"Son, come here! Look who I am with!" Cecelia adjusted her phone and aimed the camera at Blair, who seemed to have something to say but didn't know how to do so. Right at that moment, Wesley walked out of the bathroom.
Niles didn't show up in the video until two seconds later when he turned on the light. "Hello, Mom. Oh, you're with Blair and Wesley."
"Right. It would have been so great if you were here too. But it's okay, dear. You focus on your studies, and I'll take care of Blair for you. Look at the dishes I had a chef prepare. They look yummy, don't they?"
As Cecelia and Niles began an animated discussion, Wesley sat opposite Blair and grabbed a bowl to ladle some soup.
Seeing that, Blair had an idea. She stood up and snatched the bowl away from him. "I'll do it for you," she uttered gallantly.
Cecelia was surprised to see this helpful effort. Wesley glanced at his mom, but didn't turn Blair down.
Afraid that Niles would get jealous on this sight, Cecelia covered the phone camera and scolded her older son, "Wesley, why did you ask Blair to ladle soup for you? Use your own hands!"
Actually, Niles had already seen what Blair was doing.
Finding it interesting, he asked deliberately, "Mom, is Blair ladling soup for my brother?"
Cecelia felt that the situation was getting awkward. She removed her hand from the camera and told him, "Yes, but she ladled soup for me too. She is really a thoughtful girl."
Niles couldn't understand why his mom was saying that, and Blair herself was left speechless. Wesley kept on eating, as if what was going on didn't concern him at all.
Blair kicked him under the table. He paused and looked up at her.
When she saw that Cecelia wasn't paying attention to them, Blair mouthed to Wesley, "Explain."
She had tried to clarify her relationship with Niles to Cecelia, but it had only caused more misunderstanding.
Wesley was puzzled. 'Explain what? She hasn't explained why she is suddenly with Niles. Now she wants an explanation from me?'
Cecelia turned her head and caught sight of Wesley's attentive gaze which was directed at Blair. She pointed the camera at the dishes and slapped him on the shoulder, hard enough to sting but soft enough for the camera to avoid getting shaken.
He looked at his mom in confusion.
Cecelia ignored him. "Son, we need to eat now. Come back and check on Blair as often as you can," she told Niles.
"Why?" Niles asked, opening a computer game.
"Do you really have to ask that? Be good to her. Or I'll be after you," Cecelia warned in a sweet tone.
Blair didn't know what to say. Whatever she had said, Cecelia didn't believe her. And Wesley wasn't planning to help her out.
He was actually waiting for Blair to explain how she and Niles had ended up together. But so far, she had said nothing. Anger was building up in his chest. If Niles were in front of him, Wesley would have kicked his ass there and then. He was wondering when Niles and Blair had started dating and why he knew nothing about it.
Cecelia's words finally tipped Niles off. He realized that something was wrong. "Mom, what are you thinking?" he asked with a serious look. 'Does Mom think Blair and I are dating?'
That realization sent him in a fluster. He was on the brink of telling his mom that Blair and Wesley liked each other.
"Nothing. Niles, I'm starving. I'll talk to you later. Bye." Cecelia ended the video chat and sat beside Blair to eat.
In general, the dinner was done in a cordial atmosphere. If there was one thing Blair could complain about, it would be that she had to deal with Cecelia's questions of every sort as she thought about finding a way to explain everything to her.
That was why her mind was ten miles away from the table right now.
"Blair, what do you like about him? His profession or his personality?" Cecelia asked.
'Who? Wesley?' Blair thought. So she answered, "His personality." At that moment, all she was thinking about was Wesley.
Hearing Blair admit in person that she liked Niles, Wesley lost his appetite.
"Sometimes, I feel that Niles is too childish. Do you think he is childish?"
"I think he is thoughtful. For all his faults, he knows how to take care of people." That was true. Niles was perky, but he was also a gentleman and very considerate around ladies.
Wesley buried his face in the bowl to hide his sour expression. 'It turns out that she has such a high opinion of Niles. Then why did she send me that message the day the flood erupted in the village?'
Cecelia had scarcely heard anyone else praise Niles for being thoughtful before. Now that Blair was saying so, she thought it must be because Niles had always taken good care of Blair. "That's good to hear. You stay here as long as you like. When Niles isn't around, you can call Wesley if you need anything. We are going to be a family in the future. Don't be a stranger."
"Oh, okay, Aunt Cecelia." 'As long as I can reach Wesley, I won't call Niles.'
When the dinner was almost over, Cecelia went to the kitchen. Blair kicked Wesley again. He looked at her, confused.
Blair glared at him. "How can you still be eating? Your mom has misunderstood everything. Can't you see it?"
"Misunderstood what?" He really was completely oblivious.
Blair was about to explode. She tried her best not to raise her voice as she asked, "Who do I like?"
Wesley thought about it for a minute and then replied, "Now? I'd say you like Niles." He thought that the only explanation for her being with Niles was that she was over him and had now fallen for Niles. Blair felt that he was driving her crazy. "Does Niles know that you are pregnant?" Wesley asked her.
"Wesley Li! You're such a…" Blair felt like cursing, but eventually she dropped it.
She had to, anyway, because Cecelia was walking out of the kitchen, carrying a fruit platter. She put the plate in the middle of the table. Blair widened her eyes when she saw the fruit slices. The fruit had been sliced so badly that it reminded her of the terrible platter Wesley had made the day Talbot had gone to her apartment to cook.
Besides the resemblance in appearance, Blair now could see another piece of proof that Cecelia and Wesley were mother and son— their bad cutting skills.
"Eat fast and then go to sleep early. I am going shopping tomorrow and I would like you to come with me. I want to buy some shoes and clothes for Blair, and I need your opinion," Cecelia told Wesley.
"I hate shopping," Wesley declared. 'Going shopping with two women. That doesn't sound fun, ' he thought.
Cecelia rolled her eyes at him. "I wouldn't have asked you to tag along if Niles were here. Since he's not here, it falls on you to take care of us."
Blair screamed inwardly, 'Aunt Cecelia, can you just listen to me? I'm not Niles' girlfriend, and Wesley is not going to be my brother-in-law.'
But she could only look at Wesley expectantly, still hoping that he could explain things to Cecelia. Wesley looked at Blair and then shifted his gaze towards her belly. 'She is pregnant. She does need extra care, ' he thought. "All right. I'll go with you," he agreed with a nod.
Cecelia didn't notice the shift of Wesley's gaze, but Blair did.
She squeezed the chopsticks hard, trying to refrain herself from punching him. Then she told Wesley with a sarcastic smile, "Thank you, Brother."
Wesley sensed the hint of sarcasm in her voice.
Cecelia was happy to hear that. "Now, that is good. I knew you were only being shy just now. We'll be a family sooner or later, so from now on, just consider Wesley your brother."
