《Hello, Mr Li》


 Chapter 1 - SARA WANG

    The hotel looked like a palace. On the walls were various artworks and paintings of prominent artists. The antiques looked like they had been bought for millions of dollars. The interior alone could make one feel like they were in heaven already.


    Someone on a white sneakers strode down the hallway freely and stood in front of a grand door before stretching out a pass.


    One of the two doormen stationed there, took the pass and gave the person a look over.


    If not because of the pass, they would have chased the person away but they had to let the person through even though they were curious why someone would dress this way to this kind of grand occasion. How did the person even get here in the first place?


    The door opened to reveal a grand party going on. One look, and one could tell that the people there were the Socialites and tycoons of country B. Sounds of laughter and soft words could be heard everywhere.


    Seeing these kind of people together in a place was rather difficult and when the opportunity came, people tend to use it to the fullest: Suck up to those higher than them in the social ranking, make connections and even look for a suitable partner for their kids or for themselves. Not to mention the businessmen, they needed this the most.


    Walking farther into the hall, they were curious glances but the person did not stop walking and only stopped in front of a young woman clinging unto a man, they were both having a happy conversation with another couple.


    When the both of them saw the person, they were obviously shocked to the bones.


    "Wh..at are...you doing here" Liu weiyoung stammered as she let go of Mo Jinyong''s hand unconsciously.


    "How...how did... you get here?" Jinyong asked trying to maintain his composure. He was obviously uncomfortable. Sara looked at the both of them fiercely. They shuddered when they saw the look in her eyes. It was as if she was sucking out their souls.


    Sara Wang was putting on a black high-neck sweatshirt, a blue Jean and white sneakers. Her long black hair was tied in a ponytail which made her facial features visible: Her black round eyes, pointed little nose and small rosy lips. she was not wearing any make up or jewelry but she looked prettier than most of the ladies present there with heavy makeups.


    To the normal world, her present appearance was normal. But being amongst these kind of people, she looked out of place and odd, not that she cared though. She was actually here for something else. "Who''s explaining first?" She looked at the both of them. Although she asked calmly, they both felt rather uncomfortable.


    "Let''s talk outside" Jinyong tried to pull her out but she quickly pushed his hand away. " Doesn''t it feel like a soap opera where you cheat on your girlfriend with her friend?" She was still calm when she asked.


    "When I saw the invite, I thought it was a joke. A really expensive joke. I really had no idea you were both close but who would have thought....?" she let her words trail off as she glared at them.


    Weiyoung was so nervous. She didn''t know what to do or say. She only had to put her hope on Jinyong to help resolve this. But Jinyong on the other hand was praying for the ground to open up and swallow him. His gaze unconsciously fell on Li Muchen. The last thing he needed was for Li Muchen to have a bad impression of him. Because if he withdrew his assistance at this point, his parents, especially his mother, would kill him for sure. He didn''t even want to talk about his grandparents.


    They had spent millions just to have this engagement ceremony at the CEO Li''s Hotel. It even took him a great deal to be able to invite Li Muchen to his own hotel to grace their engagement ceremony. After putting in enough effort, the last thing he needed was any form of trouble or obstacle.


    Li Muchen on the other hand was observing them closely. His gaze was fixed on Sara. He felt that he had seen her before somewhere and had been trying to recall where exactly.


    Although, the people of the higher class always liked to act respectably, it didn''t stop them from being human. They had all stopped whatever they were doing previously to focus on the three people there. Some where even murmuring among themselves. They could not let go of a juicy gossip!


    Jinyong felt uneasy when he noticed all of these. He looked at Weiyoung. His gaze seemed to have communicated something to her. Then he turned back to face Sara. "Who are you and who paid you to do this?" He asked angrily.


    Finding an opening, Weiyoung also joined. "Yes, please leave! Here is not a place for you to be" Sara still remained as composed as ever.


    She smirked at the both of them.


    "What a wonderful performance, you pair of shitheads!"


    Hearing the word ''shithead'' something seemed to snap in Li Muchen''s brain and he suddenly remembered where he had met her.


    ***


    TWO YEARS BACK


    "I won''t repeat myself again. Let me in now!" Sara ordered as she looked at the two heavy-built men that were blocking her entry into the room.


    "We don''t want to hurt you miss, so please leave. We were not informed of a visitor" One of them said sounding annoyed.


    "Then go ask Li Minde if he knows me or not. You might regret it if I leave without him meeting me" She threatened.


    After a minute of hesitation, one of them went inside while the other stared daggers at her.


    They were eight people in the bar room minus Li Minde. There was Changru, who was clinging unto him, Three of his Childhood friends who also had female counterparts by their sides, and his older cousin Li Muchen; who seemed liked he wasn''t interested in the whole thing as he casually took a sip from his glass of wine.


    The bodyguard quickly went to Minde and was in the middle of whispering something to him when the door was suddenly flung open.

 Chapter 2 - ShitHead

    They were all startled by the sound and looked up to see a girl walking in. She was wearing a black ripped jean trousers, black leather boots and A blue sweater hood that was covering her hair. Despite her looking like a ruffian, she looked small and pretty. Looking further outside, they could see the big bodied bodyguard wailing on the floor while holding his left ankle. The other bodyguard was quite fast and tried to attack her. But before he could throw a punch, she already launched a kick which sent him flying.


    "Aish..how ungentlemanly! Trying to bully a weak girl" She complained and shook her head while dipping her hand into her trousers back pocket. She took out a lollipop and after quickly unwrapping it, she dipped it inside her mouth.


    The room was so quiet. Everyone stared at her unblinkingly. They couldn''t believe she just sent that man flying just like that. And what was that about ''bullying a weak girl'' that was the greatest joke they had ever heard.


    Her gaze fell on Li Minde. They had only met once but she knew what he looked like since his picture was her friend''s wallpaper.


    She directed her index finger to him as she signalled for him to come forward.


    To him though, she looked like a Zombie ready to rip him apart. He couldn''t help shivering. He had met her once and at that time, he thought she was pretty and would have been his type if only she did not look so unfriendly. Never would he have thought that she had this side to her.. such a scary side.


    But then, he was a man. He had to handle this head-on especially since his beloved cousin was present. He looked at his two bodyguards who were wailing on the floor. They were one of the best so he didn''t bother to bring more with him. Too bad the others trusted him and didn''t even carry any bodyguard along. Their visit here had always been peaceful. who would have thought that the day they neglected their safety, they would meet a psycho girl coming to fight for her friend who he just dumped.


    He coughed lightly and stood in front of her. Trying to at least intimidate her with his height. "What are you doing here?" He asked ''angrily'' trying to hide his nervousness.


    "Glad you recognised me. I''m here to..send. you... to... hell!"


    He unconsciously took a few steps backward as he spoke "Did Weiyoung send you? it''s over between us. People date and break up so why making a mountain out of a molehill?" He summoned courage and asked.


    The rest still observed quietly. No one refused to say anything except Changru who had been clingling to him before Sara came in.


    "Bitches always hang out with bitches! He''s already tired of playing with your friend. Why are you taking it personal? if you also want him to play with you, you can join the queue. I''m sure it''ll get to your turn before you get to..50" she mocked. The other girls gathered their wits and laughed. Since they could not stand up to Sara, At least they should support Changru even if they were not friends with each other.


    Minde was slightly happy to see Changru coming to his aid. He believed that at least Sara won''t be able to beat up a girl the way she had done to his bodyguards.


    Before speaking every time, Sara pulled the lollipop out of her mouth. But this time, while glaring at Changru, they could hear her breaking and chewing the whole thing since she was not very far from their table.


    Changru felt like she was hearing her bones cracking.


    Sara gradually moved towards Changru. Since Li Minde was still standing in front of her, she pushed him to the side to make way for her. He nearly fell on the floor. Thanks to his stamina he was able to find balance.


    Changru shivered as Sara got to her. She could not help feeling frightened by the look Sara was giving her. Especially since she was sitting down while Sara was standing before her. When she raised her head to look at Sara. it was as if Sara was looking down on her both figuratively and literally.


    Sara smiled as she lifted the wineglass from the table in front of Changru.


    She raised it close to her nose and spoke softly "Smells pleasant. It does not suit your kind of person" Before anyone could imagine what she was up to, Sara moved the wineglass directly to the top of Changru''s head and poured it slowly on her.


    Everyone was dumbstruck. The most shocked one was Changru. Her eyes and mouth were wide open but she had to shut her eyes impulsively to avoid the wine getting into it.


    After about thirty seconds. She got back to her senses and stood up abruptly. "What was that!?" She fired at Sara.


    "Wine" Sara replied nonchalantly.


    " Are you mad ?" Changru shot back as she tried to contain her anger and stabilize her breath.


    "Yup! I am mad at myself for wasting such a good wine on a shithead like you!" Sara''s eyes glistened as she smirked at her.

 Chapter 3 - Their First Eye Contact

    Changru was burning with anger. If looks could kill, Sara would probably be dead now.


    "I will kill you!" Changru screamed in annoyance and charged at Sara.


    Sara chuckled amusedly like she was having fun. Still as composed as ever. She moved her body out of Changru''s way which caused Changru to fall to the ground.


    Changru wailed as she continued to stare daggers at Sara. To Sara, she looked like a child who had been playing in the mud. Her entire face was a mixture of wine and colour. Even her mascara was drizzling down her face. She totally looked like the painting of a 3year old.


    The other girls where scared to their bones that they were even shivering. The guys on the other hand did not know what to do.


    Minde who was still standing behind her took out his phone and was in the process of sending a text when he felt a scary gaze on him. He looked up from his phone to see Sara staring straight at him. The sudden eye contact made him drop his phone on the floor in fright. He quickly averted his gaze and directed it at Muchen. His entire expression was saying ''Please save me'' But to his suprise and shock, Muchen smirked at him and took another sip from his wine glass.


    Muchen had always warned him about living this way. Not just him, but the entire family. But Minde was confident that he could pull it off. Muchen gave him a look which Minde could interpret as ''YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN''.


    While all these was going on, Sara took out her phone from her pocket and put on the camera. She turned to face Changru and took a few pictures of her.


    "What are you doing?" Changru demanded as she tried to avoid the flash of the camera.


    "Tsk! you aren''t so stupid to not understand right? You look a mess! I''d like to show these pictures to Weiyoung for her to see the wild chicken this idiot dumped her for. I am sure she would laugh her ass off..." She looked at the other girls and asked "Don''t you think so too?"


    As if being hypnotised, they all nodded together in agreement, including the guys. The exception was Muchen, who was still as composed as ever. The whole thing was amusing to him that he chuckled unexpectedly. Although it was a soft chuckle, Sara heard it and looked at his direction.


    That was their first Eye contact.


    They stared at each other for close to a minute. No one could tell what was going on in their minds. She quickly averted her gaze and turned to face Minde again.


    She also no longer paid attention to the crazy rants of Changru who was still sitting on the floor. She gradually moved her feet to where Minde was standing. She was about to say something when her phone suddenly rang.


    She hurriedly took the call when she saw the caller''s ID. Her eyes widened in shock when she heard what the person at the other end of the line said and quickly fled the room.


    As soon as she got to the door, she turned back to face Minde. "Make sure she doesn''t hear about this. Else.... I will find you, And... I...will...kill...you!" She continued as she walked out, making sure her voice was loud enough for them to hear.


    "I''m not done with you yet you shithead!"

 Chapter 4 - You two deserve each other

    PRESENT DAY Li Muchen looked at the three of them. His gaze then landed on Weiyoung who was busy denying the fact that she knew Sara. Her acting appeared so real that if not for the fact that he took note of Sara the moment she entered and saw their reaction when they saw her. He probably would have believed that Weiyoung did not know her. Not to mention the fact that he knew about what happened two years ago. There was no doubt that Weiyoung was a good actress. He shook his head in disappointment as he remembered how Sara had confronted his cousin for Weiyoung because he broke up with her.


    Miss Long, his secretary, noticed his change in expression and asked gently. "Sir, the meeting with Mr Lin will kick off in an hour. Shouldn''t we be leaving now?"


    Muchen acted like he did not hear her and continued looking at them. Miss Long seemed to be used to this kind of treatment as she really did not mind the fact that she was being snubbed. She has been working for the Li family for over seven years. She joined them when she was twenty one. Barely a year younger than the Li family''s young Master, Li Muchen. Since then, she had been his personal assistant and one of his secretaries.


    Muchen noticed some group of bodyguards heading towards Sara''s direction and quickly ordered Ms long. "Make sure the security do not get involved" Miss Long was confused.


    She could not understand why Muchen would give her such an instruction. Besides, this was his hotel if the woman caused a scene and things went wrongly, it would greatly affect the hotel''s reputation. "But..." Before she could finish, she was cut off by Muchen "Now!" Je oredered.


    She had no choice but to quickly move towards them. Unlike every other woman there¨Cexcept Sara of course, Ms Long was formally dressed in a trim navy suit and white blouse. "Have the meeting rescheduled" he ordered when she got back. Ms long was further confused but she quickly had to do it. She took out her phone and sent a couple of texts before she said "Done. Mr Hwang would take care of the rest"


    She was a woman after all. She was able to deduce that he was somehow interested in that woman''s affair.


    Sara could not describe her feeling at that point. Sad? disappointed? She really couldn''t place it. But, she was not humiliated or embarrassed by their act.


    Some gullible people in the crowd were already accusing Sara of being paid to cause a scene. The people who believed this assertion grew rapidly as the comments got louder. This further encouraged Weiyoung as she spoke loudly "Where is the security? Why is she still here?" Jinyong also asked for the security. He was surprised that they weren''t there yet. Earlier, He had caught a sight of them heading their way and was greatly relieved. But after turning to face Sara, when he turned back again, he didn''t see any of them which left him confused. He took out his phone to dial a number. "What are you guys doing?" He asked as soon as the call went through. The person on the other end of the line said something which startled him. He turned to look at Muchen who was glaring at him. When their eyes met, Muchen raised his wine glass at him in a ''cheer''


    Jinyong''s heart skipped when he saw the look. He didn''t understand why Muchen would give such an order to stop the security men. Weiyoung seemed to notice something was off. Although she had the crowd''s support, she was tired of acting.


    "Why did you do it?" Sara suddenly asked them both. She had been dating Jinyong for two years and she had put in her effort into the relationship to make it work even though for some reason, it was not working out well.


    She believed she loved him and was gradually changing the kind of person she was to look presentable for him. But he had to do this.


    With her only friend! The friend she grew up with. The friend she fought for. The friend she had sacrificed a lot for. She could finally describe the feeling. It was heartbreak. Their betrayal was like a of venomous poison to her. She could no longer think straight or breathe fine. She wanted to leave there, she needed to! One thing she hated the most, was people seeing her as weak. She knew if she stayed there a little longer, she might break down.


    When her younger cousin who liked messing around with people''s stuff accidentally saw the invite and showed it to her, she was dumbstruck. She didn''t want to believe but in the end, she decided to come check it for herself. Even her 7years old cousin could understand that. It was crystal clear. It all made sense now.


    No wonder he had been giving her a ugly attitude for a while now. Did he even ever give her a nice attitude at all? No wonder Weiyoung had been acting suspiciously for a while also. It all made sense now. Whenever Jinyong claimed to be on a business trip, Weiyoung was also not in town. But why? Were they embarrassed or scared of her finding out?


    The one she believed was in love with her, was currently engaged to her ''friend''. What did they intend to gain by leaving her in the dark? She suddenly laughed. Her laugh startled all of them. Weiyoung and Jinyong looked at each other. Muchen was quietly observing her. Ms Long was paying close attention to the whole drama. And so was everyone else. Weiyoung and Jinyong''s families who had been watching the whole thing were a bundle of nerves. They had been quiet the whole time. They couldn''t afford to make any mistake since most of the people present were Elites in the country. All the security personnel they had sent to throw Sara out, none did that.


    Weiyoung''s parents were the most nervous of them all. Even though Jinyong''s parents didn''t know about Sara and Jinyong. They on the other hand, knew Sara was Weiyoung''s friend. They had always opposed their friendship because Sara did not belong to their ''class''. But the girls friendship still lasted for close to ten years. Their only prayer was for Sara to not cause any more scene and leave quietly even if they had to swallow their pride and beg her. Sara stopped laughing and spoke.


    "You two.... deserve each other!" She didn''t want to attract any more attention. It was not worth it.


    With that said, she turned around and strode out of the room confidently with everyone''s eyes on her.

 Chapter 5 - its really over

    The thirty minutes she spent inside the hotel, she tried her best to be as calm and composed as she could be. Yes, she was strong, but it does not mean she didn''t have feelings. She was far more hurt because of Weiyoung''s betrayal. She had been dating Jinyong for two years, but she had taken Weiyoung as her sister for the past decade despite all the wrongs Weiyoung did to her. Who wouldn''t feel hurt by such betrayal?


    "Don''t cry Sara! They are not worth it. Don''t cry because of them" She tried her best to convince herself as she walked into a bar nearby.


    An hour passed, she was on her third bottle of liquor. Her cheeks were flushed red because of the alcohol. She didn''t mind anything or whatever was going on around her. She just needed to drink to the end of her friendship and relationship in one night. Oh! She also lost her job the previous day for hitting a customer who groped her. "The customer is always right" Her boss told her when the issue was reported to him. She had no choice but to throw his job in his face and stalk out. Did she regret it? Nope! She only regretted not hitting her boss also before leaving.


    "Can I join you?" A young man suddenly asked as he sat down beside her.


    "You are already sitting. Why asking me?" She rolled her eyes at him and downed another glass of liquor. He chuckled at her drunken ramblings before he continued. "It is not nice for a delicate young lady like you to be here all alone drinking so much. Some bad guys out there might come after you" He advised.


    "Take your crappy piece of advice somewhere else, I am not in the mood to entertain your sweet nonsense" She shunned him and stood up. "You can have the remaining drinks. I already paid for them" She pointed at the two unopened bottle of liquor on the table before she left the bar.


    He smiled to himself as he watched her leave. He had seen her earlier at the hotel and got attracted so he followed her. He was able to deduce from her actions in the hotel that she was the difficult type. So waiting for her to get drunk was his best way to approach her. Because Heartbroken drunk girls were vulnerable, Or so he thought. He had totally underestimated her. Even when drunk, she still shooed him away like he was undeserving of her time. Girls were easy for him but he knew this one was going to be a challenge. He had never had a challenge so this was something he really looked forward to. "How interesting" He then grinned.


    Sara felt slightly better when the fresh air outside hit her face. The cold sobered her up a little so she opened her arms wide and inhaled deeply "Feels good"


    She checked her and noted it was already three minutes past nine in the evening. She had gone to the hotel few minutes past seven. Just few hours had passed by but the night seemed to be the longest night of her life.


    Would things get any worse? She couldn''t help asking herself.


    She turned to look at the bar one more time before mumbling "It''s really over between us" She said to the building.


    Two years ago, she visited this bar for the very first time when Weiyoung got drunk there and had called her to come pick her up. She had been in the middle of dealing with Minde when the call suddenly came in and she had to rush there because she knew Weiyoung was a light drinker and leaving her there could be dangerous.


    She had not been surprised when she got there to meet a drunk Weiyoung. The first question she was asked as soon as she sat down was "Where have you been?"


    Sara averted her gaze and replied nonchalantly. "Been around"


    Weiyoung laughed drunkenly. "I know you Sara. Don''t go messing with the wrong guys. The Li family won''t let you off if you do anything to any of their own"


    After enough convincing and pleading, Sara finally agreed to let it go. Not before showing her the picture of Changru who looked like she was having a solo Halloween party.


    Weiyoung laughed and laughed and commended her friend''s guts. She knew she wouldn''t be able to pull off something like that in her entire life.


    Before they knew it, Weiyoung dozed off.


    That day, Sara also coincidentally met Jinyong there. He seemed to have been there to pick up someone also. They both assisted each other with their sleeping buddies and had since then became close. He was the first person to treat Sara nicely despite her looking all rough and unladylike. His actions touched her, and before she knew it. They got into a relationship.


    Although, Jinyong wasn''t the type to hang around bars like that which was below his standard but since they both met there, they had celebrated their first and second year anniversary there.


    Today, she had gone there again, and that would be for the last time. After reminiscing the past, she turned and strolled down the busy street. Although she was well covered, the weather was still too cold for her. She stopped beside the road to hail a taxi.


    First try, second try, third try. No success. She could feel her frustration reaching the climax. She was not in the mood to walk. She needed a hot bath and nice sleep. But the reality before her was quite disappointing. She was about turning to walk home when a car suddenly stopped beside her.

 Chapter 6 - Stranger

    Sara thought the car looked familiar and peered closely to see who it was and to her surprise, it was Jinyong who got down from the car.


    Disgust could clearly be seen on her face the moment she saw him. She turned around to continue walking when he suddenly called her name and blocked her path. "Sara"


    "...." She just looked at him like he was some piece of trash as she turned to walk the opposite direction. The alcohol was taking a toll on her so she really didn''t want to banter with him tonight.


    Jinyong also followed her and blocked her path again. "Get in, I''ll send you home" He demanded.


    "Are you stupid? Are you an Idiot? You''ll send me home? Send who home? Do I know you? Do you know me? Do we know each other? You better get out of my sight else I''ll make sure you won''t be able to use your legs on your wedding day" She threatened.


    She didn''t care if his folks were rich or not. If he annoyed her, she would treat him the way he deserved. She had nothing more to lose anyway. Jinyong was startled. He had never heard her speak like that before. She was even threatening him so openly?


    The two years they dated, Although she looked unladylike, she was always calm and composed. He didn''t think someone like her would be able to speak to someone of his calibre in such manner.


    But one thing was certain, he was already getting angry. "Are you threatening me Sara?"


    "Why? You think you are so powerful that I cannot do that?" She mocked.


    "Stop being so difficult Sara! I''m trying to be nice and end this nicely. What is it? Did you perhaps think we would end up together? People date and break up. What''s there to not understand!?" He asked angrily.


    ''People date and break up'' She had heard this statement before. Two years ago from Li Minde. So this was how the rich folks did things? Waste your time, give you false hope then break up with you and tell you it was meant to happen? She laughed at herself mockingly for not learning her lesson from Weiyoung''s case. Weiyoung was so pretty, gentle and from a reputable family, She had the best of education and upbringing yet was also dumped and cheated on. Who was she compared to Weiyoung?


    Her mother had died when she was still an infant. She only had a Father who had a small unknown restaurant. While herself, at 24 was currently Jobless. Even when she was working, her yearly income was not even equal to a designer bag in Weiyoung''s wardrobe. So who was she to not be dumped?


    She had really thought highly of herself. She laughed again as she finally looked him in the eyes. "You think you have any right to be angry at me? You must be stupid"  She turned and continued walking the opposite direction.


    Jinyong had never been this humiliated. Every other girl he had broken up with, would cry and wail and beg him. He had been expecting same from Sara. it was like an ego booster to men. But not only had she not boosted his ego, she had also crushed it. This was something he couldn''t take. " SARA WANG, who do you think you are to talk to me that way" He screamed at her back as he hurried to block her path again. He didn''t mind that he was creating a scene.


    Some passersby were turning to see what was going on. This was like a usual occurrence to them as everyone assumed that they were having a lover''s quarrel so no one was actually interested and kept moving.


    Everyone but one person who had been observing the entire incident from his car with a smile on his face.


    Sara was already tired of this silly game. "Why are you glaring at me like that..?" She asked when she saw the deprecating look in his eyes. "You better lower your eyes before I stick my fingers in it" She warned.


    Jinyong could no longer accept this ill treatment he was receiving from her. He had to hurt her back. Yes! he was that petty. He had never seen her cry neither had she asked him for any form of assistance throughout the two years they were together. Seeing her cry now would be what he desired the most after all she had done to him tonight.


    Hearing her threat, he couldn''t help lowering his gaze. She was drunk. She was angry. If he was not careful, she might actually make him go blind. That was not a chance he was willing to take. He had to attack her now though. "Can you compare yourself to Weiyoung? Try if you can. Don''t you have a mirror? Who deluded you into thinking we would finally end up together?" He mocked.


    Sara laughed and looked at him with scorn. "What are you trying to do? Trying to hurt my feelings? You can try then! I can''t be affected by what a scummy stranger says to me"

 Chapter 7 - New Found Friendship

    Jinyong''s anger finally reached its climax. He had only come to gently explain things to her and feed his ego. Who would have thought he would be taunted instead. "Did.. did you just call me a scum?" He asked in disbelieve.


    "Well, I''m glad you know you''re the one I was referring to" She was now in the mood for his nonsense. She could feel him brimming with anger. And his entire reaction delighted her.


    "God! What did I ever see in you? I must have been possessed" She added as she folded her arms across her chest. And laughed at his frustrated look.


    Now, that was even worse than calling him a scum. What? What did she see in him? He was good looking, He was Filthy rich, He studied in Harvard, Everyone wants him!. The question should have been ;What can she not see in him? Because he was perfect! But she dare look down on him?


    "Did you think I saw anything in you also? From the very beginning I didn''t even consider you. It was Weiyoung. It has always been Weiyoung. That night at the Bar also, I approached you because of her. I always wanted her. But she didn''t care and went after that bastard from the Li family. You must have been so stupid to not have noticed we''ve been an item for over a year" He said smugly.


    ''Yes,this would certainly hit her hard'' He thought.


    This came as a surprise to her. Never would she have thought that from the very beginning, while she had put in her effort to ''love'' him. He had been using her as a stepping stone to get to her friend. And not only that, they had been together for over a year? Where was their conscience? She really must have been stupid for trusting these dogs. No. It would be an insult to dogs. Dogs were better than them. At least, they were always loyal.


    She was no longer interested in whatever he had to say. Even though Jinyong''s anger was at it''s peak, It didn''t do or mean much to her. But if hers also got to the climax, she wasn''t sure what she would do to him.


    "Get lost! I am not interested in your pathetic love story so stop spouting gibberish" She said fiercely.


    He was so pissed. As he noticed she was trying to walk out on him again, He grabbed her right arm and and lifted his hand to hit her. The action startled most people on the street as they stopped to watch. She was also slightly startled by the force he exerted in pulling her and since she was drunk and wavering, she almost fell down. Before his hands could land on her face, someone suddenly pulled him from behind and punched him on the face. The sudden force made him fall on the ground


    "ouch...." he wailed.


    This time, a lot of passersby became interested in the scene going on. To them, it was a romantic scene of two guys fighting over a girl. The girls didn''t know who to support since both of them were equally good looking. But they would cheer on whoever won the fight. The guys on the other hand weren''t so interested. Some were even accusing Sara of leading both guys on. A girl even went as far as shamelessly asking her boyfriend who had been strolling with her, if he would fight for her on a busy street with another guy.


    Sara who had managed to stand firm, looked at the guy who had ''saved'' her. When she recognised him, she hissed. The guy on the other hand winked at her as he said "See, I just saved you. Told you it wasn''t safe for girls to hang out alone."


    When Jinyong who was getting up from the ground heard the person''s voice, he was slightly taken aback as he stood upright and looked at the person closely. "I didn''t ask you to hit him. I should have done that better!" She grumbled.


    "Hmm, you''re welcome" He said.


    "I still didn''t ask for your help" Sara still adamantly refused to see his ''effort'' as necessary.


    "A lady shouldn''t hurt her delicate hands" He said with a smile.


    "What a joke" she rolled her eyes at him.


    "Uncle Dexi.?" Jinyong called in surprise.


    Dexi winked at him then, turned to face Sara.


    "Uncle? You are related to this asshole?" Sara asked.


    "Unfortunately, Jinyong is my Nephew but I do not know if he is an asshole." He said grinning.


    His constant grin seemed to piss Sara off. She was already tired of this long night. And now she''s having another uninvited guest. She wasn''t going to entertain this stalker.


    "So let me get something straight here, you were in the hotel earlier, you followed me to the bar and also followed me here?" She asked quizzically


    "Yup!" He didn''t bother hiding anything and answered her straight while still grinning.


    Jinyong was shocked. Why would his uncle follow Sara? No wonder they didn''t see him after the drama that happened there earlier. So he followed Sara out?


    He looked at the both of them as they kept conversing. For some reason, he had a bad feeling about their new found friendship.

 Chapter 8 - MO DEXI

    Li Muchen was busy flipping through files in his personal apartment''s study. But in reality, his eyes were glued to his laptop the whole time as he watched an interesting "reality show"


    He didn''t know what he was thinking when he ordered Ms Long to make sure the girl got home safely. Some of his bodyguards also followed Ms Long''s car but on a safe distance. She had no idea they were even following her.


    He had asked for a footage when he heard Jinyong had stopped her immediately she left the bar. Even though he couldn''t hear their conversation, He seemed to be impressed by her composure despite the fact that she was quite drunk.


    When he noticed Jinyong was gradually going berserk, he almost stood up to go help her out, totally forgetting he had people there. But then, he saw Mo Dexi heading towards them.


    He reminded himself again that it was none of his business. He had heard from Ms Long that Dexi had followed Sara out and he had asked her to leave the party and go with them in case Dexi tried to take advantage of her then she could easily handle the issue.


    Watching the entire scene unfold, he couldn''t tell why he felt uneasy and angry. But one thing he knew for sure was that, he didn''t want her to spend another second with those two relatives.


    "Mo Jinyong. Mo Dexi." he said as he narrowed his gaze to look at the both of them on screen.


    Even if people tried to read his expression now, No one would be able to tell what he was thinking. He didn''t even know what he was thinking. "Why am I even bothered by a stranger?" he asked himself angrily before he moved his hands to shut his laptop.


    But after several tries, he kept pulling his hands back and finally decided to just let it be.


    "We should be good citizens and watch over other people" He said to himself as he picked up his phone from his desk and immediately made a call.


    Ms Long looked at the three people from her car. She had been following up and watching the entire scene unfold.


    When Muchen asked her to follow Sara without stating why, she was able to confirm that he was somehow interested in her. This entire turn of event amused her. Just in one night, Sara had lost her friend, her boyfriend, and now she was facing a dramatic situation by the roadside. Meanwhile, there was still another person observing the entire situation who was not even present there. She noticed that Muchen had almost followed Sara out.


    He only held himself back from doing so when he received a sudden call from his Father, asking him to send some files. It had been a perfect excuse for him to stay behind since he didn''t like ''Interfering in other people''s affair''.


    Sara''s actions impressed her greatly. When she saw her entering the bar earlier, the first thought that popped into her mind was that Sara was trying to hook up with any random guy because of what she had gone through that evening. But she was rather impressed by her watching how she had shooed Dexi away.


    Dexi was considered a charming man in his late twenties. He looked really dashing and youthful. He was every woman''s dream and also their Nightmare! No one in their Socialite circle had ever heard or seen him with the same lady twice. For each occasion, there was always a new lady accompanying him. He was fond of using and dumping women. If Mo Jinyong was considered a playboy, Mo Dexi was the boss of them all.


    **


    "I will repeat myself for the very last time! I don''t want to have anything to do with you Mo Bastards" Sara waved them off as she turned to leave.


    Jinyong had been trying to speak with his Uncle but Dexi kept cutting him off.


    Although, Dexi was not perfect, He was Mo Dachuan''s last and only son. After Mo Dachuan and his wife Zhao Biyu, lost their first son in a car accident many years back, they had been so devastated. They were left with a daughter Mo Aida. The family name was important to them. After Mo Aida got married, her offsprings would not bear the Mo family name but her husband''s name instead. They needed a complete Mo to take over the business. When it was time to get married, they agreed that her children would bear the Mo surname. Her husband-to-be had no objection. Since his family was ranked below theirs. Normally, the Mos wouldn''t consider such family as their in-law but they knew quiet well that it was easier to convince people like them.


    After much trial and error, Zhao Biyu finally got pregnant. This came as a shock to everyone especially Mo Aida and her husband who had thought that their son would be the sole heir to the Mo family''s fortune. And that was how Mo Dexi came into the picture. He was born immediately Mo Aida got married so he was a year older than Jinyong. Dexi''s rank in the company was far higher than Jinyong''s. That was why Jinyoung had put in enough effort to ask for Li Muchen''s assistance and also got engaged with Liu Weiyoung.


    He didn''t want to annoy Dexi when he wasn''t still stable so he had to let himself get bullied in the meantime. After all, Mo Dexi was a complete Mo.


    "You can call him a bastard, but not me darling.. You are drunk. Wait let me drop you off!" Dexi said as he tried to catch up with her.


    She was annoyed by this pest. Why can''t he just leave her alone already? She was sure this Dexi was far worse than Jinyong. He had even been stalking her. She would not be so foolish to fall for this again. She was done! Done with these rich guys. Done with socialites. They were all backstabbing bastards and womanizers.


    "Yea, that''s right! I''m done with all of them!" she nodded and said out loud while ignoring Dexi who was still trying to get her attention.


    Suddenly, a taxi stopped in front of her.


    "Huh? I''ve been looking a for a taxi all this while and didn''t see any but you are willingly stopping for me when I didn''t even ask?" She spoke to the taxi drunkenly.

 Chapter 9 - Weird

    "Miss are you looking for a taxi?" The taxi driver asked immediately he wound down the front passenger''s seat window by her side.


    "Oh yea!" She knew something was not right but she quickly got into the taxi and closed the door when she noticed Dexi was getting closer to her.


    "Hurry. Drive" Before she could even finished speaking, he accelerated the vehicle and drove into the night.


    Sara didn''t forget to give Dexi the middle finger when the car drove past him.


    Dexi chuckled to himself, he found her entire actions cute.


    It was past 11 in the evening when Sara arrived home. The taxi driver was so nice to her that she didn''t want to leave there. She was that type to easily attach herself to anyone who was good to. She looked at the young man who was smiling warmly at her and couldn''t help smiling back. He looked to be in his early thirties or so and was casually dressed in a tee-shirt and trousers but somehow, his smile and hospitality reminded her of her father.


    When she tried to fetch her money from her pocket, she realised it was barely enough to pay the fare. She had spent lots of money on the drinks earlier and had totally forgot to take out a separate money for her fare. She hit her head when she remembered how she had showed off to Dexi earlier. Telling him to have the remaining drinks. If she had known, she would have returned it and asked for a refund.


    She was so embarrassed! This man had been so nice to her, so how do she tell him that she was penniless? She was still sitting in the car, trying to think of something to do when he finally spoke. "Miss, you should hurry in now. That person seems to be waiting for you" He pointed at a man who was standing out in the cold. He looked like he was actually waiting for someone as he kept looking at his left and right with his hands tucked in his coat''s pocket.


    Sara could not help smiling warmly when she saw her father, Wang Jianjun. "How did you know he was waiting for me?" she suddenly asked.


    "You both look alike" He said and winked at her. She laughed lightly and opened the door. It was true that she looked very much like Jianjun Wang. Anyone who saw the both of them could easily tell. Sometimes, she wondered the attributes she inherited from her mother since she never met her but had only seen a picture of her. "Give me a minute. I''ll bring you your money. I''m out of cash" She said as soon as she got down. The plan was to ask Jianjun for money. She was likely going to be scolded, but it was better than being embarrassed.


    "I''m actually in a hurry now so I''ll be going. Pay me some other time..." Before Sara could object, he stretched his body so his hands could reach the door she was still holding.


    "Good night Miss" He said then closed the door and drove off.


    "Weird!" She muttered as she ran to where her father was standing. As soon as he saw her, he sighed in relief. He had been worried since she had never stayed out till this time. He had called her phone repeatedly but it did not go through.


    Immediately she got to where he was standing, he quickly took off the fur coat he was wearing and draped it around her before she hugged him.


    "Wear it. You might catch a cold" she said and  tried to take it off. He stopped her from taking it off and led her slowly into their small apartment.


    Although the apartment was small to some people but to them, it was perfect, warm and comfortable. There were old furnishings and the interior looked quite archaic.


    Jianjun was a man and a busy man at that. He didn''t have the time to start rearranging the house or changing furniture. Besides, it''s not like it was cheap to do so.


    Sara on the other hand, was also still busy and didn''t really care how the apartment looked like. On the side of the TV was a photo frame of a younger Sara and Jianjun smiling happily.


    The silent treatment he was giving her made her uncomfortable. She suddenly gave him a back hug and asked softly "Are you angry at me? Please don''t be angry. I had a rough evening" She sniffed after speaking.


    She was always a hard and difficult person outside, but being with her father, she was always so soft and innocent. He turned to face her and hugged her properly. "I''m not angry. A young lady shouldn''t drink and walk alone at night. What if something bad happened to you?" He said as he patted her back.


    "You''re really not angry?" she asked quizzically as she raised her head to look at him. He was in his late 40''s but still had a nice body built. He was tall, and one could deduce by merely looking at him that he had been quite a looker in his younger days even though the present struggles had taken quite a toll on him.


    He placed both his hands on her shoulder and directed her to sit down while he went to the kitchen to fetch her a cup of water. "Joreen has been waiting for you. She fell asleep not quite long" He said as he handed her the glass of water.


    Sara seemed to understand what he was implying. She nodded gently.


    "When I was trying to reach you but could not, I tried calling Weiyoung instead. But Joreen advised me against it and told me what was happening" He continued.


    "I wouldn''t have known if it wasn''t for her. She was looking through Weiyoung''s bag to check if she got her the chocolate she promised when she suddenly saw the card and showed it to me... So I kept it" she narrated before gulping down the entire glass of water.. He nodded.


    He seemed to have understood the whole situation and did not want to push further. Besides, it wasn''t the right time to ask about it. "I''ll draw you a bath. And make you something to eat. You just relax and I''ll be right back." He said softly.

 Chapter 10 - Awkward moment

    Li Muchen received a call to inform him that Sara had gotten home safely. He gave a noncommittal response and ended the call abruptly.


    A smug smile appeared on his face when he remembered how Sara ditched both guys and got into the taxi. She really did not disappoint him.


    He had sent one of his people to fetch her there and was greatly pleased by his efficiency in hiring a taxi and picking her up quickly. Another person who impressed him greatly was none other but himself. He was not present there but still managed to win against two guys.


    He laughed as he finally focused on the files beside him that he had abandoned. He had since shut his laptop. After Sara left, there was no need for him to continue watching.


    Even Ms Long stopped videoing and drove off. After about thirty minutes, he received a call from Ms Long, informing him that she was outside his apartment. He asked her to meet him in his study and ended the call.


    As his secretary and personal assistant, she had access to his apartment and some other personal belongings of his. But For formality sake, she still had to be professional and not just barge in on him. She soon got to his study and knocked gently.


    "Come in." he said as he continued flipping through a file not bothering to lift his head.


    She entered quietly and presented a file to him after greeting him.


    "What is that?" He asked when he raised his head to see her stretching a file at his direction.


    "It''s the personal information of the girl tonight.." She answered. "I figured you might want to know about her" Muchen blinked twice and looked at her in confusion. Of course, he had considered asking for her personal data. But Ms Long had beat him to it.


    After meeting Sara two years ago, Her actions surprised him. He grew up in a proper environment and everyone around him were all of the Socialite circle. He had never seen a girl dress that way. Or even fight that way. So he was intrigued. If it were to be someone else oppressing or bullying his cousin Minde, he would have easily dealt with the person just like he had done a couple of times already. But for some reasons, he wanted to keep watching her bully everyone. He was greatly disappointed when he heard she hadn''t ''visited'' Minde again after that day. He really wanted to watch her actions again but had to leave everything to Fate. And then, As fate would have it, he met her again. In almost the same situation. But this time, she was personally involved and was even composed than the last time. She was even prettier than the last time also. Or maybe because the hood she was wearing covered a part of her face. But she did look stunning.


    He could tell why Mo Dexi got interested. Though, he did not know what was going through her mind at that point. But he had to stop the security from getting closer. Aside from the fact that they might embarrass her, he felt a fight might ensue between them. Which would have been a bigger problem for her since the people present there weren''t from ordinary families. They may even want him to personally punish her since it was his hotel. And that, was something he knew he could not do for sure. The reason why? He didn''t know either.


    He cleared his throat and spoke to Ms Long "I never asked for it" he tried to sound uninterested when he spoke.


    Then continued to flip through the files he had been reading before  Ms Long came in.


    Ms Long looked at him and withdrew her hand which was still stretched out. "I''m sorry for bothering you. I''ll leave now then" As soon as she got to the door, He called her back.


    "You can leave it here. I might go through it whenever I''m bored." He sounded nonchalant when he spoke.


    Ms Long''s face was still expressionless as she moved to his desk and positioned it neatly.


    As soon as she left the room, Muchen hurriedly placed the file he was reading aside and grabbed Sara''s file. He was about opening it when the door opened again.


    "Uhm CEO Li..." Before she could finish speaking, she was shocked by the sight she witnessed. Muchen seemed to have been startled by her presence and suddenly threw the files he was holding on the floor. Since the study was brightly lit, she could clearly see that it was the file she had just presented to him.


    Muchen on the other hand was looking awkward. When he noticed she was coming closer, probably to help him pick up the file, he suddenly raised his voice to order like he usually does


    "STOP!"


    Ms Long didn''t know what to do. She desperately needed to laugh but knew if she laughed now, it would probably be the end for her. She could see his cheeks gradually turn bright red. His embarrassed look was so obvious for the whole world to see.


    "I''m sure you''re bored now CEO Li" She tried to lighten the atmosphere by reminding him he said he would read it whenever he was bored.


    "I''ll leave now then." she nodded slightly and left the room in a hurry. Muchen just nodded after her as she left and closed the door behind her. Immediately she got out, she couldn''t help bursting into laughter. She had purposely gone back there because she knew he would be going through it. He was always being bossy, so seeing him act like this was like a breath of fresh air. What was he saying about going through it when he was bored? Did he think she was that naive or stupid? This Sara Wang sure have an effect on Li Muchen she concluded.


    On the other side, Muchen finally picked up the file and went through it. "SARA WANG, SARA WANG" He called her name repeatedly as if being propelled to do so.


    When he got to the part that stated she was currently unemployed and the reason she was fired, A wicked smile appeared on his face.


    But his smile got even wider when when he saw the discipline she had studied in school. It was time to finally meet this Sara Wang.

 Chapter 11 - Bribe

    Early the next morning, Li Muchen went to his parent''s house. He was sure they would be around since it was a Sunday morning.


    His parent''s apartment could be termed a mansion. They were the only ones living around the area and the security was quite tight.


    The disadvantage was that, It was nearly impossible if not impossible to find a taxi around that area.


    When he arrived, the maid was so happy to see him. It was always rare to see the young master especially when things got so busy at the company.


    She quickly led him inside the house and went to fetch the Li elders.


    "So you finally remember you have a mother" Jiang Dana said as she climbed down the stairs.


    Muchen greeted his father Li Fazhan, and then, his mother Jiang Dana. He waited for them to sit down before sitting also.


    "Here are the documents" He stood up and handed his father a file. It was the same file he had been going through the previous night.


    Li Fazhan took the files from him and nodded. He was a taciturn man and rarely initiated a conversation or even give a response.


    "Oh no! It''s Sunday. You haven''t been here in a long time and the first thing you do is business?" Jiang Dana grumbled.


    Both men laughed and finally focused on her to al converse together.


    "Where is Heya?" Muchen asked after their series of conversation.


    "In her studio as usual" Jiang Dana answered.


    "I should see her before leaving. If you will excuse me" He said then stood up.


    "Why is he being so formal with us?" Dana complained to her husband Li Fazhan. He only laughed and waved Muchen to go on.


    Li Fazhan was fond of laughing whenever he was with his wife, Jiang Dana. Even after years, many years of being married. He still loved her unconditionally.


    Muchen also laughed and bowed slightly before going up the stairs.


    After passing through different turns with maids all over the place, he finally got to her studio. The door was slightly ajar so he could watch her from there.


    She was solely focused on playing the keyboard and didn''t notice when he pushed the door and entered inside.


    The tune was so pleasant that Muchen didn''t want to interrupt her.


    He looked at his little sister who he was quite fond of. She was a very timid teenager, especially because of her body stature. She was chubby and bigger than most people her age. She hated high school so much that she has sworn to never go to college. Mixing up with other people was something she did not wish to try again even at age 19. This isolated lifestyle was what she preferred and she was glad her parents supported her.


    Ever since she was little, Instead of playing with toys, she had preferred playing with the musical instrument, and was thankful that her parents made her a mini studio just liked she asked.


    She suddenly stopped to unwrap a chocolate which was beside her. It was then Muchen noticed all the empty wraps of chocolate littered on the floor and could not help but laugh.


    She quickly turned to look at who was behind her and was surprised to see him there.


    "Big bro.." She stood up hurriedly and went to hug him happily.


    Muchen had to support himself from falling over. He took the chocolate which she was holding on her hand then spoke.


    "Li Heya! You still haven''t changed?"


    "Bro, you have not been here for a while and the first thing you do is try to scold me?" she complained.


    They both moved to the sofa and sat down.


    She had always liked her brother. Even more than she liked her parents. He was always there for her and wanted the best for her..


    "How have you been?" He asked.


    "As usual, like a ghost in this house... it would have been nicer if I was staying with you though"


    she said before grinning cunningly.


    Of course, he was waiting for her to say that. That was actually why he came here in the first place.


