About half an hour later (After everyone got themselves back together as much as they could) the Lis arrived. Li-Nam came in first holding plates wrapped in red foil as wedding offerings. Ho-Ying tried to put everything that just happened into a logical order but she couldn't concentrate. Half of her mind was on her own wedding, another on Lan-Yee, and another on her mother's outburst. She decided to try to get past this day with the least amount of drama possible. They've already had too much.
Quay and Suet came down the stairs as Phong entered pushing Hong Dao in her wheelchair. As the four of them came face to face Quay and Suet were taken back. The man that stood before them was PHONG, the Phong they both loved, at one time; the Phong that still remained in their hearts.
Quay continued walking down the stairs even faster. She was excited to see that he wasn't dead. She was thrilled and overjoyed that he was actually standing in front of her. His death actually shattered her at one moment during her life and now knowing he was alive and well she was relieved.
Suet on the other hand stopped on top of the staircase. She couldn't breath she couldn't think; she couldn't believe the man in front of them was Phong, a man she's been waiting and longing for. She cupped her hand over her mouth. Tears of joy swept across her face. She was relieved beyond belief! Phong wasn't dead!
Then she saw Hong Dao and couldn't concentrate.She wondered what he did all these years and who was the woman in the wheel chair was. What was her relationship to him for him to be pushing her in it? Furthermore, what was his relationship to Li-Nam?
All these thoughts raced through her mind as she backed up to the hall of the stairway still cupping her hand over her mouth; coving her face.
Phong smiled at Li-Nam who was laughing and making joking besides him as he walked in with Hong Dao. He suddnely felt an arm wrap around his neck. Quay had thrown her arms around him. "Thank goodness, you're still alive! You don't know how I was feeling!" she exclaimed.
Hong Dao and Li-Nam looked at each other in befuddlement. Then Li-Nam looked at Ho-Ying for clarification. But Ho-Ying was too overwhelmed by the days events to say anything. From Lan-Yee's incident to this she didn't know what was going on anymore. She herself was wondering why her mother was so close to this man.
Astonished by Quay's action, Phong stood with his arms stretched out. He didn't know who Quay was. "Excuse me." He said awkwardly. "Do I know you?" he asked.
Quay was appalled and leaned back to look at him, "What do you mean, Phong? Have you forgotten who I am or are you still..." she asked wanting to see if he was still mad at her marriage to Fei but before she could finish, Phong grabbed her by the shoulders.
Hearing that she knew his name provoked an interest to ask her more about his past. He's been very egar to know more. "You know who I am? Did we know each other in the past?" he asked.
Quay became alarmed at his sudden outburst. She gave him a questioning look and replied, "Yes! Yes we did. Don't you remember anything?" she asked with her eyebrows arched up and her lips pursed into a thin frown.
Hong Dao reached for Phong's arm to calm him down as she looked at Li-Nam to let Phong know what they were here for his engagement. He looked at her and nodded realizing he was being rude. "I'm sorry. I just over-reacted. Excuse me." He said sounding like a total stranger.
Quay backed away from him. He couldn't be Phong. 'He doesn't know who I am. But why did he ask if I knew him? Did he lose his memory? Did he just want to forget me because of what happened?' She asked herself.
Suet also wondered if he was really Phong or just someone that looked like him. But she didn't believe two people could look that much alike. She walked a little closer towards them but was still on the stairway. But his frantic reaction to Quay knowing his name suggested to her that it must have been Phong. 'Did he loose his memory or did he just want to forget the past and start a new life?' she wondered to herself.
Li-Nam looked at Quay and decided to introduce his parents. "Madam Kwok, this is my father, Li Hui Phong." Li-Nam said introducing Phong. "...and she is my mother, Li Hong Dao." He said pointing at Hong Dao.
Suet gasped and fell back a couple of steps into the hallway. It was Phong! That was his name except for his surname! She assumed he changed his last name because she now recognized his sisters who had jsut entered the house. She was heart-broken that he married another woman and even had a son. She was even more convinced that Phong never loved her. Even after Quay he chose another woman over her.
Quay walked closer to him ignoring the fact that his 'wife' was sitting in a wheelchair in front of her also. "You don''t remember anything about us?" Quay asked him.
Phong shock his head. "I don't remember anything. You see, I had an accident in the war and got amnesia . Up till this day, I haven't fully recovered." he explained. Suet was about to rush to her room when she heard him say that. She stopped and turned back around but didn't go down yet.
