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BastardYou would think by now that Yi Fan has stopped trying to make every moment of Mei Lin’s career as difficult as possible. Well, you would think right, sort of. He hasn’t stopped trying, but he’s not making it as difficult as possible. With Henry back, that means there’s someone to make Yi Fan look bad, or in this case, even worse. Sure, he doesn’t want the job, but that doesn’t mean he wants to be written out of his father’s will either. Not to say that Mr. Wu is going to have a date with death, but he’s not exactly young either. Regardless, Yi Fan would like to keep enjoying this kind of lifestyle.
After about a month of juggling between being Yi Fan’s secretary and running her own team, as well as the lack of a personal life, Mei Lin finally has the hang of things and seems to be settling in. Even the rest of the building has noticed the steady flow of progress coming from the thirty-seventh floor. However, everyone is still holding their breaths; Mei Lin still has yet to break any records in terms of time and they dread the day when this peace inevitably ends. At this point, everyone is just enjoying it while it lasts, but that doesn’t stop Lu Han from preparing a list of options for the poor girl when something does go wrong.
Today’s case would be Yi Fan’s disapproval of Mei Lin’s wardrobe, or rather, the lack of it. Mei Lin’s professional closet is rather small, and given the time she’s been working at this company, her outfits have repeated more than once. Unfortunately, most of her recent paycheck went towards rent, utilities, and student loans. Whatever had been left got her some groceries and a bit of spare cash, which wasn’t enough to get herself a new laptop. Yi Fan just might understand her situation, assuming Mei Lin lasts another month and another paycheck.
After a ten minute rant on how cheap Mei Lin appears to be and how it rubs off on Yi Fan because of it, Mei Lin is ready to swipe the icosahedron mid-toss and chuck it at her boss’ pretty little face. Yi Fan can tell that she’s getting annoyed, but it doesn’t stop him from criticizing her lack of current fashion trends. Granted, Mei Lin knows how to dress well, but all her looks are classic and safe, blending into the background so no one gives her a second glance. Yi Fan likes to stand out. The plain Mei Lin figuratively drags him down a level, like owning a second-class car when his suit is clearly worth even more.
However, Mei Lin still bows before leaving once Yi Fan is done ranting and filling out the forms that are needed for the day. She lets the frustration out in deep and forceful sighs while eating alone in a corner in the cafeteria. Gale walks in as Mei Lin scoops another spoonful of rice. Mei Lin is about to wave to her friend to get her attention when she sees that Gale’s entrance is quickly followed by Lu Han’s. Mei Lin puts down her half-raised arm and watches as the two order and sit together at a small table near one of the large windows. They’re too far away for Mei Lin to hear and she was never one for reading lips. The occasional laugh does come from the said table though.
Meanwhile, Henry is exiting the elevator onto the thirty-seventh floor to check with one of the executives personally about the upcoming conference. The two secretaries who gladly stand and bow with a smile greet him. Henry returns the smile briefly, not showing his teeth as well. He notes that Mei Lin is not at her desk while making a left down into the hall of executive offices; he takes a glance up into Yi Fan’s office, though not much could be seen thanks to the angle and his height. When he’s done with his business and returns to the secretaries’ desk, Mei Lin is still not back from her lunch break.
“Qǐng wèn,” ("Excuse me,") Henry says. “Chén Měi Lín zài nǎ lǐ?” ("Where is Chen Mei Lin?")
The secretaries exchange looks, unsure of which one of them should answer. They both open their mouths but Mei Lin gets off the elevator before a sound comes out. Mei Lin stops for a moment before going to her desk to check for any notifications or updates. When Henry doesn’t leave and instead walks in front of Mei Lin’s desk and leans down with both hands flat on her desk space, she can’t help but ask, “Nǐ xiǎng yào shén me?” in a quiet but annoyed tone.
