"Lily? What's up?"
I answered immediately because…well, it was common courtesy and I didn't want to keep her waiting. I hadn't seen her much since the exorcism. She was supposed to be resting, but a lot of time has passed since I went to Province Y. I did check up on her when I returned, and it appeared that she had been busy while I was away.
As she had promised, she wanted to rely on her own power to achieve her own goals instead of relying on a CEO lover like Lily Bai tried to do.
"Trevor, do you have a bit of time?" Lily Ling asked from the other side of the phone. "Right now, I mean?"
"I guess so? I just finished work. What's up?"
"I just wanted to consult you on something if you don't mind," Lily explained. "Regarding my current career and all that. I just needed somebody who knows what's going on to listen to me and provide some advice."
"Sure. Go ahead."
"Um, I would prefer to do it in person rather than over the phone. So if you don't mind, I've booked a place at Chao's Café. It serves Western food, if that's all right with you."
"Yeah, that's fine." I wasn't very fussy. I had a preference for Asian food (which was very broad since it included everything from Japanese, Chinese, Indian and Singaporean/Malaysian cuisine to perhaps Korean and Thai), but I didn't mind Western food. I was perfectly comfortable with pasta or steak and potato (actually, I prefer fish and chips since I was a seafood kind of person). That said, I was wondering why Chao's Café would be serving Western food. I guess they just named it after the owner. "I'll be there in a second."
Flipping my car key, I unlocked the doors and climbed in, the electric engine already automatically starting as I got into the driver's seat. I switched on the onboard global positioning system and typed in Chao's Café. Immediately, across the windshield, a holographic map outlaid over the glass and directed me across a glowing route.
I then drove off.
At that time, I didn't know it, but perhaps this detour saved my life.
*
"Where is the target? I don't see him anywhere."
"Strange. He should have returned home from work now. This is the route he usually takes when going home from work, correct?"
"According to the GPS data, this is the shortest route from the naval shipyard to his home, unless he took a wrong turn or a detour. Even so, he should still pass by this road."
"So where is he?"
The sniper and the spotter were arguing amongst themselves. They had set up on a rooftop of a skyscraper, preparing the M422 Maser laser sniper rifle. They were scanning the roads with long-range sensors and magnification lenses, but found no sign of their target. It was almost as if he wasn't going home.
But they were pretty sure from intelligence sources that he had already left his workplace. The data wasn't perfect because the assassins from Country A weren't able to infiltrate agents into the naval shipyards, which had extremely tight security systems in place. They had tried over the years, but the security system had shut them out every time, detecting flaws in the local agents that they had tried to seed and cultivate over the years.
Even so, they were fairly certain that their target was no longer working.
"Did he go somewhere else after work?" The sniper asked. The spotter shrugged.
"Maybe. We don't have the full picture yet. Normally we would have a few weeks to scout around, to try and tail the target and determine his habits. To find out which route he usually takes. We don't even know if this is the route he normally takes in the first place."
"Why did the boss order a sniper hit so soon? We only just arrived this morning." The sniper sounded annoyed.
"That traitor he contacted to establish a cooperative relationship with, was pressuring the boss."
"Ah, that…what was his name? Justin Han? The CEO of Han Industries?"
"That's the one," the spotter confirmed. "He has a grudge against our target, something to do with the target stealing his business from the military and costing him profits."
"What an idiot." The sniper shook his head. "Instead of looking at himself and finding out how to improve his sales and products, he only knows how to blame other people. Like, what sort of idiot tries to sabotage the competition by assassinating his rival instead of…you know, learning from him? The military isn't going to be happy."
"Yeah, it's like a pharmaceutical company destroying another for producing a vaccine for a current pandemic because they fear that their rivals will dominate the medicine market. It's shortsighted, greedy and self-centered. They don't care about their customers or other people, they just want to hang on to their hegemony in the market."
"The evils of capitalism," the sniper agreed, ironically because Country A was supposed to be the biggest advocate of capitalism. After a couple of centuries of failures and financial crises, though, the cracks were showing and the system was in the verge of collapsing. It all began with a single spark – of hedge funds going bankrupt and Wall Street going into meltdown when Reddit raised the prices of Gamestop shares.
Now only the most delusional would insist that capitalism was the best system for the world. No, it was the best system only for the rich and powerful. Everyone else was screwed over.
"So what do we do now, sergeant?" The sniper asked. The sergeant shook his head.
"I guess we wait until three in the morning. If he still doesn't show up, we'll retreat and report back to the boss."
They waited until the wee hours of the morning before packing up and departing the rooftop. During all that time, their target didn't show up at all.
*
Unaware of what was going on, I had shown up in Chao's Café. Lily was already waiting for me there, sipping from a cup of coffee.
"Would you want some coffee too?" She asked. I shook my head.
"I'll have tea instead. Milk tea." I quickly added when the waitress came over with a tablet to take my order. She nodded and gestured to the holographic tablet projected from the side of the table.
