Indifference

Her Decision

At the Shen residence

At Yue's house, her father has to break the news to her. The lawyer has just informed him of Mr. Li Wang's will and now everything is in the young woman's hands, since Dylan has already agreed to marry her out of love for his parents and compassion for the 2000 workers who would end up on the streets. Will Yue be as thoughtful?

Mr. Shen is extremely nervous about this because he knows all too well how stubborn his daughter can be.

Mr. Ming has told Mr. Shen all the terms of the will. However, he advised him not to explain every single detail to Yue since the news might be too much to bear all at once. Less is more. There's no need to tell the whole story at this point, which would only trigger her fight or flight instincts. They only need her to agree to the marriage for the time being; that will be enough to save them all from bankruptcy.

For sure, everyone must be careful and plan one step at the time, or the elaborate scheme might fall apart before it even begins, especially if the young couple finds out the whole truth.

"Shen Yue, sit down, please. We need to talk."

Mr. Shen begins telling his daughter he is about to lose his job if something doesn't happen within the next two months, but he does not explain why. He tries to touch Yue's sensitive side before asking, or demanding, her help. It is very important to make his case in a way that will prevent her from running away.

"If I lose my job, dear, I will lose my pension, my security, everything. Nobody will hire me at my age."

"But dad, what about savings?"

"Darling, I paid a lot of money to put you through college abroad. It was very expensive. You went to Australia's top university. I am not blaming you for any of this, but I had no idea I would need that money for my old age."

Yue feels guilty now, which is exactly the feeling Mr. Shen needs at the moment. Yes, it is manipulative; he wishes he did not have to do such thing. Nevertheless, what he is saying is true and also necessary, given her character.

Besides, it is for Yue's future and security as well. With her overly independent personality, she would never settle down otherwise. Time would pass and she would remain all alone in this world because she is obstinate and unyielding. Her parents have been worried sick about this for years.

Yue is an only child with one uncle only and the Shens do not belong to a rich or famous family. Her studies would only allow her to live on a professor's salary for the rest of her life. Yue's father honestly believes marrying Wang He Di is not a bad idea after all, he knows Dylan is a gentleman because every man in his family is. Mr. Shen is indeed flattered that Mr. Wang Li would choose his daughter for Dylan. In fact, he has been wondering why he chose her, and the lawyer answered truthfully just this morning:

"Because she doesn't want him."

"What?"

"She is not interested in him or his money, at all, which means one day she will love him for who he is inside, not for his last name or what he represents."

Mr. Shen was dumbfounded. The old man's twisted reasoning has a logic to it that could not be denied. Still, his daughter needs to be convinced.

"Daddy, there has to be a solution for you to keep your job!"

"There's something that can be done, but..."

"What? Tell me!"

"Someone would have to marry Mr. Li's grandson."

Yue chuckles. "And who might that poor soul be?"

"Ahem... Why do you say that?"

"Because he is a ladies' man. He is caught with a different woman every single weekend! Making out in public places! Tsk... That's disgraceful! Poor future wife of his!"

"My child, I'm sure he is not that bad. His grandfather always said he never brought any girl home. He is a very serious young man, educated and polite. He graduated very early also, he studied hard. He is incredibly smart, and handsome! He is the whole package!"

"Why are you trying to sell him to me like a piece of furniture? I'm not buying, am I? What is this, dad?"

Yue knows his dad; she has now realized there is a plot behind this whole conversation.

"Daddy, please, tell me the truth..."

"My dearest child, I know you will not understand this, we have been very open with you, we have always given you space and freedom to be who you are and do what you want. However, now we ask for some those privileges in return. It's time you do something for your parents as well."

Yue's mother is taking care of her older parents and she spends little time at home lately. She is not present today, but she agrees with her husband that it's time for Yue to grow up and help her family.

"Dad? What do you mean?"

"My child, you will marry Wang He Di very soon."

"Are you kidding? - she asks without raising her voice because she respects her father. - You must be joking."

"No, I am not."

Her dad explains how 2000 people would lose their jobs. Many of them have worked at Wang Enterprises for decades and would never find another job at their age. Mr. Shen himself would be unemployed and poor very soon, unless Yue decides to intervene.

"Dear, you are always doing charity work and organizing events to help other people, we love that about you. Could you help your family and those thousands of people this time?"

This, though, is way more than charity work. This is her life and she always imagined she would do with it what she pleases. This does not fit in her plans. But her choices are skim: either marry the man and live in misery knowing she helped her family, or leave the country, as she dreamed, and let her parents down with a guilty conscience, most likely having to work hard to help them economically for the next 30 years. Either way, her freedom is gone and her dreams are shattered.

"Daddy, is there any other way?" she asks brokenhearted.

"No, my child. There isn't. The lawyer has tried, but there's nothing."

Yue thinks about it for a couple minutes and then gives her unwilling answer:

"I will do it then. For you and mom and all those people."