Despite being active in their company's charity, Wang Yu Yan has visited her son's office only a handful of times.
She had her own and that's where either DiDi or Zi Wei normally talked to her, IF she even decided to go to the office as she could do all her work from home.
Today, though, she decided to wait on her son at his office's adjacent living room where Hao, his assistant, was serving her coffee. A meeting of DiDi's was running overtime.
"How have you been Hao?"
"I am doing great, Ma'am."
She smiled. "DiDi informed me about the house you are building for your family. Congratulations!"
He smiled back. "Thank you, Ma'am."
"Please let me know when you will have a house warming party. Do not forget to invite us."
"Of course, Ma'am. I will make sure that you and Sir He Di will be the first to receive invitations."
"Let me know what house warming gift you like."
"Ma'am, please. You don't need to bring a gift."
She raised a brow at him. "Of course, I will bring a gift Hao! How could you tell me not to bring you anything? If you do not tell me what you like, I shall bring you curtains to last you a year. Let me know the sizes of your windows."
Hao smiled resignedly. He obviously knows not to dissuade her too much. She isn't the Wang matriarch for nothing. "Ma'am, I will be grateful for anything you give me. Thank you very much."
Yu Yan shook her head at him, reminded again why she loves Hao. More than being efficient as her son's assistant, he was a wonderful person overall.
And he reported everything to her, too.
"So... was my son in a very good mood when he arrived this morning?"
"Yes, Ma'am. He actually arrived five minutes earlier than I did. I was quite surprised."
This was the second day that her son's improved mood has been noted because no one seems to have seen him like this in a long long while.
Yesterday, Hao just texted her – "Good morning Ma'am. Sir He Di looks very happy right now. I am reporting to you that Sir Liao Jie, the Project Manager for Nantong, was so shocked he did not get a scolding after reporting that there will be a one-week delay due to weather conditions."
She laughed aloud at this and shared it with her husband.
They had theories as to how it could have happened and truthfully, the reason she decided to visit him today was she was presented with an opportunity to sate her curiosity.
Who could blame a mother for wanting to know?
She was there when DiDi's world crashed all around him.
It broke her heart immensely and she was reminded how fulfilling and yet gut-wrenching it is to have children.
You felt their pain twice.
You felt helpless. Especially when you know that this time around, neither your hugs nor kisses will glue back together the pieces of themselves that have fallen apart.
It becomes harder when you watch them do everything in their power to show to the world that they are alright. Zi Wei embraced her grief and wallowed in pain in front of family and friends but DiDi hid behind closed doors.
She understood it to be the way of men but to see Zi Wei moving on with her life while DiDi allowed life to pass him by was difficult.
Yu Yan had to learn how to help DiDi discover a way for him to move on without "actually" helping him – by being someone who supports him silently in that arduous journey out of the woods where Zuer left him.
Knowing he is happy now (at a level that even his assistant reports it to her) made her want to know whether it was caused by a certain young woman, who had an amazing talent for writing other people's stories.
And no one can really blame her or her husband for thinking that because there is only one woman, in the name of Shen Yue, who has recently entered their son's life.
Surely...
"Mommy!", her firstborn's voice cut into her musings and she rose from the seat to give him a kiss on the cheek.
"Sir..." Hao nodded towards him and made his exit, closing the door behind him.
"I'm happy you visited me", DiDi told her as he joined her in the couch.
"Well, I had a project I needed to discuss with Tang Delan because we're reclaculating the funding for it. I thought I should drop by and surprise you."
He smiled. "Is the project you're talking to Delan about the one for the orphanage?"
She nodded.
"Also, I am here to remind you about dinner with the Hans."
"Dinner?!?"
This is perfect, Yu Yan thought to herself. She could have the opportunity to hit two birds with one stone.
"The Hans invited us over for dinner. Have you forgotten?"
His eyes flashed.
He indeed forgot about it.
Or he could have purposely forgotten it because he knows what's at stake during this particular dinner and he does not like it AT ALL.
"I thought we weren't doing this dinner anymore."
"We didn't cancel since you said you were ok with it", Yu Yan told him, watching him intently.
The Hans, Xiang Su and Lei Ning, were good friends and were once business partners of her husband before they struck out on their own years ago. They also have a lovely daughter who is friends with Zi Wei and who DiDi knows socially and has even worked with.
When the Hans sent the invite, it was hinted that they wanted to see whether a love match would be possible between their eldest son and their second child.
She is, afterall, one of China's most sought after Bachelorettes.
"I have Xiao Wen's number. I will just call her to cancel it", he muttered.
Yu Yan rolled her eyes. "That would be embarrassing for her DiDi. Besides, we are not even sure if that is really what Xiang Su and Lei Ning have in mind."
"But you said –"
"I said that Han Xiang Su joked with your Dad about it."
It was her son's turn to roll his eyes. "Mommy, you know Han Xiang Su will never joke like that if he doesn't actually mean it."
She smiled, eventually turning it into a smirk. "Of course, I know. Anyway, I reminded you of it because I have it on good authority that Xiang Su and Lei Ning might not attend dinner later. They are going to let Xiao Wen go all by herself."
DiDi groaned. "It is possible that this good authority you speak of is the Han Lei Ning herself?"
