Page 27 of He Is My Bride

Hanjun stood before Wu Yiheng in his office the next morning.

“Hanjun,” Wu Yiheng’s voice was grave and his face like a brewing storm, “why is your discretionary account empty, your card at its limit?!”

“Those are my personal funds, I’m free to use them as I wish,” Hanjun said, cool as ice.

Wu Yiheng scoffed, looking like his nephew had just spat in his tea. “If I didn’t suspect something else, I would have thought you were a victim of fraud. Perhaps you are.”

“No,” Hanjun stated. “I authorized those transactions. On my own initiative.”

“I doubt that.”

” ‘One must accept the things he cannot change.’ ”

“ What? ” The storm was ready to break.

“I cannot change your opinion, so I will accept it.” Hanjun kept calm, his face expressionless.

Wu Yiheng drew a deep breath. “More importantly, why didn’t you show up at work yesterday? ”

“I apologize for neglecting my duties. There is no excuse.” Hanjun bowed from the waist, and Wu Yiheng let him stay there for a while.

“Stand up,” Wu Yiheng said finally. “Let it not be repeated.” After Hanjun stood up straight, Wu Yiheng sighed heavily. “When did you become so unruly… I shouldn’t have sent you to America.”

Hanjun still said nothing.

“Get back to work,” Wu Yiheng dismissed him, “and stop letting that hen peck at your assets, you’re making a fool of yourself.”

Hanjun bowed and left the office. He felt proud for having stood up to his uncle, but the mission was not accomplished yet.

—

That day, Anne and Li Ying had agreed to meet up to explore the French Concession.

The interns picked Li Ying up from Hanjun’s place, Yiyi having been tasked by Hanjun to continue as Li Ying’s and Anne’s driver and guide for as long as they stayed in Shanghai. Xinyu had taken a break from work to join them as well.

“Good afternoon, Big Sister Li!” Yiyi greeted, while Li Ying got in the backseat of the black company BMW.

“Hi boys!” Li Ying noticed Xinyu’s eyes blowing wide and realized he was staring at his ring. Yiyi, however, was oblivious:

“Where shall we take you today, Miss Li?”

“Congratulations, Big Sister Li!” Xinyu said, beaming at Li Ying.

“…Huh?” Yiyi stared blankly.

“Thank you!” Li Ying brought out his hand and let the boys see the ring. “Hanjun proposed to me yesterday.”

Now that it was being waved right before his face, even Yiyi couldn’t miss the ring. “Ooh, congratulations, Big Sister!” he said. “Or should I call you Auntie Li now?”

Xinyu whacked Yiyi on the arm.

“Eh, just call me big sister for now. You don’t think I’m old enough to be an ‘auntie’ yet, do you? ”

“Uh, no, not at all,” Yiyi saved, “Big Sister Li!”

“I would be happy to have Big Sister Li in my family,” Xinyu said politely, but it was clear he was very happy about the news. “She seems perfect for Wu Hanjun. I’m sure they will be very happy together.”

“Oh, sweetheart!” Li Ying couldn’t help it, he had to reach between the seats to give sweet A-Yu a hug. The interns were starting to get comfortable with their American auntie’s physicality. They were starting to think of her as family.

While they drove along the tree-lined streets of the French Concession, Xinyu told Li Ying that his supervisor had moved him to more responsible tasks this morning, making him work as part of a sales team.

Li Ying said nothing, but smiled and thought of Hanjun—he must have had a word with Xinyu’s supervisor.

Xinyu was wearing the watch Hanjun had bought him as a Christmas present, and he ever so often adjusted or touched it.

They made it to the hip Xiang Yang South Road, and the boys dropped Li Ying off. Anne was already there, waiting outside a small café.

“Hello, Miss Lü!” the interns greeted.

“Guess what!” Yiyi announced, “Big Sister Li and Wu Hanjun are engaged!”

Anne looked from the boy to Li Ying, and it was hard to say whether she was happy or furious. “ What?! ”

“Oh, yeah: it happened!” Li Ying said. “I meant to tell you, but yesterday went by in such a blur—”

“Show me!” Anne demanded and came to wrest Li Ying’s hand for inspection.

