Malicious thoughts...
Malicious thoughts...
"I think we should all cool off a bit and then figure out a way forward. Mei Zhen, would like to go to your parents' house for the time being?" he asked her politely.
She threw a look of naked hatred towards Ethan.
She said, "you both were involved in this, right? You knew he was faking it."
No one refuted her statement.
On a huff, she left the place, her heels beating an angry tattoo on the marble floor.
Tang shut his eyes for a second and then suddenly flipped them open. Dialling a number, he spoke when the line was picked up.
"Follow Liang Mei Zhen. I want an update on her movements at all times," he instructed clearly in the phone.
A deathly silence prevailed in the main living room of the Xie Mansion until Tang spoke again.
"Ethan, has Jia Li arrived in Shanghai? Where is she putting up?" he asked.
"Err…it seems that Wei managed to persuade her to go to his house. They were about to reach the place about half hour ago, when I spoke with him," he said cautiously, not sure of how Tang would react to the news.
In his interaction with Tang in the past year or so, he had seen many a facets to him but they all seemed unreal. The intensity which shimmered on his face right now…this was the real Tang. How had he managed to suppress such a strong side to himself, Ethan couldn't begin to imagine.
Chu went to her mother and aided her in getting up. Wordlessly, she took her away from the room. Passing Tang, his mother looked at him with acute disappointment in her eyes.
He tried not to let it affect him at the moment. He would seek her forgiveness later.
He needed to stay strong for what lay ahead. His father looked like he had been carved out of stone. No expressions leaked out of him. Ethan looked from one to the other and made a polite exit, mumbling an incoherent excuse.
"Would you like me to move out of this house and quit the business, now that the truth is out?" he asked politely, as if discussing the weather.
Mr. Xie refused to look at him. In the past few minutes, his entire life had flashed in front of his eyes. He couldn't decide whether it was that Girl's fault or had he been wrong all this while? He felt old, tired, confused, heartbroken.
"There is no need for anyone to leave," he finally replied in a low voice.
"I want everyone to be clear about my intentions. Jia Li is the one I love and need in my life. And I intend to go after her with my full might. So, if that is something which is against your wishes, I would rather that we part ways here. I don't want any sort of negativity or unpleasantness to touch my relationship with her. I am happy to disassociate with everything which you own so that you don't come after my precious associations," Tang's voice echoed in the otherwise silent room.
A ghost of a smile touched his father's face.
"It seems like everyone else has seemed to stop existing in your life except her. She must be absolutely amazing since she has managed to break the bonds formed at your birth," he said bitterly.
"You and I both know that the credit for that doesn't belong to her. Don't try and shift the blame for your own deeds on someone else's head," Tang replied with an edge to his voice.
Mr. Xie couldn't take his son's verbal whiplash anymore. With a visible effort, he shuffled out of the room.
"Was he asking for the impossible? Why was it a crime to wish spending his life with the one he loved?" Tang's heart bled.
"This can't be happening to me. It's not real…I am in a nightmare," Mei Zhen muttered to herself, rocking back and forth in the back seat of her car.
"Ma'am, did you say something," the driver looked up in the rear view mirror and enquired.
She shook her head in negative. She needed to rein in the emotions. Appearances were important. Taking a deep breath, she willed herself to think clearly but Tang's hurtful words kept ringing in her ears. Just then her phone rang.
"Uh…Aunt Wang, this is a surprise. Can I call you back later? I am kinda in the middle of…" her questions were cut off by Wei's mother.
"What??? Lin Jia Li has come to your house? Umm…no, instead of talking on the phone, why don't I come see you there?" Mei Zhen finished the call, malice coating her words.