Seeing that Wesley had already finished his breakfast, Blair decided that she shouldn't make him late. She swallowed the egg inside her mouth hurriedly after a few furious chews, and slid her phone back into her pocket. "We don't want to be late. I can bring the sandwich with me and eat it in the car," she told him.
But the man stopped her. "You may get sick if you try to eat in the car. The road is a bit bumpy. Just take your time and finish your breakfast at leisure. We're in no hurry." He brought his plate with him into the kitchen.
"All right." If that was the case, then why worry? Blair began to eat her sandwich at an easy pace. To her surprise, it tasted good despite the fact that Wesley was not known to be a good chef. He couldn't even chop vegetables or salads properly.
After the breakfast, Wesley grabbed her suitcase in his hand and they left the apartment together. What worried her was that she was dressed for the weather while Wesley was not.
She was wearing a pink down coat, a white woolen hat that was complemented with a bit of fur at its ends, and a white scarf.
Wesley, however, was wearing only a simple shirt and a coat matching his pants. Although he looked quite handsome in this dress compared to some people who became plump and awkward after putting on too much, he still would have been cold in that. The coat wasn't nearly enough.
Blair was getting the feeling that they were living in completely different seasons. When they entered the elevator, she couldn't help it anymore and asked with concern, "Aren't you cold?"
"No," he replied shortly and cast a casual glance at her, who was cumbersomely dressed in lots and lots of clothes and looking like a cuddly bear. "There is heating in the car.
"Mmm. As you wish." Blair shrugged. Maybe he really didn't get cold. She already knew there was heating in the car; what car wouldn't have a heater in it? But there was no heating on the way to the underground car park and it was chilly outside.
Blair continued to play with her phone after getting into Wesley's car. Before long, they left the city behind them and the car rumbled onto the expressway, breaking out of the bounds of city speed limits. She looked out the window, lost deep in thought.
Today, she was going to his home to visit his family, but not as his girlfriend. 'Is it possible that I'll go to visit his family as his girlfriend one day?' she sighed inwardly.
"Are you sleepy?" Blair suddenly asked, stealing a glance at him.
"No. You get some sleep if you want," Wesley answered with his attention still focused on the road. He knew that she must be sleepy. She slept late last night and got up early this morning.
"Okay. But if you do get sleepy, just wake me up. I can drive," she offered.
'A petite girl like her drives my jeep? Hell no!' Wesley was not sleepy at all, and after hearing her proposal, he became even soberer. There was no way he was letting such a heavy-duty vehicle into her hands. "Don't worry. I never drive when I'm tired."
"Okay."
Blair really was sleepy since she hadn't slept well because of what had happened last night. Plus they were on a freeway and the road was now smooth. She dozed off within two minutes.
It soon got unusually quiet inside the car, and the only trace that remained of her presence now was her unique fragrance. Wesley curled his lips and kept on driving. He liked to focus on the road anyway.
When they finally arrived at the Li family's villa, it was already 3 p.m. Blair had already bought some gifts for his family members. Nothing fancy, just to show a bit of etiquettes.
The Li family's villa itself was located in the central area of the city, well-known as the most posh one. Keith used to live in the military complex with his wife. But after she had passed way, Baldwin had insisted that Keith come and live with them in the family home.
Wesley also had an uncle who was a big shot in the business circles of A Country. Though he didn't live here permanently, he had come over today and also brought his family members after hearing about the arrival of a special guest. There was much speculation about who the special guest was.
Unfortunately, the poor uncle didn't get to meet her. Keith asked him to leave since he was afraid that Blair would feel embarrassed if she saw so many people. After all, she and Wesley hadn't been together yet. 'It would be better if I ask the family members to come over and meet her only after Blair and Wesley are officially together, ' he mused.
He was right. Blair heaved a heavy sigh of relief when she saw that only Keith, Wesley's parents, and Niles were there to greet her.
"Happy New Year! Grandpa Keith, Uncle Baldwin, Aunt Cecelia, Niles!" Blair greeted them cheerfully and handed over the gifts she had bought them.
Cecelia herself was more than just thrilled to see Blair. Ignoring all etiquettes, she quickly put her gift aside and grabbed Blair's wrist, pulling her towards the sofa in the living room. "Blair, you are finally here. I would have loved to see you here on New Year's Eve. I wanted you to celebrate it with us. But doesn't matter. You're here now. Oh my! Your hands feel so cold. Come here. Take this hot-water bag. It'll warm you up in no time."