    She had been trying different tactic to move in with him but he had clearly refused. But this time, He was completely and totally open to it.


    "I can let you move in with me.... But there is a condition"


    "Really?..." her eyes lit up. She couldn''t believe he was finally agreeing to her wish.


    "You will really let me go with you today?"


    He nodded. "And like I said, there''s a condition to it"


    "Anything, tell me anything. I will do it! I promise you" she said excitedly.


    He looked at her as he spoke clearly.


    "I''ll be giving you a fitness coach" After speaking, he watched her to study her reaction. As expected, The excitement in her eyes dwindled. She really hated having a personal instructor. She had one at a time but It was like hell to her that she threw a tantrum and refused her from coming close to her.


    "Is that really the condition?" she asked looking like a sad puppy.


    "Yes! Do not worry. You don''t have to force yourself too much or try too hard. If you agree, we will leave today" he tried to cajole her stylishly.


    After thinking for a moment, she agreed. It was still better being with him than with her parents who didn''t care about her. The only thing they knew how to do was to give her food and more food.


    Muchen finally smiled when he saw her nod. "It''s decided then"


    ***


    After convincing his parents that he was taking Heya with him, He sat back down with his parents as Heya went with the maids to get her things.


    "Do you have a girlfriend yet?" His mother suddenly asked.


    "Not yet" He answered.


    "Not yet''? it means there is a possibility that you will have one soon?" she asked excitedly.


    At 29, Li Muchen had still not introduced any girl to them. It was something to be worried about. Besides, He was already stable. So why was he still delaying?


    His choice of words also shocked him. Not yet? What did he mean by ''not yet''?


    He just smiled awkwardly and changed the topic to anything but him having a girlfriend. He talked about the garden in the backyard, foods, paintings, even the color of the furniture.


    He was finally relieved when he saw Heya coming down.


    Time to leave!


    He hurriedly stood up and went for one of Heya''s luggage to help the maids with it.


    "Do not forget to call your grandmother" Li Fazhan reminded him.

 Chapter 12 - Perfect coincidence.

    When Sara woke up the next morning, she saw a little brown face hovering above hers and was slightly startled.


    "Sis? you''re awake?" Joreen asked with a smile. Revealing her two missing front teeth.


    Sara gently sat up. Thanks to her Father''s help last night, she was not suffering from a hangover that much but only felt slightly weak.


    The window was wide opened and the bright sunlight stinged her eyes. She had to shield her eyes with her hands as she tried to adjust to the sudden brightness after being asleep for a long time.


    The room was quite small. There were only two bedrooms in the apartment. One she shared with Joreen and the other one was her father''s. Sara and Joreen both shared the same bed as the room wouldn''t fit an extra bed except it was a really small mattress which wouldn''t be a good idea since Joreen was a rough sleeper.


    "Sis, what happened? Was it really them?"


    Unlike her father, Joreen was a rather nosy little girl. She was still too young to know the type of questions she was supposed to ask or not. Sara nodded while yawning.


    "O.M.G!" Joreen exclaimed then covered her agape mouth. Sara couldn''t help but laugh at her dramatics. She could see the evidence of all the Korean dramas Joreen had been watching.


    She was really grateful for having Joreen by her side. Joreen''s mother was her Father''s younger sister, Cixi Wang. She had gotten pregnant for an African man she met during one of her volunteer job outside the country.


    He later abandoned her and since then, she hadn''t heard from him. When she finally had Joreen, she made sure Joreen bore the surname ''Wang''.


    Since she was still always busy with her volunteer work as a doctor, which required moving from one country to another often, she had to leave her daughter with her only brother, Jianjun Wang and his daughter, Sara. But that did not stop her from calling everyday except she was really busy. They gladly agreed to it. Sara loved her aunt a lot. Joreen also, was a sweet little girl. Although she had a brown skin and afro black hair, which was very different from how most kids around country B looked like, she was not so easily bullied because she was a bully herself. And also had Sara to back her up! Sara didn''t know how the past year would have been if not for the dramatic Joreen beside her.


    Joreen had been waiting for Sara to wake up for a long time. She had waited last night tirelessly and finally fell asleep. When she woke up this morning and finally saw Sara beside her sleeping, she didn''t want to let go of this opportunity to have a good gossip. So she had been waiting for her to wake up.. "Did you hit them?" She asked curiously while acting all angry. "No." Sara answered.


    "Why? See why I should have followed you!" She said disapprovingly.


    "...." Sara


    "I never liked that Jinyong" Joreen said.


    Sara looked at her and cocked her head to the side while raising a brow Joreen seemed to understand what she was trying to say by her actions and suddenly blurted out.


    "Well, maybe I did like him just a little bit" She used her fingers to show the tiny degree of ''like'' she had for him. Sara laughed again.


    Joreen had always liked Jinyong because he usually showered her with gifts. She had even envisioned how she was going to become Sara''s Chief bridesmaid and wear nice clothes on their wedding day. "Jinyong? You usually call him brother Jin yong" Sara said.


    "Of course he is now Jinyong! He doesn''t deserve to be called brother Jinyong by me or you" Joreen replied firmly.


    Sara was speechless. She didn''t know whether Joreen was loyal or simply shameless.


    "So what about Weiyoung? Are you also going to stop calling her big sis?" Sara asked sarcastically.


    "I won''t be needing any reason to call her that because I don''t even want to see her again!"


    She then changed the topic. "Dad already prepared breakfast. I will heat it up for you so you can go freshen up" Joreen said before standing up. She suddenly stood up from the bed and left the room.


    Sara looked at her retreating little figure and smiled. Joreen was used to calling Jianjun Wang as Dad since he was the only Father figure she was close to, and she had always watched Sara call him dad, it would be awkward for her to call him uncle. Besides, Jianjun Wang doesn''t treat her like his niece but as his daughter. Joreen was happy for this little family of hers.


    ***


    Sara and Joreen always paid a visit to Jianjun in his restaurant every afternoon. They usually had their lunch there and help him out with the little they can before returning back home.


    They didn''t need to go by a bus since it was quite walkable from their apartment.


    Someone suddenly bumped into Sara and dropped some books on the floor. He apologised sincerely while picking the books up then quickly entered the taxi he had stopped earlier.


    Joreen noticed there was a sheet of paper still left on the floor and called after him. But he had already boarded the taxi and left. She picked it up and showed it to Sara. Sara read it for a while and her eyes widened. It was a job vacancy for a Fitness Coach. When she saw the monthly pay, her eyes widened in shock and she stood there like a stature.


    Someone who had been observing the entire situation nearby quickly placed a call across to someone. When it went through, he spoke confidently. "It is done!"


    ....


    Ms Long nodded and hung up then looked at Li Muchen who was facing the floor to ceiling window in his apartment and spoke.


    "Mr Li. it is done!" "


    Alright!" He said without turning to face her. A smug smile appeared on his face when he thought about how everything was perfectly falling in place.

 Chapter 13 - Heartless Li Muchen

    As soon as Sara and Joreen got back from the restaurant, she went straight to fetch her laptop in other to use it apply for the job vacancy.


    She was happy to have bumped into the stranger who dropped the flier. What a perfect coincidence! She thought.


    She had been worried about how to start looking for a new job. And all of a sudden, the right job came looking for her.


    But she was still bothered. She was quite sure a lot of people was going to apply for this same job, people who were far more qualified than her. She didn''t go to a renowned university and with the pay she was seeing on the flier, they may be needing someone who graduated from a prestigious university. So the possibility of her getting the job was rather low.


    She gave up!


    But after enough pushing from Joreen and her father later that evening, she finally agreed to try her luck. There was nothing to lose anyway.


    Joreen had even started thinking of the things to buy after Sara received her first pay. Sara couldn''t help but laugh at her optimism.


    ****


    Li Muchen just finished preparing a Shrimp omelette when he received a call from Ms Long through his headset. Muchen was fond of preparing dinner for himself ever since he started living alone and now that Heya was around, he had an extra person to cook for.


    When he received the call from Ms Long, he quickly answered it while taking off his apron.


    He hoped the call was in relation to Sara.


    "Mr Li. She has sent it" Ms Long reported.


    Li Muchen finally sighed in relief. For a moment, he had been worried that she would not take the bait since Sara was always fond of doing things the opposite way.


    Besides, he had waited all day and nothing turned up. He couldn''t help smiling now. He was pleased to see everything go smoothly.


    "First thing in the morning, Let her know she has been accepted and should be present for her interview on Tuesday morning." He paused for a while then continued. "About Mo Jinyong... Cancel every contract I have with him. Since he is so good at acting, he should leave the business sector for the entertainment industry.. And, refund him the money he paid for using the hotel for his engagement party . Let him know it is my advance wedding gift to him" He ordered smoothly. Ms Long accepted his orders.


    After hanging up, she laughed. Interview? Seriously? The flier had been sent to only Sara. In fact, it had been made just for her.


    Who was he deceiving? It was fun watching her boss interested in someone else. She had been working with him and had never seen him take interest in anything other than the company. He was always about business and meetings. Too bad Jinyong had to suffer. She knew Li Muchen was indirectly taking revenge on Sara''s behalf.


    The only one who could oppress the rich was obviously the richest. Nonetheless, that served him right!


    Ms Long was also a woman. She had been in Sara''s shoes before. After being in a relationship for over five years, he suddenly came up with the excuse of him enlisting in the army and broke up with her. In less than a month, she received an anonymous email of his wedding pictures with another woman who he had married a week back. She had been completely heartbroken.


    When Li Muchen realised what had happened, He made sure to suppress his family''s business. And after his family went bankrupt, his wife presented him the divorce papers.


    Yes! Li Muchen was always that heartless to whoever messed with his people!


    ***


    Soon, it was Tuesday morning. Sara found it strange that they had insisted on picking her up. In fact, everything still felt surreal. When she received the text to come for her interview, she thought she was hallucinating.


    After confirming it was real from Joreen and Jianjun, she was finally able to believe it.


    "Big sis, you look so pretty. I''m sure you will get the job" Joreen said while waving Sara and Jianjun goodbye from her school bus''s window.


    Jianjun and Sara both laughed. Did she think looks alone could automatically guarantee her employment?


    Unlike her usual appearance, wearing ripped Jean, boots or sneakers, and loosely fitted tops, today she was putting on a button down light blue shirt, dark plain jeans and a black slip-on flat shoe. Her hair was tied in a ponytail and she was even wearing a light make-up. She remembered the stunned look on both of their faces as soon as she came out of the room.


    Jianjun had even cried when he saw her. He bought her those clothes a long time back and this was the first time he was seeing her wear it. Joreen kept reminding Sara how pretty she was and how the job was hers already.


    To them, she was looking so formal and ''ladylike'' and were both happy to have known a beauty like her.


    "You should leave for the restaurant now. I will call you after the interview" Sara said to her father after they both waved Joreen off. He shook his head in disagreement.


    "I need to see you off also. Who knows if the people are genuine?"


    Although he was happy for Sara, he had been worried about that. The pay was too high and there was no work address. Besides, Sara didn''t graduate from a renowned university and did not have any prior work experience in that field but was still selected firsthand.


    He needed to see the people for himself to be sure.


    Sara agreed with his logic and didn''t push further but just stood there with him. After about three minutes, it was finally 8am, the agreed time to pick Sara up.


    A car suddenly stopped in front of them. A young lady got down from the front passenger''s seat and strolled to were Sara and Jianjun was standing.

 Chapter 14 - Li Corporation?

    Unlike the expensive official car Ms Long normally drived, today she had used a rather ordinary looking car.


    "Wang Sara?" She asked as soon as she got to where they were standing.


    "Yes..." Sara nodded. "And this is my father" she said gesturing at Jianjun. She was quite impressed by their timeliness so she had a good impression of Ms Long.


    Ms Long was always professional. She nodded slightly, acknowledging him and introduced herself


    "Pleased to meet you Mr Wang. Pleased to meet you Miss Wang''. She greeted politely then continued


    "I am Chou Long. You can call me Miss Long"


    They both nodded to her greeting. Jianjun and Sara felt she seemed like a nice person and finally relaxed.


    Ms Long was relieved Sara hadn''t recognized her since she was also in the hotel and had secretly followed her to the bar.


    "Shall we?" Ms Long asked as she gestured towards the car.


    "Sure!" Sara bade her father farewell and followed Miss Long along.


    ***


    Sara was not so comfortable sitting at the back of the car. There was a young man behind the wheel while Ms Long was sitting in the front passenger''s seat so it felt awkward sitting behind like she was the boss.


    She became completely uncomfortable when the car stopped the front of a big company. It was one that never crossed her mind at all.


    Was this not the Li corporation?


    Of course, everyone knew who this building belonged to. Even a year old was aware of that also. She was suddenly feeling a little jittery.


    She had neglected her looks and wasn''t even wearing a proper make-up, just a little face powder and nude lipstick. What do she do?


    The first thing that came to her mind, was that she had failed this interview already! She would probably be the most underdressed.


    Things got worse when she saw the curious gazes of the employees directed at her.


    Ms Long who was leading Sara inside, noticed something was wrong with her. She stopped on her tracks and asked politely


    "Is something wrong Miss Wang?"


    Sara also stopped and looked at her. She didn''t know whether she should ask her or not. Then finally decided to.


    "Ms Long... Do.. Do you think I am underdressed and might probably fail this interview? I really would have done better with my looks if I knew I was coming here" She said sadly.


    Truth be told, that was the best look she could come up with. And that was the only formal clothes she had also. Her former jobs had not required her to dress formally.


    But if she was able to qualify for the interview, she was ready to put in extra effort to have this job and support her family.


    Ms Long almost laughed when she heard her. Sara looked like a sad puppy. If she had not witnessed Sara''s actions before, she probably would have thought Sara was a white lotus flower.


    She became quite fond of Sara because she couldn''t tell which was Sara''s real personality or whether she had a multiple personality disorder. It was a mystery she wanted to unravel.


    She was even surprised to see Sara looking this ''formal'' asking for more would be cruel of her.


    She had the urge to tell her that even if she had come for this interview in her normal everyday clothing, she would still have been accepted because the job was hers to begin with.


    "You look perfect!" She complimented with a pleasant smile.


    Ms Long had been stiff and expressionless the entire time. Seeing her smile while complimenting her, made her less nervous.


    "Thank you" Sara responded with a charming smile and followed Miss long confidently.


    ---


    Sara was surprised the interview only lasted for a short while. She had prepared herself for a tough question and answer session but the three interviewers did not really pry much. And gave her a "You Pass" at the end.


    "Ms Long, I do not see other candidates for this interview" Sara said as she was being led to the CEO''s office by Ms Long.


    Without turning back, Ms Long spoke eloquently.


    "You were only two selected to come for this interview, the other person had his interview yesterday but unfortunately or fortunately, he failed. I also know you must be thinking why we chose you when you do not have any prior experience or even graduated from a prestigious university.. The answer is simple! those folks are difficult to work with and CEO Li does not like that. So feel free and be comfortable. You are really lucky."


    Coming up with ''emergency excuses'' was nothing new or difficult for Ms Long. She was used to things like this and was always prepared for it. She had even expected the questions from Sara because anyone smart enough would find the entire situation fishy.


    Sara felt slightly better when she heard Ms Long speak. She had wanted to ask those questions but didn''t think it was right to. But thankfully, Ms Long saw through her and gave her a satisfactory explanation. She was beginning to like this woman the more.


    Ms Long informed Li Muchen about Sara''s arrival and was asked to bring her in.


    When Sara got in, Muchen still didn''t raise his head from his desk. He was busy with his computer and ignored the both of them.


    So she just stood there while Ms Long excused herself.


    ''So this was the CEO Li?'' She thought to herself. She had never been interested in listening to Li Minde''s family tree from Weiyoung beacause she was never interested in the business sector, So whenever she heard about the Li corporation, she always imagined the CEO, Li Minde''s cousin, to be a middle aged man. Who would have thought he was this young?


    Although she could not see his face, anyone could tell he was very handsome.


    Muchen finally raised his head and looked at her.

 Chapter 15 - Showoff

    When both their eyes met, as if caught doing something sinful, she immediately lowered her gaze and looked down.


    That was their second eye contact.


    But something seemed to snap in her brain.


    Why did he look so familiar?


    Where had she met him?


    She wasn''t so keen on remembering people but despite only looking at him for a second, she could tell she had seen him before.


    Who wouldn''t remember meeting such a charming man?


    She searched her brain properly. The only thing she had to think about was whether she had ever seen him with Li Minde. Because People like Li Muchen were not seen just anywhere but on special occasions; and she hadn''t attended any.


    She had only met Minde twice. The first time, he came alone to pick up Weiyoung from her place.


    The second time.... the second time??


    Her eyes widened in shock when she thought to that point.


    Minde had been with several people that day when she barged in on them and caused havoc.


    No! No!! No!!!


    She lifted her head gradually to look at him.


    Then, she met his eyes again!


    Once she saw him, she almost gasped in shock.


    It was him! it was really him!


    On that day two years ago she was really pissed off but then heard someone chuckle like she was making a joke there. In annoyance, she decided to also teach that person a lesson. But couldn''t bring herself to do anything to him when she met his gaze. Aside from the fact that he was good looking, he had a domineering aura. One could tell by merely looking at him. And also by the fact that he was the only one composed in the room that day. It would be stupid of her to think she could bully him.


    ''So he is really the CEO Li? What have I done?''


    She almost hit herself for messing up her good luck.


    If he recognized her, then it was over for her  Who would want a ''ruffian'' to become their employee?


    She was even worse than those ''overqualified'' candidates that were dropped.


    But she was still slightly relieved that she didn''t do anything funny to him that day, or even to Li Minde. But after threatening his cousin, would he let her off the hook if he recognized her?


    Many question ran through her mind.


    ''No! he won''t remember me. He can''t remember me! That was two years ago. Besides, I am formally dressed now and even wearing a powder and lipstick. He won''t'' She reassured herself repeatedly.


    But when she saw the way he was staring at her, she couldn''t help worrying.


    ''Did he really recognize me? please don''t.'' She prayed.


    ...


    When Li Muchen raised his head to look at her, the first thought that came into his mind was ''Pretty''.


    She looked pretty and innocent. But for some reason, he actually preferred her previous look. This ''Sara'' before him was not like the ''Sara'' he had met twice. The only constant thing was her petite figure. She could be considered average when compared with other girls. But when compared with him... he laughed inwardly when he saw how small she looked especially in this outfit.


    ''Do her personality come with her dressing?'' He wondered when he saw the less-confident look


    on her face.


    Li Muchen smirked inwardly when he saw her panicked expression.


    He knew she remembered him from two years back. He was also sure of one thing, she would feign ignorance.


    ''This is going to be fun'' He thought.


    "Don''t just stand there, have a sit" He said nonchalantly as he gestured at the seat opposite him.


    Sara walked gently and sat down opposite him.


    "Sara Wang?" he asked politely as he looked directly at her.


    She was finally relieved. He really hadn''t remembered her. How fortunate!


    Sara took a deep breath and replied nodding slightly.


    "Yes sir!"


    "Congratulations for being the only qualified candidate" He said gently and expressionlessly.


    "Thank you Mr Li, It is my pleasure" She replied modestly


    ''Mr Li?'' He felt strange being called that since everyone usually called him CEO Li.


    After an unnecessary question and answer session, he finally led her out to go meet with his sister, Li Heya.


    Once they got to the company''s VIP car park, Sara was bewildered by the cars she saw there.


    The number of cars there were very few but those were the latest model. She had a strong fetish for cars. And had the urge to ask for Muchen''s car keys to go on a cruise with his car as soon as she saw it.


    She had seen it on TV and was very sure this was the latest Audi A8 model.


    Muchen looked at her briefly and noticed she was entirely focused on the car.


    He wanted to laugh at her exaggerated look.


    So someone also had the same love for cars like he does?


    ....


    In the car, Sara was finally able to convince herself that she was really in this car. She used every ounce of self control in her to not openly admire the car in Muchen''s presence.


    So she had to place her thoughts somewhere else. She flipped through the file given to her by Li Muchen.


    "Everything you need to know about Li Heya are all in there. Remember to not push her too much. She''s good at throwing tantrums" He spoke with his focus on the road.


    "I will remember that Mr Li." She nodded.


    "And for the entire session, you''ll be using my place. Everything you''ll be needing are all there. And if by chance we are lacking anything¡ªwhich I am very sure we are not, let me know and it will be made available" He continued speaking while still driving.


    She wanted to roll her eyes at him after she heard him speak. "What a bloody showoff" She thought.


    She had been surprised though to see him drive when she followed him out.


    She always thought that all rich people, especially businessmen and politicians, loved having drivers and bodyguards and even an entourage with them when going out.


    But this Mr Li had surprised her. He didn''t even go with a driver and just drove himself.


    But that still didn''t change the fact that he was haughty. She really had no good impression of this Mr Li!

 Chapter 16 - Killing two birds with a stone

    Immediately they both got inside his house, they witnessed an awkward scene of Li Heya, crying while watching a kdrama.


    She had a pack of popcorn in her hand while two bottles of coke were on a little stool in front of her. One was already empty and the other was half empty.


    As soon as she saw them, she quickly wiped off her tears with the back of her hand and stood up abruptly. The sudden force sent the pack of popcorn flying and the next thing, there were popcorn everywhere on the couch and floor.


    Heya looked around in confusion before taking the remote to pause the drama. Then looked at the two people who were looking at her strangely.


    Muchen didn''t know whether to laugh or to cry when he saw his sister. Her mates were in college while she was here crying because of a movie? She''d better save those tears for when she begin her training.


    Although, he had an ulterior motive for doing this, he was still concerned about his sister''s health. Though she was too lazy for it but he knew how much Heya wanted to lose weight and helping her achieve that was something he was hellbent on doing. The best idiom for this situation would be ''Killing two birds with a stone''.


    Sara on the other hand had different thoughts running through her mind. She had been mentally prepared for this but was suddenly nervous after seeing Li Heya.


    She had no prior experience and was not sure how much progress she would be able to make but had still promised Li Muchen to make it work for Heya.


    What if it doesn''t?


    She looked at the several packs on popcorn lying on the couch where she had been sitting,the bottles of coke and the popcorns littered on the floor and couch.


    What had she gotten herself into? She asked herself.


    ---


    In a few minutes, the entire area was cleaned out by the maids and they all finally settled.


    "She is Miss Sara Wang. And your new fitness coach" He said to Heya.


    Heya''s eye widened when she heard him.


    She had thought he would let her rest for at least a week, but he had already provided her a coach?


    "Hello, Miss Li, you can call me Sara"


    Heya looked at her with scorn and asked


    "Why do I have to call you Sara while you call me Miss Li?"


    She felt she was being looked down on because she had a bigger body size than Sara. Sara was looking all athletic and very beautiful. Sara reminded her of what she would never become. So she hated her.


    "I''m sorry, I didn''t mean it that way. I''ll call you Heya then" Sara apologize.


    "Why would you call me by my first name? Are we friends?" Heya sneered at her.


    "Li Heya! Where are your manners?" Muchen scolded.


    Heya was startled. He had never scolded her like that and even if front of someone. What was happening?


    Sara was also surprised by Muchen''s reaction. This Heya girl was already pissing her off but she had to endure everything. Losing her job on her first day of employment would not tell well of her. Besides, it would mean she had disappointed Joreen and Jianjun.


    "I''m sorry. How would you like me to address you?" Sara suddenly asked to lighten the atmosphere.


    Heya''s eyes were glistening with unshed tears when she looked at Muchen''s direction.


    She was already so embarrassed and did not want to remain there.


    She sniffled back tears and spoke.


    "I''m sorry but I''ll have to excuse my self" She didn''t wait for any response before scuffling upstairs.


    Muchen rubbed his chin with his hands and spoke to Sara.


    "What do you think?"


    Geez! He could not even apologize for his sister''s bad manners? She thought. But, she was not that insensitive. At least he had scolded Heya. So she let it pass and replied honestly.


    "She hates me."


    "Give her time. I told you she doesn''t like people"


    Sara nodded affirmatively. She wanted to ask what they should do about Heya when they suddenly heard the loud bang of a door.


    Muchen just shook his head then said.


    "She''ll cool off. That''s her nature" He said nonchalantly.


    When she heard that, she couldn''t help feeling bad for Heya. No one even cared when she threw a tantrum and just left her to cool off?


    "I''ll drop you off then.." He suddenly spoke. "You can officially start working tomorrow. They''ll be someone responsible for picking you up and dropping you off so you do not have to bother about that." He informed.


    Was he nice or was he not?


    She couldn''t tell. He had been so cold and expressionless whenever he spoke to her. She had no idea what he was thinking. Did he hate her or something?


    She didn''t care if he hated her though. So far she got paid at the end of the month. Nothing else mattered.


    "No need for that. I''ll take the bus" She said.


    "The bus? Did you see any bus stop on your way here?" He asked gently.


    She had been focused on Li Heya''s file. How was she supposed to know?


    She just looked at him and shook her head.


    "I wasn''t paying attention"


    "I''ll drop you off then"


    There was no point in arguing further. Besides, the thought of entering that car again excited her.


    ---


    The entire car had been so quiet throughout the journey. No one could tell what the other was thinking. Until the car finally stopped.


    She had given the address for her father''s restaurant instead. Since it was already noon, She had to go there anyways.


    Before opening the car door, she suddenly broke the silence.


    "Uhmm, Mr Li.. Can I wear something I''m rather comfortable on? This is not really my style" She said looking at her outfit.


    Li Muchen looked at her and blinked twice. He had the urge to scream YES!


    He had noticed throughout the time they were together that she had been adjusting and readjusting her shirt.


    "You should wear whatever you are comfortable with" He replied nonchalantly.


    "Really? It might not be as presentable as you imagine" She said softly.


    Muchen almost laughed when he heard her but refrained from doing so. Did she really think he did not recognise her? How naive of her!

 Chapter 17 - G-Global

    As soon as she got down from the car, she head straight for the restaurant.


    Li Muchen looked at her retreating figure and finally laughed. He had tried his best to act neutral throughout but now that she was gone, he released all the repressed laughter.


    "She couldn''t even wave goodbye or wait till I drive off?" He asked himself as he accelerated the car.


    She was really something!


    ---


    Sara had just stepped into the restaurant when she was intercepted by two people. One was big and masculine while the other was small and feminine. They were none other that Jianjun and Joreen.


    Before Jianjun Wang could say a word, Joreen beat him to it.


    "Sis, Who was that just now? How was your interview? Did you get the job? I''ve been waiting for you to get here for ages now!" She asked as she pulled her to a seat close to the window.


    The restaurant was small and was only able to accommodate about five to six tables and the chairs around it.


    During afternoons like this, it was mostly quiet and isolated so there were no customers around. But during the evenings, the number of people there were always so much. After the day''s event, most people usually come over to chillax [1]with a bottle of liquor and nice hot soups especially with their friends or family members.


    Thankfully, he had the pass to set extra tables and chairs outside the restaurant at nights to accommodate more people.


    Sara usually assisted him whenever she returned from work but he had stopped her and employed a 20years old male because he believed she would be too stressed out. Plus, it was not a conducive environment for a young lady especially when the men were drunk.


    She had even almost gotten into a brawl with the customers severally but always tried to control her temper because she did not want to ruin her Father''s business.


    Sara decided to play a prank on the both of them when they both sat at the seat opposite her with curious gazes.


    She looked at them with a downcast expression. When Joreen saw her look, she started crying softly and spoke with her head down on the table.


    "I''m sorry sis, it''s my fault for talking too much about it"


    Jianjun who was beside her patted her back gently and spoke softly with a sad expression.


    "It''s not your fault Jo. Stop crying. you will make your big sister sadder"


    Sara couldn''t help laughing when she heard them. She stretched her hand to ruffle Joreen''s hair and winked at her.


    "Of course I got the job"


    Joreen suddenly raised her head and looked at her in shock. Jianjun Wang was also surprised when he heard her.


    "You really got the job?" Jianjun asked. The surprise could obviously be heard in his voice.


    "Of course. If I don''t who would?" She asked with an haughty smile.


    Joreen suddenly jumped from her chair and hugged Sara as she spoke happily.


    "Sis, I knew you would do it. I''m so proud of you"


    ****


    Pffffft!


    Joreen suddenly spat out the juice in her mouth when she heard what Sara said.


    "Hey careful!" Sara scolded as she used her hankie to clean her shirt. She was sitting directly opposite Joreen so she had the greatest impact than Jianjun Wang.


    Joreen didn''t care about anything else and just asked.


    "C...CEO Li Muchen? You are sure it was CEO Li Muchen?"


    Jianjun was also surprised. He hadn''t expected her employer to be from the Li family. Even those who knew nothing about business, also knew of that family. Take Joreen for example.


    Those were people who contributed greatly to their country''s economy so who wouldn''t know about them?


    "No wonder the information on the flier was limited. He must have chosen to hide his identity so people with ulterior motive wouldn''t apply or send someone there" He speculated.


    "I also think that was why the overqualified were not accepted since they could be easily linked with the wrong people who knows? " Joreen said.


    If Ms Long had heard them right now, she would probably be rolling on the floor in laughter for their weird speculations.


    Sara just nodded in agreement to what they both assumed. It was not wrong. to think so.


    "Well, Doesn''t matter. I''ll be able to buy us a new Apartment soon" she said happily.


    Joreen suddenly thought of something and her mouth was slightly agape.


    "Was it him who dropped you off?"


    When Sara nodded, she Was further bewildered.


    "OMG! I thought he was advanced man. But he is still so young?"


    "Compared to you, He is an advanced man!" Jianjun said as he rolled his eyes at her.


    "Why are you so Interested in him anyway?" Sara asked.


    "Of course G-Global belongs to him. Why Won''t I be interested?"


    "G-Global?" Sara finally remembered that G-Global was an entertainment company under Li corporation. Joreen had always loved the entertainment world and wanted so badly to be a part of it. So she had been keeping tabs on every information concerning G-Global in particular.


    "Sis, This is like a dream come through!" She exclaimed excitedly. As she moved to where Sara was and held her right hand with both her hands.


    "Sis, Sorry for spilling my drink on you, I was just so excited" She said when she saw the orange dots on Sara''s shirt.


    "Or you could say spitting!" Sara correct.


    "Sis, can I meet him?" She asked smiling widely.


    "Jo, come sit down,she just got the job, she can''t possibly be asking him for favours" Jianjun chipped in.


    "Jo, dad is right. Besides, He is so unapproachable. But I promise you, Once I get the chance, I will bring you to meet with him okay?" She said while patting her hair softly.


    Joreen''s smile grew wider as she hugged her and spoke


    "Thank you so Much sis. I promise once I become a popular actress, I will make sure you meet with whoever you wish to" She promised. "...and I will no longer get angry when you ruffle my hair"


    Joreen''s afro hair was so precious to her. She didn''t like anyone touching it. She always reminded them severally of how difficult it was to comb and style it.


    Letting them ruffle it anytime, was the biggest gift. No! biggest sacrifice she could give to Sara.


    [1] To chill and relax =Chillax

 Chapter 18 - Song Changyu

    Muchen was still driving when he suddenly received a call from an unknown number. They were only a few people who had his private number so he was rather curious who the person was. He connected the call to his headset and answered it.


    "Hello big bro"


    Muchen heard Li Minde''s excited voice.


    "I heard you got back yesterday, you finally remember you have a brother" Muchen almost laughed when he realised he was sounding like his mother,Jiang Dana.


    "I had bad jet lag after the trip. A man has to rest" He chuckled then continued


    "Tonight''s my welcome back party. Same place, same time."


    "You always need an excuse to throw parties" Muchen said.


    When he heard Li Minde was back, he had expected this invitation.


    Minde laughed. "You make it sound like it''s a bad thing. You better not miss it! I have real gist for you"


    "What''s it about?" He asked.


    "Come and I''ll tell you everything"


    "If you are not telling me now, then forget it!" Muchen threatened.


    "Alright, alright, fine! How petty. Geez... Well, guess who I saw on the plane?"


    "I''m not in the mood" Muchen said straightforwardly.


    "Well, whatever, I saw Song Changyu! She was so stunning God! Prettier than her photos on the net. I think she is finally back" He spoke excitedly.


    "Song Changyu?..." When he heard her name, He braked suddenly and parked by the side of the road.


    Are you really sure?" Muchen asked curiously.


    "Of course, I remember her from her pictures on the net. I have never seen any woman as pretty as her. Even in her forties her beauty could still rival those in their twenties so why won''t I remember her? I even followed her as soon as we landed and I heard her speaking on the phone with someone that she was heading to the Song family''s estate. It was really her."


    "Why didn''t you tell me immediately?." Muchen asked in frustration.


    He started the car again and began to drive. "I''m sorry. I won''t be able to attend your party. I need to look for a way to meet with her before someone else does" He said as he increased his speed.


    "Bro, you duped me! Don''t do this to me please" Minde begged.


    "Don''t worry, You can go on with your party. Tell Uncle and Aunt that I will be in attendance. If you do not cause trouble, I will cover for you when they call"


    Minde was seen as the black sheep of the family. He was banned from having parties except Muchen was also going to be there.


    So whenever he was having a party, no matter how little it was, he always looked for a way to bribe or cajole Muchen into going so his parents wouldn''t think much of it.


    It didn''t matter if he was going to attend or not. The most important thing was for Muchen to be able to cover for him whenever his parents called him.


    "Alright bro! Then I''ll come see you tomorrow" Minde said happily.


    Muchen was about to hang up when he suddenly remembered something.


    "Don''t you think its high time you change your usual location? The last two times I went there with you, things didn''t end well" He advised.


    Minde laughed when he heard his cousin. "Don''t worry bro, I tightened the security this time"


    The first time Muchen went there with him, was the day he met Sara.  Remembering how she had been sitting in his car a while back, a little smile appeared on his face.


    The second time Minde invited him out, he went there with the hope of seeing Sara again, but the worse happened. It so happened that Minde also broke up with Changru a month after the previous incident. So, she barged in on them and had an all-out brawl with the new girlfriend of Minde. With both screaming and pulling each other''s hair.


    The former excitement Muchen had when he was going there suddenly died when he witnessed this scene.


    He quickly called the security to throw both girls out and also left the place in annoyance. He vowed never to return there after that incident.


    When Minde''s parents heard about the incident that happened, with all the pent-up anger they had been suppressing, they finally sent him abroad to go stay with his maternal uncle who was an army general.


    As soon as his plane landed, they realised he had not boarded the plane and was no where to be found. He threatened to kill himself if they forced him there and since then, they let the 25years old baby be. He found a new hobby in the country he was hiding and refused to return home for over a year until now. No one was surprised that the first thing he was doing after coming back was to throw a party.


    Li Muchen really pitied his uncle and aunt for having a son like Minde.


    "Alright, I''ll hang up now. Do not make uncle and Aunt worry" After speaking, he hung up abruptly.


    He was about to call Ms Long when he suddenly saw an incoming call from her.


    "CEO Li, Miss Song Changyu is in the country currently"


    He was startled when he heard her speak.


    He just received the news from Minde and they had been no media outlet that carried the news. It meant they had taken special measures to seal off the media from carrying it.


    "How did you find out?"


    When Ms Long heard his question, she was able to deduce that he was already aware from another source.


    "I think someone who recognised her at the airport took a picture of her secretly. It was posted online this afternoon and had been circulating on the internet"


    "Damn!.." Muchen hit his steering wheel hard as he increased his speed.


    If this psycho of a cousin had told him earlier, it would have been easier. Now, everyone knew, This was bad for him!


    "Try to secure a meeting with her. I''ll be in the office shortly!"


    It was a good thing he had ordered Ms Long to clear his entire schedule for today. He would have to focus on booking an appointment with Song Changyu.


    ***


    Joreen who was busy reading the latest news about G-Global with Sara''s laptop in the living room, suddenly asked.


    "Who is this Song Changyu? Her news has been everywhere since this afternoon"


    Jianjun who just entered from the kitchen suddenly dropped the cup he was holding.


    Sara, who was braiding Joreen''s hair and Joreen were both startled by the sound of a clattering glass. They both turned to look at him. He was still standing there like a statue.


    "Did you say Song Changyu?" He suddenly asked Joreen.


    She blinked at him and nodded slightly.


    He moved slowly to where she was and looked at the laptop''s screen. And on the screen, had the image of a very pretty woman.

 Chapter 19 - Song family

    It was obvious from the way the picture was slightly blur that whoever took it had been standing far from her and had the picture zoomed to a magnifying degree.


    Song Changyu did not look like someone who had just arrived in the country or who would probably be suffering from jet lag. Her hair was tied in a bun without a strand out of place, She was wearing a David Webb gold doorknocker earrings, A LK Bennett sleeveless White dress that was slightly above her knees, A Nude pointed toe court shoe, And was holding a nude Armani designer''s handbag.


    Behind her, two formally dressed men where wheeling her luggage on a baggage cart.


    "Wow! This Song Changyu looks really pretty" Joreen said as she focused on the laptop''s screen.


    Sara seemed to notice the change in her dad''s expression and asked.


    "Do you know her?"


    Joreen turned back to also look at him. She really wished her uncle knew such a pretty woman.


    "No!" He said as he turned his head from the screen. "She only has a similar name with someone I know"


    After speaking, he moved back to the kitchen to get a broom for the glass he had broken.


    ---


    Joreen was always the inquisitive type. Since she saw the news about Song Changyu, she had been checking online to know more about her.


    Sara just entered the room after showering, The apartment had just one bathroom which the entire family uses. It was located directly opposite their room.


    As soon as Joreen saw her, She showered her with various information about Song Changyu.


    "Sis, come see what I found..." She said pointing at the screen. She stood up to let Sara sit.


    Sara who was still drying her wet hair with a towel, sat down facing the laptop that was positioned on the dressing table.


    "She''s the Song family''s first child and heiress. She has a younger sister who is married and has a 19years old daughter. Turns out they are the only family that could rival the Li''s. They have their businesses in more than 20 countries and their net worth? you wouldn''t believe it!" Joreen said as she pulled the chair beside Sara and sat down.


    Sara draped the towel around her neck and moved the mouse which was connected to her laptop.


    "She''s 45 and unmarried. Never been in a scandal and loves fashion" Sara added as she scrolled down.


    "Yes! She even has her own clothing line which is famous abroad. She left this country more than 20years ago. That is why many people do not know her. Anyone who wanted to have a business partnership with the Song''s always went through her. And most times it was impossible because they had to go abroad and it still didn''t guarantee the success of the partnership"


    Sara looked at her Joreen who was busy with her speech. She didn''t know whether to laugh or to cry.


    She would turn 8 soon. Wasn''t her mates supposed to be focused on their studies instead of other people''s lives? That was why she had actually won the most popular student in school. She always had to know everything.


    Why didn''t she just become a journalist instead? Well, what could she do? she only had to go on with the conversation..


    "She was betrothed to Mo Dachuan''s eldest son?" Sara asked in surprise when she read the article. Wasn''t Mo Dachuan, Mo Jinyong''s grandfather and Mo Dexi''s father? So does it mean that Mo Dexi have an elder brother? She was rather confused since Mo Jinyong had told her he only had one maternal uncle. She scrolled further to get more information and found out that he had died in a car crash even before Mo Dexi was born.


    "oh! that explains it"


    Sara seemed to think of something and wondered


    Why did she suddenly leave her own family when she was the heiress?


    Why is she back now?


    Sara wasn''t one to meddle in other people''s lives. If Joreen had not given her these information, she would never have concerned herself with this Song Changyu.


    She then remembered her Father''s reaction earlier.


    And what about her Father''s reaction when he heard her name? Was he telling the truth about mistaking her for someone else? Then who was the Song Changyu that made her father react that way?


    She looked at Song Changyu''s picture that was on the side of the screen. For some reason, she really felt like meddling in this woman''s life.


    ''Song Changyu, I''m really curious about you.''


    She changed the topic and turned to face Joreen


    "Have you heard from Aunt today?"


    She was referring to Joreen''s mother Cixi Wang, who always kept in touch with Joreen no matter what.


    "No! I haven''t heard from her since yesterday. I guess she''s too busy or maybe the place has a poor network service" Joreen said.


    Luckily, she was a very understanding child, She knew how important her mother''s job was as a pediatric doctor who helps save children who had been left in destitution.


    Joreen didn''t mind, she was healthy and had a family who loved her. She couldn''t ask for more.


    *****

 Chapter 20 - Feisty-Sara look

    The next two days was so hectic for everyone.


    Li Muchen had been trying to meet up with Song Changyu but she had refused meeting with anyone until she was done resting. He was also busy with the company so he didn''t bump into Sara since he always left very early and returned very late.


    Sara on the other hand, was having a difficult time trying to get Heya to listen to her. Heya was still so adamant and stubborn that Sara felt like hitting her most times.


    Today, She was determined to get Heya. And she knew just the right way to do so.


    When Sara arrived in the car designated to her by Li Muchen, She met Ms Long waiting outside for him.


    She was surprised to bump into her. It meant one thing, CEO Li was home! For the past two days, She had still dressed a bit formally but had not bumped into Muchen. Today, she decided to be her ''real'' self and he was actually home?


    She decided to face this head-on. At least, he permitted her..


    "Good morning Ms Long" Sara greeted as soon as she got down from the front passenger''s seat. She moved to stand opposite Ms Long so she was standing in front of the building''s entrance with her back facing the door.


    Sara had a really good impression of Ms Long and wouldn''t mind being nice to her if Ms Long didn''t annoy her.


    Ms Long looked at her and a warm smile appeared on her face. Today, Sara was dressed like her usual self. The young driver that went to pick her up was even surprised when he saw the way she was looking. For a second, he wondered if this was the same woman he had been fetching. She was wearing a loosely fit grey top and black three quarter pencil Jean that was slightly above her knees. She also wore a black sneakers while her hair was braided in cornrows. She was even carrying a drawstring backpack on her back and was not on make-up but was still looking as stunning as ever.


    "Good morning Miss Wang! you''re rather early" She said with a smile.


    "Please call me Sara. I don''t look like a Miss right now" She said as she laughed.


    Not noticing a towering figure behind her.


    He shook his head to stop Ms Long from acknowledging his presence.


    Ms Long naturally acted like she didn''t see him laughed slightly then continued speaking with Sara.


    "You look good!"


    "Really? Do you think Mr Li. would complain about it? Although, he permitted me but I''m not sure he''ll be expecting this" she asked.


    "Do you care what Mr Li thinks?" Ms Long asked.


    And Li Muchen''s face lit up.


    "Of course, he''s my employer! I should care"


    He suddenly coughed lightly then Ms Long stood upright and greeted.


    "Good morning Mr Li."


    Sara turned to see a formally dressed Mr Li.


    She had no idea how Long he had been there but guessed he just came now or else Ms Long would have acknowledged his presence earlier.


    He was looking so dashing that she forgot she was before her boss and just gawked at him. She was still a girl after all. A girl who appreciated beauty.


    How can someone look this good? For some reason, he looked really handsome today.


    She suddenly remembered Mo Jinyong who always bragged about how good looking he was. She had the urge to puke when she remembered that idiot. He could not even be Compared to Mr Li!


    What a joke!!


    Ms Long who was behind Sara noticed this and suddenly poked her back.


    She finally regained her senses and greeted him.


    He only nodded and looked at her from her head to her toe expressionlessly before taking large strides past her into the backseat of the car that was already opened for him. After he entered, Miss Long nodded at Sara and sat at the front passenger''s seat.


    The middle aged chauffeur started the car and drove out of the Villa.


    --


    Li Muchen did not know why he had snubbed her. For the past two days, he had been so busy that he didn''t even catch a glimpse of her. So he had purposely stayed late today just to see her. So why did he snub her?


    ''She looks really pretty'' he said to himself when he remembered her ''Feisty-Sara look'' on that outfit.


    That look brought back his favourite memory of the very moment she sent that bodyguard flying. And also when she did a bottoms-up of the wine on Changru''s head. He had been pissed off by her coquettish behaviour already and was even about to leave the place, when Sara suddenly entered and amused him.


    ---


    Sara was still standing there, watching them drive off then suddenly asked angrily


    "Why does he always act so cold? Besides he gave me the permission to dress the way I chose, did he have to look at me that way? What a B...."


    She was about to say Bastard when she turned to see Li Heya who was still on het pyjamas, standing at the door,looking at her intently.


    She choked back on her word and plastered a fake smile on her face to hide her nervousness.


    She almost called her employer a bastard in front of his younger sister.. How lucky of her that she turned on time!


    "Good morning..." She still did not know how to address Li Heya so she had to leave it at that.


    Li Heya in turn, was still looking at her intently and asked


    "What are you wearing?"


    Sara could not tell if she was asking because she was curious or because she hated her appearance but answered anyway.


    "It''s easier to move around in these clothes" Sara answered with a smile.


    "Your parents allowed you to wear this out of the house?" Heya asked in bewilderment.


    Sara laughed when she saw Heya''s googling eyes then she remembered whose daughter Heya was. They were Elites after all.


    ***

 Chapter 21 - Petty CEO

    In the car, Li Muchen was going through some documents given to him by Ms Long when he suddenly raised his head and spoke to her.


    "Change Sara''s chauffeur!"


