Tang took a deep breath in before answering back stonily, "sure, thanks!"

The past few months had been tough. He had married a woman who believed that emotional blackmail was her birth right. If that was not bad enough, his only feeling in the relation was that of guilt. Guilt that he had dragged an unsuspecting woman into his cold life. He should have known that his stubborn heart was not capable of loving anyone else.

h.e.l.l, if he couldn't forgive his father, his hero in so many years, how would a stranger find a way into his soul. The marriage had already turned into a sh.e.l.l of polite strangers sharing a room. He was stuck and didn't know whether he wanted to get out of it or stay here.

In the initial phase, he had given it his all, first because he wanted to make it work and later because he felt obligated. But he simply couldn't do it…couldn't love her or allow her to love him, not even a tiny bit. It was as if the entire fibre of his body was revolting against him.

And he wondered, every day, if this is how it had been for Jia Li in her marriage. Or had she managed to find love again in her husband. Till date, his fists clenched at the thought of his girl in someone else's life, someone else's arms. It had been a blessing in disguise that he had never faced Jia Li and her loser husband together.

"I don't think I would have been able to stay civilised in such a scenario," he muttered his thoughts out loud in the car, much to the surprise of his chauffeur.

Moganshan

"w.a.n.g Wei has left this envelope for you", said Jia Li's a.s.sistant, handing over the doc.u.ment.

"Ah, the new employment contracts…", she stopped at the sight of a handwritten note.

Opening the letter curiously, she read on –

I can just imagine the surprised expression on your face as you read this. I want to begin by confessing that I have always believed myself to be a shallow person, nearly incapable of strong, long-lasting emotions. But these past few months have been nothing less than a journey of self-revelation.

I want to share something with you which I realised last evening. Do you know that I am aware of the exact number of times you roll your hair before punis.h.i.+ng them into a bun? I also know that you prefer the citrus smell infinitely over woody. Your nose has a habit of scrunching up adorably in concentration. And you love crunching fallen dried leaves under your feet while walking. I could go on but then you could mistake me for a pervert then...

Jia Li, I believe like you. You make me feel like a better version of myself. I want to be that person and more. Would it be ok with you if we date a little and then maybe a lot and see where it takes us? You don't have to decide immediately. And even if you say NO, I hope that it would not affect the current friends.h.i.+p that we share.

I heard this in some movie and surprisingly it has stayed with me over the years -

"I always imagined that people would have been lonely around me. Just for this once, I hope that my absence makes them feel lonely."

I am going away to New York for a month. I will see you soon…

Yours truly

w.a.n.g Wei