129 False Impressions

Tang had specifically asked Ethan and Chu to not join them for dinner tonight. Despite one hand in cast, he wanted to whip up a special meal at home for just the two of them.

Looked like he will have to take care of this Wei before he could make any plans to woo Jia Li.

After reaching home also, their bickering over the smallest thing continued, much to Jia Li's increasing frustration levels. She gave a sigh of relief as soon as the doorbell rang, though.

5:30pm

"Isn't he too early? You said late evening to me and it's not 6p.m. yet" Tang commented snidely.

She gave him a warning look to behave himself before going and opening the door.

"Hi beautiful…" Fu said softly, before handing her a big bunch of exotic tulips.

Jia Li looked at him and then the flowers in askance, "what are you doing here, Fu?"

"You look disappointed. Were you expecting anyone else?" he asked, hurt evident in his voice.

"No no, I am just surprised. Why didn't you call me and let me know that you were coming?" she said, trying to cover up her reaction.

"Uh, are we going to have the entire conversation at the door step? You won't even ask me in?" he asked in his usual amused tone.

She hesitated for a second before gesturing him inside. This was going to be one awkward evening!!

Belatedly, she realised that Fu's existence was not going to be remembered by Tang anymore.

"I thought you intended to spend the rest of the evening at the…" Tang's sentence trailed off when he saw another man entering instead of Wei.

Fu pretended to give a visible start at Tang's presence and looked at Jia Li.

"Oh I am so sorry. I had no idea that you were entertaining guests this evening already," he said with exaggerated surprise.

"This is Cheng Fu, my…senior from the university. He was in the area and decided to drop by," she told Tang.

Before Fu could voice his confusion, she rushed on, "and this is Xie Tang. We are childhood friends."

Tang was taken aback at Fu's presence there. As if one current suitor wasn't enough, the one from the past also had landed to make his task more difficult, he thought savagely.

"Uh, why don't I show you around the house and the view from my balcony. You haven't been here before, right," she blabbered to Fu, trying to pull him away from Tang's presence before he could say something regarding their past.

Tang understood her motive for doing this and didn't raise any objection. But his mind was racing, thinking of ways to eject the man out of the house asap.

"You mean he has lost selective memories," scepticism laced Fu's words after Jia Li had taken him aside and explained the situation to him.

Though he put up a confused persona in front of his ex-wife, a lot of things had cleared up in his head about Tang's sudden return in her life. In the initial haze of anger, he had accepted what Mei Zhen had told him about Tang and Jia Li being together, but his mind had known that something was amiss about the whole deal. Maybe this is why she was so insistent upon coming along, so that her lies don't get caught. Nevertheless, whatever maybe the reason for it, the truth was that Tang was with Jia Li while still being married to someone else. And Jia Li belonged only to him…he couldn't let their sins go unpunished.

"Don't worry. I understood now. I am sorry I barged in without informing first. At that time, it had seemed like a good idea to surprise you. I guess I just wanted to see you. Past few weeks have been really terrible," he started.

"Oh, what's wrong?" she asked in immediate concern.

"It turns out that Xue Ann and I weren't compatible and she decided to break-up with me. The engagement is off," he spoke in a low voice.

Jia Li placed her hand on his forearm, "that's…that's terrible. I am so sorry. I had no idea. You should have called me."

"Well, initially I thought that I would be able to handle it myself. Then when I couldn't, I still hesitated because I didn't want to impose on you. We hadn't exactly kept in touch much post the divorce. So I…" he let his words trail off.

She hastened to reassure him, "it is not an imposition. I am sorry that I haven't kept in touch for the past year or so but I have been busy trying to sort my life out. But I am always here for you when you need a shoulder."

"Why don't you sit while I bring some tea out?" she told him as they moved back towards the sitting area where Tang awaited them.