When Syaoran left the table after finishing reading the paper, Sakura snatched up the phone an dialed the Hong Kong Commercial Daily.
"Hello and good afternoon, this is Sakura Kinomoto speaking. Yes that's right I am getting married to Syaoran Li. Yes I'll hold." She waited a few minutes before someone spoke to her.
"Good Afternoon Ms. Kinomoto how can I help you?"
"Well you see I know that your paper is not a tabloid and I was wondering if you would like an exclusive interview with me. I know your reporters are very busy but I was wondering if I could do an interview tonight at about midnight that way you would still have time to insert it into the papers before tomorrow. I will tell you when I get there. Did you want me to come down to the office…Good I will stop by. Thank you."
She smiled as she hung up. Step up their relationship would be unnecessary after she gave this bombshell of an interview. She went into the kitchen to try to start preparing dinner before Wei came in and ruined her plans. As if on cue the minute she had gotten out a cutting board, he had came in and glared her out of the kitchen. She threw up her hands as she told him what she had wanted. He nodded and shooed her out of the kitchen. She went into the living room to find Syaoran and Sayomi watching a Disney movie. However because it was in Chinese Sayomi couldn't follow it and began to play with toys on the floor instead. Syaoran who was bemused turned off the movie and helped her build a unique Lego structure. Lego's and dolls were Sayomi's favorite toys. Sakura sat down with them and they all worked on the project together. Syaoran couldn't stop smiling, this is what a real family did they played together and made memories.
"What a touching moment, right girls?" All three whipped their heads around to see Yelan and the four Li sisters standing there.
"Hello Mother." This was all that Syaoran had said.
The silence was deafening. "I will just tell Wei there are a few more for dinner."
"Don't bother Sakura; trying to escape me will never happen when you have so much explaining to do. Fanren please instruct Wei we will be staying for dinner." Yelan never took her eyes off Sakura, but Syaoran noticed the glares between them.
"How exactly do you two know each other?"
"Oh we have met before, about a week before I left you actually." She said it so matter-of-factly Syaoran cringed.
"I'm sure you were your charming self as always mother." Syaoran was irritated thinking that his mother had not helped the situation long ago.
Yelan didn't answer but was now staring at the child. "She at least has your eyes, in any case Sakura did a good job passing her off as yours."
Sakura didn't even raise a brow. "I don't have to listen to this, call us when dinner is ready."
She picked Sayomi up and started to walk away when Yelan stopped her. "Don't think I will let you go that easily. If you are going to pass her off as a Li you could at least show me some proof." Sakura held the girl closer to her trying to block out the vicious words. She kept moving anyways.
"I promised none of my children would ever have a grandmother like you no matter their parentage."
"I have a right to see any grandchild of mine."
"Grandparents do not have legal rights to visitation."
Sakura had finally closed the door behind her. She laid Sayomi on the floor and took out a couple of dolls to play with.
Syaoran stared at the closed door. He was aghast at exactly what had taken place. "How could you say such things mother? Do you have no shame? This woman will be my wife as well as the mother of my children without your blessing; do not interfere if you are here to cause trouble. It is probably best you leave my house and never return if this is going to be your attitude."
His sisters had never seen this rage out of Syaoran in defense of a woman. He had always respected his mother's wishes. It must be true that the child was his daughter.
He was seething. They had 30 seconds to make up their minds. His sisters stepped forward. "We are here Xiao Lang to help you with the wedding details." He nodded and took the women out to the dining room table to discuss what needed to be done. Syaoran had asked Sakura to join them but she whispered that this wedding was not hers by choice so therefore she would not help him make arrangements for her doom.
An hour later a knock sounded on the door. "Mistress Dinner will be served in 5 minutes."
"Thank you Wei we will be out momentarily."
Sakura helped Sayomi put her toys away and wash up for dinner. They all sat in the dining room, Sakura taking a seat between Syaoran and Sayomi. They made up a united front. It was the longest hour of her life. No one talked except Sayomi and Sakura.
The dinner was excellent but Sakura could not enjoy it while Yelan was sitting with them. All she wanted to do was flip her off and go to her meeting. It was almost nine. She excused herself from the table saying it was time for Sayomi to sleep. Sayomi like every child protested all the way to her room. Syaoran excused himself as well to help with the task.
"It seems someone other than me wanted to escape." Sakura whispered to him. He laughed and he helped her tuck Sayomi in and give their good night hugs and kisses. They closed the door behind them when Syaoran captured her hand. "I know you and my mother don't get along but please just deal with her until she goes home." She nodded in assent. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. The touch on the side of her face made her shiver. He leaned down to kiss her. Her lashes fluttered closed. He tilted her chin upwards to give him better access as he sealed his lips over hers. It was breathtakingly sweet. Most kisses with him had been about passion and desire. This kiss was different and a way to show her a softer side to him. She melted against him in ecstasy. He kissed small light kisses across her jaw bone to her ear. He nibbled on her ear lobe, causing her to press herself closer to him.