The other secretaries go wide-eyed at the manner in which Henry is being spoken to. Not only is it rude, but also informal. They turn around to see if Mei Lin is finally fired, only, not by her boss. Instead, Henry smiles at this, happy that his friend actually said something, for she had been avoiding direct contact with him after concluding that it would be best not to socialize with her boss’s rival.
“What are you doing after work?” Henry asks in English.
Now the secretaries’ ears are really perked up. If Mei Lin doesn’t get herself fired, this will surely do it. Rumors about the two dating are already spinning in the two’s minds. Mei Lin only spares him a glance that asks where he's going with this and tells him that she’s not interested.
“Lau!” Yi Fan’s voice booms over the round lobby. “What are you doing to my secretary?” His voice is almost hissing.
Mei Lin leans back to get a better view of her boss, her brow pulled by confusion. Even the other secretaries are confused at this point. “Just asking some questions, Kevin. Chill,” Henry chuckles, not moving.
Mei Lin looks at Henry with raised eyebrows, asking him what the he's trying to pull because she’s surely not in the mood to deal with a pissed off Yi Fan. Henry’s eyes dart in the direction of Yi Fan towering over everyone at the top of the steps and then back at Mei Lin. Mei Lin looks down at her attire and lets out a subtle sigh through her nose, pulling her lips thin before letting her eyes dart around at various places before sliding back to her desktop.
This exchange takes place in less than two seconds, but it doesn’t go unnoticed by the two ladies behind Mei Lin; Yi Fan is too annoyed to notice anything but the fact that his property’s personal space is being invaded by one of the most unwanted people (in his eyes). “She doesn’t look like she’s yours, Kevin,” Henry says the moment Mei Lin returns to her desktop screen. He turns and looks up at Yi Fan, who has his hands in his pockets so that no one can see that he has them in fists. “She looks underrated and like something I could find at a cheap law firm.”
Mei Lin glares at Henry. She knows that he’s trying to play with Yi Fan, but it doesn’t stop her from feeling insulted. “I was just telling her about that.” Yi Fan decides to play along rather than give in to what Henry wants. “But it can’t be helped.”
“So why don’t you just fire her?” Henry suggests. This is where Mei Lin’s brow is pulled tight again by shock and she is left with an open mouth that desperately wants to ask him, What the ing hell?! “If she’s not good enough,” Henry continues, “just move onto the next puppet like you always do, only, pick one with a better costume.”
That’s it. “Henry—”
“Mei!” Yi Fan interrupts. “Get Tao to bring the car around. I have somewhere to be.”
Yi Fan makes his way towards the elevators, avoiding eye contact from everyone present. “Uh, yes sir.” Mei Lin calls Yi Fan’s chauffeur and grabs her things before leaving, giving Henry a brief, “Maybe next time.”
The Geely Tiger GT is waiting for Mei Lin as she slides into the passenger seat before Zi Tao drives off. He looks into his rearview mirror for a moment and Mei Lin expects Yi Fan to tell Tao where to go, but Tao seems to know exactly where the two are going. If the bright eyes don't give it away, his toothy smile surely will. As Zi Tao drives, Yi Fan is on his phone playing Angry Birds (again) while Mei Lin is swiping at her tablet, skimming over the latest reports from her team. Zi Tao can’t help but smile even wider at the sight of the two when they stop at a red light as he draws parallels.
“You still play that game, duì zhǎng?” Tao laughs, hearing the familiar theme music and sound effects.
Mei Lin could’ve sworn she saw Yi Fan smile, but sadly, it’s merely a smirk when he says, “Keep your eyes on the road.”
“I must say, Ms. Chen, you’re a lot lovelier than most of the people that have worked for—”
“Tao, road.”
Mei Lin ignores the failed attempt at small talk and flirtation. They arrive in the Tian He district and Tao pulls up in right at the edge of the CBD Shopping Circle. “Have fun, you two,” Tao flashes a toothy grin.
