Yu Han rubbed his eyes and shifted his gaze towards the tall window in front of him, battling to shake off the remnants of sleep's tight grasp. Cautiously, he twisted around, anxious not to disturb his companion, only to be met with the disappointment of her absence.
With a sudden jolt, he sat upright, his large hand resting on the vacant pillow's plush surface. Scanning the room, he lingered in the hope of discovering some clue of the elusive woman who had spent the night with him, yet she had expertly obliterated any sign of her presence from his hotel room.
Letting out a sigh of frustration, the young man ran his fingers through the disheveled tangle of his soft, black locks, pushing them aside from his dark eyes. Then, he covered his face with both hands, erupting into a fit of uncontrollable laughter.
"Seriously, this can't be happening again! Haha!"
His lively session of laughter was abruptly cut short by a gentle knock that filtered into the hotel room from the opposite side of the door, followed by the deep, masculine voice that uttered,
"Boss, it's me, are you awake?"
Yu Han glanced at the digital alarm clock beside his bed, realizing that his driver, the zealous fitness enthusiast that he was, must have been up for a while, likely itching to return to his regular duties after finishing his routine workout.
"Yeah, come on in, Austin."
The room reverberated with the distinctive melody of the hotel door being unlocked with the card key, welcoming Christopher Austin, Zhou Yu Han's personal chauffeur, already donned in his customary understated black suit, the gleam of his car keys dangling from his left index finger as he stepped inside.
"Alone? So the woman was smart enough to run away, huh? I admire that."
Austin took a seat on the armchair next to the bed and offered his employer a mocking look which the latter accepted with a similar mocking grimace and a long sigh,
"Yeah... And this is already the second time I've lost her."
The driver arched his eyebrows in bewilderment.
"What do you mean? Do you actually know her?"
Shaking his head, Yu Han settled back against the headboard, crossing his arms over his bare chest.
"Ugh, forget that. What's the plan for today? I bet old fart Zhou's crammed it with pointless meetings and such."
Austin slipped his hand into the inner pocket of his jacket but hesitated, offering a rather disapproving comment,
"You do realize I'm not your personal secretary, right? If you're planning to stick around, you better find someone for that role soon."
With a nonchalant shrug, the young man flashed a carefree smile.
"Anyway… So, what's the plan for today?"
"Tsk."
Finally retrieving his phone from his pocket, the driver began scrolling through his notes, his thick eyebrows knitting together as he paused at the last entry he had made.
"The only thing on the docket today is... the meeting with the Zhang family."
Yu Han shifted his gaze to the scenery outside the window, briefly closing his eyes before releasing another weary sigh as he answered,
"The vultures' den, huh? Well, let's get ourselves prepped, then."
***
"You had a one-night stand with some random guy from the bar?!"
Ren Ying winced, pulling her phone away from her ear as her friend's loud voice nearly pierced her eardrum.
"Yan Mei! Remember our agreement about phone calls? Take it out to the hall!"
A stern masculine voice echoed through Ren Ying's phone, followed by Yan Mei's quick apology, as she continued their conversation in a hushed tone.
"I was so taken aback, my boss gave me an earful! What the heck, Ren Ying? Who was the guy you hooked up with?"
Ren Ying removed the damp towel from her head, relishing the cool touch of her long, wet hair against the skin of her shoulders. She then collapsed onto her friend's couch, shutting her eyes and releasing a long, heavy breath.
"I have no clue, Mei Mei… I bolted the minute I woke up. And you know how my memory wipes out chunks when I'm that wasted."
"Right… Geez, you really know how to keep things interesting, Ying Ying. So, you didn't even sneak a peek at his face?"
Yan Mei's innocent curiosity elicited a soft chuckle from the woman. Deep down, she was just as eager to discover the identity of the audacious individual who had managed to break down her inhibitions and drive her to such bold actions. Nevertheless, regardless of her own inquisitiveness, that knowledge would have still amounted to naught.
Her life was already entangled in enough complications, leaving little room to squander any more precious time on the aftermath of one-night stands.
"Ugh... His shoulders were quite impressive, and the hair wasn't half bad either... Mei Mei... Oh well. What's done is done. I'd much prefer wiping this memory clean from my mind as well. Besides, there's more pressing news to focus on anyway."
Yan Mei's voice swelled once more as she exclaimed,
"Oh? What's up?"
"I got invited for a job interview today!"
"Seriously? That's fantastic, Ying Ying! Where at?"
Ren Ying stole a fleeting glance at the tablet screen, an online article open before her, pausing briefly before responding,
"That's the thing… I have no idea. I don't even recall sending my resume there. I attempted to look them up online, but all I could gather was that they're some sort of newly minted financial company."
Yan Mei responded with a long, contemplative hum.
"Well, isn't that a good thing? At least that witch Mrs. Yang or whatever won't be able to meddle there, and I bet your corporate expertise will be valued there a lot!"
Just as Ren Ying was about to nod in agreement with her friend's point, another voice interrupted, calling out to Yan Mei, insisting that she return to work at once.
"Ugh, sorry, Ying Ying, got to get back to it. Good luck with the interview, and we'll catch up when I'm back!"
"Sure thing, have a great day."
The woman peered at her phone's black screen for a few more moments, seemingly uncertain of her next move. Just as she was about to stow it away, the device vibrated, signaling a new message. She released another weighty sigh, her eyebrows furrowing as her eyes scanned through the message's contents.
"I won't be home today. Come pick up your stuff anytime. Jie."
Ren Ying sprawled atop the couch, her gaze locked onto the pristine expanse of the ceiling. Anxious and agitated, her heart raced within her chest alongside the restless flow of her frantic thoughts.
"That's right... It's not over yet."