    He had been in his room upstairs when he saw the car from his large window, drive in, with Sara happily chatting with the young driver he had designated for her. She had never had a proper conversation with him but was happily chatting with his people? could he really blame her? He was actually the one at fault in that aspect.


    He was nearly angry and he didn''t even know the reason why but When he remembered the look on Sara''s face when she gawked at him, he couldn''t help smiling as he turned to face the window and stared into the empty space.


    Miss Long noticed the use of Sara''s first name by him. And realised that He must have done it unconsciously that he didn''t even notice it. He was supposed to call her Miss Wang or Miss Sara but had directly called her by her first name.


    Was he being jealous? She asked herself. She had also seen Sara sitting on the front seat and even waved goodbye to the chauffeur when he dropped her off.


    She presumed that this Petty CEO must have seen everything.


    Then, she cut a glimpse of his smiling face through the mirror.


    There were a lot of things on her mind, but they were better left unsaid.


    She then nodded as she accepted his orders.


    "What do you think was on Sara''s mind when she looked at me?" He asked softly still facing the window.


    Even the middle aged Chauffeur was shocked when he heard him.


    Ms Long had not been expecting this question either. She smiled and replied with her gaze on the road.


    "I cannot say for sure, but she must have loved your look!" she said.


    Li Muchen could no longer hide his smile and was grinning widely when he heard Ms Long.


    He looked at what he was wearing again. He was putting on a black turtlenecked sweater and a grey Armani blazer and Pants. He was also putting on a dark coloured Oxford shoe. His golden Rolex watch, by merely looking at it, one could guess it had been bought for millions.


    Something seemed to have crossed his mind but he just smiled and moved his gaze to the documents on his laps and started flipping it. page by page.


    ----


    Li Heya tried her best to entertain Sara, She had met her brother this morning to apologise for her behavior two days back, since she had not even been able to see him since then. He always left early and returned pretty late.


    "You have to treat her well, that way, You can work with her properly do you hear me?" He had told her.


    "I was just mad that you scolded me in front of her" she said sadly.


    "I''m sorry about that Li Heya. It won''t happen again if you behave well so I want you to promise me you''ll be good from now on?"


    "I promise" She said after a moment''s hesitation.


    Since she had promised her brother, she had to do it.


    After seeing Heya upclose severally, Sara realised that Li Heya wasn''t even as fat as she had thought. The only thing that was heavily weighing down on her was her lack of self esteem. For the past two days, she had only succeeded in getting Heya to stroll around the Villa with her. And after about 5 minutes, she always complained and grumbled and wondered why they were always walking around aimlessly.


    Sara had also majored in Sport''s psychology and knew if she would be able to change Heya''s perception about herself, then that would be a really great step in this journey! And what was exactly what she planned to do today.


    After walking around for about 20 minutes, they both entered the apartment.


    While they were both sitting side-by-side on the couch in the living room, Sara played a video on her phone which showed the before and after pictures of celebrities and non celebrities who were once fat and had now lost weight.


    When Heya saw it, she was not surprised. She had searched for different before and after photos to use in motivating herself to go on a diet. But had still failed woefully!


    Sara narrated their life history to Heya, what had motivated them in their journey to lose weight, how they were able to achieve it. And how nothing changed much in their lives even after they lost weight.


    "It is easier for you to say these things since you are not fat" Heya said in annoyance.


    Sara paused the video then stood up and spoke angrily.


    "you are right! I am not fat! but weight is not the only thing people suffer from in this world. You have a nice family who loves you. Do you know that they are millions of kids out there who do not even have a place they call home or a parent to hug? You are able to play at least 5 musical instruments perfectly. Do you know they are a lot of untalented humans out there who feel they are useless? People are suffering to make ends meet. Fathers commit suicide because they cannot support their families. People go into armed robbery, prostitution and every other immoral things you can think of just to support themselves and their loved ones. But look at you! You were even the best student in your class. But you gave up the chance to study in Julliard because of What?... your weight?" She asked provocatively.

 Chapter 22 - You Are Precious

    Heya''s mood turned solemn when she heard Sara. She was born and raised in a renowned family and had even attended the school of Elites in the country.


    So she had never thought that they were actually people in the world who were suffering more than she was.


    "I know you think this is insignificant. But it really... really makes me sad" She said sadly with her head lowered.. It was the first time she actually opened up to a stranger about her feelings.


    When Sara saw her look, she knew it was time to strike. She sat down beside her and played the video again.


    When it got to the last picture on the video, Heya was confused by what she saw.


    it was a picture of a very chubby woman. But the before and after pictures were still the same. She was still fat and had a radiating smile plastered on her face.


    "I don''t understand" She said looking intently at the phone''s screen. "who is she? And why is there a before and after when she is still looking exactly the same?" Heya asked inquisitively.


    "She is Kang Anxi. She was my lecturer during my third year in college.


    "According to her, She hated herself so much especially when she was in high school. people always mocked her and called her a fat pig. She even tried to commit suicide one day."


    Li Heya''s gaze was still fixated at the screen as she saw several pictures of the woman smiling happily. In one of the pictures, she was standing with a man who was also smiling at the camera. In Another, she was standing with the same man and two teenagers.


    "After refusing to go to school for over a week, she had an unexpected visitor. it was her classmate that she had been crushing on. She was surprised when she saw him because they had never spoken to each other in school at all. In fact, she always his from him. He told her he hadn''t seen her in school for a while so he came looking for her. When she asked him why? He said he didn''t know either but just wanted to see her because he missed her smile.


    Li Heya looked at the screen with tears clouding her eyes. She could imagine how the woman had felt.


    "... He told her he had tried talking to her in school severally but she always ran away from him so he felt she hated him.. She was so shocked that she began to cry.. She never believed there was someone who still liked her the way she was. Since then, she learned to smile more and grew to love and accept herself that way. If the love of her life loved her that way, why would she still care about other people''s opinion?"


    Sara pointed the man in the image "That''s him, They both got married many years back. And those two, are their Twin sons" she said pointing at the two teenagers on the screen.


    At this point, Li Heya could no longer hold back her tears and started crying. She suddenly remembered the awful words she had overheard her previous coach saying on the phone to someone else about her. She also remembered how the guy she liked in high school rejected her for a prettier girl. She buried her head on her laps and cried more.


    Sara patted her back slowly and spoke.


    "If you accept your flaws, no one can use them against you. All you have to do is love yourself and whatever anyone says would not affect you. We can help you lose weight but we cannot help you see yourself as important if you refuse to see yourself that way. So, I want you to always remember something. YOU ARE PRECIOUS!"


    Heya''s tears continued streaming down when she heard Sara.. ''you are precious'' no one has ever told her that.


    She suddenly spoke while still crying


    "I... I.. I overheard her..." she stopped for a while and cried. While Sara continued patting her back.


    "She was telling someone on the phone that she would have committed suicide if she looked anything like me"


    She stopped again and cried even more..


    "I was so embarrassed I couldn''t even tell my parents why I didn''t want her to be my coach anymore"


    Sara understood what she was trying to say and stopped her from saying anything further.


    She realised that the opinion of Heya''s coach had greatly influenced her self-perception. .She couldn''t help feeling bad for Heya


    "You shouldn''t have been affected by her trashy-talk.. Let''s put you in shape quickly and go give her a faceslap. What do you say?" Sara asked with a grin.


    Heya raised her head to look at her. There were tears all over her face and her eyes were bloodshot red.


    She had a determined look on her face as she nodded affirmatively.


    There was nothing she needed more than to faceslap that silly woman.


    Sara smiled mischievously when she saw her determined look. Mission Accomplished!

 Chapter 23 - When two elephant fights.

    There was a sudden earth-shattering scream followed by a phone hitting the wall and scattering all over the floor.


    Liu Weiyoung moved to where are bedroom vanity table was and looked at her reflection on the mirror. Although it was noon,She was still wearing a messy pink pyjamas. Her usually bright and rosy skin looked rather pale, There were dark circles under her eyes, her eyes were brimming with anger and her always combed hair was a total mess.


    She had tried reaching Mo Jinyong severally but he had still refused to take her calls. Now, his line was even unreachable?


    It had been a week since her engagement party, and since then she had been living worse than a ghost. Every second she kept remembering the conversation she had had with Jinyong the day before.


    After he suddenly left the engagement party that day, she had been worried and tried reaching him. He told her he wanted to take care of something and would stop by her place once he was done.


    After waiting for him for a whole night and nights after, he still did not show up.


    The next day, which was a Sunday, she tried reaching him but he still did not take her calls. After visiting her parent''s house, she dropped by his place that evening but he wasn''t there. After several days, she finally traveled to one of his Villas that was on the outskirt of the city. Fortunately, she had the passcode to the villa so she was able to enter easily.


    When the door opened, She was welcomed with an unpleasant sight of wine bottles scattered everywhere, packets of empty cigarettes littered all over and a drunk Jinyong sitting on the floor with his left elbow and back resting on the couch. He held a full glass of wine in his right hand.


    He was looking so unkept that the sight frightened Weiyoung. He looked like he had not shaved for a week, hair was messy and unkept. His clothes were the worse she had ever seen anyone on. He was even worse looking like the beggars she had seen on the streets.


    "Mo Jinyong! What are you doing?" Weiyoung asked as she took the glass of wine from him and placed it on the table.


    He lifted his head to look at her then sighed and reached for a stick of cigarette on the table.


    His eyes scared her. There were so red and Hus gaze was empty. Like he was an empty soul


    She didn''t back down. She beat him to it and took the cigarette from his hand.


    "Liu Weiyoung! What do you think you are doing?" He asked in annoyance.


    She ignored him and took out her phone from her handbag then dialed a number.


    Jinyong''s phone which was beside him started vibrating. He turned to look at it and saw that it was Weiyoung calling.


    Weiyoung looked at him with annoyance and he also raised his head to look at her.


    "Have you gone insane? So you have been seeing my calls all this while? Have you forgotten we were supposed to pay my parents a visit? I had to cover up for you!" She screamed at him.


    Jinyong helped himself up with the help of the couch as he moved closer to her.


    He was drunk and annoyed and the last thing he needed was to be scolded by a woman. His mother Mo Aida, had given him the scolding of his life when she met him the next day after his engagement party. She had called him a disgrace for stooping so low as to date someone like Sara and had warned him to make sure to not lose the support of the Li Family.


    Even though Mo Dexi was her brother, Mo Jinyong was her son, and no matter what, she still felt there was hope for Mo Jinyong to take over the business one day since Mo Dexi was rather irresponsible. Who would have thought that her precious son Mo Jinyong was even more lecherous that her brother?


    When Weiyoung noticed him walking towards her like a Zombie, she shivered and took a few steps back until her back was pressed against the wall. Before she could do anything else, he made a lunge at her and grabbed her by the throat.


    She was startled by his action and tried to wrench free from his grasps but he refused to let go.


    "How dare you talk to me that way Liu Weiyoung! I could end your life this instant if I put my mind to it"


    Weiyoung was shocked. She had never seen Jinyong act this way towards her. She felt the air closing in on her as hot tears streamed down her face. She tried pulling his hand away with both her hands but her efforts were futile.


    Jinyong suddenly released his hands and pushed her to the floor.


    She fell down and coughed violently, trying to catch her breath as she cradled her belly.


    "Mo....Mo..Jin...Yong!" She stuttered as tears kept pouring.


    Jinyong moved back to get the glass of wine on the table and gulped down everything.


    "Are you trying to kill our baby?...what?.... What did I do to deserve this inhumane treatment from you?" She screamed at his back as she raised herself from the ground.


    He turned back to look at her and his gaze landed on her belly.


    He then gave a breathy laugh.


    "Of course! that thing can leave!" He said, pointing at her stomach. "If I can''t have the backing of the Li family, there''s no need to father a child. You know quite well that your family plus mine put together cannot be compared to half of the Li''s"


    He dropped the wine glass and staggered to where she was standing again.

 Chapter 24 - Between the devil and the deep blue sea

    Weiyoung was scared shitless that she had no time to process what he had just said. She used her two hands to cradle her stomach as she tried to avoid him by moving back.


    He quickly got to where she was standing and placed his two hands on her shoulders and looked at her intently.


    "Liu Weiyoung! Don''t you think this is our retribution for messing up with Sara? She didn''t even come after us directly but the impact is still this great after all!" He said then laughed humorlessly.


    Weiyoung was still scared but still managed to ask while stuttering


    "What has Sara got to do with this?"


    "Come see something" He said as he moved a hand from her stomach and led her by the hand towards the table.


    There was a small envelope on the table. Weiyoung had seen it when she entered but didn''t pay much attention to it.


    He lifted it and gave it to her.


    When she opened it, she saw one picture of Sara getting down from a car, and another, where the driver''s face was clearly shown. Her eyes widened in shock when She instantly recognised him to be CEO Li Muchen, Her Ex-boyfriend''s cousin.


    "What... What is going on?" She asked as she blinked in confusion and raised her head to look at him.


    "How stupid of you to not understand. Did you see the security throw Sara out on our engagement party? Of course not! that was because Li Muchen stopped them. And immediately after the engagement, he cancelled all our contracts. What do you think?" He asked then laughed dryly.


    No wonder she had not reacted that much when she saw the both of them. She had been cheating on him with Li Muchen all this while?


    That question had been on his mind since he saw the pictures.


    Weiyoung had never been so shocked in her entire life. Sara? Li Muchen? how come she knew nothing about it?


    "Want to know the worse?." He asked suddenly.


    "Even Uncle Dexi is interested in her! Everyone is interested in her! Everyone is interested in my EX!!" He laughed humorlessly as he fell to the ground and continued laughing like a maniac.


    Weiyoung was still standing there like a statue, trying to process everything when he stopped laughing and placed a stick of cigarette between his lips.


    "You know what happens when two elephants fight right? We are the grass that suffers!" He said as he lit the cigarette.


    ---


    Weiyoung looked at her reflection in the mirror.


    Was this really her retribution?


    Jinyong had warned her not to contact him again until he calls her first. He even threw her out of his apartment that night!


    It was as if she was stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea.


    If Sara got together with Li Muchen, then, she would be below Sara in the social ranking. On the other hand, If she got together with Mo Dexi, Then Sara would become her Aunt-in-Law if she married Jinyong.


    When she thought about these two possibilities, this provoked a terrible fit of anger on her part. She screamed and pushed down all her cosmetics which was on the table, down to the floor. She did not mind the clattering noises and just stared at the mirror with angry determined eyes.


    "Mo Jinyong you bastard! you dare abandon me now?.... Just watch if I don''t abort this child and go after Mo Dexi" She screamed.


    ***


    That evening, As soon as Li Muchen''s car stopped in the front of his apartment, another car stopped behind him.


    It was a midsized orange BMW i8 roadster. The roof of the car was open so Muchen could clearly see it was his cousin Li Minde. Li Muchen also had the same car model but a different colour shade. He felt it was too extravagant to be driving it around so he garaged the car with others.


    But Li Minde was an extravagant person who liked to show off wealth. He wondered why Minde was wearing a sunglass when it was evening already.


    "Hello big bro!" Minde said as he got down from the car and gave him a big bear hug... I''v missed you so much.


    Muchen pushed him back as he pointed at the car.


    "When did you get that?" he asked


    Minde pouted then took off his sunglass as he answered.


    "I''ve been trying to reach you but Ms Long keeps saying you are busy. I was so bored then I saw this beauty and decided to have her" He grinned when he finished speaking.


    Muchen looked at him and shook his head. He really didn''t know what to tell this cousin of his.


    "I''m glad to finally see you. Ms Long said you just left the office so I came ov..." He was suddenly interrupted by Muchen.


    "Good you are here! Come help me with these.." He said as he pressed a tiny remote on his hand, then, his car''s booth opened to reveal several large shopping bags.


    "Big Bro, You went shopping?" He asked in surprise.


    He knew Muchen wasn''t the type to care about his clothing or go shopping. Especially since he has his own fashion boutique.


    All he needed to do was ask Ms Long to get them and send them over.


    Muchen ignored him and just lifted some bags, then strode towards the entrance.


    Minde also did same and just followed Muchen.


    As soon as they got to the door, it opened from the inside. Sara and Heya stepped out together and were both startled to suddenly bump into two people at the entrance.


    Sara was about to greet Li Muchen, when she saw someone else with him. One of the last people she wanted to see!

 Chapter 25 - Standing before Lucifer

    Sara always left during noon so Li Muchen had not expected Sara to still be in his apartment since it was past 6 in the evening.


    Heya threw herself happily into Minde''s arms when she saw him.


    "Bro Minde, when did you get back? Why didn''t you tell me?"


    Li Minde was her favourite cousin. Although, he had a younger brother who was around her age, She wasn''t really close with him because he was always too serious.


    Since Minde was the ''bad sheep'' of his family, his parents had invested more resources into taking care of his younger brother Li Hoy, Instead.


    So Li Hoy even acted more matured than other people his age.


    Li Minde laughed as he gave her a half hug.


    Since he was still carrying the shopping bags, he could not only place his forearms on her side.


    "So Big bro finally allowed you to stay with him?" He asked since he knew all the tactics she had been using to get Li Muchen to allow her stay with him.


    She gave a cheeky grin as she raised her head and answered


    "Yea, sure!"


    She pulled out from his embrace and that was when he finally paid attention to the other person there.


    Sara had always prayed for this day to never come even in her dreams.


    When Minde was busy with Heya, several thoughts filed through her mind. What was she going to do?


    Should she feign ignorance?


    Should she pretend to faint? or run inside the house?


    If he ends up telling CEO Li about her ''gangster'' behaviour, he might end up firing her. And she had already promised to get a lot of things for Joreen and even buy her family a new house after she was done with this.


    She had even totally forgotten about Li Muchen who was still standing there, looking intently at her.


    She was completely focused on her thoughts.


    Should she just allow things play smoothly? Smoothly? Nothing was going to play out smoothly!!


    She couldn''t help sighing in resignation.


    She was sure that although she could ''fool'' Li Muchen since he only saw her once and she was putting on a hood that day, the same could not be applied to Li Minde since they both knew each other and he had been on the receiving end of her tyranny that day.


    Li Minde finally noticed Sara standing there.


    He looked her up and down and was wondering what a girl who was dressed like that was doing in his cousin''s apartment. He was about to ask Heya whether Sara was her friend when he looked at her closely. She seemed to look familiar. Really, really familiar. And he was not getting good vibes from this strange looking girl at all.


    When Sara saw the way he was looking at her, she averted his gaze and finally looked at Li Muchen.


    She was suddenly startled by the way he was looking at her. She desperately wanted to know what he was thinking. Is he suspecting something? she wondered.


    "Good evening Mr Li" She said with a forced smile and bowed slightly.


    As usual, he gave her a small nod and didn''t say anything else. He only looked at her up and down.


    This attitude still annoyed Sara. But she could not probably hit him right? Who was he to look at her like she was filthy? If he thinks his money gives him the right to look at her that way, she would slap him on his face with it and quit her job.


    But when she remembered Joreen''s happy face when she had handed her a list of the things she needed to buy, She just had to swallow everything and entertain his behaviour. She might probably lose her job soon though.


    When Muchen looked at her, he noticed they were both putting on grey and black outfits. To him, It really looked like a couple''s outfit. A smile almost crept into his face but then, he suddenly realized why the atmosphere suddenly changed when he saw both their expressions.


    It had totally skipped his mind and he had not been able to plan ahead for this day.


    After Sara greeted Li Muchen, she turned to face Li Minde with the same fake smile plastered on her face.


    Heya, who did not notice the awkwardness, thought Sara did not know how to address Minde so she spoke.


    "Sara, This is my Cousin Li Minde. You can also address him as Mr Li."


    "Good evening to you too Mr Li." She bowed slightly.


    Minde''s mouth fell open in disbelief.


    He did not want to believe it was her, but it was really her? Sara? of course, Even before he heard her name, he knew it was her but was still in denial. He remembered her! Who wouldn''t remember the girl that had appeared in their nightmare severally? After she had promised to come back for him, he had imagined several scenarios of her, coming at him with a knife just like Chucky.


    Why was she here? In his brother''s house?


    He was about to say something when Li Muchen who had been observing everything suddenly interrupted.


    "Come with me Heya" He said as he led her by the hand into the house.


    He knew if he remained there, Li Minde would expose everything. For some reasons he did not know about, he did not want Sara to know that he remembered her from their first meeting two years ago.


    "Bro! Bro! he called after Muchen''s retreating figure. He wanted to know what was going here. But the front door was already shut.


    When Heya and Muchen entered, His lips curved up slightly.


    He trusted Sara to handle the entire situation.


    This time, Sara was thankful that Li Muchen suddenly left. This was the first time she actually appreciated his aloofness towards her.


    Sara who was still ''smiling'' looked at Li Minde who was still trying to get Muchen''s attention behind the closed door.


    She spoke through gritted teeth


    "Shut the hell up! you bastard!"


    When he heard her, and saw her ''smiling'' face, there was a sudden chill in his spine.


    He really felt like he was standing before Lucifer!


    ---

 Chapter 26 - Do you like me then

    "This is for you" Li Muchen said as he handed Heya one of the shopping bags he had placed on the floor.


    Heya, who was sitting beside him on the couch received it with both hands and looked inside.


    Heya looked at him curiously when she pulled out a black chanel evening gown from the bag.


    "This is for me?" she asked quizzically.


    The Size was a lot smaller than what she usually wore. It would probably fit someone like Sara and not her.


    "I believe you can do this Heya" he said softly. "... And once you''ve succeeded, I want this to be the first outfit you wear outside."


    Heya''s lips curved upwards slightly. She had actually imagined herself dressed in such a nice outfit severally. But had already resigned to her fate that she would never wear a dress like this. Since it was actually a body fitted knee-length gown.


    "Do you believe in me that much?" She asked.


    "Of course! I believe you can do anything you set your mind on doing" He said with a warm smile.


    After admiring the gown for a while, she neatly folded it back and placed it inside the shopping bag she had carried it from.


    "Then I would be wearing this gown on my birthday!" she said resolutely with a grin.


    Muchen smiled when he saw her determination. He had no idea about the pep talk she had received from Sara earlier that day. But he was happy to see her this determined.


    He really wished his sister would do this and finally actualize her dream of attending Julliard school of Music."


    "Why is Sara still here?" He suddenly changed the topic and asked.


    "Sara?..Why are you addressing her that way?" She asked inquisitively.


    Li Muchen then realized what he had done. He couldn''t even remember the last time he addressed her as Miss Wang. He felt it was too distant. Just the way he hated it whenever she called him Mr Li.


    "Miss Wang" He corrected.


    "She was waiting for you" She said.


    "For me?" He was pleasantly surprised when he heard her.


    Heya did not seem to get what was up with him as she just nodded and spoke.


    "yes! She wanted to speak with you....." Heya suddenly remembered that Minde and Sara were both outside.


    "I''ll go get her." As soon as she stood up, the door opened to reveal Sara.


    "I was just about to fetch you. Come sit!" Heya said to her as she gestured at the Seat opposite Muchen.


    "Mr Li would not mind?" She asked as she moved to the couch.


    Since he just returned, she expected him to at least rest a bit before they both spoke. Thankfully, she had already informed them at home that she would be returning pretty late so it would not hurt to stay a while longer.


    Li Muchen shook his head and replied "You can have your seat."


    Sara nodded and moved to the chair opposite him and sat down.


    "Where is Bro Minde?" Heya asked.


    "Oh! He said he had something to do so he hurried off" Sara replied with an innocent smile.


    Li Muchen almost laughed when he heard her. But as usual, he had to maintain his composure and just nod.


    "He should have told me first." Heya said sadly. "I''ll go upstairs then. Call me if you need me" After speaking, she took the flight of stairs and disappeared from their sight.


    "You were waiting for me?" He asked Sara.


    "Yes!" She nodded as she spoke then continued.


    "It''s about Heya"


    Li Muchen was slightly disappointed when he heard her. What was he even thinking?


    He just nodded as a sign for her to continue.


    Sara took out a file from her backpack and handed it over to him.


    "It contains a list of everything she should do and stay away from.


    Li Muchen took the file from her and looked through it.


    ".. From the information I got from you, She was diagnosed to be medically sound. So I believe if she follows this up accordingly, in just a matter of time, everything would turn out well." She said.


    Li Muchen smiled when he saw the list. Heya was not supposed to do pretty much everything that Heya liked doing. And was supposed to do the things she dreaded the most. This was going to be really challenging. He thought.


    When Sara saw his smile, She couldn''t help admiring it. He was still looking through the file, so his head was down and he did not notice her gaze.


    That was the first time she noticed he actually had nice dimples.


    He looks good when he smiles. She thought.


    Li Muchen raised his head to ask her a question. But before he could say anything, he met her gaze.


    He was actually startled to see her fixated gaze at him. But he did not pull his gaze away and just stared back.


    The questions he had wanted to ask seemed to have disappeared into thin air.


    Sara on the other hand, was taken aback.


    She did not even know what happened. The only thing her brain could process was that they were both staring at each other right now.


    She suddenly cleared her throat and moved her eyes from his to look at the file in his hands and asked.


    "Are you done with it Mr Li?"


    Li Muchen nodded at her and placed it by his side.


    "So practically, I have to clear my entire fridge and kitchen I guess"


    "Yes! It is also important to ensure that she doesn''t eat anything else after dinner. I believe she is determined to do this. But she also needs your assistance and cooperation to overcome every form of temptation" She said.


    "Sure, I''ll give my full cooperation." He agreed.


    "And Mr Li.." She looked at him then continued. "I hear you''re free on Saturdays and Sundays. Can you spare at least an hour to workout with us also? It''ll be of great help to her if we are also doing it with her"


    Workout? like, He would spend every Saturdays and Sundays with the both of them? Although, he did not visit the office during weekends, he always worked indoors. But if he had any opportunity to ''support his sister'' of course he would do that.


    He had the urge to smile when he thought of this great opportunity.


    "Sure! I would do my best in any way to support Heya" he said.


    "Then, that''s decided then!" He said with a smile.


    That smile again!


    She suddenly thought of something and looked at him intently. She needed to settle this issue once and for all.


    "Mr Li?..."


    He looked at her and gave her a ''go-ahead'' look


    He was also curious about what she wanted to say that she was looking at him so intently.


    "You are always so cold. Are you like that to everyone or just me?"


    She was always so plain and straightforward so she didn''t really care if he was her boss and had to ask.


    "Is it because you dislike me or because I dress like this?"


    Muchen was taken aback by her question. He really had not expected her to ask him such. Thinking back to his reactions the past few times they had met, it was easy to assume such.


    "No! I don''t dislike you! Neither do I hate the way you dress." He replied with his gaze still fixed on her..


    Sara did not move her gaze this time when she spoke.


    "So, Do you like me then?"

 Chapter 27 - A love confession

    Li Muchen was startled by her question.


    He looked at her and blinked severally, trying to understand what she actually meant.


    Sara seemed to realise that there was something wrong in the way she asked the question.


    She moved her gaze from his and stuttered.


    "Actually... I... I am trying to say that.. you know, as an employee and employer, we are supposed to have a cordial relationship. And you know... " She had wanted to end it with ''like each other'' but no matter how she thought about it. It felt weird, putting it that way.


    Li Muchen who was still looking at her, suddenly spoke.


    "Yes!"


    Sara looked at him in confusion. What was he actually saying yes to? she wondered. Was he saying yes to the fact that they were both supposed to have a cordial relationship?


    When he saw her confused state, he clarified.


    "yes, I do like you...."


    Sara''s eyes met his. There was something weird in the way he said it. She was at a lost of words and was saved by his interruption.


    "As an employee. And I believe you would be able to assist Heya"


    Sara sighed in relief when she heard him. She was about to say something else when he suddenly spoke again.


    "Do you like me?"


    Awkward! Awkward!! Awkward!!!


    "To be frank Mr Li, Since you have actually been rather cold to me, I do not really have a good impression of you. But I believe...."


    He didn''t wait for her to continue before he nodded and spoke.


    "No worries! you will like me soon!"


    What was that? Sara had never met someone so complicated and unreadable. How was she supposed to work with this Mr Li?


    "Is this a love confession scene?" Heya who was standing at the staircase behind them suddenly asked.


    She had been on her way down when she suddenly heard Li Muchen ask if Sara liked him. Then Sara had said she had no good impression of him and he had assures her that she would like him soon.


    When she heard all these, her imagination couldn''t help running wild.


    They both turned their heads to see Heya standing behind them with a Curious gaze.


    Li Muchen smiled. He did not bother clarifying anything. While Sara, spoke out.


    "Not at all! We were just trying to smoothen things in order to work harmoniously" She smiled after speaking.


    A Love confession? That was crazy! She would not dare fall in love with her boss. Besides, Li Muchen was someone she did not even consider liking at all.


    Heya just nodded and smiled as she got down from the stairs and sat down beside Li Muchen. "I thought it was a romantic love scene"


    Muchen laughed and pinched her chubby cheeks.


    "You always over think things"


    His smile did not escape Sara. For some reason,she was always drawn to his smile. He had a perfect dentition and his dimples even accentuated his smile. No doubt he was a gorgeous man.


    "Have you seen the list?" He asked as he showed her the list he had been looking through.


    Heya nodded and pouted.


    "Do you think you can do this?" He asked her softly as he took her hands in his.


    Sara just studied them. She really envied this pair of sibling''s relationship. Although he was cold to her, he was always so warm to his sister. While Heya on the other hand, loved her brother unconditionally.


    She had always craved for this when she was growing up. A sibling to talk to, to fight with, to play with. But she only had her father. Thankfully, he was always available to give her all the attention she needed.


    A mother figure was also something she had yearned for. Although, Her father did his very best, it did not change the fact that he was still a man.


    She did not even know her mother or have any memory of her. She had only seen an old photo of her mother which her father had given to her and told her her mother had died when she was barely a year old. Every other information had been totally sealed off.


    Now, she did not really care about a mother figure that much, Since Jianjun Wang had given her all the love of a mother and father at the same time.


    "I can do this!" Heya said and gave him a warm smile.


    "Good!" He said and ruffled her hair.


    "You can''t do this!" Heya grumbled as she tried to pull his hand away.


    He ignored her and kept doing it while she kept trying to Dodge his hands.


    They both finally remembered Sara who was just sitting there, lost in Her thoughts.


    "Sara?" Heya called when she noticed her absentmindedness.


    "Yea? sorry"


    "Did you have lunch yet?" Muchen asked.


    uh oh! the emperor is being caring? she wondered. Was this what he meant by you would like me soon? To ask her insincere questions?


    Well, She really wanted to see how far he would go with this!

 Chapter 28 - Past

    "I ate! the cooks here are really wonderful" She praised.


    "You said your father owns a restaurant right? Do you think he is a better cook than them? The cooks here are professional chefs. What do you think?" Heya asked with a teasing grin.


    Li Muchen just quietly sat there, he didn''t bother to interfere in the girls conversation.


    "Well, I really do commend them for being good. But I would have praised them more if they weren''t below my father''s culinary skills" Sara winked at her after speaking.


    "you are not taking sides right now, are you?" Heya asked curiously.


    Heya wasn''t one to take sides. If the chefs were better than her father, then she would not mind taking their sides also. But Jianjun Wang was a great chef. Although he only had a small restaurant, he was actually comfortable with it and had refused to expand for reasons best known to him.


    Jianjun Wang did not like talking about his past. Just like, she knew practically nothing about her mother. But She had been able to gather a few information about his parents.


    Her Father''s parents had a 5-star restaurant in the country. His father had even been the President''s special chef then, and that was how he had met his wife, Jianjun Wang''s mother. Who was also a chef in the President''s house.


    After they both fell in love and got married, the President supported them greatly and they were finally able to get their top class restaurant.


    Something led to another, and during the period she was born, His father died, his mother then died few months later.


    The reason they died, He didn''t mention and had refused to talk about it.


    "I''ll take you there one of these days. He''ll prepare you a really nice meal then you can be the judge" Sara answered.


    Li Muchen who had been quiet the entire time, suddenly spoke.


    "Why don''t we go today? I''m famished."


    "Today?" Sara was rather surprised when she heard him. Why would he suddenly want to eat at her Father''s?


    "Yes, today" he responded.


    Sara was quiet for a minute before speaking..


    "Then, the three of us can go together"


    "Me?" Heya asked quizzically.


    Although, Sara had been able to help her a bit with the ''self perception lecture'', She knew it would still take time for Heya to adapt and that Heya was still not certain in that aspect. Since she hated the outside world!


    "let''s go together. He''ll Make you a nice meal and you can also get to meet Joreen there"


    Throughout that day, they didn''t do much. And after about twenty minutes of strolling around, they both sat down and talked the whole day.


    Sara looked at her watch. it was almost seven in the evening. She had promised to meet Joreen at the restaurant by seven at most, so they would both go home together. It was already time to go!


    Besides, she did not want to let this opportunity slip by since Joreen would get to meet her ''idol''


    "So what do you say?" she asked.


    "I... I do not know..." Heya stammered.


    "Heya, let''s go together alright? You have me here. you also have Sara."


    Sara? she asked herself. When did he start addressing me that way? she let it slide though and just continued trying to convince Heya to go with them.


    Aside from the fact that she needed Heya to be exposed, she didn''t want to go there alone with this Boss of hers. It would really be awkward and she was not always comfortable around him.


    She had to like him for work sake but, she couldn''t just force herself to do so now.


    Besides, she now had this prejudice against these young rich billionaires. After meeting the likes of Mo Jinyong, Li Minde. And even Mo Jinyong''s uncle who was also a psycho like his nephew.


    After much hesitation, Heya finally agreed. She had to do this!


    ---


    The car finally stopped outside the restaurant. Throughout the entire journey, Sara just sat there quietly at the front seat with a lot on her mind.


    While Muchen who was driving, kept conversing with Heya to make her feel less nervous..


    Li Muchen stole a glance at Sara. He wondered why she was unnecessarily quiet. He was really curious about her. He really had a lot to ask her, But he just didn''t know how to go about it.


    For example, when he was going through the document he had received from Ms Long about Sara''s personal life, he noticed that although, her father was not really rich, he had sent her to a prestigious high school. That was where she had met Liu Weiyoung. Also, At a certain time during highschool, she suddenly disappeared for more than a year. Which had left her father miserable- That he even closed his restaurant for more than a whole year.


    Most things about her changed entirely, Even her grades. She had always been playful And always had low grades, but after returning, she topped her class till she graduated. And became introverted.


    He knew that she had a aunt and cousin who stayed with her. But he had no information about her mother.


    He was certainly curious about her. And in other to know her more, he had to start by learning about Her father, Jianjun Wang.


    As soon as they got down from the car, Sara noticed someone lurking nearby.


    It was none other than Liu Weiyoung!

 Chapter 29 - She is just a fragile girl

    Li Heya was still standing close to the back door. After summoning all of her courage to come out, she still found it difficult to go in there. What if people laughed at her? Or looked at her weirdly?


    She hated those looks the more. It was as if they were telling her that she did not belong in this world.


    Li Muchen noticed her unease. Of course, he could tell at first glance, what his sister was thinking about.


    He held her hand and encouraged her


    "Li Heya, remember, no one can dare bully you!"


    "I know, they won''t dare bully me when you are here. But you won''t always be here with me. So what happens when you are not around?" She asked sadly.


    "You have Sara. She won''t let anyone do so!" he assured her softly.


    "It''s not like she could possibly do anything to them, she is just a fragile girl" Heya countered.


    Li Muchen did not know when he laughed out loud.


    Fragile girl? he thought. Anyways, merely looking at Sara, one could easily assume such. She looked so small and innocent. That was actually why he had been intrigued that day. He wondered whether it was this little girl that actually beat up both heavy built bodyguards..


    "Why are you laughing?" Heya asked.


    He stopped laughing and place a hand on her shoulder as he spoke.


    "Look, whenever you are alone with Sara, just say a silent prayer to ask God not to send anyone to bully you."


    "Yea, I do pray for that always" she said


    "But this time, the prayer would not be for you.... But for them!"


    ---


    He turned to look at where Sara had been standing. She had taken a few steps away from the car to let the both of them speak. He knew that Heya was still not too familiar with Sara, and the best motivation Heya should get now, should come from the one who she trusted the most.


    They both saw Sara staring into the distance and wondered what she was looking at.


    The street lights and lights from the stores around, enabled them to see that she was looking at a person who was staring back at her.


    Although, Heya didn''t know who that was, Muchen knew quite well, since he had been in her engagement party.


    That was where he actually saw her for the very first time. He had no idea she had been in a relationship with Minde, neither did he meet her any day. He was only able to connect the dots, the moment he saw Sara there.


    Sara turned to face Li Muchen and Heya.


    "Let''s go in" she said as she walked to where they both stood and took Heya''s hand.


    Li Muchen looked at Sara who was standing beside him. He liked it whenever she was this close to him. Because he was always towering above her. He had the urge to laugh when he realized he could see the centre of her head. That was when he also realized that Sara and Heya where about the same height.


    "Do you know her?" Heya asked when she turned to see Weiyoung who was walking towards their direction.


    Sara nodded. "I know her, but she is not important"


    Since Weiyoung was close by, she clearly heard what Sara had said and stopped on her tracks.


    She felt deeply humiliated. She was not important?


    Throughout the previous week, she had not been thinking straight, Since she heard about Mo Dexi and Li Muchen being interested in Sara, she had been feeling uneasy. She really wanted to be sure that Mo Jinyong was over thinking things and no man in his right senses would date a girl like Sara. After receiving the information that a Car usually picks Sara up from her house in the morning and drops her off at the restaurant every noon, She had wanted to see for herself, to know who the person actually was. So she freshened up and came here since noon. But unfortunately, Sara didn''t show up. She waited the entire noon and had just decided to step down from her car to receive a fresh air when she suddenly saw Sara. When she also saw Li Muchen behind her, she was startled and was about turning to where her car was parked to leave immediately before he sees her, but Li Muchen turned to also face her. Now, she had no choice but to meet with them. So she decided to do just that.


    But Sara had to embarrass her?


    Heya nodded, and was following Sara inside the restaurant with Muchen behind them when Weiyoung suddenly spoke.


    "CEO Li?"


    They all stopped on their tracks. What was she trying to do this time? Sara wondered.


    They turned to look at her direction and she finally walked up to where they were standing

 Chapter 30 - Embarrassed

    When she got there, She bowed slightly and spoke to Li Muchen, entirely ignoring the others.


    "CEO Li, I never expected to bump into you here"


    Li Muchen looked at her with disdain. He had never met any girl as stupid as this Weiyoung. Wasn''t she the same person who had clearly denied knowing Sara just a week back. Now, she had the nerves to appear before him and Sara with a smile on her face.


    "Who are you?" Li Muchen asked her scornfully.


    Weiyoung''s face flushed red in embarrassment.


    Did these two had to Embarrass her like this?


    She forced a smile and as she was about to speak, She was interrupted by Sara and Li Muchen at the same time.


    Sara "Shut up!"


    Li Muchen "I don''t want to hear it!"


    Everyone was startled. The one most startled was Weiyoung. What was wrong with these two? She asked herself.


    Sara looked at Li Muchen. She wondered why he had stopped her from speaking. She had actually stopped Weiyoung from speaking because she believed that Weiyoung was going to tell him that she had dated Minde. And if Li Muchen heard about it, he may likely remember her. She didn''t want that now. Especially since things were working smoothly on Heya''s part now.


    Li Muchen on the other hand, could guess why Sara had stopped her. He had also stopped Weiyoung for a similar reason and more. He did not want Sara to know he was aware. Neither did he want Weiyoung to mention he had been there during her engagement party. Since Sara didn''t know about that.


    The entire situation became so awkward for everyone. Sara was about to speak when Heya beat her to it.


    "It seems no one wants to talk to you. So what are you still doing here instead of leaving?"


    Heya hated women like this the most. To her, she felt that this woman was trying to flirt with her brother. Besides, she had totally ignored Sara when Sara even admitted that they knew each other, and was busy trying to suck-up to her beloved brother. This woman reminded her of her previous fitness instructor. Li Muchen had not wasted time in firing her when Heya said she no longer needed one because he also disliked her. She was always trying to flirt with him whenever he came around.


    Weiyoung''s red face turned purple. Even this pig could talk to her the way she liked?


    "And you are?" Weiyoung asked with a forced smile.


    Heya hated this woman so no matter what, she had the confidence so show this woman that she despised her.


    "I am Li Heya!"


    Li Heya? This was the Li family''s young mistress? She had heard about her but had never seen her or a picture of her. Now she understood why. She didn''t know whether to cry or to laugh. So this thing had the audacity to talk to her in such manner?


    With the same fake smile plastered on her face, she spoke


    "Pleased to meet you Miss Li. I am Weiyoung from the Liu family"


    "Never heard of it!" Heya said contemptuously.


    Sara chuckled. She really liked this side of Heya.


    She knew Weiyoung hated being looked down on. And that was the biggest blow she had received tonight.


    Weiyoung''s fake fa?ade was clearly irritating Sara. she felt like giving her the beating of her life.


    Weiyoung was about to say something when a tiny voice spoke angrily.


    "What are you doing here?"


    They all turned to see a brown-skinned cute little girl with an afro hair, glaring angrily at Weiyoung.


    .Weiyoung was startled. She had always known Joreen to be a playful kid. And Joreen always treated her like her big sister. But this girl she was looking at right now, was a different Joreen from the one she knew.

 Chapter 31 - Who are your friends?

    Heya was able to recognize Joreen immediately, since Sara had showed her a picture of Joreen earlier.


    Li Muchen also knew this was Joreen since her picture was also on The file he had received from Ms Long.


    "Big Sis, why aren''t you teaching her a lesson?" Joreen asked angrily.


    Weiyoung just stood there like an idiot, She wished the ground would just open up and swallow her. First it was Sara, And then Li Muchen, then Li Heya and now Joreen? She just hoped for JianJun Wang not to also come out. Else, it would really become the worst night of her life!


    Joreen didn''t even bother looking at the two people with Sara and just continued speaking in annoyance.


    "Liu Weiyoung! I am surprised you had the nerves to come here.. Do you want to die?"


    Li Muchen felt like he was seeing a smaller version of Sara. He almost laughed. He knew Sara was actually being very quiet tonight because she did not want to cause a scene in his presence and he really felt bad that she was repressing her anger because of him. But this was something she had to learn anyways.


    Heya was just closely observing Joreen. She liked this girl instantly! She was still so little yet, so fierce. She wondered how her life would have been like if she had actually been at least, half as fierce as Joreen.


    "Let her be Joreen, she''s already fuming with anger, she might ponce on you" Sara warned sarcastically.


    "She should dare!" Joreen said as she continued glaring at Weiyoung.


    Li Muchen couldn''t help chuckling, Even Heya burst into laughter. This little girl was really something.


    When Sara saw their smiling faces, she felt slightly better. She had been worried that Li Muchen wouldn''t have a good impression of Joreen since she had always wanted to meet with him.


    Weiyoung felt like dying that instant. She had always been so good to Joreen. Always bought her chocolates and took her shopping severally. After messing with Sara once, Joreen turned on her greatly. Blood is really thicker than water!


    Sara didn''t want Joreen to make things more difficult since the Li people were here. Besides, she was tired of seeing Weiyoung''s face.


    Sara took a few steps to where Weiyoung was standing. Their shoulders were almost touching while they both faced the opposite direction.


    Sara then spoke softly to Weiyoung''s ears to make sure the others doesn''t hear her.


    "Darling, you know what I do to people who mess with me right? I considered our decade old friendship to let you off. But you still dare to come into my territory. I''ll ignore you for now cause I have visitors but Do not worry, I''ll find you soon! To pay you back for what you''ve been doing to me over the years. Now, Get Lost!"


    Haven said her piece, She took a few steps back and spoke to the others


    "Let''s go in now" Sara said as she led them to the restaurant. Leaving Weiyoung standing there gloomily. Her face was totally pale now. Of course, she knew what Sara was capable of doing but never imagined that she would be at the receiving end one day. That was why she had decided to still remain friends with Sara. It was better being her friend than her enemy..


    The others were curious about what Sara had said to Weiyoung but didn''t bother to ask her.


    Joreen finally noticed the other two people and looked up at Sara in confusion. Sara got the hint and just smiled without saying anything. She wanted to surprise Joreen.


    Joreen greeted the both of them politely and They both gave her a warm smile while replying her greeting.. She was finally acting like a kid.


    Joreen turned back to see Weiyoung still standing there and stuck out her tongue at Weiyoung mockingly. No matter how good a person was to her, if they ever messed with her family, she wouldn''t mind treating them like the trash that they were.


    **


    It was already past 8 and most of the seats outside the restaurant were already occupied. Since people usually preferred sitting outside at night, inside of the restaurant was mostly empty and the tables were also arranged outside..


    Sara led them to sit around one of the empty wooden round table with chairs that had been placed outside.


    Heya was surprised that no one was actually looking at her but were all focused on their meal and drinks.


    The place was noisy and the sound of laughter could be heard everywhere. It was unlike the peaceful atmosphere they were used to.


    "I''ll let dad know you are here" Joreen said as she went inside the restaurant. In less than two minutes, Jianjun Wang came outside with Joreen.


