"Yes! We got our first contract!"
Cheering, I spun around and gave William a high five. He beamed back at me broadly, unable to suppress his emotions.
"Great work! Good thing you patented your energy shield generator…they'll have to pay us royalties if they want to manufacture it themselves!"
"It's not just my shield generator. It's our shield generator. You're the other half of Shen Industries. This whole thing wouldn't be possible without you!"
"Ah…thanks." William looked embarrassed. "But you're the one who built it. I didn't do anything. I couldn't even tell a spanner apart from a screwdriver."
I was pretty sure William wasn't that bad. I mean, he could operate a plasma torch. He was definitely exaggerating. Nonetheless, I smiled.
"I would never have been able to handle the paperwork myself. You're a great help in that regard." I then turned to Lily Ling, who had followed us out of the auditorium. "I also have to thank you. If it weren't for those disposed components that you provided…"
"Nah, like I said, we were going to throw them out anyway. You were merely making use of our garbage."
One man's trash was another man's treasure. If it weren't for Lily offering me her company's refuse, I wouldn't have been able to complete the shield generator. I owed her a lot.
As if she knew this, Lily smiled and wagged a finger at me.
"If you want to repay me, then you'll have to remember our appointment on Saturday! Don't forget to come to my house." Then she frowned. "No, I'll have someone pick you up instead. Text me your home address later."
"Okay. Thanks."
William Wang raised an eyebrow and grinned at me, but he didn't say anything. The both of us watched Lily step into a limousine, which had drove through the gates of the army camp to pick her up. The sleek, black vehicle drove off, leaving the both of us behind.
We had a relatively long walk to the bus station, after which we would have to transfer to the train station. Sometimes, I envied those with cars.
But with the contract we had just received, buying a car for our own use in future wouldn't be too far off.
*
Friday was over soon enough (we managed to pay the rent without issue), and both William and I celebrated by watching a movie in the apartment we shared. With the promise to visit Lily's house tomorrow – I had agreed to meet her parents during the weekend, and the next day was Saturday – I decided to turn in early. In the morning, I would have to video call my parents, and then prepare for the visit.
I had managed to get them a gift before I went off, having dropped by a cake shop to grab some decorative confectionaries. Placing them in a lovely box, I placed them in the fridge.
"Don't forget the gift to Ms. Ling's parents!" William reminded me as I stumbled out of my room, still struggling with my tie. Once again, I had to borrow his suit and blazer, and I felt like a fish out of water.
"Oh, right. Thanks!"
I hurried to the refrigerator, grabbed the box of cakes, and then proceeded to the door. Before I exited, I spun around and saluted.
"Wish me luck!"
"Good luck!" William couldn't hide his amusement, and for a comment I felt like punching my best friend. I held in my rage, though. If I were in his shoes, I would probably be laughing my head off at myself too.
I hurried downstairs where, as promised, a limousine awaited. Lily had evidently instructed her driver to pick me up, and when he saw me, he stepped outside and waved.
"Over here, Mr. Shen."
"Thanks."
I boarded the limousine, feeling self-conscious, and then shut the door.
Once he had ensured that I was strapped in comfortably, the driver also boarded the car. He stepped on the accelerator and the limousine jerked forward with a sly growl. The luxurious vehicle sped across the road, drawing lots of stares. Fortunately, I remained concealed behind those darkened windows, otherwise I would be a lot more self-conscious than I currently was.
It didn't take long before the limousine exited the expressway and drove straight to an estate on the far edge of town. I stared out of the windows in amazement. The Ling manor resembled a damned palace, with wide acres of garden spread out beneath its fences and a massive house at the back. The road from the front gate to the main mansion was so far that it required transport by car…otherwise it would take a good fifteen to twenty minutes by foot.
"We are here, sir."
The driver pulled the limousine to a stop by the entrance. I snapped out of my stupor and sat up straight, pushing the door open before the driver could disembark and open it for me. Well, I wasn't born rich, so I had no idea of the etiquette and stuff. I was used to opening the doors by myself. I mean, even in the taxis and Ubers I had hired, I always had to open the doors myself.
"Thank you!"
The driver looked surprised, but he was a professional and he hid it well enough. He tipped his cap and then drove the limousine off. I gulped and carried the box of cakes toward the huge door before I knocked on it.
The doors slid open and Lily stood in the entrance, smiling brightly. She reached out and grabbed my hands.
"You really came, Trevor!"
"…weren't you the one who asked me to come in the first place?"
