82 Before it's too late

"You come down to Shanghai and we shall talk face-to-face," said Tang in a soothing tone.

Disconnecting the call with his Chu, he leaned back into his chair and stared into space moodily. He was regretting his decision to reveal his plan to his sister.

"Irrespective of whether she agrees or not, I am going to go ahead with the plan," he thought savagely.

He couldn't explain to his sister as to how critical it was for him to do this before it was too late for him and Jia Li again.

Two days later

"I didn't want to snatch his project away from him. But I have managed to get myself included in it. Wei didn't seem too happy about the prospect though," Tang sat across his sister and Ethan who had landed an hour ago.

"I am more worried about Jia Li's reaction to your presence than Wei's displeasure. From whatever I know of her, she would try and avoid you like plague. She is terrified of the chemistry between you and her," Ethan interjected.

"For someone who has barely interacted with her, you seem to have some deep insights into her psyche," Tang nearly growled at him, forgetting that Ethan was trying to help him.

"I don't believe this, big brother. Can you stop getting jealous of anyone who dares to bring your girl's name on his lips? Plus, I happen to agree with Ethan's assessment. But I guess that won't matter if everything else goes as per plan," she said worriedly.

"Do you think we should ask brother Li Jie and brother Chung for their advice?" she asked.

Tang gritted his teeth, "on the basis of what I observed during the trip to Hainan, they seem to have accepted Wei in their fold. In fact, Li Jie looks to be in favour of their alliance. He was forever trying to push him in front of Jia Li, trying to create opportunities for them to be together."

Ethan reasoned, "from their perspective, he is a good option for her. From what you have described till now, Wei seems to be genuinely fond of her. So don't grudge them for wishing the best for her."

"Grr…are you on Wei's side or big brother's? Why are you so quick to offer justification from everyone else's perspective," she nearly shouted at Ethan in frustration.

Before he could respond, Tang sighed and said, "Ethan is right. During the last forty eight hours, I have seriously considered the possibility of a future between Jia Li and Wang Wei. I tried to stand in her shoes and think from her viewpoint. The only conclusion that I reached was that if she chose to walk down that path, she would find herself exactly where I am standing today with Mei Zhen. Instead of being miserable and causing pain to another person, isn't it better to fight for a better life? Does our love not deserve a second chance? I know I will end up hurting a lot of people if I choose to take this road. But does her and my loneliness not count? Though she didn't tell me the reason for her divorce, it was not tough for me to figure it out."

Hoarsely, on a broken voice, he continued, "if I thought that she would be able to find happiness with another guy, I would not take this step. I mean I stayed away for all these years thinking that she is sorted in her relationship. But now I curse myself for living the life of a coward. I never had the courage to face the reality of her marriage and hence never checked on how was she coping. I wish that I had…I wish she had trusted me enough to come and share her pain with me."

Chu couldn't handle seeing her brother hurting. He had been her hero all these years, had supported all her decisions, shielded her from their parents, given her the wings to soar in her life. But never had she seen him this vulnerable, hurting, almost bleeding. He had never shared his thoughts like this with her before, as well.

"I will help in whatever way you want me to…" she said firmly, wiping her tears.

Both men looked at her with surprise.

Moganshan

Winter had started to show its true colours boldly. Jia Li reached office clad in a purple turtleneck sweater with black leggings and boots. She rubbed her freezing hands on the sides of her thighs. She was missing Hainan Island's sun already though it had only been a week since she had returned. Her conversation with Wei on Saturday had left her pondering. She didn't want to shift base to Shanghai, even temporarily. It was wonderful that their efforts had borne fruit and been recognised. She didn't mind putting in the hard work to set up the same elsewhere but Shanghai was where Tang lived with his family.

She just wanted to stay miles away from that place.