by Diana Ma
My blood runs cold. “It’s our grandfather who has the most to lose if anyone finds out about Empress Wu’s art collection, isn’t it? You said that inherited wealth like this art could jeopardize his standing in the Communist Party.”
“Exactly,” she says. “Come look at this.” She takes my arm and leads me past a row of landscapes to a blank wall. There are two spotlights hanging above, spaced far enough apart to account for two paintings. Two paintings that aren’t there. “When my mother had this gallery built, she left this wall blank for the two paintings that were lost.”
“Two? I thought it was just one painting that my mother took.”
“Your mother got one of the paintings back, but there were two paintings that went missing during the time of the Cultural Revolution. These were my po po’s favorites, and she described them to me. They were paintings of two different court ladies. One was a lady wearing an embroidered yellow dress playing a zither. The other—”
“A lady wearing a red dress with a blue-green shawl and matching sash, writing calligraphy.”
“Oh, you’ve seen it, then!” She sounds almost envious.
“Yeah, I’ve seen it.” There’s no longer any doubt that the painting in my mother’s office is the original Tang dynasty painting from Empress Wu’s art collection. The same painting that my mother took back from Eric’s family. “My mom has it in our house.”
“I’m glad your mother has it,” Alyssa says quietly. “I . . . I hope to see it someday.”
“But what happened to the other painting?”
“Probably destroyed.”
“You mean,” I say in a taut voice, “destroyed when our grandfather accused Eric and Mimi’s grandfather of being a counterrevolutionary and set the Red Guard on him?”
Alyssa stares at the two blank spots on the wall. “Gong Gong always told me that Mimi’s ye ye stole those paintings from us.” She touches the empty wall. “But after I talked to you in my limo, I went to see Gong Gong. I asked him if that was the truth.”
“You confronted your grandfather because of me?” I stare at her incredulously.
“Not just you,” she says. “Mimi heard what you said to me at my nightclub.”
My own words come back to me. Maybe you don’t know the whole truth either. If I were you, I’d ask your grandfather.
Alyssa’s hand trails down the empty wall. “So, I asked Gong Gong if he had done it. Framed Mimi’s ye ye by planting those two paintings in his home.”
I shiver with revulsion. What a terrible thing to have done to anyone. And Eric and Mimi’s grandfather had been his best friend. “What did our grandfather say?”
“He denied it, of course. Then he demanded to know why I was suddenly asking these questions. I panicked.” Alyssa turns to me, her eyes shadowed. “I was afraid that he’d find out about Mimi. Maybe even cut me off from the family. And then I realized it didn’t matter. I love Mimi. That’s when I ran off with her.”
“I see,” I breathe. That’s why Alyssa didn’t get back to me. She wasn’t just escaping with her girlfriend to a romantic retreat—she was reeling from an epic showdown with our grandfather. “Do you think our grandfather did it?”
“I don’t know.” Alyssa meets my eyes steadily. “But I told Mimi everything. About all this too.” She gestures at the art around us. “I’m lucky that she’s still with me.”
Reminded of Mimi’s presence, we both stare up, as if we can see past the many floors to where Mimi and Eric, out on the rooftop patio, are waiting for our return. “We should get back,” I say.
She nods, pats the blank wall, and turns to leave. Casually, she says, “I’ve always wondered who the two ladies in the paintings are. I think one of them must be Princess Taiping. It would make sense for Wu Zetian to commission a portrait of her only surviving daughter.”
At this point, there’s no point in picking my jaw off the floor. Not with Alyssa casually dropping little tidbits about our royal ancestors like she’s discussing what she had for breakfast.
I take one last look at the two blank spaces. I’m descended from a long line of daughters going back to Wu Zetian. It still doesn’t seem real.
Arm in arm with my cousin, we walk past the dangerous riches of our inheritance. As we step into the elevator, a thought occurs to me. If one of the paintings was of Princess Taiping . . .
Then who is the other lady?
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
My aunt is sitting straight and stiff on the couch in the living room when Alyssa and I return. Alyssa goes upstairs to fetch Mimi and Eric, leaving me alone with my aunt.
