"What do you mean?" Cai Rongyan asks, raising an eyebrow. He can sense something weird coming from her. His eyes narrow.
"I met an angel in the forest who promised to teach me!" she says.
He chuckles lightly and stands up from the bench.
"Well, that's good news." He says sarcastically, crossing his arms. "You should just focus on your studies," he says sternly.
She lets out an exasperated sigh.
"That's no fun."
"How much longer will you be staying here?" he asks, changing the subject.
"I want to find the boss!" she exclaims.
He furrows his brow.
"Why?"
"'Cause..." she pauses, trying to find the right words, "... I don't feel like I belong anywhere else..."
"And what makes you believe that he's looking for you?" he challenges.
"Because... because he said he wants me!" She says firmly, "And besides..." she adds quickly, "he told me not to worry 'bout it, and I trusted him!"
"Ha!" Cai Rongyan snorts in a proud manner. "There's no way the boss is looking for you! He dislikes interacting with women! He probably brought me to be your nanny because you're a pitiful foreigner who ran away from home!" he says. "I'd bet a million yuan that he's still hiding his whereabouts!"
Harriet clenches her fist angrily. 'Just what the hell is wrong with that guy?' she thinks. She bites her tongue. This guy really irritates her. 'This isn't fair!' she screams internally. She's angry at him, but she knows deep inside that there isn't much she can do.
She opens her mouth to speak but then decides she has no more words to say to him. If anything, she's tired of dealing with him and wants to know where the boss is.
"Look, all I wanted to tell you was that I'm leaving now..." she says, getting up.
"Wait!" Cai Rongyan reaches for her arm, but Harriet pulls it back and pushes herself past him. 'Damn him. He's annoying me so much! What a jerk!'
Harriet walks passed the employees in the building, prompting some to gossip. Though most of them are too busy working to care, she's just walking without much opposition. She walks up to the conference room and knocks loudly.
Du Zuolin comes out of the room. He stops cold when he sees her.
"Miss Harriet?" he asks, surprised.
"Mr. Du," she smiles nervously.
"Why are you here?" he asks.
"I... I have something important I need to talk to you about."
His face becomes dark. The other men inside the room start to file out. The door closes shut, and it remains that way.
"Now, what is it you need?" Du Zuolin asks impatiently.
"Listen, it's about something very personal..."
"I don't have any time for that right now..."
"Just listen to me, okay?" she pleads, stepping close to him.
"You can do this at my home. Not at work," he says.
She hesitates and looks down at the floor. "Yeah, okay."
"Good. I'll send someone to escort you."
******
At home, they sit across from each other in the dining area.
"What do you need to say?" Du Zuolin asks again.
"I didn't know you were working; you looked like you were talking with your friends!" she says, her voice indignant.
Du Zuolin gives her an irritated look. "I wasn't speaking to my friends. They are just collaborators to my company."
"Are they your friends?"
"Yes, they are."
"But you just told me that they're just a bunch of workers..."
"Look, I know there's a lot you don't understand, and I know that I've basically kidnapped you here, but I need you here. Just behave and try to live normally; stop fuzzing around and doing other things," he says.
"Fine."
"Okay. Now, what did you want to ask me?" he asks.
"Uhh, can you please spend time with me?" she asks, fidgeting nervously. "I appreciate you being willing to help me study..."
"Why would I waste time with a useless little girl like you?"
Harriet's eyes widen, and she shoots up to her feet. "Don't you dare call me worthless!" she shouts, stomping her foot. "I'm doing things!"
"You haven't even... just study and be normal," he says.
"Shut up and listen to me!" she yells again.
"Fine, if you're gonna act like that, I might as well show you how a real man treats a woman." he stands up and grabs her wrist.
"Do you want to know why you're here?" he asks, pulling her closer. "Why would anyone bring a peasant like you into their own house? Or are you telling me you think I'm just a poor excuse for a man?"
Harriet tries to pull her wrist out of his grip. "No! You're nothing like me!" she protests.
"I'm no pet," she says.
Zuolin sighs, patting her head. "Then do well in school tomorrow," he says.
"Okay," Harriet mumbles, and he lets go of her wrist.
"Go get ready to sleep. Tomorrow I'll take you out to a nice restaurant."
"Really?" She grins, clapping her hands together.
"Yes. Don't make me regret taking you along."
"I won't!"
"Okay," he says softly, walking away.
Harriet sits back down at the table, grinning happily to herself.
***
After breakfast the next day, Harriet goes over to the library. Once again, she finds herself standing by the window. It's getting cloudy outside, and she has seen Cai Rongyan yet today.
Her thoughts turned to the conversation with Cai Rongyan yesterday. He said he didn't believe that the boss would be looking for her. But does that matter? If the master does come for her, will he let her keep doing what she does?
'I need to prove to the strange man that I'm no pet; I can survive in this world,' she mutters to herself.
She has already made several attempts to escape from the mansion, and there has been no result. There's nowhere to run anyway since every person who enters or leaves this place is monitored.
She hears footsteps approaching behind her, and she turns around. Cai Rongyan comes walking towards her.
She shakes her head sadly. She feels really sorry for him. He seems really lonely.
He places a plate on top of the desk. A piece of bread and two pieces of fruit are sitting there.
"Please don't starve yourself," he says.
"Thank you," she replies, smiling. He nods once and then turns around and disappears.
Harriet stares at his food and picks up one of the pieces of fruit. It's juicy and bright red. She takes a big bite out of it and chews slowly.
'Even the fruits are weird.'
"Hiya! Want to go with me?" she's suddenly hugged from behind.
"Nuying," she moans.
The hug tightens.
"You know, it would be a pretty good idea to leave right about now." she continues.
"I thought you wanted to go out?" Nuying asks.
She rolls her eyes. "I meant after breakfast."
"Aw, c'mon... it's the perfect time to go to the extracurriculars!"
"Huh? You mean those classes I don't have?"
"Well yeah, but not just those! Other courses too... like math and science."
"Oh, fine..." she sighs exasperatedly, putting down her fork. She gets up from the chair and stretches her arms. "It's better than staying here all day anyway," she remarks.
"Awesome! Let's go!" Nuying cheers excitedly.
"Okay, okay." Harriet groans, letting Nuying drag her away.
"Hurry up before I change my mind!" she exclaims.
"I will; I will!" Harriet hurries after Nuying.
They walk hand in hand until they reach the extra curricular's classroom.
When they arrive, they walk straight inside without saying hello to anyone. They see a girl named Jia Lin sitting in front of the class. She looks up when Nuying and Harriet enter the classroom.
"Ah, you're finally here!" she exclaims.
'Who?'