Mei Xia lay on the bed, her face pale and exhausted. Dark circles framed her tired eyes, and her once neat hair was now tangled. The doctor checked her vitals with a concerned expression, while her friends stood by, worry etched on their faces. Despite her obvious fatigue, a flicker of determination remained in her eyes, hinting at her resilient spirit.
'. So how's she?'. Fan Yin asked with his face filled with concern. The doctor gets up from his position and gives a deep sigh.
'. Luckily it's nothing serious!'. He said.
'. So is she going to be fine?'. Mulang asked as his voice became deeper.
'. Yes, she will! She only suffers from little injuries that might take at least two weeks to recover from!'. The doctor gently wears his stethoscope around his neck and picks up his medical box.
'. Well, that's good!'. Fan Yin sighed.
'. Though she isn't seriously injured, she still needs rest and should avoid strenuous activities!'.
'. Okay, doctor!'. Fan Yin nodded.
'. I will ask the nurse to send your medication!'. He said.
'. I don't think there's a need for that!'. Mr Rong pushes Mr Ái in a wheelchair into the room, filling the room with a sense of authority.
'. Mr Ái!'. They bowed towards him.
'. Mr Ái, why shouldn't I give Miss Xia the medication?'. The doctor asked with his head still bowed.
'. She will be fine!'. Mr Ái smiled as he held her hands.
'. Grandpa..!'. She slowly opened her eyes.
'. You're awake!'.
'. Hmm!'. She gave a slight nod.
'. Chuxi!'. Mr Ái called.
'. Yes sir!'. She bowed as she answered him.
'. See the doctor out!'.
'. Yes sir!'. Chuxi stretched out her hand towards the door with a bow. The doctor leaves the room with Chuxi behind him.
'. We should give the relatives some privacy!'. Fan Yin whispered to Mulang.
'. Mr Ái, we should take our leave now!'. They gave a bow and Fan Yin held Mulang's hand pulling him out of the room.
'. Grandpa!'. She gently sits up with Mr Ái assisting her.
'. Why didn't you tell me what happened to you?'. He softly asked.
'. Grandpa, look at me now I am fine, there's nothing to worry about!'. She held his hand and gave a calm smile.
'. You remind me of your father, he never let out his worries nor asked for help even if he needed one!'. He sighed.
'. Grandpa, you don't have to worry about me! I already became ZGDX President!, you should reward me for my hard work!'. She smiled at him.
'. Well, there are lots of rewards you can get! so tell me!'. Mr Ái smiled graciously.
'. Well,..'. She looked up, and gently shook her head having some thoughts.
'. She's being careful about what to ask for!'. Mr Ái whispered to Mr Rong who stood beside him.
'. I found one!'. She turned happily towards him.
'. And what is it?'. His look expressed 'What could she possibly ask for?'.
'. I want a villa! a big one and a few expensive cars!'. She smiled sneakily.
'. Are you sure that's what you want?'. He asked giving her a second chance to rethink.
'. Of course, the company is far away from here, I can't keep up if it continues like this!'.
'. If so then!'. He signals Mr Rong, who quietly leaves the room.
A few minutes later, Mr Rong walks in holding a document. He gently hands them to Miss Xia.
'. What's this?'. She slowly opened the document.
'. What you asked for!'. Mr Ái said with a calm smile.
'. This is....'. Her mouth slowly widened giving out a huge smile.
'. Rose Bloom Villa!!'. She shouted happily.
'. Oh, look at my girl!'. Mr Ái smiled.
'. How could you...!'. She was shut of words as she read through the documents.
'. Let's say for some weird reasons, I knew you were going to ask for this so I had it prepared earlier!'.
'. Rose Bloom Villa!, a Lamborghini Veneno, a Rolls-Royce Sweptail and Bugatti La Voiture Noire!!'. She sat there in shock with her eyeballs flashing in luxuries.
'. If you need more, I don't mind getting you more!'.
'. There's no need for that! this is enough!'. She smiled.
'. You can take them as your 18th birthday gifts!'.
'. 18th birthday?....that's like 6 years ago!'.
'. I didn't celebrate your birthday, so I hope you will accept this!'. He said.
'. Oh Grandpa!'. She moved closer and hugged him.
'. I know am the best!'. He smiled.
'. Thank you so much!'. She frees him from the hug.
'. My granddaughter deserves everything!'.
'. Well if these are my 18th birthday gifts, what about my 24th birthday gift!'. She gave a sneaky smile with her eyebrows upwards.
'. You can ask for anything!'.
'. How about the moon!'. She teases him.
'. The moon?..if you want it, I don't mind taking you there!'. He smiled.
'. Thanks, Grandpa!'. She places her head on his chest with tears rolling down her eyes.
