“Then we get up and leave without confrontation. We don’t react. I promise.” Ling knew she was likelier to let rip, especially if Tian was there too. She assumed he would be given the lawyer’s advice to have others present.
Besides the DNA test, she hadn’t seen Kai in all that time. Just over two weeks in total, going to work and keeping her head down, and this felt like being slapped in the face by his presence once again. The test results had been expected, and she tried to stay calm when she found out he had them.
Tian and he were dressed casually, in jeans and shirts. Only Tian had a formal fitted jacket, and Kai had his motorbike jacket on, much like his college years. Looking impeccably casual in an expensive way. Even in normal clothes, it was obvious to anyone that they were confident men with some authoritative position. They smelled of success.
It hit her hard for a second, and she had to look away and bite her lip to calm the tearful reaction. No matter how often she reminded herself that Kai from the past didn’t exist anymore, it was still hard to see him looking this way. He hadn’t changed all that much in the physical aspect and her heart was not yet immune to the glimpses of past Kai.
Yue squealed in joy at spotting them, making Meilei flinch in fright and lifted her doll-wielding hand to wave, the excitement obvious. Hearing her, Kai got out of his chair to greet them with obvious nervous tension too, eyes on his daughter in a fixed state, making it clear he was uptight.
The women closed the gap casually, and Meilei kept her eyes on the ground as they finally stepped up to where they were seated. Trying to calm her erratic heartbeat, she dried her palms on her skirt.
Meilei wasn’t sure they were even talking about coffee and lifted the menu from the table to browse refreshments for something to focus on while they bickered. It was an all-day play center that sold light lunches and snacks.
“Do you want me to take you over?” Kai was asking Yue a question, and Meilei immediately swept in, not wanting him to be alone with her even for a second. She didn’t trust him not to say anything to Yue that might upset her.
The air sizzled between them as Meilei’s temper rose and the mamma bear in her showed face.
She had to cool down and relax. She didn’t want her mood to scare Yue or affect her. She didn’t want Yue to see them fighting or feel this situation was her fault. It must already be confusing enough.
Meilei reached for Yue’s hand, bringing her with her. Guilt swept through her that she wasn’t making this easy on her daughter, but she was so uptight and ready to leave. Kai was so hard to deal with or face.
Kai clenched his jaw again, brushed down his jacket, and sat back beside Tian. Simmering his own mood and impulsive need to argue with whatever Meilei said. He didn’t want to have Yue go cold on him because he was acting like an asshole.
He watched in wry amusement as Meilei sat Yue between her and Ling to cage her and form a protective bubble around her. It was loud and clear that Meilei didn’t trust him near his daughter, and he found it ironic. He had to stop himself from laughing at it.
“How about we get you a milkshake, Princess?” Ling swept in to cover the awkwardness and then waved for the nearest server to come to take their orders. The tension here was suffocating her, and Tian watching her with that superior jerk face of his had her nerves all wrung out. She didn’t know why it was that, in this situation, it wasn’t Kai that got her back up. It was his so-called best friend.
The boy was a blind fool.
“She knows,” Meilei answered quietly, helping Yue take her jacket off as Ling recited their drink list to the waitress, and Tian sat back, focused on Ling. He was here as mediation and had thought he would have to control that beast before him, yet today, she was simmering. Her slight eye flares his way, and subtle scowls had not gone unnoticed.
“Do you know why I haven’t met you all these years? That it wasn’t because I didn’t want to be your daddy?” Kai had no doubt Meilei had concocted some bullshit story to cover up the past and waited.
Meilei chewed on her lip and yet let Yue answer for herself. Her approach to parenting had always been as honest as possible with Yue within reason and let her have room for independence in most things. She had been forced to tell her more in recent days than before, but not all was news to Yue.
Kai stumbled in replying, shocked to hear those words come out of her little mouth. The reference to Yuelin threw him. The lack of painting him as a villain or any negatives in that version.
“Mommy told you about Yuelin?” Kai dropped his tone, unable to look anywhere but focus on Yue’s face, and the table seemed tensely silent. Ling sat back and stared at her lap. Tian casually gazed around the area, letting them talk.