Abelle- A Chinese Romance

To Be Engaged (Part 1)

 "Li! Li! Li! Come here, Li!"

I run down the stairs to my waiting servant Xing. "Yes? What is it now?" Xing has raised me ever since I was a little girl in the family. She fed me food, gave me walks, and has always supported me in everything I do.

"Your mother, Li Hua wants to speak with you on the balcony." My name is Li Abelle and I am born and raised in a wealthy family who owns a stock company in Beijing, China. Well...we did before. 10 years ago, my father, Li Shan, was having heart disease and was immediately sent to be cured in a hospital. He would still keep control of his company, but ever since he got sick his luck was running down. He was earning less and less yuan( Chinese currency) as the months went by. The company would end in bankruptcy, and the only way to save it was to sell it. The company was sold without any complaints, the name of it changed and the company was moved overseas to America. The Li company would have been saved...if only the Chan family had made a deal with us.

Chan Teng is the wife of the rich and well-known founder of Chan Enterprises. She is a good friend of my mother since childhood and the two husbands know eachother well too since college. Before our company was sold, my father asked Chan Teng one more time if she would give them the loan of 30 million yuan. It was the same year Chan Teng's husband had died to an unknown disease, but Chan Teng was already out of mourning and had taken over the company with full power by then. "No," she had said to my father, "some companies survive and others fail. You didn't manage yours very well, therefore I refuse to give you the loan." Those were her exact words and I have been angry with her response since. My mother had stopped talking to her "once best friend" before and father retired with mother and they both moved back to their hometown, Shanghai.

Chan Teng and her husband had two children, a daughter and a son. I am the only child of my family. When things were going great between Chan Enterprises and Li Company, I would always go over to Chan's house and play with their son, James Chan. We were both the same age and he and I got along very well. His older sister, Jina Chan, was very selfish and acted snobbish toward me when I came over every time. I use to have a small crush on their son when I was 4, not anymore. The last time I talked to James was when school was over, we had both finished the 8th grade. "I'm sorry my mother didn't give your father the loan," James had told me when we were on school grounds. I was still angry then and said some hurtful things to him. "I hate you and your family. They are no good." James's face remained calm but I could see the hurt look in his eyes. That's when we got separated and transferred to two different private schools. Chan went to Golden Dream Heights School and I went to Jade Academy. I wish I could speak to him again and apologize, but I can't even contact him anymore.

I dashed quickly to where my mother was waiting. My family is still wealthy enough with the yuan leftover and I used that money to buy myself a luxurious apartment outside the city of Beijing. I am working as a model and appear on some front covers of favorite magazines like "Vogue China" and "Cawaii!" "Mother?" I called. Li Hua stands elegantly on the balcony with a green ivory dress. Her hair is tied back into a small bun with pins and faded wrinkles are shown on her face. My mother will be turning 61 this year, but she still looks the same 10 years ago. Li Hua turns around and addresses me with a slow hand motion. I take a step forward and she speaks, " So my daughter, I have some exciting news to tell you. It has been decided by me, not your father, so please don't tell him of this." Li Hua walks back into the room and we both sat down on the leather sofas, me opposite from her. I hold a pillow to my chest and wait for her quietly to respond again. Are father and mother going back to Shanghai?

Did they get tired of staying here in Beijing already? It's only been 2 nights.... "I am thinking of arranging a marriage for you." I stare into my mother's grim face. Marriage? I know that alot of rich companies send their daughters or sons off into marriage once they reach the age of 20 years..but this news still shocks me. "So soon?" I replied. Li Hua shakes her head. "You are old enough to take this family honor. You're already 24 years old and not even engaged yet. Even though your father and I are not into business anymore, you can still be." I set the pillow down on my lap and mumbled to myself, " I have had relationships before, but I won't get married now." Li Hua rambles on, " I know you may have met a few cute boys in your job and dated two of them, but none of them are up to our standards. We need to find you a man who can talk business and raise alot of wealth in the future for your family."