Capítulo 87: The Review (5)

Sylvia's face fell. She was about to counter what her mother had said when Joann continued, "But as your mother, I will learn and try my best to support you. While I cannot say that I am proud of you, at least not now but I will not stop you from pursuing your dream, if this is what you want in life."

Joann's face mellowed with a smile. "That means the criticism that I said earlier is the last time you'll hear them from me, and that's a promise, unless of course you personally come to me for advice in the future. Sylvia, I might not agree with what you do but I will try my best to be understanding and supportive."

Sylvia smiled back in kind. "Thank you, mom. That is all I ever ask for."

After the heart-to-heart with Sylvia, Joann left her daughter to finish her work and she returned to her own bedroom. Before she even walked in, she could hear the phone that she had left on her dresser ringing.

Joann immediately burst through the door and ran to grab it. She saw the caller id and answered it quickly.

"I'm so sorry, Xiu Ling. I was not in the room when the phone rang."

Xiu Ling could hear her best friend catching her breath and she laughed, "Calm yourself, Joann. It's no biggie. Take a breather first."

Joann took a deep breath and breathed out a long sigh before asking, "Right, sorry about that. So, how can I help you, Xiu Ling? Why are you calling?"

Xiu Ling began with hesitance, "No, I saw the piece on you in the XX tabloid and I wondered how you are doing. Is everything fine? Do you need any help or just someone to talk to? I'm always available."

Joann smiled hearing her friend's concern. "You're too kind, Xiu Ling. I'll admit, I was quite affected when I saw the article in the tabloid initially but I'm feeling much better now. If anything, the article has helped me smooth out plenty of relationship issues I have at home. So really, if I think about it, perhaps it is a blessing in disguise."

"That's wonderful news. But, I still want to say, if you ever want to talk, you can always come to find me. Now, with that out of the way, I want to ask you about our upcoming Three Months Club's meeting.

"We haven't scheduled one yet. Do you feel like going anywhere? Where would you want to have the meeting?"

"Erm…" Even though Joann had put the piece in the tabloid behind her, it did not mean that the world at large had moved along with her. Joann was apprehensive of going out and ending up being the unnecessary focus of much finger-pointing and whispering. Joann, as a celebrity might be used to working in front of the public, but she was still a normal human being, she did not appreciate being judged and commented on, especially when those doing the judging were swayed by untruthful reports and articles.

"Xiu Ling, I'm sorry but do you mind if we skip this upcoming meeting altogether? We can meet up another three months later." It pained Joann to suggest that because this would be the first time they had not met each other for their regular meeting since the inception of Three Months Club. It could be said that this went against the very reason this private club of theirs even existed in the first place.

Joann knew she was acting quite selfish but this appeared to be the only way.

Xiu Ling was silent on the other end of the phone, and this made Joann worried. "Xiu Ling?" she prompted.

Finally, her best friend's voice came on the phone. "Oh, sorry. I was just trying to process what you just said. I suppose if you feel so strongly about pushing the meeting to the next session, I'm fine with it. Joann, I understand where you're coming from…"

As Joann's best friend of years, Xiu Ling did understand the source of Joann's concern. She evaluated the overall situation and managed to see things from Joann's perspective. Sometimes, the women would have this uncanny feeling that they knew the other person better than the other person knew themselves.

Joann hated how despondent her friend sounded on the phone. She felt surfeited with guilt. This was her problem and it was wrong to ruin Xiu Ling's plan because of it.

Joann was about to take back what she had said and told Xiu Ling to schedule the meeting when her friend told her on the phone, "Wait a minute, Joann. Lin Kang looks like he want to talk to me. Do you mind holding for a moment? I am so sorry but I'm sure this'll be quick."

"Okay, take your time."

…

Yes, Xiu Ling was in the Lin family mansion's living room when she made the call to Joann. Sitting not far away from her was Lin Kang. Even though she did not explicitly ask for it, the man turned the volume of the television he was watching down when Xiu Ling's call was answered.

Xiu Ling appreciated this kind gesture of his.

Lin Kang was about to stand up and leave the two women to their phone call when he saw an unhappy frown cross his wife's face. For some reason, he found himself unable to move and all he ever wanted to do then was to find a way to turn that frown upside down into a smile.

Silently, Lin Kang sat back down and tried his best to mask the fact that he was eavesdropping on the two women's phone conversation.

Xiu Ling cradled the phone in her arm as disappointment colored her face. She was really looking forward to meeting up with Joann in person. She was reluctant to carry on with the cancellation because it might set a dangerous precedent and this tradition of theirs might collapse upon itself before they knew it.

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