"Yes. Six years ago." Grandma Lu said.
The old woman was able to steady her voice despite her heat beating hard in her ears. She looked at AnLing's face as it had begun to turn white.
She'd almost fucked up.
Shuya looked between the two women quizzically. "Oh? What did you guys talk about."
The question was directed at her grandmother, but AnLing was quick to interject. "Nothing. I don't remember. "
This caused Shuya's face to darken. She glared at AnLing before sneering, "You… why are you so rude?"
'Aren't you the rude one, you brat. I'm your elder sister.' AnLing had so many things she wanted to say to Shuya but instead, she kept her mouth shut. She loved her grandmother, her grandfather, her parents, and Duyi… a part of her had even loved Shuya's presence, way back when.
AnLing knew she had royally messed up her relationship with Shuya that summer of six years ago so she accepted Shuya's blatant hate for her but she didn't feel guilty anymore.
This was because she had made a conscious decision. One that she had decided never to regret. She would always believe that It was right to bring her child to term.
Shuya's shame had nothing to do with AnLing.
Shuya turned to Grandma Lu with a pout. "Grandma…" she pleaded.
"What do you want? I don't interfere in fights between siblings." Shuya knew her grandmothers ideal well, but it never hurt to ask.
"Anyways, back to the original topic. Little Mian, how are the wedding preparations going?"
"They're going well," Xiao Mian said with a blush.
"I heard Shuya is going to be one of your bridesmaids. Since Little Ling just came back into the country, I'm guessing that you didn't invite her?"
Hearing those words from Grandma Lu's mouth made AnLing's hair stand up at the back of her neck.
Something bad was about to happen…
Xiao Mian: "Actually, I bumped into her today, and I invited her to the wedding and the engagement party. And if she isn't busy, she can come to my bachelorette party too."
"That's good, that's good!" Grandma Lu exclaimed.
AnLing's bad feeling was right.
Despite the fact that Grandma Lu hadn't spilled the beans to Shuya didn't mean she wasn't going to spill the beans at all.
"Little Mian, if I may ask you a favor, please introduce some good men to Little Ling. I'm sure your husband has many good friends in his circle."
Xiao Mian's face twisted a bit and then she smiled at AnLing remorsefully.
She probably felt bad for her…
Xaio Mian: "The engagement itself isn't a big thing. Due to my career, my fiancé and I want to keep a low profile until the actual wedding is close and then we'll announce it, so only a couple of our close friends, business partners, and family members know about it. There won't be many eligible bachelors, to begin with."
Grandma Lu pursed her lips. "What about Tang Luoyi, isn't his family close to yours?"
"Ah… no. The Tang's broke off business with my family and began collaborating with foreigners. They're already dominating the jewelry and fashion industries and they're getting closer to Halo Stars in the entertainment industry so they didn't need a lower level textile companies' products, like ours." Xiao Mian's face was slightly dark.
When Grandma Lu saw the girls crestfallen face she patted her on the shoulder.
"The Tang's are so stuck up." Grandma Lu huffed. "Your father's company is doing so well nowadays. I've been checking. So don't worry about them, they'll regret it."
Xiao Mian laughed sweetly.
"This year, my father began to work with one of the Tang's direct competitors. If you want, I can introduce AnLing to one of their sons. Though I'm not sure if they're coming as of yet."
Grandma Lu's smile grew wide and she began to slap her knee. "Of course! That would be great."
AnLing didn't open her mouth once. She knew that in the end, she would have little say in the matter anyways. After a little more conversing, Xiao Mian excused herself to go to the bathroom so, in the room, only the Lu's remained.
Grandma Lu suddenly began to cough erratically.
"Shuya, my dear could you go get me some water?" the old woman said between coughs.
Shuya didn't want to leave AnLing and Grandma Lu alone. She had the burning desire to stay and cuddle with her grandmother in front of her sister in order to show her presence… but since Grandma Lu had asked, she couldn't do anything else but obey.
After Shuya left, the room was quiet for a few minutes. When Grandma Lu was sure that Shuya had gone, she turned to AnLing with a slight frown.
AnLing: "…"
The old woman sighed. She knew she had let her granddaughter down.
"I'm so sorry, I wasn't thinking; my mouth moved faster than I could think, but don't worry, no one will know that you've come here before. I told the nurses and doctors to keep their mouths shut."
AnLing sighed. She walked over and leaned over to hug her grandmother tightly.
AnLing: "You okay?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" The old woman asked.
AnLing sighed once more.
Yep… she knew it.
She pushed herself up to look her grandmother in the face. "You can't keep faking your illnesses. One day something bad will actually happen and I won't believe."
"Faking? What are you talking about." Grandma Lu shrugged innocently. Though she lowered her face slightly as to not meet the girl's eyes.
