“Dang Wo Bao Zhe Ni De Shi Hou, Chuang Wai Feng Fei Qi, Huang Ye Piao Luo... Yi Wei Shi Lang Man, Yuan Lai Zhi Shi You Xin Zai Fei Zou...”

Chapter 21

Wei Lian sensed the tension and decided he should leave them alone to talk. Just when he was walking to his room, he heard a voice that made him cringe. “Wei Liannnnnnn….” Iyo! What is that woman doing here, and of all times??

“Wei Lian dear, you at home ah? Lucky me got you in time.” Jace squealed, pinching his cheeks. “Want to go eat dinner a not?” her hands hanky-pankied on Wei Lian again. As she looked across the house while Wei Lian was trying hard to pry her stubby fingers off his cheeks, she realised Fang Qi and Jake were there too.

“Wah so many people here ah? Party ah? Sorry hor, didn’t see you all just now, Pai seh la, Wei Lian so especially cuteeeeeeeeee today, my eyes only went straight for him. Hahaha!” Jace gushed non-stop.

Fang Qi looked on in bewilderment. Wah today almanac good day ah, why everybody in the world seems to be coming to the beach house today, she thought to herself. Her eyes widened in horror as she watched Jace attempting to pull Wei Lian’s cheeks again. This time he was fast to react.

“Eh, don’t anyhow touch can a not. Already told you many times don’t do that, very irritating lay.”

“Iya, you so cute today mah, let me pinch awhile will die meh? Ok la, we go and eat dinner okie. Come la.” Jace tugged at his sleeve and hooked her arms into his. “Eh, you two come along also lay!” she beckoned to Jake and Fang Qi who obediently followed them. They each had a lot on their minds and they didn’t have the energy to object.

Dinner was a drag. How exciting can it get when there are three glum looking people who barely uttered a word and one chatterbox who just couldn’t stop talking. After dinner, Wei Lian finally managed to “get rid” of Jace by firmly telling her that he wanted to go back and sleep, as he got to wake up early tomorrow to work. Jace had no choice but to go back with Jake, pulling Fang Qi along, insisting that Jake send her back. Fang Qi hesitated for a moment, but seeing that Wei Lian had already started to walk off, she bit her lip and left with Jake and Jace.

As Wei Lian stepped into the beach house, his handphone suddenly rang. “Hello, hello?” Private number. “Hello, Wei Lian ah, it’s Ah Ma la. How are you? How come you didn’t come and visit me with Ah Girl since that day? Is she there ah?” Fang Qi’s Ah Ma asked cheerily. Wei Lian wasn’t sure what happened after the act that day. Fang Qi had ran out that very night and never returned to the beach house nor called him again until he met her on the streets today. But it seems Ah Ma still had the impression she was staying at the beach house. Thus he briefly said that she had gone out and hadn’t come back yet. “Oh actually, Ah Ma just wanted to let you all know that I am returning to Los Angeles this weekend la.” She explained. Wei Lian chatted with Ah Ma for a while and hung up.

He slumped on the sofa and started to compose an SMS. Then he stopped and pressed “Clear”, deleting the contents. He deliberated for a long while before finally clicking on “Write message” again. He decided to SMS Fang Qi to tell her about the news. “Ah Ma says she is leaving this Saturday. You didn’t tell her we broke up?” he typed and pressed “Send”.

Sitting in Jake’s car, Fang Qi stared at her handphone screen. The message inbox showed Wei Lian’s name. Seeing his name, Fang Qi started to boil. The whole night, Jace kept molesting Wei Lian over dinner. It was disgusting. And he didn’t even utter a single word to her the whole night, not even when they parted ways after dinner. He had not SMS-ed or called her since the day she left. This is the first since that evening. Her thumb hovered over the “Read” button.

“Ah Ma says she is leaving this Saturday. You didn’t tell her we broke up?” the screen displayed the SMS as she finally decided to read it.

“No.” She replied.

“Thought you said you will tell her that?” The reply came surprisingly fast.

“No.” Short and sweet.

“Ok. I told her we will send her off at the airport. I think she wants to see both of us la. We arrange later.” Fang Qi rubbed her eyes and stared at the message again. Is he suggesting that we act for Ah Ma to see again? At this point in time? When everything just feels so weird and awkward? Her mind was in a mess. She didn’t know what to think. And she doesn’t know what he is thinking. She closed her handphone flap, rested her head against the car seat and closed her eyes. She wasn’t going to reply his SMS.