She began to make a fuss immediately and Blair felt a little embarrassed. "Aunt Cecelia, don't worry. I don't feel cold. And yes, I regret that I couldn't join you all. My grandpa wanted me to have the family reunion dinner on New Year's Eve with him and my uncle's family. That is why I could only visit you so late."
"That's okay. You must be hungry, huh? Wesley, grab some snacks for her," Keith remarked and nudged Wesley's leg with his walking stick, motioning him to slide the tray of nuts towards Blair.
Wesley cast a glance at the tray in front of him and then ordered Niles, "Go to the kitchen and wash some grapes and mangosteens."
Niles hadn't even had the chance to say hello to Blair, and yet his brother had asked him to wash fruits. He was quite unhappy about it and retorted, "Mom's already prepared the fruits. Look! There!"
Without even looking to where Niles was pointing, Wesley spat in a furious tone, "Cut the crap and do as I say."
There was already a fruit platter laid out on the table with cherries, blueberries, and strawberries neatly arranged. However, Niles had no choice but to go to the kitchen reluctantly and perform the chores he had been ordered to. Wesley knew that Blair was really fond of cherries, so he picked out all the cherries from the platter, put them on a plate and slid it towards Blair, who accepted it with a voiceless thank you.
All of Cecelia's attention was diverted towards Blair, and she didn't even notice what Wesley had just done.
However, the effort did catch Keith's and Baldwin's eyes and they exchanged a knowing look with each other.
Blair, who had taken the plate from him, was feeling a bit uneasy. Cecelia's enthusiasm was making her a little flustered. She didn't know how to repay her kindness or how to react, so she did the only thing she knew—she gave the plate to Cecelia and said, "Aunt Cecelia, have some cherries."
The woman didn't know that the red, ripe fruit had been hand-picked by Wesley for Blair. She just took the plate from her, picked up a cherry and put it into her mouth while asking Blair all sorts of things about recent developments in her life. Even with the cherry in her mouth, she didn't seem to be stopping with her conversation.
Seeing that scene, Wesley sighed inwardly. Then he put a tray of nuts in front of Blair, motioning her to eat some.
This time, Blair thanked him in a low voice and grabbed a few cashews.
Niles managed to somehow complete the task he was given and finally came out of the kitchen carrying a large bowl of grapes and mangosteens. "Hi Blair. Eat some grapes and mangosteens. The grapes are imported from America, and the mangosteens from Thailand. They're known to be the best and the sweetest. You'll love them!"
Cecelia, however, had her own ideas of "the best," and pushed the bowl aside. "Blair, don't listen to him. You eat the fruits that I've prepared for you. These cherries, blueberries and strawberries are also imported, and they are far more delicious than grapes and mangosteens."
It was not that Cecelia didn't want her to eat grapes or mangosteens. The only problem she had with them was that she herself did not like fruits that needed to be peeled, which meant cherries and blueberries in her opinion were the best. Her remark had been laid out in kindness, but she had blissfully made the mistake of not thinking that maybe Blair had different preferences than her.
Niles cast a burning glance towards Wesley. "They weren't for Blair, were they? You wanted them!"
"Mmm." Wesley didn't deny the accusation and leisurely picked up a mangosteen.
Cecelia, on seeing that the girl in front of her wasn't reacting, reached out and put a few blueberries in Blair's hand, urging her to try some. The latter sadly looked at the mangosteen in Wesley's hand, drooling. She liked mangosteens a lot. And the grapes looked inviting too.
It was only Baldwin who noticed that and was amused. He stood up and slid the bowl that Niles had brought in front of Blair. "Blair, don't listen to them. You can eat whatever you like."
Only then did Cecelia realize what she had said was not proper. "No, no, no. Blair, don't get me wrong. I just thought you might not want to peel the grapes and mangosteens," she explained hurriedly in a flustered tone.
Blair gave her a reassuring smile. "Aunt Cecelia, I knew what you meant."
Wesley placed the mangosteen that he had already peeled in front of Blair. Then he decided that he would help her settle in, and took her suitcase upstairs, leaving her in the living room with his family.
By the time they were done with supper, it was still quite early. Cecelia suggested that Blair and Wesley go take a walk. Niles wanted to hang around with the two, but Keith made up an excuse, saying that he was not feeling well and the poor man was forced to stay. To be honest, the old man was feeling chipper than ever but wanted to create more chances for Blair and Wesley to bond. They all liked the girl.
Instead of taking a walk, the two got in his car, and Wesley drove off. "Are you full?" he asked.
"I'm stuffed," Blair responded. The Li family members had all been very kind to her, to the point that they had stuffed her beyond her limit. Cecelia had placed some food onto Blair's plate even after she was full.
