore, right. Can we please let our lives return to normal now?" Jia Li requested.

The journey from the hospital to the station had fatigued her already. On top of that, Mei Zhen's cruel words were giving her a massive headache.

Wei saw the tiredness circling her eyes and took her hand in his, gently.

"I don't want you to waste your energy here anymore. Let's go home first, hmm?" he told her coaxingly.

Jia Li hesitated reaching the doorsteps of her house. She was bracing herself for what waited inside. Wei took the keys out of his pocket and opened the door, going in first. She followed in reluctantly, only to look around in surprise. The whole place had been cleaned. None of the blood stains or broken furniture was in sight. She looked at him with gratitude and gave him a tremulous smile. Wordlessly, he came towards her and enveloped her in his warmth.

She held herself back for a second before giving in to the support and relief, which his arms offered. Leaning in fully, she sighed and stood there for countless minutes. Wei held his breath. He didn't want this intimate bubble to dissipate. Her body held the smell of the wound's antiseptic, reminding him of the close fatal shave that she had experienced. Normally not a believer in God, he sent up a prayerof gratitude for keeping her safe. He tightened his grip around her for a miniscule second. Dropping a featherlight kiss on her forehead, he released her.

"You need to rest for a while. Why don't you go to the room, shut your eyes and I will cook us some absolute basic brunch, since that's all that I am capable of," he said with a sheepish grin.

She nodded her head wearily and went in to lie down. After debating with himself for a bit, Wei called up his father and brought him up to speed with the happenings since last evening.

"So is everything sorted now? You aren't lying to me about you not getting hurt, correct?" His father asked him again, just to make sure.

He had gotten increasingly concerned listening to his son's words.

"Yes, the perpetrator is in jail. Xie Tang has recovered his memory. I don't even have a scratch on my body. So it's all good now. Dad, uh…that is to say, I was thinking of bringing Jia Li back with me to Shanghai for a bit, just to uh…help her recover from the err…" he was fumbling with his words, trying to sound nonchalant about them.

"She is more than welcome to Shanghai and in YOUR house. I will inform your mother to make the necessary arrangements. Anything else?" Mr. Wang asked with a smile.

Wei's face broke into a happy grin but he replied with studied seriousness, "no that's it. Thanks, dad!"

Putting down the phone, he stole a peek at Jia Li's room and was relieved to see her fast asleep.

Humming under his breath, he rummaged in the now familiar kitchen for a pack of noodles and the necessary utensils. He received a text from Ethan, informing him about leaving the next morning for Shanghai. He had further written that Tang had pulled some connections and was trying to get a permission to meet Fu before that. He instructed Wei to not inform Jia Li about it because Tang didn't want her facing her ex-husband again.

"I won't tell her. But keep me posted, please. I would like to come along to see the guy," he replied to the text.

Jia Li was still sleeping so he kept the now ready food aside and opened his laptop. He wanted to stay on top of things at work because once Jia Li came to Shanghai with him, he would ensure that she spends all her time with him. He had been content to let things move at their own pace but now he wasn't going to waste even a single moment procrastinating. Jia Li was going to be hit by the full force of his charm, wit and love. He wasn't going to let her breathe till she didn't say yes to him.