At the dining table, they were having their dinner happily as they talked about random stuff. "By the way when is Jiang coming back?" asked Li Fei. Li Jiang is Li Fei's brother who's younger than her by just a year. He was in Japan pursuing his studies and he had stayed for five years now. The two weren't in good terms because he never approved of Li Fei's past character and they were always involved in fights and arguments.
"I spoke to him last week and he said that he was soon coming back although he didn't tell me when. He asked about you. Don't you two talk?" asked Li Bao looked at her.
"It's been long," Li Fei said. "Honey, guess what? Li Fei is staying with us permanently," Li Mei told her husband excitedly. "That's very good," he said and they continued with their meal.
In the night, Li Fei laid on the bed but she couldn't get any sleep. Her thoughts ran off to Shanghai, to Jin Liwei to be exact. She wondered what he was doing at that particular time. Her eyes shifted to look at the wall clock and she saw that it was eleven in the night. At that time, she assumed that he was either at the penthouse or in his room. She realized how she missed him already. She wondered if he noticed her absence for even a single moment.
In the morning, her bedroom door opened and Li Mei came in carrying a tray. Placing it on the table, she came to sit beside her and woke her up. "Mom," she said groggily. "Wake up FeiFei," she said. Yawning, she rubbed her eyes and sat up. "Good morning," she said.
"Good morning Mom. How was your night?" she asked. "It was good. Your breakfast is right here," she said. "Thank you Mom. Though you didn't have to," she said getting up. "Of course I had to. I have to make up for all the time we lost," she said.
In the afternoon, Li Fei remembered that she hadn't yet bought a phone. Standing up, she stretched her body and went to the bathroom.
She hadn't gotten her bath since morning.
On coming out, she sat on the bed but she didn't feel like going out anymore. First she was lazy and also, she feared that her pics would link on social media because she didn't have a private life in Beijing as the case in Shanghai. She then decided to send someone instead. She descended the stairs and made her way towards the kitchen where she found three maids.
"Good afternoon," she greeted them and the three shared a surprised look before they replied," Good afternoon Ma'am." "How are you?" she asked and once again, they were surprised. "We are fine, Ma'am," they replied in chorus. "Okay that's good but you can call me by my name. I need some help from one of you who's free," she said. "I will help," one immediately offered and Li Fei asked to follow her. When they left, the two that remained behind looked shocked. Li Fei being polite?! Was she up to something?!
"Is she the Li Fei we know?" one whispered to the other. "I'm shocked too. Indeed, prison is a terrible place," she replied and they went on with what they were doing. The Li Fei they knew would never bother to great maids. The one they knew was very rude and arrogant.
A long while later, the maid came back with the phone and a few things Li Fei had sent her. Thanking her, she told her to keep the balance, much to her surprise.
After setting up everything, she called Liling that instant. On picking up, they talked for a while before Liling told her that they were on a date with Jing Yue and she immediately hang up. She knew that they didn't want to be bothered. Just then, her mother came in and said," FeiFei, I'm going for a tea party. Come let's go." "I won't join you Mom. Go ahead," she said. "Why? Are you worried about what they will say?" "No. I just don't feel like going out, " she said. "Okay. Take care of yourself," she said and she nodded.
Two weeks later, Li Mei noticed the change in her daughter's behavior. She never left the house just once ever since she came back. She spent the entire day in her bedroom and it made her wonder if it was because of the time she spent locked up in prison. She could tell that she was sad even though she couldn't tell the reason. Going to her room, she found her wrapped in the duvet.
"FeiFei, wake up," she said and Li Fei lazily sat up.
"Do you have anything troubling you? You know that you can talk to me," she said. "I'm fine Mom," she assured her. "Then why do you lock yourself up? You've changed a lot FeiFei," she said. "I just have a lot of things on my mind Mom,"she said.
"You don't have to worry about anything. FeiFei, what happened in the past can't be changed and every person makes mistakes. I can see that you are sad about something. Did something happen in prison or Shanghai?" she asked. "Mother please, don't worry about me. I just need sometime. That's all," she assured. "Okay then tell me. Did you really end things with Hu Feng?" she asked.
"Yes. We met at a certain banquet in Shanghai where we talked and I gave him back the engagement ring," she said. "That's so sad. He was a nice person but anyway, it happened. So then tell me, are you seeing someone, admiring someone or dating?" she asked. "Mom, I honestly don't want to discuss my love life," she said and Li Mei pursed her lips. At her mother's question, Li Fei's mind drifted off to the one person that occupied her mind and she realized that he was slowly occupying her whole heart.
Was perhaps the saying that absence makes the heart grow fonder true? She thought.
For the two weeks she had spent away from him, she hadn't been able to erase him out of her heart and mind.