Compromise

As Shun stepped into the room, he had to duck underneath the low door-frame of the seventeenth century cottage Mei called home. No doubt people back then were shorter in general, but even by today's standards Shun was a tall man and someone who always stood out from the rest of the world with his black hair, brown eyes and chiselled face, devoid of any emotions unless mildly amused.

"Why are you here?" Mei asked from the other side of the room in a defiant, almost angry tone.

Shun looked directly into the eyes of the only woman who had ever gotten under his skin. The one person in the whole world who never reacted the way he expected and just being in her presence again made him angry. After all she had betrayed him and humiliated him in front of the whole world. Especially when she walked away.

But just as quickly as his anger flared, he couldn't help notice how much weight she had lost during the last four years as her jeans hung low on her hips and her shirt looked like a tent over her shoulders. His conscience tinged with a moment of guilt as he recalled the first time, he had laid eyes on her as a teenager. She had been so carefree then, her smile illuminating her surroundings. A smile, he suddenly realised he had not seen again since their wedding day.

"I've been trying to call you since yesterday", he said, breaking the awkward silence between them.

Mei wasn't sure how to respond to this, so she moved towards the kitchen counter and looked down at her phone. Sure, enough there were three more missed calls. "I don't answer hidden numbers", she said looking back up at him, before walking over to the kettle and filling it up with water. "Would you like a cup of tea?" her manners kicked in to save her.

Shun didn't answer, so Mei proceeded with the tea as he stalked around her cottage, looking at it in detail. There was not much to see really. The cottage only had one bedroom with a large living area attached to a kitchen that looked onto the fields outside. Her grandfather had bought it a long time ago as a wedding gift for her mother and because after she passed away, he had given it directly to Mei as a birthday present it was the only thing the authorities didn't confiscate from her family when her father went bankrupt.

When the kettle had boiled, Mei retrieved two clean cups from the cupboard and finished preparing the tea. And to buy herself a little more time to settle her nerves, she also arranged the pastries Francis had brought earlier onto a saucer and brought them to the tea table in the living room.

"So why are you here again?" she asked in a calmer tone.

What could have prompted the great Li Shun to break away from his family's massive business empire to come gallivanting through the French countryside to find her after all these years? Especially since throughout their marriage, he had never deemed it essential to spend any time with his wife. She was just a pretty object he was stuck with, who withered her days away in the Li mansion under the constant criticism of his mother.

The memories lurched at Mei's heart as pain engulfed her chest. But she sat down on the sofa opposite to Shun without flinching. Determined to hide the turmoil inside.

"Are you not happy to see me?" Shun asked with his usual arrogance, lifting his tea cup to take a sip.

"Given how things ended between us, no I'm not?", she countered coolly. "In fact, I had hoped I would never see you again".

"After what you did, I had the same resolve", Shun countered.

"You mean what you think I did", Mei gritted through her teeth. "Did it ever occur to you that there was a more logical explanation? That perhaps I was innocent and that you overreacted?" she fumed nearly losing her composure as she recalled all the false accusations and hurt, she had endured back then.

"There's no point revisiting the past", Shun said coldly.

"Then tell me why you're here and then get out and don't come back", Mei commanded.

Shun hesitated for a moment before speaking again. "Grandma Li is sick", he said softly. "She might die".

Mei's insides suddenly turned as cold as ice as this news sank in. Despite her hate for the Li family as a whole, Mei was really fond of Shun's grandmother who had been one of only two supporters she had during her marriage. And if it hadn't been for Grandma Li, Mei would've never had the courage to walk away from Shun, or the money to study art at ENSBA and start her life anew.

"What … how …?" confused, Mei moved swiftly to her laptop to check her emails again. Grandma Li had emailed her at least once a week for the past four years through her secretary to make sure she was doing well. And once in a while Mei would even call her for a secret chat when the rest of the Li family were away from home. It didn't make sense.

But it did. The last email Mei had received from her, she realised was just over a week ago.

"How?" Mei repeated. "She sounded fine when I talked to her a month ago".

Shun raised his eyebrows in surprise. The fact that his ex-wife and his grandmother still talked to each other was news to him. And then, the thought that she might also be talking to other members of his family unnerved him. Particularly one member, which made his blood boil.

Were they still seeing each other? His mind raced. But when he glanced around the cottage again and saw no signs of a man's presence, he relaxed.

"The maid found her three days ago collapsed in her room", Shun explained. "And when we got her to the hospital the doctor informed us that she had suffered a series of heart attacks and needed emergency surgery".

Mei let out a small gasp of horror and the genuine concern written on her face confused Shun. He had no idea that she had cared about any member of his family so much. But then he realised how very little he had known about her at all. Right now, though he needed to comfort her.

"The surgery went well", he told her. "And she regained consciousness the day before yesterday. But given her age, she's still in danger and right now she keeps asking for you".

"Then I'll go to her", Mei said, standing up without any hesitation. "I will have to make a few phone calls to let people know I'll be out of town and pack a few things, and call someone to fix the door. But after that I'll catch the first flight out of Paris".

"No", Shun stood up and looked down at her. "I have arranged to take you back myself right now. Whoever you need to call you can call from my private jet and my men are already fixing your door", he gestured towards his entourage who were busy screwing new hinges. "You can also forget about packing anything, all your clothes and belongings are still at the house. All you need is your purse and passport".

That startled Mei. The fact that her belongings were still at the Li mansion. But then nothing she left behind there had ever really been hers. Her clothes and accessories were all handpicked by Madam Li, Shun's mother, who had made it very clear that Mei was a disgrace and did not deserve to be her daughter-in-law. Everything she had made Mei wear and do were simply to uphold the Li family name and if Mei dared to step out of line, she would suffer Madam Li's wrath.

But Mei was no longer a daughter-in-law of the Li family and she was determined no longer to conform to their standards or give in to their demands. "You will wait as I make a few calls and pack my own things and then I'll come with you", she told Shun firmly. "That is my compromise".

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