3 Chapter 3 Bitter Relations

Present Day

The ringing of his phone startled him out of the memory lane.

"There is no point thinking about the past. I need to focus on my present and stop imagining the what-ifs", he lectured himself before taking the business call.

Half an hour later, he descended the steps to reach the ground floor where the preparation for the impending function was in full force. The Xie family lived on the Puxi riverside. Mr Xie had paid a fortune to buy the building when they had first moved to Shanghai. His newly acquired moneyed status was firmly established with the swanky residential address seven years ago. The engagement between his son and the daughter of the largest hotel chain owner in the country was going to take place at the Xie Mansion.

The wedding event would be held at the best five-star hotel in town. It wasn't every day that the son of one of the biggest commercial goods manufacturer in the country was going to get hitched.

The rooftop had been divided into two sections. The engagement was to be held in the air-conditioned interiors and a small podium seated the elegant couches for the intended couple. Only the immediate relatives and closest friends had been invited for the event. The rest of the guests were supposed to join in later at night for dinner, the arrangements for which had been done up in the outdoor patio.

The view of the Bund was spectacular and would present the perfect backdrop for the party. Since it was autumn, the open area had been left uncovered except for a few gazebos scattered across the area. The décor had been matched to the intended couple's outfits. Lilacs and white chrysanthemums adorned various pillars both inside and outside the place. Innumerable dishes from different cuisines had been prepared and were going to be served through the night.

A slight nip in the air greeted Mr. Xie on that October evening. He watched proudly as his son, clad in an off-white well fitted suit walked towards him. An image of a skinny boy with scraped knees and gangly arms came in front of his eyes. There was a suspicion of moisture in Mr. Xie's eyes.

He hugged his son and adjusted his pocket square, "are you happy, my son?"

Without giving him a chance to reply, he continued, "Mei Zhen seems to be a wonderful girl and she would make an excellent wife".

He uttered these words with a touch of trepidation in his voice.

"Dad, are you trying to convince me or yourself?" asked Xie Tang with sarcasm lacing his voice.

With a small smile, he walked past to greet some of the relatives who had started to pour in.

His father sighed and tried to recall the exact moment his son had changed. It wasn't a drastic alteration, nothing that one could pin point at. But over the last five years, his smiles had dimmed and there seemed be a permanent strain around his eyes.

Though he had never been outgoing as a kid but in the recent past, he had turned even more reticent. And then there were times like these, where Mr. Xie glimpsed a hint of acute bitterness in his son's demeanour.

"It is all going to change for better once he is married. Whatever I did had been for his betterment. In the long run, he shall thank me for it", he consoled his guilty heart.