“You know now?” she asks, her eyes searching mine anxiously.
I nod mutely. Then I think of my mother walking away from that art downstairs—her ancestral inheritance. All the muscles in my body tighten painfully. For her, that would have been like having a limb torn off.
As if she can read my thoughts, my aunt says, “It was Lei who was supposed to inherit the guardianship of Wu Zetian’s legacy. It was never supposed to be me. I am the eldest, but my mei mei—she loved art.”
“She still does.” I sit down next to her. “She’s a museum director now.”
My aunt’s face brightens, and she takes my hand in hers. “Tell me all about my mei mei. Please.”
I’m in the middle of answering my aunt’s questions about my mother’s life in America when Alyssa, Mimi, and Eric return downstairs. My aunt reluctantly lets go of my hand as I scoot back to the long couch to let Alyssa resume her place on the love seat.
My aunt tears her attention from me with a visible effort. “Gemma, are these your friends?” She smiles distractedly at Mimi and Eric, who sit down again on either side of me on the long couch. “I’m so sorry I’ve neglected my guests. Would you like anything to drink? Eat?”
They both decline politely.
After an awkward pause, I say, “This is Eric and Mimi. They’re brother and sister.” There’s a lot I left out of that introduction, and my aunt still looks puzzled. But what can I say? Eric is my not-yet-but-maybe boyfriend, and Mimi is your daughter’s definitely-yes-but-secret girlfriend. And, oh yeah, they’re both part of the family that have been our family’s enemy since the Cultural Revolution.
An even more awkward silence descends as everyone evades my aunt’s eyes. Apparently, no one else wants to explain the situation either.
Then my aunt’s gaze sharpens on Eric and Mimi, and she gasps. “I know who you are. Eric and Mimi Liu.”
I tense up, and Alyssa looks like she’s been frozen in place. I guess it would’ve been too much to hope that she’d continue to not recognize them. Eric and Mimi exchange glances and turn back to my aunt, wary and silent.
My aunt studies them intently for a moment. “You both have the look of your father. I knew him from a long time ago—before this silly feud with your grandmother started.” She doesn’t bring up the larger feud—the one that started with my grandfather. But she does glance meaningfully at Alyssa. Oh crap. She knows about the gossip site report. “At least it was silly before your grandmother attacked my daughter. Now it’s serious.”
Alyssa asks, “What happened? What did I miss?” Poor Alyssa. She’s in for a nasty shock.
Eric swallows and tells my aunt, “My nai nai promises to stop talking to reporters.”
Mimi closes her eyes in resignation, muttering something too low to catch.
“She had better stop,” my aunt says grimly. Then, to my utter surprise, she smiles. It’s a bit strained, but it’s still a smile. “But that has nothing to do with you two. I’m glad that you both came here with my niece.”
Alyssa takes a deep breath. “Mimi’s not with Gemma. She’s with me.”
“Your friend?” My aunt glances at Mimi.
Mimi stiffens. I touch her hand, and it’s ice-cold.
Alyssa stands, and in an unconscious echo, I do too. Eric starts to scoot next to Mimi, but I stop him with a quick shake of my head. Understanding crosses his face, and
he removes himself to an armchair. Alyssa and I exchange seats, with her next to Mimi and me next to my aunt. We’re taking our places again, this time for a new scene.
“You gave me an ultimatum,” Alyssa says to Mimi, clasping her hands in hers. “Get serious or get out, you said. If I do this, will your conditions be met? Will you believe I’m serious?”
“Are you sure?” Mimi asks in a low voice. “You don’t have to do this.”
My aunt, who’s been tracking this exchange, grows still by my side.
“I’ve never been more sure of anything,” Alyssa says. “Or anyone.”
Mimi smiles tremulously. “In that case, my conditions are met.”
Alyssa turns to her mother and says, “Mimi’s my girlfriend.” Of course, my aunt would have to be a fool not to have figured that out already. “I love her and need to know that my family will accept her.”
