Shanghai

Mei startled awake in Shun's car as it hit a sudden patch of rough road. "EASY!" she heard Shun command the driver, as her head fell against his shoulder. She immediately sat up and looked around in confusion trying to establish her surroundings. And then she remembered, she was in Shanghai to see grandma Li.

"How long was I asleep?" she asked Shun who sat stiffly next to her. "And how did I get to the car?"

"I carried you", Shun replied softly. "You've lost so much weight".

Mei's heart fluttered unintentionally at that comment. He had finally noticed something about her and it made her feel both happy and sad. If only he knew the implications of his observation. Her suffering and the ultimate reason she walked out on her marriage. If only he understood that her weight was just a small consequence of what she had endured alone.

"I guess sometimes I get so busy I forget to eat", she explained.

"Being busy is no excuse to ignore your health", Shun said firmly.

"That's precious coming from a workaholic such as yourself", Mei retorted with annoyance. "Besides aren't skinny girls the trend in Asia right now? Your mother always said I should lose a bit of weight".

"You leave my mother out of this", Shun gritted his teeth. "I hate it when you pick on her unnecessarily. She would never say something like that".

"Of course, not", Mei said softly looking out of the window. "You mother is a saint".

Shun clenched his fist and took a deep breath to control his temper. If there was one thing he couldn't tolerate, it was someone criticising his mother. The woman had no faults, she was sweet, tolerant and very considerate. A perfect example of the Li family pride on show.

Yes, she may have been against his marriage to Mei to begin with, but she had put Shun's happiness before her own desires and accepted Mei wholeheartedly. So, it hurt Shun deeply every time Mei said anything bad about her.

Mei tried to focus on the moment and let go of her bitterness. Shun would never understand. He never did and it was better to concentrate on the reason she was here. She didn't want grandma Li to die. The elderly woman who was well into her eighties reminded Mei of her own grandmother, soft and sweet, with a warm heart and a hug always ready.

Grandma Li had been there through the whole thing. She had witnessed all of Shun's mother's insults and had countered her daughter-in-law on many occasions when Mei had felt completely helpless. It was also her strength that allowed Mei to walk away from her marriage.

"The most important thing right now is you", she had said to Mei all those years ago. "It was selfish of me to have asked you to endure all these years of pain. It was an old woman's hope to see you and my grandson work things out", she had sobbed. "But right now, my dear, all I want is for you to live and to be happy and it is clear that can no longer happen in this family. My grandson does not deserve you and you should not waste the rest of your life on him".

At that time, Mei was the one who had been in hospital and it was ironic that it was now the other way around. As strong as grandma Li was, there comes a point when one's body simply can't keep up and Mei hoped with all her heart that this wasn't that point. "Can I see your grandmother today?" she asked looking back at Shun.

Shun looked at his watch. "She's probably asleep right now, so it's better to wait till tomorrow. I'll take you to the hospital myself".

"No need, just find me a hotel close by and I'll just walk to the hospital", Mei told him.

Shun's eyes immediately sliced over her sharply. "You will stay at the Li Mansion", he said firmly.

Mei shook her head vehemently. "I'm not walking back into that house Shun".

"I will not allow you to embarrass me by staying at a hotel. You are my ex-wife", he reminded her angrily. "You will stay at my house and I will be by your side when you visit my grandmother. Otherwise, the media will have a field day. And if you refuse, I will make sure you never see her".

Mei was stunned by Shun's anger. "You'd do that to a dying woman just to save your reputation?"

"I will not be embarrassed by you again", he fumed. "It was bad enough that you left me back then and there were wild rumour and speculations around our divorce. Some of which did not paint me well".

"Then why didn't you just tell the media that I had an affair with your brother?", she asked. "Why did you feel the need to protect my reputation?".

"My family's private matters are not fodder for the papers. I felt no need to provide an explanation for your abandonment, as I will provide no explanation for your reappearance", he said. "I simply require you to follow my lead and play your roll as my ex-wife gracefully".

"I understand", Mei tried again, realising that continuing to argue was not the way to go. "But I can be your ex-wife gracefully from a hotel", she said. "Besides if I'm close enough and disguise myself properly, no one would even know who I am or who I was visiting. Isn't it better for your reputation for me not to be seen at all?"

"I won't repeat myself again", Shun said firmly. "If you wish to see my grandmother, you will stay at the Li mansion and we will visit together tomorrow. Or I will send you back to France and tell her that you refused to come".

Mei looked at Shun curiously. His features were strained with anger, but there was something else. Something she couldn't figure out. But it didn't matter. Right now, she had no choice but to acquiesce to his demand. She knew he wasn't bluffing with his threat.

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