61 The Persuasion 3 (1/2)
Xiu Ling only received the reply from Sylvia after dinner time. The girl probably had fretted over whether to answer Xiu Ling's invitation for the whole afternoon. Xiu Ling was thankful that Sylvia eventually chose to meet her.
She messaged Sylvia on the phone to settle on the location and time.
In pure coincidence, they planned to meet at Spring Leaf Café, the location Xiu Ling met with Joann that afternoon. 'Could this be a sign,' thought Xiu Ling innocently.
…
Similar to yesterday, Xiu Ling arrived earlier than her guest. She took the same table as she did yesterday and she ordered the same thing as well, hoping for the good luck from yesterday to overflow into today and she would end up with same result as before.
Sylvia arrived at the same time as her order.
When Xiu Ling saw Sylvia, she noted the heavy dark circles under the young woman's eyes. They were sure sign of a restless sleep. Xiu Ling realized the young woman probably was more troubled by this conflict with her mother than she was willing to admit.
From her perspective, it was obvious to Xiu Ling that the two cared about each other, if only she could just force them into a room and make them talk this out. Alas things were not that simple.
Since she had taken on the role of the mediator, she was going to try her best to make it work.
Before she even sat down, Sylvia told Xiu Ling, ”Auntie Xiu Ling, if you are here to talk to me on my mother's behalf, then you better save your breath because I am leaving.”
That was rather rude on Sylvia's part but Xiu Ling did not take offense. She understood how stressed the young woman was.
Instead she smiled and expertly deflected the aggression away by saying, ”Sylvia, your Auntie Xiu Ling misses you because I have not seen you for a very long time. I simply wish to have a little chat with you, to get updated on your life. So why don't you sit down, calm yourself and join me for some tea?”
Sylvia hesitated before eventually pulling out the seat across from Xiu Ling and sat down even though she knew this was just a tactic by Xiu Ling.
When Sylvia sat down, Xiu Ling was hit by a sense of deja vu. It felt like she had been transported 24 hours back in time. This was because her best friend's image overlapped so perfectly on top of the young woman before her. Be it in terms of their physical features or temperament, the pair of mother and daughter was very much alike.
After Xiu Ling recovered, she began the conversation with, ”Sylvia, I heard you have moved from your original beat to the entertainment beat at the papers. How is the new environment?”