Jia Li spun around in surprise just in time to see the anguish in his eyes.
"I followed her here, hoping for an opportunity to speak with her, away from the business setting in which she has always seen me. Little did I know the surprise which awaited me," he said bitterly.
"Xie Chu is here, in Moganshan?" she spluttered, worried about the ramifications of the fact.
"Yes, she is playing tour guide to her foreigner friend, who, as it turns out, is much more than her friend. How did I miss the signs? Me, the biggest love guru of all…do you know how many women flock to me without me even lifting a finger? I know everything that is there to know about them. And I didn't see this coming. For the first time ever, I fell in love, crazily enough to follow her around like a besotted fool and I couldn't see it," he spat out.
"Well, haven't you heard that love is blind?" she murmured.
"What am I to do? He is absolutely wrong for her. She can't see that but I can," he continued hotly.
At Jia Li's raised eyebrows, he smiled for the first time, "I am not saying that I am the best man for her but I am infinitely better than that arrogant son of a @!#$#$."
"Ethan and arrogant? I am sorry to say this but you have an incorrect opinion about him. I may have met him for a short while but all throughout he was a gentle person, full of humour and intelligence," she reacted finally.
"And I know you feel as if the world is going to come crashing down but I promise you it won't. This too shall pass, just give it time. Now I am afraid I really must go," she said.
"You mean to say that since you and Tang didn't get to be together and you both survived the ordeal, the others should also just give in and not fight for what's right," he snapped back.
She closed the distance between them and gave him a shove back.
"How dare you compare your pathetic infatuation to my love? Who gave you the right to judge Tang and me? What DO YOU know about us, anyways? Let me tell you Mister, you haven't seen anything yet. Love is the devil who is never satiated. It demands your constant attention, your self-respect, your morality, your complete surrender and even then, it's not enough…never enough. The pain that it causes you is worse than thousand deaths," her chest heaving, she paused to draw a breath.
Wang Wei placed a restraining hand on her trembling shoulder, "I am sorry. I didn't even mean to say those words. In fact, I didn't even know the depth of your emotions till I just saw them etched on your face. I am really sorry."
Jia Li was aghast at her loss of control.
Mortification took over grief as she mumbled, "I am sorry too. I don't know why I overreacted. It isn't my place to weigh your feelings."
"Now that we have opened a mutual apology corner, should I dare extend my earlier offer of coffee?" he asked with a tentative smile.
Not willing to sound churlish, she nodded, "there is an excellent shop nearby which does great coffee and shakes."
"Lead the way," he replied gallantly.
"So do you want to tell me about it?" she asked after they had placed their respective orders at the coffee place, as a means of peace offering.