Chapter 554 What Are You Implying


    Sue had too much to drinkst night. In her drunkenness, she confessed about her deep feelings for


    Anthony. Sheryl realized that Sue was heartbroken every time she saw her and Anthony together. So


    her decision to sign with George and stay in Y City was understandable. But that was Sue. Now, when


    she was struggling about George''s offer, Sue didn''t even try to prevent her from staying in Y City. If she


    stayed, Sue would still be jealous and frustrated about her rtionship with Anthony, and suffer over


    time. But it shamed her how Sue cared more about her friend''s happiness than her own. So Sheryl


    vowed to cherish their friendship even more.


    "I will consider it carefully," Sheryl assured her friend. As she remembered what happened before she


    left for America, Sheryl frowned. After passing the interview and telling Anthony about her trip to China,


    he was furious. He was against her traveling to Y City. So Sheryl promised that after the show, she


    would leave and never return. If Anthony found out that she was considering staying and bringing


    Shirley with her, they would argue again. Breaking her promise might even result in him ending their


    rtionship.


    Now, she felt torn between leaving or staying in Y City. Deciding which was more important in her life


    confused Sheryl now. Did she want to earn more money so she and her daughter would have a better


    life? Or was it best to give Anthony peace of mind to keep their rtionship intact? Seeing her friend


    struggling with a decision, Sue proposed,"Sheryl, I think you''d better discuss this with Anthony. When


    you first told him you wereing to Y City, he strongly objected and became furious. But he''ll be more


    than furious if he learns you''re considering to stay. You''re a couple. So you need to talk about it before


    making a final decision." Sue knew fully well why Anthony was against Sheryl''sing to Y City.


    Shirley''s father lived there. And Anthony worried the two would get back together if the man found


    Sheryl. So, she understood Anthony''s anxiety.


    "Yes, you''re right." Sheryl nodded in agreement, looking gratefully at Sue. She had long been used to


    making decisions alone. Fortunately, her friend reminded her that she was not alone anymore. Anthony


    was her boyfriend. Before making any final decision, she had to consult him. It was the right way to


    show her respect for him.


    Before either one could speak, Sheryl''s cellphone rang. She didn''t recognize the caller, except that the


    number was from Y City.


    She wondered, ''Charlie is the only resident in Y City that I know. Who else would be calling me?''


    Although the number was unfamiliar, something urged Sheryl to answer and kept telling her to pick up


    the phone.


    The woman hesitated briefly but finally answered. She was surprised to hear a deep and powerful male


    voice. "Is that Miss Xia?" she heard him say. "This is Charles Lu, Charlie''s father," the caller said,


    introducing himself.


    "Oh hello, Mr. Lu. Why are you calling?"


    As she heaved a sigh of relief, she was happy to learn it was Charlie''s father who called her. Sheryl


    was initially worried that someone she did not know had dialed her number.


    "Miss Xia, have you finished your work? Charlie and I are heading to a restaurant not far from your


    hotel. The boy is craving for Szechuan food. I was wondering if you might want to have dinner with


    us?" Charlesughed nervously but spoke persuasively. "If you''re not busy now, please have dinner


    with us. Charlie is dying to see you."


    "Uhmmm," Sheryl responded reluctantly. She was struggling again. Charles was polite and knew


    exactly how to convince Sheryl to say yes. It seemed as if he chose that particr restaurant to make it


    more convenient to drop by her hotel if she agreed to join them. But he spoke casually and politely that


    it would be rude to refuse his invitation. Maybe in her heart, she was eager to meet Charlie and didn''t


    mind eating with him and his father. Sheryl had long admitted she liked the little boy very much and


    was fond of him.


    "All right. I''ll join you," she replied softly. She brushed her forehead with her hand in relief and stood up


    to change.


    "Are you going out?" Sue inquired. As Sheryl headed straight to her closet after hanging up, she got


    busy deciding what to wear. Sue was curious about Sheryl''s caller. The woman was not usually


    particr about clothes. Now, she was deliberate while going through her wardrobe. Since Anthony


    was not with them, Sue felt it her duty to remind Sheryl to be loyal and not date anyone while in Y City.


    "Yes, I promised Charlie I would take him to an amusement park tonight," she replied. Sheryl didn''t


    think it was necessary to lie to Sue. She was fond of the pretty little boy, and it was not a big deal to go


    out with him.


    "Sheryl, aren''t you bing too close to that boy? Wouldn''t his parents get mad at you? They may be


    worried about your intentions," Sue warned. She frowned a little as she nced at her friend. She


    knew Sheryl had a natural affection for children. She was, after all, a mother herself. And when she met


    a pretty boy the same age as her daughter, it was understandable that she would show her fondness


    for him.


    But Charlie had parents. And if Sheryl continued seeing him, sooner orter his parents might be


    suspicious of her intentions. Sue was bing ufortable with their constant meetings.


    "His father will be with us," she replied casually. Sheryl was still concentrating on choosing the right


    clothes for their meeting and did not see Sue''s gloomy face.


    But she heard the concern in her voice. "You said he didn''t have a father, didn''t you?"


    "It''s a long story. I''ll tell you when I get back," Sheryl responded. She suddenly felt light and happy.


    Eager to see the boy, Sheryl didn''t want to waste time exining the whole story to Sue.


    She then stopped and thought about her behavior. ''I''m just meeting Charlie, so why do I need to dress


    up? Why was that my spontaneous reaction?''


    She mumbled,"Perhaps I just want to look my best when I meet Charlie''s father."


    Instead of Chinese food, Charles decided to bring Sheryl and Charlie to the best French restaurant in Y


    City. A waitress led them to a table. Charles pulled out Sheryl''s chair and helped her be seated. He


    never asked about what she liked or disliked. They had been married for years, and he knew what


    Sheryl preferred, so he ordered for her.


