Chapter 28 A better place now

Pouring himself a glass of water, he took a few sips from it and he turned to look at Tang Ning who had paused her work and was looking at him. "You can go on," he said and she snapped back before continuing with what she was doing. A while later, she didn't hear any movement from him and it made her wonder what he was doing. Glancing at him again, she found him looking at her as he drank his water and she quickly went back to her work. What is he doing? she asked herself. "You should wear dresses more often," she heard him say and she turned to look at him. "Pardon me Mr Jing Yue," she said.

"I said that you should wear dresses more often. They look good on you," he said and she nodded before turning back to her work.

She didn't know if she should be happy or sad about the compliment. Did it mean that she looked bad in her usual sweater pants and shirts? As if reading her mind, he said," I don't mean to say that you look bad in your usual clothes. You just look better in dresses." A smile threatened to escape her lips and she bit her bottom lip before saying," Thank you." Silence filled the kitchen and it made her wonder why he was not leaving.

After mixing everything, she walked to the oven and placed the dough then set the timer before coming back. She was planning on leaving the kitchen when she heard him say," So, Feng Shufen is only your friend?" It took her by surprise that he still remembered the name.

"Yes Mr Jing Yue," she replied. "You're childhood friends?" he asked again even though he knew everything. He had made a background check on her. "No. We met in high school and we became friends. He was my senior," she replied and he nodded. "Why didn't you go to college?" he asked.

"Uh well, father has always taken care of everything from our needs to tuition. When he got sick, he couldn't work anymore," she replied.

"It must have been tough for you," he said and she nodded. Tang Ning had to admit that with every passing day, she was getting surprised by him more. She couldn't understand when he suddenly picked interest in her life.

"Yes somehow," she replied. He nodded and asked," Do you ever wish that your mother is here?" "Sometimes yes. But I know that she is in a better place now. Sometimes we miss the ones who have left us, but they are often in a better place, beautiful than the time they spent here," she said holding a distant look on her face.

Her words got him thinking. Could Liling be in a better place than here?

"I guess you're right," he said. A while later, he heard her say," You must be missing her a lot." He smiled at the fond memories and she found herself staring at his well formed lips before tearing her attention away.

"I guess anyone would and everybody does. Liling was a wonderful woman. She was beautiful and feisty," he said. "I wish I met her," she replied. "You would have loved her I'm sure," he said and she nodded.

"But... at least she left you with a pair of beautiful kids. Some people don't get that lucky, isn't it?"

"You can say that," he replied before saying," They were triplets at birth." At the revelation, her eyes widened in surprise. "What? Triplets?!" "Yes. She was pregnant with triplets."

"Where's the third one?" she whispered. "She didn't make it after birth. The pregnancy was high risk," he mentioned. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, not knowing what else to say. He not only lost a wife but also a daughter, she thought to herself.

"It is okay."

At the memories, he got himself another glass of water before starting to take sips from it. Tang Ning then remembered the cake and she walked to the oven before opening it. It was ready and she got it out before taking it to the fridge so that it could cool down.

She went back to her previous spot and leaned against the counter looking at him.

"They don't know about it and I prefer it to stay that way," he mentioned, referring to the kids. She nodded and said," I promise not to tell anyone anything."

"What would you like to do?" he suddenly asked. "Huh? What do you mean?" "As a career," he said. She gave it a thought before saying," I've always loved to have a big family but it didn't happen. I like the idea of having a kindergarten for myself where I will be surrounded by kids and I know that I will have it," she said before walking to the fridge and she got out the cake. "It looks nice," he said walking forward to where she was standing.

Standing next to her, he said," I wish to taste it." "Sure," she replied before walking away to get the knife. Coming back, she sliced the cake and he picked a piece then took a bite.

"It is nice," he commented as he chewed on it. "T-thank you," she replied stuttering, affected by their closeness. She walked away and went to the fridge before getting herself a glass of water. Standing at a distance away from him, she leaned her back against the counter and she drank the water before placing the glass down. A few drops had spilt down from the corner of her lips and she raised her hand, reaching for her lips but he was quicker and wiped it with his hand.

Tang Ning's eyes widened at the action and she wondered how he had reached her so fast, and what he meant by that.

"Mr Jing Yue?!" she called alarmed and she saw him placing his hand on either side and another on the other, trapping her in between. She swallowed at the action and she raised her eyes to meet his intense ones.

"Mr Jing Yue," she whispered when she saw his eyes fixated on her lips.