Gu Liang was silent for a few seconds, before standing up, "Let me know when you two are free, I will join." with this sentence, he headed back to his college.
After Gu Liang left, Tang Xi sat back by leaning her back completely for support and fell into deep thought.
"Brother Liang has already become so thin due to his study pressure. Studying medicine is no fun, right Xixi?
Tang Xi was still engrossed in her thoughts that she did not realize that Song Ah Lam was talking to her.
Getting no response, Song Ah Lam looked towards Tang Xi's face and saw her busy with her own thoughts.
"Xixi," Song Ah Lam slapped Tang Xi's hand lightly.
"Huh? Yes?" Tang Xi woke up from her stupor and turned towards her best friend.
"Where are you lost at? Is everything alright? Are you planning another mission secretly?"
"Nope. I'm just a little not okay; last night, I had a little disagreement with my grandfather. His and my decisions always aligned with each other. I never had to argue with him regarding anything. It was as if he knew beforehand what I wanted and made all the arrangements for me according to that."
Tang Xi turned her head and looked out the window. She gazed at the sky and the gracefully falling snow.
"You have always been very obedient as well. Topping every class to make him proud, living a hermit-like life to impress him." Song Ah Lam said, as she propped her elbow on top of the table, and put her chin on her palm.
Tang Xi scowled her face. "What ascetic life are you talking about? Can't you see the burger in my hand?"
Song Ah Lam scoffed and waved her hand.
"Leaving that aside, you don't date. That's monk type, no? Xixi, look at the guy in the blue shirt over there, he has been sneaking peeks at you since you have arrived here. He is good-looking, and-"
Before Song Ah Lam could complete her sentence Tang Xi stopped her. "I personally don't like dating, and it's not because to impress my grandfather. He never imposed not dating rules on me. In fact, he wants me to get married now."
Song Ah Lam was drinking Coca-Cola when she heard the shocking statement. She got so startled that spilled the Coca-Cola on her clothes. Mercifully, she was wearing a black dress that day, thus, the stain couldn't be seen clearly. Picking a tissue, Song Ah Lam wiped her mouth and looked towards Tang Xi directly.
She rubbed her hands gleefully together with a sinister smile as she said, "You are getting married, Xixi! Just yesterday, we talked about your kids; I can't believe, my dreams are coming true so soon!"
Tang Xi rolled her eyes, before saying casually, "You heard me wrong. I said my grandfather wants me to marry, not that I agreed."
===
After returning home, Tang Xi took a hot shower, and changed into a set of new clothes.
She was standing on the balcony of her apartment under a parasol. Her eyes were fixed on the azure sky, as she took a sip from her coffee.
Dong..dong..dong..
"Who can be knocking at this hour?" Tang Xi murmured, as three knocking sounds entered her ears. Putting down the coffee mug, she went to the living room and opened the door.
Startled, Tang Xi blinked her eyes. Standing in front of her was her biological father, Tang Chen.
He was a very handsome tall man, almost 6 feet in his late forties but looked like still swinging in mid thirties.
Tang Xi felt her body shaking, the blood in her body seemed to have frozen.
Tang Chen had been meaning to hug Tang Xi into a fatherly embrace–he lifted his hand slightly to do so but stopped halfway since he felt that she would be repulsive.
"Won't you invite your father home?" Tang Chen said and entered her apartment without waiting for Tang Xi's approval.
As the door closed behind them, Tang Chen scrutinized her tiny home. It was a European style, six room well furnished apartment. Natural medium toned colour was used to paint the walls, giving off a very calm vibe.
Tang Chen remembered the small condo he got on his eighteenth birthday; it was a two room, one bathroom small nest, twenty minutes away from his university. That condo was worth an average of 5000 yuan per square meter, much cheaper than 20000 per square meter which Tang Xi got.
His father really treated her very generously.
F precinct consisted entirely of apartments. S precinct where Tang Chen now lived, on the other hand, was the villa precinct. He wanted Tang Xi to move back to live with him in the villa, however, his father would never agree.
By the time, Tang Xi regained her senses from the initial shock, Tang Chen already made himself comfortable in a chair. They hadn't seen each other for eight years. The impromptu meeting caused Tang Xi to momentarily lose her composure, not knowing what to do. She tried to calm herself down before she asked, composed.
"What brings you here, Mr. Tang? In between your busy working schedule and important family time, how did you pull out some time to visit an extra baggage?"
A streak of sadness passed through Tang Chen's face and he lowered his head. He caught the condescension in Tang Xi's words.
"Can't I visit you?"
Tang Xi didn't have the time to chase circles with him, or more specifically patience, thus she repeated, "You have never cared for me anyway, I was just an extra baggage for you. So, what's the motive behind this sudden visit?"
"When people visit you, you should ask them what they would like to eat? Basic etiquette."
Tang Xi couldn't help but laugh out loud. "You are indeed just a guest." She said, before going to the kitchen. She brought a glass of plain water, put it on the table in front of Tang Chen, then said coldly, "Plain water is all I have for an unwanted guest."