    Before Sheryl lost her memory, she was known as Autumn. She was Charles''s wife. They had been at


    that restaurant before. It might have been scheming to bring her there, but it could be a way to help


    Sheryl recall her past life. Charles hoped it would work. It was torture for him to treat his beloved wife


    like a stranger. He was heartbroken that she didn''t recognize him, so he vowed to pursue her again.


    The man was confident he would seed sooner thanter. Her decision to join them for dinner was a


    good start.


    It took a great deal of effort to pretend he was calm and natural in front of Sheryl. Charles asked


    casually,"Miss Xia, are you married?" He realized it was not an appropriate question, but he was eager


    to find out about her status. If she were married, things would be more difficult. Charles was not ready


    topete with a rival in love but was somehow assured because he and Sheryl were still legally


    husband and wife.


    "I suppose no," Sheryl forced a smile as she answered. She knew her answer was vague. But the truth


    was she didn''t know her actual status and had never been curious about it.


    Charles sat up and repeated,"Suppose?"


    Sheryl realized what she said and quickly exined,"I mean I don''t know for a fact whether I''m married


    or not. I have a daughter. Her birthday ising up in a few days. But, I''m not sure if I''m married or


    not."


    Without thinking, she began to tell Charles her story. For some reason, she trusted him enough to


    rte what she knew about her life. And she was willing to answer all his questions. She took a deep


    breath before continuing,"My boyfriend said I was seriously ill three years ago. When I regained my


    health, I lost my memory. So I don''t quite know about my past."


    Charles clenched his hand as he was asking Sheryl while looking at her almost without blinking. "Did


    you ever think about looking for your child''s father?" he inquired.


    He was getting closer to the truth, and his heart beat faster with excitement.


    Sheryl hesitated and shook her head. "I thought about it, but I finally gave up."


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    "But why?" There was an urgency in Charles'' voice. He couldn''t understand why she gave up looking


    for her husband. Charles thought, ''We loved each other very much. Now, here she is sitting opposite


    me but having no idea who I am. Why does she seem so unreal? She can vanish into thin air any time


    again.''


    With eyes taking on a look of steel, Sheryl said,"If my husband truly loved me, he should have


    searched for my baby and me. Why did I have to do the searching?"


    She thought that if her daughter''s father came to find her, she might consider persuading the child to


    ept him. But if he didn''t appear, she would rather forget the man. In her heart, Sheryl felt that her


    past was unhappy and preferred the status quo. After pausing, she went on,"I''ve been thinking about


    what kind of person he is, I mean my daughter''s father. He could be gentle, handsome, and sessful.


    Or he could be poor and bad. As time went by, I stopped imagining what he was. My daughter and I


    now live a happy life. I have a faithful boyfriend, who loves and cares for me. But most importantly, he


    treats my daughter like his own. So, I should be grateful for what I have."


    "From your description, your boyfriend must be a wonderful man. And he is lucky to have won your


    heart," Charles offered. He spoke as calmly as he could but felt his veins throbbing as he listened to


    Sheryl''s story.


    Deep inside he was miserable. He thought, ''Three years have passed. You forgot me, and you''re now


    with another man living happily. You''re even open to letting my child call that man father. I should be


    furious with you now. But I can''t tell you the truth yet. I will pursue you and wait until you say yes. Your


    memory wille back sooner orter. And when that timees, I will talk to you about your life with


    another man, and how you should make it up to me.''


    "He is an ordinary man, not quite like you," Sheryl said humbly. When she smiled, her eyes sparkled


    and her face looked even softer under warm lights.


    Charlie sat quietly at the table. He never disturbed their conversation. If Sheryl became his mother, he


    would be ecstatic. The boy knew his purpose in this meeting. Charlie muttered to himself,"Sheryl would


    have refused my father''s invitation if I did note along. But since she likes me, she was more willing


    to join us. Even if I''m the third wheel, I will try my best so they don''t notice me."


    Charles was offended by Sheryl''s statement about her husband. So, in defense, he said,"Miss Xia,


    have you ever thought that there was a chance your husband would have been eager to find you but


    couldn''t?"


    While he epted that Sheryl had forgotten him, Charles could not bear epting the me for their


    being apart. She had no idea how desperate he had been to find her. ''Ungrateful woman!'' he screamed


    silently.


    "Mr. Lu, I feel you mean something other than what you are saying. What are you implying?" she


    pointed out. Sheryl was looking at him curiously. When their eyes met, his intense gaze made her feel


    anxious and ufortable. She thought, ''Why is he looking at me that way? I am not his wife. So, how


    can he stare at me with affection?''


    "Don''t worry, Miss Xia. I was only citing one possibility about what could have happened," he told her.


    Charles masked his feelings withughter andforted Sheryl. It made him feel better to see her


    nervous. Perhaps, it wouldn''t be so hard to win her back. He took a deep breath and kept talking. "Take


    Charlie and me for example, I never knew about his existence until recently. It was impossible for me to


    look for my son. Does that mean I was at fault?"


    "Your situation is unusual," she admitted. The woman didn''t bother to reveal the rest of her thoughts.


    After all, they were still strangers. And it would be impolite toment on his personal affairs.


    In her mind, Sheryl was thinking, ''If you''re a responsible man, how could you not know about Charlie''s


    existence? The child is three years old, at least. You would have had a long time to look for him.''


    As she wondered, ufortable thoughts filled her head. ''If you loved Charlie''s mother, why didn''t you


    look for her? And if you didn''t love her, why did you get her pregnant? My conclusion, sadly, is that


    you''re not a responsible man at all.''