"Yes, I understand," replied Molly in a soft tone. She hadn't tried to understand his character in the past and had refused to look into his heart. To be frank, she was a coward, afraid of braving her circumstances directly. To protect herself, she chose to blind her eyes and seal herself in an unbreakable shell whenever she was faced with a problem, especially when it came to matters of Brian. When the small problems evolved into bigger ones, she got more scared. As a result, the lack of communication and understanding between them had widened beyond repair. Molly sighed and said, "There were too many issues between us, and too many bad memories. Maybe it's good that all those sour memories were erased from his mind. And it might be good for me too." She lifted her eyes to look into Shirley's and said with new determination, "Mom, Brian has done so much for me. This time, I want to do something for him."
Shirley's lips curled into a gentle smile, "Little Molly, no matter how this whole thing is going to end up, you'll always be my daughter-in-law. This is a fact no one can change."
Molly smiled and got off the car.
Shirley looked at her back as she walked towards the hotel. Molly hadn't had proper sleep for the past several months. She was so haggard and skinny now. As Brian's mother, Shirley understood how much her son loved Molly. He was willing to do anything for her, even at the expense of his life. When Brian had claimed to have lost his memories, she thought that he was just pretending for Wing's sake. So she had tested him, in every conceivable way she could think of. But no matter how hard she had tried, she couldn't see those familiar emotions in his eyes which he used to show Molly. She could never forget the look in his eyes when he was in love with Molly. It was so full of affection and adoration for her. But that was gone now. He was cold to Mark too.
What did it mean when a man assumed such a cold face in front of his beloved wife and child and treated them as strangers? He either remembered nothing or he was a very good actor. If Brian had really lost his memories, maybe it meant that he had to forget them as the past was too harsh for him. But if he had designed this of his own volition...
Shirley felt a stabbing pain in her heart, feeling sorry for all the pain and suffering her son had gone through and the sufferings that were awaiting him in the future. She glanced at Molly who had already entered the hotel lobby. Tears welled in her eyes. How much determination and courage Brian must have mustered in order to harden his heart in front of Molly and Mark if he really was pretending to have lost his memories of them. He looked so natural and so relaxed as if everything was as it seemed. But what were his emotions under the cold mask which he wore in everyone's presence? What kind of torture was he going through if that was the truth?
Tears finally rushed out of Shirley's eyes. She felt the warm drops on her face as tears trickled down her cheeks. She wiped them away and looked straight ahead.
She started the engine and the car came to life. She quickly turned the car around, and drove back along the same road they had come from.
Molly stood at the entrance of the party hall, keeping her eyes on those who were entering and leaving the hall. All of them were dressed elegantly. It was quite obvious that the party was exclusive and only people from the high society were invited. Molly looked down at her clothes. She was dressed plainly, in casual clothes. There was no way that she could merge into that crowd.
"Lee! We're running out of attendants. There are so many guests. Ask them to send more waiters and waitresses here,"
the man next to Molly spoke into his walkie-talkie. He seemed to be the manager at the party hall. An idea struck Molly and she approached him. In a polite voice, she asked, "Excuse me, sir. Are you in need of a waitress?"
The manager looked at her up and down before asking, "Have you worked as a waitress before?" He had a feeling that he had seen the girl before.
"Yes, I work as a waitress. I'm experienced," Molly nodded in a hurry and tried to sound more persuasive, "I work part-time in a restaurant nearby. I just got off work and came here to see whether you might need some casual labors."
Since her explanation sounded reasonable, the manager didn't feel suspicious. He nodded and said, "We are indeed in need of some casual labors. Fifty yuan per hour. Go to that office to get your pay after the party is over."
"Okay!" replied Molly swiftly.
The manager called another waitress and told her to get Molly a uniform.
Molly put on the shirt with blue and white stripes and the short skirt which revealed most of her legs. Her hair was combed up into a neat bun. She left the dressing room and picked up a tray on the bar counter under the foreman's instructions. After placing some drinks and wine on her tray, she carefully shuttled back and forth through the crowd to find the person she was looking for.
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