Page 159 of He Is My Bride

“Thank you,” Li Ying said and meant it from the bottom of his heart, though he felt like he couldn’t accept the offer.

After dinner, Amy told Li Ying he should come over for tea and something she had baked, so Li Ying went over to the Qians’ in Brooklyn Heights.

Mrs. Qian had come home too, and at least she congratulated Li Ying on his graduation.

Everyone was wise enough not to mention Li Ying’s plans in her presence, for surely she would have had nothing good to say, and no one wanted to ruin Li Ying’s day.

After tea, Amy invited Li Ying to her room to talk. Li Ying sat on the bed and took one of her plushies to hug.

“Li Ying, what is this about?”

“I’m getting together with that person. We are going to live in Shanghai together.”

Amy sat next to him. “You move to another country to be with this man, so clearly he’s very important to you, yet you can’t tell us who it is? Not even to me?”

Li Ying shook his head, looking down. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s nothing to be sorry about.” Amy hugged Li Ying. “I’m sure you have your reasons.”

Li Ying’s heart couldn’t take it. “We’re married.”

Amy pulled back to gawk at him with wide eyes. “Married? My little A-Ying…?Oh!”

Amy pulled him into a hug again, and some weight was lifted off Li Ying’s heart immediately. He smiled.

“Yes, I’m married to him, and we’re getting wedded this summer.” How good it felt to be able to tell the truth!

“Congratulations, A-Ying! I wish…” Amy wished she had known.

Part of her even felt hurt that Li Ying hadn’t involved his family in his life, but she didn’t want to make him feel guilty.

“I wish you luck! When is the wedding? Where... How? Did you get married here in theStates?”

“Well…” Li Ying knew it was dangerous to tell any more, but he trusted Amy. “You must not tell anyone, or he and I could get in serious trouble, but I… I have dressed up to pass as a woman to his family, and all the government officials in China ratifying our marriage, so that I could marry him and live with him in Shanghai.”

At first Amy thought Li Ying must be pulling her nose, but while her jokester of a brother could probably say something like that entirely deadpan, something told Amy he was serious this time.

“We’re also having a child in the States by surrogacy. Two, I hope.” Li Ying fiddled with his fingers, not daring to look Amy in the face.

“Li Ying…Why?Why the secrecy? Don’t you—Whatarewe to you?”

Li Ying sobbed. “I-I’m sorry, Amy,promiseme you won’t tell anyone, I don’t want to lose him! We’ve had to do so much just to be together, but I can’t keep this a secret from you!”

Amy hugged him again, rocking him softly as he cried.

“You can tell me,” Amy said, “I won’t ever tell, I promise.”

“It’s Wu Hanjun,” Li Ying whispered. “And his family, well, they are very wealthy, like actually wealthy. And very traditional. Hanjun couldn’t marry a man, so we decided I would live with him as a woman.”

Amy let that sink in. She held Li Ying’s shoulders and pulled back to look him in the eyes.

“A-Ying, do you truly love him so much?”

“Yes! Yes, I love him! And he loves me.”

Amy nodded. “Then I hope you succeed. But Li Ying, are you sure you want to live like that, keeping who you really are as a secret? Keeping what your and Wu Hanjun’s love is about, your story, as a secret?”

“I don’t care…” Li Ying wished it were entirely true.