2.7 Dynamics of a Breakup: Eviction (Part 2)

Just as Li Hua was about to succumb to the family crying session, they all heard the sound of heels in the hallway. Everyone knew that rhythm, and they knew who was going to be standing before them in a few seconds. There was no great fanfare when Li Fen walked in, but the dining room went completely quiet. The crying stopped, Li Yue paused her eating, Li Wei and An Mei clung to each other a little more tightly. Li Fen was dressed, like always, in a business formal suit. She did not do casual. The eldest was not catastrophically beautiful like Li Jing or imposingly majestic like Li Hua. She did not have Li Na's warmth or Li Yue's casual cuteness. She looked like an elegant and lovely ordinary woman. With a different set of clothes she might have been one of your coworkers or the neighborhood mom who waved her children goodbye every morning. You might even have been tempted to start a conversation with this nice and approachable lady, that is, until you saw her eyes. Li Fen did not look at people; she looked through them, dissecting and analyzing them until every aspect of their personalities, their more intimate secrets, their fears and worries, and their delusions and self-deceptions were laid bare before her. Once upon a time, many men and women who considered themselves to be sharks in the world of business had tried to take advantage of the 'nice' 20-year-old girl who had stepped in to fill the void left by the death of her parents. But they had soon found out that they were little more than tiny fishes in Li Fen's aquarium, and they were facing a predator of a completely different order.

Li Fen looked around the room. She did not raise her voice. "Li Na," she said, her voice carrying the same authority it did when she had once told a crying Li Na why she should not drop out of high school or give up on college to help Li Fen. "Go to the guest bedroom and pack Li Jing's things."

Li Na let go of the superstar. "Yes, Da-jie," she said, before going to the guest bedroom to do as she was commanded."

"Xiao-Yue. Go help your sister."

Li Yue quickly drank the milk, picked up a banana, and ran to the guest bedroom while still chewing.

Li Jing's allies were dropping like flies. In a single stroke Li Fen had eliminated Li Na and Li Yue. And An Mei was crab-walking towards Li Fen along with Li Wei. Li Jing needed a drastic change of strategy. "Da-jie..." she began.

But she was cut off before she could get a word in. "Li Jing," Li Fen said, "I have not seen you around the office for the past five days." On the surface it was a simple observation. But underneath it were layers of quiet judgement and parental disapproval.

"I... I have been working remotely, jie," Li Jing tried to explain.

"And why is that?"

"I have been a little out of sorts since my breakup. So... ahh yes, so, Meimei asked me to come and stay here until I am feeling better." This was it. Not even Da-jie could break through the An Mei defense.

"And so you decided to exploit our sister-in-law's kindness?"

"Exploit? No, no, jie you have got it all wrong."

"Have I?"

"Umm... I mean... it's not what it seems like. Me and Meimei, we have been having a lot of fun together. Isn't that right, Meimei? Tell her... please."

An Mei looked from Li Jing to Li Fen and decided that the best thing to do was to remain silent.

But her husband was emboldened by Li Jing being on the defensive. "Jie, she is a liar," Li Wei complained. "She stole Mei from our bedroom. She has her do sleepovers all the time, and now I don't get to sleep with my wife."

"Weiwei, don't be so silly." Li Jing countered. "I did not steal anyone. Meimei just wanted to discuss some dramas with me, so we just had a sleepover. Isn't that right, Meimei?"

An Mei simply moved closer to Li Fen and kept her mouth shut.

Seeing as how she was running out of options, Li Jing tried to use the one move that had worked on everyone else. The tears started flowing again. "I am sorry, jie. I know I have been horrible to everyone in the family. I am sorry that I am such a loser. I always chose bad boyfriends. I always make things worse for everyone. I am horrible... Waaah."

Li Jing looked up for a moment from her crying to see if it was having any effect. But Li Fen remained impassive.

"Waaah... Waaah."

"Chairman Yin called me a few days ago," Li Fen said casually.

The statement was so out of left field that Li Jing had to stop crying for a second just to process it.

A weak "What?!" was all Li Jing could manage, still unable to figure out what her sister meant.