Li Ying eagerly showed Anne his ring. “What do you think?”

Anne eyed the ring critically before giving her verdict, “It’s so beautiful! Congratulations, Li Ying!” She caught Li Ying off guard with a hug. “You have to tell me everything, ” Anne said and began dragging Li Ying inside the café .

“Wait a moment.” Li Ying stalled. “Before I send the boys back to work, let’s take a picture of us all together. Come on, boys, group picture!”

The boys came over to group up.

“Okay, everyone, make a cute face!” Li Ying said once he had everyone in the frame, and took the pic. Li Ying looked at the picture happily:

Yiyi and Li Ying were both making silly faces while Anne gave her best angle, killing it. Xinyu was simply smiling at the camera, throwing up a V for victory and looking sweet.

Li Ying had decided he wanted to take more pictures, because even if he couldn’t post them publicly or ever show them to anyone, he wanted memories to keep just for himself.

“You two should head back to work,” Anne said to Yiyi and Xinyu while grabbing Li Ying by the hand. “We girls have to talk woman-to-woman.”

“We do?” Li Ying blinked.

The boys deemed it wise to leave them to it and returned to the car while Anne took Li Ying into the café.

Once Anne and Li Ying got their orange espresso tonics, Li Ying began:

“Well, you were right, Hanjun was totally going to propose in that restaurant. But…” Li Ying kept a dramatic pause, letting Anne ask:

“‘But?’ What happened?”

“I totally ruined the mood, hahaha!”

“…What did you do?” Anne seemed horrified, so Li Ying hurried to dispel her fears:

“Nothing embarrassing, I just felt… You know.” Li Ying leaned closer to Anne over the coffee table and lowered his voice, “I realized I didn’t want it to happen like that, while I had to fake parts of myself because we were in public.”

Anne nodded, understanding. “Yeah. So, what then? ”

“I subtly hinted I was tired, which wasn’t a lie, so we went home and…” Li Ying drew a breath and closed his eyes, bringing his hands together as if in prayer. “Hanjun kept banging me absolutely senseless all night.”

Anne shifted uncomfortably, looking around them, worrying who else might have heard Li Ying’s TMI. Indeed, from the next table over, a group of girls was giving them weird looks.

“Ab-so-lu-te-ly senseless, like you wouldn’t believe. ” Li Ying went on, totally oblivious, “I don’t understand how that man can just keep going like that over and over—”

“ I get it. ” Anne hissed, trying to hide her face from the other people in embarrassment. “Even if you said you were tired? Isn’t he a little selfish?”

“Nah. I acknowledge my duty as a wife is to satisfy my husband!” Li Ying wiggled the ring in front of Anne’s face.

The girls at the neighboring table stared. They began whispering amongst themselves.

“And then,” Li Ying continued, “in the morning, he had skipped work to cuddle me, and then he popped the question! Or, well,” Li Ying chuckled softly, “I had to help him because he was totally freaking out. He was probably as relieved as I was that he didn’t have to do it in public after all.

I don’t think he could have. He was so nervous, the poor guy. ”

“Sir Hanjun doesn’t really strike me as someone shy. Maybe behind his cool exterior, he’s a sensitive person, do you think?” Anne spoke while keeping an eye on the girls.

“It’s true. Anyway, I actually asked him first, and after that he was okay to do it too. So cute, right? It wasn’t at all what I expected, I guess, but it didn’t feel awkward or anything. I was just happy it was finally happening.”

The girls sitting next to them got up and left, oddly quiet considering they had been chattering away just a moment ago. Now Li Ying noticed them too .

One of the girls was folding a gazette into her purse. Anne recognized the publication’s title.

“…Wait,” she said and got up, walking to the magazine rack that had free daily papers for patrons.

She returned with the gazette, and wouldn’t address Li Ying’s questions—‘what is that? Is there another one about me?’—until she’d flipped through the paper and found what she was looking for.

“I wasn’t going to tell you if nothing had come of it,” Anne began, “but a reporter called me yesterday. From this paper.” She showed it to Li Ying. “I think a saleswoman from the mall tipped them off. I gave her my card.”