“I’ll call you when we’re ready; be here when I do so,” Yi fan says casually. With that tone, one would almost think that he was making a comment rather than a command.
“Sir?” Mei Lin isn’t sure why they’re here. “What exactly is it that you need? I could’ve gotten it for you—”
“No, you couldn’t have,” Yi Fan sighs. “Knowing you, you’d go straight for the clearance rack.” With the prices they’re passing, no one would blame her.
Yi Fan walks up to a young lady with a tape measurer around her neck. She bows and greets with a type of smile that suggests that Yi Fan knows her better than she knows his measurements. She keeps smiling and tilts her head a bit, waiting for Yi Fan’s request. He simply shakes his head and gestures towards Mei Lin with a limp open hand. Her expression changes dramatically, as if all her makeup had just fallen off. The young lady takes quick but tiny steps towards Mei Lin in haste, jerking her head around like a rooster would as she circles Mei Lin. Mei Lin jerks in response, doing her best not to get pecked by the saleslady’s head and sharp eyes.
“Off,” the lady says, waving her hand over her head as if that would make Mei Lin’s clothes disappear.
Mei Lin is then quickly pushed into a large dressing room as the lady helps her undress, her fake nails leaving small marks as they poke Mei Lin. She keeps shaking her head as she examines Mei Lin’s outfit. She then loops the tape measurer around Mei Lin’s waist, her chest, her hips, and even her head. She makes mental note of the length of Mei Lin’s limbs, her height and even takes her neck into account. During this session, Mei Lin makes note of the name on ID tag: “玉鳥.” ("Yu Niao") Halfway through, Yu realizes who this client is related to and concludes that basic measurements will not suffice, so she pulls out a smartphone to scan Mei Lin’s body, to which she flinches and has to be held in place for a more accurate reading.
Yu leaves Mei Lin in the dressing room in nothing but her bra and underwear. Five minutes later, she comes back with a rack full of clothes that Mei Lin knows for sure she cannot afford, even with another paycheck. With every outfit, Mei Lin is pushed outside where Yi Fan is sitting comfortably in a large couch. Mei Lin feels silly, like a doll while the two are playing dress up. Yi fan disapproves many of Yu’s choices, much to the delight of Mei Lin, who doesn’t like the feel of this expensive fabric anyway. After going through the whole rack, with neither party liking what Yu has chosen, a different approach is needed.
“I don’t understand,” Yu says. “I thought this is what you like.”
“Not on my secretary,” Yi Fan says. Mei Lin is changing again in the dressing room, but she doesn’t need to see the two to know the look of relief and realization that’s now likely on Yu’s face.
Yu then comes in with another rack of clothing. They are indeed more to the taste of Mei Lin’s style, but Mei Lin doesn’t make any move to change. “What’s the problem?” Yu asks.
“Those skirts are very short,” Mei Lin says, hoping for pants. “And I don’t wear dresses.”
“You’re a secretary; it’s expected,” Yu says matter-of-factly. “You’re Yi Fan’s secretary.” As if that makes a difference.
Mei Lin’s phone rings on the other side of the door, but the ringtone gets cut off. Mei Lin pulls on her original clothes and looks for her phone among her things. “Where’s my phone?” Yi Fan looks up in disappointment. “Sir, where’s my phone?”
“How should I know?” he asks innocently.
However, it rings again and Yi Fan’s inner pocket vibrates. He hands it over reluctantly, to which Mei Lin can see the caller ID as “Henry.” To Yi Fan’s surprise, Mei Lin sends the call to voicemail. The precious moment is interrupted by Henry himself. “He’s rubbing off on you, Mei.”
“How’d you find us?” Mei Lin asks, half-surprised and half-annoyed.
