Currently, Yu Yan was seated at a round table amongst the other women. She slowly ate her deliciously prepared snacks in slow distracted bites while nodding demurely to the older women chatting. She had been to such events albeit smaller but enough times to know her place and her responses.
Yu Yan could not wait for the party to be over as she felt awkward and out of place in the crowd of ladies as she had always been.She felt like everyone around was mocking her pretense at been a dignified lady.
" Mrs Li has a good appetite." An older woman said to her making small talk.
" Yes , thank you." Yu Yan slowly put her fork down and said back politely like she had been taught by her etiquette teachers.
" I don't know if we will soon be able to hear any good news or not , mrs Li ?'' Another young madam smiled.
Yu Yan had to pinch herself to not show any reactions to her probing question. She only tried to show a shy and gentle expression while trying to calm her beating heart.
Seeing her daughter in law's reaction, Li Jun's mother had to speak up.
" Madam is kind for worrying. My family is not in a rush. Its not been long that they got married and the couple are young and should live more in their own two people world more."
"Yes auntie my mother is too young to become a grandmother." Li Jun's sister lightened up the mood with a laugh.
Yu Yan was concerned that the topic would continue but surprisingly, they started another topic.
"Madam Li, why did you marry off your eldest son so early all of a sudden? Here I thought that it was because there was a grandson on the way but it was apparently not so. Or was it Li Jun himself who was in a hurry? hehehehe." The speaker was rather direct friend of Meng Hwa's.
Meng Hwa Chided her with a laugh and explained that she had always wanted Li Jun to marry before his 30s and he was only rushing to marry early in regards to her. And she was very satisfied with the daughter in law he brought home.
"But wasn't there talks of an engagement with miss Ito Emiko from ISL Corporations? I believed for a long time that Madam Li would be bringing home the young heiress" Miss Ito Emiko the textile and real estate heiress from Japan? who had lost both her parents at a young age and was trained to be the next head?
The whole table got silent. Waiting for the mystery to unfold.
Yu Yan also looked at the woman. She looked to be a beautiful auntie in her 50s. She had a regal bearing to her.Madam Cui, Yu Yan recalled. The Cui family had a love-hate business relationship given that the Cui family also owned the 2nd most successful bank in mainland China. They were also tied by marriage to a son of Li family clan member. Probably a 2nd or 3rd cousin.
Madam Li glanced at her with a smile and spoke while twirling her glass of wine.
"Madam Cui is speaking nonsense. The Ito's family patriach is a very close and dear friend of my father in law as they were also college roomates but we have never had any talks about getting our families any closer than we already are. I know that Madam Cui has no malice but it would be unfortunate if someone took it seriously and tarnished the Ito daughter's name. Isn't it so Xin Yi?"
Mrs Xin Yi who was already on edge by her in-law's loose mouth was immediately startled on being named.
Mrs Xin Yi was Li Jianguo cousin's wife. She was related to Madam Cui by marriage and the snitch who had leaked about Li Jun's engagement discussion with Ito Emiko. Meng Hua brought her into the discussion just to warn her to shut her mouth next time.
Mrs Xin Yi replied in agreement and tried her best to gloss over the the topic, swifting the discussion to something else.
Many people wanted to keep hearing about the sudden gossip but smartly, none put it up.
Meanwhile Yu Yan just sat there trying not to show her shock and confusion to the people glancing her way.
She had clearly seen that Madam Cui was not speaking nonsense. The people here would never talk without root.
Li Jun was in the midst of talks of marriage with grandpa Li's college Alumni? Yu Yan did not even know how to feel anymore.What could she even say? She and Li Jun were already married. She did not know anything.
Yu Yan especially today felt that she was clearly out of place and out of depth here. She questioned herself again and again and faded into the background like usual.
Suddenly, the main hall erupted into greetings and loud laughing.
Li jun walked in escorting some gentlemen with a stoic faced Li Jianguo and an unhappy Li Chen and Li Fuhua.