“What the…? She’s got some balls on her, huh? That could get her in trouble.”

“It just might; I’ve contacted the store manager and reported my suspicion.”

“But what if she loses her job?”

“As she would deserve! Why are you defending her?“

“I mean, yeah, it wasn’t very nice of her, but what do you think she makes? That tip probably got her a nice Christmas bonus. Considering she doesn’t know me and probably thinks I’m just another rich bitch who could be taken down a peg, I can’t really blame her for being opportunistic.“

“Well, I can, and were it up to me, she would make nothing at all after this season, so she better enjoy her ‘bonus!’ She’s compromised my professional integrity, too. She’s not getting any camaraderie from me.”

“You’re scary.”

Anne tossed the gazette to Li Ying and folded her arms at her chest. “Not scary enough. Although I told the reporter nothing, they managed to make a small story out of it, but it’s nothing to get worked up about. See for yourself, page twenty.”

Li Ying took the paper and opened the page, reading the short lead-up :

‘Young multibillionaire Wu Hanjun spotted shopping with his female companion in Plaza 66 mall.’

“Big deal.” Li Ying read on.

‘[...]Mall personnel said the young heir of his family’s successful business (Wu Pharma) must have spent an ‘exorbitant’ sum of money to buy presents, seemingly for his mysterious companion.

Lucky girl! The young beauty’s name, identity, and nationality have been widely speculated since she arrived in Shanghai last Saturday with Wu Hanjun. ’

Attached was a picture of them, Li Ying, Hanjun, and in the background Anne and the interns, walking through a mall with all their bags.

The photo looked like someone had just snapped it on their phone.

You really were not safe anywhere when you were a person of interest, Li Ying thought. And now his face was in full view.

“It’s just the same crap,” Li Ying said, but he couldn’t deny feeling vulnerable seeing his face revealed to all of Shanghai.

“Yep. And you are wearing sneakers.”

“You said it’s fine!”

“I didn’t imply it wasn’t, just saying. You never know who’s looking.”

“I can’t believe you’re wedging a sneaker between our friendship.” Li Ying held his hand over his heart dramatically.

Anne sighed.

—

Li Ying didn’t deem it necessary to mention the article to Hanjun, thinking it was such a stupid, inconsequential thing.

Li Ying returned home to find his fiancé waiting for him. Hanjun had made dinner and looked wonderfully domestic in a navy cardigan, chinos, and an apron .

“…Welcome home,” Hanjun said after noticing Li Ying was stuck staring at him from the hallway.

“Hey, wife,” Li Ying said and hugged Hanjun from behind. Hanjun’s waist looked good in the cinched apron, and Li Ying brushed his hands along its curve.

“Almost ready,” Hanjun said, “go sit down.”

From behind him, Li Ying saw Hanjun’s cheeks turning pink. The man truly had a thin face when it came to Li Ying teasing him.

They sat down to eat.

“This pork was so sweet, it’s like eating candy!” Li Ying praised. “You’re spoiling your wife, I’m proud of you.”

Hanjun smiled. “I can make it again. By the way, Grandmother Linming called. She asked if you would be available on Friday. She has invited my great-aunts, me, and cousins Hanrong and Yiyi to eat at her and Uncle Yiheng’s place, and wants you to go early to help her cook.”

Li Ying was taken aback, but of course, “Yes! Can I call her and let her know?”

Hanjun handed Li Ying his personal phone.

“This is good,” Li Ying enthused while selecting Hanjun’s grandmother’s number, “I can impress your family with my cooking. Surely even Uncle Yiheng will—Oh, hello Auntie Wang! It’s Li Ying!”

Li Ying chatted with Hanjun’s grandmother for a while, and they agreed he would go to her place on Friday afternoon to cook dinner with her.

So, Li Ying would meet even more family: the great aunts, matriarchs of the other Wu- and the Wang -lines, the great-grandmothers of Wu Yiyi and Xinyu. Li Ying should be on his best behavior. Better bring the hemline down, Li Ying thought.

“Hanjun, will we tell your family about our engagement?”

Hanjun looked at Li Ying calmly. “If you feel ready.”

Li Ying smiled. He was ready.