Chapter 17 - The truth is out.

After they left, Bao drove to the mansion disguised as a potential buyer. The mansion was well-kept by their servant and his family.

He walked inside the gates and looked around for someone to speak to.

An elderly man came out, and asked, "How may I help you?"

In a calm and composed manner, he replied, "I have just returned from America and was looking out to buy out some properties, and I am interested in buying this one. Could you pass on this piece of information to the owners?"

"Though they have shifted to America, post the demise of the patriarch, Wang Jiang, they would never sell this ancestral property to anyone.

This is an inheritance, that he left for his granddaughter. Though her mother can never return to Shanghai, he left it for his granddaughter, so that it could keep her in touch with her homeland."

Stunned at the response, Bao asked, "Why can't the mother ever return to Shanghai?"

The elderly man seemed very sad at this question, "Who can ever return to Shanghai, after rejecting the son of the Li family at the altar, weeks before the wedding?"

Li Bao could not believe what his ears had heard. He thought, "That's a rude shock. I think it's best, to confirm the same with aunt Roulan."

He looked around and asked the keeper, "Could it be possible to look around the mansion?"

The keeper shook his head and declined politely, "I am sorry, I do not have permission to do that."

Bao smiled and said, "It's all right. You have your limitations, and I understand your loyalty. Anyway, thank you for your time. It was nice talking to you. I'll take your leave then."

As Bao drove out of the mansion, he went for a drive, parked his car near the Bund, and walked across the promenade.

As he sat in a corner, viewing the beautiful starlit sky across the river, the serenity of the waves, stilled his disturbed soul. For a moment he thought, "Well you cannot blame aunt Roulan, for choosing uncle Zhen over my dad. No amount of wealth can buy her the peace, love, and joy, they share."

He consoled himself, "I wouldn't mind trading the wealth, that I would inherit for the joy, they possessed. No matter what happens, I am not going to stop communicating with her over this trivial issue. After all, everyone has the right to choose their life partner. One cannot force oneself to be committed to someone, just because your parents promised a betrothal when you were a child."

He looked at the ring around the chain, that was handed over to him earlier during the day by his grandmother, and thought, "Now I understand the reason, why my mother was not in possession of this heirloom ring. It was to shield her from the pain of the reality, that this ring along with her husband, initially belonged to her best friend, aunt Roulan."

He promised himself, "I will find someone like her to spend the rest of my life with. There is surely someone down there like her."

The matured person as he was, he comforted himself with this logical reasoning, then walked back to his car, and drove back home.

By the time he reached home, it was already past seven, and the elders had already come back.

He went to his room to freshen up. As he was in the shower, the ring glowed in the water, reminding him of his promise made to himself. The thought of spending a lifetime with someone like his aunt cheered him up.

After the bath, the first thing he did was to dial aunt Roulan.

It was seven o'clock in the morning in Jersey City. Roulan was surprised, at the contact, that was ringing on her phone. She picked the phone, and said lovingly, "I thought, my prodigal son had forgotten, his foster mother. Did you forget your best friend?"

Bao smiled, and said, "How can I forget you? I could trade all my wealth, to be with you. It's just, that I had been busy, over the last few months, and had been returning home late just in time for bed, that my frequency of the calls made to you had decreased."

"Bao, I just ended my night duty and will reach home in another twenty-five minutes. Can I call you at half-past nine in the evening, Shanghai time before I sleep? We have a lot of things to catch up on with each other. Isn't it?"

"Yep, it's a promise then. I will wait for your call."

Li Bao joined his grandparents for a meal. At the meal, they discussed the events of the day with each other. Then the elders retired to their room.

It was nine at night, and Bao thought of Liqin and Jia and dialed the manager to confirm their arrival.

The manager answered the phone and replied, "They have not yet arrived; however, I received a call from Mr. Chang, that they would reach in another fifteen minutes."

Li Bao gave a sly smile, and told him, "Come what may remember, you only have one room left, and that it the Presidential suite, that I use when I visit. Hope you get it."

"Yes Sir."