Evelyn got to the restaurant that Chloe had picked for lunch. It was a busy noodle house. Chloe was already there and seated in a private room.
"Jie Jie," Chloe said as she got up to hug her sister. "Mei Mei," Evelyn answered as she hugged her back. The girls had eaten here often and quickly gave their order without glancing at the menu.
"So, what did you want to talk about?" Evelyn said. She found herself unwilling to dillydally.
"I wanted to make sure you were okay after everything that happened," Chloe said. Evelyn pursed her lips and nodded She observed that Chloe was more energetic like she was practically bouncing out of her seat.
"Chloe," something in Evelyn's tone must have told Chloe that she knew something was up. "Okay, I was wondering if you could tell me about John," Chloe said. Evelyn had not expected this.
"What do you want to know?" Evelyn asked slowly. Evelyn wasn't surprised, Chloe was always curious. Except Chloe didn't usually react this way. She seemed nervous and excited at the same time.
"Does he have a girlfriend?" Chloe blurted. Evelyn was taking slightly aback.
"Not that I'm aware of," Evelyn answered. Now she understood. Chloe liked him.
"You like him," Evelyn stated. Chloe blushed. "I don't know. But I want to get to know him a little better," Chloe said.
"You want me to set you up on a date?" Evelyn asked. Chloe shook her head. "Well maybe, but like maybe spend time in a group?" Chloe suggested. Evelyn inwardly sighed in relief. This she could handle.
"Well, I havent held a house warming party yet. I guess I could have one this weekend," Evelyn said.
"Really?" Chloe said all excited. "Fine, but you have to plan with Phoenix," Evelyn said.
"No problem," Chloe practically squealed. "And I make all the final decisions. The last thing I need is for you to try to set off firecrackers in my kitchen," Evelyn said.
"I was five! When are you going to let that go," Chloe exclaimed with a frown. Evelyn smiled. "How you got your hands on firecrackers, I'll never know. But the fact that you managed to set it off was hilarious," Evelyn said with a laugh.
"No it wasn't! Ma and Ba were furious," Chloe said. "Yes they were," Evelyn agreed. It wasn't funny at the time. Their parents were furious for the wreck in the kitchen. But it became funny to her over the years, especially after watching a certain Christmas movie when she was in America.
"Fine, I'll talk to Phoenix," Chloe conceded. Their meal arrived and they sat together quietly to eat.
"What's going on with you and Jinhai?" Chloe asked. 'Damn,' Evelyn thought. She was hoping she wouldn't ask.
"He's been helping me with what's happening," Evelyn answered. Chloe arched an eyebrow.
"Why has he been avoiding you all this time?" Chloe asked. Chloe remembered how upset Evelyn had been when Jinhai didn't show up to her wedding. Chloe was mad at him for making her sister upset. Growing up, she had always been a little afraid of him.
Jinhai had a tough exterior, his dark hair and eyes and usual scowl intimidated her.
"Because he had feelings for me," Evelyn answered honestly. "Had?" Chloe questioned.
"Has," Evelyn clarified. Chloe pursed her lips.
"I don't know if I find that a good enough reason to ignore you," Chloe said. Evelyn bit her lower lip.
"I don't either. I would have understood if he backed off, but not to have completely disappeared," Evelyn answered.
"So?" Chloe pressed. Evelyn sighed and stopped eating.
"He's really trying to be there for me now, and I want to let him," Evelyn answered. Chloe put her chopsticks down as well.
"But aren't you still in love with Shawn?" Chloe asked. Evelyn shook her head. "I know you were fond of him but," Evelyn said. Chloe made a disgusted face.
"Fond would be too strong of a word. I thought highly of him when he stayed by your side and took care of you after everything but he was okay. Now I hate him," Chloe said angrily.
"Don't hate him, it takes too much energy," Evelyn said. "But don't you hate him?" Chloe countered.
"That's different," Evelyn said, a surge of anger burst through her.
"So you're going to just date Jinhai?" Chloe interrogated. "Didn't you always have a crush on him?" Chloe asked. Evelyn took a breath. Evelyn had confided in Chloe a long time ago. She had hoped Chloe wouldn't remember.
"I haven't decided that yet," Evelyn answered. "But do you want to?" Chloe asked. Evelyn knew it should be too soon to feel anything romantic for someone else. But it wasn't just anyone. It was Jinhai, the one that had been there for her since she was a little girl.
Evelyn remembered how he was there for her when her mother passed away. Everyone had tried to cheer her up, but it was only Jinhai that succeeded. He understood her on such a fundamental level.
That night that he gave her the snowflake necklace, was the moment everything changed. It was the first time that she had felt special, like a woman. She had hoped that he felt something too and they would one day move on from being best friends. Now, here he was, being her knight in all its glamorous armor.
He took care of her while allowing her to handle things her way. He helped her in her process to achieving a very personal dream. When he found out about her nightmares, he made himself available to her. When she said she thought it was too soon, he got her a dog to be there for her.
He made time for her, when she knew he was a very busy man. It was all the things he used to do for her and more. Now he made sure that she knew he was ready to take things beyond a friendship.
"I guess I do," Evelyn answered. Chloe smiled. She didn't really mind that her sister was moving on faster than what the norm would dictate it to be. Her sister deserved happiness, Chloe knew that Jinhai could bring her happiness.