"Who else would it be? She called to let me know how excited she was for dinner later though they were feeling a little under the weather because she and Xiang Su just returned from a trip."
"Which is clearly a ploy so if ever they suddenly would have to cancel and have their daughter come by her lonesome later, it wouldn't be surprising."
She sipped a little of her coffee. "Of course."
DiDi sighed. "I doubt that Xiao Wen would appreciate her parents setting her up."
"I feel the same", Yu Yan agreed "She is a wonderful lady but if marriage isn't in any of her immediate plans, they should understand her and not rush it. Although, when the time comes that you have your own children, you will understand how difficult it is to stop yourself from intervening in their lives. It becomes a knee-jerk reaction."
"I believe you, Mom. But right now all I can think of is how much I really do not want to go. It was my miss that I forgot to tell you that I didn't want to push through with this."
She raised an eyebrow for effect.
Another thing about being a Mother is also being a great actress in front of your children.
"Oh? But it's just dinner DiDi. Besides, you've gone out with girls you barely knew before and didn't care. I would hope that since this is someone you know, you might be a little more "available" for it."
"Well... the thing is", he looked like he was being torn up in half, "I can't go on this dinner with Xiao Wen because..."
"Because?"
"Xi Zi likes Xiao Wen", he responded, "I don't want him hearing about this and thinking it might be serious especially since her parents are involved."
Yu Yan appropriately acted like this is the first time she has heard of Xi Zi's feelings for Xiao Wen. Zi Wei has been talking about it for some time now and Kido confirmed the news during one of his visits. But Yu Yan isn't supposed to know any of this really.
Though, no one can blame her overhearing her daughter and her fiance's conversations, especially when the two of them have a habit of talking about things so loudly in HER house.
"Is Xi Zi courting her already?"
"Not yet.."
She raised her shoulders at that bit of information and looked at him quite seriously. "It shouldn't be an issue just yet then."
"Mommy! Xi Zi is my bestfriend and he just doesn't like her... he's actually in love with her. I can't go on a date with Xiao Wen even if he isn't courting her yet."
"You're making too much of a fuss about this", she countered, waving a hand at him, "You can call Xi Zi and inform him that you were forced into it. He would understand. He knows how things like this work."
"But still –"
"Still nothing", the Wang matriarch cut her son off again, "You are creating such a big fuss about it. Normally this would have been nothing to you anyway. This is only dinner, not an engagement or even a promise of that. Let's have dinner with the poor girl and then be done with it. She already has to arrive all by herself. Imagine how much more awkward it would be if she arrives to NOT even find you there."
She could see DiDi squirming.
"And tell Xi Zi too that he should move faster if he really is in love with her. She is, after all, a truly beautiful woman and very eligible. In fact, I actually hope you might want to get to know her more because you might just like her."
"MOMMY!"
"What???", Yu Yan feigned innocence, "You know that I love Xi Zi almost like a son too. But YOU are the one who is actually my son and I hope to see you happy. I just want you to know that if it turns out that you could see Xiao Wen as more than an acquaintance, I would be happy to support it."
DiDi pressed on the bridge of his nose with two delicate fingers.
"Mommy, please erase that from your mind, ok?", he began, "I won't like Xiao Wen more than just liking her as a friend, especially now."
"Huh?", she made a show of putting down her coffee cup, "I thought I already made my feelings known about Xi Zi's situation with her."
There was a very telling pause before her son opened his mouth again "It's... It's not just about Xi Zi and Xiao Wen, Mommy."
"What are you talking about?!?"
"There's a woman – oh hell! – I like Yue, ok? And I want to have a relationship with her. If she hears about me going on this dinner, she might not understand it the way we do."
Jackpot!!!!!
She restrained herself from breaking out in a dance or from even smiling. She put on a very confused face.
"Shen Yue?!? How could you like her? You were the reason she walked out of dinner last time and don't you even deny it to me young man! Your Dad and I are pass the age of policing your every move but I was just bidding my time to let you know I wanted you to apologize to her."
DiDi rubbed at his temples. "It's a little hard to explain Mommy but I like her. I really do. And... I apologized to her already. I was really wrong in what happened during that dinner."
"Is this true or is this a ploy for me to cancel the dinner with the Hans?"
He looked affronted. "Good God! Mommy, no. When have I ever lied to you about somebody that I like?"
"Well, I don't know. It's been so long since the last time you and I talked about a woman that you like."
DiDi shook his head as he smiled. His eyes told Yu Yan that he has now realized what is going on. "I can't believe I fell for that."
Yu Yan did not disabuse him of his understanding of the matter.
She smiled, stood up from her seat and patted him on the shoulder. "We will still have that dinner with Xiao Wen. However, I propose that you bring along a friend. I can just tell Lei Ning that Xi Zi joined us because you guys were discussing business. I would hope that Xi Zi can take Xiao Wen home, though."
DiDi squeezed her hand, grinning. "I will make sure of it."
The Wang matriarch headed for the door but looked back at her son before opening it. "Say hi to Yue for me when you see her after dinner. Tell her I look forward to seeing her very soon."
Her son stood up from his seat and kissed her on the temple. "I will Mommy."