I hold my breath in anticipation. I so desperately want a happy ending for Alyssa and Mimi that I can hardly stand the suspense of waiting for my aunt’s response.
My aunt finally speaks. “Many years ago, I listened as my sister told our father something very similar about the young man she loved.”
Mom . . . and Dad? I have to get that story out of them. With an effort, I bring my attention back to what’s happening now.
My aunt’s words are slow and cracked with emotion. “I did nothing all those years ago to prevent what happened afterward.” Then her eyes go steely with resolve. “But this time, there is something I can do.”
The room practically crackles with tension as we all wait to hear her verdict.
Very simply, my aunt says, “Welcome to our family, Mimi.”
Before we leave, my aunt invites me to the Mid-Autumn Festival dinner tomorrow (well, today, technically, since it’s about two in the morning by the time we leave my aunt’s place). I’m nervous as all hell about meeting my grandfather, but I want to meet my grandmother. And honestly? I actually do want to meet my grandfather. His secrecy and lies have caused so much heartbreak—it’s about time someone called him on it.
As soon as the black car pulls out of the parking garage with the four of us in the back seat, Alyssa checks out the gossip sites. Then she bursts into sudden laughter. “Mimi, I had no idea your grandmother had it in her!” Her reaction is not what I expected, but pretty on point for Alyssa. Wiping tears of mirth from her eyes, Alyssa adjusts her midriff-baring top and takes a selfie of all four of us in the back of the car. Then she posts it to Weibo. “Wait until she sees that.”
“Nai Nai isn’t on Weibo,” Mimi says regretfully.
“Then we’ll just have to make sure she sees it, won’t we?” Eric says with a spice of mischief that makes me puddle into absolute goo.
Wang takes Alyssa and Mimi back to their mansion hideout before taking Eric and me back to my hotel. After Wang drops us off, we stand outside the hotel, staring at each other awkwardly. My heart beats hummingbird fast now that I’m finally alone with him.
Of course, now that the moment has come, I don’t know what to say. “Where did you park your car?” I groan inwardly. Really? Is that all I can think of to say to him?
“In the hotel garage.”
“Oh. OK.” Apparently, I now have the conversational skills of a toddler when it comes to talking to Eric.
Eric shifts from foot to foot. “It seemed like a good place to park.” Wow, he’s just as bad at this. But why are we both so bad at this? I mean, it’s talking—something we used to do easily.
I look him right in the eye. “Is our truce still good?” I’m thinking of what he said to me as we were leaving Alyssa’s nightclub. Listen, neither of us know the whole story of the painting or what happened to make your mother leave. Until we do . . . or even if we do . . . can we call a truce? Be friends? I still don’t know what happened to make my mother leave. But I now know more about what happened to Eric’s grandfather. One day, I’ll face the same decision Alyssa faced with Mimi. Whether or not to tell Eric that my grandfather might have framed his grandfather to hide the secret of Wu Zetian’s legacy. But that’s not a decision I need to make now.
Taking my hands in his, Eric says, “If Mimi and Alyssa are going to have a chance together, this rift between our families has to be mended. That means I’m done with the war between our families. You and I don’t need a truce. Not when there isn’t a war anymore.”
A heaviness lifts from my chest. No matter what my family has done to his—it’s not our responsibility to continue their fight.
Then I straighten my shoulders. No more hiding from the truth. The truth is that I like Eric Liu. He put aside any differences he had with Alyssa to support Mimi, and he was there for me tonight too. He’s a wonderful, kind guy who might not be the height of coolness like Ken was, but it doesn’t matter that Eric’s not my “type.” What matters is that he’s the guy I want. And maybe it’s a bad idea because I’m leaving Beijing in a month. But I’ll kick myself forever if I don’t try to find out if he feels the same way I do.
Now that I’ve made up my mind, I’m desperate to act. If only I knew how. “It must be pretty late.” Dammit! Now Eric will think I’m hinting that he should leave.
Sure enough, he checks his phone and says, “Yeah, it’s three in the morning. I should get going.”
