Keeping Sun Mei

Mr. Wu entered his house, only to find three screaming women inside. His eyes immediately zeroed in on the woman in the coat.

"I knew you'd come here!" he said. "Jenny, I told you that you'd meet the au pair in due time!"

"Don't you mean your girlfriend, Charles?" asked Jenny Wu. "She just admitted that you two met at a party."

"That's not what I meant," said Sun Mei, who felt like dying from embarrassment. "Don't twist my words. I was just working there!"

"This is ridiculous," said Mr. Wu. "Leave the poor girl alone. There is nothing between us."

"I don't believe you, Charles. Why would you get a nanny now? You never got me a nanny when we were together!"

"That's because I wanted you to bond with Lily! I thought that if you two spend enough time together, you would grow fond of her. I was obviously wrong!"

"I have a strong enough bond with Lily, thank you very much," said Jenny icily. "Just because I'm not an overprotective mother, it doesn't mean I don't care about her."

"You missed her birthday last year," Mr. Wu pointed out. He was evidently trying to calm down, but Jenny's last answer had infuriated him even further. "And her first day of preschool. And her first dancing lessons. You admitted yourself that you only wanted shared custody of her so that you could use her as an excuse to get time off work."

Jenny glared at him. "I will not stay here and let you accuse me and humiliate me in front of your girlfriend and your housekeeper." Her face was red as she added, "Find another way to keep your girlfriend around because I will not be signing those papers!"

As soon as his ex-wife turned around and slammed the door shut behind her, Mr. Wu turned to Vivian. "What happened here?" he asked her.

"I don't know, sir," said Vivian nonchalantly. "We were getting along fine until you came home."

Mr. Wu looked at her pointedly.

"I only told her that I hate her once," Vivian admitted. "I kept things pretty peaceful."

Sun Mei couldn't help giggling. Her soft laughter immediately attracted Mr. Wu's attention. "I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I know I shouldn't be laughing because this concerns my future, but you have to admit it was kind of funny."

"I like this girl," Vivian said, pointing at Sun Mei. "You should find a way to keep her."

Mr. Wu sighed deeply. "I'm trying, Vivian." He frowned a little before he said, "Actually, I think I have a way…"

"You do?" asked Sun Mei and Vivian at the same time.

"Yes. When we split up, Jenny started working for a PR company."

"Really?" asked Sun Mei incredulously. She was no PR expert, but she thought PR representatives had to be at least a little charismatic.

"She can be very charming when she wants to," Mr. Wu explained. "However, her charm can only last for so long and I've heard that the company has been looking for a reason to fire her lately. She lies all the time about Lily being sick to skip work."

"That's despicable," said Sun Mei seriously.

"I know," replied Mr. Wu. "Anyway, she will probably need to get a big break to keep her job. I could offer her a PR contract for one of our newest book releases."

Sun Mei's mouth dropped open. "You would do that for me?"

Mr. Wu shrugged. "I'd have to hire someone for the promotion either way."

"But… But you said she skips work all the time. What if she messes up the job?" Sun Mei asked worriedly.

"I will keep a close eye on her."

Sun Mei's heart tightened. Although she knew that Mr. Wu would be making a big sacrifice for her, the thought of him working in close proximity with his ex-wife made her very uncomfortable...