"No buts. In a week time, Shihuan's teammates will all move to Shanghai. Yuxi will find a work here and stay here... What will we be doing back there without our children and our only grandchild? If we stay here in Shanghai, we can help take care of Qingran. Xueyan will focus more on work and come visit during the weekend... Is that too much?"
"No, it's not." He said after some seconds. "But then, what happens to my business?"
"We can move it over here... You can continue here."
"Remember, this is where we lost everything... How do you think, we will be able to make it again?"
She said nothing. Yes, they had once lived in Shanghai, then moved to Beijing after losing everything. They wanted to create a new face for themselves there but it didn't go according to their plans. Nothing worked as they had prayed for.
"Something good will surely come out," she said, smiling a bit.
*****
It's been thirty minutes since Yuxi stood at the bus station, waiting patiently for the bus. The heavy rain the previous day caused the environmental coolness. Little breeze blew around with cold wind, making Yuxi shrink back into herself. By her side, an elderly woman sat there unmoving.
The elderly woman watched Yuxi swear and curse at the wind, the bus's drivers and the companies that rejected her yesterday.
Yuxi turned to see the woman's jet black eyes on her, and frowned a bit. "Hello, granny. It's cold out here, you really need somewhere very warm."
"And you? You also need it." The old woman replied, her way of speaking sent shivers to Yuxi.
Her voice didn't shake nor break as an older woman, but it was filled with something... Energy.
Yuxi looked down on her clothes, "I need it, yeah. But I need work first. When I get it, I will look for somewhere warm. Now tell me granny, where are you heading to?"
The woman smiled a bit, "It's alright child, I'm fine."
Yuxi, sat back on the bench after looking out to check if the bus was on the way.
"What is your name?" The old woman questioned.
Yuxi turned to the woman and smiled a bit. "Yuxi. Bai Yuxi."
The older woman beamed, "Do you possess everything about your name?"
The stunned Yuxi stared with widened eyes at the woman... She laughed out loud after thinking for a while. "I love music, yes. I love arts as well but I'm very bad at it. Nature? I don't really know... Maybe yes, maybe no. As for people, yes. I have a humanly feeling towards them."
The woman chuckled then nodded thrice, "Good, good."
Yuxi looked down on her wristwatch and her smile disappeared.
She was running more than late now. Had the buses gone on suspension, or maybe holiday... A strong wind blew and Yuxi shifted to the corner, wanting to keep herself warm.
The woman watched her, she wasn't feeling any bit of the wind because she was heavily clothed. "Come, come have this." The woman took off her outer sweater and put it over Yuxi 's shoulder.
"No, no." Yuxi immediately sprang up from the bench, she moved away from the older woman. "I can't take it. I wouldn't dare." She firmly rejected. "You shouldn't do this, here," Yuxi put the sweater back on the woman. "It's really cold out here…"
As they both stood, a car sped by. There was still some puddle on the road, immediately the car passed by, it splashed dirty water on them. "Ahhhh!" Yuxi that stood closer to the road bellowed out.
The woman's eyes popped, "Oh my, you are soaked."
Yuxi turned to the road to look at the car that splashed dirty water on her. "You mad driver… What in the world are you driving? Are you…"
"No no… No time for all these…" The woman said, wiping Yuxi's cloth with her sweatshirt. "Look the bus is here."
Yuxi fumed inside while biting her lower lip. "He's mad! How dare he drive so recklessly…"
The bus signalled it's departure and Yuxi tried to rush in but was dragged back by the woman. "Don't go yet," the woman pleaded.
Yuxi lips parted but she didn't know what to say… She watched as the bus she had been waiting for drive away.
A black FW 2200 came to a stop before them and a young chauffeur climbed down, bowed before the older woman and said, "We drove past by mistake, forgive me."
He turned to Yuxi and gave a deep bow, "It was my mistake some minutes ago, please do forgive me."
Yuxi looked over from her shoulder, at the car and at the chauffeur then back at the woman. "It's alright." Then to the woman, "Can I leave now?"
The woman shook her head.
"No?" Yuxi questioned.
"Yes. Don't leave yet!"
Fifteen minutes later they both got down at The Xings Clothing brand.
Yuxi turned around thrice to make sure she got down at the right place.
She turned to see the woman smiling brightly at her.
"Granny…"
"Welcome madam." Two workers rushed out and bowed before the woman.
The woman said nothing. She took Yuxi's hand and strode in.
As they walked in the employees bowed for the woman.
They got to the showroom and Yuxi gasped. "What are we doing here?"
"You got wet on your way to work, so I brought you here to have a quick change. You can leave for work after you done changing."
"Me?" Yuxi questioned with a surprised filled tone.
"Yes, you." The woman responded. "Take whatever you want…"
"Whatever I want?" Yuxi looked at the woman from head to toe… She doesn't look that rich… How come?
*
Outside,
Inside the black FW phantom that brought them at the company. A young man sat with his mobile phone in hand.
"This is it." The young chauffeur said and passed him the iPad with Yuxi's information.
He took a brief look at them and turned to the chauffeur, "She finished with a good grade… But she studied computer engineering."
"Yes sir," the chauffeur said.
The young man nodded and looked out of the car to the showroom at the first floor before stepping down.
~***~
Yuxi, incorporates an appreciation for people, a love of music and the arts, and a high regard for nature, its mysteries and beauties.