Love-Student
Love-Student
All the Xias went to the Yeongs' mansion for a lovely dinner and right after their meals, the three ladies head for the patio for a chat.
Xia Lian already knew what the talk would include. The second that they sat, she sighed and said, "Alright. alright. I will tell you. I like Ha-joon and I sort of have been bugging him for two years now."
Andrea laughed hysterically at Lian's confession. She never expected a Xia would turn out to be a lovefool.
While Yanmei knew Lian and Ha-joon had been talking to each other since their wedding, she did not expect Lian to admit, having practically stalked him. She asked, "Bugged? How exactly?"
She sneered and said, "I sort of... called him a lot! Haha!"
Lian: "I told him I liked him... many times."
Yanmei gulped. It was just like Lian to confess her feelings to a man first.
Lian: "I sent him gifts too."
'Yup! Definitely Lian's style,' Yanmei silently said.
Lian: "I - I secretly came to see him six last year. Haha. No one knew. I told him I had a client meeting here, and he came to see me just for coffee."
"Wow!" Said Andrea. "A four-hour flight just for coffee!"
Yanmei sighed and said, "Well, why am I even surprised? It's probably the same thing you did to most of the men you liked in the past." She leaned over and added, "But, I have to say, you are doing a good job, keep at it for two years! Your max was six months!"
Andrea's mouth fell agape. She turned to Lian and said, "Lian, dear. You can't do that. You have to have pride! You are a beautiful woman - a Xia!"
"Why is that? Why men can confess to a woman and a woman can't?" Lian asked with a frown on her face.
"Of course you can confess your feelings, but you don't need to give yourself away," said Andrea. She reached for Lian's hand and said, "Let me help you - actually, I won't just be helping you, but also Ha-joon."
"That poor guy needs to loosen up anyway," expounded Andrea.
Andrea appreciated all that Ha-joon did for her in the past, looking out for her while she was pregnant with her first twins and helping to save her from being abducted. She also wanted Ha-joon to experience love, considering he was already in his late twenties.
"But, I sort of feel that he likes me - "
"I think so too," remarked Andrea.
"Ha-joon developed a similar characteristic as my brother. In a sense that he did not want to have a relationship," said Andrea. "I think you are his first female friend."
"Listen to us, Lian. Ha-joon will only feel assured that you'll always run after him," said Yanmei. "So what you need to do is to follow our lead from now on."
"Yes, from here on, your technique should be... as if you have moved on to another man or you simply won't care about him," added Andrea.
Seeing Lian doubt, Andrea said, "If you don't believe us, let me prove a point to you. Call him."
"What?" Lian asked with her brows furrowed.
"Call him and when you hear his voice, just say hi and then... hung up," instructed Andrea.
Yanmei, on the other hand, was unsure where Andrea was getting at, but it's like what she announced the other day; she was the love expert.
Lian turned to Yanmei and heard her say, "Do as Andy says."
For seconds, Lian stared at her phone, biting her lip. After finding the courage, she finally called Ha-joon's number. During the first round, he did not answer, but she called again and after six rings, Ha-joon took the call.
"Lian, I'm busy. Call me later in the evening," said Ha-joon on the other line.
"Ah, Ha-joon. Hi - " She cut the call, just as Andrea instructed.
Lian gulped and looked at Yanmei and Andrea, nervous.
"Good! Good!" Exclaimed Andrea. She was clapping at her new love-student. She said, "Now, he is going to call back and when he does, say, Darwin, sorry. I couldn't call you back right away."
"Then! If he asks about Darwin, just say he is a businessman in the US you met in China. Say you have been getting an invitation to work with him."
Lian's eyes panned from left to right while Yanmei said, "Oooohhhh... Yeah, I like the idea."
The three ladies waited for another minute and to Lian's surprise, Ha-joon called. Her eyes twinkled as she announced, "He is calling! He is calling -"
"Eh! Eh! Eh!" Said Andrea, waving her finger, suggesting not to answer just yet. "Don't be too eager. Let it ring six more times."
Lian was practically counting with her fingers, and after the seventh ring, she answered, "Darwin! I'm sorry. I couldn't call you back right away -"
"Who is Darwin?" Ha-joon asked on the other line.
"Ummm... Darwin! Gosh! I'm sorry. Ha-joon! I wasn't looking at my phone. Why did you call?" Asked Lian. Her eyes were wide open, thrilled for him to call her at his own will for the very first time in two years.
"Who is Darwin?" Ha-joon repeated. "Were you speaking to this guy just earlier? Is that why you hung up?"
Lian was practically screaming in silence, nearly jumping in her seat out of excitement. She was looking sideways to Yanmei and Andrea while pointing to her phone.
When Yanmei glared is her, she realized she needed to focus on the conversation. She said, "Oh, Darwin? He is a businessman in the US. I met him in China and he has been calling me - inviting me to work for his company."
She sighed and said, "I have been thinking about it. It's a new adventure! I think I'd want to go to another country for a job."
Yanmei and Andrea smiled at how she handled herself.
Ha-joon: "Where are you?"
Lian: "I'm at Yanmei's home, here at their mansion. Why?"
Ha-joon: "Are you heading back to the hotel now?"
Lian: "Ummm... not yet. Why?"
Ha-joon: "I'll see you at the Four Seasons. We can have coffee for a while."
Lian's eyes glistened, hearing Ha-joon's invitation. She was so delighted that she immediately agreed, "Yes! Coffee is fine. I so want to see you! Of course! I'll see you, later! Yep! Maybe around ten!"
When the call was finally over, Xia Lian was so over the moon with the idea of seeing Ha-joon. She was so focused on the call that she missed the signs being given by Yanmei and Andrea.
She had the biggest grin on her face when she turned to the two, but seeing their weary expression, she asked, "What - what's wrong?"
"Next time, just don't get excited," said Yanmei.
"Yes, for now. Don't accept an invitation from Ha-joon. It's just temporary. You need to make him realize he is not your only world," said Andrea. "But! It's a good start and now you know that the techniques we are teaching you... will definitely work!"
"Oh! Haha! I was so excited! Sorry," said Lian. "Yes, I'll work on not accepting his invitations for now."
"Yeah, even if you will be working together soon, you can still act casually and not give your absolute attention," said Yanmei.
"So... he is seeing you at ten?" Andrea asked.
She nodded happily.
"Don't show up," instructed Andrea.
Yanmei's mouth fell open, but she understood the purpose of doing so. She looked back at Lian and said, "Yeah... we'll send you back to the hotel early and... just tell him, you fell asleep."
"Whhaaaattttttt?" Lian was deciding on whether to follow or not. She felt like it was an opportunity, but her cupids are telling her otherwise.