Zhi Biming wiped his eyes. His own cousin almost choking him to death would become deeply imprinted in his mind. Even when he had stood on the apex of the business world, respect still shone in his eyes when he would meet Zhi Ruo.
"Want a cookie?" Zhi Ruo gestured to him as she quietly took a bite of the cookie.
Zhi Biming stared at her for a little while and saw that she really had turned to normal. Butler Hu still respectiveoy stood to the side, his eyes closed and acted as if he did not witness anything. Likewise, Mrs. Chow did the same. She only put down the silver platter and secretly glanced at him. He noticed the look of sympathy and felt embarassed.
It had become very clear that no one could ever defy her wishes. Even Mrs. Chow and Butler Hu, who had been with the Zhi family for three decades did not dare to disobey her.
Zhi Biming sighed and took a cookie. "I'm sorry."
Zhi Ruo raised her brows and smiled. "No biggie. You're still a child. I was too harsh. Forgive me."
He shook his head. "No. I was willful. Your threat just now helped me understand that my attitude would become the downfall of the company. I've already decided, jiejie. I will change."
"That's good to know."
Her plan was a success. Now that Zhi Biming had committed himself to a new change, this would change the company's future and rise to a whole new level. The willful little cousin was no more. His commitment would unleash the hidden potential that Zhi Ruo tried hard to unlock.
While quietly eating the cookies, Zhi Biming and Butler Hu excused themselves to the study to start on his duties. Zhi Ruo nodded and was left alone in the room.
She looked out the window where the sun was shining through the curtains and remembered a time when she had been a student. Such a great weather deserved to be enjoyed.
The past her who used to read on a hammock outside the backyard made her smile. It was one of the few moments she would have by herself. Such a long time ago. She could not even remember the time when she had last been left to herself.
Zhi Ruo felt a vibration coming from the back pocket of her jeans and took it out. Before she could find out who sent a text, a call from Xiao Tong went through.
"Hello?"
The faint sound of voices and music melded together as she heard light breathing. It went quiet for a moment.
The lack of response made her frown. "If you're not going to answer then goodbye."
Before she could hang up the phone, Xiao Tong immediately interjected. [No wait! I was handling something.]
"So why did you call?"
[Well…] Zhi Ruo could feel the hesitation in her voice. [Are you really not coming? A lot of people here wants to catch up. Is your cousin still there?]
Zhi Ruo looked at the time and had nearly forgotten where she was supposed to go. She hurriedly grabbed her bag and went outside, signalling one of the staff to bring around her car.
"No he's not but that's not the point. I thought I already told you that I was busy today. It's the 22nd. Don't you remember?"
The line went silent for a moment. Xiao Tong seemed to be pondering over whether to keep persuading her or just let her be. The promise of a decade was not something to take lightly of. Besides, she had been waiting for this moment for years.
In the end, it wasn't her place to meddle. Xiao Tong sighed in defeat. [Fine. I'll leave you alone for now. But the party might take a while. If you can get here after you're done there then you'll be able to cheer up a lot of people. Stay safe, okay?]
Zhi Ruo grabbed the keys from her bag and got inside her car. As she bid the maids goodbye, she drove off.
"I will, don't worry. And have fun with the others. I'll catch up if I can," Zhi Ruo comforted her.
She was headed to the outskirts of the city, near the former high school where she went to. And where… he went to.
The promise of a decade.
Even if it had been forgotten by the other, she will never forget.
And now…
She plans to fulfill it.
…
Orchid Serenity.
A club situated in a hotel near the central part of the city. It was owned by the Zhi family's subsidiary company who profited off from the wealthy rich.
A casual club meant to be a gathering place for winners. No matter what field they were in. And no matter what their profession was.
If you succeed in work, you succeed in life.
On the 7th floor where the reunion was being held...
Xiao Tong had rented out the whole floor to themselves, with a couple of old classmates splitting the cost. A luxury suite complete with a bar, lounge, pool table and dance floor.
The party had been entertaining and relaxed since it started. But because there were too many of them, they were split into their each respective groups while Xiao Tong did her best to accommodate all of them.
Right now she was with the girls who kept drinking champagne and talking about the past, which included their idol, Zhi Ruo.
A polite woman seemed to notice the slight disappointment in Xiao Tong's eyes. "Are you okay? Did something happen?"
Xiao Tong smiled sadly. "Xiao Ruo won't be able to come as of now."
Another woman, who was the so-called boyishly handsome of the bunch, interjected. "Did she say why?"
"She's fulfilling a promise, you see. And that promise had been going on for atleast a decade. Please understand her."
The boyishly handsome woman shook her head. "Of course, I'm not angry! Why would I be? She's our idol!"
"And hey, we can understand. None of us are mad. Zhi Ruo is a respectable figure. You don't have to worry."
Xiao Tong suddenly felt like tearing up, but refrained from doing so to avoid looking like a sentimental idiot. "You guys are sweet. Thank you."
The bar.
"Wow, the women are really sucking up to Xiao Tong," the nerdy man said, swirling the glass of scotch in his hand.
The young man beside him frowned. "Stop being so rude. We're at a reunion. Just because you and your wife had a fight doesn't mean you can bring your bitchy attitude to the party."
The nerdy man clutched his chest. "Okay first of all, talk about ouch? And second of all, I'm not bringing my bitchy attitude to the party. Stop being such a smartass."
The young man laughed. "Says the guy who fought with his wife over a pair of socks. I mean, who does that?"
"Hey, Mo Chou! I persuaded you to come here and help me relieve boredom but instead you're killing me here. We're having a casual reunion for the first time since highschool and the only thing you can think of doing is by being sarcastic with me?"
The young man did not blink. "Yes."
"And why in the hell would you do that?"
Mo Chou suddenly rolled his eyes like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Because it's fun, Chen Zhou. It's fun. Don't be such a party pooper."
Chen Zhou grumbled to himself and restrained from wacking the guy in the head.
Then, he overheard the woman talking about a certain person. This made Chen Zhou secretly glance over to Mo Chou, who now quietly stared at the glass of water in his hands.
"So… Why did you even decide to agree to go with me today? You're usually cooped up in that boring, dull office of yours slaving away. But I guess I'm kind of glad that you're free today. It's already the 22nd of April and time flies by so fast. I'm glad you're finally enjoying yourself."
Mo Chou slowly nodded but did not held interest to what he was saying about. Not until he heard a particular date. His eyes widened as she grabbed Chen Zhou's shoulder.
"What did you say the date was today?"
Chen Zhou looked utterly confused. "The 22nd of April?"
When he heard the date again, Mo Chou's face considerably paled. He realized his stupid mistake. This was no time to be dilly-dallying. It was time.
He grabbed the coat that hung from the stool. "Can you do me a favor and tell Xiao Tong I'll be right back? Thanks!"
It had only took 10 seconds for Mo Chou to completely disappear from sight. This made Chen Zhou sulk even more than he was previously.
"Damn you, Mo Chou! Leaving me here alone again," he grumbled and downed the glass.