Pau: (awed tone) Your ring is very pretty. I have never seen green diamonds before. (smiling at Wang Zhu) This is fascinating, isn't it?
Wang Zhu: (face set in stone) Is it? I think I have another word to describe all of this and it's not fascinating, Sweetheart. More like fucked up...
Pau and I winced together at his hard tone. I think our dinner date with Zhu Gege and Pau is not going well.
Pau carefully let my hand go. He was admiring my engagement ring a moment ago but I think Zhu Gege was not in a mood to admire anything right now. I don't think he is even enjoying the delicious salmon we are having for dinner tonight.
Pau: (to Zhu Gege) Honey, it's their engagement. They have the right to hide it or shout it to the rooftop if they want. Personally, I don't see why people should be mad at them for keeping it to themselves.
Wang Zhu: (scowling) It's because you didn't grow up with a family, that's why you don't see how a news like this could be a big thing for other people. For us as Qing's family.
My eyes widened at that blatant rudeness Zhu Gege showed at Pau. Pau was visibly shook and hurt by those words. Qing, sitting beside, scowled at his cousin.
Qing: Can you focus being a bastard to us? Pau didn't deserve that.
Zhu Gege sighed before taking his napkin off his lap. He puts it on the table and he stood up. He took Pau's hand.
Wang Zhu: Please excuse us as I grovel for his forgiveness in private.
Pau rolled his eyes before standing up as well to go with Zhu Gege. We are dining in their lovely home and they went to their kitchen to talk. They are quite visible from the dining table. We saw Zhu Gege hugging Pau and seeming to whisper something to Pau's ear. Pau giggled and then they kissed. It was all over in just under two minutes.
Me: (bland disgusted tone) Your cousin can charm an anaconda ready to swallow him as food.
Qing: (dry tone) Why are you surprise? His superior convincing power makes him an effective businessman. Why do you think he is as successful as he is?
Me: Family connection? I thought he is on top level management position in your family's company because of nepotism.
Qing: (scoffing) It's talent. It's family genes. Zhu Gege has plenty of both.
Me: (as Zhu Gege and Pau joined us on the dining table again) Whatever.
Pau: (smiling) What did we miss?
Me: Nothing. Just me commenting that Zhu Gege can charm even an anaconda ready to eat him. You know...you could have made him work for your forgiveness a little bit harder.
Pau: (eyes twinkling) What made you think I made it easy for him? I just got a yes from him in approving my two weeks vacation. I have been working a yes out of him for months now. I need to research something for my school work that I need to pass at the end of this term and now I have two weeks to focus and work diligently on that without any disturbance from work or my lover. Zhu ah will have to endure working without an EA for two weeks and giving me space to finish my school paper. I won!
We turned our eyes to Zhu Gege who sighed heavily. Well...I think Pau has him all figured out and Pau can take care of himself.
Wang Zhu: We are not the topic here. I called for this dinner not to talk about me and Pau. This is about you two.
Qing: We lied. We are sorry. And now we are making things right. It's that simple.
Wang Zhu: If you think things are really that simple, then there is little wonder why Dayu rejected your proposal the first time. You are stupid.
Me: (raising a forefinger) Excuse me, that's a sore spot for us and I would love it if we will not talk about it again.
Pau: That's weird. Surely once you talk to your parents, the topic of that first failed proposal will be opened.
Qing: We will downplay it. There is really nothing to talk about it anyway.
We all stared at him. Qing chose to stared back at me. I let go of my utensils to put my hands on my hair.
Me: (groaning) We are going to die. Our parents will kill us and then they will go to the authorities to confess their crimes. They will face a joint trial for our deaths where they will plead temporary insanity. That's cool but the judge will still put them in prison for reduced sentence. (turning to Qing) Qing! We will put our parents in prison. After years of being good citizens, our parents will be convicts! All because of us!
Silence met my mini meltdown.
Wang Zhu: Have you considered writing as a full time career? I mean, that's almost a whole movie plot right there. Quite predictable but still...it's an idea.
Pau: (seeming impressed) Wow, Dayu is so imaginative. All I can do is crunch stock numbers.
Qing: (rubbing fingers on his forehead like his head is aching) Don't put ideas on his head. It's already full of those.
Me: Fine, no one will really die. I mean, I am my parents only child. If they ever wish to pass down their genes, I'm their only hope. Qing is expected to inherit the museleom. (looking around the table) If he dies, that monstrosity will be pass down to...you. Right?
My eyes landed at Zhu Gege who flinched like I lashed him with a thorny whip.
Wang Zhu: Qing will not die and HE will inherit that house.
Pau: (eyes shifting) It looks like a nice house. I hope whoever Zhu will marry will enjoy that place if he ever inherits it.
We all looked at him. Pau gave us a cheeky grin before kissing Zhu Gege's cheek.
Pau: You have your warning. I will not live in that house. If you inherit it and decided to live there, we will break up and you have to marry someone else to live with in that house. If you don't want that to happen, better keep Wang Qing alive so he can inherit that place.
Qing: It's not that bad of a place. We had a great time growing up there. We played a lot of games in that property.
Wang Zhu: Good. If you think that place is great, marry Dayu already and live there. No one will protest.
Me: We plan this to be a looooooonggg engagement though.
Pau: (curious) How long?
Me: Maybe five years. Give or take.
Qing: (amazed tone) Five years?! You expect me to wait that long before we can marry?
Pau: Ohhh...I think they haven't discussed the waiting period yet. This is really fascinating.
Me: (glowering at Pau) Can you stop being fascinated? Qing is having a crisis right now, in case you are both missing it.
Wang Zhu: Having a crisis is all his fault. He refused to handle your relationship well and now he is getting off guard. (scowling at Qing) When will you learn your lesson anyway? Stop giving the decision making to Dayu and start calling the shot in your relationship. You will live an easier life that way.