'. It's okay!'. He softly taps her back.
'. You don't have to give me the moon, having you by my side is already enough!'.
'. Don't worry I will always be here for you!'. He said.
'. Isn't Rose Bloom Villa too much?...that Villa is worth billions and it was your first project after you began ZGDX!'.
'. You don't have to worry about that, giving it to you leaves me with joy!'.
'. If so!'. She smiles as she takes her head off his chest and sits properly.
'. You should leave the company for now and have some rest!'.
'. Hmm!.... Grandpa, you should also have some rest and leave the company's issue to me!'. She said.
'. Who am I not to listen to this angel!'. Mr Rong gently pushed Mr Ái out of the room. He stops seeing Mr. Ái signal. He turns back at Miss Xia.
'. Be careful from now on. When the cheese is placed on the table, the mouse never actually comes until midnight!'. He signals Mr Rong to take him out and they leave the room. Mei Xia sighs. She picks up the documents and takes a second look at them. She smiles gracefully.
Heavy foot stamps shook the ground as Mrs Lun stormed towards Mr Hun's office. The office secretary tried stopping her but she was shoved out of the way. She opened the door furiously and walked straight to Mr Hun.
'. Oh, there you are!'. Mr Hun spread out his hands, expecting a hug from Mrs Lun.
'. How incompetent you are!!'. She landed a slap on his face. Mr Hun stood there in shock.
'. You said you had things under control!'. She yelled at him. Mr Hun stood there without even saying a word.
'. I shouldn't have trusted you!!'. She said.
'. Lun Weishan!'. He called her name.
'. Don't dare call me by my name!'. She pointed at him angrily.
'. What's the meaning of all this? Huh?!'. He stared at her.
'. I should be asking you that!!, how in heaven's name did Mei Xia become the President of ZGDX Company!,....how?!'. She gave a look filled with killing intent.
'. About that...'. He Sighs.
'. What do you mean?'.
'. Who would have known that she would be a step ahead of us!'.
'. You promised that you won't let her become president!'.
'. Everything was going according to plan!'. He leaned his back on the desk.
'. Then what change?!'. She asked with heavy glares.
'. Mr Lu intervened!'. He said with a low voice.
'. Tssf!...she's just a kid, why is it so hard for you to take her down!!'. She yelled with frustration.
'. You are her stepmother, she lives with you! you should know what to do and not pour your frustration on me!'. He hissed.
'. Mr Hun, we have been partners for over 20 years! without me, you would still be cleaning floors!!'. She kept poking her fingers into his chest reminding him of who he was.
'. And so what?'. He held her hand staring into her eyes.
'. You have gotten so bold!'. She smirked at him.
'. So what if I was just a cleaner?...at least I was a thousand times better than you, a fake influencer who used her friend's wealth to deceive people on the internet!'.
'. You jerk!!'. She tried withdrawing her hand but couldn't get rid of Mr Hun's grip.
'. When you couldn't bear being pathetic, you seduced her husband and worked your way to being a mistress!...'.
'. Shut up!!'. She yelled angrily.
'. Or should I be detailed?...you seduced Mei Xia's father and suddenly became a legal wife!'. He said with his eyes not moving a flinch.
'. So what?.... all I did was for survival!'. Mr Hun let go of her hand.
'. Survival? that's a pathetic word from you!'. He picks up a bottle of champagne and pours it into the glasses.
'. I worked so hard to get to this point and won't let anything or anybody get in my way!'. She said as she sat down on the sofa.
'.....'. He gently hands her a glass of champagne.
'. You better stop disappointing me!'. She said as he sat beside her.
'. Disappoint you?...over the years I have always helped you, why didn't you think of that?'. He turned to her.
'. I don't care what you are trying to say!, just deal with that girl at all cost!....if there's going be a president at ZGDX company, it would be only Shanggue!'. She dropped the glass and stormed out of the office.
'. What does she take me for, a puppet?'. He scoffs with a bitter laugh and drinks the glass of champagne.
The night bar pulsed with vibrant energy under low, moody lighting that casts a warm glow over sleek, dark wood furnishings and a polished marble bar. Shelves lined with an impressive array of liquor bottles shimmered behind the bartenders, who mixed drinks with practiced flair.
Patrons, dressed in stylish evening wear, lounged in plush leather booths and at high bar stools, their conversations blending with the smooth tones of jazz playing softly in the background. A faint haze of smoke mingled with the rich scents of aged whiskey and perfume, adding to the ambiance.
The small dance floor was alive with couples swaying to the music under the soft shimmer of a chandelier. The bouncer at the entrance ensured only the well-dressed and well-mannered gained entry, maintaining the bar's exclusive and alluring atmosphere. Near the corner, a live band played, their music drawing everyone deeper into the enchanting night.
