Big Surprises!
"Father what about stepmother,what will she have?"Zhi Ruo asked, although her stepmother was cruel to her. She couldn't bring herself to hate her.
"My child, she'll have the greatest of them all"Zhi Wu said.
"My old house far away where all my paintings are kept,it's also where we fell in love and met.It has so much of my memories"Her father said,drifting off into a flashback.
Zhi Ruo knew that she was neither truthful,nor transparent with her family,she had to tell him of her lover,before he leaves her life forever.
"Father"she said,they walked about,a maid came and attempted to take the gifts from Zhi Ruo,but she refused to part with them.
The maid quickly excused herself.
"You had something you wanted to say?"her father asked, looking over his shoulder at her.
"Yes,I do."she said.
"Zhi Ruo,you won't get a better opportunity to say this. Yes,it will bring disgrace,and shame,but it is all in the name of love after all"Zhi Ruo thought.
"I ....I..."she said starmmering.
"Stop spitballing and say it!"she yelled at herself.
"I've....."she said,trying to force the words out of her mouth.
"Fallen in love!"her father said,and her cheeks flushed, she couldn't find the words to express her emotions.
"How did you know?"she managed to ask,she was shocked her father had guessed right.
He chuckled and led her to a batch of white roses.
"They are in their blooming season"her father said,she wasn't interested in roses at that moment.
"Father...am sorry for not telling you or stepmother"she said.
"Just like the roses cannot hide their blooming,you cannot hide your true feelings."he further explained.
She had been schooled,Zhi Wu styled.
"Ooh!"Zhi Ruo thought.
"So you knew?"she asked.
"Yes"he said.
But that did not mean that he knew about her's and Huang Zi Tao's affair.
"Tomorrow is the party for your mother's rememberance....."he said,holding up a firm face.
"Yes,am aware"she said.
"I have a surprise for you and him"she said.
"But I haven't told you whom I love"she pointed out.
"What if he calls out that Jin Yong,and makes everything worse!"she thought.
"I know who my daughter loves,and it's not that fool you were with today."he said,making her smile.
"You better get some rest,and guard those gifts,they are my prized possessions after you and your mother"he said.
"Yes father"she said,and bowed,she turned to leave,but ran back and hugged the old man.
She knew he was going to join his love and she had to too.
************
"Zhi Ruo!Zhi Ruo!"she heard,while she slept,she was drowsy,and lazily got out of bed.
She made her way to the door,but heard a loud thud behind her.
"Zi Tao!"She said.
she opened her window and looked to see him on the ground,a ladder beside him,she was worried,but couldn't stop laughing nonstop.
He smirked admist all the pain.
She helped him into the room,he had something,and she guessed right.
"Ice cream!"she said with Glee.
"Don't bust my eardrums...."Zi Tao said.
"So you remembered"she said.
"I know you have a sweet tooth"he said while getting in and sitting on her bed, he watched her greedily open the ice cream.
"And I know tomorrow is Aunt Lee's rememberance,and you always told me each year,your father would get you ice cream so you wouldn't cry"he said.
Zhi Ruo was already licking the ice cream when he said that part she stopped and sat beside him.
"Aunt Lee was the best,she always sent me gifts ,she loved to make delicious meals,and she never shouted at us,I miss her"Zi Tao said.
Zhi Ruo stared into space,and a tear fell from her eye,she knew how much she loved her mother.
Zi Tao wiped the tears from her eyes,he didn't mean to make her cry.
"I try not to think about it,but everything makes me miss her,and what about Yeye,I didn't even get to know him!"she said, referring to her baby brother.
Zi Tao held her, and kissed her forehead,he stroked her hair,she still jerked in his arms,but she knew she would be fine.
"Zhi Ruo...."he said,she looked at him,her eyes puffy.
"Yes"she said.
"Don't make the ice cream salty"he teased,and she hit his chest.
"Why do you have to ruin this!"she scolded.
They both smiled at each other,and enjoyed their ice cream.
Afterwards,Huang Zi Tao had to go,his family would be looking for him.
"I'll see you tonight"he said,"should I tell him about father's surprise or not?"she asked herself.
"Zi Tao"she called.
"Yes"he said.
"I love you"she said unafraid.
He climbed back into the room and kissed her.
"You'd use anything as a chance to kiss me"she pointed out,he grinned.
"Yes"he said,making Zhi Ruo blush.
************
"That old man! Giving her the wealth,her! what about me!"Qing Shan said,she had not fully accepted her new reality.
"No! This will not happen, I worked hard for my place here, I did so much to get here."She said,her blood boiling.
