December, 2019

Lan Qinyang paused the program she was watching on her tablet and motioned for Dr. Wang to enter her office. He bowed and handed her an envelope. "What's this?"

He bowed again. "My daughter's engagement party is next Tuesday. Since you were instrumental in them meeting, I thought you might like to come. I understand if you are busy."

Lan Qingyang dropped the envelope as if it burned her fingers. "Engagement party? You're referring to your daughter Lina? Who is she getting married to?"

Dr. Wang bowed again. "After you asked me to interact with Chairman Ming, we arranged this marriage. Our children are studying in the United States together. They have become good friends. It is a good match."

The Secretary leaned back in her chair and frowned. "It is not a good match. I have plans for those children and those plans do not include them marrying each other. Ming Lim's marriage was arranged shortly after his birth." She ignored his splutters about the Chairman not mentioning a prior engagement. "Our Chairman and my mother arranged Ming Lim's marriage months after his birth. And I allowed your daughter to live in the house in Boston because she has a rare ability I wish to cultivate. Living there, she is under the protection and guidance of two men I trust to protect her and that ability.

"Since they are only 'good friends', it will be no imposition to call off the engagement party. Use the excuse that they are still in Boston so it is not convenient to hold the party. I will…"

"The children are not in Boston, Secretary. They left immediately after their semester exams."

"They're here," the Secretary stated flatly.

"Yes, Secretary."

"You brought your daughter and Ming Lim to China."

"Yes, Secretary." the doctor was looking confused.

Lan Qinyang sat up straight. "Are you a complete idiot? Or are you so immersed in your lab work that you don't read the news? Or pay attention to what is happening within the Group?"

"I read the news," the doctor insisted, but in a fragile voice, not sure what he'd done wrong. These were not her children; why would it be wrong for parents to call their children home? And why would the Chairman and the previous secretary think that it was their responsibility to arrange Ming Lim's marriage? As far as he knew, the former Secretary had no relation, familial or business, to the Ming family. And no one knew who the Chairman was.

"So you are aware of the virus attacking Wuhan? And you still thought it would be a good idea to bring your only daughter to China!"

Dr. Wang bowed again. "The virus is primarily limited to Wuhan. We're safe here."

"I should fire you for that comment alone. Did you earn your degrees from Idiots Are Us University?" She spat out that fictitious school's name in English. "Did you skip Epidemiology? Do people not travel from one city to another? The virus is here in Beijing already. It's already traveling the world because our government refuses to close our borders and the airports. Our hospital in Wuhan is full of dying patients because we don't know how to treat them! My staff there is exhausted, emotionally and physically, and scared that they're going to die as well. And you thought it would be a good idea to bring your daughter here now? Instead of leaving her in the relative safety of a foreign city? While I've been praying that we get a small handle on this disease before it ravages the rest of the world, you're here building her a coffin…." The Secretary took a deep breath in a fruitless attempt to hold back her anger. "Get out. Dissolve the engagement. Immediately. Consider this an order from the Chairman.

"If either of those children gets sick, you're fired. And if either of them dies, you will regret this for the rest of your extremely short life."

Lan Qingyang closed the app on her tablet as the visibly shaking doctor left her office, not sparing an extra glance at the handsome young actors dressed in white and blue on it. She grabbed her phone and dialed. "Uncle Ning, why didn't you tell me Ming Lim was on his way to China?"

"He's what?"

"I was just invited to his engagement party! Uncle…. Please tell me he's still there. And Wang Lina."

There was a pause before Wen Ning answered. "Ming Lim left at the same time as Michael Wu. I assumed they went to New Hampshire together…. They didn't talk to me about their plans for the break. Wang Lina talked about visiting friends…. But she didn't mention going home."

"Shit." Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. The Secretary particularly enjoyed this English swear word. It rolled off the tongue quite nicely and perfectly emoted the situation she was now in. Although it did lack the sheer creativity and viciousness of some of the Chinese swears she was not supposed to know. "Uncle, does Michael know Uncle Lan's sign language?" She was going to need help which meant having one of her ghost uncles staying with Michael and the other returning to China.

