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“I’m sorry, it is a little bit funny.”
“You can’t say that,” I cry. “You wouldn’t like it if someone did that to me.”
“Oh, I would take a cleaver to their house.”
I groan. “See? It is bad!”
“I’m just joking. Or am I? But honestly? Yes, it’s bad. But from what you’ve told me, it seems that it led to true love. Who knows, if you hadn’t pretended to be Zhou and done all these ridiculous things, you and Shang might not have found each other. And you are treating each other well, with love and respect, so I think you’ll overcome this. He’ll see that you were foolish, yes, but beneath the foolishness, he should know that your heart is good.”
I nod, feeling tears slip down my cheeks. “I hope so.”
“Now off you go and do the right thing.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Idon’t sleep a wink that night. I lie in bed, turning one way, then the other, then back again, and so on and so forth until I give up and turn on my bedside lamp. Shang and I had a call earlier to say good night, but I didn’t want to tell him over the phone, so I held it back the entire time. Now, as I check my phone, I find a text from him.
I’m missing someone. She’s the funniest woman I know.
Smiling, I text back:
Funniest? That was the best you could come up with?
I’m about to put the phone down when three dots appear.
Shang:
And the most beautiful. And the smartest. And the coolest.
Me:
Thank you, that’s more like it.
I put the phone down, then pick it up again.
Me:
Hey, tomorrow morning can you meet me before the meeting?
Shang:
I promised my mom I’d pick her up to come to the meeting. I can pick her up early and see you at the office before the meeting is due to start?
I gnaw on my bottom lip. It’s not ideal having Shang’s mom in the office as well while I tell him the truth, but I can take him aside for some privacy. All I know is, I need to tell him before I tell his entire family. Ugh, what terrible timing it all is.
Me:
Yeah, that works. Maybe come in twenty minutes early? I’ll make sure to have some breakfast ready for your mom so she can eat while she waits.
Shang:
Thank you, that’s so considerate. X
I place the phone back on the nightstand, flop back into bed, and try to will myself to sleep. It goes about as well as expected.
The following morning, I jerk awake when my alarm goes off. Groaning, I turn the alarm off and push myself up. I must’ve had less than an hour of sleep. I feel rough, as though I have a hangover even though I didn’t have anything to drink the night before. Then reality hits me and I sit up straight. Today is the day when I tell Shang the truth. And his family. And hope it doesn’t blow our deal wide open.
Who am I kidding, it will most definitely blow our deal wide open, or at the very least delay it. But my mother is right, I can’t go forward with either a personal or professional relationship based on a lie. Best-case scenario, the Lis laugh it off and say they knew all along. Worst-case scenario, they lawyer up and sue the firm for all it’s worth, and Baba loses the company he spent the last two decades building from the ground up. Not to mention I’ll lose the best relationship I’ve had in years. Or ever. Great. No biggie.