Chapter 80 The Spring Festival
Chapter 80 The Spring Festival
The main reason why Kent broke up with Courtney via text, was that because Melissa was with child.
"Don't you think our fates are so miserable? We've been played out by the same old trick!" Courtney sipped her coffee and laughed at Amelia. "It's so sweet!"
Amelia bit her ruby red lips while she was thinking about what to say to her.
"Don't try to comfort me. I have to thank that baby a little bit! I haven't had let them go too easily if it weren't for the baby's sake!" Courtney said irritably.
Amelia knew that Courtney was just being stubborn but deep inside, she had a soft heart, so she didn't try to comfort her. Instead, she casually proposed, "Do you want to go on a trip?"
"You'll go with me?" Courtney's eyes lit up with excitement. It seemed that she was really serious about this trip.
Amelia almost choked on her coffee.
Amelia couldn't say 'yes' immediately, she wanted to ask for Lucian's opinion first before making a decision. Instead, she said, "Let's put this aside up until we can decide which city we want to go to."
"Amelia, when my parents heard the news that I broke up with Kent, they didn't show any sympathy towards me. Instead, they said that the son of one of my father's friends just came back from his studies, and that we might have time to meet up for a proper introduction." Courtney rolled her eyes as if she couldn't stand her family's suggestion. But all of a sudden, her sadness washed out from her face.
Amelia added, "You might want to go see and meet him. He could just be your type." Amelia knew that it wasn't the right thing to say, but the mere thought of Courtney and Kent not getting back together made her wish that Courtney could walk out of the shadows of being love-less.
"Do you think I'm going to be as lucky as you are to meet a handsome man like Lucian?" With a disappointed look on her face, Courtney switched to a more gossipy tone and asked, "What's your relationship with Lucian like?"
"What do you mean? Our relationship?" Amelia didn't expect Courtney's mood to change in an instant. She was surprised by her expression for a bit. Courtney's eyes gleamed with gossip.
"Do you want to have a wedding ceremony someday? Do you sleep with him every night? Are you planning to have kids? If so, how many?"
"Stop it with the questions. I'm sure you will be alright," Amelia interrupted and responded honestly. "I don't know. I just sleep in the same bed as him, that's it."
"Really?" Courtney was shocked at this new found information about their relationship. She reached her hand out to Amelia's forehead and said, "You don't have a fever, do you? Are you sick?"
Amelia felt that Courtney was talking nonsense. She shook her head and was about to head back, but Courtney stopped her. "Amelia, I admit that you married a good man, but love can only be maintained within a short period of time. Don't be stupid every day. In the world, you think there is pure love. You're 25 years old, but you still don't want to give yourself to your husband. There will be no love left between the two of you by then. Don't cry to me if you're defeated by those bitches!"
God, was this woman's love life cursed? She had planned to comfort Courtney about her breakup with Kent, but instead Courtney ended up confronting her with the truth about her and Lucian.
"You scare the shit out of me, Courtney!" Amelia stood up and poured a cup of coffee for Courtney. "Have a cup of coffee to lighten your mood. If you have nothing else to do right now, just go home early. Your family will give you unlimited warmth and love. Cherish your life!"
Although Courtney's father had been against her relationship with Kent, he still cared very much for Courtney. Courtney was the apple of her parents' eye. No matter how much injustice she had suffered outside, her father would always offer her the warmth she needed.
To Amelia, the warmth of a family was a luxury as the thought of her mother's death came to memory.
Vernon was not able to make most of the decisions at home. Although he was concerned about Amelia, she had been used to dealing with everything on her own for as long as Sophia was in charge.
Luckily, Courtney's ability to recover was strong enough, so it didn't take much dissuasion for her. Instead, they were talking in a more relaxed way. Amelia even deliberately mocked her, saying she hadn't kept it in her mind for a long time.
Before leaving, Courtney reminded Amelia, smiling, "You'd better take my words seriously. Don't think I'm kidding about this. The tastes of men change quickly, so do their hearts. You should try to do everything you need to win his heart, quickly. "
For Courtney, it was a stroke of luck for Amelia to marry a man like Lucian. In her eyes, Lucian was a perfect man, a worthy husband. If the man she'd meet in the near future would be as perfect as Lucian, then her love hiatus was worth it.
"Okay, don't worry. I got it!" Amelia didn't want to hear Courtney keep talking about her, so she said meagerly, "I'm going home to cook for Lucian and make him very happy tonight."
"Amelia, besides cooking, there should be some practical things too, such as children!" Courtney muttered to her, then sent her a cunning wink.
Amelia instantly regretted what she had just said. She should just have pretended to be dumb.
Fortunately for Amelia, Courtney was now full of joy and smiling from ear to ear, which relieved Amelia.
On her way back home, Amelia recalled everything that Courtney said to her this afternoon. She laughed slightly to herself and wondered why she was so happy.