"He knows enough for a casual conversation…" Wen Ning hedged.

Lan Qingyang had to think quickly. Those paternal idiots had ruined her plans. Especially the one where she was going to keep the three children healthy and away from this virus for as long as possible. I should have squashed the marriage plans the moment I heard about them. I thought I had time. Shit. Shit. Shit. "Uncle… I need you here." Given the unknowns about this virus, having a medical professional to watch over the children who could not contract the disease would be helpful. "I'll call Song ZiChen later and let him know how we should proceed on the Boston end."

"Of course, Yang'Er. I'll text you my flight information once I'm booked. Should I bring Bichen?"

"Yes."

Ming Lim idly played with his new bracelet, rolling it around his wrist. Funny. We both gave the other jewelry for Christmas. Michael had spent some of their time buying presents for his family looking at earrings; he had been thinking about getting a cuff for his right ear. Ming Lim had designed a cuff engraved with a G-clef, but instead of the circular bottom on the symbol, the inside circle was a gear, an engineering symbol. It looked beautiful against his now brick-red hair. Michael had commissioned a bangle bracelet with the notes to a song engraved on it in teeny writing. Michael had said, "It's the music I play when I'm clearing my head out. Someday I'd like to hear you play it for me."

It was Christmas Eve… Michael would be strolling into his kitchen about now, still sleepy, snatching Christmas cookies for breakfast. After dinner, they would put the star on the top of the tree and get their first present: a book from Mary. Ming Lim's 'book' this year was an e-reader pre-loaded with the complete set of Harry Potter novels; he had read the first one on the plane to Beijing.

Ming Lim felt more than moderately uncomfortable. He wasn't sure which was more disrespectful: thinking about his lover, and the in-laws he wished to have, or standing in this room, attempting to prepare himself to betray his love by getting engaged to a woman.

Wang Lina looked just as uncomfortable as he felt. She was quite pretty, though, with her hair pulled up in fat curls and threaded with teeny flowers. She had a plain white dress on with a heart shaped top and some sort of gauzy material instead of proper sleeves. And for some reason, the dress ended right below her knees in the front but fell to her ankles in the back. "LimGe… do you love him or is it just… being close?"

Ming Lim felt faint. And thankful that Lina spoke in Mandarin and 'him' and 'her' were the same sound should anyone be eavesdropping on their conversation. "I don't know what you're talking about," he answered.

"I saw you…. Kissing. I was out in the backyard a few days ago... I saw you two through the window…." She blushed. "Before that I had thought that maybe we could make a go of this…. But if you love him…."

"I love him," Ming Lim's face was slowly regaining some color.

"Then I offer you this. We can stay engaged for a few months, and then call it off. I'll call it off. I'll make up some story about wanting to focus on my studies and preparing for the responsibilities of being a doctor rather than becoming your wife. People will understand. I just ask that you stay faithful to me while we're engaged. Here or back in Boston. Please don't humiliate me."

"I won't humiliate you. He and I… talked about this already. We broke up before I left. It's not fair to either one of you."

"It's not fair to you, either…" she offered, sadly.

"Does it bother you? That I'm…" gay?

"It makes me uncomfortable, yes. But not for the reason you think," she hastily added. "It doesn't bother me that you're in love with someone else…." She licked her lips and turned her head away slightly. "I sort of had a crush on Michael; I was really hoping that this engagement between us was dissolved so I could see if he might like me, too. I wish…."

"There you are! My beautiful bride and handsome groom!" A strange man theatrically pushed his way into the room followed by the teenagers' parents. He prattled on and on about where Ming Lim was to go and when Wang Lina knew it was her turn to enter the hall, and questioned who had the rings and was there a bouquet and veil for the bride.

"Wait. Wait." Ming Lim interrupted. "Wedding rings? This is an engagement party. What's going on."

"We decided to change things up a bit," his father said. "You've spent over two years together; that's plenty of time for an engagement. So tonight is the wedding."

"No." The bride and groom shouted it out at practically the same time.