What a shameless old woman…
Suddenly, AnLing's phone began to buzz. She had been holding it in her hand the whole time.
When she read the message she froze.
King Kang: [I won't be able to sleep if I don't see you home safely. I'll wait for you until morning if I must.]
What a shameless man…
In her mind, the words sounded kind but with a double meaning. His words reminded her of a man talking to his lover. AnLing felt her face heat up but she kept her lips in a straight line. She wouldn't— no… she couldn't— allow Grandma Lu to know about this.
Whatever 'this' was…
When AnLing had arrived at the hospital she had only planned on checking on her grandmother, and if she was okay, she was going to immediately leave but because of Shuya and Xiao Mian, AnLing was forced to stay close to two hours.
Once the girls were done, she walked downstairs with them.
Despite Kang Jun being the one who was supposed to pick her up, she knew that she had to leave Grandma's room with Shuya, not before or after, because both would cause their own slew of problems.
Downstairs the three ladies waited on the inside in front of the automatic doors. Mr. Jing had left to fetch the car.
"Do you need a ride home?" Xiao Mian asked AnLing kindly, as she placed her hand on the girl's shoulder.
"No, I'm good. I'll be taking a taxi." AnLing replied politely.
"I would say it isn't much trouble… but it kinda is." Shuya replied childishly.
"Shuya, stop it. She's your older sister. You should respect her more."
"Ha— ugh… adopted sister." Shuya corrected.
"She is still your sister, nonetheless and she's also my friend, so, treat her kindly or else I'll no longer be your Jie Jie."
Hearing this, Shuya's face twisted. She didn't answer yes or no, but she knew that she would have to comply, despite the fact that the way Xiao Mian spoke to her hurt her pride.
The Xiao's were a powerful family and an important business partner of the Lu family. Shuya knew that she shouldn't have bad blood between her and Xiao Mian. Seeing Shuya in such a predicament, AnLing interjected, "She's young. She's just playing around. It's not a big deal."
In truth, it wasn't a big deal. She much preferred Shuya's blatant animosity compared to those who schemed. It made it much easier to deal with her, even if it had more chances of triggering AnLing's anger.
"I don't need your help," Shuya muttered but both AnLing and Xiao Mian ignored her comment.
Once Mr. Jing's car appeared at the from, Shuya and Xiao Mian left arm in arm.
Before leaving, Xiao Mian waved to AnLing. "Bye, I'll see you at the engagement party? Text me and tell me if you can come to my bachelorette party too. I'd love to see you there."
AnLing: "Okay, I will and congratulations again."
"Thank you, and don't forget about the reunion either." Sometimes Xiao Mian sounded like a mother. It was hard to believe that she was a goddess of the entertainment industry now. Whenever AnLing would look at her, all she would see was the same old Xiao Mian.
"I won't." AnLing waved until the girls had entered the car, and and it drove away. Then she waited a few minutes before making her way outside.
Once outside, AnLing quickly located Kang Jun's Maybach. So she wouldn't accidentally approach another rich man's car, AnLing searched through her memories until she remembered his license plate number.
AnLing then entered the car and sat in the passenger seat.
Once Kang Jun laid eyes on her, he didn't look away or start to drive.
Kang Jun turned towards AnLing and then approached. He came closer and closer to her until she felt his aura. Her heart began to palpitate hard in her chest until it became caught in her throat. Seeing his body come over her, she had felt like she was going to be kissed. The familiar scent of roses and fruits came over her, sending her into a daze.
She could only imagine what he would do to her, but would the actuality be as sweet?
Her mind quickly fell into the gutter. Though what he did was something she wouldn't have expected. He had reached for her seatbelt and buckled it for her and then sat back into his seat, comfortably.
AnLing's eyes flew open and her face revealed an expression of pure shock.
Seeing her that way made a small smirk appear on Kang Jun's face. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing... nothing. You just do the strangest things…"
"Really?" He said, a laugh lingering somewhere in his voice.
AnLing: "Yes."
"Like what?" Kang Jun tilted his head and raised his eyebrows, mirroring AnLing's usual mannerism.
AnLing didn't say a word, she just pointed to her seatbelt and then crossed her arms over her chest before giving him a look. She had expected Kang Jun to continue their conversation by acting innocent as he usually did, but instead, his answer left AnLing speechless.
"It isn't strange. Aren't my actions clearer than my words." He said.
Kang Jun starred deeply into AnLing's eyes. His voice dripped with complete sincerity but, his eyes communicated it best. He was giving her a hint he didn't want her to be able to brush off.
Seeing that she didn't look away, Kang Jun revealed the softest smile AnLing had ever seen.
The beat, beat, beating of her heart consumed her body.
No matter how much she denied it, she could feel herself falling.