Chapter 2: Paradise Palace
Tang Li Mei sipped her tea elegantly while listening to the pitter-patter of the rain by the window.
Secretary Li looked at the time on her watch and sneered.
'That guy sure is taking his sweet time; it's been 20 minutes now,' she thought to herself while sipping her tea.
"Suyin"
"Yes, President"
"Anger doesn't solve anything, but it can destroy everything."
Li Suyin puzzledly looked at her boss.
"If you hold it anymore tight, then it will break," the woman pointed out.
The reddish-auburn-eyed woman looked at her teacup, which already had a tiny crack on the side.
She hurriedly placed the teacup back on the table.
'How embarrassing!!!' She patted her cheeks, which had a unusal red hue.
She wanted to scream for losing her cool in front of her boss.
-----------------------------
"Clink"
Li Suyin sat upright, waiting for Boss's instructions.
"Suyin, let's go."
Tang Li Mei placed the teacup on the table and prepared to walk out of the private dining room.
"Yes, president!" Secretary Li answered as she followed her boss out of the room.
As they made their way towards the door, it was pushed open from the other side.
A man in his early thirties stood there in a black business suit, with black hair and ink-black eyes, smiling at Tang Li Mei.
"President Tang! Apologies for my late arrival. You see, I was set up on a blind date by my mother. I tried to get away, but the woman wouldn't let me." President Xie apologized, but his eyes were creepily stuck on the woman behind her.
His lips hooked up in a teasing way.
Li Suyin felt repulsed by his stare.
She almost barfed out her lunch at his suggestive looks.
His secretary, who stood behind him, rolled his eyes and sighed.
"President Xie, you should be aware that my boss hates tardiness, and this is the second time at that." Secretary Li tried to explain politely, but her lips twitched at the end, trying to hold back her disgust.
Anger was evident in her eyes. She was clearly disgusted by him, but that only made him want her more. He loved women who played hard to get.
Tang Li Mei quickly pulled her secretary behind her.
Her calm grey eyes were menacing, and there was a clear warning in them.
"The deal is off."
With that, she brushed off the man's shoulder as both of them exited the place.
President Xie's eyes widened, but soon a smirk appeared on his face.
Secretary Long looked at the back of the woman who was just a rookie in the business world two years ago, and within these two years, she changed all the upper management of the Tang Corporation and succeeded in making it one of the top companies in Asia. He admired her for achieving something like this at such a young age.
"You, find me everything you can on that secretary of hers as soon as possible. I can't wait to get my hands on her." Xie Jian licked his lips as he stared at her back.
------------------------------
Tang Li Mei and Li Suyin entered the car as they left for the company. Tang Li Mei sat quietly by the passenger seat while staring out of the window. Li Suyin looked at her from time to time, trying to start up a conversation, but nothing came to her mind.
'Boss sure looks pissed,' she gulped, and she quietly drove the car back to the company.
"Suyin, from now on, be extra careful while going home. If something happens, call me immediately. And if by chance you meet that guy, run and never look back."
Tang Li Mei's words alarmed her, but she just laughed it out.
"Boss, don't worry, I'm very good at judo and aikido," she stated.
The grey-eyed woman stared at her.
She knew her very well. Her secretary was not someone to run away from a fight.
"Li Suyin, you listen to me. I know all that, but if he drugs you, then your martial arts won't help."Tang Li Mei scolded her.
"Suyin, that man is very dangerous. Don't try to outwit him with your fists; instead, use your brains."
They have known each other for more than four years now, and her boss never asked them to run from a fight.
And if a person like her asks her to run away, then...
Li Suyin stared at her boss with wide eyes before giving her a nod.
------------------------------
At six thirty in the evening, Tang Li Mei reached the underground parking lot to see a woman in her early twenties dressed in a beautiful spaghetti-strapped red evening gown leaning by the car with a cigarette in her hand, smoking lazily.
She had a stunning figure, with her head full of purple hair held in a loose bun and light brown eyes looking into the distance. She looked appealing and seductive.
"Xiao Xi, how many times have I told you to quit smoking?" Tang Li Mei calmly asked as she made her way towards the car.
A shiver ran down Hong Xi's spine, and she quickly tried to hide the cigarette while smiling sheepishly at Tang Li Mei.
"Si..... Sister Mei!!" She called out while trying not to sound guilty. Tang Li Mei crossed her hands on her chest as she knowingly looked at Hong Xi.
"Sister Mei I swear this is the first one of the day, and I'm trying to quit it," she hurriedly explained as she scratched the back of her neck nervously.
"Is that so??"
Tang Li Mei glanced at her once more before she sat by the passenger's side. Hong Xi exhaled, patting her chest.
She thought she would suffocate under that cold gaze.
Hong Xi sat in the driver's seat and quickly started the car. Both of them drove off towards the Paradise Palace, where the auction was going to be held.
Paradise Palace, as the name suggests, was truly a paradise. The building itself was old but looked classy, with bamboo trees, a vast rose garden by the side, and a glamorous fountain at the front that gave it an amazing view. The vines of the roses sparsely covered the building, which gave it a vintage look.
Many cars stopped in front of the building as people were excited to attend the once-a-year auction.
Tang Li Mei arrived with Hong Xi, and they were welcomed by the doorman. Soon they entered the auction area, where a butler stood by the door, checking for invitations and membership cards.
As Hong Xi presented their black membership card, the butler's eyes bulged. He glanced at the two women and gulped.
'To retrieve a black membership card... These people seem to have a close relationship with the boss,' he thought to himself.
Without wasting any more of their time, he immediately escorted them to the VIP room on the second floor.
As they sat inside the VIP room, tea was served along with some appetizers. Soon the auction started, but Tang Li Mei's eyes were stuck in the room on the first floor.
"Sister Mei, is there something that interests you in this auction? Is that why we are attending it instead of waiting outside in the parking lot to capture that bastard?" Hong Xi asked as she listened to people bid for the items.
"Father's birthday is in two weeks, and I want to find a gift for him," she explained.
"Father has been searching for a painting for almost 20 years, and I heard that they are auctioning it here," she continued. Hong Xi understood her sentiments since, for her, he and Xun'er are the only people left in this world to be called her family.