    Li Muchen and Heya stood up to greet him, He welcomed Li Muchen and Heya then faced Sara.


    "I''ve always warned you to dress properly. what if you catch a cold?" He scolded.


    "I''m fine, Besides, with the steam everywhere I don''t really feel cold" She said.


    "Who are your friends?" He asked looking at Li Muchen and Heya.

 Chapter 32 - She must have gone crazy

    "Dad, this is my Boss, CEO Li Muchen and his younger sister Li Heya. And this is my father Mr Jianjun Wang."


    Jianjun Wang''s eyes widened in shock when he heard her. They actually belonged to the Li family?


    Joreen was the most shocked. When she saw them, she had actually considered that but she did not see any reason why CEO Li would follow Sara here. Besides, Heya was not as fat as she had imagined. She was only Chubby.


    Li Muchen looked at both their reaction and could only smile in return.


    "Nice to meet you Mr Wang" He said as he bowed slightly..


    "No...no... Please have your seat. I am grateful for your visit. Sorry this place is not up to your standard" He apologized.


    "It''s fine!" Muchen replied with a smile.


    Jianjun Wang Then turned to look at Heya


    "Nice to meet you too Miss Li. You are really prettier than I imagined."


    Heya was shocked when she heard him. Prettier than he imagined? Does this mean he was actually saying that she was pretty?"


    She was just staring blankly and not replying. Jianjun Wang thought he had actually said something wrong when he saw look.


    Muchen poked her shoulder lightly as he asked if she was okay. A blush appeared on her face as she smile and responded to Jianjun Wang.


    "Thank you so much Mr Wang. I have heard a lot of wonderful things about you from Sara. It is my pleasure to finally meet you."


    He smiled as he ushered them to sit down.


    Joreen was not having any of it. Her mouth was still left agape.


    This was really CEO Li? she couldn''t help hitting herself when she remembered how she had acted ''undignified'' in their presence earlier when she saw Weiyoung.


    "What are you doing?" Heya who was sitting down beside her asked.


    Joreen finally came to her senses and stuttered with her head down.


    "I...I...am...fine"


    Sara, who was sitting beside Joreen and by her other side, was Li Muchen. Whispered to Joreen''s ears.


    "Do not worry Jo. Everything is going to work out well.. I promise!"


    Joreen just nodded and raised her head.


    "This is my cousin Joreen Wang.. And this is my Boss Mr Li and his sister, Miss Li Heya" Sara introduced.


    "Joreen Wang?" Heya was the first to ask. She had heard about Joreen being Sara''s Aunt''s daughter. Then, why was she bearing the Wang surname?


    Li Muchen on the other hand, already knew the answer to the question. His people were quite effective when it involved investigating about other people. He had gotten everything from the file earlier.


    Sara seemed to understand where Heya''s confusion was lying and just nodded. "Yes, Long story."


    ....


    Heya and Joreen kept conversing while Sara and Li Muchen just sat there awkwardly. Soon, Jianjun Wang served them their dishes and went back inside to attend to the customers. Sara had specifically ordered a Buddha''s delight for everyone since it had a low calorie. She did not want Heya to feel isolated eating alone, so after confirming from Li Muchen that he had no problem with that, She made the order. But had asked for more water for Heya instead of a Soda drink.


    "Your Father is really a good cook. I could eat this all day" Heya said as she gobbled up the food.


    "Slowly Heya, no one is chasing you..." Sara said. "...Sorry, I meant Miss Li." She corrected.


    She still had a problem on how to address Heya.


    Heya slowed her pace then, she spoke shyly.


    "You can call me Heya"


    Li Muchen couldn''t help smiling when he heard her. Finally, his sister was opening up to someone. And that someone was Sara!


    Sara was short of words. She turned her head to see Li Muchen smiling, with his attention still on the food.


    Why was she always so attracted to his smile? She must have gone crazy!


    Li Muchen felt Sara''s gaze on him and raised his head to look at her.


    When she noticed him raising his head, she quickly turned to focus on her food. But she wasn''t fast enough. He saw the entire movement and his smile widened as he focused on his food also.


    Jianjun Wang, who had been serving a customer outside, noticed the entire exchange and could only sigh.


    What was Sara getting herself into?


    ---


    "Cute banana!" A drunk middle aged man said as he walked towards their table.


    Joreen couldn''t help sighing when she saw him.


    "Not again!" she said


    "Who is that?" Heya asked her.


    "You''ll see!" She replied.


    The man quickly got to their table and moved to stand in-between where Sara and Joreen was sitting.


    Li Muchen''s guard was up. He didn''t know what this man was up to. But seeing Sara''s composure and smiling face, he realised this wasn''t a really big deal.


    "Good evening Mr Chu" Sara greeted as she stood up.


    "Good evening my cute potato." He said as he pinched her cheeks lightly..


    She laughed and pushed his hands off as she rubbed her cheeks.


    "I told you to reduce your alcohol intake. you are already getting old" she said.


    "What can this old man do? That is why I at least have to marry off my son before I die" He said with a grin.


    "Here we go!" Joreen rolled her eyes at him as she moved her attention to her meal.


    Sara was done with hearing this sermon over and over again. She knew that if she gave him her attention now, then he''ll never let her be.


    "I need to hurry up and finish my food" She said as she sat down and poured herself a drink.


    "Is this your boyfriend?" He asked pointing at Li Muchen who was sitting on the other side beside her.


    Sara who was in the middle of gulping down her drink suddenly choked.


    Li Muchen unhesitatingly stretched his hand to pat her back and spoke softly.


    "Be careful Sara."


    There was this way he said it that made everyone look at him.


    He had even called her Sara!

 Chapter 33 - Daughter in law

    "Cute banana you should be more careful." Mr Chu said as he also tapped her back.


    He was about to say more when He looked at Li Muchen who was busy staring daggers at him. He choked back on his words and retracted his hand.


    He was far older than Li Muchen but he couldn''t help being afraid when he met his gaze.


    "Sis are you alright?"


    "Are you okay Sara?"


    Joreen and Sara both asked when they realised she was still coughing.


    Sara stopped coughing and answered "I''m fine." "Thank you" She said to Li Muchen without looking at him.


    He nodded and also retracted his hand from her back.


    "This is my Boss Mr Li" She introduced him to Mr Chu.


    Mr Chu took a closer look at Li Muchen as he asked.


    "Your boss? Then why was he glaring at me like that?" He asked drunkenly.


    They all looked at Li Muchen, expecting him to at least say something. But he just poured himself a drink and after gulping it down, he continued eating slowly.


    Why would Mr Li glare at Mr Chu? Sara wondered


    She then concluded that maybe Li Muchen was not comfortable around Mr Chu.


    "Mr Chu, you are over thinking things. Why would my boss glare at you?" Sara asked as she stood up to gently pull him away. She didn''t want him to create a scene, at least, not today.


    "He did, I swear he did" He said firmly as he refused to be pulled away and held her hand.


    He took a closer look at Sara''s hand and then her face then asked.


    "You are getting really thin my cute banana. Have you been stressing yourself?"


    "I''m fine Mr Chu. You should leave now." Sara replied. Still trying to make him leave.


    He didn''t bother answering her as he looked at her plate of food and spoke.


    "Cute banana. Why are you eating vegetables? You should eat good food. No man wants to marry a thin girl these days."


    Heya and Joreen who had both ignored the both of them and continued eating, suddenly raised their heads when they heard him.


    "What do you mean no one wants to marry her?" Joreen asked angrily. She lowered her head immediately to focus on her meal when she remembered that Li Muchen and Li Heya were still present.


    Mr Chu didn''t even bother looking at Joreen as he continued speaking with a smile on his face.


    "My son is coming home soon. You should gain weight before he comes"


    "Mr Chu, I''ve told you countless times that I''m not interested in your son"


    Li Muchen who was still busy with his food, smirked when he heard Sara''s response. ''Your cute banana just rejected you'' he thought.


    He picked up a piece of serviette from the table and wiped his mouth gently as he tried his best not to smile.


    "Shuu! Don''t say that" he scolded


    "At least, you should look like this cute potato" he said pointing at Heya.


    Heya blinked in confusion.


    Did he just tell Sara to look like her? And even called her a cute potato?


    "Me?" She asked in bewilderment.


    "Yes, you! Cute potato. Are you single? Do you want to be my daughter in law?" He asked as he moved to her direction.


    Heya blushed. She really did not know what to say.


    She really enjoyed the warmth she felt here. Since she got here. First, no one mocked her, she was welcomed politely, Mr Wang said she was pretty and here, someone else wants her to be his daughter in law.


    She smiled widely. She didn''t mind that she was being called a potato. She was more focused on the ''cute''


    When Li Muchen saw his sister''s smiling face, he couldn''t help shaking his head.


    Mr Chu saw her smiling face and assumed she had agreed to be his daughter in law. He was about to say more when Li Muchen interrupted.


    "We should leave now!" He said as he stood up.


    "Ah! I''m not done yet" Heya said sadly as she looked at the remaining food.


    "You''ve eaten enough already. It''s already late" He said.


    ***


    "Thank you so much Mr Wang. Your meal was really delicious." Heya said with a smile.


    "We really enjoyed the meal Mr Wang. Please let us pay." Li Muchen tried to cajole Jianjun Wang to accept the money.


    "No..no..no.. you do not have to. I''m honoured to have you here. I can''t ask for more"


    "We should still pay you Mr Wang." Muchen insisted.


    "No. Don''t worry about it. I''m glad you are both treating Sara well. You can both come here anytime."


    Jianjun Wang had been so busy that he didn''t have time to eat with them. Even when Sara had offered to help him out, he had insisted on doing everything with the employee and asked Sara to have dinner with the people from the Li family.


    After their back and forth banter, Li Muchen finally left without paying for the meal.


    Sara and Joreen saw them off to where the car had been parked.


    "You are both going home right? We should drop you off." Heya said to Joreen and Sara.


    "No, we are good. Our place is not very far from here." Sara replied.


    "It''s late. Joreen shouldn''t be walking by this time." Li Muchen chipped in. "Get in. I''ll drop you both off" he said as he opened the back door.


    Joreen happily nodded and followed Heya to the back seat.


    Li Muchen did same and opened the front door to usher Sara in. Sara felt a bit awkward being treated this nicely by Mr Li. She carefully sat down while he closed the door.


    As the car drove off, Heya suddenly broke the silence and asked.


    "I wanted to ask earlier, who was that lady?"

 Chapter 34 - Curiosity killed the cat

    When Li Muchen heard Heya, he wanted to say something but he heard Sara speak softly


    "She was my friend"


    "Was? Why did you drift apart?" Heya asked curiously


    "Heya, You shouldn''t ask people personal questions like that" Li Muchen interrupted as his gaze was still on the road.


    Even though he knew that Weiyoung was Sara''s friend, there was more to it and he did not want Heya to open up a closed wound.


    Joreen kept quiet and just looked outside the car''s window. she knew that this time, this was not a place for her to step in..


    Li Muchen looked at Sara through the corner of his eyes and he could clearly tell she was a bit sad.


    Sara was quiet for a while then spoke with a sad smile.


    "She never really liked me. She was with me because she didn''t see me as her competition"


    Li Muchen took a quick glance at her. He was lost. What did Sara mean by that? Was there more to actually just stealing her boyfriend?


    He saw her sad smile and couldn''t help feeling sad for her.


    "Really? She thought so?" Joreen was the first to ask Sara as she moved her attention from the window to Sara''s direction.


    "Are you serious?" Heya also asked.


    Sara just looked at the both of them and smiled without responding.


    A deep masculine voice was suddenly heard as the car came to a stop


    "You are better than her"


    Sara was shocked when she heard him.


    What was wrong with Mr Li today?


    She looked at him to see him looking straight at the road. She didn''t know what to say in this situation.


    Heya and Joreen were both quiet also. No one said a word.


    Sara finally realised that they had gotten to her place. She had given him the address earlier when she entered the car.


    What she didn''t know was that even if she hadn''t given him her address, he knew where exactly she stayed. And if she ever asked how, he could easily point it to her r¨¦sum¨¦ that she had submitted and also the fact that Ms Long had picked her up on the day of her interview.


    Sara and Joreen quickly got down from the car. Heya and Li Muchen also did same.


    Heya took a longer look at the tiny apartment and couldn''t help wondering how they coped there.


    "Mr Li. Since I just informed you today about workingout with us during the weekends, you could skip tomorrow and Just join us on Sunday or the upper week" Sara said to him.


    Li Muchen had been happy when Sara suggested that he workout with them during the weekends since the next day was Saturday but what was Sara saying now? To skip tomorrow? Why would he do that? Why should he do that?


    "There''s no problem. I could still join whenever I''m less busy tomorrow" He said nonchalantly.


    **


    Sara and Joreen waved goodbye to them and entered their apartment while they drove off.


    "Bro, What do you think about Sara?" Heya asked Muchen who was driving.


    He hesitated for a while before also asking.


    "Why do you ask?"


    "I don''t know, I''m just curious." she said.


    "Curiosity killed the cat" He replied bluntly.


    ****


    Later that night, Sara was in her room surfing the internet, trying to gather more information on Song Changyu. When she heard a light knock on the door.


    It was just past 11 and her father usually returns around past 1 in the morning. Since he had a spare key, he could always easily enter whenever he came home.


    She quickly shut the laptop and moved to open the door to see Jianjun Wang standing there.


    "Dad, You are early today. Are you okay?" Sara asked worriedly.


    Jianjun nodded and peered inside the room.


    "Jo is asleep?" He asked.


    "Yes" she nodded as she turned back to look at the fast sleeping Little girl whose legs and hands were widely spread apart.


    "Has her mother called her yet?" He asked


    "Not yet." Sara shook her head.


    It was always very difficult getting in touch with Cixi Wang. Since she did not have a permanent line, they always had to wait for her to call first.


    "Can we talk now?" He asked her.


    Sara looked at him quizzically but nodded and shut the door behind her as she followed him to the living room.


    "Is there a problem?" She asked after they both sat down.


    "The Li kids are quite nice" he said.


    Sara chuckled and spoke.


    "Addressing them that way is rather inappropriate. They are adults after all"


    Jianjun Wang laughed lightly and said


    "You all are still kids before us"


    "I guess you could put it that way" Sara said with a smile.


    Jianjun Wang then looked intently at Sara as he asked.


    "By chance.... You don''t like Mr Li right?"

 Chapter 35 - A harsh reality

    Li Muchen was about going to bed when he received a Video call notification on his phone from Li Minde.


    "Big Bro. What is your relationship with her?" His voice rang out as soon as it connected to Li Muchen.


    Li Muchen chuckled when he saw Minde''s expression. He hadn''t bothered calling Li Minde after he suddenly left that evening because he had been expecting his call.


    "Why are you whining like a baby?" Muchen asked him.


    "What? Whining like a baby? where is she? is she still there?" Minde asked


    Li Muchen decided to feign ignorance and asked who he was talking about.


    "Bro stop pretending! you know who I''m talking about. Where is she?" He asked again


    Li Muchen couldn''t help laughing at his grown up cousin who was panicking because of a girl.


    Where is Sara? of course, Minde had called him by this time because he knew she had already left. Who was he trying to fool?


    "I still don''t know who you are referring to" Muchen answered nonchalantly.


    "Sara! You remember her don''t you? She was that gangster-girl from two years ago! You remember now right?" Minde asked.


    Li Muchen just smiled at the camera without saying anything. Minde really had some nerves, reporting Sara to him.


    Minde''s mouth widened in shock when he saw Muchen smile.


    He didn''t want to believe it but here it was, before his very eyes. His cousin actually remembered her. What was he still doing with her? why wasn''t he paying her back for the way she treated his beloved'' younger cousin?


    He remembered the conversation he had had with Sara when they were both left outside.


    "Why are you calling Mr Li?" Sara asked ''nicely'' with a ''smile'' still plastered on her face.


    Li Minde had been so scared that he couldn''t say anything and just gulped down his saliva.


    "S...Sa....Sara.." He stammered.


    "Bingo!" She snapped her thumb and middle finger together. "You still remember me! I''m honoured"


    She said and Bowed mockingly.


    Li Minde was always so confident whenever he was speaking with others but with this particular girl, he lost all boldness and confidence. She looked innocent and at the same time, terrifying!


    Sara wasn''t interested in him that much since she only disliked him because of Weiyoung. Well, now, Her ''friend'' even snatched her boyfriend from her. What an Irony!


    "erm... Sara.. why don''t we put the past behind us?" He asked with a forced smile.


    Sara waved him off. "Nah! If I always put the past behind me then how do I pay people back for how they treated me? Whether good or bad, I''ll always remember the past!" She said firmly..


    Did that mean she still had the intention of paying him back? Wait! she said people who treated her badly or goodly. Minde sighed in relief when he realised he hadn''t done anything wrong to Sara. He only pitied anyone who crossed her path.


    Sara looked closely behind him And that was when she came in direct contact with the beauty. She had only paid attention to Muchen''s Car since it was in the front.


    She opened her mouth wide in surprise.


    After a while, she turned to look at Li Minde and spoke.


    "Don''t mention the incident two years back to Mr Li."


    "What? Big Bro doesn''t know? So what are you doing here" He asked incredulously. He always knew his brother to have a sharp memory. This really came as a shock to him.


    "Don''t ask me questions!" She glared at him and said.


    "If you mention it to him, I''ll crash her for you" She said pointing at his ride.


    Minde Widened his eyes when he heard her. Crash his ride? He would rather die.


    He hurriedly moved to the front of the car as if protecting it from Sara''s eyes.


    "But do not worry!...Here''s the deal" she said.


    "There would be no need for me to crash her if you don''t tell. I''ll just go cruising with her once or twice.


    Minde wondered if there was anyone as shameless as Sara. What kind of offer was that? If he told Muchen, she would crash it. If he didn''t tell Muchen, she would go cruising with it.


    He couldn''t stand her anymore. He tossed the shopping bags he had been holding inside his car and drove off.


    After getting home, the first thing he did was to lock up his car in the garage.


    He needed to take the risk to tell Muchen. At least,


    He knew that if Muchen realised she was the girl who threatened his ''beloved'' younger cousin, he wouldn''t hesitate to cut ties with her. Then, he would also receive his support in dealing with Sara.


    When Li Minde thought about all these, He couldn''t help praising himself on how smart he was.


    But this was a rather harsh reality....

 Chapter 36 - Questions

    Sara laughed when she heard Jianjun Wang''s question. It was the funniest thing she had ever heard.


    Like Mr Li? she was even trying her best to like him as her employer. Where did her dad get that funny idea from?


    Jianjun Wang just looked at her without saying anything.


    "I''m sorry dad. But I just couldn''t help laughing. That was so funny" She said in-between laughter.


    "So you do not like him then?" Jianjun Wang asked.


    "Of course not! Why would you think that?"


    Jianjun Wang sighed in relief when he heard her answer.


    "That''s fine then. I was just worried for nothing"


    "Why were you worried?" She asked


    Jianjun Wang was silent for a while before speaking again.


    "I saw the way you looked at him earlier in the restaurant."


    When did she look at him? How did she look at him? She wondered. Then, she remembered when she saw him smile and stared. But she was only looking at his dimples...


    "oh.. I.. I was only..." She stopped. not knowing how to put it.


    "Sara..." he called as he placed a hand on her shoulder.


    "Do you think I''m a bad father?" He asked.


    "NO! why would you even think that?" Sara retorted immediately.


    "I want you to be happy. I really do. But I do not want you to get yourself attached to someone just because they were nice to you." He said.


    Sara just looked at him without saying anything. She knew that was her weak point.


    "I have always known,and after watching you this past week, I became really sure. Did you think you were ever in love with Mo Jinyong?"


    Sara just bent her head down and didn''t say anything.


    Did she really love him? Did she even love him at all? She wondered.


    "You were only sad that day. You were even sadder because of Liu Weiyoung. You easily tossed Mo Jinyong away. Do you think you would have done that if you were really in love with Mo Jinyong? Don''t you think you would have ruined his engagement party? He asked with a short laugh.


    Sara hadn''t thought about this at all. When she watched those Soap Operas, during occasions like that, the victim either cried her eyes out or ruin the engagement party. But she had done none. Or was it because she was used to being treated this way that it no longer had any effect on her? Or was it because she was actually only attached to Mo Jinyong because he treated her well? And she didn''t waste time in discarding him when he wronged her?


    "I want you to have a simple and happy life with a man who loves you. And that you also love fully. You''ll get suffocated being around these socialites all the time."


    That was true actually, while dating Mo Jinyong, she had to look presentable at all cost. She wore formal clothing, She allowed people bully her whenever they were out together. She had to always abide by etiquettes. Although, he never took her to any parties or whatever, Even if he had taken her there, she had to dress to suit the occasion. It was all like a punishment to her.


    "Was that why you always disliked Mo Jinyong?" Sara asked.


    The moment he introduced himself as Mo Jinyong, her father lost all interest in him. That had been a huge blow to Jinyong because he was ''perfect'' and everyone was supposed to accept him.


    Jianjun Wang had only supported Sara because he didn''t want to be an hindrance to her. He knew she would learn her lesson with time. He had only been surprised that it lasted longer than he had imagined.


    Jianjun Wang avoided the question and just stood up.


    "I want you to be happy Sara. Those people won''t give you that. If you mess with them once, they''ll crush you till you''re left with nothing." He said with a sad glint in his eyes


    Sara knew he was going to brush her question off. He had always ignored answering this question about Mo Jinyong. So she also let it slide.


    What was up with her father and socialites? Did they do something to him? Or were they the reason his parents died?


    "Dad...."


    She stood up also and held his hand. She couldn''t bring herself to ask him any of those. She only had to assume that he was trying to protect her.


    "Do you think any man would genuinely love a girl like me?"


    She asked sadly.


    Sara was always strong, willful and matured, whenever she acted like a little girl, it always melted his heart.


    He pulled her into a hug and spoke gently.


    "Only stupid people would not love you"

 Chapter 37 - Me or Her

    "So you actually remember her? Aren''t you supposed to be taking revenge for me? Or are you waiting for the right time to do so?" Li Minde asked. He couldn''t understand what his brother was up to.


    "Why should I revenge for you?" Muchen asked indifferently.


    "What? Aren''t we brothers? It should be bros before hoes!" Minde screamed at the camera.


    "Of course, it''ll always be bros before hoes" Muchen said.


    Minde sighed in relief when he heard Muchen. At least, his brother was doing something right by listening to him.


    When Muchen saw his relaxed expression, he smirked at him and said.


    "But.... Sara is not a hoe!"


    Minde had had enough. What? No! something was not right here.


    "Bro, You don''t like her right? right?" Minde asked. He had never wanted anything more than to hear Muchen say he didn''t like her. He waited eagerly for his answer. He could hear his own heart beating audibly.


    "So what if I do?" Muchen asked back.


    Li Minde shook his head severly. No! No! This is not happening. He was imagining things. He must really be imagining things!


    He took a little peek into his future as he imagined Sara as his eldest Cousin-in-law.


    He imagined himself scolding Sara for not being a proper wife to his cousin and then he heard her speak.


    "You remember that day we met two years ago right?"


    "Yes so?" he retorted back like a ''man'' that he was.


    "Those two bodyguards of yours were really well built. I''m sure they weighed over 200 pounds each.


    But it was fun watching them fly with just a little kick." She said with that evil smile of hers.


    He seemed to understand what she was saying indirectly. she spoke again.


    "I really wonder how far you''d fly with this stature of yours" She said as she looked his slender figure over.


    Her stare startled him that he shook his head rigorously and broke out of his imagination.


    Li Muchen saw him reaction and couldn''t help but laugh. He wondered what his brother was actually thinking.


    "If you continue shaking you head like that, it is going to fall off. What are you thinking about?" Muchen asked.


    "Bro No! you must never do that. never! we will never support you! Uncle and aunt will not. My parents will never! Heya will forbid it! Grandma will not. I will never!!" Minde warned.


    Li Muchen chuckled as he spoke audibly.


    "I don''t need your permission. I only need Sara''s permission"


    "So you really like her?" Minde asked with widened eyes.


    "I guess we could put it that way" Muchen said with a nod.


    "Are you two already dating? Why was she at your place?"


    If they had actually gotten to the stage of her paying his brother a visit, then it was totally over for him.


    "She is Heya''s fitness coach."


    "Fitness Coach? That girl is actually educated?" Minde asked as he pictured Sara wearing a suit and instructing Heya on what to do. Nah! it looked rather weird.


    "I''ll tell her you said that." Muchen said. It was really fun seeing his younger cousin act so frightened.


    "So now you are going to snitch on me? How did that happen? When did all these happen? You are not one to be committed to a girl. You are even worse than me when it comes to commitment. Is she even aware that you like her?" Minde kept blabbering.


    "So you think you are better now? That was all in the past! And, She is not aware. I think she doesn''t like me." Muchen said.


    "What? how can she dare not like you?" Minde asked angrily.


    He was even confused at himself. Who was he supporting? of course, he did not want his brother to date Sara. but how can Sara not like him?


    "How Confused!" Muchen said as he tsk''ed at him.


    Minde didn''t know what to do. He knew His brother had been with different girls before years back, but there had been no commitment and he had not been in love with any of them. So he just stopped wasting his time and focused entirely on the company. Did it mean his type was actually Sara Wang?


    Li Muchen knew he was attracted to Sara. He had never felt this attraction towards any girl before. Especially one he didn''t even have a sexual relationship with. He just liked her person and her very presence. He was really looking forward to how their ''relationship'' was going to progress.


    "Don''t tell anyone we had this conversation. Especially Sara. Oh! of course you won''t tell her" Muchen mocked.


    Minde was not so crazy to go tell Sara. Besides, he had taken the risk to tell Muchen so he would be supported by him. But unfortunately, his brother was even interested in her.


    So was he supposed to go meet Sara and say


    ''Hello Sara. I just broke our promise and told Li Muchen. And guess what? He remembered you also. So now you can go on and crash my car''?


    He was not that stupid!


    "Bro, why would you like someone like her? you have to choose one now. Me or her!" Minde said rigidly.


    "We are brothers...." Muchen said.


    Minde nodded in agreement. "Of course we are brothers! So..."


    "So, I''ll invite you to my wedding." Muchen interrupted.


    Having said that, He ended the video call and tossed his phone aside...


    Minde blinked severally at his phone when he realised what had just happened.


    Did his brother really choose Sara over him?


    unbelievable. Uncle and Aunt must hear this!

 Chapter 38 - Miss Kang

    The next day was a Saturday. Sara was to meet with Heya and Li Muchen at noon So she spent the entire morning cleaning the apartment with Joreen and Jianjun Wang. Since they were mostly chanced on Saturdays.


    While cleaning her room, she accidentally knocked down a photo frame that was on her desk.


    Thankfully, the glass frame did not break. She picked up the photo frame and caressed it for a while as she looked at the image of a pretty woman wearing an old-fashioned floral gown. It was an old picture And the woman looked to be in her early 20''s. According to her father, this woman was Jin Helene. Her mother.


    A year after Sara was born, she died. And years later, her father and her returned back to this City where he had been raised.


    Severally, she had looked at this photo for long hours to find any resemblance between her and her mother. But she had come to the conclusion that she only inherited Jianjun Wang''s features. Well, except her height. Maybe she could attribute that to Jin Helene since she was also not that tall.


    "Mom, are you okay there? I hope you keep watching us everyday as usual" Sara said then positioned the frame back on the desk.


    She turned to see Jianjun Wang standing by the open door, looking intently at the photo.


    She followed his gaze and looked back at the photo frame as she asked softly.


    "If there is a next life, would you still marry her?"


    Jianjun Wang''s eyes twitched a bit when he heard her question. He moved his eyes from the photo frame and looked at Sara. He was obviously in a melancholic mood.


    She was curious to know about her Father''s past. But as much as he was so sweet and caring, his past remained a mystery to her.


    She only knew that Jin Helena fell ill and died. And her father didn''t consider any other women since then.


    "Miss Kang is here!" Joreen suddenly called from behind them.


    Jianjun Wang''s eyes widened when he heard her. He didn''t even know when he ran inside Sara''s room and locked the door behind him. Leaving Joreen outside the room.


    "Go tell her I''m not home" he said softly to Sara.


    Sara laughed as she watched his reaction.


    "You know, Joreen must have told her you''re around" Sara said.


    "That little....." He searched his brain for the right word to describe the little devil standing outside the door but he couldn''t come up with anything. He really felt like squeezing the life out of that tiny girl.


    "I said Miss Kang is here" Joreen repeated as she kept banging the door.


    "Jo...Jo..Please tell her I''m not in" He pleaded.


    "Pa, I already told her you are inside. Do you want me to be seen as a liar?" Joreen retorted through the closed door.


    "Dad, just go out already. you know Miss Kang won''t leave until she sees you. Except you want the both of us to be locked in here" Sara nudged him with a mocking laugh.


    Jianjun Wang finally gathered his Wits and opened the door.


    He gave Joreen who had still been standing outside an evil stare as he moved to the living room.


    Sara and Joreen both burst into laughter. This was really hilarious!


    Once Joreen stopped laughing, she asked.


    "Sis, Can I go with you to meet the Li''s today?"


    The previous night, she had been advised by Jianjun and Sara not to raise any issue about G-Global to Li Muchen since it was still too soon. She desperately needed to ask Li Muchen for help.


    "I''m not sure. But we could go there some other time Sara said as she draped a towel around her neck.


    "Oh...." Joreen said sadly with her head lowered.


    "Don''t be sad Jo. I''ll have to help his sister first before I can make such a request. you know how these people are, they hate being used." Sara said while patting her back.


    Joreen suddenly raised her head and with a grin, she spoke "Mr Li is really handsome. I feel like marrying him."


    Sara "...." She was so speechless. What was she going to tell Joreen now.


    "Sis, what if you both end up falling for each other? It''s going to be soooo romantic" She said as she covered her open mouth with her two tiny hands.


    "Stop thinking nonsense Jo..." Sara scolded "I''m going to go say Hello to Miss Kang"


    Sara walked to the sitting room with Joreen trailing after her.


    They entered to witness the scene of a woman blushing while handing Jianjun a gift with a hand. While the other hand was tucking her hair behind her ears.


    "My Mother sent me these from Korea. The tea would help you relax since you are always stressing yourself out" She said shyly.


    Jianjun accepted it with both hands and thanked her.


    "Oh.. Sara. you''re here" She said when she saw Sara and Joreen standing there.


    "Good morning Miss Kang. Long time no see"


    "Yes, Long time indeed. School has been so busy. Joreen is my witness" She said as she winked at Joreen.


    Miss Kang was a teacher in Joreen''s school. She looked like she was in her mid 30''s with short hair and was always looking smart. One couldn''t say she was a very pretty woman but she was attractive and tall. Only slightly shorted that Jianjun.


    Jianjun had gone for a PTA meeting in Joreen''s school when he met Miss Kang for the very first time.


    And since then, she felt she had found her soulmate. Her crush was so obvious to everyone.


    Sara and Joreen both liked her. But Jianjun on the other hand always felt terrorised whenever she was present.

 Chapter 39 - How shameless.

    Li Muchen was in his study, inside his apartment when he heard a light knock on the door.


    "Come in" He said.


    Ms Long entered inside gently. She had called him earlier to inform him she was outside and he had asked her to come meet him in his study.


    "Sit!" He ordered.


    Ms Long nodded and Sat down opposite him.


    "Any news from Song Changyu yet?" He went straight to the point and asked while still looking at his computer


    "Yes! She has agreed to meet with us next weekend." Ms Long said.


    "Next weekend? That''s too far" He said as he raised his head to look at her.


    "Yes! I tried to cajole her into meeting with us during the week. But she warned that if I dare to force her against her wish, she would change her mind. Then, she ended the call" Ms Long reported.


    "How difficult" Muchen muttered. "What about the Mo family? Any news?"


    "Yes! I think Mo Dexi has been trying to contact her as well. But that''s all I know for now. As for Mo Jinyong, he locked himself out in his Villa outside of town and no one has heard any good thing about him since then." She reported.


    "How useless!" Li Muchen shook his head. If everyone gave up so easily after one failure, then many renowned businesses would not have been what they were presently. This would have been a good opportunity for Mo Jinyong to make a comeback by trying to get in touch with Song Changyu before Mo Dexi but he was too stupid. He should really just go into the entertainment industry instead.


    "Any other thing?" He asked.


    "Nothing else for now"


    "Good" He nodded then faced his computer again. "I need to know all I can about Sara''s father"


    "Mr Jianjun Wang?" Ms Long asked in surprise. Why would he become suddenly interested in him.


    "Does she have another father?" He asked sarcastically.


    "Alright sir! I''ll do that"


    He looked at his watch and stood up. I have to get busy now.


    "Are you going out Mr Li?" Ms Long asked as she stood up also.


    "Nah! I want to workout today. You should also do that sometime" He said.


    Ms Long and Li Muchen both left the study. And just got down stairs when Miss Long suddenly stopped on her tracks.


    "What is it?" Muchen asked.


    "I think something got into my eyes" She said as she tried to avoid scratching her eyes so she wouldn''t ruin her make up.


    "Come here!" He said as he bent to meet her height and helped her blow her eyes gently.


    The door suddenly opened to reveal Sara. Li Muchen''s back was facing her so from her angle, It looked like they were both doing something else.


    Ms Long was startled by her sudden entry. Li Muchen also turned around and saw Sara looking at the both of them.


    "WOW! I didn''t know you were both dating" Sara said.


    "No!" "We are not!" Ms Long and Li Muchen both refuted her claim simultaneously.


    "Sorry for interrupting though. Good afternoon Mr Li. Ms Long" She greeted the both of them.


    Li Muchen seemed to register what Sara was thinking. Did she think they had both been kissing?


    He ignored Sara and spoke to Ms Long.


    "Ms Long.." He stretched her name to show the distance between the both of them. "How is your eye now? Did it help after I helped blow your eye?" He asked.


    Ms Long got the hint. She almost laughed but had to maintain her cool. "Thank you Mr Li. I actually feel better" She said whilst blinking.


    "Blowing the eyes hardly do any significant good. it might lead to more irritation. Rather blink rapidly to help move the debris, and allow any tears that may form to clear it out. It''s even better to rinse the eye with a saline solution or clean water." Sara advised.


    "Thank you Miss Wang. I''m aware. But I have an appointment to catch right now and I am trying not to ruin my make up" She said with a warm smile.


    The entire Situation was funny to Sara. She knew they had both not been kissing from their entire stiff body positions but they thought she was thinking otherwise.


    Well, they should think whatever they like she thought.


    "Miss Wang? How did you suddenly get it?" Ms Long asked.


    "Oh! Mr Li. told me the password for the apartment" she replied nonchalantly.


    Ms Long''s eyes widened. Mr Li told her? She looked at Li Muchen who looked like the entire thing did not concern him.


    This was his personal apartment and he was allowing her come in and go out as she liked?


    Li Muchen looked down at her and gave a a look which read ''Just let it slide already''


    "What about Heya?" Sara asked.


    "She is in her room upstairs. I''ll let her know you are here." Muchen said.


    "Thank you Mr Li. You didn''t forget about our workout today right?" Sara asked.


    Li Muchen lifted a hand to scratch his head as he spoke.


    "Oh! I totally forgot. I''ll go change and join you both" He said I differently.


    Ms Long had never been so shocked in her entire life... He totally forgot?


    She raised her head to look at him. Wasn''t he the same person who told her he was working out today?


    Li Muchen looked at her and could clearly read her thought. He winked at her as he moved upstairs.


    How shameless!

 Chapter 40 - You Might Fall for me

    "Come in" Heya said.


    Li Muchen opened the door to find Heya shutting down her Laptop. He knew her sister hardly made use of the internet so he was rather curious.


    "What were you doing?" He asked.


    "Oh, Bro Minde video called me" She said as she got up from the chair.


    "That guy again? What''s up with him and video calling these days?"


    "He also video called you?" Heya giggled then continued speaking "He obviously wants to show off the new gold chain he wore around his neck"


    "Gold chain? what gold chain?" He asked.


    "You didn''t notice? well, I''m not surprised. He must have been pissed off though." She said then gave a short laugh.


    "Ah! That explains it." Li Muchen nodded. Since Li Minde liked showing off wealth, it wasn''t unlike him to do so. Too bad he did not take notice of it when Minde called him.. "So what did he say?"


    "He said he feels Sara is a bad influence and asked me to cajole you into sending Sara away" She said.


    Li Muchen was not surprised. He had actually seen it coming. It only came sooner than he had expected. He was really happy to have found someone who was more shameless than he was.


    "He also told me to not tell you the idea came from him." She added.


    Li Muchen just nodded and with a smile on his face,he asked "So do you want me to send her away?"


    "Of course not!" she retorted. "You won''t fire her right? Besides she has not done anything wrong" she said with a sad puppy face.


    "Be good then she won''t be sent away" He said softly.


    Send who away? He wouldn''t dare it! Even after she was done with Heya, He would still let her keep working as his own personal fitness coach. He almost grinned when he thought of this.


    "Sara is here" He said.


    "Sara again?" She raised a brow at him.


    "Just let me call her Sara. She isn''t complaining" He said as he ruffled her hair.


    "Ah! don''t." She said as she pushed his hands from her hair.


    "Alright, Hurry and get ready. Meet us in the Gym room" He said then left the room afterwards.


    ...


    When he opened the gym door, He was welcomed by the sound of a loud American hiphop song playing through a Digital music player. He entered and closed the door behind him. That was when he saw Sara come out from the restroom.


    She was wearing a white sports bra which covered only her breast with her entire flat tummy and little navel exposed, A short black loosely-fitted Sports pant which covered only about half of her thigh, And a white sports sneakers. That was also when he noticed that her hair which had been braided in cornrows were now loose and tied up in a ponytail.


    She was busy readjusting her Ponytail that she didn''t take note of his presence.


    She was totally glittering to Li Muchen. Her outfit accentuated her perfect curves. He wouldn''t have believed it if someone had told him that behind those baggy clothes was such a perfect woman.


    He had not been necessarily interested in her body shape though, but this really took him unaware.


    "Oh, you''re here" He heard her speak immediately after the music stopped.


    He had been so lost in thought that he didn''t even know when she realised he was there and stopped the music.


    He looked at her for a while without saying anything.


    She had no make-up on. She had a little spot here and there on her face but that didn''t dwindle her beauty at all. He knew she wasn''t the type to be concerned about her skin like most women he had met. With just a good facial mask, everything would totally wipe off, leaving her face spotless. Her brows were not even neatly arranged. Yet, to him, she looked so perfect.


    He was beginning to regret his decision of coming here. Was he really sure he would be able to workout with this girl beside him?


    Sara was rather uncomfortable by the way he was staring at her. She couldn''t help but to ask.


    "Mr Li? Something wrong?"


    He moved his gaze from her when he realised he had been staring at her rudely for a while.


    "Don''t you ever get cold?" He asked. At least, if she was cold, she would have to wear something else. Even though a part of him didn''t want that. He had also noticed that she hardly covered up properly even when the weather had been so cold.


    She shook her head and replied.


    "Sometimes. Why?"


    He didn''t answer her and just sat on a chair at the other end while staring outside the window. "I''ll wait for Heya" He said.


    Sara nodded and also went to the other end to check out the Treadmill. She had checked out these things before but just had to keep herself busy before Heya arrived.


    She unconsciously turned to where Li Muchen was sitting. She almost immediately turned her head away but it was as if she was stopped by an invisible force and just stared right at him.


    It was actually the first time she was seeing him on a casual wear. Since she met him, he had always been on official wears and looked formal at all times. His hair was slightly messy, He was wearing a to-match slim-fitted black tees and short, and a black adidas pureboost trainer shoes.


    Merely glancing at him, one could tell that everything he was putting on were all from high-end brands.


    He looked really manly she confessed.


    "If you keep staring at me like that, you might fall for me" He said without looking at her as he watched her reflection on the window.

 Chapter 41 - Perv

    Sara''s eyes widened when she heard him.


    Who was he referring to? Her? who was staring at him? or maybe she did. How did he see her?


    "I....I...did...not stare" she stammered as she moved her gaze from his back to focus on the treadmill.


    Li Muchen smiled when he saw her reaction through the window. She always looked so cute whenever she was at a loss for words.


    "Whose reflection is this then?" He asked while circling an area on the window.


    ''Reflection? He saw me?''


    She looked straight at the window and could see a blurred reflection of herself.


    She coughed awkwardly and spoke.


    "Actually... I...was... only... Admiring your shirt" she stammered.


    ''My shirt?'' He thought as he moved his eyes from the window to look at his shirt. It was just a plain black tee. What was she admiring here? So this tee-shirt even had more attention than him? Well, this was Sara. Anything was possible. Besides, he had noticed she loved putting on men''s tees.


    There''s nothing more he would love more than to see Sara in his shirt. That, Was going to be added to his bucket list.


    A naughty idea suddenly popped into his mind as she stood up from his chair.


    With large strides, He appeared in front of her.


    ''What is he doing? What is he trying to do?''


    Sara still appeared confident, though her mind was in a total Chaos.


    If this was someone else, she wouldn''t mind hitting the person or beating the hell out of him. But this was her Boss, Li Muchen. She couldn''t hurt her boss right? Or maybe she could but didn''t want to? She really didn''t want to hit this pretty face. ''What are you thinking??? Focus Sara!'' She scolded herself.


    "Sara Wang" Li Muchen said her name softly.


    Sara became alert and stood firm as she looked up at him. God! Why is he so tall? I might hurt my neck from looking at him this way. Besides,What was up with Mr Li today?


    "You seem to have more conversations in your head than in reality" He said as she looked down at her.


    "Mr Li. You are too close. Move back a bit"


    The treadmill was behind her so there was no way she could move backwards. Her only desire was for him to move backwards. For some reasons, she was really uncomfortable whenever she was alone with him.


    Li Muchen didn''t move an inch and only arched his back a little to meet her height. So That Their faces were just a few inches apart.


    Sara''s heartbeat skipped a beat when she saw his face close to hers. Looking at him up close, his face was really pretty and spotless. What sort of facial mask do you need to attain this perfection? She wondered.


    oh! Jianjun Wang save me! I can''t hit this perv!!!


    Li Muchen only wanted to tease her a bit. But was he being teased instead?


    It was as if she was quarreling with someone internally.


    She looked so cute that he really, badly wanted to hug Sara. She was so small and looked so innocent. He felt like squeezing her in His arms. (While putting on his shirt!) He would never forget to add that part.


    He knew her mind was in a turmoil, His heart was also in one. At least, he was glad that he had such an effect on her.


    This Sara girl has touched him in a place no girl has ever been able to touch. Did she think he would let her go just like that? In her dreams! Besides, it was her fault. He had been living his life perfectly then she suddenly appeared, not once but TWICE!


    "Sara Wang!" He called gently "Since you like my shirt so much, should I take if off for you to put on?"


    ''Oh my God! Is he trying to seduce me? take off his shirt?''


    She didn''t know when she moved her eyes to look at his biceps.


    Before she knew it, her sanity kicked in and she pushed him away.


    "Mr Li. You are acting really strange today. I never asked you to take it off for me. Besides, I saw the way you were looking at me earlier. Did I offer to pull off my sportswear for you to put it on?"


    ''Oh my God! what am I saying?'' She almost hit her mouth when she realised that had come out wrongly.


    Li Muchen Chortled gently. He really liked this girl.


    He had wanted to say. ''You can pull off your sportswear if you want to'' But that wouldn''t sound gentlemanly. And He would be seen as a total pervert.


    ''What''s amusing him?'' The last thing she needed was for him to smile or laugh right now in front of her. ''Don''t look Sara!''


    She turned and moved to where her digital music player was and was about to hit the play button when he spoke.


    "You should cover properly when a man is around. You never can tell!"


    She smirked and turned to look at him.


    "This is how I dress during sports. I don''t care about whatever is going on in the men''s mind!"


    She finally hit the play button and spoke loudly


    "What an asshole!"


    Li Muchen "..."


    Sara "*Widened eyes*"


    She had actually expected the Song to play immediately so he wouldn''t hear that. What just happened?

 Chapter 42 - Together

    Sara''s back was still facing Li Muchen, since she had turned to play the MP earlier. She just called her boss an asshole? Who calls their bosses assholes in their presence? How was she going to face him now? It wasn''t even a question whether he heard her. He totally heard her!


    Sara Wang! I have warned you severally to stop cussing. Now you are going to get fired. Congratulations! She scolded herself inwardly.


    Then, a plan hatched in her mind.


    She suddenly hit the top of the MP and spoke loudly.


    "You are such an asshole! You always run out of battery!"


    She turned to face Li Muchen and kept hitting it.


    He managed to keep a straight face, trying very hard not to let loose with a guffaw. She just called him an asshole and was shifting it to her poor MP?


    She actually cussed him, yet, he wasn''t even bothered but was more worried about her poor MP? He must have gone crazy!


    "So are you supposed to recharge it by hitting it?"


    He asked sarcastically.


    Sara was at a loss for words. How was she supposed to handle this Mr Li? He had always been a snob and all of a sudden he''s chatting with her like they were friends?