"You remember Chairman Yin, from TK Group? You met him at a fundraiser last month."

"Umm... yes?" Li Jing offered cautiously.

"He told me that his second son had just returned from their US branch, and Chairman Yin wants to find a good wife for him."

"Jie... what do you mean?" Li Jing asked, the horror of the implication dawning upon her.

Li Hua, who had remained respectfully silent until now, capitalized on this news. "Hah, that's perfect. He doesn't have any bad habits, doesn't drink, and hasn't even had a girlfriend. The most boring man in Tianjing City is the perfect antidote for your bad boy habits, Xiao-Jing."

"If you like him so much, why don't you marry him yourself, Er-jie?" Li Jing said venomously. "The most boring man and the most boring woman in the city can sit in a room together and talk about the most boring things. Sounds like a match made in heaven."

"Why you little..." Li Hua began.

Li Jing ignored her completely and quickly turned to Li Fen, pleading, "Da-jie, please tell me that you are not thinking of an arranged marriage. Please, please don't make me do this." The pleading quickly turned to defiance. "I refuse to get married to someone I don't love. I... I would rather stay single forever."

"That's a very respectable position for you to take," Li Fen said calmly.

"But... but... does that mean there is no arranged marriage?"

"Xiao-Jing. You are my sister, and I love you dearly." Li Fen said, "But I can't have you throwing a tantrum every time you break up with the scum you like to date. So I am giving you a choice. Either get your life in order, or I will get it in order for you."

"Jie... I..."

"I don't care who you date, Xiao-Jing. Whoever he is, the only qualification he needs is that he makes you happy. But I hope that you can show a little more discretion in choosing your partner. Because every time you get your heart broken by some trash, I get a little more disappointed in you."

'Disappointed,' the word was like a dagger through Li Jing's heart. She could handle criticism, rudeness, and even mockery. But being a disappointment to the woman who had raised you like her own daughter was not something even Li Jing could handle. At that moment she was not a celebrity adored by millions, she was not the 'goddess,' she was just a little girl who had let down her mother. "I... I am sorry... jie." Li Jing broke down and started crying. This time for real.

"Don't be sorry. Try to be better. Remember, dear. Your family loves you. You don't need to find love and acceptance in someone's sweet words. Look at Xiao-Mei and Xiao-Wei. They love you so much that they let you stay with them, even though you were being a nuisance."

Li Jing let out a suppressed laugh amidst the tears.

"And your sisters took time out of their busy schedules to come check on you because they were worried. Because they love you. Yes, even Hua."

"Jie, I don't love her," Li Hua countered weakly.

"Hua."

"Well, maybe a little."

Li Jing chuckled and started smiling.

Li Wei and An Mei, who had been watching the entire scene like kids caught in between their parents' argument, moved towards Li Jing and gave her a warm and comforting hug.

By then Li Na and Li Yue had packed all seven suitcases and were dragging them one by one into the living room. Li Yue's Dragon Gate t-shirt had vanished, and in its place was a pristine designer hoodie scavenged, no doubt, from Li Jing's collection in the guest bedroom.

"Da-jie. It's all packed," Li Na said.

"Jie, can I finish my breakfast?" Li Yue pleaded.

"No. You already ate enough for two people. It's time for us to leave," Li Fen said, crushing Li Yue's hope for the noodles.

"Xiao-Mei, Xiao-Wei, I will see you two tomorrow at dinner, correct?" Li Fen asked. An Mei nodded her agreement. The matriarch then turned to her sisters. "Pick up the bags. Let's get going."

Each sister took two suitcases (even Li Fen took one). Everyone said their goodbyes. Li Na and An Mei quickly finished coordinating the color scheme of their outfits for tomorrow's weekly family dinner. Li Yue looked longingly at the leftovers. Li Hua, bewildered by the number of suitcases, complained about Li Jing's dressing habits while keeping an eye on Li Yue for possible food theft. Li Wei and An Mei were smiling, happy that they were once again masters of their own apartment. But Li Jing did not move.

She just stood there with a smirk on her face.

"Xiao-Jing. What are you doing? Let's go," Li Hua yelled.

