When Wang He Di leaves the small village he grew up in, to find work in the streets of glamourous and dangerous Shanghai, the first thing that catches his eye is the beautiful Shen Yue, a young woman also trying to make her fortunes in the "Paris of...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Yue has finished packing her clothes as it is her last day at home. She will be leaving on the midnight train to Shanghai tonight and she cannot wait. The last few days here with just her and her mother, have been very taxing. She even wishes that Chao Xing had stuck around to help relieve some of the tension, but she is in Hong Kong somewhere, probably sipping on expensive cocktails. Her mother has not brought up He Di once and Yue has been too afraid to, incase the conversation deteriorates rapidly. It's almost as if the dinner never happened. As she leaves the bedroom, she runs into her mother in the hallway.
"Ah Yue, good, come with me to the market. Your uncles Yan Heng and Yan Huan will be joining us for dinner so we need to buy some food."
Yue stifles a groan, her mother's brothers are tiresome at best and infuriating at worst. Even her father only tolerated them rather than liked them. Her mother puts on her coat and walks briskly to the door making it obvious with her body language, that declining is not an option.
They spend an hour in the market place wondering around and looking at the different produce, trying to get the best deals. While her mother is haggling for a chicken, Yue hears someone call her name.
"Shen Yue? Shen Yue is that you?"
Yue turns around and is surprised to see an old school mate of hers manning a stall. She looks tired and is in a dress that is worn with age. She is also roughly five months pregnant, with a girl who looks about four and boy who is a toddler, hanging onto her skirt tails.
Yue hasn't seen her since she was fifteen. They used to be great friends until Yue had to leave the school, because their family could no longer afford to send her there. This can't be right, Yue thinks, as she looks at her clothes and surroundings. The woman in front of her comes from an incredibly well off family.
"Wang Zi Wei? Is that you?"
"It's Ma Zi Wei. I'm married now."
"Wow! Congratulations." Smiles Yue sincerely.
"I was sorry to hear about your father. My condolences."
"Thank you, I appreciate it."
There is an awkward silence as they stand there looking at each other. The little boy giggles pointing at Yue.
"Are these your children? They are so beautiful."
"I know what you are thinking Yue." Says Zi Wei, with a sad smile. "I saw the initial shock and disbelief in your eyes."
"Oh Zi Wei I'm sorry, I don't mean to be so shocked. It's just the last time I saw you was when I had to leave school, because of our family situation. I wasn't aware that your family had also fallen on hard times."
"They haven't...they are still rich."
"Oh?" Yue raises her eyebrows involuntarily, feeling confused.