    The door opened followed by the appearance of Heya. Sara had never been so grateful to see Heya. she quickly walked past Muchen to where Heya was standing and gave her a bear hug.


    "Heya, Thank God you are here. Let''s get started"


    She said as she freed Heya from the hug.


    Heya just stood there and gave her a skeptical look. She also looked at Li Muchen who just stood there with his arms crossed. His face was expressionless as he just stared at Sara''s back.


    "Did he bully you?" Heya asked.


    They were both not far from each other,Sara''s sudden Hug and Muchen''s expressionless face explained it all.


    "No he didn''t". Sara shook her head as she led Heya to the seat where Muchen had been sitting. It was a small square wooden desk with two chairs by each sides. Although is was wooden, Sara refused to imagine how much it actually costs.


    " Are you sure?" Since she entered, Sara had been deliberately avoiding looking towards Li Muchen. So Heya couldn''t help but ask.


    "We''re good" Sara answered.


    "Oh Sara! what are you wearing? " Heya asked as she observed Heya''s wear. "It''s sexy" she giggled.


    Heya on the other hand, was putting on a pink tee-shirt and loosely fitted pink sports pants with a white sports sneakers.


    "Oh really? I don''t find it that way though" Sara said as her head unconsciously swung to look at Li Muchen.


    .


    Their eyes met!


    He maintained the eye contact and moved his steps to where she was sitting opposite Heya.


    ''Why is he coming here? What did I do this time?'' She panicked.


    She almost flinched when he stopped before her and squatted down. Their faces were only a few inches apart but her head was higher than his since she was sitting while he was squatting.


    Heya was confused. What was Big Bro doing right now?


    She looked at Sara and Li Muchen who were both opposite her, staring into each other''s eyes.


    " Mr...Mr.. Li..wh..at.. what are you doing?" Sara stammered as she looked at him.


    He looked at her for a while and smiled.


    "I am trying to open this drawer" He said softly as he pointed at a small lock on the side of the desk.


    ''Seriously? Open a drawer? Is it on my face then?''


    How annoying!


    Sara stood up from her chair and moved to where Heya was sitting. She tried her best not to say anything. She might really get into trouble this time.


    Heya''s gaze narrowed into a squint as she looked at Li Muchen who was trying in a password. She desperately needed to confirm whether what she was thinking was actually true.


    Soon, they heard a ''Ding'' followed by the opening of a drawer.


    Sara seemed to forget about everything else as she wondered. This simple looking table uses a digital passcode? Awesome!


    Li Muchen brought out an MP from the drawer and handed it over to Sara. "We can make use of this instead."


    Sara nodded and took the MP from him. As she asked Heya. "Are you ready?"


    "I am. I wonder when I''ll be able to look Like this" She said, looking at Sara up and down.


    "You will darling. And it starts now!...We''re going to be weight training today" Sara said as she helped Heya stand up.


    "Weight training? I''m supposed to be losing calories. why weight training?" Heya asked skeptically.


    "To help raise your BMR" Sara answered.


    "I still don''t understand" Heya replied.


    "Raising your BMR helps build your muscles. The more muscles you have, the more calories you can burn. You can even burn calories by just lying down" Sara said.


    "Wow! really? That sounds nice!"


    "You also have to follow the nutritional timetable that has been prepared for you. I''ve already asked the maids to clear the fridge. If there is any other thing we need to get, I and Sara would go get it for you....". Li Muchen said as he looked at Sara then gave her a wink as he finished his sentence


    "Together!"

 Chapter 43 - Third birthday

    Sara simply ignored Muchen and continued speaking with Heya. She remembered the conversation she had with Muchen. Was that why he had been acting this way? Then it was her fault. She was the one who told him about them having a cordial relationship. She just didn''t imagine that he would be overdoing it.


    ---


    "You are doing a good job Heya. Keep your chest up, and don''t let your knees go over your toes" Sara instructed as she helped Heya with her exercise.


    Muchen just looked at her with a look that says ''you do not expect me to do this right?''


    Sara almost laughed when she saw his look.


    She tried imagining him squatting like this. It would be so hilarious!


    "Mr Li, You could use the treadmill for now or anything else. I''ll join Heya"


    Muchen nodded slightly and moved to use the treadmill.


    Li Muchen tried to entirely focus and not look at them; Sara especially. Thank God his back was facing them so he could only hear Sara''s voice when she was instructing Heya since the music was not so loud.


    The song changed to an old classical music.


    When Muchen heard the song, he frowned. Who exercises with this kind of song? He didn''t even know what the song was doing on his music player.


    "Oh this song!" Sara exclaimed.


    "You are a fan of classical music?" Heya asked as they both took a break and sat on the floor.


    "Not really. But my dad is a fan. On my third birthday, when the song was newly released, he played this song the entire day. I got sick of it."


    who plays this kind of songs during a birthday party? Muchen wondered. Besides it was the kind of song that aided relaxation.


    "Third year birthday?" Heya asked as she seemed to consider something "You are 24 years old right? This song came out 22 years ago. So you should be 2years old then right? Why three?


    Li Muchen was also done with exercising. He listened to the both of them talk but was not really interested. He had been wondering how the song got there in the first place, but looking at how Heya seemed to know much about the song. It was obvious it was her doing. He was not surprised. Heya always came over to the gym to ''exercise'' so she might have gotten a hold of the music player.


    Sara''s eyes twitched a bit then she spoke. "Oh! I meant when I was two"


    ***


    Heya just lied down on the floor and refused to get up after they were done. She felt like she had been beaten by numerous thugs as she couldn''t even raise her body from the ground.


    "I can''t get up" She said. While trying to catch her breath.


    Sara laughed as she assured her that she would help her massage her body. With the help of Muchen and Sara, Heya was able get to her room upstairs. It took a great deal for Heya to be able to shower. Sara stood outside her bathroom door, waiting to help Heya back to the bed. When Heya was done, Sara helped her massage her body for a while and by the time she was done, Heya was already fast asleep.


    She gently walked out of the room. When she got downstairs, She saw Muchen sitting on the couch, flipping through a newspaper.


    He was already changed and looked ''fresh''.


    "You should freshen up also." He spoke without raising his head.


    Sara looked at her wrist watch. It was already going to 8 in the evening. It was time to go to the restaurant since Joreen would be waiting for her. Besides, It was weird having her bath here.


    "I''m good. I''ll do that as soon as I get home. For now, I need to get to the restaurant. Joreen is waiting."


    Muchen raised his head from the paper and glanced at her shortly before saying "Don''t worry, I''ll drop you off. For now, you should change what you are wearing"


    Sara was still on her sportswear. Since she had been caring for Heya, she had totally ignored herself. No wonder the maids looked at her weirdly.


    "Alright then" She nodded as she strode down to the gym.


    .Muchen took his phone which was by his side and opened it to reveal a photo of Sara lifting weights.


    He had secretly taken the picture earlier when she was not noticing.


    He looked at the picture for a while and felt it was wrong keeping such a picture on his phone. If she finds out, she might see him as a pervert. Besides, he would not want any other person to see this picture at all.


    After contemplating for a while, He tapped on the delete icon and deleted it.

 Chapter 44 - Factory Trouble 1

    When Sara got back to the living room, there was no sign of Muchen. She sighed in relief. She had been thinking for a way to escape and go home alone. And this was a good opening. Once she gets home, she would call and apologize for leaving without informing him first because something urgent came up at home.


    She moved stealthily to the door and opened it. She locked the door silently and turned to leave then, she got the scare of her life.


    Muchen was resting his back on his car, observing her closely. He stifled back laughter when he saw her startled reaction. Was she trying to run from him?


    "Mr...Mr Li.." She stuttered. Not knowing what to say next.


    "Get in. it''s already late" He said as he opened the front passenger''s door for her.


    She had no choice but to get in and sit there awkwardly.


    **


    They both sat quietly as the car drove down the road. Thankfully, Sara''s phone rang. It was a call from her father.


    "Hello! Dad, I''m already on my way" She said as soon as she took the call. She assumed he was calling her to remind her about Joreen.


    "Are you close by?" Jianjun asked.


    "Not really. Any problem?" She asked.


    "Mr Chu was supposed to send me a parcel today. But I guess he couldn''t. He asked me to come collect it this evening unfailingly. He is in the factory now. Since you are taking the same route could you drop by and take it from him? There are a lot of customers here so I can''t leave right now"


    "Oh! no problem. He still works at the same factory?" Sara asked. Mr Chu had been working nightshift there for several years as a security man. Whenever it was someone else''s turn to watch the night, Mr Chu ends up in Jianjun''s restaurant and drink to a stupor.


    "Yes. You are with your personal chauffeur right? He wouldn''t mind right?" Jianjun asked.


    Sara didn''t want to tell him that it was Mr Li who was driving her tonight. So she assured him that ''he'' wouldn''t mind.


    "Thankfully, I''m around there. I''ll be home shortly"


    After hanging up, she told Muchen to pull over.


    "Thank you Mr Li. You can just drop me off here. I need to do something."


    He looked at the surrounding. The area was dark and deserted. How could he leave her to go there alone?


    "I''ll go with you. Where are you heading to?" He asked.


    "You do not need to Mr Li. Thanks for dropping me. I do not wish to waste much of your time anymore"


    "I''m less busy. Let''s just go" Muchen said


    Sara couldn''t win over him and just told him to turn left and drive inside. Soon, they got to the factory.


    The factory was quite dark. But they could see a ray of light sipping through from somewhere far behind. A little building nearby was also brightly lit. Sara had been here before so she knew that was the block Mr Chu slept. Sara walked carefully, with Muchen trailing behind her and knocked on the door. But no one answered. If Mr Li was around the factory, they would have seen at least a torchlight when heading here. But there was nothing. She just hoped that he wasn''t drinking somewhere.


    "I think Mr Chu should be behind the factory." She said, pointing at the area where rays of yellow light could be seen.


    Muchen just nodded. He hadn''t bothered to ask her about anything. He just wanted to lead her back home safely.


    They suddenly heard someone scream. Muchen unconsciously held Sara''s hand and pulled her closer to him.


    "I don''t think it is safe here. We should call the police" He said.


    Then they heard a loud groan. "That sounds like Mr Chu"


    Before he could ask anything, she already pulled her hand out of his and dashed towards the direction the sound was coming from.


    Muchen totally forgot he was about calling the police and ran after her.


    What is wrong with this girl?


    Sara halted as soon as she got to the scene.


    It was behind the factory. The headlights of several motorbikes and a dilapidated car was left on which brightened the place.


    An elderly man and a younger man where both lying on the floor with a bloodied body. They were both surrounded by about 5 men who were all dressed in black with wooden clubs in their hands.


    "Who are you?" One of the men, sitting on a bench, who appeared to be the leader asked.


    Mr Chu raised his head to look at the person. And as soon as he saw Sara, he panicked. Why did she have to come here now?


    When Sara saw Mr Chu''s bloodied face, she widened her eyes in shock. She grew up to see him as an uncle. He was a few years older than Jianjun Wang but he always treated him like a brother and treated her like his daughter. She looked at the younger man and realised he was Mr Chu''s teenage son, Chu Bilike, who always gambled about.


    He must have gotten into trouble and dragged his father into it somehow.


    "Cute banana, hurry, leave this place" Mr Chu warned.


    "Sis, please save us." Bilike pleaded as he sobbed.


    "Shut up you scoundrel" Mr Chu would have slapped him if he was not so weak.


    Sara did not know whether to laugh or to cry. He was almost dying and still had the energy to call her cute banana?

 Chapter 45 - Factory Trouble 2

    "Leave before I call the police" Sara warned.


    The men laughed and looked at the petite girl before them. They had been acting all serious earlier. They were grateful to this tiny girl for making them laugh now.


    Li Muchen just stood behind her without saying anything. This girl really has some guts. She dared threaten a group of gangsters?


    "Hey, little girl, come closer" The leader ordered as he puffed a cigarette and stood up.


    "Please, let her go. She has nothing to do with this" Mr Chu pleaded as he tried to get on his knees. But was kicked down by a man.


    Sara ignored all of them and just moved to where Mr Chu was and scrunched down in front of him. Muchen tried to stop her but she was really fast. The best way to smoothen things over was to not act rash. But Sara wasn''t helping issues right now.


    "Mr Chu, We should go to the hospital" She said.


    "No...no..no.. I do not know you. Leave here" Mr Chu said as he pushed Sara away. He did not want her to get involved in any way.


    "How can you say you do not know me when you called me cute banana earlier?. Let us get you to the hospital" She took out her phone which was ringing from her pocket and was in the middle of taking the call when the Boss moved to where she was.


    He pulled her by her arm and raised her up forcefully. Then, took her phone from her hand and tossed it at the wall. "What do you think you are doing?" He demanded


    The sound of her scattering phone startled her. Sara looked at her phone which was scattered all over then looked at him in anger. He should be in his mid thirties. He was bald, heavy built, and had several tattoos on his neck. He seemed to have gotten rid of his cigarette since there was none in his hand.


    Muchen''s breath ceased when he saw the man hold Sara. Even Mr Chu and Bilike were both frightened. Muchen tried moving to where they were standing but was intercepted by three other men.


    "You can leave now to save yourself" one of them said.


    "Move!" Sara heard him order the men.


    They just laughed at him and warned him not to get involved in their boss''s business.


    Muchen tried to force his way out but was taken completely unaware by a sudden punch in the gut. He couldn''t maintain his balance and fell on the floor.


    Sara''s eyes widened when she saw what had just happened.


    She didn''t know when she suddenly shouted "Mr Li" and pushed the boss aside to get to where Li Muchen was lying down.


    The boss was surprised. How was she able to push him off like that? He wondered


    "Mr Li. are you okay?" She asked worriedly when she saw blood coming out of his mouth.


    He nodded faintly and tried to get up but could not. With Sara''s assistance, he was able to stand up. He was so embarrassed that he couldn''t look at her directly.


    "Mr Li? from the Li family?" The one who punched him asked "Ah! no wonder I felt he looked so familiar!"


    "You''ve met him before Big Dong?" The boss asked.


    "Of course, Have you forgotten the other time I was sent to prison by a member of the Li family? it was because of him!"


    "Was that the case that involved your younger sister, Changru? Another asked.


    "Of course, he had totally taken his cousin''s side when his cousin dumped my sister. Not only did he humiliate her, he also sent me to prison when I tried to seek justice for her." He said.


    "I see! Then he is all yours today" The boss said as he laughed like a maniac.


    Sara had no idea who they were talking about since she had never heard the name ''Changru'' before. Of course, she didn''t know that it was the same girl she had bullied.


    She couldn''t help feeling bad for Muchen. Because of his cousin again! He had to suffer. She wouldn''t let that happen though since she was the one who dragged him into this. Even if it meant blowing her cover -For Mr Li to see the other part of her she didn''t want him to see.


    The men surrounded Sara and Muchen. Muchen squeezed her hands gently and assured her. "I''ll protect you Sara"


    Sara was greatly touched. But a part of her head was screaming. ''Seriously? you are going to protect me when you are already like this because of a punch? what happens when all of these people punch you then''


    "I''m sorry for dragging you into this Mr Li. it''s my fault" She cleared her head and said.


    He shook his head lightly and smiled at her.


    "What a romantic scene.. Don''t worry, you will both join Romeo and Juliet soon" Big Dong mocked while the others laughed. The boss just sat back on the bench and continued smoking his cigarette while waiting for the show to begin.

 Chapter 46 - We are going to leave

    "Boss, would you love to play with the girl first?" Big Dong asked pointing at Sara.


    Muchen''s grip on her hand tightened when he heard him.


    Sara felt it and looked at Muchen. There was one thing she could clearly see in his eyes. It was FEAR.


    Muchen knew he would not be able to take on this Much men especially with the sharp pain he was feeling on his stomach. He had been treating his weak stomach for a while and at the point of totally recovering, he had to receive such a blow. Besides, they had club sticks on them. How would he be able to protect Sara from all of these men?


    "Mr Li. Do not do anything" She whispered and turned to look at the boss who was looking intently at her.


    The boss was surprised that she was still so composed despite being faced with a situation like this. He never really liked ''playing'' with his female victims but he would really like to try this one out.


    He dropped the cigar butt on the ground and crushed it with his shoe when he stood up.


    "No! please, let her go" Mr Chu begged. Even Bilike joined his father to beg for Sara to be let out.


    They were both kicked back to the ground and hit a couple of times.


    Sara did not know what to do. She had never been this confused. How was she going to protect Mr Chu, Bilike and Mr Li?


    "Stop!" Muchen''s voice rang out


    Everyone stopped to look at him. He looked at the boss who was already close to where they were and spoke.


    "Let us make a deal"


    "Mr Li, what are you doing?" Sara asked


    He squeezed her hand to stop her from asking further and just continued looking at the boss.


    "What deal?" The boss asked


    "First of all, We have to settle the issue with Mr Chu. What do you have with him?" Muchen asked


    The boss seemed to be patient as he just smiled and replied.


    "His son owes us three thousand dollars and has refused to pay"


    "So how does that affect Mr Chu?" Sara asked angrily.


    "How dare you question the boss?" one of them got angry and was almost charging at her but was stopped by the boss.


    She didn''t even bother looking at him and just waited for her answer.


    "We thought we might find money on him. But there was nothing on him. He promised us His father would pay. Not only did his father not have any money with him, he even challenged us. We have to appease our anger" He said


    "So you are saying if we pay you the money, you are going to let them be? Muchen asked. At least he needed to save both men before he looked for a way to save Sara also.


    The boss cocked his brows at him to observe whether he was kidding or actually serious.


    "Of course, there would be no need to keep wasting our time here if we get the money"


    "Then I''ll send it to you right now" Muchen stated.


    Mr Chu and Bilike who were both at the point of breaking down, widened their eyes in surprise.


    He was just going to transfer the money like that when he did not even know them?


    Mr Chu recognized Muchen as Sara''s boss. But even when Sara had introduced Muchen to him that day, he had not bother taking the name ''Mr Li'' to heart. So this was truly the Mr Li? Why would he want to help someone like him?


    Muchen took out his phone to make the transfer but was stopped by Big Dong. Not before he secretly tapped an icon which was to send his location and inform his people that he was in danger.


    "Nah! we don''t accept transfer. It must be cash" Big Dong stated plainly.


    Sara could understand why. People like these who were involved in shady deals didn''t like to leave any trace of their illegality behind.


    "Bilike, do you have a valid bank account?" Sara asked.


    He nodded vigorously.


    "So we could send it over to his account while he go cash it right? Even if he won''t be able to withdraw the whole amount with a machine today he could get the rest tomorrow." Muchen said


    The boss nodded as he took off his black jacket to reveal some more tattoos on his arms.


    When Sara saw the Tattoos, her lips curved into a smile.


    Finally! There was a way out of this.


    "Or I could transfer the balance to Sara so she would withdraw the remaining amount from her own account" Muchen offered.


    While the boss was contemplating, Muchen whispered to Sara. "Once you leave here, don''t come back and go straight to the police station"


    Sara shook her head. She would never do that even if there was no other way out. Mr Chu and Bilike were here. Besides, he was also in trouble. She was not so selfish.


    "No one leaves here except Bilike" The boss said.


    "How much do you want so you could let all of them go? At least, I''m the one you have an issue with" He said. He needed to at least buy time before his subordinates arrived.


    "You think money is our problem?" The boss asked angrily. "Big Dong. You can take care of him." He pointed at two other people and spoke. "Bring her to the base when you are done"


    Sara just smirked at him as she spoke.


    "We are going to leave And there is nothing you are going to do about that!"

 Chapter 47 - Biggest Bully

    "Sara!" Muchen called as he held her shoulders and faced her. "Do not act rashly"


    "Mr Li. You are weak. We need to get you, Bilike and Mr Chu to the hospital. Do you trust me?" she asked softly.


    "I really want to trust you. But you are making things difficult. I''ll get us out of this." He assured


    "Trust me. please" She said as she dropped his hands from her shoulders.


    The others were busy laughing. Except the boss who had stopped in his tracks to watch her. He couldn''t underestimate this girl even if he wanted to. She had been so composed that he was curious to know who she really was.


    "Why do you think so?" He asked.


    She moved slowly to where he was.


    The others did not even bother blocking her path because she would be easy to deal with.


    Mr Chu and Bilike did not even know what to do in this case. Was she crazy?


    Sara looked him up and down then spoke so only the both of them could hear.


    "With this body of yours I thought you would be high ranked but you are just in level 3?" she mocked.


    His eyes widened as he looked at her. How did she know this? Who was she?


    "How...how.. did you know that?" He asked in obvious surprise.


    She pointed at the tattoo on his arm


    "Not everyone know that so how did you?" he asked again.


    "When did you move to country B? Or you were all recruited here?" She asked without bothering to answer him.


    "WHO ARE YOU?" He raised his voice.


    The others could tell that he was angry when they heard him. What were they talking about?


    Muchen had decided to trust Sara so although he was worried. He still had faith in her.


    "Who are you directly under? Black Dog, Sword, Blue rays? Since you are still this low ranked, you might not know The overseer." She said.


    The boss could feel beads of sweat all over his forehead. She even knew about those people?


    "I won''t say much, You can call any of the people I mentioned. Tell them that if they do not punish you, Sara will!"


    He just stood there dumbfounded. Was this real?


    He suddenly remembered how she had easily pushed him away and how she had been composed. So she had an underground backing? He took out his phone and hurriedly dialed a number.


    Sara did not waste time and went back to where Muchen was standing. "Mr Li, let''s go"


    He looked at her like he was hearing a joke. Go? just like that?


    Sara looked at his face that was filled with questions.


    She looked down at Mr Chu and Bilike. How was she supposed to handle all of these.


    "You are big Dong right? Help me carry Mr Chu. You can ask someone else to help me carry Bilike. Our car is parked at the front" She told Big Dong who was standing in front of her.


    Big Dong has never been so confused and angry. What did he just hear? Did she just order him?


    "Are you insane? You think you are leaving here in one piece?" He shouted angrily at her.


    "Stop shouting! You are spitting on me" She said.


    Muchen knew it was not the right time to laugh but he couldn''t help it and laughed out.


    He also didn''t understand what was happening.


    The laughter caused him to cough and he cradled his belly in pain.


    Big Dong suddenly felt someone smack the back of his head.


    "Are you deaf? Do what she says!" The boss ordered.


    "Wh...What? I should..do...what?" Big Dong stuttered. He couldn''t believe he just heard that.


    "Miss, do not worry. We will personally send them to the hospital. I swear on my life" The boss said.


    "Nah! I do not trust you. Besides, there is nothing on your life for you to swear on. Just help me get them to the car"


    "No....no....no.... I just finished speaking with....."


    Before he could finish, he saw Sara''s warning gaze and kept shut.


    ***


    The boss and another helped carry Mr Chu while Big Dong carried Bilike.


    The others stayed back. They did not know what ever transpired between The Boss and Sara but they just had to follow his orders.


    Sara assisted Muchen to where the car was parked. As soon as they got there, they saw troops of vehicles stopping before them. The headlights were shining so brightly that they all had to cover their eyes.


    Some men got down from the vehicle and stopped before Muchen


    "Mr Li, are you alright?" One asked.


    Muchen just rolled his eyes at them.


    If those people wanted to kill them, they would probably have died before they arrived.


    "I''m fine. Take them to the hospital and leave" He said pointing at both men who looked unconscious.


    The men bowed and hurriedly carried Mr Chu and Bilike with them.


    The three thugs just stood there awkwardly, they didn''t know what to do. Even Sara was surprised. When did he get in contact with these people?


    There was no need dealing with these thugs anymore from the look of things.


    Sara led the boss to a corner and handed him a card from her pocket "That''s my Father''s restaurant. You should get me a new phone by tomorrow"


    The boss accepted it with both hands and nodded. "Yes! I will get it unfailingly. Sorry about your phone earlier"


    "Once we''ve gather the money, I''ll send for you" Sara said


    "No..no..no.. You don''t have to! it''s nothing actually" He said.


    "Oh no.. we have to pay.." She paused for a while then continued "But if you do not want us to, who are we to say No?" She said with a smile


    The Boss has never met anyone as shameless as her. She could not even keep bantering for a while and just agreed all of a sudden?


    "Ermm.. Earlier, I spoke with Blue rays he said you should pay him a visit soon that you know how to find him" The boss said.


    "When I am ready, I will do so"


    With that said, she waved them away and moved to where Li Muchen was.


    She was the biggest bully they had ever met!

 Chapter 48 - The robot finally broke down

    Sara hurriedly stood up from the chair when she saw Ms Long entering the hospital.


    "Where is Mr Li?" Ms Long asked while trying to catch her breath.


    "He is in Ward C. Let''s go there" Sara answered.


    Ms Long did not answer Sara and just pulled her outside the hospital. Ms Long looked at Sara angrily and asked. "What happened?"


    Sara could understand Ms Long''s anger. Muchen was her Boss also and she seemed to be very loyal to him.


    "He was punched in his breadbasket" Sara said sadly.


    "Breadbasket?" Ms Long asked quizzically.


    "Sorry, I mean stomach" Sara corrected. Why did she always have to use the wrong choice of word every time?


    Ms Long''s face turned pale instantly. "What? He got punched in his stomach? oh my God! where is he? You had to bring him to a place like this?" Ms Long asked as she looked at the entrance of the hospital.


    Although the hospital looked okay, it wasn''t the type of place someone like Mr Li should be in. She had to send him over to her parent''s hospital this moment.


    Sara ignored her and just asked "Ms Long, is something wrong with Mr Li''s stomach?"


    Earlier when they were in the gym, she had stole a few glances at him and saw him rubbing his belly uncomfortably.


    "Sara Wang! Do you know who Mr Li is? Not only did he get hurt because of you, you even brought him to this kind of place?" Ms Long asked angrily.


    Ms Long had always been nice and polite to Sara, so seeing her like this was rather odd. Sara could not take it any more and spoke out.


    "Ms Long, I have always respected you since I met you. Do not get me angry."


    "What? I should not get you angry? do you not know what you have done wrong?" Ms Long asked angrily.


    "What about the things I have done right? why do you only care about what I did wrong? Besides, what did I do wrong? Do you know how it took me to get him into the car and bring him here? And what do you mean by this kind of place? Even when I fell sick, I never came here because of the high cost. This is my first time entering here and it is because I brought Mr Li here. Did you ask me how I got the money I deposited here? So how is it my fault? I never asked him to go with me. He insisted! I told him not to do anything either. My phone even got ruined. It''s already 12am and I have not even been able to get a good sleep at home after a whole day of stress. I had to borrow a phone to assure my folks at home that I was okay. Do you know how worried they were? I am also a person!" Sara was so infuriated that she did not even care that she was losing it and raising her voice at Ms Long.


    She really hated it when people tried to fault her. She had her own part of the story and she would say it out whether they wished to hear it or not.


    Ms Long did not care about her ranting she just spoke furiously. "What a selfish ingrate!" Ms Long could not believe that Mr Li was able to like a girl like Sara. Someone who did not even care about him at all. "And to think i liked you for a moment. You can leave now. Get out! I''ll take care of the rest. Make sure no one hears about this!" Ms Long ordered. She didn''t wait for Sara to say anything else and just scuffled back inside the hospital.


    Sara just stood outside. She did not know what to do or how to feel. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes but she had to compose herself


    Did I do something wrong? Did I say something wrong? What is wrong with me? why do I feel this way?


    She was almost at the point of breaking down but had to remind herself that she was like a robot that never broke down.


    After a while, she went back inside the ward but was informed that he had already been moved out.


    When? How? She had no idea. She had been standing at the entrance of the hospital. She could only guess that Ms Long had done everything secretly through a back door perhaps.


    ***


    As soon as Sara got home, She saw her father waiting outside for her.


    When their eyes met, she smiled faintly. But it didn''t last. Her entire facial expression changed and tears started flowing down even as Jianjun moved to where she stood hugged her tightly.


    The robot finally broke down even as she remembered the conversation she had with Muchen before he collapsed.

 Chapter 49 - Im sorry Sara

    She remembered the conversation they both had earlier..


    "Mr Li are you okay?" Sara asked when she saw him wincing in pain with his body resting on the car.


    He wasn''t punched in any vital part but the blood that came out from his mouth had shocked her. "Were you sick? What is wrong with your stomach?" she asked worriedly.


    Muchen just looked at her. Although the place was a bit dark, the light coming from the other block enabled them to see each other faintly.


    He had a lot of questions to ask but could not bring himself to. Earlier when they were coming to where the car was parked, he had asked her what she told the boss. She had simply said smoothly "I told him you have a lot of underground connection and is also being backed by the army so he has to save himself and leave"


    Muchen knew she was lying and did not want to talk about it, so he decided to not ask her about anything.


    "Mr Li, Why aren''t you saying anything? Let''s go to the hospital now. Give me your car keys" She said.


    She was taken aback when she suddenly felt his strong hands pull her into a hug.


    Muchen held her back firmly and pressed her to himself as he closed his eyes. She was really small. Her head was slightly below his shoulders. She could even hear his rapid heartbeat. Sara''s eyes were wide opened. She did not know what to do in this case. Why would Mr Li suddenly hug her?. Her two hands remained by her sides awkwardly. It was a really awkward moment for her because she did not even know what to do.


    "I''m sorry Sara" Muchen said in a hoarse voice. "Sorry I could not protect you."


    When he remembered how useless he had been earlier, he almost wanted to die. What if Sara had not handled everything? How was he going to protect her and himself? Now he knew better, that money could not solve everything. Health was also important. Just neglecting his health a little bit because he was ''so busy'' had caused him this. He had been advised severally by his doctor to get treatment. He had even agreed to visit the hospital today. But when Sara asked him to workout with them. He just could not turn down this ''cute banana''


    "Mr Li..." Sara did not know what to say next. She was having a mix of emotions. But she was touched. She had actually thought that he would ask her questions or get angry at her for dragging him into this. But he was not. And was even apologizing to her?


    "You bought us time though. Thank you Mr Li" She said softly. Of course, if Muchen hadn''t stalled, She wouldn''t have seen the boss''s tattoo and handle the situation smoothly. Things would have gotten rough.


    "There is something I want to tell you" He said as held her shoulders and pulled out of the hug gently.


    He looked at her eyes and stared at her for a while.


    Sara also looked at him, wondering what he wanted to say. It was weird that she was standing this close to boss. It was weirder because she didn''t even find it wrong.


    "Actually...The thing is...I... am a good fighter" He said with a sad smile.


    Sara chortled gently when she heard him and spoke "I know, Heya told me already. That''s why I was pretty sure something else was wrong with you. So we should go the hospital now"


    He was quiet for a while without saying anything and just looked at her. If a genie asked Sara what wish she wanted to be granted right now, it would be to be able to read Mr Li''s mind.


    "It''s the first time you laughed with me" He said as he lifted a hand slowly to touch her cheek. Before his hand could reach her face, he suddenly fell back on her shoulders.


    This time, Sara felt that something was wrong. She pushed him lightly and realised that he had collapsed on her.


    ****


    "He didn''t scold you right?" Jianjun asked Sara whose head was resting on his thighs while he smoothened her hair gently.


    Sara did not say anything and only shook her head. She had tried her best to minimize the detail and even lied about what had happened and just told him that they met some bad guys beating up Mr Chu and Bilike, they didn''t know who Mr Li was and punched him, when they knew he was the Li family''s young master, they apologized and let him go but Mr Li still punished them. He collapsed due to some previous ailment and Ms Long scolded her.


    Jianjun Wang felt like hitting Sara when she told him that it was Mr Li who drove her. He couldn''t stomach the fact that he actually allowed Mr Li to drive Sara around.


    "Sara, I know you are right. I will always take your side no matter what. But to them, they are also right" He said.


    Sara raised her head from his thighs to look at him. Whose side was he taking right now?


    He saw her look and laughed lightly.


    "I told you before, you need to learn how these people act. You know the kind of person Mr Li is. What if someone who recognised him was also in the hospital or what if the doctors weren''t experience and made a mistake? I can assure you that Mr Li had never stepped his feet into a hospital like that in his entire life even if it was only to treat a light scrape."


    He held her hands and continued "Ms Long understands this thing. Do not blame her. She must have been shocked"


    "Why shouldn''t I blame her? They always want to put the blame on someone else" She grumbled.


    "To them they are always right. I agree with you. But I''m happy that at least, you are only working with them for a while. Its not like you are marrying him" He said as he laughed.


    When he said that, Sara''s cheeks flushed as she remembered how Muchen had hugged her. She shook her head to clear the thought off and tried to hide her face from Jianjun. But he had already seen it.


    "Look at me Sara" He said


    Sara shook her head and covered her face with her hands.


    "Come on, look at me" He said as he tried to lift her chin.


    Sara stood up abruptly and dashed to her room.


    Jianjun Wang could only hope that whatever he was thinking was not correct.

 Chapter 50 - You hugged Mr Li?

    Muchen opened his eyes to an unfamiliar environment. He knew immediately that he was in a hospital. He tried getting up, but was too weak to,so he just lied back down on the bed.


    "You''re awake! I will get the doctor" Ms Long said as she stood up from the couch beside his bed.


    "What time is it?" He asked with a dry voice.


    "It''s 7 in the morning" She said after checking the wall clock behind her.


    "What about Sara?" He asked.


    Ms Long''s countenance changed when she heard his question. Why did he have to ask about her first before asking about his own health?


    "Why aren''t you answering?" He turned his head to look at her direction when he noticed she was still quiet.


    "I sent her home last night" she replied dryly.


    "Is something wrong?" Muchen asked when he noticed her unusual look.


    "No sir. I will get the doctor now." she said and left the room.


    Throughout the night, Muchen kept having repeated dreams about Sara. From the very first moment he saw her till now. Everything about her remained a mystery to him. He wanted to know more. Why she acted this way, why she didn''t care about anything or how people thought about her. He had never even seen her look sad except the first night after she caught her friend and boyfriend together. Didn''t she care?


    He helped himself sit up on the bed and took his phone that was placed beside him. He looked at Sara''s number which he had never dialled before and dialled it. He just wanted to hear her voice and know how she was doing. But the call was automatically redirected. Then her remembered that her phone was ruined the previous night.


    Ms Long entered the room with a middle aged doctor and two other younger doctors.


    Muchen recognized the middle aged doctor as Ms Long''s father and greeted him accordingly.


    After exchanging pleasantries, they went straight to business.


    ***


    Sundays was one of Sara''s free days. She remained in her room, browsing through her laptop. Joreen had gone to the neighbour''s place to hang out with their daughter. It was just Sara and Jianjun at home.


    While going through her laptop, she came across a picture she had saved earlier. It was a selfie of herself and Jinyong with Weiyoung on the background.


    Sara remembered inviting Weiyoung to join them that day but she had flatly rejected. Sara looked at the saved date, it was taken about 6 months ago. Which meant that Weiyoung was already together with Jinyong then. What she couldn''t understand though was why they had to do it secretly when he could have easily broken up with her and went after Weiyoung. What was the point of the entire hide and seek game? She concluded that it must have been Weiyoung''s idea. Which girl in her normal senses would agree to date a guy for that long when he had a girlfriend? But Weiyoung did not mind. Sooner or later, she was going to uncover what that scheming bitch has been up to.


    She smirked at the photo "Bunch of idiots" She said as she marked all the pictures which had Jinyong or Weiyoung''s face on it and deleted it all.


    She then saw a picture of Song Changyu which she had saved earlier while surfing the net about her. She looked at it for a while and opened her browser. She was curious about this woman. After reading for a while, she noted something which she had always ignored.


    Song Changyu was engaged to Mo Dexi''s elder brother who lost his life in a car crash. She tried to link it up with her father and his attitude towards Mo Jinyong. She knew clearly that her father did not like Jinyong but he had always rejected talking about the issue.


    Is this connected somehow? She wondered. Why wouldn''t her father just tell her everything she was curious about? She knew the right person to ask next. It was her aunt, Cixi Wang. But it was unfortunate that she had been unavailable. Notwithstanding, she was going to be patient and ask her aunt.


    Sara heard a light knock on her door and shut her laptop immediately. "Come in" She said as she stood up.


    Jianjun entered and asked her to sit while he sat on the chair beside her. "You have been avoiding me right?" He asked cause he noticed she had been in her room all day.


    "No, why would you think that?" She asked.


    "I will go straight to the point. Did any thing happened between you and Mr Li?" He asked.


    "Dad!.." Sara stood up abruptly. She knew that her overreaction had given her away and sat back down. "Dad, it''s not what you think okay?"


    "So what do i think?" He asked.


    "I don''t know, maybe you are thinking that....." She let her words trail of and stood up again.


    "Fine! We hugged!" She said.


    Jianjun''s eyes widened then he stood up and stuttered. "You...you hugged...Mr...Mr Li?"


    Sara got scared when she saw her Father''s reaction. She didn''t have to tell him but she could not hide anything from him. He had been her confidante and adviser since the day she was born. "Actually, he hugged me." She corrected.


    "And you let him?" He asked in bewilderment. He was already used to Sara hitting and beating up any guy who made advances at her that he had been worried whether she was going to get married or not. But the day she told him about Jinyong, although he didn''t like the idea, he had to let her be since he was her first.

 Chapter 51 - Acting So Arrogant

    Sara nodded in affirmation to her Father''s questions


    "Why?" He asked in panic.


    "Dad, calm down. It was an harmless hug" She said.


    "Really? Then have you ever hugged any of your previous bosses?"


    Sara tried imagining herself hugging them. She simply could not. Why didn''t she push him away? "He got hurt because of me. It would be unfair to push him away." She said.


    "Sara, What are you going to do if Mr Li likes you?" He asked.


    Sara''s heartbeat skipped when she heard him. What was he talking about? Mr Li only hugged her to apologise besides he did not really like her and was only forcing himself to because she suggested.


    "Dad, you are over thinking this. Nothing is ever going to happen between us. Besides I''ve only known him for a few days."


    "And you''re sure you do not like him?"


    "Dad I don''t!" She denied


    Jianjun just looked at her and decided to take her for her word this time. He really did not want his daughter to get entangled with those kind of people anymore.


    Sara was restless the whole day having not been able to know how Muchen,Mr Chu and Bilike was doing. She lost her phone and couldn''t contact Ms Long to tell her how Mr Li was doing and the hospital Mr Chu and Bilike were taken to. She couldn''t even go to the house to ask Heya about him because Ms Long had warned her not to tell anyone. She had to join Jianjun in the kitchen to prepare lunch to help clear her head. Thankfully, it was Sunday. She didn''t have to go to the restaurant for Lunch as her father only goes to the restaurant on Sunday evenings.


    They heard a knock on the living room door. She went to open it and received the greatest scare of her life when she saw The gangster boss she had met last night. "Big Sister!" He called excitedly.


    Sara shushed him and looked inside to make sure Jianjun was no where in sight and asked The boss to follow her as she led him to a nearby alley which people usually do not pass through.


    "What are you doing here?" She asked angrily.


    "Big sister, you told me to get you a new phone today. When I got to the restaurant, it was locked so I had to find your place." He said with a smile plastered on his face


    Sara covered her face with a palm in resignation. She was so stupid! She had totally forgotten about that. She did plan to tell her father the truth but changed her mind because she knew how he was going to react about her meeting with those people and Mr Li getting hurt because of them.


    What if they had actually bumped into her father in the restaurant after all the lies she told him?


    The boss handed her a little bag which contained a brand new phone and with a happy smile on his face, he asked


    "Big sister, how was your night?"


    "Will you stop calling me that. Do you know how weird it sounds" She said when she looked at his stature and looked at hers. "Where is big Dong?" She asked.


    "He is in the base. Why?"


    "Let him know that if he tries anything funny in the future I won''t let him off"


    "Is it about the issue with Mr Li?" He asked.


    "Yes. So?"


    "Is Mr Li our brother-in-law?" He asked. When he saw Sara staring daggers at him without saying anything, he simply said


    "No problem! I''ll make sure it never happens again.... when are you coming over to the base? Blue Ra...."


    "You can leave now" She interrupted.


    The boss knew it was time to leave and just gave her a full ninety degrees bow before turning to leave.


    When she got to her apartment, she saw an unfamiliar car parked outside. And a woman standing on the entrance with Jianjun Wang conversing.


    She recognised the woman as Weiyoung''s mother. This was the first time she had ever visited their apartment. What was she looking for?


    "Mrs Liu" Sara called as she moved to stand close to them.


    Mrs Liu looked refined and elegant, she was in her mid forties but oozed youthfulness. She looked at Sara up and down who was wearing a little short and tee-shirt with her messy pony tail and slipper.


    "Thank God you''re here" She said and used a hand to cover her nose like the place was disgusting to her.


    "Why are you here?" Sara ignored her reaction and went straight to the point and asked.


    "Go get dressed and Let''s talk somewhere else" Mrs Liu said haughtily as she turned to get into her car.


    Sara looked at her father whose countenance has changed but he wasn''t saying anything. If she wanted to be arrogant, she should do that in her house. Why coming here to show how much of a snob she was? Sara thought.


    "Sorry, but I''ll have to decline. I''m busy" Sara tried her best to be polite while replying since she was still an elder after all.


    Mrs Liu thought she was hearing things when she heard Sara speak. Did this filthy thing just decline her? She should even be grateful that she brought her refined self to this slum to pay them a visit. She could have easily sent for her. She dared reject her?


    She turned back to look at Sara and Jianjun. Annoyance could clearly be seen on her face.


    "Sara, you don''t have to act so arrogant. Didn''t your father teach you to obey your elders?" She then looked at Jianjun. "Is this how you raised your daughter?"


    Sara was done with being polite to this woman. She was about to say something when Jianjun placed a hands on her shoulder and asked Mrs Liu.


    "Who do you think you are?"

 Chapter 52 - Not remorseful.

    Mrs Liu refused to believe she had just been asked that kind of stupid question from this man.


    She looked at him fiercely. Her gaze did nothing to the both of them as they just stood there, staring at her like she was not even important.


    "Ah.." Mrs Liu gave a dry laugh then said "Now I see where she got her bad attitude from. Blood is really thicker than water I must confess"


    Sara really wanted to literally throw this woman out of this environment. It was bad enough that she looked down on them, now, she had to even insult her father?


    Jianjun interrupted everyone when he laughed also.


    Even Mrs Liu''s secretary and driver wondered what was wrong with these people. They had never met anyone who challenged the Liu Madam openly.


    "Since we are awarding the most irresponsible parents right now, I think you deserve a plaque cause I see you''ve been doing a pretty ''good'' job with your daughter" He said sarcastically.


    "What did you just say?" Mrs Liu could no longer pretend that everything was not pissing her off and asked in anger.


    "Weiyoung''s mother! you seem to have mistaken something. You can act all cocky in your circle. Don''t bring that here. I do not care what you want to discuss with my daughter, but I will not let you do that. So now, you can leave. You''ve contaminated this whole environment" He had wanted to stand there till she turned to leave the place, that pride of hers, he wanted to crush it. But wasting more time with her would be unnecessary. He took Sara''s hands and led her inside the apartment.


    Mrs Liu''s face was already a shade of dark purple. He even dared to call her ''Weiyoung''s Mother'' instead of her title as ''Mrs Liu''. They had to humiliate her like this in the presence of her employee. How would these people respect her if they kept seeing scenes like this? She was going to teach them a lesson. One they wouldn''t be able to forget in a hurry. She saw a tiny looking brown-skinned girl walking towards her direction. The girl gave her a quizzical look then bowed slightly to her in greeting. Mrs Liu totally ignored her and got into her car while the Secretary told the chauffeur to drive.


    Joreen watched the car leave and wondered why Mrs Liu was so angry. She had seen her picture severally on Weiyoung''s phone and on the internet also. What was she even doing here? She wondered as she entered into the apartment.


    ****


    That night, Muchen opened his eyes after long hours of sleep and saw Ms Long by his side who was busy with a laptop.


    "Mr Li, you''re awake. Thank God. I brought you dinner" She said as she put the laptop aside and served him food


    This time, he was able to sit up easily. He looked at the open window, when he saw that it was dark already, he spoke. "You should be resting at home. Why are you still here?"


    "I just wanted to make sure you have dinner. The doctor said not to wake you up and let you rest for as long as your body needed" She answered.


    "Any update on Mr Chu and his son?" He asked.


    "Yes, They are in X hospital. His son woke up earlier, Mr Chu regained consciousness about an hour ago. No major damages was made as I think the gangsters had planned on prolonging their assault before you arrived on scene. They''re still receiving treatment and would be out any time soon" She said


    "Have you told Sara about it yet?" He asked without touching the food that was placed by his side.


    "Sara? Why?" Ms Long asked. What was it with Sara every time?


    "They''re friends with her family. And she saved our lives" He said


    "Sara saved you life?" Ms Long asked in bewilderment. She had totally ignored everything Sara said and thought that the team who took Mr Chu and his son to the hospital had saved them. "I did not tell her anything" Ms Long said sadly.


    "Really? Do you know how worried she must have been not being able to hear from them? What were you thinking?" He scolded.


