Chapter 486 - Never A Player
*************
CHAPTER 485
That week went by with everyone living their lives as they should. As for Li An, she still continued her search but had nothing to show for it.
On one of her outings in the city, she ran into someone she wished she would not have anything to do with.
Stepping into the clothing store, she had decided to pick a gown or two for Li Jing as a way to show her opening up to her as her in-law.
Although it was not easy for her, she tried anyway. She loved her son, Ye Cheng and if that was his happiness, then by all means she would try to get along with Li Jing.
Besides, if she were in her shoes she would feel bad having her husband leave her for another woman.
Not wanting the kind of bitterness which she faced upon Li Jing and Ye Cheng's marriage, she decided to give this who thing a try.
As soon as she entered, she sighted a lovely white gown not too far to her left and immediately moved in the direction.
"Excellent choice ma'am," the young attendant said as she bowed her head to greet Li An. "But permit me to say, isn't that gown a bit too small for madam?"
Sensing what the girl was talking about, Li An smiled and shook her head. "No, you have got it all wrong dear. This is a gift for someone. I bet it would suit her perfectly."
"Oh, my apologies ma'am. In that case, would this be all?"
"Umm, nope. I need another one. A lovely yellow if you have and a royal blue."
"Alright, ma'am. I think we have a splendid design to go with those colours. This way please."
She led the way and took Li An through the store to where their new and latest collections were. She was not troubled about her affording the price as the lady looked it.
"Here you go, ma'am."
"Thanks. They are really nice. Let me go through them."
"By all means ma'am. I would just be right back." She excused herself and went to help another customer she saw having difficulty.
Not long after she left, Li An felt a presence behind her and thought that it was the young attendant who had come.
"Oh, dear. I guess I have had my fill enough, I would go with these four. If I stay here longer, I might just buy your entire collection," Li An joked.
"I thought I would not get to see such great shape again in the city but here I am, staring at a one," a man commented from behind her.
Turning around to see who had the nerve to sprout out that nonsense, not that she couldn't guess but she hoped she was wrong.
To her no surprise, she was met face to face with the annoyingly still handsome face of her ex-husband.
"Ye Sheng!"
"Hello, beautiful."
"What do you want?" she spat out in anger.
historical
"Can't I get a fair greeting anymore? Or have we grown so apart that you despise me this way?" Even though he seemed to be talking sensibly the annoying smirk on his face proved how useless he was.
"Sprout all the nonsense that you want, I do not wish to see you." Unlike him, Li An did not hide her annoyance one bit. She showed him just how disgusted she was with his presence.
"Hey, we were once two love birds you know."
"Ye Sheng, you better start getting it into your thick skull that there is nothing between you and me. What we had is in the past. We left each other a long time ago. I gave you your freedom to do as you please and I see you are using it quite well, being the old man that cannot seem to leave the young innocent or not too innocent girls alone."
"Hey my reputation supersedes me, you know."
"Keep dreaming. You are just as your reputation says you are. One warning though, leave my son out of your charades. Do not interfere with his business. This is my last warning."
"Hey aren't you one to warn me. Have you forgotten our deal, why are you back here?"
"Last I recall, the contract stated for a period of time. Have I come to disturb you in any way or you were the one who just does not understand personal space."
"I am his father. This is my territory."
"And I am his mother. Do you respect our memory enough? Or did you troop in your useless girls to our home and matrimonial bed?"
"What would you have me do? You thinned out on me."
"Me? I wasn't the one who filed for a divorce, you know," Li An fired at him.
"Tsk, what would you have me do when I was living with a wife who was no different than a ghost. How could you value a friendship more than your family?"
"No, you were the insensitive bastard who could not understand the fact that I was going through such a difficult time and actually started having flings. I was emotionally detached. It was not an easy time for me and weren't you suppose to support me? No what did you do? You quickly showed your true colours and started having an affair."
"Hey woman I have needs," Ye Sheng refuted.
"Does your needs entail you being a dog?" she attacked.
He was already feeling insulted by her remarks but her last one, that was just it. "How dare you to call me a dog?" He asked raising his hand at her but he did not hit her.
"I dare you, Ye Sheng. I dare you for all that you are worth and born of. Dare you to hit me and you would see how well I can ruin a person's life."
Even though she threatened, he knew his ex-wife too well.
"I left you alone in your life and did not interfere because I did not want my emotional state to become a broken one, but you could not even try and be decent to leave a good image for our son. Do you think that if I had returned and sought for him that I wouldn't win you at court with this useless behaviour of yours?"
"Then why didn't you since you were the number one lovely mother in the universe?"
"Because his future and that of Dream Star Corporation would die in your hands but with him here and him having most of the shares, the company would survive."
'Aren't you cruel handing such a responsibility to him at an early age?" He tried to make her feel bad.
If only he knew it was a complete waste of time.
"You may see it as being wicked but I simply prepared him for a great destiny and saved the company before you ruined it. Call it tough love, it is what made him who he is today."
She eyed him from head to toe when she noticed his and was still up.
"I suggest you drop that filth you call a hand before you actually ruin your life by yourself. If you still love your womanizing and enjoying of life, then leave my sight this instant."
"Li An.." he gritted his teeth but after some time, he resigned himself to his loss and dropped his hand.
"Fine, you win this time but be prepared. I would keep an eye on you because I know you would make another wrong move."
"I think at this time, you should be more worried about yourself than about me. I am okay and I fear nothing. Right now I am here for my son and not a nuisance like you."
"Li An, hmm, this was one of the reasons I fell in love with you. That devilish tongue of yours but you forget that I always won like how I won custody of our son."
"That, my dear was me winning. You were never even a player in this game. I let you feel you had a win over me so you could give up most of your shares to him. It is called brains, Ye Sheng. I began the game the day I found out you were cheating on me but allowed you still fool around. You were in my trap all along."
His pupils dilated when she actually voiced out the truth. All this while he thought he was on the winning side but now he knew.
This was one issue somebody had when they married a psychologist.
"You keep forgetting that I have a degree in psychology aside from my PhD in Business. Then again you always lost when we played chest so I would not blame you fr being a pawn in my hands. Now, do yourself a favour and leave."
"This isn't over, Li An."
"It already is." She looked to her side and saw the young lady walking over and smiled. "Ah, I am done over here, please come take them and package so I can pay for it," Li An called out to the girl.
"Yes, ma.." She cast one last glance at him and then walked past him, brushing him out of the way.