Quay let out a deep sigh. "Oh thank heavens you're still alive, reports came out with soldiers who died in action and your name was reported, which scared me to death." she said with relief.
"Were we good friends?" Phong asked with confusion.
"You really don't remember anything?" Quay asked slightly disappointed.
Li-Nam walked back out to the front door where Lam Fu Yan, Ying, and Jing were now coming into the house. He helped his grandmother enter the house. All three of them were speechless when they saw Quay standing in front of Phong. Their expression was obvious and from the sound they made Hong-Dao, Phong, Quay and Suet all looked at them.
"No matter how we tried, we can't stop what the heavens have fated for them." Lam Fu Yan said pitifully when she saw Quay. She never liked Quay because she felt Quay was overly proud and foreignized.
"It was meant to be," Ying added thinking her brother was now doomed.
"Without a doubt," Jing sighed, she always preferred Suet over Quay.
"What are you all talking about?" Phong asked. "What was meant to be? What couldn't be stopped?"
He was more than puzzled at this point. His mind started spinning. Random Images were popping up in his head. He shook his head back and forth. He didn't know what he was seeing. He saw a girl. He saw a yellow dress. He saw a blue dress, and then he saw a man (Fuo). Finally, he saw a bomb and suddenly an explosion.
Right then in sync with the memory of his explosion, one of the Li workers rang the bell of good luck which was something people did at wedding ceremonies to announce the engagement of the bride & groom. Suddnely his memories were crystal clearer.
He saw him kissing Quay passionately (she was wearing a yellow dress), he saw Quay wearing a beautiful wedding gown, he saw him dancing with Quay (she was wearing a blue dress), and he saw himself hugging Quay. He saw himself and Quay promise to love each other forever.
He was stunned at everything he was saw in his mind. Then he looked up bewildered to see the girl in his image, the past he had forgotten, the love he once posed so strongly and without thinking, he wrapped his arms around Quay.
"I remember! I remember you!" he said. "You're Quay!" he said pulling back to look at her once more before hugging her again. But he felt this hug was different. There was no passion, no longing attachment. He felt like he found a good friend and nothing more. Nevertheless he was greatly relieved to have recovered a great part of his past.
Ho-Ying gasped! She didn't know what was going on. Her mother was so happy to see another man that wasn't her father! And Lan-Yee had gone from an orphan to Suet's child. All this was happening on her engagement day. She thought this might be a sign for her to stop the wedding. Maybe this was the wrong choice for her. Her engagement with Li-Nam must have been a big mistake. This was too much for her.
Everyone was shocked at this point. (Suet, Hong Dao, his mother & Sisters, Li-Nam and Ho-Ying). Suet was especially bewildered and ran towards her bedroom. The servants were all watching curiously wondering what was going on.
Hong Dao noticed and tugged on Phong's sleeves once again. "Phong, we're here to engage Li-Nam and Ho-Ying today." She reminded him of his fatherly duties towards Li-Nam and of his position as her husband. Even though there were no outside guests to this engagement, the servants were enough to start gossip.
Phong nodded. "Yes I remember it's just that I can't believe I remember Quay." He responded to Hong Dao. Then he turned to Quay. "How could I have ever forgotten you?" Phong said looking happily at Quay. "We have so much to talk about after the engagement of our children."
Suet felt dizzy and faint. She couldn't believe Phong had come back and now the only one in his heart was still Quay! She scurried to her room. She didn't want anyone seeing her tears and sorrows. These tears would remain unknown to all that surrounded her. She didn't want anyone else to see the sorrow she felt in her heart.
As she ran, millions of thoughts overwhelmed her mind. She felt she didn't posses a position in his heart so he couldn't even have any vague memories of her. She believed he never chased after her after their night in the meadow. Quay was all he thought about! Quay was who he loved all this time. She felt so foolish, so naive to think that all these years that passionate night she shared with him might have meant something to him.
Suet paced back and forth in her room as tears swept across her face. She wondered what to do. Should she go out and met Phong hoping his memories of her would also revive also, should she do what Quay did and throw her arms around him. Her head was twirling in knots. She couldn't do such a foolish thing now after knowing he could only think of Quay. What should she do? How should she act? Should she tell him about Lan-Yee? Should she tell Lan-Yee about Phong? Her head spun. Her heart ached. Her body tensed up. She fainted onto the cold wooden floor of her bedroom.
