"You… You!" Ye Jie didn't know how to respond.
There was a raspy laugh at the other end. "So, are you surprised to hear my voice or shocked?" Ye Jie heard the same lazy voice.
"Is there a difference?" Ye Jie asked in a daze.
He couldn't tell how a man's voice could be this alluring and tempting.
"Hmm… There is a huge difference, Mr. Ye... Surprises are unexpected but pleasant. While shocks are also unexpected but heartbreaking." Ye Jie was unconsciously listening attentively to him speak.
Ye Jie stayed silent for a while before sighing in defeat. "She told me, you're her Sensei. And you mean a lot to her because you saved her life." And that was something Ye Jie couldn't compete with.
He heard the same deep voice again, "I know what my dearest disciple thinks about me… What I'm curious about is what do you think about me?"
"Honestly, for me, you're a wall standing between my wife and me." Ye Jie didn't hold back at all. He thought the person talking was the reason, Xu Mey learned to close off herself. So, indirectly, he was blaming him.
A pleasant hearty laugh rang out from the other end. After the laughter died, Ye Jie heard, "Indeed… There is a wall between you and Xu Mey… But Mr. Ye that wall isn't me." Ye Jie frowned.
"The wall between you and her is past… Her past… Your past… Both of your past is the only thing standing between you."
Ye Jie listened and felt he was somewhat right. The real wall between them was their individual pasts. "Can't you help her break that wall? She listens to you." Ye Jie understood his importance the day his single note brought a bright smile to her face and even made her give him a chance.
He heard a tired sigh. "I can't break that wall."
"Why not?" Ye Jie asked with a scowl.
"Because the past is yours and hers. I have nothing to do with it. What you both need is to fight that past yourself. You can break the wall between you with the help of each other. The moment you involved a third person, forget about breaking that wall. It'll only stand stronger."
"Aren't you a third person in our relationship?" Ye Jie asked standing up and walking towards the glass wall.
"I'm the third person… But I'm the person who can only create a door in that strong wall of your individual pasts. Now, how you both reach out to each other through that door is up to both of you." Ye Jie realized what his 'he's a keeper' comment meant. He was really creating a door for them. And it actually helped a lot.
"But you still mean everything to her… You saved her life."
"A mere human like me doesn't have the power of God to save someone's life. She was saved because a part of her wanted to be saved. I was merely lending her a hand."
"She's not even letting me lend her a hand. She's hiding her frowns behind her smiles." Ye Jie spoke wearily.
"Roses aren't always red, violets aren't always blue although some words might be silent feelings are always true." Ye Jie couldn't comprehend the meaning. "You're upset that she's not letting you lend her a hand... Let me ask you, Mr. Ye... How much of your past is hidden from her?"
"What do you mean? She knows everything about my past." Ye Jie wasn't liking the tone of his voice.
"Do you want me to spell it out for you... Mr. Jacob." Ye Jie's body stiffened. Jacob was Ye Jie's English name and most people didn't know it at all. When he started his own business separate from the Ye Family, he preferred to use his English name to avoid suspicion. Except for some higher-ups, the employees of his own company had no way of knowing anything about him. But his next statement was akin to a thunderstorm for Ye Jie. "Imperial City... First Emperor Hospital... Sixth floor... Room no 610... The most luxurious hospital room with the world best medical care... Do you want me to go on?"
Ye Jie's knees buckled and he had to lean on the glass wall to support himself. "How... How do you know about it?" His words were getting incoherent as his body shook uncontrollably.
He heard a soft chuckle. "I'm the person who's keeping your wife's past hidden from the world. Do you really think, it's that difficult for me to dig deeper in yours?"
Ye Jie had a sudden apprehension. 'The person on the other end of the call was anything but simple.'
"Are you...?" Ye Jie couldn't continue his question.
But he received the answer. "Just like Xu Mey's past is not mine to tell, yours is also something I can't disclose. You both have to do it yourselves."
"Do you... know my...?" Ye Jie stopped his question again.
"If I can know about the girl on that hospital bed for a year and a half then I obviously know about your relationship with her as well." The reply seemed reasonable to Ye Jie.
The difficult part should have been, him finding out about her in the Imperial City. The hospital room was even booked by his friend and he didn't get involved much himself to keep her safe. But Xu Mey's Sensei just easily found out about her.
"Thanks a lot... I want to tell Xu Mey myself... But not now. It's not the right time."
"There is never a right time for us humans. We have to create the right times with the right means and share them with the right people. You don't have to thank me. It's not like you've committed a crime or something. And taking care of that girl in the hospital is your responsibility."
Ye Jie heaved a sigh of relief feeling a huge burden sliding off of his shoulders. "What should I call you?"
"You can call me anything you like."
"Huh!"
After a soft chuckle, the reply came, "The funny thing is, even your own wife doesn't know my name yet."
Ye Jie was clearly surprised to hear that. "Can I ask something?"
"Please do," The deep voice spoke.
"Why did you tell Xu Mey that I'm a keeper? You haven't even met me before." Ye Jie was immensely curious about that.
"You'll know... One day... I won't need to tell you." That was the last thing he heard before the call was disconnected.