"I don't love him!" Lina protested. "We don't even really like each other!"

"Ma, you can't do this to me!" Ming Lim begged. He half expected this from his father, but his mother should have reined in this impulse.

"The psychics said you met your soulmate. The day after you met Wang Lina; don't you remember? She's your soulmate! How can I oppose your marriage!"

"Ma! Those psychics are quacks. You can't place my future in the hands of someone who wants to know how the wireless signals are in Boston! And who claims I'm some magical prince in a past life! That's just… crazy!" Ma! Yes, I found my soulmate…. But he's still in the United States!

No matter how the young ones protested, the parents were firm. So an hour later, Ming Lim found himself robotically repeating vows to an equally wooden Wang Lina. And placing an awkward kiss on her cheek when ordered to kiss his bride.

How am I going to explain this to Michael? I'm so sorry! He sat alone at a table, drinking champagne as if it was water. And accepting congratulations from their parents' colleagues and subordinates with barely restrained anger. Calls from the MC for the 'happy' couple to kiss were met with glares and a mental one digit salute. Fuck off, all of you, he thought drunkenly at his wine flute. Several times his mother came over to ask him to smile and behave politely to his guests. "They're not my guests, Mother. I didn't invite a single one of them. I don't want to be here. Since I'm not up to your standards, why don't you send me home? Or better yet, send me back to Boston? To where my actual soulmate is?"

Wang Lina sat at a different table with a bunch of women her age and drank water. He pitied her for not being allowed alcohol to dull her senses. She wore a socially polite smile that never touched her eyes as she accepted congratulations and wishes for her to have babies quickly. At one point, she excused herself and when she came back, her eyeliner was noticeably missing and her eyes were instead rimmed in red.

There was no honeymoon suite in a hotel. No exotic trip planned. Instead a second dresser was installed in his childhood bedroom and half of his closet now contained her stuff. He yanked off his suit jacket, tie and belt, threw them on a chair, and grabbed a pillow off the bed. "You can have the bed; I'll sleep on the floor. We'll figure the rest out in the morning."

"LimGe… I'm sorry."

"Why? You didn't do anything wrong."

"I will grant you a divorce as soon as possible. Just please… when we're back in Cambridge, you can stay with Michael, but please keep faithful to our vows until the divorce goes through."

Ming Lim peered up at his wife through blurry eyes. "You think we're going back?"

"Why wouldn't we?" Then she thought for a moment. "Do you think they're going to send us to school here?"

The next morning, they found out that, no, they were not returning to the United States. In addition, no, they were not continuing their education in China, either. At least not right away. Lim was expected to start working as a director at SmarTec in January and Lina was expected to be pregnant with her first child by the Lunar New Year. After a few years of working, Lim could finish his degree and then assume the responsibilities as President of the company. When their second or third child started school, Lina would be allowed to go back to college with the understanding that she was not to study medicine. She would be the wife of a corporate president and eventual chairman: her schooling needed to reflect that. She could study art or music or even English literature if she felt like it. But she was to keep in mind that her 'job' would be to make Lim look good and important. She would never be allowed to become the surgeon she had been studying to become.

Back in their room, Ming Lim sat in a chair fiddling with his bracelet. How do I tell you? I can't. But I have to. He thought back to their last night together. He had rented a hotel room right at the airport so they could be as wild or tender in their lovemaking as they wished. They had broken up because neither thought it fair to Wang Lina to continue dating during their engagement. But it was only supposed to be an engagement... Ming Lim had planned on breaking it off after a few months citing irreconcilable differences. So this break up was really supposed to be a step apart, a 'see you later'... Not a forever separation.

If I had known…. I would have told you I loved you. I would have ignored your wishes and said it over and over. He hadn't said it again since Michael's eighteenth birthday night.

Michael had never said it. Ming Lim wasn't so shallow that he needed the words. But oh, how he wanted to hear it.

