Hello! My name is Chang. May I know your name? A man in his late 30s had bumped into Fang on her way to get some items she needed in the house.
She looked at the person who had just said his name, and he did not in any way look familiar to her.
Could it be that he knew her from somewhere and just didn't know her name?
Or could this be another set-up by her ex to lure her into his office for the second time? If that is what this is all about, then he failed because this person wasn't driving and there was no means of taking her to Li Wei's office to start with.
But then, she needed to respond to him to start with.
"Hi, I'm Fang. How can I help you?" She responded calmly.
There's not much you can do for me for now. I just want to get to know this pretty damsel standing in front of me.
"Thanks for the compliment. But I still can't figure out why you would want to get to know a total stranger like me. Secondly, you just stopped my movement, and I don't find that funny at all."
"A stranger, you said. Well, that's the reason why I want to know you better. I'm sorry for stopping you. But can I have your phone contact so we can better communicate on the phone?"
"I don't think that would be necessary.
"Do you live around? I was hoping we could hang out someday if you don't mind."
"Pointless! " She said this as she walked away.
While she walked, Chan was busy admiring her beauty, with so many nasty thoughts going through his mind.
He suspected Fang lived around, but he wasn't sure exactly which of the residential apartments was hers.
He then decided to keep a close watch on her to know which apartment she occupied.
In less than 30 minutes, Fang was already returning from where she had gone to get some things. She looked to see if Chang was still standing there.
When she could not see anyone there, she moved faster so she would not be seen by Chang, thereby not being followed by him either.
Just as she was about to unlock her apartment, she heard her being called. She turned to see who the person was and behold, it was Chang again.
"Are you stalking me? She asked with an unfriendly tone.
"Not stucking you. I live around too, so I noticed you've gotten back from wherever you went, and I decided to come to welcome you back.
"I never asked for that from you or anyone else.
Tell me you didn't hide somewhere just to know where I live."
"There we go. I did. I want to know you, if you don't mind.".
"I do mind. I already told you my name; what more do you want to know about me?
"You just got back. I think I should leave you to have some time to yourself. Have a rest. I don't want to cause you any further stress aside from the one you already went through trying to get the things you are having with you."
"Please leave and don't come back. Stop stalking me because I don't like that."
"I'm leaving right away. But I can't promise you that I won't be coming back. He said this as he smiled at her before leaving.
Fang became troubled after Chang left. She just doesn't know what his next move will be. What if Chang had been sent by Li Wei to keep an eye on her?
What if Wei was trying to play a smart one on her?
She quickly picked up her phone and called her only friend in Country B. Maybe she would have something to say about the whole scenario.
*********
"Hello, Zhang Min," she uttered immediately after the call went through.
"Hello Fang. What's up with you?
"I'm good, Min. Please, can you come over to my place?"
"Right now?"
"Yes. Or are you busy with something?"
"Not really. I'll be with you shortly."
"Alright then, See you soon."
The call went off, and just like Min had promised, she made sure she had come to see her friend, who had requested she come over to her place.
As soon as she got to Fang's house, she made use of the bell that notified Fang that someone was at the door.
She quickly dashed to the door and had it opened for her friend to come in.
"I don't understand why you would just be sounding so serious and urgent whenever you want to see me. Is there a problem?
"I think there is a problem. But I don't think it's all that serious. It's just your opinion I need."
"You shouldn't be thinking; you should know when something is serious and when it's just minor. If it's just my opinion you need, why didn't you say it over the phone?
You just have a way of making me run down here to someone who is going to save a life.
"Of course, you are here to save me from trouble." Mind you, you are spending the night here."
"You dare not ask me to spend the night here; after all, when you called me, you didn't tell me I was coming to spend the night here to start with."
"I didn't tell you because I knew if I had told you, you may decide not to come again or make one flimsy excuse.
Trust me, I always have a way of making you dance to my kind of music," Fang said jokingly.
"That's not true; you know that if you had told me, I would still come. Point of correction: You don't have a way of making me dance to your music; I just don't see myself making you feel sad.
Anything for you, my friend," Zhang muttered.
"You are right to an extent, though. You just said anything for me; does anything include you going to the kitchen right away to get lunch prepared for both of us?
I just got back from the market. I got some items for lunch, but I feel too lazy and tired to get them done. Can you help out, please?
"Fang? Don't tell me cooking was the reason you wanted me to be here in the first place.
You sounded so urgent and serious over the phone, and I know it's unlike you to sound that way if it's just about cooking."
"Yes. You are right. I didn't call you because I wanted you to come prepare lunch. You are here for something more important.
I think someone is stalking me, trying to make use of someone else."
"I don't understand. Who is stalking you?"