    "She got you into trouble. And she wasn''t remorseful about that" Ms Long tried to justify herself


    Muchen raised a brow to look at her and asked


    "So you make decisions on my behalf now? Did she pay the gang to beat me up? So how did she get me into trouble? You are so ''concerned'' about me that you do not see that two lives were saved? Or you are so old now,your thoughts are now archaic?"


    Ms Long was frightened. This was the first time he actually scolded her like this. He was always pleased by whatever she did. "I''m sorry Mr Li. I was only concerned about you. If the Chairm..."


    Muchen did not wait for her to land before he spoke. "Inform her now! If she still hasn''t gotten a phone, then go over to her place."


    ***


    Joreen was admiring Sara''s new phone when a call came in. Sara did not know what to do. She felt bad lying to them about how she got the phone since the boss had gotten her a rather expensive phone instead. That''s why she hated these gangs. They always overdid things when trying to garner favour from someone.


    Sara took the call. "Who is speaking?" She asked.


    It was quiet for a few seconds before she heard a voice speak. "it''s Ms Long... Mr Chu and his son are both awake. I''ll text you the hospital''s address immediately."


    "What about M...." Sara did not finish before she realised that the call had ended. "Why is she still mad?" She wondered. Sara immediately received the text message. She tried calling back to ask about Mr Li but it was unreachable.


    *


    "I have informed her" Ms Long told Muchen who was eating


    He put down his spoon and looked at her.


    "Did she ask about me?" He asked expectantly.


    Ms Long felt guilty about how she had treated Sara earlier and she had been too proud to apologise that was why she ended the call abruptly and chose to text her instead.


    How was she supposed to tell Mr Li that she did not even give Sara a chance to talk.


    Ms Long looked back at him and shook her head. "She didn''t"


    Did she really lie? Besides, with Sara''s nonchalant attitude, she may likely have not bothered asking about Mr Li. she assumed.


    Muchen just nodded as a sad smile appeared on his face.


    "Earlier, what did you mean by ''she got you into trouble and she wasn''t remorseful about that''''''?


    He asked.

 Chapter 53 - Not to me

    "That came out wrongly Mr Li" Ms Long answered with her head down.


    "We both know there is something you are not telling me. Spill it out right now" He demanded.


    Ms Long had never felt so small before Muchen. Getting scolded by Muchen was something she had never hoped to face one day. But here she was, facing it repeatedly. And it was Sara''s fault!


    She did not hate Sara. Sara was unique in her own way and had some admirable qualities. But she was not suitable for Mr Li. She thought Muchen had just taken a liken to Sara and after a while, it would die down. But the very moment he had planned to hire her as Heya''s personal trainer, she knew it was far more than that. At first, she was happy that her boss was finally interested in someone for the first time. But right now, it doesn''t really sit well with her whenever she imagines Sara as the future lady boss of the Li corporation. What if his parents heard about this? They would want to push the blame on her for not informing them earlier. Whichever way, She had to protect her boss and her job. The Li elders had the power to fire her anytime they wished.


    "I scolded her a bit when I saw the hospital you got admitted at. She got angry and said a lot of displeasing things" Ms Long said.


    "What hospital?" Muchen asked. He had not bother asking about any other thing earlier since he just woke up and found himself in this hospital and after a while, he slept back and his entire day had been like that.


    "I didn''t tell you about it earlier because I felt you would get really angry. You were admitted in a measly hospital before I transferred you here. Anything could have happened to you there, and people could have even recognised you."


    "So you are saying Sara took me to a hospital and when you got there, the first thing you did was to scold her and not thank her?" He asked in surprise.


    "Mr....Mr...Li... I..."


    "What displeasing things did she say?" He interrupted.


    Ms Long summarized everything Sara said and did that in a way- her ungrateful self would be evident.


    After listening to her, Muchen was silent for a while before he said gently.


    "Ms Long. Remember the first time you saw Sara? Her boyfriend cheated on her with her best friend remember? Do you know the first time I saw her? It was 2 years ago. Minde dumped her friend for someone else. You see these three persons, they''re all socialites. Can you imagine the kind of impression she has about all of us right now? Sara saved my life and the first thing you could do was to scold her? Was it her job to save my life? Do you think I have ever treated her nicely for her to save me? But then, you had to make her see that not only are we irresponsible, we are also ungrateful. Was this all you learnt these past years working with me?"


    Muchen spoke gently but his entire words pierced through her. She could not say anything and just kept her head down in shame.


    "The way those people have treated her, we should be grateful that she didn''t even let me to die there. Why would she even bother to ask about my health after you treated her that way? I know you are aware that I like Sara and have been looking for various ways to woo her to my side that I even act like an adolescent sometimes." He laughed dryly and continued "I don''t want anything to come in the way of Sara liking me. I am the only one who can determine whether whatever she does is right or wrong. This should never happen again.... If you understand, you can leave" He said.


    "I''m... I''m sorry Mr Li. I was wrong" she said while trying to sniffle back tears.


    "Not to me. Apologize to Sara"


    ***


    Sara did not waste time in going to X-hospital that night to pay a visit to Mr Chu and Bilike.


    She had cajoled her father to stay at home with Joreen while she go pay them a visit herself. She had to tell them not to mention anything to her father. Jianjun just packed a nutritious meal for them and sent her off.


    "So we do not have to pay up?" Bilike asked with shiny eyes.


    "You do not have to worry about that. But the next time you gamble. I''ll send you to hell first before they do so. You know I can right?" Sara asked him.


    Bilike continued sobbing as he thanked her and promised never to do that again. He had been crying and apologizing for getting her into trouble. He could not believe that not only did he implicate his father, he also implicated Sara and Mr Li.


    "He should dare it! I''ll be the first to send him off to hell" Mr Chu who was in the same ward with Bilike roared from his bed then continued thanking Sara.


    "I have to leave now. Do not forget what you promised me" Sara said.


    Mr Chu was curious about a lot of things but could not ask. He just had to agree with her and hope those thugs never come back again.


    "What about Mr Li?" He asked.

 Chapter 54 - Its really her

    Sara stood outside the hospital staring blankly into space. She took out her phone and placed a call across to Heya. She had advised Heya to always go to bed on time but this time, she had to disturb her sleep a little bit.


    "Sara? something wrong?" Heya asked groggily as soon as she took the call.


    "I''m sorry for disturbing you but.... is...Mr Li home?" She asked.


    "No. He did not return tonight. Ms Long said he had business to attend to" Heya answered with a yawn.


    "Can you.. send me Mr Li''s private number?" She asked uncertainly. She didn''t know how Heya would react to her asking for his private number by this time of the night.


    "I don''t know how he''s going to react to that. He is really strict with his number. Since you are his employee, you should ask Ms Long directly for it instead. She''s in the best position to do that" Heya advised.


    Sara was quiet for a while before thanking Heya then, she ended the call.


    She noticed a missed call from her father. He must have called her when she was speaking with Heya. She then dialled his number.


    "Dad, I just left the hospital, Are you still at the restaurant?"


    "Yes. When are you going home? Joreen is at home alone."


    "I''ll be there soon. Do not worry."


    After ending the call, she called Ms Long. After calling her line twice, Ms Long finally took the call.


    "Ms Wang?"


    "Is Mr Li awake? Text me Mr Li''s private number" Sara went straight to the point.


    Ms Long was quiet for a while before answering


    "He is awake. Why do you need his number?"


    "It''s none of your business. He is my employer and I have every right to have my employer''s phone number. Or do you have a problem with that?" Sara knew it was not the right time to start acting nice with her. Else, Ms Long would continue with her prissiness.


    "Mr Li needs rest now. It''s not the right time to call him" Ms Long replied calmly. She knew that Sara was right about having his phone number. She was not one of the Li corporation''s employee. She was Heya''s personal trainer.


    "I have no idea you became his mum. You always make decisions for him. How motherly of you. Or By chance, ....do you have a once sided crush on Mr Li?"


    "Sara! What are you saying?" Ms Long fired back. Whatever she was doing, she did because she was a good secretary and nothing more. How dare Sara accuse her?


    "Text me his number. I didn''t say I was going to call him now. But I''ll have to know how he is faring since it was my fault he got hurt. I''ll give you 30 seconds to do that" Sara ended the call as soon as she finished speaking. If she doesn''t send it within the next 30seconds, Ms Long would officially be added to her blacklist. She counted to 30 then heard a ''ding'' sound. When she saw it was a string of numbers, she let loose a smile.


    Who said she wasn''t going to call now? She had to free her conscience and know how he was doing.


    ***


    Muchen was just lying on the bed staring at the ceiling with a lot going on his mind.


    The second time he saw Sara, would things have changed if he had gone after her immediately she left and not send Ms Long instead? He was just curious that day. He didn''t know that the Curiosity would be a long term thing. But would things have been different if he had gone after her that day and drove her around so she would cry her sorrow out in his embrace? But he was sure of one thing. That wouldn''t have happened. Sara was not that type. She had even rejected Mo Dexi. What made him so special? He had been giving her space as he knew she was going through a heartbreak. But should he still continue giving her that space? She may likely never like him.


    He desperately needed someone to talk to. To pour his heart out to. But his closest friend and cousin was useless. He did not even like her. Ms Long was not even an option. Why was everyone against her? He felt really sad imagining how lonely she was.


    He took his phone from beside the bed and scrolled down to Sara''s number.


    ''Should I call her? should I not call her? should I call her? should I not call her?''


    If only she could just break out of her shell and give him a call. What else would he ask for? But even if she refused to call. He was going to call her. He was about dialling her number when his phone rang.


    The sudden sound startled him that he dropped his phone on the bed before he could even see the caller''s ID.


    He picked up his phone begrudgingly, wondering who was interrupting him. When he saw it was Sara calling, His eyes almost fell from the socket as he stared in shock.


    He sat up abruptly which caused him to wince slightly in pain.


    "Sara?" He asked gently. For fear that she might suddenly disappear. He needed to be sure he was not hallucinating and it was really her.


    ''He''s fine.'' She thought as a smile appeared on her face


    "Mr Li, did I wake you?" She asked.


    ''It''s really her, that''s her voice. She really called me!He thought excitedly.

 Chapter 55 - A Good employer

    "Mr Li are you there? Did I wake you up?" Sara asked when she noticed he was not saying anything.


    A smile spread across his face as he took in a deep breath.


    "You should be asleep. Why are you still awake?" He asked softly.


    Sara noticed his voice was faint and couldn''t help feeling sad for causing him such discomfort. If she had persisted and told him not to follow her. He wouldn''t have been facing this.


    "I...I''m outside X-hospital. I came to visit Mr Chu and Bilike. I was on my way home then I decided to give you a call. Sorry if I disturbed you. I just wanted to check up on you" She said.


    "What? You are still outside by this time?" He looked at his watch. It was close to midnight. "Why did you not wait till tomorrow before paying them a visit? Just wait there. I''ll come pick you up right now." He said as he pulled the IV cannula from his hand.


    "No...no.. I''m fine. I can take care of myself really. You should be resting." She adamantly reduced his offer. At least, he should receive proper treatment. When he collapsed in her the other day. She had been scared shitless. What if something was had happened to him? That was the only thing she could think of throughout.


    Muchen remembered everything Dr Long had asked him to do. He couldn''t help sighing as he remained seated on the bed. He had to take care of himself. But he couldn''t just let her remain outside by this time even though he was aware she was really capable of taking care of herself. Even if he want there, What was he going to do again? Collapse with a punch again? He couldn''t help feeling sad


    "Are you taking a Cab?" He asked softly.


    "I''m taking the bus" She replied.


    "Sara, hold on. Do not move an inch" He said then quickly placed a call to the chauffeur he had designated for her.


    "Just wait inside the hospital. Your chauffeur is coming to get you" He said after connecting back to her.


    Sara was touched. He was really a good employer. Maybe she shouldn''t be so cold to him every time.


    She remembered her previous bosses and how they always treated her like she was an insignificant thing. People who were not even on a par with Mr Li. Even Liu Weiyoung who had been her only ''friend'' was the most selfish person she had ever met. Jinyong ranked second position. But She needed a friend at least- Even if it was someone pretending to be a one to her. That was why she still accommodated Weiyoung.


    Now, this was someone who wasn''t related to her, who wasn''t her friend, who wasn''t even her boyfriend; Treating her like she was so precious. What was his business if she got home safely or not? Why did he have to be this kind to her?


    "Are you still there? why aren''t you answering?" He asked when he noticed she had been silent for a while


    "I... I ..am Sorry Mr Li." She said while sniffling gently.


    "I''m sorry for causing you pain. And for thinking you were a bad person all this while. You are really a very very good employer"


    Li Muchen had been quietly listening to her speak. He felt quite touched that Sara of all people would apologize to him. But the whole thing died when she mentioned the ''good employer'' part.


    ''Who is a good employer? Me?'' He scoffed. She should try to pay a visit to the Li corporation''s headquarter to see how he treats his employees. They rarely even see him except on special occasions.


    A sly smile appeared on his face as he spoke.


    "If you really feel sorry then bring me dinner from your father''s restaurant tomorrow."


    What did she just hear? Bring him dinner? Like, she has to go pay him a visit alone?


    She cleared her throat and asked.


    "Can I bring Heya along?"


    Muchen knew instantly what she was intending to do. The smile remained on his face when he spoke with all seriousness


    "She has to rest after working out tomorrow. And she should not know I''m currently in the hospital"


    He was clearly implying that she should come alone.


    Sara did not want to argue much. Besides he got hurt because of her in the first place and his voice sounded pretty weak. What''s the big deal about sending him dinner? It''s not like he asked her to cook for him.


    "Alright Mr Li."


    Muchen could not stop himself from grinning when he heard her. He was really looking forward to this employer-employee meeting.


    "I''ll send someone to pick you up tomorrow"


    "Alright. Have a nice rest Mr Li."


    Before he could reply, The call was already cut.


    ''Sara Wang! You never change.'' He thought as he suddenly started laughing for no reason. He did not mind that his stomach was hurting a bit and just kept laughing till Dr Long knocked and went in.


    "I was passing by and decided to check up on you. You seem to be in a good mood Mr Li" He said with a smile.


    "I sure am Mr Long" Muchen replied with a smile.


    "That''s good. I even have a better news. I thought you might be sleeping so I decided to wait till tomorrow but I guess I could just let you know now"


    Dr Long Said


    Muchen nodded to let him continue then Dr Long spoke.


    "You''ll be ready for discharge by tomorrow afternoon. They are no major problems. You just have to keep taking your medication and before you know it, you''ll be good!" He said with a happy smile.

 Chapter 56 - Bad Luck

    Better news? This was the better news? Muchen Wondered as he glared at Dr Long.


    How was this a better news? He just found a way to make Sara visit him so he would have some alone time with her. What was Dr Long saying now? Why does everything keep working negatively for him?


    The moment he would have shown Sara what a good fighter he was, he was suddenly knocked down by a punch. He had never been so embarrassed in his life. And now he is getting discharged when she had agreed to pay him a visit? What was actually happening? Did Li Minde bring bad luck with him on his way back?


    "I REFUSE!" He suddenly blurted out which surprised Dr Long.


    "I... I..don''t understand" Dr Li stammered as the smile disappeared from his face.


    "Dr Long. I think you are mistaken. I am still sick. I can feel it. Who stays in a hospital for just one day after being unconscious for hours?" Muchen asked.


    Dr Long looked at him in surprise. Was this the same Li Muchen he knew?


    He had been quite close with the Li family for years. When his daughter had decided that she wished to work with Li Muchen since they were both quite close as kids, they allowed her freely because they hoped it would end up with the two of them becoming an item. But after a long time of working together, Nothing happened between them. And they realised that she actually did love her job. They had two sons while she was their only daughter. They wanted their only daughter to be happy so they allowed her do whatever she wanted. They were happy to see how matured she grew to become and even went into a relationship thereafter. Too bad it did not end well. As for her friendship with Muchen, along the line, everything turned strictly professional.


    He looked at Li Muchen who he had watched grow up. Who hated staying at the hospital with passion. What''s with him now? He had even thought Muchen would dance for joy that he was going to be discharged immediately. Why the sudden change?


    "Mr Li. Your body just needed an excuse to rest. That was why you slept for a really long time. It was not related to your stomach condition. I told you earlier." Dr Long said.


    "Elder Long, No need for formality between us. Please call me Muchen" It was weird seeing an elder, who was also his friend''s father, addressing him so formally. And besides, he needed Something right now. There was no need for the formality anymore. "Can I stay here for the rest of the week?" Muchen asked.


    Rest of the week? it''s just Sunday! Dr Long thought.


    "Why? don''t you have work?" Dr Long asked.


    Muchen was almost going to say Ms Long would handle it but then he remembered that this was Ms Long''s father. Was he supposed to tell him..


    ''Hello, I always pressure your daughter to take care of my business while I go about lazying in hospitals just so the girl I like would come visit me everyday''?


    He was not so stupid. Elder Long might literally drop the formality and inject him with a lethal drug to kill him instantly.


    "Elder Long. Just let me stay here for this week. I''ll pay for everything. I need more rest. I''ll work from here."


    "Mr.. I mean... Muc..chen..." Dr Long still found it difficult addressing him so informally.


    "Elder Long. please do this one thing for me. It''s the first time I am begging anyone for something."


    Dr Long looked at him and the IV cannula that was just lying on the bed, then he shook his head. What was up with him?


    "I will give Ms Long Two days off... No! A week off"


    Muchen resorted into bribing. He knew all parents did not want their children to always be busy with work and neglect every other thing.


    Dr Long eyes shone. A week off for his Xiao Chou? He had been looking for a way to make her attend the blind date he had been organising for her for a long time now but she kept making excuses about having work to do everyday. This was a good one.


    "Mr Li. I''m sure there are a lot of other things my Xiao Chou can help you do while you are here. Just let her off on Wednesday and weekends"


    "Deal!" Muchen did not wait for him to finish before he agreed. Even if Elder Long told him to give her a month off. He would unhesitatingly agree to the offer.


    He just agreed like that? Dr Long wondered. He was really curious to know why he was acting this way all of a sudden.


    A wide smile appeared on Muchen''s face as he lied back down on the bed and faced the ceiling.


    ''Oh! I love being sick'' He muttered

 Chapter 57 - Bound to make mistakes

    When Sara got down from the car, She bumped into Jianjun who was also just returning from the restaurant. The chauffeur got down and after exchanging pleasantries with him, he drove off.


    Sara was confused on what to do. What was she supposed to tell him? Wait! Why couldn''t she tell him anything? It''s not like she did anything wrong.


    Jianjun opened the door of the apartment for her to go in.


    She moved slowly with her head down. After her father entered and closed the door, She turned to look at him and spoke.


    "Dad... I..."


    "How is Mr Chu and Bilike?" He interrupted.


    Sara could not tell whether he was angry or not but just spoke


    "They are both fine. They sent their regards and thanks to you for the meal"


    He nodded gently then asked "What about Mr Li?


    Sara''s heart skipped a bit. Why was he asking about Mr Li all of a sudden?


    "He..he didn''t sound quite fine but I guess he is good" She answered.


    Seeing the car drop Sara off, he could tell that Mr Li had sent him to pick up Sara. Since from what she said, he was able to deduce that she did not meet him. He was glad that Mr Li was a considerate person. But he did not really know how he felt about Mr Li liking his daughter. Every other father would want that but he felt conflicted.


    "When are you paying him a visit?" He asked as he moved to her room to check on Joreen who was fast asleep, with Sara tailing after him"


    "Tomorrow. He said he..needs dinner from your restaurant" She didn''t know how to put it for her father not to feel bad or angry that Mr Li was imposing it on her. "He''ll pay for the food" She said, even if she knew she would be the one paying.


    Jianjun almost laughed when he saw his daughter''s confused acts.


    "Look Sara" He spoke softly and he held her hands trying not to wake Joreen up. "You are an adult. I have always spoiled you since you were young. I can''t change it now so you can do whatever you want. If you mess up, we would clean it up together. People are bound to make mistakes. But do not see fire and still choose to dip your hand into it. I would only be by your side but I won''t be able to feel the pain you are feeling." He advised.


    Truthfully, for fear that she would miss the presence of a mother, he spoilt her so much. That whatever she asked for, he gave it to her immediately. When she told him she just made a friend who attended B High school and she wanted to go there also, he did not care about the cost and laboured day and night in order to send her there even if he knew his daughter was not so bright academically. Still, she was still seen as a pauper and looked down on there. Who cared about the fees you paid? Everyone only cared about your life after school.


    Sara was touched and hugged him tightly. Even in her next life, she would never separate from Jianjun Wang.


    He hugged her also and spoke "I promised Mr Li that he could eat whatever he wanted. So just come over to the restaurant when you are ready to go. I''ll pack you a nice meal."


    ***


    Everything continued smoothly the next day, which was a Monday. Joreen was in school, Jianjun was in the restaurant, Sara and Heya were both in the gym while Muchen was working with his laptop in the hospital with a wide smile on his face.


    **


    "I think I''ll never get used to this" Heya said while trying to catch her breath, with her entire body lying flat on the floor.


    Sara laughed. For some reason, she felt so weak.


    "You''ll gradually get used to it with time my dear." Sara encouraged. "Hope you did enough Jump rope yesterday?"


    "Sure, it was HELL. I couldn''t believe you suddenly interrupted my rest last night, after all the jumping I did. You stay awake till that time?" Heya asked.


    "On rare cases. I went to the hospital"


    "Hospital? Are you sick?" Heya asked.


    "No. I went to pay a visit to someone." Sara replied as she sat up and gobbled water from the can directly.


    "Then why were you asking for Big Bro''s number suddenly? You miss him all of a sudden?


    When Sara heard him, the water she was drinking went the wrong way and she choked.


    Heya used all her strength to sit up and pat Sara''s back. "You are always fond of choking whenever you get teased about my brother. Be careful" She said in reference to the time they were in the restaurant and Mr Chu had asked if Muchen was Sara''s boyfriend.


    Sara''s cheeks turned red. No one could tell if it was because she was choking or because she was actually blushing.


    She finally stopped coughing and stood up. She lifted her bag and took out a note then opened it.


    "On Wednesday would be free as usual" Sara said.


    "Oh! it would have been a good time to use my free coupon and have a nice Stir Fried Tofu with Rice." Heya sighed.


    "You also love that? it''s Joreen''s favourite. You know you can''t have any if those right now right?" Sara said.


    "I know. I''ll give the coupon to you then. You can get the meal for Joreen as a present from me" Heya said


    "She is going to be so happy. Thank you Heya"


    "You are welcome. Any other thing?" Heya asked


    "For Friday, We would be doing something fun." Sara said with a smile.


    "What is that?" Heya asked inquisitively.


    "We''d go biking"

 Chapter 58 - My Love for you

    Muchen looked at his watch. It was already past 8 in the evening. Sara was supposed to arrive an hour ago but she still wasn''t here. He looked at the bad luck beside him. It was none other that his cousin Li Minde.


    He had accidentally accepted a Video call from Minde. When Minde saw that he was in a hospital, he panicked and was almost calling the entire extended family before Muchen stopped him. He only agreed not to tell the others if he visits Muchen and see for himself that nothing was actually wrong with him.


    "Why are you looking at me like that. It''s not my fault that she stood you up" Minde mocked. He was happy to see things not going well for his brother and Sara. Even though he was mad at Sara for making his beloved cousin wait for nothing, he was still happy she didn''t show up.


    Muchen just stared blankly then shook his head.


    "There is something wrong. She would have at least called. What if she got into trouble?" He panicked at the thought of that.


    Minde looked at his cousin in surprise. Was the Almighty CEO Li Muchen getting all jittery because of a girl? If any other person sees him now, they''ll totally lose respect for him.


    "This is a bad idea. How can you bring yourself this low because of a girl? And a girl like Sara? If you want to play with her, just give her money and She''ll run into your arms. She''s playing hard to get believe me. I know how these girls act to get our attenti..." Before he could land, a pillow smacked his head. "BRO!"


    "Another word from you and I''ll throw my computer next" Muchen warned.


    Minde had to keep shut and just watch how everything played out.


    Muchen took out his phone to call Sara. If Muhammed refuses to go to the mountain, the mountain will go to Muhammed. He called Sara repeatedly but it was still unreachable.


    His worry intensified as he didn''t know who else to call.


    He then dialled Heya''s number.


    "Is Sara at home?" He asked when the call connected.


    "Big Bro, Are you back?" Heya asked excitedly.


    "Not really. Where is Sara?" He didn''t know how else to answer her. A yes or No answer wasn''t a good answer right now.


    "No one cares about me now. She asks about you when she calls, you ask about her when you call. I feel so insignificant" Heya pouted as if Muchen was there seeing her puppy face.


    Muchen could imagine how her face was like right now and laughed a little "That''s not it I.. wait! did you just say she asked about me?" He suddenly sat up when his brain registered what she had said earlier.


    "See what I''m talking about. That''s the only thing you care about"


    "Be serious Heya"


    "She called me last night to ask if you were at home and to send your number. I told her to ask Ms Long instead since you might get angry"


    So if she didn''t ask about me when Ms Long called her. Why did she have to call Heya to ask if he was at home and also ask for his number? There was only one answer, Ms Long lied to him!


    ''Chou Long. what the hell has gotten into you?''


    "Sara hurriedly left about 3 hours back after receiving a call from her Father. I think something happened to him." He heard Heya say.


    " What? Give me the details"


    "I don''t really know. Just that we were in the middle of working out when her phone suddenly rang. Then she panicked and apologized to me before leaving. She didn''t even go with the Chauffeur, I think she ran"


    "Why didn''t you call me then?"


    "You are not in town. Besides, I didn''t want to disturb you"


    "Alright, thank you. I''ll hang up now. Take care of yourself."


    "Bro, did something happen? Minde asked when Muchen dropped the call and stood up abruptly.


    "I knew something happened. Sara wouldn''t just change her mind like that"


    Minde was about to ask more when they heard a knock on the door. It was Ms Long coming in to inform Muchen about everything that had happened that day at work.


    She greeted the both of them and noticed that the atmosphere was strained.


    "You can leave today. Let''s talk about it tomorrow" He dismissed her. Still angry about whatever issue had transpired between her Sara.


    Ms Long could not pinpoint what was wrong. She accepted and left there.


    "I''m leaving now. I''ll see you later" He said to Minde as he moved to the door.


    "Big Bro Wait!" You don''t have to leave. I''ll check the issue." He had been looking for a way to make Muchen indebted to him. This was a good opportunity.


    "You want me to comfortably sit here when I know that something is wrong?"


    "What if you leave and she gets here? Are you going to come back here to feign illness?" Minde asked. "Do you even think She''ll want you to help her even if she was in a dire situation?"


    Muchen knew Minde was making sense for the first time in his life. Sara would not ask for his help.


    "Why are you helping me all of a sudden." Muchen couldn''t help feeling suspicious.


    "Well, you could say that my love for you exceeds my dislike for Sara I guess." He said with a shrug

 Chapter 59 - Gone nuts

    Jianjun''s face was buried in his hands as he sat on the couch in his living room. The ever cheerful Joreen was quietly sitting opposite him with a dull expression not bothering to say a word.


    "I''m really sorry dad." Sara who was sitting beside him said for the umpteenth time.


    Jianjun shook his head. "I already told you it wasn''t your fault. Things like this are bound to happen" He said with his head still buried in his hands.


    "You both can go to bed now. It''s already late"


    "Dad let me..."


    "Sara! Do not do anything!"


    Sara and Joreen were both startled when be raised his voice.


    He was also startled. He had not intended to scare his girls but he could not help it. Some memories he did not want to remember were already stirring up due to this incident.


    "Don''t just do anything....please" He pleaded softly before heading to his room.


    Joreen moved to Sara''s side and wrapped her tiny arms around her neck.


    "It''s going to be okay Sis" Her tiny voice spoke out.


    Sara had to restrain herself from crying even though it was already choking her. She hugged Joreen back.


    "Can''t you beg Mr Li to help us?" Joreen asked naively. To her, just knowing someone like Mr Li meant you no longer had any problem for the rest of your life.


    With the mention of him, Sara finally remembered she had promised him dinner and couldn''t help sighing. She had totally forgotten about him.


    "It''s good Jo. You should go freshen up now and go to bed"


    Joreen reluctantly let go of Sara and went to their room. Sara just sat there staring blankly. She felt disgust, sadness, pain, but the greatest of them all was HATE. She would rather die than watch her father go kneel before the Liu family.


    She wanted nothing more than to ruin that family. She knew how the rich worked but they had been taken totally unaware by her sudden strike. Now she understood what her father always warned her about. Only disrespecting Mrs Liu a bit had led to her not only buying the land with her Father''s restaurant and thrashing the place, She even went as far as to buy their house. She wanted them to come grovel at her feet before she let''s then remain in their house and if they do not, they would have to leave the apartment within the next 24 hours. That was purely insane. How was she supposed to not do anything and just wait till they throw them out? She was never going to let her father kneel to that woman even if it meant them living on the streets.


    ***


    Muchen''s mood turned sour when he got the report from Minde. "You are saying, Mrs Liu thrashed everything?"


    "Yes. Even the dishes he prepared were all thrown out"


    Muchen blew up "Someone as insignificant as her ruined my date? Is she crazy? It''s even easier to buy a country than to get Sara to agree to your request. How was I supposed to cajole her into meeting me again? I even starved because I was waiting for her to bring dinner but that Liu woman dared to hurt her family?" He looked at Minde whose mouth was agape, looking at him intently. "You must be tired of staying in your apartment let''s BUY HER HOUSE for you"


    Minde shook his head at his brother. He has totally gone nuts, no doubt.


    "Of course, you know we can''t do that. Well, I know you can but not right now. But what did they do to that woman? It''s not like Sara ruined Weiyoung''s engagement. I always knew Mrs Liu was not a good person."


    Since Minde dated Weiyoung, he had met with her mother a couple of times. Even after he returned, he had been updated on Weiyoung''s engagement with Jinyong who happened to be Sara''s boyfriend. Everything had come as a shock to him. He couldn''t believe that friend''s like Weiyoung still existed even after Sara threatened his life because of her.


    Muchen took out his phone and placed a call across to Sara. He knew Sara was a strong girl. But what about her father? He didn''t know Jianjun Wang very well. Besides, there was also Joreen. He would not let anyone bully them. He considered them his people. He remembered the day he visited the restaurant; the warm atmosphere, the nice meal. He couldn''t believe everything was gone.


    Sara just entered her room and found her phone vibrating. She had totally forgotten about her phone the entire time. She looked at the call log and saw several missed calls from Mr Li. It was a given- Besides she had promised him dinner. What if he had been waiting? What meal was she going to offer him when Mrs Liu''s orderlies threw everything away?


    The call came in again, and this time, she answered it.


    "I''m sorry Mr Li something urgent came up. Did you eat?" She said after they finished exchanging pleasantries.


    when are we ever going to stop saying sorry to each other? he wondered. "Yea, I''m good. How are you?"


    How are you? How was she really? This was the first time he was earnestly asking her how she was. And it was the exact moment she was not okay.


    She tried her best to suppress her tears but she couldn''t as she began sobbing softly so he wouldn''t hear her. "I have to hang up now, I''m sorry." She said in a very low voice that could pass for a whisper .


    Muchen still left the phone on his ear even after the call was cut. ''That family has made her cry twice.'' He muttered. First, it was their daughter, now the mother.


    Even though her sob was very low, he could tell she was crying. She was a human after all. He couldn''t believe that his Sara was crying somewhere


    He looked at his brother who was looking at him intently


    "Minde, I trust your connection. Everything should be in place before dawn."


    Minde was tempted to ask ''What''s in for me?'' But he knew for sure that it was really a good thing for Muchen to be indebted to him.


    If there was anything that made his family members proud of him, it was his connection. There was nothing under the sun that could be hidden from him and he always had things done effectively if he put his mind to it.


    "Do you want to riun them right now?" Minde asked excitedly.


    "NOT YET"

 Chapter 60 - What had gone wrong?

    *Sounds of laughter*


    Mrs Liu could not stop recounting the event that had happened that day. She could not stop giving the gist either. What was the world without money? And a good money at that. She wouldn''t have been so happy just to have dealt with a family as insignificant as theirs but after they trampled on her ego, she felt refreshened. Anyone who dared her would face that and more. It was an open lesson.


    "My Darling, why aren''t you happy? Isn''t this a joyful news?" She said to Weiyoung whose appearance was a stolid one.


    Mr Liu didn''t want to concern himself with something as trifling as that. He excused himself upstairs to continue working. He was used to his Wife''s mad temper and the way she handled things. There was nothing he could do about it, he could only support her for peace to reign, which was what he did every time. A certain time when she had caught him with his mistress, she totally ignored them but till today, no one knew where his mistress disappeared to.


    Weiyoung did not know how to feel. She disliked Sara. but did she really want them to be out on the streets? But they wouldn''t have to be on the streets if they came to beg. But she knew them well. Even if their lives was on the line, they would never kowtow before them.


    "Mum, you don''t need to include Joreen and Jianjun. Let Sara come herself. Her father always treated me well"


    "Don''t be silly my darling, the poor are never altruistic. He had only treated you well to use you. Fortunately or unfortunately for him, You were smarter than all of them" The laughter continued, getting intense and intense, "Oh! That look of hopelessness on the brats face, how satisfying"


    She had personally gone there to see to it that the entire place got ruined. Jianjun could only step aside and watch his place scatter. When she saw Sara running there, She had been curious to see what the girl would do as her eyes was filled with hate. But her father had held her back. Damn that man! she would have gotten a good reason to deal with that girl if she had tried to interrupt her orderlies. Jianjun had told her things, things she didn''t care to know. And the brat had to run out of there in hopelessness. Ah! She finally realised she couldn''t mess with her. That family combined could not be compared to her pinky finger. Even the tears of the little thing beside Jianjun did not stop her. Since they all made her little princess cry, she would return it to them a thousand fold.


    If, and only If they appeared before her gate by dawn and kowtow to her till she was satisfied,then, would she let them remain in the house, but then, it''s still her house and she would still kick them out whenever she wished. How wonderful it was to be rich, How glorious it was to trample upon people.


    And with that, she went to bed with a smile on her face. Not expecting the bad news that struck in the morning.


    **


    "WHAT? What do you mean by that?" She asked in obvious shock. Weiyoung and Mr Liu felt the same way.


    Her Secretary who had delivered the news was frightened to the point that he was literally shaking.


    "Mrs..Mr Liu.. The buildings has been bought by someone else. I....I do not know how it happened." He said.


    The other one beside him who was Mr Liu''s personal secretary also spoke


    "The partnership with the Hwangs and Yuns have been dissolved. I received the notification early this morning."


    Even after hearing it for the second time, Mrs Liu could not wrap her fingers around it. The one who was startled beyond anything was Mr Liu. Why would the Hwangs and Yuns suddenly dissolve their partnership? What had gone wrong? They had the upper hand so they could obviously do what they wished but what happened all of a sudden? He had not offended anyone? He had kept to his own side of the contract and bargain. So what happened?


    He took out his phone and immediately dialled one number after the other, but none went through. In anger, he tossed the phone against the wall.


    "Who is it? who dare to mess with this family?" Mrs Liu wailed. She would never let them see the light of the next day. Just when she had been looking forward to those Wangs kowtowing before her, someone dared buy both building from under her? She cared less about whatever connection her husband had with the Hwangs or Yuns. She was only certain of one thing, even if their company collapsed, they would never go broke.


    She didn''t want to believe that the Wang''s had such connection. Someone else must have been after her family.


    Weiyoung had decided to move in with her parents for the meantime cause she feared she might go crazy any minute after what she suffered from Jinyong and Sara''s hand, including Mr Li and his pig of a sister that she hated so much. She observed the situation and was about to say something when a bodyguard came in to inform them that they had a visitor. One they never expected.

 Chapter 61 - Did you like my gift

    Their surprise reached the peak when they really found him there. What had brought the Almighty CEO Li Muchen to their home and with so many cars?


    Muchen just stood there expressionless as he watched the three of them walk towards his direction.


    He had not been able to sleep that night. After hearing Sara cry, her suppressed tears, he wanted so badly to give her a hug and rip apart those bastards who had caused her pain. But he couldn''t. He only found himself outside her apartment that night, A part of the apartment was still lit. He could only guess that it was her room.


    He tried calling her, but what was he going to say? what was he going to do? At least, he was going to reassure her that he would handle this for her. But then, he would be exceeding his jurisdiction. Sara might not like it. He could only let her do what ever she wanted to do tonight. But this would never happen to her again. He would make sure of it.


    He didn''t know when he stood there till it was almost dawn. Then he received a call from Sara. When he heard her quiet voice, he so much wanted to knock on her door. But he had to restrain himself. She had simply said "I''m sorry Mr Li, I can''t report to your place today. Something urgent came up." He was her employer, of course, she had to report to him.


    But he had been hoping to hear "Help me" Even though he could do that with or without her asking, he still wanted to know whether she depended on him. But he knew Sara. She wouldn''t.


    He was really tired of hearing "Sorry'' from her.


    He agreed. Told her he would inform Heya, Told her to bring him dinner tonight no matter what and concluded with. "it''ll be fine"


    ''it''ll be fine? what did he mean by that?'' Sara wondered. She had not told him she was having a hard time. She looked at the clock. It was just 5 in the morning. They had to leave this apartment today. Jianjun had come to remind her earlier. According to him, Mr Chu had offered his place especially since they were still at the hospital. They were going to stay at his place before Jianjun gets them a new apartment. Thankfully, he had a lot of money saved up. She had been tempted to ask for an advance salary when she called Mr Li. But she knew she would be crossing her limit. Besides, she just got employed.


    Joreen had insisted on packing with them. They had wanted her to go to school while they both settled the issue of gathering their belongings but Joreen had insisted on staying also.


    This house, not elegant, not big, it was nothing. But it was their home. And this home had been snatched away from them. The thought bright tears to Jianjun''s eyes. He felt he was a useless father. A disgrace to manhood. He couldn''t even protect his family.


    Sara couldn''t stop blaming herself. She had cried the entire night. If not for her, her father wouldn''t have been subjected to this. Nothing hurts her more than seeing her father looking so dejected. Ah! Mrs Liu, Weiyoung and Mr Liu, I''ll ruin you all. Even if it sends me to my grave! Sara swore.


    ***


    "Mr Li, what brings you here?" Mr Liu was the first to ask.


    Mrs Liu and Weiyoung also greeted him with smiling faces


    Muchen was formally dressed. He looked like he was going for a business meeting. And had especially came over with a convoy even if he liked moving about by himself. He needed this people to see ''The vicious Mr Li'' most people knew him as.


    He didn''t bother greeting them as he went straight to the point and asked


    "Did you like my gift?"


    "What? what gift?" Mr Liu asked.


    Weiyoung seemed to understand what was going on and gasped in shock. She had thought of the possibility that it was either Mr Li or someone else since she had heard from Jinyong and also seen for herself how Li Muchen was with Sara. ''It...it can''t be''


    Muchen smirked when he saw Weiyoung''s reaction. He pointed at her and said. "I guess your daughter is a bit smarter than you both. You can ask her"


    They both didn''t even have time to realise the fact that he had just called them dumb and looked at Weiyoung.


    "You, you know Mr Li personally?" Mr Liu asked excitedly


    This was good news if they both knew each other well. Who cared about the Mo family when being compared to the Li''s?


    Weiyoung shook her head, trying to tell her mother it wasn''t as she was imagining but Mrs Liu was no longer paying attention to her and looked at Muchen.


    "Ah! Mr Li. I had no idea you knew my daughter personally. Did you send her a gift? oh no! Let''s go sit inside and discuss"


    Mrs Liu became a total chatterbox.

 Chapter 62 - That pretty face

    Muchen could now clearly see where Weiyoung got her stupidity from. There was no point in blaming Weiyoung since it was not her fault she inherited such trait from her mother.


    Mrs Liu was still excited. Oblivious to whatever was happening. She could not stomach the fact that she was going to be Li Muchen''s mother in law. Ah! was that why her daughter has been having various mood swings? Because she was torn between two men? Oh! This was so wonderful!


    She had the urge to call him son in law but had to coordinate herself and spoke.


    "Mr Li. come in let''s talk inside. This place is not suitable"


    "Oh, Here is perfect" He said in disdain that was now obvious to all of them. He wanted everyone to watch how he treated anyone who messed with his people.


    "I sent you a gift Mrs Liu. I didn''t want to send one over to Mr Liu as well but I just had to add it as a bonus"


    "It was you right? you bought the land and terminated my father''s partnership right?" Weiyoung asked him. She eagerly wanted him to say no. If it was someone else, it would be easier to deal with them. But they, on their own could not deal with the Li family.


    "What? What are you saying?" Mr Liu looked at Weiyoung in shock.


    Mrs Liu was flummoxed. Did this mean that he was not interested in Weiyoung? No...it can''t be. This reverie was so good, she didn''t want to wake up from it.


    "Mr Li, Was it your handiwork?" Mr Liu asked in fright. He was about the same age or younger than Muchen''s father but that didn''t matter in the business world. Even his own father would vow before Muchen.


    "Of course it is. And it''s just the tip of the iceberg" He said


    "What? Why? What happened?" Mr Liu asked.


    "This has nothing to do with Sara right?" Weiyoung asked.


    "I can see you''re a bit smarter than the last time I met you."


    Sara? That girl? Mrs Liu didn''t understand what had just happened since she was still trying to convince herself that Muchen loved her daughter.


    "What has Sara got to do with this? Why did you target my family? We''ve done nothing wrong" She wailed. That was the only thing she knew to do best


    "Sara is my person!" His word shut them all up. They stared at him like they just heard the biggest joke ever. Sara? His person? What did he mean by that?


    "I''m here to make you an offer." one of his male secretary cum bodyguard handed him an envelope. Which he in turn, handed over to Mr Liu.


    "Hand that over to the Wangs and apologize for everything you''ve done to them and I''ll make your ruination minimal. But if you don''t, I''ll make sure there would be nothing left of your family except your name which is going to be as insignificant and useless as your wife''s maiden name."


    When Mrs Liu heard the last part of his sentence, she tensed, followed by panic. What did he just say? She looked at him. Muchen could tell that she was jittered when their eyes met.


    "I''m giving you an hour to do that, else, you''ll have to keep receiving bad news till you die of a heart attack"


    He didn''t wait any longer and entered his vehicle. soon, it was only the Liu family that was left there, looking at the route his car took.


    Mr Liu could not believe that the reason he was getting punished had nothing to do with him. It was his Wife''s stupid temper that had cost him to lose this much. Around them, the maids were quietly whispering amongst themselves. They had clearly heard everything but the one that caught their interest was the part he had said their name would be as insignificant as Madam Liu''s maiden name. What did he mean? They had all been wondering why Madam Liu wasn''t bearing her surname but the Liu''s instead. Was she trying to hide something?


    One stern look from Mrs Liu had them all scurrying back to work.


    "You see what you have done to this family? You better go get dressed this minute" Mr Liu scolded her.


    "What do you mean by that? What did I do to this family?" She asked in anger.


    Weiyoung had been rendered speechless. Did Muchen really like Sara? This was unbelievable. Why on earth would someone like Li Muchen like someone like Sara? Or was that the case?


    Weiyoung would probably have not seen anything wrong with it if it had been someone else like Sara. So far it wasn''t her.


    She hated her. Yes! She hated Sara. Sara was always happy for no reason. She had a father who loved her, who spoiled her. While her own father only cared about business.


    She remembered the first time she met Sara. It had been on children''s day when she had gone to the park with her nanny after her parents promised to show up but failed to. She was watching other kids play and refused to join with the excuse that she was all grown up, at almost 15. But while watching other kids, she was overwhelmed by sadness. Then she saw her. The pretty face. Far prettier than herself. The pretty smile. The smile she detested so much. She was running towards her direction, She was her age mate. Jianjun Wang was chasing her. Weiyoung had purposely tripped her with her foot and didn''t bother apologizing when her nanny asked her to.


    Sara didn''t mind. She just smiled at Weiyoung. That innocent smile. Jianjun quickly helped her up and helped her dust the sand from her body.


    "Sorry for interrupting you" He apologised to Weiyoung with a smile.

 Chapter 63 - Two angels

    Weiyoung didn''t know what to feel or how to even feel it. She stood up and was about leaving when she heard Sara''s pretty voice


    "Wait!"


    Weiyoung looked at her. Annoyed by this girl. Why was she so happy? It was obvious they weren''t rich from their outfits. Was she trying to show off that her dad had brought her here when her own father was in a business trip or attending to a mistress somewhere?


    "What is it?" she asked in annoyance.


    "You are alone right? Let''s play together" Sara said cheerfully.


    And that was the beginning. The very beginning of it all. She should have firmly insisted she was not interested. Then they wouldn''t have been friends. No! She shouldn''t have gone to the park that very day. She wouldn''t have been so happy that she had found someone she was worth more than. She wouldn''t have been so happy to have a puppy following her about and even taking her advice to change schools to hers. From that moment, everything changed. She was still higher than Sara in everything, academically and otherwise. But Sara didn''t care. Like Weiyoung was insignificant to her. And that was why she didn''t feel bad when ''that'' happened to Sara. She had actually wanted to get rid of her anyway.