Ming Lim looked at his dresser and the wedding rings carelessly tossed there. He had removed his ring as soon as he arrived in the room that night and Lina had removed hers immediately after. He took a picture of the rings and composed a quick text. 'I'm so sorry. It wasn't an engagement party.' He pressed send. A few minutes later the message was marked 'read'. When there was still no response an hour later, he sent another message. 'I love you Michael. Forever.' Then he deleted those two messages in case his parents decided to snoop around in his phone.

Divorce was possible. And Wang Lina seemed like she wouldn't oppose it. While they were living in his parents' home, though…. And on the pittance of a salary he was going to earn. The Chairman had smirked when he mentioned the salary; it would barely pay for someone to take the bus to work each month. If he wanted anything, he was going to have to grovel.

Dr. Wang tried to smother his grin as he entered the building. His child was married well. He could expect a grandchild before too long; that Ming Lim looked viril. But it wasn't seemly for a man in his position to be seen as too happy. He swiped his employee card to pass through to the elevators: the gates didn't unlock. He swiped his card again only to see the red light remain steady instead of blinking to green. The one must be broken. He stepped back and bowed in embarrassment at the person behind him. "Bù hǎoyìsi. There's something wrong with my card," he muttered. The next gate also did not accept his card while allowing other employees to pass through. The doctor moved out of the lines to get waived through by the security personnel. The young man in the security uniform was new, and strangely, had neck tattoos. Dr. Wang removed a blank piece of paper from his pocket and wrote down a name and number on it. "Call him. He'll remove that tattoo for you so you'll never even know you had it. Mention my name and he'll give you a reasonable price."

The security guard looked at the paper without taking it and then back at the man in front of him. "No thank you. How can I help you this morning?"

Dr. Wang peered at the young man's name tag. I need new glasses. "Sheng Lin, is it? You must be new, but we do have a certain dress code here and no visible tattoos is part of that dress code. Please buzz me in; my card may need to be replaced."

Sheng Lin took the proffered card and swiped it through a reader. "No, your card is working exactly as intended. There is a note in the system that you resigned."

"I didn't resign!"

Sheng Lin bent down to reach under the counter; there was a grating noise as the plastic was ground up. "You were given an order by our Chairman, and you disregarded that order. Was that not an intent to resign?"

Dr. Wang's mouth opened and closed as he tried to process what the security guard was saying. "I never ignored an order by the Chairman," he finally managed to say.

Sheng Lin's face muscles twitched as if he was suppressing a smile. "Secretary Lan will be pleased to hear that. She saw the wedding announcement and was extremely upset. So was our Chairman. They will be very relieved to see that the announcement was posted erroneously. Will you need help getting it retracted? Our legal team will be able to assist if necessary…."

"How can the Chairman expect that I will obey an order that has nothing to do with him or my work?"

"Is Ming Lim married to Wang Lina?"

Dr. Wang shrank back at that question; Sheng Lin's eyes looked weird…. Like the iris was bigger and even more black than before…. But that was impossible. Pupils could enlarge but the iris was a definite size…. Must be a trick of the light. "My daughter was married two night ago, yes. That was a personal decision between myself, my wife, and his parents. It has nothing to do with my duties at QishanWen Medical Group."

Now it was obvious that there was something wrong with Sheng Lin's eyes. "Your personal effects are being boxed up as we speak. Would you prefer to wait here or shall I have them delivered to your residence?"

"I prefer that you let me into the building so I can do my job!"

Sheng Lin's pitch black eyes glared at the doctor. "I have spent a considerable amount of time and money ensuring that Ming Lim met up with his soulmate. Chen Song and I have spent many hours training those two and your daughter in the proper cultivation techniques so they don't end up killing themselves or others by accident. And you are the one who disregarded my orders. Be thankful all I'm demanding from you is a resignation."

"You?" Dr. Wang scoffed and looked scathingly at the tattooed security guard. "Who do you think you are?"

"I'm the Chairman. And I've changed my mind. I will not accept your resignation.

"You're fired."

A/N:

Good morning dear readers!

In honor of getting vaccinated, I'm posting this week's chapter a day early!

Stay safe my friends. And get vaccinated to keep all of us safe.

- Aitch.