A Billion Dollar Exchange

49 I\'m courting her friend

About thirty minutes later, Xiao Ran\'s brother walked in. He was a tall young man obviously in his mid twenties. Quite handsome though, and dressed like a lawyer in his six piece suit. Xiao Ran spotted him when he was about to sit down, she finally calmed her nerves.

Liling hadn\'t seen her mom yet. Although she appeared quite calm, she was really troubled inside.

The Chancellor concluded and called up the HOD for the presentation of results and awards. While the head of departments called the names, the chancellor handed out the awards after a handshake with the student.

The students started murmuring amongst themselves as the names were called from those who had merited a first class downwards.

Each time a name is called, a round of applause would follow, the parents or guardian of the child would also stand and embrace the student happily.

Xin Yong and Richen made first class. When their names were called, Liling and Xiao Ran hugged them both before they walked up the the stage to take their awards.

Xiao Ran had a second class upper. She was also happy, since she wasn\'t after the first class degree from onset anyways.

Liling became nervous when her name wasn\'t even called among those with a second class. Her heart beat increased rapidly.

\'Did she get a third class?, that was less than a poor result!. How would she stand and walk up to the stage?\'

Her friends peeked at her once in a while, each not knowing what to say.

Richen who had made a first class couldn\'t help smiling. Her happiness wasn\'t totally from her result, most of it was from the sad luck of Liling.

\'So after everything, she couldn\'t even make a second class?, ha!, what if she didn\'t even graduate with us. Haha, that must be very sweetsad ending\'

She was still rejoicing as she held onto her results and the award presented to her.

The Chancellor had finished calling out the names but Liling\'s name was not mentioned. Her face became pale, all the joy she had come with evaporated.

\'So she wasn\'t even graduating at all?, how could something like that happen to her? \'

"... the best graduating student award of Gahll Poly this year goes to Miss Lee Liling of the Music Department..."

" "

Liling\'s eyes widened. She was kicked out of her bitter thoughts that instant, freezing in a place, it wasn\'t until the Chancellor called her name again and Xin Yong nudged her that she staggered to her feet and walked up to the stage.

Tears stung her eyes, she struggled to keep them in as she received her award and result from the Chancellor. He hugged her amidst applauds from the spectators.

Her happiness suddenly drained as she walked back to her seat, though her face bore a smile, she knew her soul was faraway.

....

After the ceremony, parents came together with their children. Those whose results were excellent couldn\'t wait to get home to celebrate again. Xiao Ran\'s brother couldn\'t wait to leave with her, so she hugged her friends for a while, after shedding some tears they promised to keep in touch and she left with her brother to get her things from the hostel.

Richen took Xin Yong and Liling to meet with her parents, they congratulated both of them and after Richen bade her friends goodbye, she left with her parents.

Xin Yong held Liling\'s hands as she spotted her parents from afar. She waved at them as she dragged Liling to meet them.

Liling\'s phone suddenly started ringing, she took it out of her pocket and frowned at the unknown number. She quickly picked it and put it on her ear.

"Is this Miss Lee Liling?" A male voice spoke.

"..Yes.. " Liling spoke after some seconds. She was scared, he sounded very professional and her instincts told her that something was very wrong.

"Please come to First Concept Hospital, your father Mr Lee Liang is currently in a critical condition... "

Liling didn\'t hear the rest of the statement, her brain blanked out, she looked at Xin Yong who was still walking to her parents, suddenly turned back and started running out of the hall.

"Liling!, Liling! "

Xin Yong screamed as she noticed that Liling was no longer following behind her. She was surprised at her sudden take off.

She wondered what happened all of a sudden to make her run away like that.

Though she didn\'t follow her, she was quite perturbed and planned to call her later on.

Xin Yong hugged her mom for a while not wanting to let go.

"Mom, I\'ve missed you so much!! " She exclaimed.

"So you haven\'t missed daddy? " Her dad teased her. She suddenly retracted from her mom\'s embrace and hugged her dad amidst chuckles.

"You know I miss you too papa, so very very much" They all laughed heartily.

After sometime, her mom obliged for them to return home but Xin Yong was hesitant. She hadn\'t seen him but she didn\'t know how to tell her parents she was waiting for someone.

"Ehm, mom I\'m a big girl now, you guys should go back. I\'ll be coming back later, .uh.. . I have something very important to do before I come back home" Xin Yong explained to her parents.

Her mom saw through her lies from the way she avoided eye contact but she didn\'t press on the topic. She smiled and agreed after kissing her cheeks.

When her parents left, Xin Yong scanned the whole hall but she didn\'t see him.

....

That morning...

"Come on, why are you so stubborn, it\'s not as if I\'m telling you to meet her? " Jin Yue asked Liu Wei as they sat over a cup of coffee.

He came over to Liu Wei\'s house that Saturday morning to persuade him to go for the graduation ceremony. He had been sermoning him for almost and hour but Liu Wei didn\'t budge, just casually sipping his coffee while fondled with his phone.

"Okay, just accompany me, I have someone I want to see.. "

Liu Wei shifted his gaze from his phone to Jin Yue for a second.

"I\'m serious bro, I\'m courting Liling\'s friend "

This statement made Liu Wei pause his hand that was about to pick up the cup again for a split second.

He had been keeping track of Liling\'s business for quite a while now. He knew she was graduating that day, and he had just wanted to quietly attend the graduation and leave as soon as he caught a glimpse of her but Jin Yue came and made it very ambiguous.