After Leon had dropped Michelle off to work, he dialed Wynn's number and called him while driving.
"Why did you call me just now?" he asked.
"Are you done? That's pretty fast! Are you dating Michelle now?" Wynn asked, pretending that he didn't hear Leon's question.
Leon had sworn to keep their relationship a secret from others, but there was nothing he could do if Wynn had already guessed the truth.
So in a happy tone of voice, he said, "What do you think?"
"Then that's true! Does that mean a congratulations is in order?"
"Mm-hmm. But anyway, you must make sure to keep your mouth shut about it. We don't want to go public yet." Leon slightly raised his eyebrows.
"Wow. That sounds exciting. But I understand what you mean. If you let everyone know about your relationship, there will surely be an uproar. You two have to be prepared before you decide to go public with it. Poor Michelle though."
Wynn sighed. He suddenly perked up as if realizing something. "Oh wait. You've been looking for her during the past three years. Now that you finally get what you want, why do you end up keeping your relationship a secret?"
"I'm the poor one, not Michelle." Leon sighed.
"What?" For half a second, Wynn was too stunned to speak. Then, he burst into laughter. "Oh I see it now. It's Michelle who wants to keep your relationship a secret. Could it be that she's ashamed to call you her boyfriend?"
Leon scowled upon hearing that.
"I'll hang up," he threatened through gritted teeth.
"Wait! I still have something important to tell you." The smile on Wynn's face was gone now. It was replaced by a serious look. "Your father wants to know when you will be coming back. In the past, it was usually your mom asking. But yesterday, your father himself asked me that. It seems like he wants you to return home as soon as possible. He probably wants to delegate power to you."
Leon narrowed his eyes and said, "But it's too early for that. I'm only twenty-seven years old. People won't listen to me."
"That's bullshit! Admit it. You just don't want to go back. You've been giving them this same excuse for two years now." Wynn seemed adamant in making Leon admit the truth. "In the past, you didn't want to go home because you had to look for Michelle. And now that you two are finally together, you don't want to be separated from her again.
And I understand that you two are still in the early stages of your relationship. I also don't think it's wise to take Michelle away from her family. But you can't run away from your responsibilities forever. I don't think your parents or her parents will approve of your relationship. Maybe Michelle's parents will be more strongly against your relationship."
Wynn had known Leon for so long now. He might even be the only one in the world who knew him inside and out.
The two fell silent for a moment until Leon finally said, "Wynn, you really are good at putting a damper on my mood."
He didn't sound angry, and his eyes were strangely calm. But the joy from before had already been extinguished.
The only person that could bring that same spark in his eyes was Michelle, his origin of joy. Just her mere presence could infect him with so much happiness.
With that, he completely ignored the fact that they would not date this evening. He typed in his destination in Google Maps, the Stone Road.
Then, he said to Wynn, who was on the C Island, "Three months. I'll return home in three months."
"It's almost December now. Does this mean you'll be celebrating the Chinese Spring Festival there?" Wynn seemed to ponder on this for a moment. "That's okay. Just make sure to bring Van and Don with you after the Chinese Spring Festival."
"Okay." Feeling suspicious, Leon then asked, "Why did my father suddenly want to delegate power to me? He's barely fifty years old, so he's still strong and healthy. Isn't he planning to resign at the age of sixty? Why did he change his mind?"
"There was a rumor that he was ill. But he's still healthy and strong. So now, everyone thinks that the rumor is not right. As for me, I have a gut feeling about this, and I think my guess is right."
Wynn paused dramatically, purposely teasing Leon. "Do you want to hear it or not?"
"What do you want from me?" Leon already knew what Wynn was trying to do.
"You really do know me! Well, you have a classmate named Avril, right? And you're in friendly terms with each other. Can you give me her number?" Wynn asked excitedly.
Avril was Leon's college classmate who would gain weight after eating desserts. He hadn't seen her for three years now and had only contacted her online a handful of times since they last saw each other.
The last thing he had heard about her was that she was studying for a doctorate in finance at a prestigious school. It seemed like she had been very busy since then. He, too, had other things to do. It was why they seldom contact each other over the years.
However, that didn't mean they were no longer friends.
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