"The menu is there, but if you have anything you need, please hail us."
"Thank you." I nodded and scanned the menu. As I did so, I diverted half of my attention toward Lily. "Have you already ordered?"
"Yes, but I told them to wait because I'm waiting for you. We'll order together." Lily nodded and smiled. I didn't take too long. I just grabbed fish and chips and mango ice cream (because mango was my favorite flavor).
"Um, you said earlier that you wanted to consult me on…your career or something?" I asked after tapping the holographic screen and confirming my order. The glowing screen vanished, leaving us to a nicely decorated table.
"That's right." Lily sighed. "As you know, my body was taken over by Lily Bai earlier, after I almost drowned. A lot of things happened, but long story short, I am no longer running Ling Electronics. I've been stripped by my position by my stepmother, stepsister and cousins, who want to hoard power for themselves. I believe they even took away my inheritance. So I'm actually in a pretty bad spot right now. Of course, my father still gives me an allowance and he will leave me a fortune, but no managing, no businesses for me. At least not under the Ling family."
"That's…bad." I gulped. Then I had an idea. "Are you…perhaps looking to work with me? Join my company?"
This wasn't because I favored her or anything. From working with Lily, I knew how competent she was. She would be a great asset to my company, especially if she helped the overworked William Wang, who was doing several jobs by himself. It would take a load off him if she joined as my secretary or aide. And she had an impeccable record during her time managing Ling Electronics.
Good thing I had established a good relationship with Bu Businesses. Bu Fan was now providing most of the components, which meant I could pull out of the business deal with Ling Electronics. Which I intended to do after the way Lily's family treated her. Screw them.
"Nah, that's quite all right. I appreciate the offer, but I'm not looking to go back into management."
"Huh?!" I was completely taken by surprise. My jaw dropped and I stared at Lily in disbelief. "Then what will you do?"
"Well, thanks to Lily Bai, I somehow managed to get into a studio and I'm an actress now." Lily shrugged. "I even somehow managed to contract the agent who worked for Lily Bai before. Victoria Lai. She's very reliable and has managed many superstars before…I still don't understand how Lily Bai managed to persuade her to be an agent for a rookie like me, but…I guess she has her skills and methods."
The tone of her voice suggested that Lily Bai made use of connections and politics that she had mastered during her past life. There was no disapproval – after all, Lily Ling did the exact same thing when managing her electronics business. There was no way to avoid politics.
"Okay?" I wasn't sure where this conversation was going, so Lily plunged straight to the point.
"I don't know, but I think I want to stay in this entertainment business. Become a real actress."
"Really?" My eyes widened. "But…do you have the training for it?"
"I do have some of Lily Bai's memories, which I've been using to practice and learn." Lily Ling offered a guilty smile. "If there was some good to come out of that, it's the attainment of her memories of acting. Of course, I'm not perfect and I need a lot more practice…" She winced. "…something that Victoria has been quick to criticize me on. But I think I can do it."
"Sure, if that's how you feel." I nodded. "I think you should do what you want to do."
"Thank you." Lily rewarded me with a smile. "I still feel a bit anxious, though. I've never acted before. What if I fail?"
"You won't fail…"
"Cut the bullshit. Both you and I know that's not true. I'm not saying I'll definitely fail, but there's a high chance that I will." Lily frowned. "Not everyone can be a successful actor, you know? Otherwise everyone would become one."
"Well, you have the looks," I said without thinking. "That's a big advantage."
Fortunately, Lily wasn't offended. She wasn't naïve enough to think that she could get by based on her skills alone. She nodded hesitantly.
"Perhaps so, but there are a lot of beautiful actors too. Having a pretty face and good body isn't enough. I'll have to stand out in an industry where competition is fierce."
"Isn't that the same for running a business?" I pointed out. Then I shrugged. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not pressuring you to be an actress. I'm just saying…uh, weighing the pros and cons, I guess?"
"I understand." Lily smiled. "And I appreciate it. You raise good points. But don't forget that I've been learning business my whole life, under my dad and in the kind of environment I was raised in. Acting, on the other hand, is something new altogether. I just…feel uneasy, you know?"
"I know." I then spread my hands. "But look at me. I'm not a businessman. I'm an engineer who wanted to build robots. But I ended up owning a company right now. So…it really isn't solely about what you've been learning to do your whole life, right?"
"True." Lily leaned back in her seat and considered for a moment. She then smiled again. "Thank you. I feel a bit better now, after talking to you."
"Glad to help." I raised my cup and sipped some tea. "If you need somebody to talk to, I'm always here to listen. Don't hold back. I can't do anything, but at least you'll feel better if you let out what's been bothering you."
"Thanks. I appreciate the offer." Lily's smile had now turned mischievous. "But don't regret it."
"Huh?"
"Because…" Lily giggled. "It's going to be a long night."