Chapter 41 The Wedding Is Soon

Jon had changed into another outfit by the time he reappeared from the bedroom.

Aunt Wren was nowhere in sight. Penny, who was sitting alone in the living room, lifted her head as the man walked down from the second floor.

Jon was dressed in a perfectly-tailored suit with the coat draping over his arm. “Let’s go, I’ll send you home.”

Judging from his calm and unperturbed expression, Penny almost thought that she had hallucinated the entire scene that had happened just slightly earlier.

She rose from the couch and watched his receding figure that was approaching the door. “Jon, don’t you think you owe me an explanation? Am I not good enough for you? Or do you have someone else in your heart?”

Jon turned to her emotionlessly. “You’re overthinking this. The wedding is soon so there’s no need to rush into that.”

Penny was already hugging him from behind before his voice trailed off, pressing her face into his back. “Jon, I’ve put in so much effort throughout the years to become the person you like. Promise that you’ll not give up on me, please?”

Jon’s movement was stiff but he patted her arms gently several moments later. “Don’t mull over it too much. I have an important lunch later…”

Penny loosened her grip and Jon turned around to study her face.

Unquestionably, her eyes were filled with disappointment…

——————

No one was happier than Maddy to learn that Sarah had moved out of Xijing Villa.

Maddy’s red Cayenne was seen parked by the gate of Elder Shadwin’s house even before Sarah’s return.

Elder Shadwin was playing Chinese chess with Maddy in the living room. The two of them were in an argument because the latter wished to retract a false move in the game.

Both of them turned their heads around simultaneously when Sarah walked in with the suitcase.

“You’re finally willing to come home?” Elder Shadwin said sarcastically.

Sarah handed her suitcase to the servant waiting nearby. She grinned from ear to ear when she sat down next to her grandpa, looped her arm through his, and said in a spoiled manner, “Grandpa, are you still angry at me? But it was you who said I can stay in Grandpa Grove’s for the new year.”

“Well, I did say that, but you don’t normally listen to me obediently, do you?”

“…”

Sarah was at a loss for words.

She lowered her head helplessly, only to find that Maddy was slowly moving his arm forward. Immediately, she slapped his hand away and shouted, “Grandpa, look! Maddy’s changed your piece.”

The old man’s face was overcast at Sarah’s warning and he quickly hit Maddy mercilessly on the back of his head.

“You little rascal, your grandpa didn’t even dare to cheat when we played together back in the days. I think you need a good spanking.”

Maddy held the back of his head in pain. Displeasure was written all over his face as he glared at Sarah.

Sarah, who had broken out into a cold sweat, finally released the breath she had been holding in after avoiding the old man’s interrogation.

However, Elder Shadwin questioned again before she could let out the breath entirely. “Where’s Nunu? Why didn’t the dog come back with you?”

“…”

Once again, words failed to escape Sarah’s throat.

……

Sarah was tossing and turning on the bed through the night.

She could not resist picking up the cell phone that was placed next to her pillow every few minutes.

However, she did not know what she was waiting for either. Each time she picked up the phone, she did no more than checking the time or scrolling through her Weibo and WeChat absentmindedly. She could not even properly register the content that entered her eyes.

Her stomach started rumbling since she had not eaten much during dinner. She leaped out of the bed immediately.

On the first floor, housekeeper Aunt Diane was already sound asleep.

Sarah was standing in front of the fridge. She had been staring at the plate of braised pork ribs for a long time yet she dared not extend her arms toward it.

She could still remember vividly the warning expression on Jon’s face. This had completely ruined her appetite.

Finally, she shut the door of the fridge after retrieving a carton of milk. She brought it upstairs as she could not be bothered to heat it.

The phone left in the room was vibrating constantly. Sarah shuffled across the room in her slippers and finally stopped in front of the bed. She lowered her head to take a glance, only to discover Henry’s name flashing on the screen of her phone.

She remained unexpectedly calm when she lifted the phone without answering the call.

Perhaps a few days ago, she would still be cursing him from the bottom of her heart but right at this moment, even his name brought up a sense of unfamiliarity. It was as if this person had been carved out from her life entirely.

Sarah declined the call and simply cast the phone aside. She poked the straw she was holding through the milk carton and started drinking with her back turned against the phone…

Another text message came through moments before she fell asleep.

She lifted her head off the pillow and began fumbling through the dark for her cell phone. It was a text message from Henry.

[Sarah, where are you? I’d like to see you.]

She stared blankly at the screen for some time. Finally, she moved her finger across the screen to include Henry’s phone number into the list of blocked numbers…

——————

Jon was just leaving a social event when he received a phone call from his Big Brother.

Charles had gone to Shanghai on a last-minute decision. Coincidentally, one of his foreign friends was visiting China thus he requested Jon to pick up the visitor from the airport.

Charles did not elaborate much on the details over the phone since he had no idea how the person looked like either. He only mentioned that the acquaintance of his wife was a professional tutor in the medical field.

After acquiring the person’s contact details, Jon brought Sharon along to the airport.

……

The car pulled to a halt without warning. Sharon, who was sitting on the passenger seat, was completely frightened.

“Old Zac, you must drive safely,” Sharon reprimanded the driver softly.

Old Zac looked over his shoulder to apologize to Jon. “I’m sorry, President Leeson. A woman suddenly dashed out of the road. I’m afraid something would happen if I didn’t step on the brake pedal immediately.”

Jon looked out the window. Indeed, a woman was standing on the roadside with a black draw-bar box positioned next to her. She appeared to be trembling in fear.

The woman looked rather young. Colors drained off her face as she realized how lucky she was to have just escaped death.

She reminded him of Sarah…

Old Zac was about to step out of the door before being interrupted by Jon. “Forget about it, we shouldn’t waste any more time. Let’s go…”

The driver nodded and reignited the vehicle.

……

An English woman in her early fifties approached Jon at the airport.

Jon introduced himself briefly and the English doctor suddenly announced, “I remember you!”

This caught Jon by surprise. An unusual expression washed over his face.

“I performed the liver transplant procedure on you three years ago. I’m really glad to see you living healthily… If you don’t mind me asking, I’d like to know how the female donor is doing?”

……

It was the weekend. Sarah had invited Whitney to hang out in the cinema.

Whitney, who was standing by the ticket counter, was dressed in a pair of black leather pants and a short-sleeved fur coat. The outfit complemented her perfect figure and her sleek short hair, attracting loads of attention to herself.

Sarah had just missed the beginning of the show when she rushed to the cinema hence both of them decided to rest in the waiting area. Sarah was also holding a big tub of buttery popcorn in her arms.

Whitney pouted her lips in disdain as she sized Sarah up and down. “Does Henry know that you’ve left the house looking so casually?”

Sarah gave her friend a deathly glare at the mention of Henry’s name. She stuffed a handful of popcorn into her mouth and spoke with her mouth full, “I already told you that we’ve broken up. Why do you keep bringing him up?”