"I don't know. But someone stopped me on my way to the market. He said his name was Chang. I told him my name as well, and he requested to have my number with the purpose of getting to know me better. I didn't give him my number.
Getting back from the market, I was just about to unlock my door when I heard somebody call my name aloud, and it was him. Fang narrated her encounter with Chang to her friend.
"So, you don't know this guy from anywhere? Doesn't his face look familiar to you?
"His face was not familiar to me. I haven't seen him before now. With the way he walked up to me from behind and quickly intercepted me, I suspect him to be someone who knows me."
"From someone who knows you? Who could that person be? And where does this Chang guy live?"
"He said he lives around. But I am not sure he told the truth. My instinct tells me he doesn't live here. Maybe whoever sent him must have told him to act like he lives here."
"So tell me, who do you suspect must have asked him to stalk you?"
"I'm suspecting just one person, and that is Li Wei. He is the only person who can do such."
"Li Wei? Your ex? That can't be true. But why is he your major suspect?
"He is my major suspect because he had done something like this to me before after our breakup.
I just feel he's trying to play a smart one on me again."
"Fang, you are getting me confused. I am lost here. Wei did what? Did he stalk you? Or what exactly did he do to you before now, after your breakup with him?"
"I'm so sorry I didn't tell you about it. I had it in mind to do that but at my own convenient time."
"I'm not surprised, though. You always keep things to yourself; until it hurts you, you won't let it out. That is so bad of you."
"Again. I am sorry. Fang pleaded remorsefully.
"It's ok. So what happened?"
"It was last weekend. I received a phone call from someone claiming to be Li Jun. He asked me to come over to the office if there was an emergency.
I reminded him that it was the weekend and I was not supposed to be at work. He pleaded with me and told me I was the only staff member who could handle such a situation.
I quickly dressed up and left to get a cab. While inside the cab, I tried reaching him to let him know that I was already on my way to the office. Unfortunately, his number wasn't connecting.
To worsen the whole drama, I didn't tell the cab driver where I was going. I was busy with my phone, trying to see if I could reach out to Li Jun, and I didn't take note of the route the driver was driving me through.
The next voice I heard was the driver telling me we had gotten to my destination. I raised my head to see an unfamiliar, magnificent building standing beautifully in front of the cab.
The next image I saw was of a pretty damsel who walked to the cab and had it opened for me to get down. I did exactly what she had expected me to do after opening the door.
She introduced herself as President Li Wei's P.A. I saw next a boldly written inscription of Li Wei's cooperation.
It then dawned on me that Wei had played a fast one on me to get me to see him in his office."
"Demn! Are you serious about this whole thing you just told me? Zhang Min asked in disbelief.
"Yes. His P.A. told me he was in his office waiting to see me."
"Wait a minute! Does it mean it was Wei that sent the cab to pick you up?"
"Exactly, he said he did. And his reason for bringing me to his office is to tell me to quit my job and think of a business to venture into.
He offered me a huge amount of money to start up any business of my choice, and he was going to make sure he saw to the wide recognition of the business."
"I don't just get what stopped him from helping you out when you two were still dating. Or did it just occur to him now that he was supposed to do that?"
"According to him, he was sorry for not doing all of that before now. Secondly, I'm too good for him; he just got tired of playing with my feelings."
"That beast! Who knows? Maybe he's looking for a way to come back to you. But I hope you didn't accept his offer.
"I didn't accept. So I just have this feeling that he is the one trying to do this again."
"You can't be so sure, Fang. This guy may be saying the truth about him living around."
"I don't think so. If he lives around here, how come his face is not in any way familiar to me?"
"Maybe he's new here; you never can tell."
"For the phone call, who made it? Have you confirmed with your boss's younger brother if he was the one who called?"
"Wei did. He asked his financial secretary to make the call. You know, I did tell him everything about my workplace.
I once told him about Li Jun being my boss's younger brother, whom I haven't seen once, and how my boss was planning on going on vacation and having his brother fill in for him till he returned."
"I see where that beast got such a crafty strategy from. He's so full of himself."
"Yes. I still have to get to the bottom of this. I need to know who this person is."
"I will help you out. But we can only find out who this stalker is when we get close to him.
Don't try to chase him away, because if you do, you won't find out anything.
"Alright then. I won't. Do I give him my number just to hasten up everything?"
"That's part of what has to be done. For this purpose, I should stay here with you over the weekend since you don't work on weekends, so we can execute our plan real quickly.
"There is something strange about this Chang guy, though."
"That is why I am here for you; we are going to find out everything about him sooner. Trust me." Zhang Min assured her friend.
"I do trust you, though. Before then, please, lunch still has to be prepared by you."
"I know. But you still have to join me in the kitchen to help me out with some things. What exactly are we preparing?
"Let's prepare peppered spaghetti."
"Alright then, let's move to the kitchen."