Shanggue sat there with a bartender attending to him. He held a glass of whiskey, his eyes closed but still active. He was clearly in a drunk state.
'. Two more shots please!!'. He raised his hand asking the bartender for more.
'. Where did I go wrong!'. He mumbled in his drunk state.
'. What did you do?'. A voice from behind said.
'. Hmm?'. Shanggue turned around to see Mr Jinzhao sitting beside him.
'. Why are you here?'. He asked.
'. Why are you here?'. Shanggue asked him without responding to the previous question.
'. This is my usual spot!'.
'. Oh!'. The bartender serves him his drinks.
'. So why is Mr Shanggue here?'. He asked.
'. What else?. Here to drink away my sorrow!'. He said taking the second shot of whiskey.
'. I have never seen you drink before!'.
'. A new habit can be made!'. He said with his eyes narrow.
'. You mean since when Miss Xia came back?'.
'. Hahaha!'. He suddenly laughed and began crying. Mr Jinzhao stared at him.
'. I did everything Mom asked me to do!.... I did all I could to get to be the best!,.....mom told me as long as I got an A+ in all my education, I would have no rival!.... I did all mom wanted me to do, got into a business school, and even took extra lessons so I could stand out best!,....but in the end, she came out of nowhere and took over everything I had worked so hard for. Hahaha!!'. He laughed in frustration.
'. Most times, some things aren't meant for us!'. Mr Jinzhao raised his hand attracting the bartender's attention.
'. That's not fair!....we should get what we worked for!.....look at me, it was all in vain!'. He placed his head on the counter.
'. Mr Shanggue, I know how hardworking you are!, so I believe that there is something out there in the world that originally belonged to you!'. He places his hand on Mr Shanggue's shoulder.
'. Wishes don't fall from the sky!'. He said. '. Three more shots please!!'.
Chuxi walked down the road at night. She was still in her office clothes, heading home after a long day of endless work. She received a tap on the shoulder and slowly turned, frightened.
"Ah!" She screamed, her body tensing.
"Are you okay?" a voice asked, staring at her.
"What?" She said as she realized who it was.
"Are you this scared?" Fan Yin walked out of the shadows.
"You scared the hell out of me!" she said, gently rubbing her chest.
"I only walked behind you, and you got so scared!" he said, staring at her frightened face.
"Don't you know it's wrong to walk behind someone late at night?! You'll be suspected!" she said.
"Shouldn't you blame yourself? I kept yelling your name, but you didn't respond!"
"At least be remorseful!" She walked away.
"What did I do now?!" He ran after her.
"Wait!" He held her hand, stopping her from moving.
"What is it? I'm already so tired; don't add to it," Chuxi said, showing no interest in what Fan Yin had to say.
"What's going on with you? You're not as energetic as before," he said, his eyes filled with concern.
"I'm just tired and need to sleep! I've been working all day!"
"Has anyone ever told you that when you lie, your eyes never stay focused?" Fan Yin said.
"So what?... What are you going to do?"
"Something's bothering you, right?"
"Is it so obvious?". She she said, her eyes welling up with tears.
"Yes, and Mei Xia won't be happy if she finds out that her secretary is sad!"
"Aren't I a bad secretary?" she cried.
"Why are you crying in the middle of the road? Someone might think I did something to you!" He looked around, wondering if anyone saw them.
"If I had followed the boss that day, Mr. Dong wouldn't have been able to kidnap her!" she cried.
"So you're blaming yourself for what happened to Mei Xia?" he stared at her.
"It's all my fault!"
"Even if you were with her, there's no way you could have stopped them!"
"Why do you say so?"
"Do you think of yourself as Jackie Chan? Did you forget that Mei Xia is a martial artist?"
"So it's not my fault?" She wiped her face and sniffed.
"No! And if you want to be a better secretary, don't get sad and make the boss worried."
"Oh!" She slowly smiled.
"What a mood shifter you are! You were crying a few seconds ago!" He gave a calm smile.
"Thank you! If I hadn't met you, I would have lived with regret."
"Oh!" He flipped his hair, playing it cool.
"Look at you, being over the moon!" She smiled.
"I should be! The almighty Chuxi told me thank you! It's a blessing!"
"Hahaha!" She laughed.
"Oh, right! Mulang is waiting for me in the parking lot. Do you want to come with me?" he asked.
"Why?"
"We could offer you a ride if you want."
"No, there's no need for that. My house isn't far away," she said, pointing ahead.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure."
"Really?" he playfully asked again.
"Go! Mulang might get angry if you keep him waiting!" She pushed him off and walked away.
"Bye!" Fan Yin waved at her.
"What a stubborn head he is!" She smiled as she moved away from him.