Her phone rang, breaking her chain of thoughts.

"h.e.l.lo stranger…long time no see!" said a familiar voice on the phone.

"Ethan…how are you? Yes, it's been long since we last connected. Many congratulations on your engagement," she exclaimed in delight upon receiving his call.

"Thank you. So listen, Chu and I landed in Shanghai last evening. We have heard about the wonderful work that you are doing. We want to do a small interview with you, click some pictures of the place, capture some success stories. Hope that's alright with you. We are on our way to you now. Should reach by lunchtime," he rattled off.

"Uh, sure. Looking forward to seeing you…" she replied, surprised.

The last time that she had seen these two was when Chu had come to her house with him in Wei's presence an year ago. It had been an unpleasant meeting and Jia Li wanted to overwrite those memories with happier ones. She called her a.s.sistant in and started giving instructions for making the place ready for a tour.

"I can't wait to see her expression when she sees you," Chu exclaimed.

"She won't be very pleased," Ethan tried to warn her.

"Why do you always have to behave like a wet blanket?" she frowned.

"I am not being a…" Ethan was interrupted.

"Can you both give me a break from your bickering saga? My already frazzled nerves can't handle this tirade any longer," Tang cut off Ethan's reply.

Chu gave a black look to her brother through the rear-view mirror. She had volunteered to drive this morning.

They had decided to travel to Moganshan during the middle of the week when Wei was caught up with office work. Also, they wanted to tell him about visiting the place after informing Jia Li. Tang was counting on the fact that Jia Li would never refuse Chu. It had been slightly tricky to explain to their father about this sudden plan but he had pitched it as a positive promotional approach before they invested resources in the expansion. The fact that his father didn't know about Jia Li's involvement in the project, helped the matters.

Neither Wei nor Mei Zhen were aware of his travel plan and he hoped that soon it wouldn't matter.

As of now, his mind refused to think about anything else except for the fact that he would get to see her in less than two hours.

Wei was slightly miffed by the high handed way Mr. Xie and family had taken over his project completely. He appreciated the fact that interview with an international journalist like Ethan would really push the Language Inst.i.tute into limelight but they hadn't even bothered to consult him on the same before setting it up. He knew it was childish of him to feel upset that he wasn't there for the interview alongside Jia Li but he couldn't help it. He wanted to keep her away from the influence of the Xie family even if it was in the form of Chu.

"Hi guys, it's soooo good to see…", Jia Li's voice trailed off at the sight of Tang behind Ethan and Chu.

"Jia Li, you look like a turnip in those clothes," Chu quipped and went on to give her a tight hug.

But Jia Li couldn't concentrate on what she was saying. She was completely nonplussed to see HIM there.

"My fiancée's metaphors need an upgradation. You look gorgeous. Winter seems to suit you," Ethan extended his arms to hug her, only to be pulled back by a scowling Tang.

Ethan grinned at the black look on his prospective brother in-law's face.

"Hands-off my girl," Tang growled softly before moving past him to meet Jia Li.

"I have been put in charge of scouting and establis.h.i.+ng new branches of the inst.i.tute, all except the one in Shanghai. Since, this is the flags.h.i.+p unit, I am here to observe, understand and learn. I hope we can work cordially, keeping our personal equation aside," he spoke brusquely to her, without offering any kind of greetings.

She fought to keep the heat off her face. Her mind refused to comprehend anything which he was saying right now. It kept flas.h.i.+ng back the intimate moments of a few days ago.

"Uh, is that ok?" his now amused voice finally broke through her reverie.

It seemed that he could read her face and its thoughts.

Clad in a high neck, off-white cardigan with a pair of worn out jeans and well worn leather gloves, he looked charmingly boyish reminding her of a much younger version of himself.

Forcing herself to break out of the spell, she asked, "why wasn't I informed of the same earlier?"

He shrugged his shoulders in innocence, "I am not sure of the reason. This delegation of responsibility is a recent development."