Henry brushes his index finger on the bridge of his nose. His eyes roll over to the two racks of clothing that can be seen through the cracked door. “Oh God, don’t tell me you’re making her wear this crap. I expected better from you, Kevin.” Yi Fan is fuming, but he refuses to acknowledge Henry, not sparing him a single look. “Please don’t tell me that you actually tried these on,” Henry laughs at the thought. “Oh Mei…” Yu looks back and forth between the two men, not understanding the foreign language. “Mind if I borrow her, Kevin? I’ll bring her back, I promise.”
“Do whatever the you want,” Yi Fan says, sitting up and buttoning his blazer. At least this means I get to save a couple of thousands. Maybe I'll get myself something while I'm here.
Yu follows him to another part of the store and Henry chuckles to himself like he just saw his little brother throw a tantrum. He offers Mei Lin his elbow, “Let’s get you properly dressed.”
Mei Lin doesn’t take Henry’s arm, but she walks next to him as they roam the lady’s section. “Is this what you wanted to do after work today?” Mei Lin asks, trying not to keep her eyes on one thing for too long, afraid of giving off the wrong impression.
“Sort of,” Henry says.
“I never liked these types of stores,” Mei Lin says. “I feel so out of place.”
“You’re right, they’ll all look like rags once you try them on.”
“Are you saying that I make everything look bad?” Mei Lin asks, even though she knows her friend is only teasing in attempt to compliment.
“Quite the opposite really,” Henry says coolly. “You make what you’re wearing now look good—”
“There is nothing wrong with the way that I dress,” Mei Lin finally says in her defense.
“Of course not,” Henry says. “But no one is going to believe that you’re Kevin’s secretary—”
“They already can’t believe it, so why should I try to convince them otherwise?” Mei Lin sighs, stopping in her steps.
Henry stops a few steps ahead of Mei Lin and turns around. He takes in a good look at her and walks back until he’s standing less than half a meter from her. “I know you don’t care what other people think of you, but Kevin does, and your job is to make him look good. You do what you do so that you can expect it of others; do you expect him to wear anything but name brands?”
“No, because that’s not who he is. He’s expecting me to be something that I’m not—”
“He’s expecting you to look the part because,” Henry pauses, “he’s expecting you to stick around. Think about it, Mei. If I didn’t show up, he would be the one paying for your clothes. He’s investing in you.”
“Or he just wants to prove something to you,” Mei Lin says.
“You never could accept a compliment,” Henry sighs, looking at his friend as if she were drunk, which in itself would be news.
“Why should I?” Mei Lin asks. “Especially from you.”
“I should be the one you should be listening to,” Henry says, walking over to a display.
“Why? Because you were the very first to give me a compliment and then had it put on my birth certificate?”
Henry looks up and over with raised eyebrows. Of course she would never let him live it down. How many times he’s been teased for that fact. How many times he’s been accused of loving Mei Lin for that reason. “No,” Henry finally says. “Because I’m not the one trying to get you fired.”
“You were earlier today,” Mei Lin says back.
Henry waves over a saleslady and asks for the outfit on display in Mei Lin’s size. “Her measurements should be under Wu Yi Fan’s name,” Henry says when he realizes the look of discomfort flashing behind Mei Lin’s eyes. “The latest entry.”
“Anything else?” she asks in a sing-song voice.
Henry walks between displays and racks. Pulling out some hangers and holding them in front of Mei Lin to better visualize. Button down tops with subtle ruffles, slimming, sleek pants, and even tapered blazers. Henry even picks a few blouses and a matte charcoal Dior handbag. Mei Lin follows about two steps next to Henry’s right, not bothering to protest, knowing that her friend always tends to win when it comes to buying her things. They move onto shoes, but Henry gets frustrated when Mei Lin tells him that she’s limited to small heels and flats.
“He just likes looking down on people,” Henry says.
“I still need something comfortable. I’m practically scurrying a half-marathon everyday because of him,” Mei Lin says.
