So, we are married
4Tuesday, continued …
Hou Yi and Anna Jones stepped back into the foyer of the Civil Administration Bureau, now as a married couple.
Hou Yi reached over and took Anna’s hand. Leaning in, he whispered, “I think we should leave as soon as we can. I don’t want to run into Lu Jinhu and Yang Lin, and I don’t believe you will either.”
Anna simply nodded, her expression showing her unease. They walked across the foyer and exited the Civil Administration Bureau. Once outside, Hou pulled out his mobile phone, turned it on, and called Assistant Wang. When his call was answered, he said, “Assistant Wang, can you please meet us where you dropped me off in, say, 5 minutes,” before ending the call and returning the phone to his pocket.
Turning to Anna, Hou Yi said, “My assistant Wang Long will meet us just past where we met in about 5 minutes. Where have you been staying so we can go and collect your belongings?”
Anna replied calmly, “The Key Plaza Hotel.” After a brief pause, she continued, “I hope Lu Jinhu and Yang Lin aren’t there—I don’t think I can face them.”
“It’s inevitable we’ll run into them at some point. We shouldn’t delay just because we might. The best protection is to get out of there so they can’t locate you. Once we’ve collected your belongings, there are a few things we need to do.”
Hou Yi reached down and took Anna’s left hand in his right, lifting it gently. “We need to take this off and replace it with one we both like. Plus, we need to arrange for matching wedding rings. I’ll wear one—unlike I guess Lu Jinhu.”
“Yes,” Anna’s response was soft.
“Just so you know, one of our stops will be at Feng’s Jewellers to pick up your engagement and wedding rings, and my wedding ring. The rings will be what you like. I want people to know I’m married; they just don’t need to know who I’m married to, unless you want me to tell them.”
Hou Yi removed Lu Jinhu’s engagement ring and handed it to Anna. She placed it in a secure pocket in her handbag. For Anna, its removal felt strange, but she realized that the ring represented the journey that had brought her to this point. The outcome of that journey, whether good or bad, was still to be determined.
Hou Yi and Anna walked quickly across the plaza, grateful not to sight Lu Jinhu or Yang Lin as they did not want to deal with them. They rounded the corner and went past where Anna had knocked Hou Yi off his feet. Anna spotted a Mercedes ahead with a person standing by it. As soon as he spotted Hou Yi, he opened the back door to the vehicle and bowed to both of them.
“Young Master, Young Madam, please let me be the first to congratulate you on your marriage.”
Anna looked at Hou Yi, puzzled, realizing she was confused by the address from Assistant Wang.
“Anna, this is my Assistant Wang Long. He has worked with my family since around the time I was born. Initially, this was as a driver, but he moved into the family company and eventually became my father’s assistant. When my father retired, Assistant Wang became my assistant. Because he used to call my father ‘First Master’ and my now deceased uncle ‘Second Master,’ he’s taken to calling me ‘Young Master,’ particularly when he acts as a driver, despite my telling him otherwise. I guess in cases like this, you’ll be called Young Madam, given you’re my wife.”
“Hello, Mr. Wang,” came Anna’s response after Hou Yi explained the address.
“Please, Young Madam, call me Assistant Wang. Otherwise, I think you’ll be looking for someone else.”
“Okay, Assistant Wang, but please forgive me if I slip up.”
With that, Assistant Wang turned to Hou Yi and asked, “Where to, Young Master?”
“The Key Plaza Hotel, where my wife had been staying. We need to collect her belongings before we do anything else.”
With that, Hou Yi helped Anna into the vehicle and sat beside her. Once he was in, Assistant Wang walked around and got behind the wheel to drive them to the Key Plaza Hotel.