He heard someone approaching and spotted Sheifa as she caught him trying to make love to his fiancée in the hallway near his daughter's room. He groaned as they were interrupted. He kissed her lightly twice more on the lips. They both stepped away from each other looking drugged. His sister looked at him strangely. "What? This is my home, you know." Sakura was hard shaking off her desire. He was like a drug she could not get enough of. It had been so long but she knew it was him. Everything about him drew her back in time. He was staring at her just as shaken. He loved the radiant glow to her cheeks knowing he had put it there himself. Completely ignoring his sister and taking an unsteady breath, he walked past her stiffly. Sakura followed after getting a better hold on herself. She endured two more hours with the Li's before she told Syaoran they should go to bed. He had an unholy glow to his eyes telling her what he was expecting. She shook her head indicating it wasn't going to happen. She didn't trust herself not to fall back in love with him again. Syaoran Li was enslavement, if she wasn't careful she would become another one of his many broken hearted conquests.
"I'm going to watch TV for a while." She told this to him as he grumpily marched into their room. She waited another half an hour before sneaking out of the house and into the night.
It was pouring when she finally made it to the news offices. She barely made it through the door before a reporter pounced on her. "Hello Ms. Kinomoto my name is Ken Ling I will be interviewing you tonight; if you would follow me to my office please."
She sat down in a red plush chair as he interrogated her. "So Ma'am what is it you want to discuss, since it is very odd to want to be interviewed instead of letting us chase you. I suppose we could start with rumors to get the facts straightened out. I am assuming the little girl is yours and Mr. Li's child?"
"Yes she is I brought her birth certificate to confirm it."
"Excellent now I would like to ask you about your impending marriage with Mr. Li. I know when the event is going to take place but I do not know how this came to be without anyone noticing your relationship."
"Well you see about four years ago I found myself pregnant and scared I did not know how Syaoran would act, so I thought it best to take up residence with my brother. I love my family dearly and felt that I would be happiest with them. Syaoran would visit during business trips to Japan all the while trying to get me to change my mind to come back to him. However, until recently I finally accepted his offer of marriage and he was so excited that he wanted it to be as soon as possible but I got him to hold of for a couple of weeks from now."
"I understand so if everything is set for the wedding what is your reaction to people like Kimi Katona?" He knew he was pressing her buttons with that one she didn't really have an answer for why Syaoran had kept mistresses through the years.
"There was a time when we had lost touch with each other but now he looks to our marriage with the same vivacity of any loving bridegroom. Sayomi and I are his number one priority. I see Katona as nothing to be jealous about because there will always be those people who want to enter the social world that the rich have power over, and sadly, I believe she thinks drawing attention to herself through her past relationship with Syaoran will help her. I have no doubt that she will try to cause future trouble but the only thing I feel for her is pity and allowing jealousy will only add to her power. I know that the best thing to do is ignore these hanger-ons. There will always be women who will want my husband but I must have faith in him for this marriage to be successful."
"Does his family support this marriage?"
"Ah, his sisters don't seem to be against it but his mother sadly, wants the best for her son and as a mother I understand that. I am sorry that I can not be the woman she thinks her son needs but he is old enough to choose for himself. I believe in time she will come around."
After asking a few more questions about her, Ken Ling concluded the interview by walking her out to her car. "Mr. Li is a very lucky man, Thank you for your interview. You can read the article tomorrow morning." He shut the door to her car and went back into the building.
She tiptoed back into the house and went to sleep in the spare bedroom. She had never consented to sleeping with Syaoran the night before, so it wasn't a shocker that she had chosen not to tonight. He had said that they didn't have to sleep together.
She was shaken awake by an angry Syaoran the next morning. "Why are you in here?"
"Well I was sleeping." She recalled grumpily that she had only had 6 hours of sleep and was not happy about being woken up.
"You are in the wrong room."
"You said we didn't have to sleep together."
"I meant sex; we are supposed to present a happy couple to everyone who is not ourselves, which includes Wei and Sayomi!"
"Ow that's my ear, Christ! You are not helping things now with your shouting."
"You piss me off so much sometimes, I am trying not to be the asshole I know I am but Jesus Sakura, you resist me at every turn you won't help me with the wedding. What do you want from me? What is it that I can't give you that you want? I am trying so hard but I don't seem to do anything right. What is it you want from me? Please tell me, I will do anything to make this relationship work."
He was pleading with her and it was scary. She couldn't think of anything to say. "It's not something you can do."
This was not the answer he wanted. He needed to think more deeply about the situation. He stormed out of the room and went to his study. She looked perplexed and went to find the paper. There it was on the front page. "Hong Kong's Cherry Blossom, a breath of fresh air." She smiled as she knew that Mr. Ling would set a few issues straight. She just couldn't wait to see Syaoran's reaction.
