Milady's Fine Gentleman Chapter 336 Questions 2

"Will Teng Man Rui be there?"

"I'm not quite sure…"

He sighed again.  "Then, maybe not."

"Buddy, I think you should forget Teng Men Rui."

"Easier said than done.  She owns my heart, my mind, my soul.  I'm d.a.m.ned."

They drank in silence.  Chen Linyun thought that his friend's fit was done, so he introduced his woes a little.

"What would you feel - how would you take it - if one day you found out you have a family you know nothing about?  It just appeared out of nowhere."

"…"

"Actually, it's not entirely the issue.  The main issue here is that the family members you grow accustomed to and cherish and trust are keeping a big secret from you.  That's what I cannot tolerate."

He gripped his bottle harder.  "I mean, I can take it.  I can take the truth." He b.u.mped his chest with his fist, and then pulled his eyegla.s.ses up his nose bridge by pus.h.i.+ng the bottom rim.  "I'm not a ten-year-old kid, you know."

Chen Linyun was just blurting out his problems, and never did he expect that Zhu Li Qiang would answer, but he did.

"Your loved ones would not want to see you hurt.  Perhaps they know that by you knowing their little secret, you will be in pain.  It will bring you pain, so they choose not to involve you."

"But, I would rather be in pain and know the truth rather than be kept in the dark out of their concern." Zhu Li Qiang finished.

"d.a.m.n it.  Not one day pa.s.ses by without me thinking if she's okay.  Her maid, Chichi had stopped giving me updates.  Darn it.  I want to know.  I want to know so badly if she's alright."

'Gee.  It's about Teng Man Rui again.'

"Then give it a shot and come tomorrow at my place.  I wouldn't know if she'll be there, though."

Zhu Li Qiang grabbed his friend's shoulder.  "Do you know I'm so willing to start a family with her?  Take responsibility for her?  I have envisioned our family - Me, her, the child.  But she wouldn't allow me to.  It's so frustrating!"

"I mean I accept her and everything about her.  I love what and who she loves.  I cherish what's important to her… Even if it's not my own blood…" He trailed off, pain imminent in his whole character.

Chen Linyun sighed as he slouched deeper into his seat.  'It always reverts to his own issues.  Just how self-centered this guy can be?'

As he thought of this, he realized how pathetic the two of them must have been at that moment.

Out of the blue, Zhu Li Qiang asked, "What's the occasion?  What are you celebrating?"

"My successful recovery.  New chance at life.  Come.  Our other friends will be there, too.  Guangxi, Mo Wenbin - remember him?  Hw.a.n.g Meilin, and some family member.  It's just a small gathering of family and friends."

"Sounds fun." Zhu Li Qiang commented without appearing to mean it.

"It would be, plus Jinxu and I will have an announcement."

"Oh?" 

"Yeah.  So be there."

"What if I don't come?  The occasion is too happy for my mood.  I might just ruin the mood.  And if you tell me that family members will be there, then the Xue elders will be there too?  You know we're compet.i.tors in business."

"The gathering is something personal.  We would not be discussing business, right?  And, I've heard you were interested in acquiring Xue s.h.i.+pping when I was not around."

Chen Linyun s.h.i.+fted into a slightly menacing tone.

"Who? Me? Ahh. It's not me.  It's my uncles who want to usurp our spot in the family.  It's rather complicated."

"Well, you're the only one we know from your family so you represent them.  Don't you owe me?"

"Owe you what?  Do you own Xue s.h.i.+pping?"

"No, but the merger requires a marriage contract."

"I told you I wasn't the one responsible for it. Tsk.  Annoying." Zhu Li Qiang gulped more alcohol.  This time he and Chen Linyun were drinking whiskey.

"Just promise to go tomorrow and I'll forget this thing.  We will be even."

'This guy needs some fresh air.  He needs to be surrounded with people and laughter and nice warm cozy feeling of family.'

'I hope Teng Man Rui would not come tomorrow.  They shouldn't meet.' Chen Linyun was lost with his thoughts for his friend's welfare.

"Tsk.  Why are you so persistent?  What will you get from it?" Zhu Li Qiang's speech had become a little heavier and surly.

He waved his hand listlessly in the air, "Alright, alright!  I won't promise but I'll try.  Otherwise, I will just repay my debt to you some other time."

"No worries.  Thanks, buddy!" Chen Linyun tapped him lightly on the shoulder and sighed.

In this world, you truly would not know what life would throw at you.  One moment you're the victor, in the next moment you've become the dark horse.  Before the accident, everything was doing well for Zhu Li Qiang and Teng Man Rui.  Yes, they had their rollercoasters of up and down too, but as he recalled, they were supposed to get married soon.

What the h.e.l.l happened while he was away?

He could remember when he last saw Teng Man Rui - heavy with child and affiliated with the young master Xue at a foreign land.

How did it happen?  How come Teng Man Rui was with his brother-in-law whom his own family thought was long dead?

Teng Man Rui must not have known this because it was kept a secret, yet how can she easily leave Zhu Li Qiang side and jumped s.h.i.+p?

Oh well, so many questions which do not necessarily concern him so he wouldn't pry more than he ought to. 

After all, he had his own problems to solve, and he had a tight timeline, too. 

'I should have sorted it out completely before our child is born.'