307 Hello Jia Li...

When he didn't answer, Jia Li moved closer and removed his sunglasses.

"There, now I can see better. I was feeling as if I am talking to my own reflection right now," she said calmly.

He was confused. Wasn't she too calm, too relaxed? Had she known about his presence here from before? Why was she here anyways? He couldn't think of anyone who would have invited her to the wedding.

Frustration ran through his veins as he grappled with all these questions. He didn't know how to ask them.

Jia Li brought her face closer to his and said, "won't you even acknowledge my presence? Maybe you want to type something out to me."

Tang looked at her with astonishment. How did she…

Five minutes earlier

Jia Li came and stopped a slight distance away from where he was sitting. She wanted to calm herself before facing him. She was worried that she would lose control and either start crying or start hitting him.

He had lost weight. This was the first thought which crossed her mind. Since she was standing at a perpendicular angle to him, he couldn't see her but she could, without being observed. Hui came upto her, curiosity shimmering in his eyes.

"See that guy sittng there in a tux? That's the man who has defined my existence till date. And he doesn't seem to be much bothered about it. He sits there comfortable, rejoicing the marriage of his sister while I have been mourning the loss of his presence for uncountable days, hours, minutes," she said woodenly, without waiting for him to ask her about Tang.

Hui replied in confusion, "isn't that Mr. Xie? He is the one who visited our office with his cousin. HE is..."

Jia Li nodded her head and said bitterly, "yup, the same. The one who has made me fall in love with him over and over again, only to leave me alone, right after that."

"What's wrong with him?" Hui asked.

"I don't know. Maybe he has changed his mind, maybe he has…" Jia Li's tirade was cut by Hui's next words.

"I mean to ask what is wrong with him physically?" he specified.

Jia Li looked at Tang and then at Hui, in confusion.

"There is nothing wrong with him physically. Why do you ask?" she posed the question.

He looked at Jia Li and replied, "look at his side which is facing us. He is unable to sit straight. The woman next to him keeps pulling him up every few seconds. It's like he can't support his own weight."

Jia Li stood there staring at Tang and suddenly started noticing a lot of things. Though the woman was talking non-stop to him, he only kept typing and giving the phone to her.

Looking at the comprehension dawning at Jia Li's face, Hui put a comforting hand on her shoulder and quietly traced his steps back to his seat.

Present time

Tang didn't know what to make of her words. There was no way that she could have known about his condition.

"Still thinking what to say to me? Maybe you can start with a 'hello, Jia Li. How are you? That shouldn't be so tough to come up with, right?" she said.

While she had stood there looking at him sometime ago, she realised that Hui was right. There was something wrong with Tang's posture. He always had a nervous energy around him making it difficult for him to sit still but right now he was leaning to one side, almost slipping. And his face… it had an expression etched in stone. A lot of things were unclear to her but few things had started to make sense suddenly.

Tang gave up trying to find a way through the situation and gave in to his curiosity. Typing furiously with one hand, he wrote till the time his fingers were hurting.

Pulling the phone from his hand, she started to read. Her heart was pounding but she kept a neutral expression on her face.

"What are you doing here? How do you know about my condition? Why are you here with that man? Are you dating him? Why have you worn such a revealing dress? Do you like people staring at you? Why….." she shook her head.

"You are an ASS****. How about asking how have you survived these past weeks after I suddenly pulled the Houdini act on you? Asking idiotic question… as idiotic as you yourself are. Now you only type answers to what I ask. Understood?" she scolded him.

He shook his head in meek agreement in front of her sudden aggression.

"Can you walk?"

"No."

"Can you talk at all?"

"No."

"How did you reach the venue?"

"In a car, then a wheelchair."

"Where is the wheelchair?" 

"I don't know."

"Is that woman your caregiver?"

"Yes."

"Wait a minute. I need to speak with her. And I am taking your phone with me," she told him.