Her casual and relaxed tone makes Henry want to smile. Things haven’t been this way since when he first started high school. He walks into the cosmetics department and this is where Mei Lin is ready to shrivel up. This is where she truly feels out of place, and the various scents don’t help either. All the ladies behind the counter are giving the couple welcoming smiles, envying Mei Lin as they think about how nice it must be to have such a handsome young man buy you so many lovely things.
“I don’t have much experience in this department, but don’t be shy now, Mei.” Henry rocks back and forth a bit with his hands in his pockets as he watches Mei Lin look around with quick blinking eyes and a look of uncertainty. It takes over half an hour for them to find Mei Lin’s foundation and concealer color and another fifteen minutes for blush and lip. Once Mei Lin got to the eye makeup, she wants nothing more than to leave.
Henry chuckles at his friend’s discomfort. Most girls would be enjoying this sort of thing, or at the very least be grateful—not to say that Mei Lin isn’t. It’s just that she’s rather uncomfortable and would rather not have to deal with this at all. At least when they get to perfume, it’s not as complicated, though Mei Lin is pickier than Henry would’ve thought.
“Father has a sensitive nose,” Mei Lin says.
“That was because of the war,” Henry counters.
“It’s a habit,” Mei Lin shrugs.
“Forget the perfume,” Henry says.
Mei Lin raises an eyebrow but doesn’t object if it means that she can leave this disgustingly clean floor. They pass by the jewelry section and Mei Lin walks as fast as she could without running. However, Henry grabs her arm and she stops immediately, as if someone had hit the pause button. “Absolutely not,” Mei Lin says seriously.
“Something nicer than those fake studs wouldn’t hurt,” Henry says, valuing what Mei Lin has on to cost less than one Yuan. “Something timeless and classic.”
Those words are just Mei Lin’s style, but she still refuses to budge. “I already can’t afford half of what you already got me, so let’s just go.” Mei Lin’s voice is insistent, though calm, but Henry knows that look. It’s the same one Mei Lin would give whenever it was getting dark and Henry had to go home. “You’ll be careful right?” The memory is soft, but just enough to get Henry to agree.
“You know you don’t have to pay me back, right?” Henry keeps walking towards the exit.
“Of course I do,” Mei Lin says. “I always pay my debts.”
“So what debt do you have towards Kevin?” Henry stops himself because he already knows the answer. “Or are you paying what everyone else owes him? That can’t be it. If anybody owes that guy anything, it certainly isn’t the quality and time that you give him.”
“It’s not your business, Henry,” Mei Lin says, happy to be out in the humid air for once.
Henry texts his driver while telling Mei Lin, “You are my business, Mei. You’ve always been my business.”
“You can’t say that after twelve years of me not being your business.”
“That wasn’t my choice.” Though Mei Lin finds that hard to believe. She later chooses not to judge before knowing the entirety of Henry’s end.
“That makes two of us then.”
A company car with tinted windows pulls up and Henry opens the door for Mei Lin to slide in before he goes around and gets in himself. “Office,” Henry says.
“How did you find me?” Mei Lin asks.
“I had my secretary trace your phone,” Henry smiles.
Mei Lin examines her iPhone and notices a clear chip slipped between the phone and the protective case. Looks like he had the same idea I did. “You slipped this in when I wasn’t looking earlier.” To Henry’s surprise, Mei Lin doesn’t take the chip out. “Who knows; I might be in trouble someday.” Henry doesn’t argue. “Though, I don’t think your secretary likes me very much, so it would be nice if she didn’t have access to such information.” Henry lets out a laugh, feeling more relaxed than a day at a spa.
The two ride in silence the rest of the way, but exiting out of the same car in the middle of the workday doesn’t go unnoticed by the janitorial staff. By the time Mei Lin is back on the thirty-seventh floor, the rumor mill is already running.
Henry changes the passcodes that allows access to the GPS system he has on Mei Lin’s phone and Mei Lin opens the seamless iPhone in her lab to install the chip, much like when she “borrowed” her boss’s phone two weeks ago. Gale hovers over Mei Lin’s shoulder as she does this. “The flies are buzzing,” Gale says as Mei Lin is finishing.