    The next time she saw Sara after that, that dead expression of hers, one she had till this very day. The cheerfulness gone, the smile gone. The friendliness gone! Weiyoung knew then, that it was better having her as a friend than an enemy.


    "Over my dead body" Mrs Liu screamed. "I will never go beg those filthy things. My daughter wouldn''t either "


    Weiyoung had been lost in thought, she had no idea what ever had been said


    "Cai Genji! have you gone nuts? do you want to ruin my family because you have no idea how difficult it is to get to this point?" Mr Liu was also enraged.


    "What...what did you just call me?" Mrs Liu asked wide eyed. She couldn''t believe she just heard that name. And from her husband. She hated it! Hated that name and whatever came with it.


    "Father, Mother, You both should calm down" Weiyoung tried to smoothen the situation but she was well aware that no matter what, it wouldn''t be.


    "We have to go there this instant!" He declared. What was pride to him? He would rather go apologize to those peasants than to actually become a peasant himself. He knew Li Muchen wasn''t bluffing and could easily crush him if he meant it.


    "I won''t go! I will never go there" Mrs Liu was still adamant. How was she supposed to go there? She took the large envelope from her husband to see what was inside.


    Sounds of hysteric laughter could be heard in the whole room. She couldn''t believe it. She had just bought that apartment, but here she was, with the deed of ownership going to Jianjun. She was going to offer it to them and apologize? The restaurant''s was also there. They were playing a joke on her. A big joke!


    "Fine! you can stay if you wish. But you are going to be busy signing our divorce papers" He threatened


    ***


    Sara''s family had already been able to gather all of their things. This was exactly what Muchen had been trying to avoid that was why he gave the Liu''s an hour. He didn''t want the Wang''s to be stressed out, packing and unpacking.


    "Dad, I have been saving this for a while now, let''s include it to get us a new place" Joreen said as she handed him a box.


    Jianjun looked at her. He didn''t know how to react.


    ''Did I save the world in my past life to have two angels beside me?'' He wondered.


    Sara had just finished forcing hers on him, now Joreen was doing same. His eyes were glistening with tears. But he knew he couldn''t cry. He cannot cry.


    "Jo, you know I can''t accept your money. This is yours" He pushed the box back to her.


    "Jo, do not worry, we have enough already. You can keep it" Sara said from the side. Joreen shouldn''t be a part of all these mess they were facing.


    Joreen''s mood changed. She became totally sad.


    "You took Sara''s but why not mine? aren''t we a family?"


    "Jo, it''s your m...."


    "It''s still yours. From the money you''ve been giving to me. Besides, it was to get you a gift for father''s day so you can just accept it in advance" This time, she forced it on him. He could only accept it as streaks of tears ran down his cheeks..


    "Come here" He said to his girls and pulled them into a hug. These girls, he would die for. These girls, he would kill for, And these girls, He would never allow anyone hurt them.


    They gradually carried their bags outside to place on the truck they had hired. When they saw a car coming towards them, especially when they realised it was the Liu''s, they couldn''t help sighing.


    The entire family had to come gloat over their misery?


    The Wangs continued what they were doing. The owner of the truck was also helping them place their things inside sluggishly. Sara was angry at his attitude. He was too sluggish for her liking. If not that the truck she had first hired suddenly cancelled on her. Why would she accept this one?


    The Liu''s annoyance intensified. What was wrong with these people? They should at least stand in attention and bow to them when they got there but they had to keep up their pride?


    Mr Liu cleared his throat and was the first to speak.


    "Mr Jianjun Wang?" He asked.

 Chapter 64 - You are far worse than a beggar

    Jianjun just looked at him as if he was a dummy.


    "Am I supposed to be a Mrs?" He asked sarcastically.


    Joreen and Sara who were still busy gathering their stuffs outside burst into laughter.


    Jianjun smiled at his girls. At least, they were both laughing now.


    Weiyoung felt suffocated. This people still had time to laugh? They were being sent out of their home but still had time to laugh?


    The one who felt worse for being there was none other that Mrs Liu. She would never have stepped her feet into this place again unless she was coming to throw them out. But she was here. To hand over the deed of ownership of both buildings she acquired less that 24hrs ago? What an irony!


    She looked at Sara. What did Li Muchen see in this girl? Yes, She was pretty but was so undignified. She could never be compared to her precious daughter.


    And her stupid husband had to threaten her with a divorce? Ah! If he thinks he has found an excuse to do away with her. Then he must be joking! She was going no where. Even if it meant coming here to face these things called Wangs.


    "Can I have a minute of your time?" Mr Liu asked.


    He didn''t mind that they were not welcoming him. What was he expecting? A red carpet entry after his wife chased then out of their home?


    "We are gathering our things to leave your wife''s apartment. I had no idea she took a liking to this place the last time she visited. She must really like things below her standard" Jianjun mocked. He didn''t even give them a chance to see his face as he just continued placing their luggage on the vehicle.


    He had said that nonchalantly but had unknowingly struck Mrs Liu who blew up.


    "What insolence! Are you out of your mind? Who are you referring to in that manner?"


    "If he was wrong, you wouldn''t have been over reacting" Joreen said before she was shushed by Jianjun. This was not something she should involve herself in. Besides, they were still elders.


    "We can settle this amicably Mr Wang" Mr Liu tried to smoothen everything.


    "Settle? Settle? There is nothing to settle here. I should thank your family for helping us do away with irrelevant things. First your daughter.." Jianjun looked at Weiyoung''s direction for the first time. Which shook her.


    "She took away the Mo trash, Sara had been planning to throw away. And now your wife.." He looked at Mrs Liu. Making sure their eyes met. "We have been planning to get a new apartment but now, she''s taking this one from us also." Can''t you see, Your family might be richer than ours, but you would forever be beneath us. You know why? You always pick us our left over. You are far worse than a beggar" He concluded.


    Sara''s admiration for her dad soared. She didn''t know when she started clapping. Even the truck driver joined in. Joreen liked stuffs like this, she was clapping with all her energy. "Dad, you''re so cool" Joreen gave him both thumbs up.


    Who are these people? Mr Liu couldn''t help asking himself. He had never seen a poor family with so much pride.


    Mrs Liu felt like ripping them apart. Now she knew why these people always acted this way. They had the backing of the Li family. Why else would they be so impudent?


    Weiyoung was finding it difficult to breathe. This man. Jianjun Wang. Had always been good to her. Probably because she was Sara''s only friend. For years, he always took them out to the park or wherever they wanted to go. But now, he was like a whole new person. She looked at Sara who had been quiet the whole time, not bothering to even look at them but was busy filling the truck. She knew why Sara had been quiet. Jianjun had always taught her to respect her elders. "I''ll take care of the elders. You can take care of your mates." He always told Sara that.


    It was a bad idea coming here. Things would have been different if not for Li Muchen''s interference.


    Mrs Liu still had something on her though. Something that would boost her ego. She knew, she was sure, that they would be embarrassed and bow to her once she hand them the deed of ownership which had his name on it. Thankfully, Muchen had not asked them to tell the Wang''s it was from him directly.


    Mrs Liu threw the big envelope containing it at Jianjun''s feet.


    "You are lucky I have a nice personality. You can have it now, while I''m still being nice" She said


    Mr Liu pinched his wife to stop her from saying much but she pushed his hand aside and continued looking at them haughtily.


    Joreen was the one who picked it up. She would never let her father or sister bend down before this filthy family.


    "Deed of ownership?" She asked in surprise and handed it over to Jianjun.


    When he saw his name on the document, he shook his head and gave it to Sara to have a look.


    For the first time, Sara participated in the whole thing.


    The truck driver found the entire show entertaining as he sat down and watched the show.


    "What is the meaning of this?" Sara asked.


    "My mother didn''t mean it. She was only playing with you guys. In apology, we are handing it over to you." Weiyoung spoke up.

 Chapter 65 - Saras family is so cool

    "You are still as stupid as the last time I remember" Sara said to her.


    Yes, she was doing it. Taking care of her mate while Jianjun handled the elders.


    "This is crap! And we are not interested. We do not go back to our Vomit?" Sara said fiercely.


    "Tsk! they''re so dumb" Joreen said from the side.


    "Jo!" Jianjun''s call reminded her that she was not supposed to speak.


    Some neighbors who were on their way to their various destinations stopped to ask where the Wangs were heading to with so much luggage. Some has been watching the show through their windows, some, through their balcony.


    "What a useless family"


    "I rather remain poor than to be like them"


    "Isn''t that girl Sara''s friend? I heard she stole her boyfriend"


    "And the family bought their house? Aren''t they afraid of Karma?"


    "They were the ones who destroyed Mr Li''s restaurant yesterday?"


    "Someone bring salt let''s purify this environment"


    "Oh! I wish I didn''t throw my rotten tomatoes out. I would have used it on them already"


    The neighbors kept conversing, they didn''t even bother to reduce their voices as they kept on raining insults on the Liu''s.


    Sara threw the envelope at Mrs Liu that it even hit her face.


    "You can keep the house. We don''t receive gifts from your likes"


    The Liu''s remained there. Even after the Wangs got into the truck and left. This humiliation they just faced was first class.


    They had a bigger problem though. How were they supposed to report this to Li Muchen?


    ***


    Muchen had been on the other end of the street, watching the whole thing unfold. Not directly, but indirectly. He had sent that truck driver in place of the one supposed to pick the Wangs up. He wanted him to at least slow down their packing process before the Liu''s came but unfortunately or fortunately, they still had to leave. He regretted nothing. If he hadn''t sent the Liu''s there, the Wangs wouldn''t have had the opportunity to face slap the Liu''s. He had underestimated the Wang family''s pride. Any thought of Sara ever asking him for help vanished immediately. But something had interested him more. Jianjun had mentioned something about Sara wanting to do away with Jinyong before Weiyoung helped clear the trash. He didn''t care whether it was true or lies. That had excited him. Did that mean she didn''t love Mo Jinyong? No wonder she wasn''t really sad after the break up. Ah! Sara Wang!


    "Why are you smiling sheepishly?" Minde who was sitting beside him asked. He had been busy watching the Liu family argue through the window even if he couldn''t hear what they were saying. He also wondered why Weiyoung''s body wasn''t as he used to know her.


    Muchen shut his computer and asked the driver to return to the hospital.


    "What do you intend to do with the Liu''s? Minde asked.


    "I''m not sure yet, but I know it''s not going to be good" Muchen replied


    "But Sara''s family is so cool. I never imagined they would reject it like that" Minde praised.


    "A part of me did though. I knew the possibility of them accepting was quite minimal." Muchen said. "I''d like you to help me do something else.


    "Another favour?" Minde smiled. This was like a dream come through


    ***


    Mr Chu''s house was even more spacious than they imagined. And Very dirty! The truck driver had insisted on helping them unpack. He had even refused to collect money from them saying he admired them so much for how they dealt with that family earlier. They couldn''t help laughing at his childish antics when he looked like he was in his late twenties.


    Since they had not eaten anything, Jianjun left the arrangement to them and went to the kitchen. The kitchen was even worse. Very unkept and looked like they had not made use if it in the past decade. After cleaning, he made them breakfast¡ª including the driver, whose name, they didn''t know until now.


    "Let''s go pay a visit to Mr Chu and Bilike after breakfast" He said.


    Mr Chu''s wife had died of lung cancer many years back. He had been so devastated he had ignored their little son. When it was time to make amends and become a good father, his son was already a lost course.


    "Lest I forget, we''ll have to drop by the market place to buy ingredients to make Mr Li dinner"


    "What dinner? Mr Li? Why?" Joreen who had no idea whatever had happened these past few days asked. She didn''t even know the reason Mr Chu and his son were in the hospital.


    The driver went still when he heard him mention Mr Li.


    "You still remember that?" Sara asked in surprise. They had a lot of problems to face. She didn''t think her father would bother about things like that.


    "Of course, it was just so unfortunate things went south yesterday. But you''ll have to send it to him today. And before you ask, No! you can''t go with her" The last sentence was meant for Joreen who was about to say something. She pouted and faced her food which made them all laugh.


    The driver could not help but smile at this family who was so cheerful despite going through difficult times.

 Chapter 66 - Have you seen her before?

    The driver returned to meet with Muchen at the Hospital to inform him about everything. Pictures of the entire house were also taken. He had followed them around and had refused to leave that the Wangs thought he was there because he had a crush on Sara.


    "This...This is the bathroom?" Muchen asked in shock.


    The house had two large rooms, a sitting room and one bathroom. ''Rotten'' was the only word Muchen could use to describe the bathroom. Same with everyone else who saw it.


    Jianjun had been shocked also. How did these men live here? He feared for his daughters who were also going to share this bathroom with the rest of them.


    "Yes Mr Li but they were able to clean it up." He swiped at his phone''s screen and another picture of the same bathroom appeared. It looked better now but wasn''t as clean as Muchen had expected a bathroom to look like. He was not used to this and had never seen a bathroom like this in his entire life.


    "It''s fine. Thanks for your hard work" Muchen said.


    "Uhm.. I don''t know if I should mention this, but they talked about going grocery shopping to prepare you dinner" The driver said.


    A warm smile appeared on Muchen''s face when he heard him. Sadness followed. He was rather touched that they remembered him despite facing this problem. He had selfishly asked Sara to bring him dinner tonight because a part of him assured himself that the Wangs would remain in their apartment. But even after moving, he was still thought of. What a wonderful family they were.


    That evening, Minde came over again. He had been bored since returning to the country. And since Muchen was now easily reachable, he was going to use it to the fullest. Too bad his younger brother was always too serious. He was ready to trade his birthright and become Muchen''s real brother instead.


    "Big bro, what''s the update on sister in law?" He asked excitedly.


    "Cut it off. I know you''ve been helping me because you''ll be asking me for a favour soon." Muchen continued working on his computer without bothering to look at him.


    "Ah Bro. What do you take me for? Can''t I help my brother anymore?" He pouted.


    "Do I look like Li Hoy?"


    "I love you more than Hoy of course!" Minde declared


    Muchen rolled his eyes at him. This shameless cousin if his. A lot of people would kill just to be in his place. But here he was, so nonchalant.


    "That reminds me, it''s been quite a while I last saw Hoy. Heard from him?"


    Minde waved it off. "I do not bother about that over serious lad. He can take care of himself pretty well"


    Minde hadn''t bothered meeting his brother since he returned to the country. He wasn''t even hoping to do that anytime soon.


    "You should be responsible yourself. Aren''t you ashamed he is doing better than you?" Muchen scolded.


    "Ashamed? Just wait till he gets a girlfriend, he''ll be as useless as I am"


    "So you finally admit you are useless?" Muchen cocked a brow at him.


    Minde sighed in resignation. His brother was so good at making him sick of talking.


    There was a knock on the door. As usual, it was Ms Long.


    "You can take tomorrow off. And the weekend" Muchen said after she finished reporting the day''s activities to him.


    "Mr Li, You are still sick. How am I supposed to leave everything like that?


    Ms Long had no idea what had transpired between Mr Li and her father. She only knew Mr Li was getting better¡ª she could tell from how comfortably he was sitting and using his computer.


    "I''ll handle everything from here. And there''s also Mr Bang and Hao." He reminded her.


    Ms Long served as his personal secretary and also handled matters at work, but he also had people who handled these stuffs. A big company like Li corporation needed all the helpful hands it could get.


    "The meeting with Song Changyu is this weekend right?" Even though he was slacking off here, he still took his job seriously.


    Minde just sat there, playing with his phone. He was not interested in business talk. But the mention of Song Changyu caught his attention. After Ms Long left, he threw his questions.


    "You are meeting Miss Song personally? Where? When?"


    "Li Minde. Are you having a crush on a woman old enough to be your mother?"


    "What do you mean by old enough? Have you seen her before?"


    "So you want to brag that you''ve seen her before me then?"


    "Of course. One doesn''t always get to see such a beauty in a lifetime. But for some reasons.....She gives me this scary vibe"


    "You should maintain your lane old boy. Do not try to embarrass this family further" Muchen advised.


    **


    On Ms Long''s way out, she bumped into her father in the hallway.


    "I have a day to myself now and you want me to go on a blind date? again? No.. I won''t" Ms Long firmly refused.


    "You have to. Your mother personally arranged everything before going to City X. She''ll get mad if you don''t" He tried to cajole her into going.


    "You do not force your sons to get married. Why do you always force your only daughter?"


    "You are a woman and you''re old enough for marriage. Your brothers can marry at any time."


    After enough banter back and forth, she finally agreed to go. Not before stating that it was going to be the last time.

 Chapter 67 - Have you farted yet?

    After paying the Chu''s a visit, Sara could finally breathe. She had been tensed the whole time because she didn''t want the Chu''s to accidentally spill out what had happened that night. Jianjun and Joreen had been surprised by the kind of hospital they were admitted at, before Sara told them it was Mr Li''s people who sent them here and handled all the bills. Jianjun couldn''t help being impressed by Muchen. He was one rich lad who he had a good impression of.


    He prepared a nice meal with Sara and Joreen''s assistance and packed it for her to send to Muchen.


    After Sara informed Muchen she was almost ready, he had nonchalantly asked her to wait as someone would come pick her up. She agreed and texted him her new address.


    Sara was having mixed feelings about Mr Li. He was nice to an extent and got hurt because of her. But he always kept asking about food and food as if that was his only problem. How annoying!


    Sara was completely exhausted, so was Jianjun''s and Joreen.


    "But dad, don''t you think something is not right about the Liu''s? Why did they suddenly appear this morning to hand over the apartment back to us with a deed of ownership? It was as if they were being compelled to do so by their reactions" Sara said as she packed the food with Jianjun.


    He raised his head to look at her without saying anything.


    "Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?" She asked and tried to clean her face.


    Jianjun smiled at her and said "Nothing''s in your face. My baby is very smart"


    "You''ve thought about that also?" She was surprised. She was only speculating but her father also had the same thought as her, then. something was fishy.


    "Ah Sara! If you could think of that, why can''t I? Have you forgotten whose traits you inherited?" He asked with a grin.


    " Dad! you always look for an opening to brag" She replied.


    "Of course, smart people should always brag." Joreen chipped in from the side


    "That''s why you have a lot of enemies in school" Sara reminded her.


    "And I can''t wait to have more enemies after bagging more awards next week" Joreen said excitedly.


    It was almost time for their end of session and students were usually awarded. The last year, Joreen received Three awards¡ª Most popular student, Best in entertainment club and best student in her class. She was sure this year wouldn''t pass her by either.


    "I wish I was anything like you when I was younger" Sara said melancholically.


    "I wish I was like you when you were younger. It''s difficult trying to always keep up" Joreen replied.


    It was true. She had to keep doing better to meet up to her title. Especially the part where she has to keep studying to keep topping her class. It was easier to be the best in the entertainment club since she was born for it. It was also easier to be the most popular student. Everyone knew her, if not for how she related with them, they knew her for her colour and afro hair.


    **


    Soon, the driver arrived. The entire ride to the hospital, Sara kept dozing off. After working out the previous day, she ran straight to the restaurant. Even after getting home, she couldn''t sleep that night, she cried all night and had to gather their things. This morning, they arrived at the Chu''s to meet an unwelcome sight. They had to clean up the entire place, unpack most of their things¡ª since they wouldn''t be staying for long and also went grocery shopping, they also had to come prepare dinner.


    She was so exhausted. Before she left the house, Joreen was already sleeping. Jianjun saw her off, she knew he would be sleeping somewhere by now also.


    When they got to the Hospital, She shuffled inside. She had dozed off and was woken by the driver who informed her they''ve arrived.


    Someone was already there, a bodyguard of Mr Li perhaps, to lead her to his private room.


    ''Why am I so nervous? All I have to do is deliver the meal and am out of there'' She said to herself as the bodyguard knocked on the door.


    Muchen''s bodyguards were stationed all over the hospital inconspicuously. Even if he wasn''t sick, he had to be cautious. There were a lot of people who wanted him dead. That was normal in the business world. Severally, he had been attacked in various forms that he was even used to it now.


    Sara entered after the him. After he made sure there was nothing else, he left there.


    Minde was there when Sara entered. Muchen had tried severally to send him away before she got there, but he had adamantly refused.


    ''Why was he here?'' She wondered when she saw Minde. She only hoped he still remembered their deal. She greeted them both, even though she was actually glaring at Minde, And just stood there with the meal pack in her hand.


    After seeing for himself that Sara didn''t ditch his brother this time, he decided to act a bit before leaving. Sara still scared him though. And he still didn''t like her for his brother. But what could he do?


    "Big Bro. How do you feel now?"


    Muchen almost laughed when he heard him. He was lying flat on his back and was properly covered with a duvet. Anyone who saw him now would guess he was actually sick.


    "I feel better" He said, trying to make his voice sound hoarse.


    Minde didn''t know what else to say. He tried to recall the question they usually asked in dramas after an operation. When he finally remembered one, he smiled mischievously and asked.


    "Have you farted yet?"


    Muchen''s eyes bulged out. Did Minde really plan to humiliate him like this? Was that why he''s been here all along?

 Chapter 68 - Do you want to kiss me?

    Sara wasn''t paying attention to the both of them. All she wanted right now was a good sleep.


    Muchen wasn''t feeling that way though. He glared at Minde who gave him a cheeky grin in return. Muchen tried to use signs to ask Minde to leave but Minde shook his head and pouted.


    ''What kind of devil is this?'' Muchen wondered.


    Sara looked at Muchen who was ''sick''. She caused him this. If only he had not followed her that night. She was actually worried that his health was not improving.


    "Mr Li, My dad sends his greeting. We do not know the type of food you like so we prepared something nutritious that would aid your recovery" She said.


    ''Tsk, see her acting all innocent'' Minde thought as he looked at her.


    "Thank you, Send my greeting to him when you get back" Muchen replied weakly.


    Minde couldn''t help but admire his brother''s acting skills.


    Sara was thankful he didn''t ask why she texted him a different address. It was good to have a boss who knew his place.


    "I wish you a quick recovery. I''ll leave now then" She bowed.


    What? leave now? That was all? Muchen looked at Minde.


    Minde stood up abruptly. "You can''t leave now!"


    Sara who already turned to leave,turned back to look at him.


    When he saw her face, he shivered lightly. What was he thinking raising his voice at Lucifer?


    "You..you should help him eat and wait till he''s done. what... what if something happens to his stomach when he''s eating? you have to call the doctor" He stuttered.


    Muchen almost laughed when he heard his brother. Was he for him or against him? Minde was one confused lad.


    "But you are here with him" Sara answered.


    "I...I was just on my way out." He said and hurriedly head towards the door. "Besides, you have to return the pack" With that, he stylishly winked at Muchen and left the room.


    Muchen slowly sat up and looked at her. ''She looks so tired'' He said to himself.


    Sara wondered why he was looking at her, then she remembered she was still with the food pack. She had even been taking it with her when leaving earlier.


    **


    Muchen looked at Sara who had already fallen asleep on the couch beside him. Thankfully, the couch was big enough but her neck was slightly crooked.


    He arranged the empty dishes and properly placed it by the side. She had not exaggerated when she said her father was a good cook. He was in fact, a great cook. Muchen had never thought he would be able to enjoy someone else''s meal except his. But he had actually enjoyed Jianjun''s meal.


    He crouched down to look at Sara properly and carefully adjusted her head. It was the first time he was touching her like this. That night at the factory, he had held her a couple of times but that atmosphere was different. Here she was, lying next to him. She wasn''t giving him her usual stink eye, she wasn''t conversing in her head. She was just sleeping peacefully.


    "Sara Wang. You should never fall asleep in the presence of other men" He said to her sleeping figure. He couldn''t blame her though. He knew she was really stressed out.


    He took his time to study her face. He didn''t mind that he had been crouching down for a long time.


    It was the first time he was observing her this closely. He long lashes, pointed nose, scattered brows and rosy lips. She was not putting on an earring. She was looking so simple and yet, so pretty. "Even a pimple looks good on her" He said as a carefully touched a pimple close to her nose. His action caused her to frown.


    He chuckled lightly.


    Then, she opened her eyes. Merely a squint. And looked at Muchen.


    Sara wondered why Mr Li was suddenly appearing in her dream. He looked so healthy and as usual, so handsome. That smile, that dimple. She looked at him for a long time. Why was he smiling at her in her dream? Thank Goodness she was dreaming. She could look all she wanted. Gradually, slowly, she lifted her hand, just like E.T. She used her index finger to touch his dimple.


    Muchen was startled by her touch. He had wanted to leave her be when she opened her eyes. He knew she was not conscious but he didn''t want to disturb her, then he noticed she was just staring at him.


    "It''s nice" he heard her say groggily.


    Finally, he knew one thing in her head. if she was not unconscious, she would have only said so on her mind since she was fond of having series of conversations in her head that he was beginning to worry that in order to get to know her, he had to get into her head.


    "I want one too" she said with a pout.


    Muchen''s smile got wider. ''She''s cute when unconscious'' He decided to also play a little with her.


    "You don''t need one. You can just keep staring at mine. I don''t mind" Muchen tried to keep his voice as low as possible so he wouldn''t wake her. But his smile still remained.


    She closed her eyes and was quiet for a while. Muchen was already giving up. He thought she had already fallen asleep. Then, he heard her say faintly.


    "Don''t...smile...at...me"


    ''Ah! She''s really serious about getting one''


    "They say if you kiss someone with a dimple, you''ll have one too. Do you want to kiss me? You might have one also."


    She was quiet again for a while before saying


    "Really? Someone said..something as lame as tha....?" Her words trailed off.


    He noticed she had fallen asleep again. He covered her with a blanket properly and just watched her sleep with a smile.


    ''I really hope you remember this conversation Sara Wang ''

 Chapter 69 - Say the word

    Sara gradually opened her eyes. She stared blankly at the blanket covering her body for a while before finally remembering she was in the hospital to visit Mr Li.


    She stood up abruptly and looked around. Mr Li was no where to be found. Then she saw him enter. He had just returned from the bathroom.


    "You''re finally awake" He said with a warm smile.


    Sara nodded. Was she supposed to apologise about suddenly falling asleep?


    "I was supposed to watch you. I can''t believe I slept off"


    Muchen chuckled. Then sat on the bed.


    "Your father called. He was worried. I told him I''ll send you home once you''re awake" He said.


    "My Father called? I just left there about an hour ago. Did he say something was wrong?" She tried to find her phone on the couch since the blanket was covering it.


    When she finally saw it, she checked to see various missed calls from her Father.


    Muchen was just watching her, not saying anything. Then he saw her eyes bulge out.


    "Ah! it''s... it''s past 11 already?" She asked in utter shock.


    The windows were closed, The light in the room was brightly lit. Everything was the same as when she entered earlier. How long had she slept?


    She moved to the window and pushed the curtain out to confirm. It was really dark outside.


    "Why didn''t you wake me up? I only wanted to wait till you finished eating"


    "You''ve been stressed out. I should have asked Dr Long to admit you"


    "Wait, you look just fine. Are you better now? How''s your health?" She unconsciously moved to where he was and placed a hand on his head to check his temperature.


    He was sitting, she was standing. There were both so close to each other. The proximity had an effect on Muchen greatly, especially as he was directly facing her breast.


    "I think you are better, I should call the doctor now"


    She was about turning when he held her hand and dragged her back.


    Sara was really startled this time. She looked down at him and their eyes met. Her heart skipped a bit.


    Why was he staring at her like that?


    "Is something wrong Mr Li?" She asked


    "I''m okay. You don''t have to call him. He came over while you were asleep" He answered.


    "It means you''re ready for discharge right?" She asked with a tiny smile.


    He let lose a laugh. "You hate coming here?" He asked.


    She was captivated by his smile. Everything about him was just so good. Those dimple of his. She had the urge to touch it. But she knew she couldn''t. She wouldn''t! What was she thinking? she pushed the thought out of her mind. "No. This place is nice. Looks like an hotel even." She ran her eyes over the room. "But I''m happy.. I mean, it''s a good thing you are getting discharged."


    ''She really doesn''t remember'' He had at least expected her to remember their conversation. But he knew that would not be possible.


    ''Wait, she just said here looked like an hotel.''


    "An hotel?" He asked.


    "Of cour...." Sara knew something was wrong somewhere with his question. She didn''t say anything else and just stared at him.


    ''Ah! So she''s really been to an hotel? Was it with the Mo Bastard?'' Well, he didn''t care about that. She was in his room right now. Even though it was not his room literally.


    "Mr Li, you are still holding my hand" She reminded him.


    "Are you sure I am?" He asked cocking a brow at her.


    Sara looked down at their hands and noticed she was the one actually holding him now. ''When did this happen?''


    She flinched and pushed his hand away as she took a few steps back.


    Muchen laughed out. She had unconsciously held his hand when she was happily asking if he was ready for discharge. He noticed it but chose not to say a word about it.


    "I''ll leave now Mr Li"


    "Sara" He called.


    "Can...can you please keep addressing me formally?" It was more of a statement than a question. Why did he always call her Sara. It was always uncomfortable for her whenever he called her that.


    "I don''t want to" He simply said. "You can address me informally if you wish"


    What? Is he crazy or something? Was she supposed to be calling him Muchen?


    "By chance... You are not calling me crazy in your head right?" He asked.


    Sara''s eyes bulged out. "Of course not!" Her exaggerated denial gave her off.


    ''She really called me crazy'' He thought with a smile. At least, he was able to decipher her thoughts now.


    "I enjoyed the meal. It really made me feel better. So I have a reward for you" He said


    Sara looked at him quizzically ''Rewar....''


    "Say it out Sara. Not in your head" He interrupted her thought.


    Sara almost laughed when she heard him. She was already so used to conversing with her self.


    "I was not expecting any reward from you. Besides, it''s my fault you are here"


    "It''s not your fault. It would have happened if I was just sitting at home that night" The last thing he needed was Sara to add to her problems by taking responsibility for his ill health.


    "Really?" She asked expectantly. She had been feeling guilty for a long time.


    "Yea. So tell me anything you want. I''ll do it if I can. If I can''t, I''ll also do it"


    After he answered the call from Jianjun after several missed calls, he saw her browser which had been left open. She had been searching for where to get a good loan without much interest. He figured they might be trying to get a new apartment. So right now, this was an opening. For her to ask him for anything. If she even asked him for an estate, he would give it to her.


    Sara looked at him. She wondered if he was serious. Anything? He would do it? This was good! It was a dream come through.


    "Mr Li. I hope you don''t get angry with what I''m about to ask and think I''m trying to use you" She said.


    "Go on" He nodded.


    "Actually... Actually... Can you.."


    Muchen looked at her expectantly.. ''Say the word. Just say the word''


    "Can you have a personal meeting with Joreen?" She asked

 Chapter 70 - Turn Around

    Muchen almost laughed at himself when he heard her. "That....is your wish?" He gave her a mystified look.


    She nodded firmly "You permitted me to ask anything. You can''t go back on your words now" She reminded.


    ''Ah! She is really something else. Of all the things to ask of, this was it?'' "Why?" He still could not understand why she wanted him to meet with Joreen.


    "You''re like her idol. She likes you a lot and has always wanted to be a part of.....G...G-Global." Sara knew she was overstepping her boundary. But she had no choice. She had promised Joreen she would help her and this was a good opportunity.


    He was really tired of this family. If he had given any other person this opportunity, he couldn''t imagine what they would ask for. Even the socialites would ask for unbelievable things despite the fact that they were rich. But here she was, taking it for granted. He was pretty sure that if he gave Mr Wang this opportunity, the outcome might be the same as Sara''s. He had really underestimated the Wang''s love for each other.


    "Mr Li? why aren''t you saying something? You are not trying to go back on your words right?" She tried to confirm when he wasn''t saying anything.


    Muchen laughed. "I was only thinking."


    "A...bout?" She asked.


    Muchen stood up for the first time to get his jacket.


    "You''re curious about what''s in my head?" He looked at her.


    "Of course... I need to know if you''re planning to change your mind."


    "Then what are you going to do?" He asked.


    She looked at him, raising her head. Why was he so tall? She always tried to deceive herself that she was tall but standing before him right now. She felt so small.


    Muchen chortled gently when he saw her raised head and sat back down.


    ''Did... did he just sit back down because he thinks I''m short?'' Sara wondered in annoyance.


    Muchen could guess what she was thinking and just smiled. Then changed the topic "I''m making an advance payment to all my employees. You''ll receive it soon"


    "Really?" Her eyes bulged out. "Why? I mean, I just started working. Are you really including me?"


    Muchen affirmed it with a nod.


    Her smile got bigger. She didn''t care about anything else or why he was making an advance payment.


    "Thank you Mr Li. Should I send my account details now?"


    He looked at her happy smile. Would have been nice if she always smiled like this.


    "Miss Long has everyone''s details. She''ll handle everything"


    Sara nodded vigorously. "Eh. Mr Li. You still haven''t answered me. You won''t change your mind right?"


    ***


    Throughout the drive to her place, she was all smiles. She hadn''t even bothered to further stop him when he insisted on driving her home. He had assured her that Dr Long confirmed he was ready for discharge while she was asleep.


    There was no point for him to keep feigning illness. He hadn''t expected her to wake up when he went to the bathroom. The deed had already been done. Besides, he wouldn''t want to miss their weekend workout.


    Mr Li agreed to meet with Joreen on Sunday and even offered to pay her in advance. This was wonderful!


    Things were finally working well for her and her family. "I forgot to mention earlier. Since I wasn''t chanced today to meet with Heya. I could make up for it tomorrow instead."


    Muchen shook his head. "Tomorrow is supposed to be your work free day. Resume on Thursday"


    "Really? You are not mad at me for skipping work" She looked at Muchen whose entire focus was on the road


    "There should be a reasonable excuse" He said.


    She stared at him for a while. Why was he so cool?


    "I''ve been wanting to ask. You easily move about. Aren''t you careful of the reporters or even getting into danger?"


    Was he supposed to tell her he had people secretly following him right now? This has always been his way of handling things before he stopped for a while. He felt that no harm would come his way. Two weeks later, the factory incident happened. He had to set everything in motion again. "Have you ever seen my face on the TV or in papers?"


    Sara shook her head. She obviously hasn''t.


    "The reporters know what to do. They wouldn''t dare" He looked at her and their eyes met. He knew she had been staring at him for a while and had held himself from staring back. But he could no longer do so.


    "Why are you staring at me like that?" He teased.


    Why was she staring at him? She searched her head for an excuse as she moved her gaze from his.


    "Oh! Yes. I''ll be taking Heya outdoor on Friday. It''s okay by you right?"


    Sara was really an interesting person. He thought. Others would ask. ''Is it okay by you?'' But Sara was already letting him know she had made the decision and he had no choice but to accept. "What did Heya say?"


    "She''s fine with it"


    "Alright then."


    Soon, they got to Mr Chu''s house. Just as Sara expected, Mr Li didn''t ask her anything. She had earlier called Jianjun to let him know she was on her way and he shouldn''t wait for her outside since it was already mid night.


    Sara was the first to end the night as usual "Good night Mr Li"


    "Good night" He responded without any intention of leaving first.


    Sara nodded and head inside.


    Muchen looked at her retreating figure. ''Turn Around! Turn around''


    Sara was always fond of just waving goodbye and heading inside. This time, he kept chanting inwardly. ''Turn around Sara, Turn around''


    And just like magic..


    She turned.

 Chapter 71 - I do like her

    *Pffft* Joreen spat out the water she was in the middle of swallowing.


    "You... you are saying that Mis...Mister Li agreed to meet me?" Joreen asked stupefyingly.


    "I wonder when this bad habit of yours is going to change" Jianjun said as he tried to clean his shirt.


    They were in the middle of having breakfast on the Chu''s dining table with Jianjun sitting directly opposite Joreen while Sara was sitting beside her.


    "What exactly happened?" Jianjun asked.


    "Well, Mr Li asked me to make whatever wish and he''ll grant it. So I asked for that" She said with a smile.


    "Wh... what? He really asked you to make any wish? Why?" Joreen asked what Jianjun was about to ask.


    "He said he enjoyed the meal and it made him feel better so he wanted to reward me. That''s practically all" She said with a shrug as he used her chopstick to pick vegetables and placed it in her mouth.


    Jianjun laughed. He couldn''t say his daughter was dumb. But she was sure naive. He remembered the conversation he had with Muchen last night when he saw him and Sara outside. He had asked Sara to go in then went on to ask if he was responsible for buying their house.


    The look on Muchen''s face gave him away when Jianjun asked him that question.


    After thinking about the issue over again, he could only come to the conclusion that Li Muchen was actually responsible.


    "No matter how hard i think about it, You are the only one I can think of that is responsible for the incident with the Liu''s. Besides, You were outside my apartment the entire night" Jianjun had told him.


    Muchen did not deny anything. He agreed to have been the one responsible and even said he did not regret his actions.


    "I''m sorry Mr Wang, if you think I''ve crossed the line." He apologised.


    "You really did cross the line Mr Li. We can perfectly take of ourselves. We don''t need anyone helping us in the background. Don''t you know It''ll make people look down on us more?"


    "I really only wanted to help. Besides, Sara is my employee and..."


    "You like Sara" Jianjun interrupted.


    His statement startled Muchen. He knew he liked Sara to an extent. But hearing it from someone else was something entirely different. How did he know?


    "Am I wrong?" Jianjun asked, giving him a challenging look.


    After keeping silent for about half a minute, he spoke.


    "You are not wrong. I do like her" He confessed.


    Jianjun had not expected him to actually admit to it. No, he had not expected it to be true either. But here he was, faced with the truth. "Why her? There are a lot of girls in your circle, why Sara?"


    ''Why her?'' That was the question he had asked himself also. But he still couldn''t find the answer. How was he supposed to answer her father. That answer, he needed to figure it out.


    "Dad, Why are you laughing?" Sara asked him.


    Did he know why he was laughing? He had no idea. Mr Li never ceased to bother him. He was complaining about one just few hours back and now, here was another.


    "Sis, why didn''t you ask for something else? Something better? Don''t get me wrong. I really appreciate and I love you very much but you should have at least asked for a house or something" Joreen complained.


    Sara thought about it. She really didn''t think about asking Mr Li for anything else other than that. "Jo, that would be too much to ask. I was even worried he might refuse when I asked him to meet you."


    Joreen looked down sadly. She was supposed to be happy, but for some reason, she was sad. This would have been a good opportunity for their family.


    "Jo, if you start working in G-Global, you''ll buy us a bigger house. Right?" Sara asked with a smile. "Lest I forget, he''s also paying his employees including me our salaries in advance. So you see? Everything is working fine"


    Jianjun sighed. He had never seen anyone like muchen in his life. He just watched the girls converse. He had no idea what to do.


    They sent Joreen off to school. Thankfully, her school bus also took the same route so it was easier for them. Jianjun went in first. Sara was about to go in when she suddenly remembered last night.


    She turned around and found Muchen smiling at her. A really bright smile. Sara''s heart skipped. As if transfixed, she just stood there and stared at him for a while.


    He gradually moved to where she was standing and stopped before her. "You really turned back" He muttered with a smile still plastered on his face


    ''What is he talking about right now?'' She asked herself in confusion.


    "Why did you turn?" He asked softly.


    Sara wondered what was up with him all of a sudden. She smiled awkwardly and pointed at the front seat of his car "I forgot the food pack inside"


    And just like that, the smile on his face vanished.

 Chapter 72 - Free coupon

    Sara was still not used to this new home. Everything still felt strange to her. Especially the part where the three of them had to share a room. Even her father was uncomfortable¡ªshe could tell.


    After Sara and Jianjun returned from paying Mr Chu and Bilike a visit that afternoon, thankfully, Bilike was okay and would be discharged the following day while Mr Chu was to remain. Sara and Jianjun returned to meet boredom. Jianjun got busy with his phone, trying to search for a cheaper apartment they could afford. It was better than moving from place to place.


    "Dad, once I receive my salary, let''s move to a nice place" Sara said to Jianjun when she took a peek at his phone.


    "We cannot depend on your salary. You should use it to get yourself nice clothes and cosmetics like other girls would do"


    "Nice clothes? Are you saying my clothes are not nice?" She asked with a pout.


    Jianjun looked at Sara''s ripped Jean trousers and large polo shirt. Even though she was sitting on the bed. It was still obvious that it was large for her. Even he could fit into it.


    "Of course, they''re not nice. How do you expect to get married if you keep looking this way?. Look at your clothes, I could fit in those" He said pointing at her top.


    Sara scoffed in disbelieve. "What? you never complain about my looks, why are you doing that all of a sudden? And when did I ever tell you I wanted. to get married?"


    Before they both knew it, it turned into a verbal fight which kept going on and on. As they both raised their voices. He was trying to tell her to take care of herself. Sara on the other hand felt he was overreacting since she had always been this way except the period she was with Jinyong.


    "Can''t you take care of yourself? Even my face looks smoother than yours" He chided.


    "Ah! That''s what you want? I''m going to go shopping with every penny I have. Just watch me"


    She fished for her bag pack, phone and a face cap then wore her sneakers before stomping out of the house.


    Jianjun smiled and called after her "Change your clothes before leaving" But she left without looking back.


    He wanted his daughter to at least, look good. He would be a bad father if he continued letting Sara live that way. Sara was fond of using any money she had to assist the family,especially Joreen. Sara had always wanted a sibling while growing up. Having Joreen by her side now was a dream come through so she spoil Joreen with any chance she got. It was so with the Wangs. They were fond of spoiling whoever they loved. So watching Sara''s indifferent attitude towards Jinyong while they were dating, he knew it was not love she felt for him.


    Sara stood outside. Chiding herself for acting rashly. Where was she supposed to go to now? She had no friend to visit. She could not go to the Li''s house today either, neither could she go to the hospital to visit Mr Li because he told her he would go back home this morning. So where was she supposed to go? She had no money. She had given all to Jianjun when they were leaving their apartment and he had included it when they went grocery shopping yesterday. She hit her head on the wall. Trying to get an idea to pop in when her phone rang.


    "Heya. Is something wrong?" Sara asked when she took the call.


    "I was about asking you that. How are you? Did you get my message yesterday?" Heye asked.


    "Message? I didn''t get any message yesterday"


    "Oh. I guess not then. I wanted to check up on you. Is everything alright at home?"


    "Yea. We''re good. Thanks" A small smile appeared on Sara''s face. She had been informed that Heya had no friend and found it difficult relating with others. Sara was glad Heya was opening up to her at least.


    "That''s a relief. I was able to workout on my own yesterday. It surprised me that I did it consistently without anyone monitoring me. It was killing though. But I think with time, I''ll get used to it"


    Sara could hear the happiness in her tone.


    "I''m glad to hear that. You should take a break today. We''ll continue tomorrow. Hope you didn''t forget about Friday? I already told Mr Li about it. He agreed" With the mention of Mr Li, Sara was curious to know if he had returned home and if he was okay.


    She remembered the sad look on his face when he handed her the lunchbox. ''Does he still feel sick?'' She wondered.


    "I do remember. Big Bro told me you both spoke."


    "Is...Is he back now?" She asked hesitantly.


    "Yes. He returned very early this morning and has gone to work"


    "Work? He should be recuperating!" Sara didn''t know when she blurted that out.


    "Recuperating? Why would he be recuperating when he only traveled?" Heya asked.


    "Oh! I meant resting" She gave a sigh of relief when Heya didn''t ask further. After chatting for a while Heya asked.


    "You haven''t forgotten to use the free coupon today right? it''ll expire after today."


    At the mention of that, Sara''s eyes twinkled.


    Finally! there was somewhere to go to.

 Chapter 73 - What is wrong with everyone today

    After rummaging through her bag pack, she found the coupon. She imagined Joreen''s happy face when she presented her with her favourite meal. She walked a bit to the nearest bus stop since in was difficult finding a bus there.


    ****


    She stood outside the restaurant with a smile spread across her face. She had heard how expensive the meal here was. Never in her life would she have considered coming here for anything but today, she was finally going to enter this place. She guessed Heya must have ordered regularly for her to earn the free coupon.


    "You can''t go in" One of the men guarding the door gave her a look over and denied her entry.


    "Why can''t I?" Sara was stunned by his attitude. ''Weren''t they supposed to be nice?''


    "We have VIPs and VVIPs in there. You can''t go in looking like that" He looked at her again. She was wearing a black face cap, with its visor turned to the back. A white long sleeved polo shirt with a ''BONJOUR'' written in the front, a ripped jean trousers and black sneakers.


    Sara looked at her outfit. She knew she wasn''t looking ''presentable'' to them but she couldn''t go back now to change. Did she even have a proper outfit to change into?


    "Ah! Sorry, but I have to go in. I have to use this today" She flashed the coupon at him.


    He scoffed. The other man beside him chipped in. "She''s even here for free food. How are we not sure she stole the coupon?"


    Sara smiled. She had to smile to mask her annoyance at these men. It was fine if they looked down on her. Why call her a thief? She wasn''t fond of making trouble. Never fond of doing so. All she needed was to get in there, get the meal and leave there. What''s with these two people? "Whether I stole it or not, it has nothing to do with you. I need to use it. So please move"


    She moved forward to go in then she heard a voice behind her. "Are you deaf? Didn''t you hear to leave?"


