Newhaven: Week Nine - The Chang-Ngai Family
Previously for the Chang-Ngai family: Gretchen and Xun passed away from old age and Mei received the news that her boyfriend’s body had been discovered after his mysterious disappearance. The arrival of Mei’s daughter, Jia, brought back joy to Mei’s life after the tragic news, and she made the decision to close the business her parents had established in order to spend more time with her daughter. Mei’s cousin Xiang began working in the culinary career upon finishing high school and continued his relationship with the older, and bossier, Coco Darcy. Mei tentatively began a new romance with Maurice Sibly, who unbeknownst to her, was actually responsible for her late boyfriend’s death.
Xiang was a very relaxed and easy-going young man who dreamed of one day being a Celebrity Chef and tried to have as much fun as possible each day.
His girlfriend Coco couldn’t have been more different, being highly ambitious and strong willed. Xiang had often joked that he didn’t need to invite her to move in as she would just tell him when she intended to; she did one better and proposed marriage as well.
Despite the vast differences in their personality, their relationship seemed to work.
They chose to exchange vows at home that very day. Coco declaring she was too busy to plan a wedding and that if it fell to Xiang to organise one it would never happen.
It was true Coco was busy. As well as working towards her life’s ambition of becoming a game designer and dedicating herself to her magical studies, she worked in and managed The Dungeon, an arcade and entertainment venue she began with her mother.
Her new husband did help out, but was more often than not found playing the games rather than actually working.
As much as he loved his cousin’s daughter Jia, he was happy Coco wanted to wait a few years before they had children. After all, most the time, he still felt too young to be married, let alone a parent!
Soon it was time for Jia to celebrate her birthday and the Chang family was invited over to celebrate.
Jia was definitely the centre of her mother Mei’s world. Although she was a highly successful Business Tycoon, and had her burgeoning relationship with Maurice Sibly, there was nothing that came before her daughter.
Maurice had come into her life soon after she lost Jia’s father Matthew and had been first a supportive friend before romance had developed. She had explained from the very beginning of their new relationship that her daughter would always come first, which he had not only understood, but respected.
She knew a relationship with Maurice was complicated, not only due to the need to navigate his role in Jia’s life, but the difficulties of dating a vampire.
What she didn’t know was while much of Maurice’s patience came from his feelings for her, his guilt over being responsible for her late boyfriend’s death meant he could never say no to her. He lived, albeit not technically, in fear that she would discover the truth and he would lose the woman he had fallen in love with.
So, despite making his wishes of living with Mei known, he respected her wishes and continued to visit nightly, spending time with not only his girlfriend but beginning to bond with her daughter too.
Xiang on the other hand had always been uneasy around the vampire. Mei had obviously shared that her cousin had concerns about Maurice, who made it clear that there was no need for him to worry about Mei and Jia’s welfare. The implied message was that his welfare, on the other hand, wasn’t as certain.
As such, he didn’t feel there was much he could say when one day Mei came to him, sharing the news that she and Jia were moving out to live with Maurice. He forced a smile for her sake and hoped his concerns were unfounded.