Blair didn't have the words to respond to Wesley.
She sighed inwardly, 'Wesley can be so stubborn sometimes! Has he even considered my feelings?
I have enough money. I sold the diamond ring and bracelet he gave me. Besides, I have a job that pays me well enough. I may not earn a lot, but I can support myself. I don't need him to support me at all!'
If she had known things would turn out like this, she wouldn't have returned the Perfecting Cushion Wesley had bought for her. That way, he wouldn't have found an excuse to wire another one million dollars into her bank account.
As things were usually slower at work during the off-seasons, Blair asked her manager for some time off from work so she could fly to A Country and visit the Li family.
Blair only told Cecelia in advance that she was coming to A Country. However, much to her surprise, Baldwin accompanied Cecelia at the airport to pick her up. Cecelia was so excited to see Blair that she almost cried in public, as if she had finally seen her daughter, who hadn't been home a long time.
They had lunch at the Li family's house, and then Cecelia took Blair out to an art exhibition. Later that afternoon, they decided to go shopping, but before they went to the mall, Blair sincerely insisted Cecelia should not buy her anything.
Cecelia assured her that she needn't worry about anything, only to go back on her words later on. She not only bought clothes for Blair, but also took her to one of the biggest laptop retail outlets in the mall.
"Aunt Cecelia, are you looking to buy a laptop?" Blair asked curiously.
"Yes, dear!" Cecelia answered plainly, eyes focused on the wide selection of laptops on display.
One of the salespeople recommended two laptops to Cecelia, who then held Blair's hand and asked, "Which one do you think is better?"
"I think you should pick the one you like!" said Blair
"It's not for me, dear." Cecelia smiled at her and continued, "I heard that your laptop got broken. You need a new one!" Some time ago, Niles told Cecelia that Blair's laptop was broken in the car accident.
Blair's suffered a leg injury, but luckily it was not that serious. Cecelia, however, felt guilty because she couldn't fly to Y City to visit Blair, so she thought to make up for it by getting her something she needed.
Blair was deeply moved by Cecelia's gesture of kindness. "Aunt Cecelia, you don't need to buy me a laptop. Anyway, I just use the company's computer; it works just fine for me." She then turned to face the salesperson and apologetically said, "Sorry for the trouble, miss, but we are not buying a laptop." As she smiled at the salesperson, Blair held Cecilia's hand and tried to take her away.
Cecelia, however, refused to leave and made the decision for Blair instead. "Girls like pink. Miss, I'd like that pink one, please. I want the most expensive model with the best configurations."
"What? Aunt Cecelia, you—" Blair tried to stop her, but Cecelia wasn't going to take no for an answer. "Silly girl, just accept it. Ever since Wesley started working, he has barely asked for anything anymore. And Niles just goes to Wesley when he needs anything. Sometimes I miss being a mother, so let me enjoy this. I want to buy things for you. It'll make me feel more comfortable."
'Huh?' Blair's mouth was agape; she was utterly dumbfounded.
Guilt flashed in Blair's eyes momentarily. The members of the Li family always welcomed her with open arms because they knew that she and Wesley were a legally married couple. Although she only came to learn about the truth fairly recently, it was still the undeniable truth. While Blair had been addressing Cecelia as "Aunt" and Baldwin as "Uncle," the Li family members did nothing but make her feel like she was a part of their family.
Left with no choice, Blair accepted the laptop. Cecelia looked very happy the rest of the afternoon and they kept on wandering around the mall hopping from one shop to the other. "Blair, your uncle Baldwin hardly has time to go shopping with me, and my friends are always busy as well. I'm glad you are here to hang out with me. You are not in a hurry to go back, are you?"
"I'm not," Blair answered, smiling affectionately at Cecelia. What else could she say?
Cecelia was being so nice to her, and she didn't know how to repay her. All Blair could do was agree to whatever Cecelia said without question. Since Cecelia liked shopping, Blair decided to keep her company for as long as she needed. They spent an entire day at the mall until their legs felt like soft noodles, the only remedy to which was to go home for some rest.
On their way to the car, Cecelia's attention was attracted by a camera store that was on a special promotion for that day.
Blair didn't even notice this as she went to put their shopping bags in the car.
Cecelia watched a mother and daughter leave the store together with a shopping bag. She overheard the mother ask the daughter, "Sweetheart, you've been looking forward to this camera for a long time. Are you happy?"
The daughter nodded her head repeatedly and answered, "Of course! Mom, thank you so much for this. I love you!"
Cecelia felt bad for Blair because her parents passed away about ten years ago. She looked at Blair, who was walking over to her, and said, "Do you have a camera, my dear?"
Blair warily scanned her surroundings and caught sight of the camera store. She shook her head immediately and declined, "I don't need one. Besides, you've already bought a lot of things for me. I won't be able to carry any more things in my luggage."
"That's not a problem at all. We'll drive you to the airport tomorrow. And if your luggage weighs above your baggage allowance, just pay extra!" After saying that, Cecelia grabbed her hand and dragged her to the camera store before Blair could come up with more excuses.
While Cecelia was comparing cameras, Blair went to a corner and called Wesley. The call got connected quickly this time. "Wesley, can you call your mom and tell her to stop buying me things? She is going to buy me the whole shopping mall!"
Wesley's reply, however, made her roll her eyes in frustration. "As long as she is happy." He made it sound like this had nothing to do with him.
Blair took a deep breath and said, "So, you won't call her, will you?"
"Sorry, but no."
Blair didn't know what to say to that.
"Blair, come here quick!" Cecelia cried out from the counter. "Have a look, sweetie! They say this camera is great for beginners."
"I'm coming! I'll be right there!" Blair hung up on Wesley without even saying goodbye. That would definitely give him an idea of how annoyed she was.
Since Wesley refused to stop his mother, Blair had to find a way to refuse Cecelia without sounding rude or ungrateful. However, in the end, she had no other choice but to accept the camera.
On their way back, Cecelia looked like a child as she toyed with
the new camera. Blair sighed, "Aunt Cecelia, this is a bit too much. I won't dare to visit you again because you will buy me a lot of things again."
Cecelia paused and put the camera down. Blair thought she was angry, and was about to explain when Cecelia cut in, "How about you get pregnant and give birth to a boy or a girl? Then my attention will be transferred to them and you won't feel pressured anymore. What do you say?"
Blair was at a loss for words, unsure of whether to laugh or cry. "Seems like a good idea, but Wesley won't be back in half a year."
"Huh! You mean you want to have a baby too!" Cecelia had a wicked grin on her face that stretched from ear to ear.
Blair's face was as red as a tomato. She immediately shook her head. "No, no…" She wasn't certain about her relationship with Wesley, and she didn't think a child would help fix that.
"Don't be shy. Niles told me what happened. Now that you know you and Wesley are a legally married couple, why don't you call me 'Mom' from now on?" Cecelia looked at Blair with a hopeful expression.
From the moment she saw Blair at the airport, Cecelia had been wondering how to make Blair call her "Mom."
Blair bit her lip, feeling awkward. Cecelia was right—Blair should call her "Mom." However, Blair felt incredibly shy to do so.
Cecelia smiled at Blair's shy face, patting the back of her hand and said, "Don't worry. You can call me whatever you want. I believe you will come to call me 'Mom' one day."
Blair nodded. "I know, Aunt Cecelia. Please give me some time."
"Honey, take as long as you need."
The next day, Baldwin and Cecelia drove Blair to the airport. When they got out of his car, he put Blair's luggage in a cart and told her, "I don't think your luggage is overweight. If it is overweight, just pay extra. It's not a big deal. Wesley has money, and all his money is yours now."
