Chapter 21 (part 2)

William was sunk into the leather armchair by the fireplace. An empty glass in one hand and a bottle of Irish whiskey in the other.

He was thinking back to what Wĕi Qí had told him a short while before.

A whirlwind of questions had been plaguing him ever since he had locked himself in there. In particular, why Adam had never told him about his relationship gave him no peace of mind.

After all, they had been inseparable friends for years. they knew everything about each other, or at least, that was what he had believed until his friend had told him about the difficulties with the Ming family. He hadn't resented it at the time; he had understood Adam's suffering by listening to his story.

But what he had just discovered was different. He now knew that Adam had kept other things from him. Why hadn't he wanted to tell him about Shàng Wèi? Why keep their story from him? Was he afraid he would judge him? Was he afraid he would denigrate him?

William