Frozen into inaction, Jia Li could only stare at his retreating back.
"What's wrong with him? How dare he…" Wei spluttered.
They went back and joined everyone at the dinner table finally. It was 2 am by the time the group dispersed post cake cutting and a few rounds of alcohol.
"I heard what happened with Tang at the beach. Instead of standing here and wondering, you should go and tell him about your intentions towards her. That is, if you are certain about your feelings," Kong advised a morose-looking Wei.
Wei had come back and told Li Jie about their confrontation with Tang at the beach.
"It is not that simple. There are a lot of hard truths which he has learnt today. I am sure it hasn't been easy on him either. On top of that, Mei Zhen would have given him enough grief", Wei replied sagely.
Tang felt as if he had been hit by a bull-dozer that night. Life was playing a sadistic joke on him. Here he had been getting ready for a congenial relation with Jia Li's husband just to have her back in his life in some way, while all this time she had cruelly held back the card to bring that elusive happiness to both of them. He couldn't get over her deception. Why in the world would she not tell him about the one thing which could unite them? Did she still blame him for deserting her in the past? Is that why she had decided not to give them another chance at a future together? To top it, there was the unwanted presence of Wei around her which incensed him to no extent.
Tang felt that his head was going to burst with all the what-ifs that he was seeing in his head. Returning from the beach, he had barely registered the non-stop rant of Mei Zhen in the room. At the moment, he was incapable of taking in anything else. She had probably run out of words and had left him brooding at the balcony where he spent rest of the night.
Next morning
"So, are we ready for today? Why has Jia Li not come down for breakfast yet?" Le addressed the group at the breakfast table in the lobby.
"I just woke her up before coming down. She will join shortly. Why don't you all start eating? I shall wait for her", said Wei.
"Ah, look at you. At this rate, you would get the 'most conscientious boyfriend' award of the year. Keeping a check on your girl's sleep, food and more", teased Kong.
Wei grinned at the ribbing.
"Hi guys, do you mind if we join you?" asked Tang, with a sullen Mei Zhen in tow.
Everyone murmured greetings and first time introductions between Le and Mei Zhen were exchanged.
"So where is the birthday girl?" Mei Zhen asked to no one in particular.
Wei debated informing Jia Li about their presence at the table but before he could do anything, she arrived. Dressed in a short yellow jumpsuit, she looked like sunshine, he thought.
"I am starving, guys. Going to grab a…oh!" she stopped mid-sentence realizing Mei Zhen and Tang's presence at the table.
"Hi Jia Li, happy birthday. Tang and I are here to join you for your birthday breakfast. You don't mind, right?" Mei Zhen spoke in a false saccharine voice.
Mumbling a reply, she made a move towards the buffet table, only to have Mei Zhen follow her.
"Tang told me about your divorce this morning. I am sorry. I didn't know that you were working for our company. If you needed a job, you should have asked us to help you. Why take up a low paying social service kind of a project, with a resume as impressive as yours and that too all the way in a small town, with not much prospects?" she tut-tutted.
Jia Li tried to supress her anger before replying, "I appreciate your concern but this is exactly the work that I am seeking right now. Hope you are doing well."
Without giving her a chance to reply, she pivoted and went back to the table with her plate half filled.
"Is this a new resolution on your birthday?" Wei asked her laughingly, eyeing her plate.
Conscious of Tang's presence, she looked at Wei uncomprehendingly.
"I thought you don't like anything sweet but all you have in your plate are tarts, doughnuts and pastries," he said.
Looking down at her plate in dismay, she tried to come up with a suitable explanation before Hua came to her rescue.
"I want that plate. Mom, I finished my breakfast…I want dessert now," he wailed.
With a smile, Jia Li handed over the plate to him and sat down on the empty chair next to Li Jie.