"I had Lee and her stupid son assassinated just to get into this loaded family,my hard work won't go down the drain."She said,clenching her fist.
I tried to match that fool Jin Yong and Zhi Ruo,so she'd leave this family and the wealth,but she still stayed,now no matter where she is,she's the heiress!
Damn!I won't go down,not without a fight"she said,and opened a drawer.
She brought out her bottle.
She grinned evily,and hid it in her dress.
"Zhi Ruo is in for a surprise tonight"she thought.
*************
The Zhi mansion wasn't flooded with guests,it wasn't a grand party, probably only fifty people were in the house.
A huge picture of Zhi Lee was hung,her pot of Ashes, was kept in front of it.
Her father and stepmum welcomed the guests.
Zhi Ruo walked up to the picture of her mother and dropped a white rose.
"Mother,I knew you for such a short period of time,but I will cherish those precious moments with my life. I won't ever forget all you've taught me,how to love,how to show compassion and how to be true to yourself."Zhi Ruo said,and wiped a tear.
"Mother please give me strength to move on,I hope you're watching me and you feel proud of me. Even though me and Zi Tao are being naughty."she said,and blushed.
"But please,where ever you are,know that I love you,and I won't stop loving you"
She wiped her tears immediately,and left to the party.
************
Ru Shi entered,and even at a rememberance,she couldn't be low key,and keep the world from knowing every little thing about her life.
She came in with two camera men and a news crew,Zhi Ruo's father was pissed off,but disciplined himself.
"Oh! My aunt Lee,I will miss you....."she yelled holding unto Zhi Lee's picture.
"Drama queen"Zhi Ruo thought.
Her stepmum had taken a drink to give to Zhi Ruo,she had a wicked smile,and walked over to Zhi Ruo to give her,her last drink.
But unfortunately,a camera man collided into her, accidentally pushing her and the wine glass fell out of her hands.
"Sorry madam...."he was cut off with a slap.
"You... Idiot!"she yelled,everyone stopped small talk,and turned to watch the scene.
Huang Zi Tao and his family just arrived.
"Get out all of you,I do not want to get changed and see any of you gay crashers here!"she yelled, and the news crew scrammed.
The scene put a smile on Zhi Ruo's face.
"Thank you stepmum"she thought,glad her mother would get the peace she deserved.
Ru Shi was embarrassed as she was the one who brought them in and rushed out of the house,angry,her mother following behind.
"Did I miss something?"Zi Tao asked,walking over to Zhi Ruo.
"I'll have to get used to seeing him everyday now"Zhi thought.
She smiled,at least her mum would be respected.
At the table a single glass of wine was left,turns out Zhi Ruo's stepmother picked up the wrong glass,while attending to a guest.
A waiter picked it up,and added it to his tray alongside other glasses.
He went about gracefully handing out different glasses to different people,like it was a game.
The last glass on his tray was still the poisoned glass.
And the last person left was Zhi Ruo.
He made his way to the cheerful Zhi Ruo and handed her the glass.
"Misd"he said,she picked it up,to sip from it,but saw her father about to make a toast without a glass.
"Here,give this one to father,he needs it more than I do"Zhi Ruo said,and the waiter left to give it to her father.
Her stepmum came back,she had changed,she was pissed off,at her futile attempt to end Zhi Ruo's life.
"Good evening,friends and family"her father said grabbing the attention of everyone,all turned in his direction.
"Today is the day we gather to remember a daughter,a sister,a best friend,a lover,a wife,a mother and an angel....."
He said somethings,and raised up his glass,Zhi Ruo got a new glass,and raised it up.
"To Zhi Lee"he said,and drank from the wine.
"To mum"Zhi Ruo said.
"To that she devil"Zhi Ruo's stepmother said,under her breath,swirling her wine about half mindedly in a corner of the room.
Looking totally downcast.
"And now to my next announcement,I want to announce to close friends and family,a new union"he said.
Gasps and murmurs filled the air, everyone looked at Zhi Ruo.
"New union?"Huang Yue asked,hoping it wasn't of Zhi Ruo and Zi Tao.
"What is he talking about?"Zi Tao asked Zhi Ruo,who could only blush.
He fixed his gaze on Zhi Wu.
"Here it comes"she thought, keeping her fingers crossed.
"The union...union... between my daughter..."his hands were wobbly.
"My daughter..."everywhere was spinning,and he felt choked.
He could no longer say anything,he placed his hand on his chest and coughed hard,then fell on his knees.
Everyone stood up,and Zhi Ruo ran to her father devistated,he coughed out blood on her face and slumped down.
"Lee"he said lifelessly with a smile on his face and breathed no more.