"Calm down, Godzilla. We have one more thing to talk about, don't you think so, Da-jie?" Li Jing said, her smile widening.

"Don't call me God..." Before Li Hua could launch another tirade, Li Fen stopped her.

"And what do we have to talk about, Xiao-Jing?" the matriarch asked calmly.

"One thing is still not clear to me, jie." Li Jing was feeling more confident now. "Why exactly do I have to leave?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean. You have no authority to evict me."

Li Na gasped. Li Yue stood at the door with her mouth open. Li Wei and An Mei looked horrified. Everyone was completely shocked by this display of utter disobedience towards the family hierarchy. Li Hua, completely outraged, was ready to charge at Li Jing until Li Fen calmed her down.

"So, you are not coming?" Li Fen asked her wayward sister, without any hint of anger or annoyance in her tone.

"No. This is Meimei's house. She is the only authority that matters here. So, until she doesn't want me to leave, none of you can kick me out."

"That's true."

"Of course it is. And Meimei is too nice to kick me out. So, I think I will stay for a few more days and hang out with my favorite sister-in-law."

Li Wei, who was on the verge of victory, now looked like a man who had missed the final digit of the winning lottery number. "But... but... Da-jie... she can't..." he tried to mumble. Li Fen smiled at him and turned her attention back to the superstar.

"But Xiao-Jing," Li Fen said, her voice as steady as ever. "Who do you think asked us to come and evict you?"

Li Jing looked confused. "What do you mean? Wasn't it Weiwei?"

"It was. But he wasn't alone."

"Wait! What?!"

"Xiao-Mei was an ardent proponent of your eviction."

Li Na nodded along, indicating that it was true. Li Yue was laughing at the turn of events. Li Hua seemed to be on cloud nine.

Li Jing looked sorrowfully at An Mei. "Meimei, tell me that isn't true."

An Mei gave her sister-in-law a sheepish smile and said, "Sorry, jie. I think it's time for you to go back to work."

Li Jing reeled as if struck by a sudden blow. "Betrayal!!!" she cried. "Betrayed by my own sweet Meimei. Meimei, how could you? I thought we had something special."

"Enough with the theatrics. Hua, pick her up." Li Fen commanded.

Li Hua, immensely pleased at this opportunity for retaliation, picked up the celebrity supermodel and placed her on her shoulders like a sack of potatoes.

"Let go of me, Amazon," Li Jing screamed while punching Li Hua ineffectively.

"All right. Let's move out."

The Li sisters then headed out of the apartment, carrying Li Jing and her bags with them.

Mrs. Zhang and General Baobao were waiting in the hallway to make note of further developments in the incidents of the past week.

"Mrs. Zhang," Li Fen nodded as she passed the elderly woman.

"Madam Li," the neighbor said respectfully.

When Li Hua passed by, General Baobao hid himself behind his owner.

While being carried away, Li Jing saw Mrs. Zhang and said, "Mrs. Zhang. I'll send you that thing we talked about."

The neighbor smiled politely and replied, "Thank you, Ms. Li. I will look forward to it."

"What are you going to send her?" Li Hua asked her sister, curious about Li Jing's friendship with Mrs. Zhang.

"It's none of your business. Focus on carrying me, beast-woman. And don't drop me on the way. My face is worth more than your salary."

"Well, I don't know. My hands are getting slippery. If you don't behave yourself, who knows what might happen?"

Li Jing gasped. "Er-jie. You know I was only joking, right? Please don't drop me for real."

Once the sisters got in the elevator, Li Jing, still dangling from Li Hua's shoulders, asked the matriarch, "Jie, were you serious earlier about the arranged marriage?"

"What arranged marriage?"

"You know, the one with Chairman Yin's son. Were you really going to marry me off to him?"

"Ah, that. Chairman Yin asked me to ask you to introduce one of your actress friends to his son."

"But... but... you said."

"I said nothing. You came to those conclusions all on your own. Did you really think I was going to make you marry him, Xiao-Jing? I mean, the poor boy wouldn't last a day; you would eat him alive. I can't do that to him."

"Jie, that... that's not fair..."