Fate Brought You Back To Me

Part 11: It's Really You

I can't believe I'm actually doing this, Shancai thought as she leaned back in her seat. She and her daughter had boarded a plane to London, and now found themselves in a cab to a hotel, where they were to meet Daoming Si. I made myself crystal clear, Shancai thought as she bit her lip, worrying about everything that could go wrong. But she knew that she could run away for so long. She felt a small hand squeeze her own, and turned to her daughter. "YueYue, are you alright?" she asked. YueYue shook her head, and Shancai gave her daughter's hand a reassuring squeeze. "It's okay, I'm right here with you." Though if she was honest, she felt incredibly nervous about seeing Daoming Si again after all these years, and having him and their daughter meet for the first time.

*Two days before*

"Are you nervous?" Xiaozi had asked Shancai as she helped Shancai pack her luggage. Shancai shoved some clothes into a suitcase and slammed it shut, then plopped onto her bed with a sigh. "Truth be told, yes," Shancai admitted. "I haven't seen Daoming Si in seven years, and I hid the fact that we had a child." Xiaozi didn't answer her for a moment, then asked, "Is that really all?" Shancai scoffed, "Me? Afraid of Daoming Si? I thought you knew me better than that." Then her face fell, "No, that wasn't all, you know what this could mean for YueYue, don't you?" The He heiress nodded in understanding. "It's only a matter of time before Ah Si's mother catches wind of his daughter's existence. What will you do then?"

Shancai bit her lip, "I don't know, but I do know that Daoming Si is dead meat if he doesn't help me out. He's getting me into this mess, he'd better help me get out of it." Scary, Xiaozi thought in amusement as she regarded the smaller woman. "Well I'm glad that you're deciding to go to London. You and Ah Si deserve a second chance at happiness." Shancai shrugged Xiaozi's hand off her shoulder, "Don't misunderstand, I'm going to let him meet our daughter, not to be with him. This isn't a drama, it's the real world." Xiaozi frowned, "Right, sorry." Shancai turned away, making sure she grabbed what she needed before turning to go help her daughter pack.

"YueYue? Can I come in?" Shancai asked, knocking lightly on her bedroom door. "Yeah, come in, Mama," the little girl called back. "How do you feel about all this?" Shancai asked as she helped her daughter pack her suitcase. YueYue fiddled with her necklace, "I'm scared, Mama." Shancai sat on the bed, pulling her daughter onto her lap, "Why are you scared?" Yue hung her head, "I've never met him, and you never want to talk about him. What if he doesn't like me?" Shancai ran her hand through her daughter's inky hair, "Silly girl, your papa will adore you, I promise."

*Back to present*
"Hey Shancai, why did you put off seeing Ah Si until today?" Xiaozi asked. "I was tired after a really long plane ride. Daoming Si could wait another day," Shancai said, rubbing her temple. Liar, she thought, it's because I was putting it off for as much as I could. Xiaozi hummed in response, then gave the cabbie further directions to the hotel. Shancai felt her stomach give a nervous flip when soon, much too soon, the hotel came into view. Stepping out of the taxi, Xiaozi turned to Shancai and asked, "Ready?" Shancai gave a sardonic smile, "Not at all, let's just get this over with."

Shancai and YueYue followed Xiaozi into the room where they were to meet with the Daoming chairman. "Wait here," Xiaozi said to the mother-daughter duo, "I'm gonna go see where he is. You better not run, Shancai." The aforementioned woman rolled her eyes, "Very funny, Xiaozi. Just got get him before I change my mind." Xiaozi left, closing the door behind, once she did, she pulled out her phone and called Ah Si. "Hello?" he answered, "have you brought Shancai to where we'd agreed." "Yes, but where the hell are you?" Xiaozi answered, annoyed at Ah Si's unpunctuality. "I'm almost there, why'd you call anyway?"

Xiaozi inhaled deeply, then said, "Ah Si, you should be very aware that Shancai isn't going to be jumping into your arms anytime soon. I know what I agreed to, but keep in mind what's got her worried. She will run if she thinks being around you puts her daughter at risk." Ah Si hissed, "You mean our daughter. I haven't forgotten what she said, and I intend to keep my word. I'm not letting Mother hurt either of them." "Just hurry up," Xiaozi snapped, "The longer you make her wait, the more likely she is to bail." Ah Si, you'd better know what you're getting into, Xiaozi thought when she hung up, pocketing her phone.

*20 minutes later*
"Is this some sort of sick joke?" Shancai fumed as she plopped onto a nearby chair. "What's taking so long?" YueYue came up to her mother and crawled into her lap. "Is Papa not coming?" she asked, her voice tinged with a little sadness. Shancai gave her a small smile, "I'm sure he is, he might just be running—"
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
late." Shancai finished abruptly. "Xiaozi, why don't you just come in? No need to knock." "It's not Xiaozi," a male voice replied. Shancai gasped softly, it was Daoming Si. "But may I come in?" he finished. "Y-Yeah, come in," she said in a shaky tone, rising off the chair and walking toward the door.

Ah Si opened it and stepped inside, closing it with his back toward Shancai. What the hell am I to say to her? he thought as he turned to face her. The two adults stood facing each other, silently assessing the other. She looks so beaten down, yet the same, he thought as he took in the faint bruise-like shadows under Shancai's eyes, her petite frame, and most hauntingly, the poorly concealed sadness in her eyes. "Mama, who's this?" Daoming Si heard a tiny voice ask. Then his gaze fell to the little girl clutching her skirt, hiding from him. He couldn't see her face clearly, but he knew that this was his—their—little girl. Shancai swallowed, then answered, "YueYue, this is your father. Daoming Si," Shancai turned to him, gently tugging YueYue to stand in front of her, "this is your daughter, Yue."

Author's note
So Ah Si has finally meet his daughter, and a proper first interaction is next chapter. :D
Thanks for reading
Thank you!
Gracias!
ありがとう！
감사합니다!
谢谢！
-monicacantwrite