“Last time I checked, this was neither France nor England,” Mei Lin replies. “And last time I checked, I wasn’t on trial.”
“Doesn’t stop them from talking.” Gale follows closely behind Mei Lin on her toes. “Any of it true?”
“Not sure what you’re talking about, but judging by your expression, it has to do with what I think it has to do with, and my answer is no.” Mei Lin lets out a forced breath as she readies to go home. “He’s just pulling a power play over the poor boy.” The taste of the lie is unpleasant and tainted.
“He’s not poor,” Gale reminds her. “Props to Henry though.” Gale has respect for anyone who has the balls to stand up to such a son of a . Mei Lin grabs her bag and they get into the elevator together. “Want a ride home?”
A deer greets them so Mei Lin declines, “I wouldn’t want to impose.”
She’s about to call a taxi when Henry’s car pulls up. The tinted window rolls down to reveal the golden boy himself. “Need a ride? I do have all your bags in the trunk, you know.”
Mei Lin almost forgot, seeing how all the salesladies disappear after a purchase, though no one can complain about not having to carry however much is in the trunk. Tao drives by just as Mei Lin slips into the other backseat before Henry’s driver closes the door. Tao takes notice, but Yi Fan is too distracted by his phone. There’s no conversation, but Henry closes his eyes while listening to Mei Lin hum unconsciously. It isn’t until Mei Lin looks over from the window and sees Henry's tapping fingers to the slow rhythm does she realize what she’s doing.
When the melody stops, Henry’s eyes open and he sits up again. “Yes?” Henry asks, expecting a question from the abrupt end of tune and quick blinking eyes of realization.
Mei Lin flushes with unnecessary embarrassment, as Henry is already well aware of her habit, one she’s had since she could sit upright. She focuses her attention back out the window with her fingers woven together in hopes of not losing control of herself again.
“Do you sing anymore?” Henry asks, remembering how off-key and obnoxiously cute Mei Lin use to be with Chinese nursery rhymes. Mei Lin shakes her head, trying to shoo away the associations. “Dance?” The image of little Mei Lin bopping to the beat in overalls is enough to make Henry want to smile, but Mei Lin shakes her head again. “Why?”
“I…” Mei Lin doesn’t want to lie, but telling the truth would be too painful, and there’s not enough trust between the two right now. “…Grew out of it.”
They arrive at Mei Lin’s apartment complex before Henry could process the painful undertone. The driver opens the door and waits until Mei Lin gets out before opening the trunk. There are at least ten large bags made of sturdy, thick paper, and lined with thin colored plastic, giving the designer names a finishing gloss, as if the logo isn’t big enough to attract attention and tell the world of the holder’s status. The driver takes two in each hand, with two more collecting on both wrists. Mei Lin grabs the largests bags remaining and loops the handles around her elbow while taking the smaller bags in her hands before closing the trunk.
Mei Lin is grateful that Henry chooses to stay in the car as they walk up a flight of stairs before Mei Lin fishes out her keys. This is done quickly, much to the relief of the driver. Mei Lin hands the driver a fifty-Yuan note and the two mutter each other a thanks before they bow and Mei Lin’s left alone in her simple apartment with more shopping bags than floor space. She sighs at the thought of having to put all these away and then still having to make up for the time she lost at the office, as well as the need for dinner. Regardless, it gets done.
The clock says it’s well into the next day when Mei Lin’s phone gets a text. “Sleeping?” it asks, the sender being Henry.
“Yes, I can text in my sleep.”
Her cellphone then rings and Mei Lin puts Henry on speaker so that her hands are free. “Did our little trip prevent you from getting work done?” Henry asks, sounding a bit sleepy himself.
“No.” Mei Lin’s lie is sincere.
“Well, in my defense, it was Kevin that started it.” Henry tries to rub the sleep from his eyes as he lies there with his phone on speaker as well next to his bed.
