Lauren disagreed, "Your expectations are too high. Wesley is awesome. And Niles is no slouch either. He's a doctor, and stands to make a ton of cash. Cecelia, you've done an amazing job raising your kids."
"Thank you. You're too kind. You make it sound like I should be on cloud nine because of my kids," Cecelia said with a smile.
"Of course," responded Lauren.
Then she noticed Niles' bruised face. "Niles, what happened to your face? Did you get in a fight? Did your brother beat you again?" Everyone in the Jiang family knew very well where Niles had gotten those bruises.
Niles gave an embarrassed smile and said, "I messed with my brother again."
"Hahaha, he's beaten you up ever since you were little boys. Wesley's pretty hard on you for a brother," Garnet's father remarked as he patted Niles on the head.
Niles sighed and wore a self-effacing smile. "It's been going on for so long, I'm used to it. Besides, it's New Year's. I don't want to spoil the happy mood, so I'll let it slide."
His family knew him well. They also knew why Wesley pounded on him this time. Hearing that, they all rolled their eyes at him. The Jiang family laughed out loud.
Then Garnet's parents noticed the girl in the living room who sat quietly eating sunflower seeds. "Who's this?" asked Lauren.
All of a sudden, all eyes were on Blair. Garnet hadn't really noticed, as she was focused on Wesley. But her mother's words made her notice the girl. Garnet had seen her before, but she couldn't remember where.
Blair put down the sunflower seeds in her hand, stood up and straightened her clothes. She was a bit stunned when she saw Garnet. This was the woman on the video chat. The one who had threatened her. But she shook it off and remembered her manners. "Nice to meet you. I'm Blair Jing," she said.
"Blair?" Finally Garnet figured out why she was so familiar. The video chat! Of course! 'But I told her to stay away, ' she thought.
With a nod, Lauren commented cordially, "So pretty." Then she turned to Cecelia. "She a relative? Why haven't we met before?"
"This is Adalson's niece. She lives in the same city as him. She came all this way to visit Keith," Baldwin said. He liked Blair a lot, but he couldn't introduce her as Wesley's girlfriend, so this explanation sufficed. He wished Wesley would just confess his feelings and make things easier.
"Adalson Ji?" Garnet's father wondered.
"Yeah, he's my uncle," Blair answered with a smile.
"Cool! What a coincidence! Your uncle and I were in the military together. We fought side by side," he laughed.
They all sat down on the couch in the living room. A servant served some fruit and snacks, and people dug in. They had worked up an appetite.
And of course they talked and laughed amongst themselves. Things were pretty laid-back, and most of the family was happy. Cracking jokes, catching up.
Garnet sat down next to Wesley without thinking. She kept stealing glances at Blair. Her gut feeling told her that Blair and Wesley were more than friends.
Niles sat beside Keith. His seat was far away from Blair's. Wesley, on the other hand, was seated at the end of the couch, next to the armchair Blair sat in.
She had to admit that Blair was a looker. Her eyes were big. Her brows were thick and naturally arched. Her lips were like dewy roses in morning sunlight. Unlike Garnet's darker skin, Blair's was fair.
Just like Wesley, Garnet wore her army uniform. Blair was rocking a light-colored thin coat. She looked innocent and simple, the type most boys liked.
Her dimples added to her charm when she smiled.
Garnet had never thought of herself as unattractive, but Blair outmatched her in every way.
Compared to Blair, she looked homely and much less womanly.
Little did she know that when she was watching Blair, Blair was focused on her, mostly because she had claimed to be Wesley's fiancee.
Garnet had short hair. Dressed in her uniform, she looked valiant and heroic. She might be less feminine, but she still looked tender. Blair was impressed by the way she possessed rough-edged femininity and power at the same time.
Garnet wasn't interested in fancy makeup or clothes. She was a soldier, a heroine. She trained hard and she fought bravely. 'She's awesome, ' Blair thought.
She admired her, just as she admired Wesley.
Garnet and Wesley were both soldiers. They were both courageous people. And they grew up together. They had a lot in common. Blair wouldn't be surprised if Wesley chose her as his fiancee.
She fiddled with the sunflower seeds in her hand as she pondered this. The people all around her were laughing and talking. She was too lost in her thoughts to keep track of the conversation.
Lauren looked at Wesley thoughtfully and then asked, "Wesley, Garnet always wanted to work in your city. Think she can be transferred after New Year's?"
Wesley put away his phone and answered, "I don't see a problem with it."
Blair snapped out of it when she heard Wesley's voice. She pricked up her ears, trying to figure out what they were talking about. That was when she found out about Garnet's dream transfer.
Blair's mind started wandering again. Questions, speculations, different kinds of scenarios flooded in her head.
'Did she make that decision because of Wesley? She'd probably see Wesley more often after the transfer. Would Wesley take care of her the way he takes care of me?'
"Wesley, do you have a girlfriend?" Lauren asked.
It was something parents and older relatives always discussed. No one made any bones about it. But if you looked carefully, you'd see that Cecelia's gaze constantly strayed to Blair after the question was raised.
"No," Wesley replied after a moment's hesitation.
Lauren was happy to hear it. "Wesley, tell me, what kind of girl do you like? I can fix you up. If you get married, your wife can keep your mom company when you're not around."
Everyone fell silent when they heard that, because they all liked Blair and hoped she could marry Wesley. Blair tried to make herself smaller, blushing furiously.
"Thanks, Aunt Lauren. But I don't want a girlfriend. Too busy. You can fix Niles up, though. He has time." She wasn't surprised to hear that.
Niles was munching on macadamia nuts. Hearing his name mentioned, he lifted his head in confusion and asked, "What? What did I do now?"
Lauren smiled, "Nothing. I was going to find a girlfriend for your brother. But he says he's too busy. What about you, Niles? Do you have a girlfriend?"
"Don't need one. I'm fresh out of college and I haven't had any fun yet. I want some alone time before I find someone to spend time with," Niles announced.
Cecelia got mad at the two brothers' words. She said to Lauren, "Listen to these two! One is 26 and doesn't want a girlfriend. The other is in his twenties but acts like a child. This is so infuriating!"