I swallow, and all the blood in my body rushes to my face, making it erupt with heat. “No.”
He turns startled eyes toward me. “No? No, what?”
A glib evasion is already on my tongue. Sorry! Just thinking out loud about something else! It takes every ounce of bravery to say instead, “Don’t go.”
His pupils darken. “Gemma,” he says, brushing his thumb against my cheek and making my breath stutter.
I cup the back of Eric’s head and pull him toward me. His body melts into mine, and as soon as his lips touch mine, I forget everything except for the lick of fire in my belly and the storm of electricity raging over my skin. I was completely nuts to wait this long for this.
Eric lowers his head to trace my jaw with a line of kisses, and my knees turn into goo. I dig my fingers into his back.
“Eric,” I gasp, and he drags his mouth back up to mine and kisses me, urgent and hard.
When we break apart at last, we’re both panting, the mingled steam of our breath rising into the night air. I nestle against Eric’s chest, fighting for control over the wayward beat of my heart.
“I’ve been wanting to kiss you since I saw you in that suit,” Eric says, his breath still ragged and his heart pounding as fast as mine. “When you came out of the dressing room . . .”
I knew I looked good. “By the way, I’m having second thoughts about that suit,” I say casually.
“The suit’s yours.” Eric smiles at me. “It’s now official. The war between our families is over, and there’s nothing about this night I regret. Not when I’m finally where I’ve wanted to be.”
“What? Outside my hotel room at three in the morning?” I quip.
“Here, with you, Gemma Huang.” He draws me into his arms. “This is where I want to be—anywhere, anytime. As long as it’s with you.”
“Eric Liu,” I say, putting my cheek against his and savoring the slight rasp of stubble against my skin, “I feel the exact same way.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Mid-Autumn Festival dinner with my new family comes too quickly.
I’m a nervous mess. After all, I will be coming face-to-face with my grandmother, who has masterminded this family reunion. And then there’s my grandfather—who knows I’m coming but might not even want me there.
My palms grow itchy with sweat as the housekeeper leads me upstairs to the rooftop patio. We emerge into a glassed-off sunroom filled with ceramic urns and lounge chairs. Blinking in wonder, I look out to the rooftop patio. Patio is definitely not the right word. There are stone fountains in the shape of lions with water pouring out of their mouths, flowering potted trees, miniature pagodas, and stone bridges. It’s like t
he Summer Palace up here.
Alyssa is running toward me from one of the manicured paths. She flings open the French doors. “Gemma! Come on—we’re having dinner on the east patio so we can see the moon rise from the east.”
“Your patio has a patio?” I tease her. “That’s a whole new level of fancy.”
“Joke all you want, but wait until you see the view of the city.”
We step onto the stone path between potted trees, and I see what she means. Tall skyscrapers soar into the evening sky, and a twinkling lightscape sweeps the horizon. “Wow!” I breathe in awe.
“See?” she says smugly.
She tucks her arm into the crook of mine and leads me along the path. “Gong Gong knows you’re here. He’s under strict orders from my po po and mother to behave. It will all be OK.”
The tinkle of water from stone fountains and the city below us almost distracted me from what awaits me, but my nervousness comes back at Alyssa’s words. I’d believe her more if her arm weren’t trembling. “As long as I don’t bring up my mother, right?” Guilt worms into me even though I’m planning to call my parents when they wake up in a few hours. It will be the morning of Mid-Autumn Festival for them. Meanwhile, here I am on the night of Mid-Autumn Festival—about to meet Mom’s estranged family without her.
“That’s up to you,” Alyssa surprises me by saying. “I’m done trying to tiptoe around my gong gong.”
My eyebrows rise. “Does that mean you’re going to tell him about Mimi?”
“No.” Her mouth twists. “Mom won’t let him kick me out of the family, but Gong Gong will be . . . unpleasant. He’s all about his standing in the government, and there’s still that whole feud with Mimi’s family.” She pauses to reflect. “Maybe I’ll tell Po Po about Mimi. I already told my dad on WeChat.”
“How did that go?”