It was already time for dinner when she reached SJ Garden. If it wasn't for the call from Lucian, she wouldn't have remembered what she had promised him earlier when they were at Courtney's shop.
"I'm sorry, I lost track of time... I forgot about it after having a chat with Courtney." She blushed and apologized profusely to Lucian.
She called a taxi home instead, after Lucian suggested he would pick her up. It wasn't a big of a deal but she looked so bashful, making him think he had a grim face. Smiling at Amelia he shook his head, saying it was all right.
"Lily has prepared the dinner. You can wash your hands and have dinner now." Not knowing why, Courtney's words resonated in her mind from time to time, making her nerves feel very tense.
"Why do you look so upset? Are you all right?" Lucian put some food in her bowl while his eyes lingered on her.
She quickly lowered her head, and said it was all right, and began eating.
"Slow down. You're going to choke." Lucian shook his head as she gnawed down her meal.
After dinner, Amelia decided to enjoy a variety show on the sofa. Lucian was not interested in these shows. He either read newspapers, or dealt with work. At ten o'clock, he started washing up and headed to bed.
Time passed by very quickly. Soon enough, it was time for the Spring Festival. The weather in mid- February was warm. Finally, Amelia didn't have the need to wear her thick coats anymore. Lucian had already prepared clothes for spring and autumn in advance. She didn't need to worry about clothes.
Lucian was considerate, and that made Amelia very happy. It was said that Amelia could not have met him if, in her former life, she hadn't rescued the entire world.
On the New Year's Eve, Lucian told Amelia, "I seldom go to the Zhan mansion to celebrate the Spring Festival. But we've got a new member this year and got to have dinner with my parents."
Amelia gave him a nod. "You should buy some presents for them."
"That is a smart idea. My wife is so thoughtful." Lucian smiled as he doted on her with delight and pinched her flushed face.
Lucian already knew what was on Nicholas' mind, so he framed a painting he had collected at the auction and was ready to take it to the Zhan mansion.
The problem was that he had no idea what to give to Fannie. When faced with this predicament, Lucian frowned and said honestly, "I don't know her well. I only know that she likes playing mahjong, drinking afternoon tea with rich ladies, hanging out, and gossiping about who's wearing the most expensive clothes..."
"What about buying her a dress from the mall?" If Amelia were just preparing a gift for Nicholas, Fannie would certainly mock her.
"Okay, that's nice." It seemed that they couldn't think of anything else to give Fannie, so Lucian agreed with Amelia's suggestion.
Amelia carefully ran through several dresses in the city's most luxury shopping mall. Her heart could not help but tremble when she saw the price on the clothes.
Lucian didn't like going shopping so he was just sitting in the shop and waiting for her. She finally chose one item she was pleased with. The price was three thousand ninety-nine dollars.
Amelia had heard from Lucian that Fannie liked to compare herself with the other rich ladies. If she bought it at a cheap price, she would definitely not accept it. So she made up her mind and chose the dress, and when she arrived at the cashier, Lucian looked at the price and said, "The price of her usual clothes isn't less than ten thousand."
"This one is about my whole month's salary!" exclaimed Amelia. She insisted on paying the bill. So, she took away his card from the cashier and gave her credit card instead.
"Amelia, you sound so mean. Why don't you let me pay for it?" Lucian whispered to Amelia.
As soon as they walked out of the mall, Amelia showed the dress in her hand and complimented it, "Although it's not that expensive, it looks pretty. I believe your mother will look so good in it."
Seeing the serious look on her face, Lucian told her, "The year-end bonus you got, you spent it on this dress. This is a very sincere and thoughtful gift. As for whether she likes it or not, it doesn't matter anymore. It's the thought that counts."
Perhaps it was during the Spring Festival that one could easily see the smiling faces of the pedestrians running all around the road. Amelia gazed on the colorful trees along the road, its branches and leaves moving in the breeze.
When she was just a child, she looked forward to the Spring Festival the most. Besides the new clothes and shoes, there was also a lot of lucky money that she received. Reminiscing this, Amelia felt her eyes tear up before a smile appeared on her face.
Time quickly flew by.
The moment they reached the Zhan mansion, Amelia suddenly felt immense joy of the Spring Festival. Red lanterns hung beneath the leaves, and red chiffon couplets decorated the entrance of the house. Darren stood in front of the gate, took Lucian's stuff with a bright smile and said in a cheerful voice, "Mr.
Nicholas was so excited to know that they will be visited by you and Mrs. Amelia. He ordered the servants to prepare you something delectable."
During dinner, Nicholas told Amelia several times when she was eating that she was too thin and that she needed to eat more.
Amelia nervously lowered her head. Sitting opposite Fannie, Amelia's eyes always inadvertently met hers. During the meal, she was scared out of her wits.
Fortunately, Lucian kept adding food to her bowl, so she wouldn't need to be overly paranoid.