44 The Picture 3 (1/2)
Xu Jing turned back and headed for the door. When his hand was on the doorknob, he heard his mother say, ”Xu Jing, wait.”
Xu Jing turned obediently around. ”Yes, mother?”
Mrs. Xu breathed out a long sigh before continuing, ”I hope you won't get the impression that I am specifically targeting your wife. I know there is a chance of this being completely fake but no matter what, I am just looking out for you, I do not want you to get hurt.
”I know… you are a trusting person but unfortunately, that also means you can be easily persuaded or manipulated. Xu Jing, you have to learn to recognize who to trust and who not to trust.”
What Mrs. Xu really wanted to say was that Xu Jing was completely henpecked but of course she would not insult her son, therefore, she came up with a roundabout way to voice her concern. She hoped her son would get the hint.
However, in reality, Mrs. Xu's edited advice was more valuable than she could possibly imagine. Xu Jing was indeed easily manipulated… Just not by the woman Mrs. Xu had in her mind.
”I will, mother. Thank you for your advice.”
After Xu Jing left the study, Mrs. Xu sighed to herself, worried about this son of hers.
…
”Before you asked, no, I am not cheating on Xu Jing, never have, never will,” Joann breathed into the phone.
Xiu Ling thought her best friend sounded quite tired on the phone. Then, she realized Joann must have answered that question many times already that day. No wonder she was getting tired of it.
Xiu Ling wanted to hang up to give her friend some time to rest but when she brought that up, Joann said, ”Xiu Ling, wait. Talk to me. If you hang up, god knows who might call me to ask for more statements. I'd rather talk to you. Plus, if I am talking to you, the line will be busy and I have a valid reason to avoid their calls.”
”Sure, I would love to talk to you.” Xiu Ling then decided to address the elephant in the room, ”Joann, I believe you are not cheating on Xu Jing, you would not do something like that… but in that case, how do you explain that picture? You have to know how incriminating it looks, especially to the general public who does not know better.
”Also, what about Xu Jing and your mother-in-law? Have you explained the situation to them?”
”No, I have not. I have been bombarded by all these calls since morning that I have not had the time to talk to them yet… but I will,” Joann explained before adding, ”And about that picture. It is taken out of context.
”That was shot at a party for the film crew. Lee Mu and I were not on a date, if anything, it was a work-related occasion.”