Chapter 46: Chapter 46
“You’re a lightweight. I need to up your tolerance by bringing you here a lot more.” He continued drinking from the beer he had placed aside, done with shots for now as he knew how to pace himself. He relaxed back to watch Linlin and ZhengLi who were now on the dancefloor pushing one another around, propping a foot up on the corner of the table so he was angled against TangShi to provide a better cushion for her. He knew that tonight those two would be going home together as their sexual chemistry was off the charts. Two free spirited party animals who were obvious about fancying each other.
“What if the clinic is successful this time.” TangShi broke in, knowing they had an appointment in two days so drinking after that wasn’t wise until she knew is she fell pregnant. “I can’t get drunk and frequent clubs if it is.” She pointed out with a sigh, her mood deflating at the thought of it, and lifted her feet to wedge in the bar under the table to prop them up like his. She was feeling ultra-relaxed now and warm and cosy by his side.
YuZhi was a surprisingly comfortable companion who had kept his promise of taking care of her tonight. He had stuck by her and been the guide when it came to booze and what to order. He had even danced with her a couple of times and proven he was a smooth mover. She felt like she could let her hair down and trust he would get her home just like he promised.
“Maybe we should skip it this month and go with the flow. Have some down time to go out and have fun. There’s no rush, we have two years and work has been a nightmare lately. I need the stress relief.” He shrugged, mellowed by alcohol and turned his head to see the little face that was now tucked in against him and concealed by shadow. She looked sleepy and smiley and he had the urge to hug her.
“Hmmmm….. I hate going there.” TangShi sighed, being honest with this new liquid bravado in her stomach an YuZhi tensed a little. Guilt gnawing at him that his choice made TangShi uncomfortable, but it was a necessity he could do nothing about.
“Me too, but the alternative isn’t plausible. Rhea would never forgive me for sleeping with you.” He took another swig of his beer and pushed down rising questions that were nipping at the back of his skull.
TangShi giggled inappropriately at his words and poked him in the cheek with her pointer finger. Reverting to a playful child.
“But you sleep with me every night.” She laughed at her own joke and YuZhi chuckled at her innocence, genuinely amused by how cute she could be when she was drunk.
“You know what I mean. We share a bed which is no different to sharing a couch, while both unconscious. Besides, it keeps things straight, less messy. No sex means less chance of emotions getting misplaced. It’s better this way.” He had told himself this a million times and yet had purposely avoided telling Rhea that grandfather had made them share a room and one bed from day one. He knew it would only upset her and cause doubts even though he never touched TangShi when they slept.
“Why didn’t your grandfather approve of Rhea as a wife and mother to your heir? The public lover whom everyone adores and she’s …..lovely.” TangShi slurred, always curious as to why he had never married his girlfriend or made moves to fall pregnant so his family couldn’t refuse it. He was respectful of his grandfather’s decisions but why did he let them date and then change his mind.
“It’s complicated. My grandfather has a pretty reasonable grudge against the Cheng family. I forced his hand by making us public so he couldn’t stop me from dating her, but he refused to agree to engagement or marriage and forcing a baby into that situation wouldn’t have gone the way you think. He would have disowned it…. I thought in time he would change his mind, until he introduced me to your family, and I knew he hadn’t.” YuZhi’s tone soured, and he shifted to pull his foot down, drinking more of his beer, obviously frustrated with the memories.
“Why? He seems so loving towards you and it would still be his grandchild. I thought he liked Rhea?”
YuZhi downed the remainder of his drink, his own head swimming a little and shook his head. Sobering with a little dip in his good mood and feeling weirdly inclined to open up to TangShi properly. He wasn’t someone who spoke about his personal issues with just anyone, usually just ZhengLi so it was a weird feeling to want to tell her. She had this way about her that pulled all sorts of emotions form him and a need to share. Maybe he was just drunk and overthinking it.
“My dad, the night he crashed…. He caught my mother having sex with Rhea’s father. He was mad as hell, driving recklessly, on a call to my grandfather telling him he wanted a divorce when he swerved off the road and ended up in a ditch. My grandfather has never forgiven the Cheng family and sees Rhea as part of the problem. He lost his son because of an affair, so he tolerated her but always made it clear he would replace her when it was time for me to marry.”
TangShi was rendered speechless and sat upright with a start, blinking at him with a shocked expression. Her heart chumping into her chest with the shock of his story.
“I’m so sorry. I never knew… Wow, that’s pretty….a big deal.” His words sobered her enough to realize how much of an issue that was and couldn’t imagine how much grandfather must have been against Rhea to prohibit any future for them both. She could empathize with his grief and heartbreak and didn’t want to judge him too harshly. She assumed YuZhi understood it too, hence why he never outright defied him with a pregnancy or wedding.
“Ironic really. It was because of what our parents did that Rhea, and I grew closer than before. We were both hurt and ashamed and she carried the guilt of me losing my father. She tried to support and comfort me as a friend. My mother…… she committed suicide two months later because she couldn’t live with my father’s death. Guess she loved him and regretted it in the end.” His words trailed off quietly, sitting forward to stare down between his feet as he picked at the label of his bottle and TangShi’s soul ached for him.
TangShi was silenced and her heart tore in two. Realizing why YuZhi was the type to conceal his pain and emotion and keep women at arm’s length. His mother betrayed them all and then left him to fend for himself in the aftermath. His trust must have been destroyed and his once happy family devastated. She knew that a couple of years later the Leng family had a plane crash that saw a huge chunk of them perish. He had lost so much.
She had known his mother died in that time frame, but the press implied she had a long ongoing health issue. Nowhere had it been made public that she took her own life and TangShi automatically slid her arm in his and rested her head against his shoulder to comfort him. Not knowing what else to do but wanting so badly to give him something. To show she was feeling for him and truly sorry for what he lived through.
“I don’t even know why I’m telling you this. I don’t ever talk about them.” He shrugged, picking up a new beer and took a swig to distract himself from the wave of raw emotions threatening to spew out. Something he had learned to control over the years. Leaning forward further to dangle it between his knees while TangShi stayed cuddling against him. He was becoming acclimatized to her touch and presence and didn’t mind having to hold hands or be this way with her anymore. It was reassuring, like he had a constant warmth and haven by his side who didn’t judge him for things he didn’t tell others. He knew deep down that TangShi wasn’t the type to hold the truth against him given how crappy her family situation was.
“I can see why your grandfather is so against it. He blames her whole family and somehow it would be a betrayal to your father to have a Cheng grandchild as heir. I understand it. But why is your aunt so pro Rhea if her brother passed that…” TangShi was even more confused by that.
“She doesn’t know. My grandfather told only me. And I told Rhea. My sister and family have no clue why my father died that night, other than it was an accident and my mother took her life because of her grief. Rhea doesn’t know it was suicide either.”