"It was a pleasure Mr Cheng, I have high hopes that this partnership will yield high and positive results for both sides." The solicitor said as he got up and shook hands with Jie who felt a sense of relief that the documents had been duly signed and the future of the company was secure.
"Thank you so much Me Song. I do hope that we will be seeing you at the dinner later this evening and I am optimistic to meet my new partner also." He said as he led the man out of the office and they walked together to the elevator where he waited until it closed.
After Jie turned around and got into the office he was welcomed by a rousing applause from the staff as they stood on their feet. Everyone in the company had been on eggshells recently, from the top executives to the cleaners because they all feared the security of their jobs if the company did not succeed and at last Jie had found a solution to the problem.
Having worked through the previous regime under Wong, they collectively preferred Jie at the helm of leadership than his older brother. He was diligent with his work and actually cared about the people who worked under him so they were ready to put in more work.
"The Cheng family thanks you all so much for your support and I hope that we will be able to work harder to raise the company even past it's original heights." Jie said and bowed to them before stepping into his office.
"Wha.. why are you still here?" He asked in annoyance when he saw his friend seated in his seat.
"How could I leave before celebrating with my friend who just secured the deal of the century? I bet your grandfather would be so proud of you." Lee said an opened the bottle of champagne he had ready.
Jie massaged his temples tiredly. "I don't know how proud grandpa would be to see you opening a bottle of alcohol in his office."
"I bet he won't mind just this one time, after all Wong did worse." Lee said while he poured the drink into two flutes.
The tales of Wong's activities in the office were legendary and the first thing Jie had done after moving in was change the entire furniture.
He came around to the seat and pulled Lee up and pushed him to the door. "First of all I am not Wong. Second, I don't know how many times I have to explain to you that we can't have alcohol in the office, that will be me setting a bad example for the staff."
Lee ducked under Jie's hands and drank the champagne from one glass in one gulp and drank the other the same way. "You know, your problem is that you are too straight laced. You are young, wealthy and handsome, you need to live life a little more freely before you die from being so boring."
Jie folded his arms and stared at his friend, "Such great advice from the guy whose dad won't let him take any leadership roles at the family company."
Lee's face fell and for a moment he looked heartbroken, "Low blow man, low blow." He said then he shrugged as his face brightened almost immediately. "I don't really care about that anyway. I hope he even puts my sister as COO and leaves me alone, not being a leader at works means I have more time for fun things unlike you." He sneered.
"That is fine and I am happy for you, please just leave my office and let me get back to work." Jie said and opened the door while his hand was on Lee's shoulder as he led him out but Lee turned to him once more.
"Wait, just tell me that this party is going to actually be a fun one. I don't want to have to go and be forced to drink tea and play Mahjong with the elders, I would rather just go to the club." He whined.
"If you don't leave right now then I will revoke your invite and you will no longer have to wonder." Jie warned and with a final push was able to send Lee out of the office and he hoped that this time it was final.
*
No one from the Cheng family wanted to invite the party that was being thrown in Mr Xhi's honor, they had instead planned a private dinner at home over the weekend and Jie deemed them as the lucky ones.
The party was going to be a red carpet one as the collaboration between the two companies was one of the largest in the history of Osmanthus. Jie would have preferred to simply rent out the dining hall of a hotel than to have this full on event complete with reporters and guests who were members of the elite.
The shipping company however needed a pr boost after the damage that his half brother had wrecked and this was the perfect opportunity to usher in a new and positive news cycle about them so he understood that the party was more important than his need for privacy.
He had on a grey pinstriped custom suit that framed his athletic physique and created an intimidating yet delightful persona. By morning his picture would be splashed all over the front of magazine's It was not hard to see why he was referred to as one of the most eligible bachelors in the city and why women were dying to be with him.
On his arm for the night was An mei, a top rated model who had been chosen specifically for this event because of how good they would look together. Jie did particularly not care for her but he understood the importance of aesthetics while An mei was just happy to be there and she hoped that she would get the opportunity to be able to seduce Jie before the end of the night and actually become his girlfriend and be the envy of everyone.
She was determined to use her beauty to snatch one of the most handsome men in the city for herself. She believed that she was capable of pleasing him and becoming the mistress of the sizeable Cheng fortune, that would be the pinnacle of success.
As they posed on the red carpet and had their pictures taken by the paparazzi, Jie was eager to get into the hall and away from the lights while An mei luxuriated and basked in the fawning adoration of fans who kept screaming her name and taking her pictures while she posed.
She soon noticed however that someone else had arrived on the red carpet and was diverting the attention away from her. She looked in irritation at the end of the carpet and wondered at the furor, who could be more important at this event than she and Jie?
Jie on the other hand was relieved that the attention was no longer on them and as he glanced at the end of the carpet he figured that the paparazzi were probably concentrating on the CEO of Xhi company and his young wife who seemed to attract a lot of drama everywhere she went.
Before he turned his head from the spectacle, he noticed a woman's elegant back and was only able to see her long brown hair.
As soon as they stepped into the hall, they were accosted by Lee who had been waiting for Jie
"Took you long enough." He scolded Jie and turned to An mei and bowed low as he took her hand and kissed her knuckles.
"You outshine the lights in the room An mei. Jie why do you always get the prettiest girls?" He flattered and she smiled gracefully.
An mei knew that if she was going to have a chance with Jie then she would have to be nice to his friends. She was glad that Lee seemed to approve of her, that was the first step in reaching her goals.
However, Lee's attention went from her to the door while he still absentmindedly held her hand.
"Phew!" He whistled lowly, "Who is that fox and why does she look so familiar? I am sure I have never seen her in Osmanthus before or we would have been married with a dozen babies by now.
"Mr Cheng Jie." Someone called and Jie turned around to see the Xhi solicitor.
"Mr Song, so nice to see you here." Jie greeted and shook the man's hand.
"I would like to introduce you to my clients." The solicitor said and turned to a old but stately looking man with grey hair in a wheelchair and the stunning woman beside him. It took a moment until Jie's face turned pale, he looked like he had just seen a ghost.