There’s silence, but Henry can hear Mei Lin tap away at her tablet. There’s so much that Henry wants to talk about now that Mei Lin has opened up again, even if it’s just a bit. Though, in situations like this, it’s best not to pry too much too quickly or else the person will snap shut again.
“Mei,” Henry says softly, asking for her attention. The soft tapping stops. “I…”
Mei Lin waits patiently for her friend to find the right words. Henry tends to be a very laid-back kind of guy, always teasing or making jokes. Even during business matters, he has a charming smile and carries a light mood, making him an ideal department head. He half-expects Mei Lin to start typing again, considering how long he’s taking to decide what to say, but there’s nothing on the other end, and he has to wonder if the call is still going. “Shén me?” ("What?") Mei Lin asks with a soft voice, encouraging Henry to speak while letting him know that she’s still listening.
“Do you hate me?” Henry asks, with each following word being quieter than the one prior.
“M-m-m.” Mei Lin shakes her head while humming each short consonant in a different pitch, first high, then low, then high again, and Henry smiles at the familiar way Mei Lin disagrees. There’s a slight onset of relief, but that’s taken away when Mei Lin is silent and waits for more, rather than asking why Henry would ask such a question. But then the silence probes her to ask, “Do you hate me?”
“Why would I?” How could I?
“I’m the one who left,” Mei Lin says. Henry can hear her typing again in attempt to distract herself.
“That wasn’t your choice.”
“I could’ve chosen to call you.” Not like I didn’t have your cell and landline memorized.
“The same goes for me,” Henry insists, not liking how his friend is taking all the blame. She must’ve picked that up from me. The memories of Henry taking the blame for all the times Mei Lin broke something or otherwise gets brushed aside when Mei Lin speaks again.
“If it means anything, my father wouldn’t even let me mention your name,” Mei Lin sighs. “It’s like you never existed.” Henry laughs grimly at how relatable that is. “Which is hard to believe when my name, me, and myself are literally living proof of your existence.” Henry laughs more wholeheartedly this time as they creep back into their comfort zones. “Speaking of names, why did you keep the nickname I gave you?”
Henry is reminded of the day when Mei Lin was in grade four and Henry had just started high school. English names were all the rage, and Henry was racking his brain over what his should be so that he wouldn’t feel so left out in class when he went to pick up Mei Lin. As they walked home together, Mei Lin asked Henry what was bothering him and he didn’t see the harm in telling her the truth. A smile and excitement beamed from Mei Lin’s face, for she had been studying up on English for quite some time now. The language suggestion should’ve been a sign back then to the two as to what Mister Chen had planned, but the fact that a parent wanted their child to get ahead in terms of academics in China was not exactly news.
Anyway, Mei Lin started listing off English names that sounded cool to her. When that didn’t work, she said names that described him. It wasn’t until Hin Wah asked for something close to his real name did the name Henry come up. Hin Wah repeated Mei Lin’s pronunciation and liked how it sounded. From then on, Mei Lin would call Hin Wah Henry so that he would never feel left out again.
“Because you still existed,” Henry says as the memory tapers off like the end of a film roll. “I’m sorry.”
Mei Lin says, “Me too,” even though neither are at fault for what had happened; it just happened. “Henry,” now it’s Mei Lin’s turn to decide whether or not to speak.
“Hmm?”
“If it’s not too much to ask—”
“It’s never too much to ask,” Henry reassures her like a big brother would in attempt to protect his sibling from fear.
Mei Lin lets out a breath, trying to figure out the best way to word her request. “Play nice.”
The request is silly, but the weight in Mei Lin’s voice suggests that there is some deeper unsaid reason for such a thing. “Under one condition,” Henry says. Mei Lin waits. “Go on another shopping trip with me.”
She has to think about this for a moment and Henry fears the possible rejection with each passing second. “Not while I’m on the clock,” Mei Lin finally agrees. “Work is for work.”