Meng Hua also stood up bringing along Yu Yan and Li Fen. Some ladies followed too.
Meng Hwa had left her glass and without any defects and greeted the distinguished gentlemen. Introducing Yu Yan and Li Fen gracefully. Only then did Li Jianguo showed a slight smile.
They all made polite talks about small family greetings and most talks were about grandpa Li. According to Yu Yan, the Elite guests spoke with equal politeness to Li Jun and Li Jianguo.
Yu Yan was at the back of the group now as more people flooded in to meet and greet. suddenly, she felt a gentle tap on her arm. She turned and looked up to see a face.
Ren Hao Pan greeted her with a dashing smile. Yu yan was surprised.
" Mr Pan?" She wondered if Li Jun knew that he was going to be here.
"Yu Yan, nice to see you again". Ren could do barely to hide his overwhelming emotions.
" Mr Pan is also here?"Yu Yan tried to say as politely as possible. She was uncomfortable. There were eyes everywhere watching her. She did not want to cause any trouble for Li Jun.
" Yes. I got an invite. Its my first time attending these gatherings. In the past, my family had no one to send here. Our roots were here you see."
"Oh." Yu Yan tried to end the conversation.
" Yu Yan, how are you? You look unwell." Ren asked as he noticed subtle signs of fatigue on her small face.
" Mr Pan is so polite. I am doing great." Yu Yan responded trying to maintain distance.
As Ren continued to make small talk with her, Yu Yan also could not bring herself to leave rudely. She also somehow noticed that she could not bring herself to move her feet away and even wanted to chat further with him. She frowned.
" Are you okay?" Ren noticed and asked in a concerned tone.
" Yes. I .. I mean no. please excuse me Mr Pan, I would like to visit the ladies room." Yu Yan bowed and walked away as Ren sputtered politely behind her.
As she walked further she chanced a glance at Li Jun amongst the dispersing crowd.
He was also looking at her. The single second of his expression startled her.
What was that? Rage? Towards her?No.. No, she must have been mistaken.
Yes she was, as Li Jun shifted his expression in another split second and grinned playfully at her as he turned away to speak to an older man.
Yu Yan was escorted by a beautiful attendant into the luxurious ladies room, specifically arranged for each of the guests. The rest room lookedmore like a mini appartment to her but by now this level of luxury did not surprise her anymore.
She sat on the couch and expelled her breathe. Her thoughts went all around. Her infetility, This new fiancee Her not fitting into the status quo, Li Jun's secretive behaviours and even to Mr Pan at the end. What was up with that man and his overly intimate behaviours with her? like as if he knew her very well and not that they had met by a literal accident just a few months ago. And what was also up with her a married woman always putting her guard down around him? Also...
Earlier, As her mother in law had been introducing her. She had been introduced as a Jewellery designer with a small chains of stores in Paris.
Meng Hua had said; " Its not a big business, with just a few stores but she is a talented and a hard working child. My Li Jun values her opinions a lot regarding our own designs. Hahahhahaha"
Yu Yan could only smile bashfully hiding her shame on the great lie. She looked at Li Jun and LI Jun also smiled along with his mother and added in his own appreciations. He acted so normal and truthful that even she almost believed it.
Ofcourse, Li Jun had already informed her of this a long time ago and she had been prepared for it but everytime these talks came up, she could not help but recoil and even felt like screaming that she had never even drawn a piece of those so called jewellery designs in her supposed stores. Those stores in Paris she had never been to in her life. She had searched those stores in Paris online and it did exist and the backgrounds and timings were exactly as they had concocted. It scared her to her core... this environment..this means.
And all these whether she wanted or not was on the verge of collapse.
Sooner or later, Li Jun and his family would know that she , who they had trained and moulded to fit into their world on the behest of their precious heir was nothing but a barren hen.
Then it would crash! There would be no ifs and no maybes. It would have to fall apart.