Tears streamed down Jiang Meilin's face as she listened to her mother's plea. "I'm sorry, Mom," she managed to choke out. "Just a few more months. I'm confident I can win the Golden Brush Award in her name."
She took a deep breath, steeling herself. "I've been commissioned to create seven paintings for Zhao Corporation's next charity gala. I can enter the competition with these, and once I win, the people of Xia City will have a lasting impression of Meilin. That was her dream, Mom. I have to help her achieve it." After a moment, she added softly, "It's the least I can do for my sister."
Reginald looked at his sister with a smile dangling on his lips 'This was Rosie Blackwood, loyal to a fault'. He couldn't help but chip in. "You know she can't see all this right, Jiang Meilin would never want you to do this."
Jiang Meilin looked her brother straight in the eyes, "But I'll know, I'll remember and it's the least I can do for her."
Vera sighed, a sound filled with equal parts love and frustration. "Your heart is in the right place, my dear, but at what cost? Your safety? Your future?"
"I know what I'm doing, Mom," Jiang Meilin insisted. "I can handle myself."
"Like you handled Lian Fei?" Vera's tone sharpened.
Jiang Meilin stiffened. "I'm already handling that situation."
To her surprise, her mother chuckled. "Oh, I don't think you need to worry about that anymore. Your Mr. Zhao has quite thoroughly taken care of it."
"What do you mean?" Jiang Meilin asked, curiosity piqued.
"Let's just say that Zhao Jingshen doesn't take kindly to people hurting those he cares about," Vera replied, a note of admiration in her voice. "He's dismantled your attacker's entire organisation in one night. He finished them before we could make a move. Plus I'm sure he's the one dealing with the Lian family. Quite an impressive display of power, I must say. He could be your cup of tea."
Jiang Meilin's eyes widened in shock. She knew Zhao Jingshen was influential, but this level of retaliation was unexpected and she loved it. A small part of her felt a thrill at the thought of him going to such lengths for her.
"Speaking of Mr. Zhao," Vera continued, her tone turning sly, "is there something you'd like to tell me about your relationship with him?"
Jiang Meilin froze, her mind racing. How could she explain her complicated feelings for Zhao Jingshen? The attraction she couldn't deny, and the guilt she felt for deceiving him.
"Um, well..." she stammered, desperately searching for words.
Deciding to deflect attention from herself, she diverted the conversation, "By the way, is it safe for Reggie to be here? You know, while I'm secretly in this country and all?"
Reginald's jaw dropped in mock outrage. "You evil sister!" he exclaimed. "I should have let Mom come for you instead!"
Their mother's voice carried a hint of amusement as she appreciated her children's banter. "Reggie, your sister is right. Get to the plane in fifteen minutes if you still appreciate using your credit cards."
"Even you, Mom?" Reginald whined, his dreams of painting the town red in Xia City evaporating before his eyes. "Rose landed herself in the hospital all because of a man, and you didn't even scold her. Everyone in this family hates me."
"You know you can't let the other families know you're there," their mother chided gently. "You might attract unwanted attention to your sister." The power tussle in Continent F was great and if any of their enemies discovered that she's in Xia City, it will be too much to handle.
The conversation continued for a while longer, with Vera extracting promises of increased caution from both her children. Finally, she sighed. "I miss you, Rosie. Please be careful and end this charade as soon as possible."
"I will, Mom," she responded
Another long breath crackled through the speaker. When Vera Blackwood spoke again, her tone had shifted from concerned mother to formidable matriarch. "No more hospitals, Rosie. Or I'm pulling you out. Is that understood?"
"Understood, Mom," Jiang Meilin replied, a hint of her usual confidence creeping back into her voice.
After ending the call, Reginald turned to his sister with a raised eyebrow. "So, you and Zhao Jingshen, huh? Care to share with your brother?"
Jiang Meilin groaned, burying her face in her hands. "It's complicated."
"Isn't it always?" Reginald chuckled. "Just remember, sis, you're a Blackwood. We don't do simple romances."
"Don't I know it," Jiang Meilin muttered. Then, looking up at her brother, she added softly, "Thanks for being here, Reggie. I missed you."
Reginald's usual smirk softened into a genuine smile. "Anytime, Rosie. That's what brothers are for." He stood up, straightening his designer jacket. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a plane to catch before our dear mother cancels all my credit cards."
As he reached the door, he paused, turning back with a mischievous glint in his eye. "Oh, and Rosie? Try not to get 'forcefully poked' by any more bullets while I'm gone, okay?"
Dodging the pillow she threw at him, Reginald slipped out of the room, leaving Jiang Meilin alone with her thoughts.
She leaned back, mind whirling with everything that had happened. Zhao Jingshen's meticulous care, his unexpected retaliation, her mother's thinly veiled approval, the complicated web of emotions she found herself tangled in – it was all becoming far more complex than she had ever anticipated and the fact that she had met him as Jiang Meilin was not making things any easier.
As she drifted off to sleep, one thought kept circling in her mind: She would soon go back to living her real life. where did Zhao Jingshen fit? And more importantly, could she afford to let him in?