Henry lets out a sleepy chuckle. “That’s assuming you take a day off. You know that Kevin doesn’t work weekends, right? That means that you don’t have to either.”
“I still have a team to manage and designs to bring to life,” Mei Lin says, her voice now heavy with drowsiness.
“Just promise me you’ll take a day off sometime soon, because I can assure you that Kevin will get bored with what you bought today in a week.”
“You mean what you bought,” Mei Lin corrected. “He might even hate it 'cause you chose it.”
“Come work for me,” Henry says, his lids starting to feel sore. “I don’t care what you wear, so long as it’s appropriate. You’ll look great regardless anyway.”
Mei Lin smiles at the compliment and Henry’s attempt to get her to finally accept one. “Thanks, but I don’t need your secretary to have another reason to hate me. Isn’t taking her job once enough? Speaking of which, did she tell you where I lived?”
“Only the Resource Department has access to that sort of thing, but yes, she contacted them and told me.”
“You should sleep.”
“So should you.”
“I have work to finish up,” Mei Lin lies, having finished somewhere between Henry’s offer and his compliment.
“Sorry,” Henry says, feeling like he caused this.
“You’re still not hanging up,” Mei Lin teased.
There’s silence but the call is still going. After a long pause, Henry finally asks, “Sing for me.” Mei Lin says nothing, hoping that Henry would think that she had hung up. “Mei—”
“You were the one who use to sing me to sleep, not the other way around,” Mei Lin argues.
“Please?” His voice is soft, sleepy, but earnest. Mei Lin can tell by the tone that Henry has every intention of staying awake until Mei Lin sings again.
“What do you want to hear?” Mei Lin asks, finally giving in.
“Whatever you want,” Henry says, with his eyes already closed. “So long as you don’t hang up until I’m asleep.” This is Henry’s indirect attempt to find out what he missed in those twelve years.
The silence leads Henry to believe that Mei Lin had decided against singing or had fallen asleep, or worse, had hung up. But then her soft voice fills the bedroom through the lame speaker of his phone. “Your fingertips across my skin/ The palm trees swaying in the wind/ Images. You sang me Spanish lullabies/ The sweetest sadness in your eyes/ Clever trick… But I’d never want to see you unhappy/ I thought you’d want the same for me…”
The melody is slow and even softer as if she’s singing her child to sleep, but that painful undertone is present. Unfortunately for Henry, Mei Lin’s voice is very coaxing, and even though he fights to hear the chorus’ lyrics, Mei Lin could already hear his deep breathing and faint snores on the other end. “Goodnight, Henry.” Mei Lin hangs up and rubs her eyes free from the forming tears. She saves her work on her tablet one more time to ensure that it's saved before doing her nightly routine and finally giving in to sleep.
The clock says that it’s past two AM and it will sound in less than four hours, telling Mei Lin that she has another day of obstacles to overcome. But at least her wardrobe won’t be one of them.
Translations/Author's Notes:
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Qǐng wèn (請問) = Excuse me, or Please, or May I ask, often preceding a question. This is very formal.
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duì zhǎng (隊長) = literally Leader or [Team] Captian
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The CBD Shopping Circle is a real place in the Tian He district of Guangzhou; if you're ever in town, please check it out. Warning: Only if you can afford it. ~~
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玉鳥 (Yù Niǎo) = literally Jade Bird
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Yuan (元) = the currency of China/Chinese monetary unit; also a surname
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"The flies are buzzing....I wasn't on trial" = Mei Lin and Gale are making refrence to A Tale of Two Cities, a book commonly read by high schoolers in the United States.
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Shén me? (什麼?) = What? or just ? It can also be used simply to question (any or all of the 5W's and H) very vaugely.
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The lyrics that Mei Lin sings at the end of this chapter are from the song "Almost Lover" by A Fine Frenzy.
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