Page 91 of Worth Fighting For

“What look?”

“The one you get when you’re about to do something you don’t think you’ll be very good at, but damn it you’re going to give it your best shot.”

“That’s a look I get? That is very specific.”

“Yeah, you get it a lot. You had it before you rode Slugger, and before you descaled the fish, and before you sheared that sheep, and—”

“Okay, thanks for the reminder. I am now traumatized.” I take a deep breath, turning to scan the crowd for Uncle Hong and the rest of the Lis. “I need to speak with your family.”

“All right. Lead the way.” He takes my hand and squeezes it and, together, we plunge into the crowd.

James’s look of boredom turns into a sneer when he sees me, an expression that I have to fight hard not to mirror, becauseditto, James.

“What’s she doing here?” He sees that we’re holding hands and groans. “Seriously, bro? You guys are still together after what she did?”

“What we are is none of your business,” Shang says. He shifts his attention to the uncles and aunties. “Uncles, aunties, Mulan has something to say to all of you.”

I release Shang’s hand and step forward. Now that the Lis’ eyes are riveted on me, I feel like a little kid about to enter the principal’s office. “Hi, everyone, thank you for coming tonight.”

“Is this her idea?” Uncle Hong says, looking around in confusion.

“Yes, it was my idea.”

“And mine,” Auntie Jiayi says.

All heads turn to face her, and she lifts her cocktail glass in a toast. “I am, as youths call it, going inside my villain era.”

The others continue staring in confusion, and Auntie Jiayi frowns at me. “Mulan, did I say it wrong?”

“No, you got it. Uh, anyway, yes, as Auntie Jiayi said, this was our idea.”

“What is the meaning of this?” Uncle Hong snaps. “First you trick us, lie to us, come to our family ranch, then you trick us again to get us to come here?”

I raise my hands. “I really am very sorry about it. But the thing is, I needed you to come tonight because I wanted you to see what Wutai Gold can become. Look around you. Most of the guests here are women of all ethnicities between the ages of thirty and fifty. They are a much younger crowd, much more diverse, and every single one of them loves your whiskey.” I take out my phone and send them a link. The Lis look down as their phones beep. “I just sent you a video. Please watch it, it’s only a minute long.”

There is silence as they swipe at their phones. The video plays.

It opens with Malika Bridges, a Black woman who owns a tech startup that develops games for women, holding up her glass and saying, “This has Wutai Gold whiskey in it? Seriously?” She takes a sip and her eyes flutter shut for a second. “Damn, it is so good. I never knew they were this good. This is liquid gold!”

It switches to Ann Kwok, a Singaporean woman with an environmentally friendly company that uses bamboo fiber to make paper. She, too, is holding up her glass. Laughing, she says, “No way, Wutai Gold whiskey is so old-school boring.” Then she takes a sip and her eyebrows disappear into her hairline. “Whaaat?Girl, this is so f—ing good, what the f—?”

It switches to another woman, and another, and another, all of them having their drinks and loving them. It ends with a close-up of Wutai Gold whiskey, beautifully shot by the ad company I have acquired, and the wordsEveryone deserves good whiskey.

I wait for everyone to finish watching, then clear my throat. “I shot that video tonight. All those reactions? They’re real. None of these women had to be paid to say they loved the whiskey. They just did. Because it’s true—your whiskey is good, and when a product is this high quality, sales should not be down. The only reason why they are down is because your practices are outdated. Your target audience is aging out, it’s shrinking. Meanwhile, in one evening, I have created a viral video for your product. This video you’re watching right now has over a hundred thousand views on Instagram, and double that on TikTok. You need new blood. That’s me. I am your new blood. I will take your whiskey and I will make sure it gets into the hands of every whiskey enthusiast out there of every race and every gender. I will continue your legacy. The name Wutai Gold will be upheld, it will strengthen and grow and remain for generations.”

There is a pregnant silence. The uncles and aunties look stunned. I have no idea how they will take my words. Based on their expressions, it really could go either way. But whatever their reaction, I no longer care. I’ve said my piece and shown them what I bring to the table. The rest is up to them.

As though hearing my thoughts, James slams his palm on the table. “You can’t listen to her. She lied to us!”

“She only lied about her name, and nothing else,” Shang says.

“I also lied about growing up on a farm in China,” I pipe up. “I was born and raised here. Uh, that is all.” At the look on Shang’s face, I say, “I just want to be really honest going forward.”

“See?” James cries. “You heard her. She’s done nothing but lie ever since she came into our lives, and—”

“You’re not being entirely truthful yourself,” I say.

Eyes widen. Eyebrows are raised.

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