Qing: (scowling back at his cousin) You just said yes to Pau having a two week vacation to focus on his studies against your will. I think if anyone has to listen to your advice, it's you...not me. Let me know when you have handled a relationship with Pau well then I will start taking notes.
Wang Zhu: Have you heard Pau? I managed to hang on from saying yes to his vacation leave for months. I think I've handled that well.
Qing: And I can convince Dayu to marry me in three years, don't worry.
Me: (choking on air) Three years? You plan us to get married in three years? That quickly?
Qing: Three years is a long time to prepare to marry me, Love. Get use to the idea already. In three years, we will marry.
Me: (wincing) Three years...is not that long actually. A decade is long that's why I am willing to compromise to half of that. Five years is just perfect to prepare myself for marriage.
Wang Zhu: Why would you need five years to prepare yourself to marry Qing? Are you a virgin sacrifice or something?
Qing snorted a laughter at what his cousin said. I scowled at them. Pau openly laughed.
Pau: (amusement on his face) This is really interesting.
Me: Stop doing that. I will start thinking that you also want to get engaged and be married.
Pau: Oh, I do. I do want to get married.
Qing and I were surprised at his answer. We turned our gaze to Zhu Gege.
Qing: Do you have an idea about that? That Pau wants to get engaged and be married?
Wang Zhu: Of course I do. Unlike you two, Pau and I talk about stuffs before making a grand gesture like proposing in a cold meadow during Christmas holiday...
Me: Oh please...stop!
Wang Zhu: (like he didn't hear me)...but how can I propose to Pau now if you two are still in a bind about your engagement. This afternoon, I truly wished that Qing didn't call me to say that you two lied about your engagement. What do we know...maybe this dinner would be the time for me to propose to Pau.
Me: (rolling my eyes at him) Do you have a ring yet? Can I see it?
Pau: (all smile) He doesn't have a ring for me yet. He actually took me to a jewelry store and made me choose an engagement ring for the two of us. That moment has a strong Sugar Daddy vibe, it's cute. Sadly, I didn't find anything I like.
Qing: (whistling) Wow. You truly have it under control, Gege. You couldn't even find a ring. Good job you...
Nobody could miss the sarcasm in my fiancé voice.
Wang Zhu: (glowering at Qing) Stop being such a wiseass and fix this. A lot of us has plans of our own that now will be on hold because your stupid ass managed to botch the one thing you planned to do for so many weeks. Pau and I cannot even entertain the idea of being engaged if our family will be in turmoil because you two decided to do a little drama of your own.
Pau: (smiling at his lover) Gosh, you are so hot when you are mad. Sex later on will be so much fun, right? (smiling at us) I should thank the both of you for heating Zhu up like this. Now, I won't need to do anything other than get naked to get him going.
Pau is...wow.
Me: (chuckling) Glad to be of service.
Pau and I laughed together while the Wang cousins are just exasperated at us.
Pau: (turning serious) But joking aside, you two need to fix this, do you have a plan on how to confess about the engagement to your parents?
Qing and I looked at each other. Qing nodded at me.
Me: (smiling at Pau) We do.
Wang Zhu: Oh now, this I need to hear. Run that plan for me. At this point, I need to hear it so I can judge if it will work. Lets just say I don't trust the two of you now.
Qing: (smirking) No need to worry. We will do this right. First, we will hire a private jet.
I sighed at that. Yes, this plan has a chance of working. But it will be expensive.
Wang Zhu: You plan to travel or pick someone up? Will Dayu's parents travel here or you two will travel with Auntie and Uncle in Heilongjiang?
Pau: Ah, so that's what the private jet is for. (sighing) This virus really...it makes things harder for everyone. Traveling now seems dangerous. Good call on the private plane thing.
Yes, that. Living in the world where people should practice social distancing to avoid contacting or spreading the virus, traveling could be tricky. Qing won't risk our health as well as our parents' to do this confessing thing. And I agreed with him. That's why we will hire a private plane.
Me: (worrying) It will be expensive though...
Wang Zhu: This family can afford renting a private plane many times over. What it cannot afford is to watch one of us go down with a virus and die. Take the damn private plane.
Qing: We will. I decided that Mama, Baba, Dayu and I will fly to Heilongjiang so we can talk to our parents together. Probably on a weekend.
Pau: And then what?
Me: We will confess everything to them. And hope for the best.
Silence reigned in the dining table. Then one by one, the four of us sighed in varies degree of resignation, exasperation and forlorn worry.
Pau: (raising his wine glass) Well, goodluck to the both of you. And congratulations again on your engagement. May ours be less complicated than yours.
I grimaced at Pau as we all raise our glass like him. Pau could really serve it savagely.
After that dinner, Qing and Zhu Gege talked for a few minutes privately before we get to say goodbye to Zhu Gege and Pau. On the way home, I wondered something aloud.
Me: There will be no problems if Zhu Gege and Pau will get married, right?
Qing: (hands on the steering wheel) There shouldn't be. Auntie and Uncle are quite fond of Pau. But nothing is perfect so...I don't know for sure if their engagement and wedding will be all smooth sailing.
Me: Right.
Qing: (glancing at me) Why? Are you worried about them?
Me: Not really. I just don't wish our situation to anyone else.
Qing: Our situation is not that bad.
Me: We will break their hearts, Qing. Our parents' hearts. This will not be easy.
Qing: And we are ready for that. Just stay your ground. Stay calm. And as long as we will get on the other side of the tunnel still holding hands, then nothing else matters.
Qing reached across the console to hold my hand. I intertwined my fingers with his. Maybe that's the best we could hope for, that whatever happens, Qing and I will emerge from the dark tunnel still holding hands.