"Yeah." Lily giggled. She then pulled me through the foyer and toward the hall. "This way! My parents are waiting!"
Leon Ling and Wendy Lim were seated in a couch, sipping tea in a relaxed manner. They regarded me when I entered the hall with Lily, and I felt as if I was a virus underneath the lenses of an electron microscope.
"Mr. and Mrs. Ling." I bowed my head politely, and then held out the box of cakes. "This is for you."
"Thank you." Wendy rose to her feet and accepted the gift, placing the box on the table. She opened it up and gushed. "My, how thoughtful of you!"
"Not at all."
"Where are those cakes from?"
This time, the question came from none other than Linda Ling. I narrowed my eyes as I raised my head, catching sight of her and her husband, Charles Mu, swaggering toward the hall. They took one look at the cakes and snickered, but didn't say anything.
At their question, Wendy studied the box, her eyes flitting toward the name of the brand etched at the bottom.
"Prima Deli?"
Her lips pursed, but I didn't have to be a mind-reader to tell that she didn't approve. Perhaps it was a bad idea to buy something from the cake shop downstairs, but what did she expect? Oh…maybe a super-expensive cake from a world-class hotel or something.
I guess the rich had completely different standards.
"Don't worry, Mom!" Charles was smiling in a mocking tone. "It's the thought that counts!"
"Yes, I suppose." Wendy was being diplomatic, but her tone was partially frosty. But it was nothing compare to the intense scrutiny that Leon was putting me under.
"Lily…is this really the man you choose?"
"Yes, of course." Lily met her father's gaze evenly. "What's the matter, Dad?"
"I don't mean to sound rude or presumptuous." Leon shifted his stare to me. "Forgive me, but you must understand…I only want the best for my daughter. That's why I conducted an investigation on you. Your company is on the verge of bankrupt, you have plenty of debt because of the bank loans you took out, and you're not doing very well financially. Not only that, you don't have any status, assets or property. Your family is normal…lower middle class. You do not have any pedigree or bloodline."
"Dad!" Lily protested hotly. Wendy shook her head and looked at her stepdaughter sternly.
"Lily, your father is considering all this for your own good."
"So you would rather I marry a playboy like Justin Han or a molester like Benjamin Bo?"
Both Leon and Wendy winced and looked away. The Ling patriarch cleared his throat.
"As a matter of fact, Mr. Bo did approach me to ask for your hand in marriage."
"And you think my marrying him is for my own good?" Lily's voice was hard. "A person who sexually harassed and touched me inappropriately, who resorted to violence to beating up the people close to me? A person who constantly abused me and treat me like nothing more than an object?"
"If he were to be your future husband, then there is nothing inappropriate about the way he touches you," Wendy began. Lily glared at her stepmother.
"Are you seriously saying that, Mom? So as long as he is rich and handsome, and he ends up marrying me, he can get away with anything? What will happen if he ends up assaulting you or Dad just because he disagrees with me?"
"He won't do that…"
"He won't? He's already doing that to the people around me. He just hasn't done anything to you yet because he needs your approval for marriage."
Wendy looked like she wanted to say something more, but she didn't. She looked away instead.
"Now, now…" Leon cleared his throat. "Putting Mr. Bo aside, I cannot approve of this relationship. Right now, Mr. Shen over there doesn't have the ability to take care of you."
"Why do I need him to take care of me?" Lily retorted, leaning back and folding her arms. "Why do I even need anyone – or a husband – to take care of me in the first place? I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself."
"Preposterous! It's the husband's duty to provide for his wife!" Leon slammed his hand against the table before pointing at me. "He can't even provide for you right now, how is he supposed to support you?"
"I'll provide for my husband instead," Lily replied stiffly. "I have the ability, after all. It's already the twenty-second century, anyway. That kind of misogynistic mindset is outdated. Wives can support husbands now, can make more money than their husbands. Absolutely nothing wrong with that. We have already achieved gender equality by the middle of the previous century. Why are you still thinking like men from two centuries ago?"
"No! I don't approve!" Leon insisted stubbornly, his nostrils flaring. Lily bit her lip and glared back, entering some sort of staring contest with her father.
"Now, now…Dad, I think you should give Mr. Shen a chance to prove himself at least. Sister seems very determined about this. You should be delighted to help her find her happiness."
To everyone's surprise, it was Linda who spoke up in my behalf. I blinked and stared at her suspiciously, but she maintained a condescending smile.
This girl was definitely scheming something.