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Meanwhile Quay and Phong along with Hong Dao talked about their children's wedding and the ceremony. Lam Fu Yan, Ying and Jing were talking amongst themselves at weather or not Quay was a healthy past for Phong to recall.
Ho-Ying asked Li-Nam to go out to the garden. She wanted to clarify everything with him. She wanted to know exactly why he asked her to marry him and why he was rushing their wedding. Plus she wanted to know if he really cared about her or was it just that she helped him that night. She realization that this was all too fast, even for her.
"Tell me the REAL reason you wanted to marry me." She asked sternly. She suspected it was out of responsibility and she didn't want that. What woman wanted a man to marry her for responsibility alone?
"What are you talking about?" he asked blinking his eyes rapidly. She knew he was trying to avoid her.
"I noticed you're not very interested in this wedding. You've wanted to rush it so fast, I don't know where it's really going. I really want to marry you but everything is just going wrong. So tell me why you want to marry me in such a rush. Just... just... just let me know the truth." she pleaded.
Li-Nam took a deep breath. He looked up into the afternoon sky and closed his eyes as he replied, "You know why I need to marry you." He said letting out a deep sigh.
"No I don't and that's why I need you to explain it to me." She said hoping he would say he loved her.
He shook his head, "We need to get married for our child and his or her future." he explained.
Ho-Ying shook her head. "You thought I was pregnant, so you proposed to me?" she asked disappointedly. "You thought you need to marry me for responsibility?" she asked in an unbelieving tone of voice.
He shrugged and replied, "Let's forget about it. Our parents are planning the wedding. We might as well just forget about responsibility or pregnancy, or whatever it is that's making you hesitant about this marriage. " he said reaching his hand for her. "Let's just go back in and everythign should be better."
She tried to hold her tears but they were evidently there. She made a fist with her hands which fell to the side of her body as she replied with a fierce tone of voice. "I'm not pregnant!" she yelled.
He was astonsihed by her tone of voice but assumed it was because she was mad at him. "Stop kidding around," he said as he held onto her hands firmly now and noticed how tensed they were. She had them in a very tight fist. He looked at them in shock. He never expected her to act like this.
She pulled them away from him. She wanted to marry him very much but she didn't want the baby to be the reason he married her. "I never was." She said shaking her head. "I don't know how you got the silly idea that I was pregnant but I'm not." she said harshly. "I'm not."
"It doesn't matter if you're pregnant or not. I still want to marry you." He said because he still needed to take responsibility for that night of passion they shared.
Ho-Ying shook her head, "Don't you understand I'm not pregnant. You don't have to marry me!" she shouted. Then realizing responsibility for that night could be his other reason for marrying her she added, "And even if I was, how are you so sure it would be your baby? It could be any guy I know." She said trying to make him think that she had relationships with other guys too, so that he wouldn't have the need for responsibility.
He was struck by astonishment at what she just said. The Ho-Ying he knew was not they type to say things like that, especailly to him. Her tone of voice was harsh and she sounded as if she could cut him up with her brash voice. He was speechless to react to what she had said.
Ho-Ying walked into the living room where everyone was talking and announced, "The wedding is off! Everybody can go home now, take your gifts, and blessings. Thank you for coming and goodbye!" she said in a boastful tone as if she didn't care about anything.
Quay was confused at the decision. She rushed up to Ho-Ying and asked, "What's wrong, honey? Why did you cancel the wedding?"
"I don't want to marry Li-Nam." Ho-Ying replied. "I have so many guys going after me. Why should I waste myself on someone who is only marrying me for selfish reasons, trying to make himself feel better as if he was saving me!" she yelled and walked up the stairs to her room.
Ho-Ying wanted very much to marry Li-Nam but she didn't want him marrying her for all the wrong reasons. She wanted him to run after her and tell her that he really did love her but she knew he was not coming after her. She rushed up the stairs with tears as her foot pounded each step loudly.
Hong Dao, Lam Fu Yan, and Jing watched her storm up the stairs. Ying walked out to look for Li-Nam in the garden. "A Nam, what happened?" she asked.
Li-Nam rubbed his face and let out another deep sigh. "I don't know but I know the wedding is off." He replied walking back into the house. Without saying anything else he looked at Hong Dao and Phong who waited thinkign their son was going to answer them. But he didn't and left the house disappointedly.
Ying walked over to her sister. "What did A Nam say?" she asked.
"He said he didn't know what happened either but he knew the wedding was off." she replied. Everybody was greatly confused by their behavior.
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