By the ti three more years had passed, Jinhai's foothold over the Liu Corps had grown exponentially and irrefutably. Hai had happily retired, leaving the reins to run the company with Jinhai. Jing, too, had embarked upon his future to beco a fashion designer, inspired by his aunt's artistic sense.
Everything seed to be smooth-sailing - except for Jinhai's personal life. A life in which he had gotten married to Huian, much against his own decision.
Hai had known for quite so ti. There was sothing that Jinhai had been hiding. He could feel it for two years now. He had seen a change in his son the day Huian beca his wife. Chunhua as well.
"Jinhai and Huian…" Chunhua had finally broached the subject before Hai one day. "Do you think Jinhai is happy…?"
"If he is not happy, then he is an idiot. I an, he is my son. How could he cave under pressure? Mom had been stubborn during our dating ti too, but did I yield?" His nostrils flared. "One thing I can tell you is that the Liu n are shaless!"
She pursed her lips. "Mom was sick."
Hai glanced at her.
Well, Ma is also a Liu so manipulation runs on her side too, he thought.
"I don't know, Hai…" her shoulders drooped and her gaze dimd. "I just want our children to be happy. But Jinhai…it doesn't look like their marriage is going so well. Huian is a nice girl, but if Jinhai is…"
Hai held her shoulders and smiled. "Everything will be fine, my dear. He is our son. He is your son. He is super strong in heart and mind, hohoho!"
Her fingers clasped together. "Will you talk to him?"
He pecked her forehead. "Of course."
But as it turned out, Jinhai was in no mood to talk. Actively avoiding having any conversations in the first place, Jinhai had begun to coop himself in the office most of the days - leaving Huian in much distress.
"That brat! How dare he avoid his aging father! Is this what I was warned about? That children soon forget about you?" He sniffled. "Will he leave in an old-age ho soon? Is this my sad fate?"
So the next best destination to get his answers was none other than his second son.
"Tell what's happening."
"What's happening?" Jing's brows scrunched. "Huian is being unreasonable as always! I don't like her!"
"Not with Huian, idiot. I an Jinhai. He must have told you."
"Told what?"
"I will beat you black and blue if you feign ignorance one more ti."
Jing gasped dramatically. "Violenceee!"
He glared. "So start talking!"
"Nu-uh!" His hands made a big cross sign. "It's bro code I will never break!"
Hai's eyes narrowed. "So you do know sothing."
Jing harrumphed. "I know a lot. But I won't tell you."
"Why not?"
"Bros before Mom and Dad."
His brow twitched. "Tell what you want."
He snorted. "Do I need to ask you anything now? Bribery trick won't work. Bro is the CEO now! I can get anything from him. He spoils and dotes on more than you do!"
His jaw dropped, dumbfounded. "I spoiled and doted on you a lot too, you ungrateful brat!"
Hai then exhaled a sigh. "Just…tell please. We are worried about him. He is gonna break his body at the rate he is overworking."
Jing quietened down and pressed his lips.
"Pretty please? I just wanna help him."
"You cannot help him. It's already too late."
"Late? Late for what?"
Anger filled Jing's eyes. "I am talking about his marriage with Huian, what else! He…There is an aweso sister he has fallen in love with."
—
"Hey."
Jinhai opened his eyes to the pitch black sky outside. Through the large glass windows of his office, he couldn't see a single star twinkling in that vast blanket of darkness.
"What are you doing here, Dad?"
Hai wheeled a chair to his side as he took a seat. Opening a beer can, he handed it over. But he didn't move.
"Not in the mood for a drink?"
"I am not in the mood for anything."
"That's a sad life," he stuffed the can into his hand anyway and opened a second can for himself. "Life is too short to be so sad all the ti."
There wasn't a response for a long, long ti. Only silence hung in between the two.
"Dad."
"Hm?" Hai humd as he took a sip.
"When did you realize you had fallen for Mom?"
"When she had slapped ."
"..."
"Not once but twice. Then thrice. Then I lost the count. The fall from the stairs hadn't hurt as much as the stinging smacks on my cheeks had. That's when I knew she was the one."
"That's all it took?"
He smiled. "What did it take for you to fall in love? Just so girl in a mask passing by, sharing free cookies with you? Yeah, love is very simple at tis."
A tremor hit his lashes as his eyes continued to gaze at the dark sky. He didn't even care how Hai knew.
"You had said that I won't even see it coming. I…I didn't see it coming at all."
"I know. Love hits you like that big tsunami wave. You can only get swept along with it. Resistance is often futile."
For the first ti, Jinhai found his voice faltering. "I love her, Dad."
"So go get her."
His brows crinkled just a little, and he finally turned to face him.
"I am married."
"Doesn't matter."
He stared. "...Do you know Aunt Liling has decided her engagent with Jianyu?"
"That's irrelevant."
"He is my cousin."
"Who loves Suyin. Who loves another woman altogether. Who probably won't be able to love her the way you would."
"You want to go against my own brother and family?"
"I want my son to find his love, that's all. Liling will understand it eventually. Yeah, she will be sad for a while, but she will be fine. She is a Liu, after all. Guiren won't be a problem. Because he loves so much. I will easily seduce him~"
His brow twitched.
"And Huian?"
Hai glanced at him. "You do know Mom wasn't actually sick, right?"
His fingers clenched the chair's armrest silently. That betrayal was still hard to digest.
"Look, I have no problem with Huian. But clearly, this marriage is not gonna work out, and I have a gut feeling she won't understand it. So as much as it would hurt to see her sad, we simply have no choice. It's better to yank that bandaid out once and for all rather than letting the bruise fester and morph into sothing ugly."
Silence.
"...I don't know what to do. She seems so far, far away from ."
Hai frowned heavily, almost offended. "What do you an you don't know what to do? Have I taught you nothing at all? I had given you the solution in that sa conversation seven years ago. Just get her pregnant and make her your wife. Easy peasy. Shortest, quickest and the most effective way to marry the love of your life~"
"..."
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