"Then I think you should do something about it," Chloe said. Evelyn's eyes widened.
"Don't you think it's too soon?" Evelyn questioned. "Hm," Chloe said, tapping a finger against her lips.
"If it were anyone else, yes. But I always thought that you and Jinhai would make a great couple. I mean do you know how freaky it was watching you guys finish each other's sentences? No one could never beat you guys if you teamed up in a game of charades," Chloe said. Evelyn laughed. That was true, they had an uncanny understanding of each other.
"You deserve to be happy, Jie Jie," Chloe said. Evelyn felt touched. For some reason her sister's approval gave her more courage than she thought it would.
"Since when did you start saying things like that?" Evelyn joked. "I'm usually the one giving you pep talks," she said with a smile.
"You know I'm not a little girl anymore," Chloe said, rolling her eyes. Evelyn laughed again.
"No, you aren't. Fine, I'll help you with John. To return the favor, I will tell you this. He recently lost his mother, so he's a little vulnerable right now. So go easy on him," Evelyn said. Chloe's eyes went wide.
"Oh no!" Chloe exclaimed. "But you can identify with him on a personal level," Evelyn said. "I wouldn't normally condone it, but you might be able to use that to find a connection with him," Evelyn hinted. Chloe looked deep in thought after that.
The girls finished their meals and Evelyn made her way back to the office. Driver Chung drove since she didn't have her car. 'Chloe and John,' Evelyn thought that they might actually make a great couple. John was often a bit stiff and she thought Chloe's bubbly personality could help balance that out. Just like how she thought John's sense of responsibility and seriousness would steady Chloe.
Driver Chung pulled into the underground garage and parked the car before coming around to open her car door.
"Thank you," she said to him with a bright smile. He smiled back at her. "You're welcome miss," he said. She walked toward the elevator and pulled her phone out of her bag.
Evelyn: Do you want to play chef with me tonight?
She waited only about ten seconds before the typing bubble popped up.
Jinhai: Absolutely. We have to do something about the groceries we bought.
Evelyn laughed. Luckily she was in the private elevator and no one saw her smiling happily at her phone.
When she headed back to her office only John was there.
"Hey," she greeted him. "Hi Ms. Wei," he returned. Evelyn sighed.
"John, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Evelyn?" Evelyn asked exasperated.
"Force of habit," he replied. Evelyn rolled her eyes and went to sit behind her desk. He walked over with a portfolio and set it down in front of her. "Here are the summarized meeting minutes from today as well as a copy of the full minutes," he said.
Evelyn was impressed. The folder was actually quiet thick and they had breaked for almost two hours.
"Thank you, did you even eat?" she asked him. He bit his lip and glanced at the floor. "I'm going to take that as a no," Evelyn said.
"Go eat," she said. "I'm sure you need me here," he answered. As much as Evelyn appreciated his dedication she knew from experience how hazardous skipping meals were. She could not allow this to become a habit.
"That wasn't a request. Besides," Evelyn said holding up the file with the papers. "I need to go over these," she smiled. He eventually conceded and promised to return soon. He shut the door gently behind him.
When she was alone she leaned back. She unlocked a drawer and pulled out her proposal that she was meant to present next week at Li Corp. She pulled out a page of names and Curriculum Vitae. She got to work formulating her emails to various doctors from all around the world that she wanted to get onto her project.
These weren't just any medical professionals. These were the elite in the pediatric surgical field. The pioneers of Fetal Surgery. If she could secure them, they would be her ace up the sleeve.
She knew it was late at night for them and hoped that they would reply later tonight. She reminded herself to get another work phone. She hated using her personal phone for work and was always careful to obscure her number if she did. She tossed the other one after she was fired from CGC. She was supposed to return it but she didn't believe Shawn would stoop to that level of pettiness.
There was a knock on her door as she was finishing up. She finished sending the last email and told whoever at the door to enter. Ben Pushed the door open.
"Hey sis," he said. "Hey, oh I have a favor to ask you," Evelyn said turning from the monitor.
"No," he said. She gave a slight pout. "You don't even know what I wanted to ask," she said.
"Whenever you say, 'oh I have a favor to ask you,' its never good," Ben said. Evelyn rolled her eyes then glared at him. He sighed.
"What is it," he relented. Evelyn smirked. "I promised Mingxi that I would get her a new car, since she left her old one at the manor with Shawn. I haven't had the time. I remembered this morning that I actually need to get her one," Evelyn said.
"Why doesn't she get her own, and that doesn't sound like a favor," Ben said. "Most of the time she's running errands for me, whether its work or personal related. I think it's only fair that I provide her with a company car," Evelyn answered.
"Also I don't have the time, can you get her one, please?" Evelyn batted her eyelashes. Ben's lips squeezed into a tight line. But he sighed and agreed.
"Fine, I'll get her a replacement," he said. "Thank you," she said. She picked up John's file and handed it to Ben.
"Go over these summarized meeting minutes and give me a report," Evelyn said. "If there's anything you want to add do it on a separate document," she said. Ben took the file from her.
"Sure thing," he went back to his own office to look over the minutes. Evelyn smiled. She had already reviewed the document and actually found them to be a pretty good summary. Evelyn was proud of John.
Soon after John came back and they prepped for the last meeting of the day. It was meant to be a meeting with her father to go over the reports.