Hearts Will Remember

Chapter 25 - Shancai

We had been in Shanghai for two days now.

Ah Si went out with Ximen and Meizuo. They invited him to spend time together by visiting their old haunts since he has not been back for more than 10 years. He didn't want to go at first, but I told him that I also needed to take care of some things with Xiaoyou. He only relented after I assured him several times that I would be fine. I was glad I did because I could see that he was looking forward to explore Shanghai again.

I felt guilty that we missed Lei's shows and were not there to support him. So I made sure to call him as soon as possible.

"Lei, I'm so sorry we missed your performances."

"No worries, Shancai, I understand. There will be other opportunities. I hope everything is fine with you and Ah Si."

"Yes, it is."

The first thing I told him when I called was to apologize for leaving New York without any explanation. He was very understanding when I kept him abreast about all that happened.

"I'm so glad everything is fine Shancai. You've both suffered so much, especially you. But there's always a light at the end of the tunnel. That may sound trite, but it's true, especially for you and Ah Si."

"Thanks Lei."

My eyes misted as I listened to Lei's comforting words. I could always count on him to make me feel better.

"So when is your part done? Ah Si mentioned that Ximen said you will come back to Shanghai as soon as you're done performing." I was hoping he'll be done soon.

"Now that you mentioned it, I was meaning to ask how long you and Ah Si are staying in Shanghai. My final performance is tomorrow tonight and I've booked my flight for the day after. But I can cancel if you're coming back soon, now that your purpose in Shanghai is done."

"No! Don't cancel it. I'm calling Julie after this so I can talk to her about arranging her flight to Shanghai as soon as possible."

"Hmm, it seems you're planning something," he guessed, amusement coating his tone.

"Yes, I am," was my excited reply before I told him about my plans.

====

I smiled in amusement as I recalled my phone call with Julie.

She's been sending me comforting messages since I left New York, assuring me she'll always be there if I need to talk. When I finally called, I told her the good news right away because I knew she was worried.

I asked her if she would like to visit Shanghai since I'm staying a bit longer. When I detailed the suprise I was planning for Ah Si, she was all for it. She knew about our story, especially about what happened during his birthday and afterwards.

We discussed the catering schedule for the next few days. It was a light week because she already blocked off a few days for the wedding that was supposed to happen that Wednesday. The rest of the bookings were old clients so a couple of our most capable and trusted full time staff can easily handle them.

Before hanging up, I told her to coordinate with Lei about her flight to Shanghai.

I opened the message that arrived from Xiaoyou while I was on the phone with Julie. She just arrived and is now downstairs in the hotel restaurant being seated for the lunch I made reservations for.

===

"So, what's the plan for today?" Xiaoyou didn't waste time as soon as the server left with our orders.

"I looked around a bit in their website and we need to talk to one of their event planners. I made an appointment with one for this afternoon, right after our lunch. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they have something open this week and that they can accommodate us despite such a short notice."