Lily crossed her arms as she asked Li Shanshan, “So? Are you planning to keep quiet all day?” In response, the latter just lowered her head even more while biting her lips. This scenario instantly reminded Lily of a mother talking to her child about coming home drunk. “Ah Shan?” Lily let out a sigh before she rose from her seat. “Since you are not planning to talk I will leave now. I still have a mountain of paperwork to finish and millions to earn.”
“I’m sorry,” Li Shanshan uttered meekly.
“You should be. I was forced to cancel my whole schedule – which is worth millions by the way – and I was not able to sleep properly.” Lily sat back on the couch, feeling amused by the current familiar situation. The last time this happened was exactly six months ago when Li Shanshan got drunk in London.
“Yeah… Yeah.. Money,” Li Shanshan nodded. “Please don’t ask me for compensation. I have no millions.”
“Liar,” Lily rolled her eyes before she lifted an eyebrow. “So?”
In response, Li Shanshan let out a loud sigh before staring straight into Lily’s eyes. “I think… I think I like Fernando.”
“Hmmm… After sleeping with him? That is so surprising,” Lily responded sarcastically. However, when she saw Li Shanshan lower her head, she instantly chuckled, “He is single and so are you. Why are you getting wasted over liking him?”
“I don’t think he likes me.”
“Eh?” Lily instantly froze. “What did you say???”
“I don’t think he likes me,” Li Shanshan repeated as her ears started to redden.
“Excuse me? So when you went to New York and spent some time with each other… but you didn’t talk about your feelings or your relationship?” Lily asked. So Fernando likes Li Shanshan and the other way around, and the two aren’t aware of this? What kind of situation is this? Lily heaved another breath before she closed her eyes in an attempt to control herself. All she wanted to do was to smack these two right now.
“No.” she answered. “I thought… I think both of us had a good time and it was like um … you know, friends with benefits. So after we went to New York, well… I told him it was fun but we should stop it. I mean… he doesn’t have any feelings for me and at that time I didn’t think that I liked him like that.”
“Then later… you realized that you were lying to yourself and you really like him? But it was already too late because he was gone!” Lily dramatically continued. “First of all… I would love to smack you and Fernando right now, but my husband is just outside and I don’t want him to know that I have violent tendencies…” Li Shanshan only rolled her eyes at Lily’s words. Seeing Shan’s mood begin to lighten, Lily continued, “…and second of all… how old you are you?”
“I will turn twenty eight this October.”
“And how old is he?”
“Thirty-one,” Li Shanshan answered.
“Good… I just wanted to make sure that I am not talking to teenagers right now,” Lily said.
“You are only saying that because you’re already married,” Li Shanshan chimed in. “You are the teenager!”
“That is not the point okay?” Lily countered. “I am already married while you are still single. So… I have the right to give advice about love and relationships…. Something that a leftover women don’t!”
“Yeah… says the one who…”
“Nope… enough talking about me. Let’s talk about this relationship that you have with him instead,” Lily interrupted her friend. What if Zhuo Jingren was ‘gathering some information’ right now? She could not risk having her friend blurt out her dirty little secrets, alright? “Okay, let’s talk about this feeling… So you like him and he is MIA. This does not answer the question? Why did you get drunk to the point of passing out in the men’s room? What if a really bad man saw you? What if they robbed you? Or hurt you? Worst case scenario, what if they raped you! Did you even think about these things before you decided to visit a club?”
When Li Shanshan lowered her head again, Lily continued. “Ah Shan… You are already twenty eight. Don’t you think it’s time to stop playing around and get serious about things? I mean…”
“I think I’m pregnant,” Li Shanshan blurted, interrupting Lily’s words. “I am already delayed for three days and this has never happened before. I have not engaged in unprotected sex with anyone ever, not even with Fernando, however… mistakes happen. I don’t know… Maybe I am being paranoid, but he is nowhere to be found. I never called him again after the last time I saw him. I was expecting him to call me and maybe … I don’t know, maybe confess that he likes me. But he never did and I am not ready to become a mother. I don’t think…”
“Calm down,” Lily said. “Breathe…” she said when she noticed Li Shanshan’s panicked expression.
“Please tell me that you understand me. Ah Li, I am so sorry. I was so confused. Don’t stare at me like that. I …”
“You suspect that you are pregnant and you decided to get wasted?” Lily asked calmly. “I won’t judge you and think that you were trying to get rid of…” Her words drifted off and avoided Li Shanshan’s eyes. “You are a mess.”
“I am.” Li Shanshan said as she moved towards Lily and hugged her. “I’m sorry. I will not do it again. I promise I will talk to him about this.”
“Don’t talk to him,” Lily answered. Fernando knew that Li Shanshan had a troubled childhood. How could he just disappear and ignore her after hiding his feelings for years? “You two are too troublesome.” She moved away from Li Shanshan’s hug. “Are you sure that you are pregnant?”
“No.”
“So you haven’t taken a test, yet?”
“I haven’t. I am afraid,” Li Shanshan answered. This made Lily want to facepalm herself.
“So you are reacting this way and you don’t even know for certain if you are pregnant orr not?” Lily asked while wondering how she managed to befriend complete idiots.
“I… I was overthinking,” Li Shanshan answered, earning another heartfelt sigh from Lily.
“Go take the test. If you are pregnant, don’t call Fernando, that stupid jerk. I will have Jingren punch him the next time I see him!” she said. This misunderstanding was simply because of miscommunication. Something that could have been avoided if they talked about their feelings. “And next time… Please don’t create problems based on your wild imagination. Gather the facts first before you saunter to the club and do something crazy, you stupid woman.”
“What would I do without you?” Li Shanshan asked with a small smile on her face.
“You’d probably die of terminal cowardice without me,” Lily answered, her gaze serious. “If you are pregnant… do you have a plan?”
“I don’t know,” Li Shanshan shrugged. Seeing Lily’s scrutinizing gaze, Li Shanshan could only lower her head in embarrassment. She was stupid and careless. Lily was right. Without Lily, who knows what might have happened to her?
“Ah Shan?”
“Hmmm?” Li Shanshan lifted her head and met Lily’s eyes.
“If you are pregnant. Please don’t try to abort your child.” Lily said gently. “You are fortunate to have one.”
