XiYou Deal Chapter Story

Deal: Chapter 16

“DEAL”

Chapter 16

As if Xi Men hadn’t have enough to deal with his friends, his parents who were surprised by the sudden turn of events were also on his case. Everybody seemed to think he’s the guilty party.

His mother confronted him one evening.

“Yan!” She entered his bedroom.
“What?!” Xi Men snapped. He wasn’t really in the mood to talk.
“What is going on between you and Xiao You?” She crossed her arms.
“Well, mother, you’re right.” Xi Men said coolly. “I’ve been hurting her all this time. And now I’ve really missed and screwed up our ‘once in a lifetime.’” Xi Men said. He gulped the glass of scotch he was holding.
Xi Men’s mother sighed and shook her head. “So is that why you’re here having a drinking pity party?”
“Mother, please. I’m not in the mood.”
“XI MEN YAN!”

Xi Men faced his mother who was standing tall and have a commanding aura.

“Yes, Ma’am?” Xi Men replied. His mother only used that commanding voice when he was about to get punished as a young kid. Xi Men knew she means business.
“It’s too late for your father and I but it’s not too late yet for you and Xiao You. You’re my son. You’re other half is part of me. You’re loyal. You’re devoted. You’re earnest in love. Show that other part to Xiao You and she will truly believe that you love her.” Xi Men’s mother stated.

Her words triggered Xi Men.

“But Ma, I don’t know how to do that.”
“Aren’t you the so-called god of strategies?”
“Those dating tricks Mei Zuo and I established in our heyday don’t work on Xiao You. She’s not so easily impressed by those.”
“Then what does impress Xiao You the most?” She posed the question at her son.

That got Xi Men thinking.

On another occasion at the office, Xi Men’s father cornered him.
“Yan, I want to discuss something with you.” He said as he entered his son’s office.
“Sir.” Xi Men greeted back.
“No need to be so formal. It’s just the two of us here.” His father said.
“What brings you to my office?”
“Xiao You.” Xi Men’s father was always a direct to the point and cut to the chase kind of guy.
“I’d really rather not talk about her right now.”
“There’s no better time like the present son.”
“Fine.”
“Did you two have a falling out?”
“We haven’t spoken and seen each other in four months. I guess that’s kinda obvious.” Xi Men replied sarcastically.
“I really hoped you’d be engaged and maybe married by now.” The senior Xi Men said.
“You and me.” Xi Men sighed.
“Yan, does what happened to your mother and I have anything to do with you and Xiao You?”
The younger man nodded.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine Pa. It’s my own beliefs, convictions and actions that makes Xiao You doubt my love for her.”
“Still, you were obviously influenced by my behavior.” Xi Men’s father said. “I’m a terrible husband and father.”
“Yes, you are.”
“Tsk. You agreed right away.”
Both laughed.
“Honestly, I want you to be someone better than me. Your mother and I…” He chuckled. “It’s over.” He admitted.
“But it’s not over for Ma yet.”
“I know.” He said sadly.
“Pa, can I ask why you and Ma broke up? Why did your marriage fall apart? I never really understood what happened between you two.”
Xi Men Han looked at his son. “I just fell out of love with her.”
“But how can you fell out of love with the person you the love most?” He questioned.
“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “I just did.”
“Do you mean to say that you never really loved Ma?”
“I did. It was love at first sight for me. But I’m a free-spirited man. I could never settle with just one.”
“Then why did you pursue and marry her?”
“At that time I really liked her and wanted her to be mine. Also, I needed to get married already and produce an heir. Your grandfather at that time was pressuring me already. Soo Lin was the perfect candidate. She came from a good family and she adores tea. As you know that’s one of the requirements of the Xi Men clan for any one who marries into our family.”
“Xiao You is scared I might fall out of love with her too.” Xi Men admitted.
“Yan, you may be like me in some aspect, I’m not proud of those by the way, but I think you’re more like your mother actually.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning that you’re the better man between the two of us. You only need to let go of your insecurities and fears. You and Xiao You should forget thinking about the future and just focus on the present. Nobody knows what the future may bring and if you keep worrying about that you’ll just end up missing every opportunity of ‘once in a lifetime’ in your lives.”

What Xi Men’s father just said made him finally understood something. He and Xiao You were too fixated on what will happen in the future. Rather than worry about the future they should just focus on the here and now. Every day is a ‘once in a lifetime’ and Xi Men wanted him and Xiao You to share and experience as many ‘once in a lifetime’ in their lives together. 

© Franzz P. Follow on Instagram @onceinalifetimearc2018
Date written: December 22-23, 2018

Note: I sort of borrowed Xi Men Han’s need to marry from the life of Prince Charles. I’m not quite contented with how the father-son conversation went. I just wanted to finish this chapter and move on to the next four chapters.
Xi Men Family Fun Fact: Xi Men Han, CEO & President of the Xi Men Enterprises and fifteenth generation and current head of the Xi Men clan. In the earlier chapter I revealed that his age is 50. He married pretty early like 21-23. Xi Men would be 26-28 in the present setting. In the manga, Nishikado Soujiroh is the sixteenth generation. So in this story, Xi Men Yan is the 16th generation while Jiang Xiao Tian is the 17th generation.