With a zoom, the doors of the elevator opened soundlessly. Technology had advanced so greatly that it only took under ten minutes to reach the hundred floor of the condominium, but there were even speedier elevators in the malls. It was just a matter of economic benefit.
Each door of the residential units in the condominium had their own security systems. He patiently rolled his finger over the tiny black square on the door to recognise his configured fingerprint. He took off his shoes and placed them in a shoe cabinet outside the door, password-protected to ensure his shoes, stinky or not, were safe from theft.
The condominium was grand. Having six rooms in total, it was equipped with the supremest quality of LCD screens and speakers. All these rooms were specially constructed to meet the picky Junyang's specific desires; a home theatre room, a gaming room, a napping room, a reading room, a genius kitchen and his bedroom.
As his condominium was magnificently furnished with the most expensive furniture one could ever own, everyone knew Junyang was the richest kid on the block. Many were envious of him, and some boys even attempted to butter up to him in the hopes of becoming his 'ally', but Junyang did not heed any attention to the boys or even girls that came his way. He wasn't interested in love or friendship.
"Welcome Ming Junyang 0678953" a greeting appeared in dark red light beams on the clean white wall of his living room. The digits were merely an auto-generated code that was assigned as an ID to his saved fingerprint.
"Yes, welcome me, I'm back." he shuffled across the floor, kicking his shoes off just outside his bedroom. Calmly striding into the vacant room, he locked the door. Nobody, and definitely not his servants, required to know his secrets. He flipped the lid on his notebook computer and looked at the screen he had last viewed.
"Not bad, I managed to get myself a B for attendance, even if it wasn't an A+," he exclaimed loudly, surprised he had completed the task at hand before the girl had whammed herself right into him. Things would get better from there, he hoped.
On the contrary, he was one of the top fifty academic scorers in the university. The only problem he had there was attendance. Given his superior grades, he didn't believe in having to 'go to classes' to learn. But somewhere this year, the university went through an abrupt change in management as the previous chancellor retired!
With the new rules in place, his tardiness would not allow him to graduate in time! So why not put his good skills to use, he thought. Still, the university only required him to achieve a B- to be eligible for the academic examinations.
He aimed for an A, and the lecturers were not very observant when it came to attendance, merely remembering him as one of their 'star students'.
He would still attend key lectures which were conducted once to twice a month and contained in-depth discussions and possible examination questions; however, it was not because he needed to, but for him to poke his handsome face into the lecture and prove his intelligence. In some modules, particularly coding, he was the top student.
He hoped he didn't need to see the girl again. Goodness knows what calamity she would bring the next time they met, he thought. Next time, he would aim for a perfect A in his attendance.
Hearing a knock on the door, he opened the door to see his father's trusted assistant, Xu Min, outside the door.
"What is it, Xu Min?" he muttered impatiently. "The old man wants me to go on another blind date to impress his associates again?"
Xu Min's visage looked extremely grave.
"Something happened with the companies," he uttered. "Your father needs the assistance of Xuanren Corporation to save the empire that your great grandfather built. It's not a date, Young Master. It's an engagement that will lead to an arranged marriage, for real."
Junyang absorbed the emotion on Xu Min's young face. In no way could the man be joking. Xu Min hardly smiled. But given the severity of the situation, how could he sit by and watch his great grandfather's hard work crumble to nothing? He tapped his fingers on his lap.
"Very well, Xu Min. I will go and meet this daughter of the CEO of Xuanren Corporation and make a business deal with her."
A devious grin formed on his calm face, and he showed no signs of panic, even after Xu Min had told him about the dangers they were facing. His sharp eyes were cold and ruthless, staring into the void as he casually clenched his fist, holding it in his lap. As handsome as he was, he would not allow himself to be made a tool by anyone, be it his distant father or the CEO of Xuanren Corporation. But being the heir of Ming Yun Group of Companies, Ming Yun was his obligation to save.
Xu Min remained standing in the room. His fingers pressed on a fidget cube that he had in his pocket and beads of perspiration laced his forehead. The man must be hiding something from him.
"What is it, Xu Min?"
"I don't know how long I can hold on," he whispered wearily, before slumping on the floor.
"Xu Min!"
Junyang was indignantly shaking the poor man to tell him what was wrong. He had given himself away so easily, and Junyang was adamant that his conscience was bugging him.
"Xu Min, if you don't tell me what is wrong, I guarantee you will not make a single step out of this room," he uttered, his eyes flashing a deep red to emphasise that he was serious with his threat. Junyang hated it when others didn't give him the treatment he perceived himself to deserve as the heir of Ming Yun. First the girl today had treated him with utter disrespect by kicking him, and now Xu Min was hiding something from him as well!
The room fell silent.
"I will count to five."
"The old master had a stroke," the man finally blurted out, before the noise of a glass vase shattering on the ground filled the air.