214 The Apology 12 (1/2)
Auntie Xiao allowed Joann to cry in her embrace. She did not say anything, she just sat there and hugged her. However, to Joann, it was more than enough. She had been shouldering plenty of responsibilities lately, many people waited for her to come to a decision and it felt nice to feel protected, to know that someone was in her corner.
After Joann calmed down and her crying receded, Auntie Xiao patted her on the back like a mother would when she tried to make her baby to hiccup. Over the top of her head, Joann could hear Auntie Xiao said, ”Yes, change is inevitable but that doesn't mean that we're powerless. I mean, just take a look at this place. It's slowly being abandoned by time but that doesn't mean I've thrown in the towel, does it?”
”I'm still fighting,” Auntie Xiao stressed. ”What I'm saying is, if it's worth it, then fight for it.”
Auntie Xiao felt the woman in her arms nod.
...
Not a long time had passed since Xiu Ling and Joann's Three Month Club's meeting but the two women could be seen gathered at a cafe, with a generous spread on the table between them. During the previous club meeting, Joann told Xiu Ling to give her some space and Xiu Ling did... or at least on the surface, Xiu Ling told Joann she would.
She did end up doing all those things for Joann like assigning Lin Kang's men to scout out the cafe where Joann and Sylvia would be meeting Qing Qing as well as deal with Qing Qing on Joann's behalf. She did all these things for Joann's sake but she did not intend to tell Joann about them, at least not yet because she did not want her best friend to get the wrong idea. Things were rocky at the moment and Xiu Ling did not want to add more trouble into the mix.
Xiu Ling was willing to step into the shadow and help Joann from the sidelines should she need it. She was willing to give Joann as much time and space as she needed to get over this ordeal, to get her head sorted out.
Therefore, Xiu Ling immediately said yes when Joann reached out to her to ask for a afternoon tea meet-up. From Xiu Ling's perspective, it felt like Joann already had some things figured out and she was ready to welcome other people into her life again. Xiu Ling was truly happy for her friend.
After exchanging some quick preamble, Xiu Ling did notice something different about her best friend. Joann seemed looser and less stressed for some reason. Xiu Ling wanted to be happy for her friend but considering the choices that she was forced to make, Xiu Ling was not sure the lack of pressure was a good thing or not.
On the one hand, she was glad that Joann did not get her whole head wrapped up over this but on the other, she did not want her friend to just brush it off either. This problem deserved to be examined and probed.