Page 71

Over the past few days, I’ve told Shang vague details about Baba being in the hospital. Shang’s face breaks into a smile. “That’s great! Are you going to see him now?”
“Yeah, just as soon as I change.”
“Would you like me to come with you?” Shang says.
My stomach twists with guilt. More than anything, I want to take Shang to my parents. I want to bask in their joy at seeing him, because of course they would be delighted to know that I’ve found someone who loves me the way Shang does. But if I did that, my cover would be blown and everything would turn to ash. “Um, I would love to, but—”
Understanding dawns on Shang’s face, and he looks so sweet that I die a little inside. “You know what? It’s fine, you should see your dad on your own right now. I mean, he’s just getting out of the hospital and everything, he probably wouldn’t want some random dude rocking up.”
Knowing my dad, I am positive that he would love to meet Shang immediately, but I force myself to nod. “Yeah, I think I’d better see him on my own this time. But I would love for you to meet him and my mom at some point.”
“Yeah?” Shang says, smiling and looping his arms around my waist. “That would be nice. Because you’ve met all of my family, so it only seems fair for me to meet yours.”
“I know. I want that, too.” I reach over, kiss him, and try not to think of the way my lies have snowballed into this awful, tangled mess. Still, I tell myself, now that Baba is coming home, it’ll all be okay. It will be.
I feel like a little kid again when I lay eyes on Baba. He looks tired, but he’s standing up and out of his hospital clothes, and tears rush to my eyes as I hurry toward him and throw my arms around him. “Baba!”
“Mulan.”
I lean back to take him in. “Oh my gosh. How are you feeling, Baba?”
“Surprisingly good. If I’d known how refreshing a two-week rest would be, I would’ve done it a long time ago.”
“Oh, you,” snorts Mama. “Stop spouting rubbish.”
Baba laughs. “I really do feel good. A bit sore on my back, though.”
“Yeah? I mean, if all you feel is some stiffness, I’d say that’s pretty good,” I say, wiping my eyes.
Ma hands Baba a peeled tangerine. “Here, you should eat nutritious foods.”
“Thank you,” Ba says. He turns back to face me. “Tell me everything that’s happened at the office.”
“Not work already,” Ma snaps.
“Oh, you must let me have this one,” Baba says. “I’ve never been away from work this long before.”
“Well, don’t get too stressed out,” Ma warns.
Don’t stress him out, I think. Great. I scrap the possibility of telling him what I’ve done with Shang’s family. I focus on our other accounts, giving him a detailed summary of the important updates, and Baba listens for a while, but then he raises his hand. I stop talking.
“Sorry to interrupt, my dear, but I have a feeling we’ll be kicked out of here soon, so let’s get to the important stuff: Any updates with Wutai Gold?”
My jaw clenches tight as I mentally scramble to knit together a passable story. “Yes, things are progressing really well with them right now, actually. We’re through the negotiations process and tomorrow we’re going to sign the papers.”
“Ah!” Baba’s face brightens. “Wonderful. How did that happen? Did you spearhead the whole thing?”
“Yes.” I find it next to impossible to meet his eye.
“Oh, Mulan.” Baba reaches out and grasps my hand, and when I do look at him, I’m shocked to find him teary-eyed. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Ba, I didn’t know Wutai Gold meant so much to you.”
“It’s not that.” He squeezes my hand affectionately. “Yes, I thought they would be a good acquisition, but from my conversations with them, I didn’t think they’d want to have you as the point person running this deal. My plan had been to have you attend the meetings and have you win them over with me by your side. So the fact that you’ve managed to handle it and bring it home is…” His expression softens as he gazes at me with pride. “So impressive. You are the flower that blooms in adversity.”
“Oh, Ba…” My eyes fill up once more.
“And this tells me that you are ready to become a partner at the firm, and soon enough, you’ll take my place as managing partner.”