Chapter 2 Confrontation with Jian Wei

Mei Ling walked quickly down the streets, her breathing erratic and her heart racing. The images of the package, the note written by Sofía, all of it replayed over and over in her mind. Why hadn't Jian Wei told her anything about this woman? The anger consumed her from the inside.

She didn't notice the sound of footsteps behind her until, as she turned a corner, Jian Wei caught up with her.

"Mei Ling!" he exclaimed, breathing heavily. He had run after her, not caring about anything else.

Mei Ling didn't stop. She didn't want to look at him. The fury was so intense it hurt her chest. She wasn't willing to hear his explanations. But Jian Wei grabbed her arm, forcing her to stop.

"Let me go!" Mei Ling shouted, pulling away from his grip.

"No!" Jian Wei looked at her desperately. "Mei Ling, please! You have to listen to me."

"Listen to you?" Mei Ling turned to face him, her eyes blazing with anger. "For what? So you can keep lying to me? So you can tell me this doesn't mean anything?"

"It's not what you think." Jian Wei seemed as frustrated as she was. "Please, let me explain."

"What are you going to explain?" Mei Ling looked at him in disbelief. "Why is a woman you don't even know sending you a package with hearts and writing to you as if you were more than just an acquaintance?"

Jian Wei's blood froze for a moment. There was no way Mei Ling could understand what had really happened without him explaining everything, though he knew it wouldn't be easy.

"Tell me right now who she is!" Mei Ling raised her voice, her words trembling with rage.

"Mei Ling, listen to me..." Jian Wei took a deep breath. "Sofía is someone from my past, but not what you think."

Mei Ling stared at him, not wanting to hear any more excuses.

"Your past!" she laughed bitterly. "Is that all you have to say? That she's part of your past?" The sarcasm in her voice was evident. "Don't you realize what you're telling me? This isn't just a 'past.' This is something recent. She's still writing to you, still sending you packages... and you're telling me nothing happened!"

Jian Wei felt his chest tighten. He couldn't lose her, he couldn't let this confusion take away what he had worked so hard to keep.

"Mei Ling, listen carefully. Sofía doesn't mean anything to me. When I was in Spain, I met a lot of people, and she was one of them. We shared some moments, yes, but that was it. There was no love, no nothing. She insisted a lot, but I always made it clear that I wasn't interested."

"Then why does she keep sending you things?" Mei Ling interrupted him, her eyes filled with tears of fury. "Why is she sending you a package with such... personal notes?"

Jian Wei stepped closer, looking at Mei Ling with a pain he couldn't hide.

"Because she didn't understand that I wanted nothing to do with her," he sighed, searching for the right words. "She sent me that package to 'remind me' of what we supposedly shared, but I swear to you, Mei Ling, nothing happened. None of what she believes."

Mei Ling stared at him, disbelief in her eyes. She didn't know whether to believe his words, but something in his tone seemed sincere.

"Then why didn't you ever tell me about it?" she asked, her voice trembling.

Jian Wei looked down, ashamed.

"I never thought I'd have to talk about her," his voice was low, almost inaudible. "I thought that if I left it all in the past, it would be better. I didn't know she'd come back like this, especially not with such a strange package."

Mei Ling watched him in silence, her emotions a tangled mess. The pain she felt was still there, but Jian Wei's explanations seemed genuine.

"I don't know if I can believe everything you're telling me..." she whispered, looking down. "But... what do you want me to do, Jian Wei? Forget about this?"

Jian Wei took a step closer to her, the desperation and pain reflected in his face.

"I'm just asking for a chance," he extended his hand, hoping Mei Ling would take it. "Believe me, please. There's nothing between Sofía and me beyond what I've told you. What I really want, what I've always wanted, is to be with you."

The silence between them became heavy. Mei Ling looked at his outstretched hand, and for a moment, she hesitated. Could she trust him after all this?

Finally, she took his hand. She didn't know what would happen next, but she was willing to listen.

"I promise you, Mei Ling," Jian Wei looked into her eyes, his voice firm. "There's nothing between Sofía and me. And I don't want to lose you."

Mei Ling didn't say anything more. She just stood there, in silence, holding his hand while the cold wind brushed against their faces.