Hearts Will Remember

Chapter 19

He was numb.  He couldn't remember how long he had been sitting on his bed.  It could be hours or just minutes.   Shancai's devastated and pain-stricken face played in a loop in his head. Was this the end of them? 

Like a masochist, his mind replayed the events from just a few hours ago that shattered their worlds.   They were in his living room.  He and Shancai were sitting by the sofa, his mother sitting opposite them. 

As Zhuang had predicted, she took a flight out of London yesterday and stayed in a hotel for the night.  He was downstairs, waiting for Shancai to come down so they could go to their noon meeting with the wedding coordinator, when the doorbell rang.  It was his mother.  After an awkward greeting, he showed her to the living room.

"So this is your place? Is your company not doing well?  This place is small. Couldn't you afford the bigger penthouse units?" She fired off without preamble.

He bristled at her condescending tone.  He knew she didn't really believe he could make it in New York and was just waiting for him to go back to DMG in defeat. 

"This place was big enough for me.  And besides, once Shancai and I got married, we will find a new place."

He heard his mother gasp, but he ignored it.  As if on cue, he heard Shancai's light footsteps as she came down the stairs.  He walked to the bottom of the stairs to wait for her.

"Love, it seems my mother couldn't wait to be invited to our wedding."  He said in a low voice, sarcasm on his tone.

Her eyes went wide, her gaze whipping towards the living room. She looked back at him, as if gauging his mood. 

"We will talk to her.  As long as she doesn't cause any trouble, then I guess she can be here for the wedding."

She nodded, silently reaching for his hand as they both walked to the living room and sat opposite her.

"Ah Si!  You cannot marry Dong Shancai.  You have a duty in this family to continue the Dao Ming legacy. And she cannot give you that."

"What are you talking about Ma?  You should know by now your opinion about my life and what I want to do with it does not matter anymore.  Shancai and I will get married and have a family with your permission or not. If you cannot support that, then please leave." 

He was fuming and could barely contain his anger.  How dare her barge into his house and tell him what he can or cannot do?  Shancai was rubbing her hand down his arm, trying to calm him down. 

"What family?  Shancai, didn't you tell Ah Si the truth?  I knew it.  Until now, you're still up to your old tricks trying to get your claws into the Dao Ming family.  Well, I won't let that happen! Dao Ming Si has an obligation to continue the family legacy---" 

"Ma, stop it! Why are you always like this?  Why can't you accept that I love Shancai and that she will be in my life whether you like it or not?  After 10 years of being separated, the fact that we found each other again should prove to you that we are meant to be together.   And what about this family legacy? If you will just open your mind and accept the truth, there's no reason why we can't be in each other's lives, in our future children's lives."

"Future children? You will have no future children because she cannot give them to you!"

He heard Shancai's loud gasp.  "What? What are you talking about?" 

He turned her face towards him.  "Love, ignore her.  She's just trying to use her manipulative tricks again. We are not falling for that."

"Don't give me that innocent act Shancai.  Your parents must have told you about your condition after that accident.  And now you are trying to trick Ah Si into marrying you without telling him what he is getting himself into."