    Sara turned to see the person who had spoken. It was a young girl. Probably around nineteen or twenty years of age. She wore a knee length off shoulder yellow gown and a nude heel. She had long black hair that was let loose. Everything about her looked elegant to Sara ¨Cexcept her tone. She was clinging unto an older woman who looked to be in her early 40s. She was wearing a silver stiletto and a red flowing gown. Her hair was neatly arranged in a bun. Her make up and jewellery were fitting. Sara felt the woman looked familiar and just kept staring at her to remember where she knew her from.


    "What are you looking at? Why aren''t you moving?" The young lady asked Sara again.


    The two men earlier had just finished greeting them. Sara didn''t know when they moved from where they had been standing because she had been busy staring at the woman who was intently looking at her as well.


    Sara gave her a slight bow in greeting.


    The man who had refused her entry earlier spoke.


    "Miss Yang. Madam Song. Don''t bother with her. We''ll have the security take care of her. Please go in" He said to them then bowed again.


    Miss Yang? Madam Song? Sara looked at the young lady again and realisation dawned on her. This must be Yang Aishu. Song Changyu''s niece. While the older woman was her mother and Song Changyu''s younger sister. She had seen her picture when checking about Song Changyu on the net.


    Sara saw an opportunity to go in now that they were no longer blocking the entry.


    "Where are you going to!?" Aishu screamed after her. "Mother can you see that? Look how this girl is ignoring me"


    The two men quickly stopped her from entering and placed a call to the security.


    ''What is wrong with everyone today?'' Sara scratched her head and asked herself.


    "Young Lady..." Madam Song spoke for the first time.


    Sara looked at her. Her voice was cool and collected.


    "What is the matter?" She asked Sara.


    "I''m here to use my coupon but they refused me entry" Sara answered.


    Madam Song looked Sara up and down.


    "What are you doing?" She asked the men.


    "They are... VIPs and VVIPs inside..."


    "So?" She interrupted


    "Mother, what are you doing?" Aishu asked.


    "She''s also a customer. Let her in"


    "Mother!...."


    "Don''t ruin the atmosphere. We are here to meet your aunt. You don''t want her to arrive and meet us here. We should get going now" Madam Song answered with a smile and strolled in. Aishu glared at Sara and followed her mother.


    ''They were here to meet Song Changyu?'' Sara wondered. So it meant that she was likely going to see Song Changyu here then.

 Chapter 74 - Zhang Hansong

    When Sara finally entered, she was no longer feeling as enthusiastic as she was while on her way. She was now self conscious as she observed the way the others looked and compared it to hers.


    Thankfully, she had used her face cap''s visor to properly cover her face. That would at least save her from seeing the disdainful looks people were throwing at her. She needed to get the meal and leave. She was no longer confident in meeting Changyu. Now she understood what her father always said about her always looking presentable. No one could tell who you meet by chance.


    When she got to the counter, After checking the authenticity of the coupon which had Li Heya''s name on it and a serial number, they placed a call across to Heya to confirm whether she had truly sent Sara for it. She was then directed to the VVIP area.


    Apparently, there had separate floors for normal customers, VIP customers and VVIP customers.


    ''Heya was actually a VVIP customer? Just how much has she spent here on food?'' Sara wondered as a salesperson led her there.


    They took the elevator to the VVIP floor. After the salesperson showed it to her, she left. Thankfully, they could allow her wander around since she was with a ''VVIP'' coupon.


    The place looked like a garden. She marvelled at how they could make an indoor restaurant look like an outdoor garden with trees. She couldn''t tell if the tress were real or an artificial.


    The people there were quite few. Each table was placed far from the other to ensure privacy, the place was larger than she had imagined.


    She sat at a table close to the window. It was going to be difficult for her to search for Changyu with these trees blocking her view. If she needed to search for her, she would have to walk around the place. Aside from the fact that she was not properly dressed, she might look strange to the others. But she was very sure that the Songs were in this VVIP area.


    A waitress came to ask for her order.


    ''Even the servers look better than me'' She thought sadly.


    The waitress was nicer to her than the people at the counter earlier. Of course, she would be as she was pretty sure that Sara wasn''t a fake since she was able to pass through the authentication processes.


    Sara handed her the coupon. When She saw the name ''Li Heya'' on it, She even became more polite. The people who had seen Li Heya could be counted by her five fingers. Many people didn''t know her but just the ''LI'' name alone had power to it. Sara was pretty sure it was another reason why she had received a VVIP coupon.


    When the waiter left her, Sara decided to take her chances and check around. She took a deep breath and stood up. She was only able to take a few steps before deciding against it and went back to her sit.


    After receiving a bag from the server which had the food in it, She left the room. Since there was still time and she was less busy, she decided to wander to the other floors. If anyone was bothered about the way she dressed then they should take her shopping. She took the elevator to the floor next above the ground floor which was the VIP floor.


    The place also looked really nice but compared to the other one, this looked normal and had more people present there. She really felt bad for the normal customers. She didn''t want to imagine how theirs would look like compared to these two. Or she should feel bad for herself instead since she can''t even afford to become a normal customer here.


    She wanted to turn back after seeing the place then, something caught her attention.


    ***


    Ms Long was already bored with the date. Zhang Hansong seemed to be an egotist who has been talking about himself and his achievements the entire time. She preferred to slave at work than to sit here with him for another minute.


    "It was nice to meet you. I''ll leave now" Ms Long said before getting up.


    "Now? why? Did I bore you?" Hansong asked as he also stood up.


    "You didn''t. I just remembered I have work to do now" She replied with a straight face.


    "So you are trying to walk out on me?" He asked with a smirk.


    Ms Long just stared at him without saying anything then turned to leave.


    Hansong annoyed, he pulled her back forcefully. Which got people''s attention.


    "Mr Zhang! What do you think you are doing right now?" She asked angrily.


    "You can''t walk out on me. I''m not done talking. So be a good girl and sit back down" He said.


    Ms Long scoffed. No wonder he was still single even at 35. With this shitty personality of his, who would agree to marry him?


    "What did you just do?" He asked when he saw her scoff at him "You think you can look down on me because you work for Li Muchen?... Do you also warm his bed? Why don''t you warm mine also?" He cackled like the maniac he was.


    The waiters couldn''t do anything. He was a VIP and annoying a customer could cost them their jobs or worse.


    "Mr Zhang. I''m not cut out for this right now. So if you don''t mind, let go of me right now" Ms Long was terribly annoyed and embarrassed. His words embarrassed her further. He had said them aloud and people were present there. This would bring a bad name to Mr Li and herself. She had to leave here. Why on earth would her mother set her up with someone like this? She had heard about Zhang Hansong before. The Zhang corporation, which belonged to his father was in charge of supplying Cosmetics to G-Global. She had never had any chance to meet with Hansong since she dealt directly with his father when G-Global was still within her jurisdiction. Now that it had been placed under Li Hoy''s control, she had no relation with them and had never had the opportunity to meet with Hansong until now.


    "Ms Long?" Sara called in surprise.

 Chapter 75 - Fighting in public

    Ms Long looked at her in surprise. "What are you doing here?"


    "I came for something. Why is he holding you like that?" Sara asked and glared at Hansong.


    Hansong dropped Ms Long''s hand and looked at Sara. "How dare you look at me like that?" He used a finger to push her forehead back.


    "Mr Zhang what do you think you are doing?" Ms Long asked.


    "Ms Long let''s leave now" Sara completely ignored Hansong which further enraged him. He raised his hand to hit Sara but his hand was intercepted by her.


    "You are Mr Zhang right? You should behave. I''m not in the right mood to play with you" Sara said as she looked at him aloofly. Then forcefully dropped his hand.


    By now, they were security men around to control the situation but Hansong blew up.


    "No one should come here. No one should dare" He threatened them then turned back to Sara. "What did you just say? Say it again!" He dared her.


    "Sara, let''s leave now." Ms Long held her hand and pulled her to her side so they would leave but Hansong dragged Sara back.


    "Do you know who I am?" He asked her.


    "I don''t see how that concerns me. Let go of me now" She demanded.


    Sara was already tired of this back and forth conversation. She only came for a meal for goodness sake. There was only one way to stop this. She smiled at him and spoke.


    "Are you so mad that a girl is talking back at you? What can you do then? You can''t possibly hit me right?" She teased.


    He got annoyed the more and lifted his hand to hit her. This time, Sara did not stop him as he hit her cheek. Which caused her cap to fall on the ground.


    There were loud gasps around the the restaurant when he hit her. Even Ms Long covered her mouth in shock. What made everyone further surprised was the fact that Sara was still smiling. She used her left tumb to clean the blood a little cut from her lip produced.


    "You all saw that right? He hit me first!" Immediately she finished speaking, to everyone''s surprise, she slapped Hansong TWICE on his cheek.


    The force he used caused him to fall on the ground. The gasps this time was louder than the first. "You should have just let me be when I asked earlier. Bullying people is wrong!" She lectured.


    Hansong was startled to see blood coming out from the corner of his mouth. "You...you..you" He pointed his index finger at her and tried to say something but nothing could come out.


    Sara turned to leave with Ms Long when they saw someone standing behind them.


    "You! Better stand there" Hansong got up and tried to pull her back before he saw Mo Dexi staring at them.


    "You should be ashamed of yourself. fighting in public like that" Dexi said to Hansong.


    "Mis...mister Mo. I..."


    "Let''s talk later. You should leave now" Dexi interrupted.


    After Hansong hid his tail behind his legs and left the place, Dexi turned to Sara and Ms Long.


    Ms Long greeted him. So did the servers and security personnel. Sara was not interested and was about leaving when he spoke. "Sorry about his behaviour."


    Sara scoffed. "Acting like a gentleman as if it had anything to do with you"


    Dexi smiled when he heard her. ''She still hasn''t changed one bit'' He thought.


    That smile. Sara hated that smile. If his smile was half as beautiful as Mr Li''s, she wouldn''t mind speaking with him. Without looking at him a second time, she went to the counter where she left her bag pack and the bag containing the food.


    Ms Long bowed slightly to him and left with Sara.


    Sara didn''t bother doing anything else and left the place. She didn''t even bother waiting for Ms Long since they both hadn''t been on good terms these past few days.


    Song Changyu who was entering the restaurant caught a glimpse of Sara who was heading towards her direction and stopped to look at her properly. Her heartbeat skipped a bit when she got a closer look at her face. Sara who wasn''t paying attention to anything, passed her and went outside.


    "Are you okay madam?" Her PA asked when he saw her staring into space.


    "I... I am good." She nodded and continued walking. Not before turning to look back again.


    When she looked forward again, she bumped into Dexi who was holding a face cap in his hand.


    "Aunt! I was not expecting to see you here" He said then bowed.


    "Who... who are you?" She asked.


    Her PA whispered something to her then she looked at him in surprise.


    "Ah! you are Mo Dexi?"


    He smiled and affirmed it.


    ***


    "You shouldn''t have done that" Ms Long said to Sara when she met her outside.


    "I would have done it for anyone." Sara responded "Why didn''t you stand up for yourself?"


    "I can''t act rashly. I work for Mr Li. Any of my actions may likely affect him. No one would remember the name Chou Long. Everyone would call me Mr Li''s Secretary" Ms Long replied. "Does it hurt?" She asked, pointing to Sara''s bruised lip.


    Sara shook her head. "I actually feel nothing.... I''ll leave now"


    "Wait!" Ms Long stopped her from leaving. "I''m... I''m sorry about earlier..."


    "It''s not your fault" Sara interrupted.


    "I wasn''t talking about that. I''m talking about the hospital incident. I shouldn''t have reacted the way I did. It was wrong of me" She said.


    Sara looked at her without saying anything for a while. She tried to put herself in Ms Long shoes to know if she would have also reacted the same way. Would she have also done that?

 Chapter 76 - Your time is up

    "It''s all good. I think I can understand it from your perspective also. And I''m sorry for also overreacting that day. I was not in the right mood"


    "You are always not in the right mood" Ms Long laughed when she remembered Sara had also mentioned not being in the right mood to Hansong.


    They both smiled at each other. And with that, thir little tiff finally ended.


    "Yes, what did you come here for again?"


    Sara was about answering when she saw Dexi heading their way. ''Oh god!''


    Ms Long was also uncomfortable with his presence. But she just couldn''t shoo him away.


    "It''s Sara right? I''ll drop you off" Dexi said with a smile.


    "I''m not interested. Ms Long, you could give me a ride home right?" She asked.


    Ms Long nodded. Dexi looked at her properly for the first time. "I know you right?" He asked her. Ms Long nodded and introduced herself.


    "No Wonder I felt you looked familiar. But what is Mr Li''s Secretary doing with her?" He asked.


    "Mind your business already. Let''s go Ms Long" Sara interrupted. She was able to understand what Ms Long had been saying about people only seeing her as Mr Li''s Secretary.


    "No problem. I''ll still tail you guys to your place. It would be easier to visit you then" He replied nonchalantly.


    "Are you dumb or you think I''m dumb? If I let you drop me off won''t you also know my place?"


    "Then have a word with me and you won''t have to do both" He replied. "You forgot this" He handed her the face cap.


    Sara rudely collected it from him and asked.


    "Who do you think you are to give me options?"


    "Me? I''m...No one." He said with a smile then added "Please..."


    Sara looked at her watch. It was just slightly after Five in the evening. She still had time. Besides that, she didn''t want him following her to Mr Chu''s apartment.


    "Ms Long. Thank you. I''ll have a word with him"


    Ms Long did not know whether to leave Sara with him or not. She was aware that Sara could take care of herself after watching her earlier. Another conflict that arose within her; She didn''t know whether to report today''s incident to Mr Li or not. But she knew she had to in case Zhang Hansong tried to come after Sara.


    "Let''s go inside" He said.


    "You must really be fond of ordering people around. We''ll talk here. And make it snappy" Sara said.


    "Talk Here?" He looked around. They were standing outside the restaurant. How was he supposed to stand here and speak with her?


    "Let''s talk in my car then... please..." He added again.


    They both got to the car park. Sara placed the bag containing the meal on his SUV''s hood and folded her arms. "You have 5 minutes" She declared.


    Dexi laughed. "You must have been an empress in your previous life to be so bossy now"


    "I hope you realise your time is counting?" She reminded him.


    "Aren''t you curious why I didn''t look for you after that night?" He went straight to the point when be noticed she was serious about the timing.


    "I totally forgot about your existence" She said disinterestedly.


    "Ah! That''s cruel. I actually wanted to but I told myself that if we met again, then it was fate. And here we are" He concluded with a smile.


    Sara laughed. A very short insincere laugh. "I thought I made it clear to you that I didn''t want to have anything to do with the Mo''s"


    "You are pigeonholing Darling. You may think everyone in my family is the same now but I''m different from Jinyong."


    "I can see that" She said with a smirk.


    "Don''t you want to take revenge on Jinyong?" He asked.


    "Revenge is pointless. I have no interest in things like that." She replied then remembered something and decided to mock him a bit. "You keep acting like you''re a king but you were in the VIP area? I thought someone like you would be in the VVVIP area"


    Jinyong chuckled "Of course, If there was a VVVIP area then I would have been there. I went there because of you"


    "What do you mean? Sara asked.


    "I dropped something very important. I was checking the security footage when I saw an interesting scene and decided to watch the live show" He winked at her. "That slap must have hurt. I would have stopped him if I had entered on time. But the slap you gave him was magnificent! Ah! was that what you wanted to offer to Jinyong before I interrupted that night?" He asked excitedly.


    Sara didn''t bother answering him.


    "How''s your lip? Does it hurt? Should I take you to the hospital?"


    "What do you want from me?" Sara asked. "Sex? Love?"


    Dexi was taken aback by her question. "That was really straightforward" He scratched his head and spoke. "I''m not sure yet. But with time I would figure it out"


    "With time? Who would give you that time?" Sara asked.


    "You don''t...."


    "Stop!" She interrupted him. "Your time is up!"


    She wore her cap, carried the bag from the car''s hood and walked out on him without turning back.


    Dexi laughed. ''What an interesting girl''


    **


    Muchen who was in his office, wondered why Ms Long was calling him when she was supposed to be having her blind date.


    "Mr Li?"


    "Yes. What is it?" He asked.

 Chapter 77 - The only thing you did wrong.

    Ms Long sat in her car, still contemplating whether to tell Muchen or not.


    But she knew it was necessary. Despite how she had treated Sara. Sara still came to her rescue. She felt really terrible and knew she had to swallow her pride and apologize to her.


    "I got into a little trouble today" She said


    Muchen who was still busy flipping through some files didn''t raise his head when he spoke. "Send me the details. I''ll handle it for you"


    Ms Long was touched when she heard him. A small smile appeared on her face. Working for Mr Li, a lot of persons she met with had told her he wouldn''t mind discarding her and she should stop being a loyalist. He didn''t even bother asking what happened but agreed to handle it.


    "Mr Li... actually, Sara....got hit" She said.


    His hand that was flipping the file went still. He fully concentrated on the conversation. "What did you say? Say it again" He demanded.


    "She tried to stop Zhang Hansong from bullying me then she got hit" Ms Long repeated.


    "Zhang Hansong? He also bullied you? Where did this happen" He stood up abruptly and reached for his coat.


    "We were in delight having lunch" Ms Long replied.


    "Delight? What was she doing there? Where is she right now?" He left the office in a hurry without even glancing at his employees who were greeting him.


    "She...she went with Mo Dexi."


    Muchen''s footsteps stopped. ''Mo Dexi was still troubling her? And she actually went with him?'' "Where are they?"


    "I think they went inside the VVIP car park. I''m currently at the VIP park" she said.


    ''Sara Wang! I think I have to tie you up and keep you in my place to stop you from getting into trouble''


    **


    Sara finally sighed in relief when she left there. Today had been a bad day for her. She only hoped the day would not get worse. Ah! It just did. She had to walk a longer distance before getting a bus. And also had to walk another longer distance before getting home. She was already tired. Even the bag was quiet heavy for her.


    She stomped her feet on the ground angrily. "If not for that Mo Bastard. Ms Long would have dropped me off" She said and kicked an empty beer can lying on the street. Speaking about Ms Long, her eyes widened. She had to tell Ms Long to not tell Mr Li about what had happened today. She must tell her not to. She took out her phone from her back pack and found 3 missed calls from Mr Li and a text from her father. She forgot she had silenced her phone before she entered the restaurant.


    When she saw the missed calls, her heart skipped. She was doomed! Ms Long must have informed him already. She opened the message from Jianjun first. She didn''t want to call Mr Li back. What if he scolded her. She read Jianjun''s text..


    ''I hope you are shopping well. You''ll be embarrassed if you come back home without shopping bags *winks*''


    When she saw the message, she didn''t know whether to laugh or cry. Shopping bags? Let her be embarrassed then!


    She then saw another message from Heya. It must have been the one she was asking her about.


    ''Sara, Are you well? I''m really bothered that you suddenly left the gym. I hope it''s not a bad news. And I hope you are not sick''


    Sara smiled when she read the text. But it was short lived because there was an incoming call from Mr Li.


    She was really not willing to take this call. What if he shouted at her. When she saw Ms Long there earlier. She had wanted to leave. She didn''t like meddling in other people''s businesses except on special occasions. But then she heard Hansong mention Mr Li. And asked if Ms Long was warming his bed. She didn''t know when she dropped her things over at the counter and went there. She had actually wanted to give him a good beating. But she had to restrain herself because she didn''t want to cause trouble there.


    "Sara where are you? Why were you ignoring my calls? Are you okay?" He threw the questions at her immediately she took the call.


    "Mr Li.. I.. I''m okay. Why were you calling?" she asked. ''He must have not been aware'' She was finally relaxed


    He sighed in relief. ''She sounds fine''


    "If you were okay then why weren''t you taking my calls? Or... are you with someone?" He tightened his grip around the steering when he asked.


    "No. I''m heading to the bus stop now" She answered.


    Muchen smiled. His hands relaxed. ''She really didn''t go with him''


    "Where are you? Wait there! I''ll come pick you up now"


    "Ah! Mr Li. No!" She firmly rejected. She didn''t want him to see her like this. She was not properly dressed, had a bruise on her lip. She knew she was a mess.


    "Why?" He asked.


    "I... I.. I''m at the bus stop now" She blurted out a lie.


    "Sara. You''re not a good liar. I guess you''re taking the same route I''m on now. I just passed the nearest bus stop from Delight. Don''t move an inch" He hung up on her after speaking.


    ''What? nearest bus stop from Delight?'' Then he must be aware. ''goodness! Why was today like this?''


    Soon, she saw his car coming and braced herself. She was going to lie. Make excuses, whatever it was for him to not see her as a troublemaker.


    He got down from the car and walked straight to where she was standing. The first thing he did was to collect the bag from her hand and placed it in the back seat.


    Sara was uncomfortable with the way she looked. Her head was down and she tried to use both hands to cover the ripped parts of her Jean.


    "Sara... " He called gently.


    "Mr Li I''m sorry. This is not how I usually dress. I... I just wanted to stroll on these today. And I didn''t mean to hit that guy earlier. He... he was saying un-nice things about you. And I didn''t mean to ignore your calls. My phone was silent" She blurted out before he could say anything else. ''Wait! why was she apologizing about the way she looked and ignoring his calls?'' She wondered.


    Muchen just smiled at her. He had been thinking she was with Dexi that was why his calls were ignored. So she had actually hit him because he was saying ''un-nice'' things about him? ''Where does she get her vocabulary from?''


    Muchen stretched his hands and took off her Cap to look at her face properly. He saw the little cut on her lips and raised his hands to touch it gently. His touch startled Sara and she blinked a couple of times and raised her head to look at his face.


    "The only thing you did wrong was hitting him just twice" He said.

 Chapter 78 - Body language

    It was quarter to seven in the evening but the day was already getting dark. Notwithstanding, the street lights were on, so Sara could clearly see Muchen''s face.


    It was difficult to concentrate with his hand on her face and his gaze solely on her. She knew she had to step back. She knew she couldn''t keep standing there with him like this. But she couldn''t. His touch seemed to warm her up. After having a bad day, she felt better with him around. She could hear her heart beating fast and she feared he might hear it.


    She tried to say something but nothing could come out except an hiccup. She tried again, Hiccup.


    Muchen seemed to revel in her discomfort. He was glad to know he had such an effect on her. Then, He smiled at her.


    His smile got her heart beating even louder. She was finally seeing something refreshing after Dexi''s contaminated smile. But then, she instinctively turned her head and took two steps back. She didn''t want to keep staring. For some reason, she was feeling weak and dizzy.


    "You... you... are not angry...at me?" She stuttered. So the only thing she did wrong was hitting him twice? Ah! She would have as well beaten him to a stupor.


    He looked at her without saying a word. Then to her surprise, he stretched a open hand at her. Sara knew immediately that he was asking her to take his hand.


    Her mind was in a great tumult. ''Should I take his hand?'' She remembered the movie she had watched when a girl accepted the guys open hand and he had said he was asking for his car keys instead, which got her embarrassed.


    "Are you asking for my hand or something else?" She asked.


    Muchen cracked up. "What else would I be asking you of? Do you want to give me your heart instead?" He teased. He no longer waited for her and just took her hand and pulled her to his side. He studied her face closely and spoke softly "You really look like your father. It would have been nice if you were as observant as him" He commented.


    Sara had been surprised by his earlier action and his word about ''giving him her heart'' She didn''t want to dwell on it. So she chose to dwell on his last comment instead. "Eh? Are you saying I''m not smart?" She fired back.


    He wore her back her face cap but made sure the visor was at the back to he could still see her face clearly then he flicked her forehead. "You''re only less smarter than him" He smiled.


    Sara did not know when she laughed back. Or why she even laughed back. He was indirectly calling her dumb and here she was, laughing with him.


    Muchen was surprised. It was the first time he had really seen her laugh like this¡ªand with him. He was entranced by it.


    Both of them were not making any effort to get into the car. They just stood by the side of the road staring at each other.


    "Does Ms Long usually report every detail about your employees to you?" She asked.


    "No"


    "Then about today..."


    "Zhang Hansong is a dangerous person. He might come for you again. So I need to handle the matter before that thought pops into his head" He said before resting his back on the car and invited Sara to do same. She didn''t decline.


    "How do you intend to handle it? I really didn''t mean to be a bother"


    "You''re not. I''ve been looking for an excuse to take care of him. You should have given him a good beating for me"


    Sara laughed. "I really should have then."


    "What were you doing there?" He remembered to ask.


    "I received a coupon from Heya so I went to use it. god, I shouldn''t have gone there. They''re all so mean" She used a hand to cover her face.


    "What did they do to you?" Muchen asked.


    Before Sara knew it, she had turned to a whining child. "I had no idea they were so discriminative. I mean, I went there to use it. They were supposed to allow me enter right? But they sent me out. When i even got in, they were all looking at me like I''m causing some kind of social problem with my presence"


    Muchen chuckled and looked at her. She became conscious of her self and used her hands to cover the ripped parts of her Jean.


    "Sara. You can dress the way you like. But I won''t lie, you do look like a gangster." He smiled at her and continued. "Ripped Jean doesn''t really tell well of you. I don''t mean to be judgemental. You look good on anything. But you can do away with your ripped Jeans right?"


    Sara blushed. She didn''t know if it was from embarrassment or the fact that he said she looked good on anything or the fact that he was this close to her.


    Muchen noticed it but said nothing. Just like the way he had noticed her blush earlier when he touched her face.


    As if being hypnotised, she nodded. ''


    Wait, why am I nodding? I love this trousers!'' She wanted to shake her head to tell him know built when she saw the way he was looking at her, she continued nodding.


    He gave her a warm smile. "Good! Then let''s go get you treated before it gets infected."


    Sara almost laughed. It didn''t hurt at all. Did all rich folks always throw money at irrelevant things.


    "It doesn''t hurt" She said.


    Muchen shook his head. He had wanted to say something naughty but he just smiled and led her into the car.


    Sara pouted and followed him quietly.


    **


    "Should we follow them?" Dexi''s Secretary who was sitting at the front passenger''s seat asked Dexi who was sitting behind.


    Dexi looked at the empty spot which earlier had Sara, Li Muchen and his car. He didn''t know why he had followed Sara even when he knew she was adamantly going to refuse his assistance for a lift home.


    He had been wondering why Ms Long was with Sara and why Sara was in a place like Delight. Now it made sense. The image of Sara smiling at Muchen flashed through his mind. Even though he was far and couldn''t hear what they were saying, he could understand their body language too well.


    She had even timed him and walked out on him but she stood by the side of the road and laughed with Li Muchen? He scoffed.


    He had been looking forward to a challenge in getting Sara. But he had not expected this. He could feel a lump in his throat while his hand clutched tightly the document he had been holding.


    "Home" He said.

 Chapter 79 - Confused

    The entire ride to the hospital was quiet. Sara had a lot going through her mind. Muchen wasn''t saying anything either, he only wondered what she was seriously thinking about.


    "Are... you okay" He asked with his gaze still on the road while he drove.


    Sara didn''t hear him. She was still lost in thought. She had known Muchen for just a week now but it felt like she had known him for a really long time. How was she so comfortable with him? She admitted to herself¨C his smile, his height, his body built, his everything, attracted her. There was nothing she hated about him. She had thought he was a snob and showoff but she could no longer find any fault on him.


    Within a week, she had seen different sides of him. From when their eyes met in his office nine days ago. When he said he was going to protect her from those thugs six days ago. When he had hugged her and told her he was sorry.


    Her heart raced faster when she recounted every moment they had spent together. She had assured herself that day, when Heya asked if they were having a love confession, that she wasn''t going to fall for her boss. She had said she was done with these rich folks. She even assured her father there was nothing going on. But only a few days, she had not even been paying attention, she was already getting attached to him. She could let him hug her, touch her, without her flinching. She even smiled when he teased her.


    She must have gone crazy! She was so embarrassed at herself. A part of her felt Mr Li liked her. But what if she was just deluding herself into thinking so? She didn''t want to make mistakes. That mistake Jianjun, her father, had told her that people were bound to make, She didn''t want to make it. Jinyong had been like that. Treated her nicely. Told her he loved everything about her. He never complained about anything. He had even kissed her, and she let him¡ªan empty emotionless kiss that she had found boring. Muchen could also be a player. Trying to get her into bed and discard her. He had been there, when she entered that room two years ago, when their eyes first met. He had been there. Even though he had not been with a partner. What was he doing there then? One can''t be too careful.


    She just prayed he would never tell her he liked her. She didn''t want to ask him either. Neither did she want to hear his Yes or No answer.


    She wasn''t sure how she was going to react. There was nothing about her to like anyway. She wasn''t as refined as any socialite she had come across. She used vulgar words, dress roughly, her family didn''t have enough, there were even mockery about her aunt getting pregnant outside of wedlock. Not to mention her ugly past. If anyone knew about it, it was over! What was there to like about her?


    The thoughts saddened her. She had to control herself to not cry here.


    "Sara, are you okay?" This time, he turned to look at her.


    She turned to look at him. After registering what she was just asked, she nodded gently. "I''m good"


    Her voice was unstable. He took note of it. He also noticed her sour mood. He didn''t know what to do. He had never been so confused in his life because of a girl. He wanted to know desperately, what she was thinking. What she felt about him. He knew the attraction was there. He didn''t know whether she was aware or not. He had intended to take things slowly. He felt he should give her time to heal since it was barely up to two weeks ago that she met her friend and boyfriend in a room together for their engagement. He wanted to give her time so she would willing love him deeply without her knowledge before he came to her. She was a very rational person; she tend to plan things in her head before acting on it. He felt that if he told her now, about how he felt, she would think of a thousand and one reasons why she shouldn''t be with him. He was really confused.


    Soon, they arrived at the hospital. "We''re here" Muchen said. It was the same hospital he had been admitted on. The one that belonged to Ms Long''s parents.


    When Sara saw it, she laughed sadly. It was just a small cut. Even when she fell sick, she always forbade Jianjun from sending her to the hospital because it would cost them much. But here she was. Just because of a cut. She was not used to this. She was not sure she would ever be used to this. All she wanted right now was to go home. She didn''t want to get used to him. In a low voice she said "Mr Li. I... want to.. go home".


    Muchen stopped her with a hand when he noticed she was about to leave the car. "What''s wrong? Are you sick?" He asked worriedly.


    She looked at his hand on her arm with sad eyes. He noticed and dropped his hand. "What''s the matter?" When he saw she wasn''t saying anything, "Alright. I''ll drop you off" He said.

 Chapter 80 - What am I going to do

    His car arrived at his mansion. Unlike every other day where he had a smile plastered on his face, today he didn''t find any reason to smile.


    "Brother Dexi. I have been outside for a long time. They refused to let me enter" A young pretty lady whined and pouted as she linked an arm to his.


    Dexi looked at her. For some reason, he found her presence irritating. Nothing felt right with him tonight. He unlinked their arms.


    "I asked them not to. Your time is up" He almost laughed when he noticed he was using the same choice of word as Sara.


    That was his way. He didn''t care whether anyone frowned about it, whether the society frowned about it. He was not loyal. Never wished to be loyal. He was even tired of girls running after him all the time. They all needed something¡ªHis heart, body or money. Except one. One, who didn''t care about him, one who disliked him, one who even timed him.


    "Brother Dexi, what do you mean by that? We just started dating a week back"


    "I never said we were dating. You were deluding yourself" He walked past her into his mansion. Not bothering to hear her cries and cusses about him being just what everyone said he was.


    He knew. He was aware. They all knew also, that he was a hard nut to crack. They kept coming with the intention of being able to crack the nut, to crack him. Expecting him to fall for them. But it all ends in the same pattern.


    He checked his home phone for any messages then saw a few from different other girls.


    "Bro Dexi, you''ll come over tonight right, or should I?"


    "Sweetheart, I prepared your favourite. Let me know when to bring it over"


    "I had a dream. We were walking down the aisle. It was so wonderful"


    Dexi scoffed when he read the messages. He felt am headache coming. He was tired already. That night, he hadn''t planned on going to Jinyong and Weiyoung''s engagement party. He had to show up after his parents warned him not to miss it for any reason. After saying hello to Li Muchen and other prominent people, he sat at a quiet corner, finding great pleasure in the admiration he was receiving from the young ladies present there. He didn''t go with a date, neither did he want to flirt with anyone there. He had to act responsibly that night.


    They felt he was easier to seduce. Although, most of them had eyes for Muchen, they couldn''t shoot their shots. He was totally unapproachable and aloof.


    Dexi had just been sitting there, sipping from his wine glass and dreading that evening because he was sure his parents would give him a proper scolding about his Nephew getting married before him. Then, she entered. She strode confidently, she was pretty, plain, adorable. He thought she was going to throw a tantrum like his ex-girlfriends always do whenever they saw him with a new girl. But she laughed. She called them Shit head¨Cwhich got him laughing. She also told them they deserved each other and left there, still as composed as ever. He didn''t know when he followed her. He didn''t know what he wanted from her. But she rebuked him that night. Not once, but twice. He had refused to search for her or anything about her. He wanted to go about his life normally but if they met again, then it was fate. And he was going to make her stay around until he was sure what he wanted from her.


    Then, when he saw her today, When Zhang Hansong slapped her. His breath stopped. He hadn''t known it was her at first until her cap fell down. He had raced there to handle him before things got out of hand when he saw her hit him for the second time.


    A smile spread across his face when be watched. She was really fierce.


    As he sat on the couch, he looked at his elegant mansion. He felt really lonely for the first time.


    "I won''t be working with the Zhangs anymore" He said to his secretary who had been standing beside him. His secretary was curious to know why he was suddenly canceling his entire contract with the Zhangs but he knew it was not his place to ask and could only accept orders.


    "Have you prepared my Tux for my father''s birthday this Sunday?" Dexi asked. A light shone in his eyes when he remembered something. For this birthday, he would obviously be needing a date.


    ***


    When the car arrived, she knew they had gotten there. The entire drive there, Sara had been resting her back on the chair fully with her eyes closed. He knew she wasn''t asleep. But he didn''t make a sound. She gradually opened her eyes. After they both got down from the car, he brought out the bag from the back seat and handed it over to her.


    He didn''t say a word. Neither did she. She gave a polite nod and left for the apartment. He stood there. He didn''t move. She was already close to the door when she stopped. And after two seconds, she turned to face him.


    "Good night Mr Li. Have a safe trip home" She said in a quiet voice.


    Muchen gave her a warm smile. This was exactly what he had been praying for. What he had been hoping for. But right now, he wasn''t feeling so happy. He didn''t know why she was sad and he knew she wouldn''t tell him. "Good night Sara"


    She turned and finally went in.


    "Big Sis, welcome. I heard you went shopping. This doesn''t look like a shopping bag" Joreen spoke first. She had been waiting and pacing around. Curious to find what Sara would buy.


    Jianjun noticed Sara''s mood first and held her shoulders. "What''s wrong Sara?"


    She had been holding it back the entire time. She couldn''t cry in his car. She couldn''t cry with him present. She was grateful he didn''t ask her anything or pressure her to say something.


    Sara could no longer hold it back and burst into tears. "What....what... am I... going to do?"

 Chapter 81 - I love Li Heya

    He was lost in thought. He had no idea how long his phone had been ringing even as he drove down the streets of City B to his house. He hadn''t planned on leaving like that. He had walked to the door. Stood there, tried to knock. Then he heard sobs. It was Sara. She was crying. He didn''t know why but he felt he was a part of it. It was driving him crazy as he had no clue what he had done wrong.


    This time, he heard his phone ring and took it. It was a call from Ms Long.


    After leaving delight, she had gone straight to meet her father to let him know she was done going to any such dates again. She also called her mother to inform her that if they tried sending her to another, she was going to completely cut ties with them.


    Muchen had been mad at Ms Long earlier (the case between her and Sara). But after she called him this evening, he felt she was finally doing the right thing and decided to give her another chance.


    "I have sent it to her. A six months advanced salary."


    "How''s it going with your investigation on Mr Wang''s background?" He asked.


    "I haven''t been able to uncover much. But with a little more time, I may be able to do so"


    Muchen took a deep breath before speaking again. "Stop the investigation". He felt like he was encroaching. If Jianjun wanted people to know about his past, he wouldn''t have taken great measures to conceal it. Although he was curious, he knew that Jianjun''s past was a step forward in learning more about Sara. But he was willing to wait. He was going to wait.


    Ms Long didn''t know what Muchen was up to, or what he was thinking. She accepted and reminded him. "The meeting with Miss Song is this Saturday. On Sunday evening is Elder Mo''s birthday. The invite has been sent."


    Muchen was tired of hearing about the Mo''s. Just today he heard Sara left with Dexi. When he realised she was not with him when he went to pick her up. He had been so relieved. He could tell that Sara wasn''t even willing to give him a chance at all and that greatly delighted him.


    For Mo Dachuan''s birthday, he knew he had to be there. He remembered promising Sara that he was going to meet with Joreen this Sunday also. "Alright. Take the weekend off."


    "Excuse me?" Ms Long thought she didn''t hear him correctly.


    Muchen had promised Dr Long that he would also give her the weekend off. He had to fulfil that promise at least. "You should rest. You''ve been working hard"


    "I''m.. not complaining, Mr Li" She knew he was not going to change his mind. Once he put his mind to something, that was it. "Alright. Thank you"


    As his car arrived at his apartment, he dialed the number whose call he had missed earlier.


    "Mr Li. while you were by the roadside this evening, you were being watched. After checking the car''s plate number, we figured it belonged to the Mo family''s young master, Mo Dexi." A masculine voice spoke.


    This Dexi was becoming a thorn on his flesh. So he had even been watching them earlier? If he had known, he wouldn''t have left just like that without feeding his eyes more.


    He was impressed by his underlings. He had left his office in a hurry, he had no idea they had followed him discreetly. He was not bothered about Dexi taking pictures of him and Sara. He was quite sure that Dexi was interested in her. Besides, he wouldn''t want to get in the Li family''s bad side.


    ***


    Sara''s head was resting on Jianjun''s thighs as usual. But today, she wasn''t saying anything. She was done sobbing, or maybe she had to stop.


    "Big sis, why aren''t you saying anything? Who hurt you?" Seeing the cut on Sara''s lips, Joreen had imagined the worse. She had even joined Sara in crying when she refused to stop.


    "Sara, talk to us. If you got into trouble, I''ll handle it" Jianjun coaxed.


    She shook her head. "It''s fine. It was just a little accident" She finally answered them. She had to anyway. "I''m sorry for making you both worry. It was never my intention to do so"


    "What do you mean? You can tell us anything sis"


    Sara raised her head and sat on the couch in between the both of them. "I really don''t know what to say. I don''t know how I feel. I can''t think straight right now either. Once I can understand, I''ll speak up" She said and took the bag of food that had been placed on the table. "It''s for you. Heya''s gift"


    Jianjun know he couldn''t convince her to speak up anymore. So he didn''t force it and respected her wishes.


    When Joreen opened it and caught the pleasant sight and aroma of the Stir fried tofu with rice, her eyes twinkled. Jianjun could make it for her but not everyday. "Really? That''s nice. Give me your phone let me give her a call"


    Joreen and Jianjun looked at Joreen who was saying her ''thanks'' to Heya like she claimed.


    Joreen laughed out "Really? You''ve gotten to episode 6? I''m still behind. I''ll catch up with you tonight. I''m currently in episode 3.."


    Their conversation went on for a long time. They talked about how the female lead was too stupid and gullible, how handsome the male lead looked, how super cool the second male lead was and how they hated the second lead syndrome that was gradually approaching.


    When she remembered she had family members, she finally said her thanks and ended the call. "I love Li Heya" She said with a grin.

 Chapter 82 - Behind closed doors

    Joreen felt something was wrong. She took another bite. "Why does it taste like dad''s?"


    The exact same question was in Sara and Jianjun''s mind. It no doubt tasted the same. "Where did you get it from?" Jianjun asked Sara. He had not bothered to ask earlier since he knew she wasn''t in the mood to say much tonight.


    "From Delight." Everyone knew Delight so she didn''t bother explaining further.


    "You really went to delight?" Joreen asked in surprise.


    "Yes" She didn''t want to recall how she had felt there or what had happened there so she left it at that.


    Jianjun was thinking about something else. If it tasted exactly like his, even the secret recipe which he used was included. Then it meant something, the chef must have worked with his parents.


    He flashed back to the happy moments with his parents. Where he was in his early twenties and his sister, Cixi, still a teenager. His parents both loved their jobs. They worked tirelessly to build the restaurant to the point where it was recognised both locally and internationally. His parents loved them. They loved each other. He so much envied the relationship between his parents that he decided that he was going to be a chef also and swore to marry a chef himself. Even after studying accounting in school. Cixi Wang on the other hand, didn''t have such ambition. She wanted to be a doctor and their parents had sent her to the best medical school.


    They all worked and lived happily. And there, he had actually met, not just one apprentice who worked for his parents, but two women.


    All of that, shattered. The happy moments, the sweet promises, the lovely smiles. All vanished into thin air. He had wanted to leave. To take his own life. But then, there was Sara and his younger sister. He had to be strong for them. He looked at Sara who was eating her food quietly quietly. How time flies. It felt like yesterday when he held her cold little body on his hands. Now here she was, all grown up and pretty and had her own problems.


    He excused himself and went inside. Sometimes, men do cry. And when they do, it was behind closed doors.


    Sara looked at his retreating figure. She knew something was wrong but knew it wasn''t the right time to ask a question. It wasn''t the right time for anyone to ask any question that night. Even if she asked, he wouldn''t tell. She had obediently accepted every explanation he had given to her about his past. Cixi also didn''t mention anything. She had not been bothered. But now, she was. And she was going to uncover everything. He didn''t have to bear any burden alone.


    She looked at Joreen, whose eyes were also on her. "Just eat. It''s okay" Sara said to her.


    *


    Thursday came with a good weather bit a bad mood for everyone. Sara had deliberately gone to the Li''s place later than usual. As expected, Muchen had gone to work.


    "Are you okay?" Heya asked worriedly when she the shadows under her eyes.


    She hadn''t been able to sleep that night. She was thinking about her self, her life, her father, her aunt¨Cwho she hadn''t heard from for days now and desperately needed to confirm something from her. She was also thinking about Muchen.


    The credit alert she received that night had also complicated the way she was feeling. The amount had shocked her. It was enough to but an apartment for them, a small building for her father''s restaurant and sufficient miscellaneous to go shopping with if she chose. At that point, she really had no idea how to feel.


    She remembered his sad smile, his sad look when he watched her. He just kept popping repeatedly no matter what. She needed a distraction¨Cshe thought. A really good distraction.


    Even after putting her entire mind, body and soul into working out, it didn''t still help her. She remembered how he had been standing so close to her just the evening before. She could still see him sitting on that chair in the gym room, facing the window.


    "Sara stop it! What''s wrong with you? You''ve been jumping rope for the past hour" Heya held her hand.


    Sara sat on the floor, dazed. She used her hands to massage her temples. "I don''t... I really don''t know" She managed to say. Why on earth would she keep thinking about him all day? It was driving her crazy.


    "Wait, I''ll call Big bro¡ª"


    "No! No. Don''t call him!" She rejected firmly. She didn''t know what was wrong with her all of a sudden, or why her heart was beating faster. She wanted to see him. But at the same time, she didn''t want to.


    Heya could not understand what was happening. She didn''t know how to help either. She could only sigh in frustration.


    Muchen''s state was not better either. He kept finding fault in everything. For hours, they''ve been having a board meeting in Li corporation. Everyone was tired but could not complain about it. But unlike Sara, he knew exactly what was wrong with him. ''Sara Wang, you are gradually driving me crazy''

 Chapter 83 - Flashes

    When Sara got to the house, she was not surprised to find Miss Kang there. She had a big smile on her face as she spoke with Jianjun. "Yes, it''s next Friday. You have to be there"


    Sara knew instantly, what Miss Kang was talking about. It was Joreen''s end of session party. They really didn''t need Miss Kang to remind them but she had already made it an habit of reminding them whenever she came around. Since it was a good excuse to visit Jianjun. They just had to let her keep up with it.


    "Hello Sara, you look drained. Are you sick?" Miss Kang asked as she stood up to check her temperature.


    ''She''s acting like my mother already'' Sara almost giggled. "I''m good. You look lovely by the way"


    She blushed. "Thank you darling. I heard you moved when I visited your place yesterday. So I followed Joreen here today." She explained. "Oh. And you know Joreen missed school on Tuesday. I wanted to know what''s up" She winked at Sara.


    Sara was not in the mood to indulge her. After entertaining her for a while, she greeted Jianjun and went straight to the bedroom. It was almost time to pick up Bilike from the hospital. But before then, she needed a good sleep.


    When she entered, Joreen was busy with her laptop, watching a K-drama. "You should be reading for your exams" Sara advised.


    "Big sis. You''re early today. Are you sick?" Joreen paused the drama and faced her.


    "I''m good. I just want to rest for a while." She really did not want to bump into Muchen when he returned since it was getting to the evening already.


    "You should eat first. Dad prepared Nigerian Jollof rice. You can''t miss it" Joreen licked her lips to show how delicious it was.


    Sara gave a short laugh. "He should be saving money, why cooking extravagantly this period?"


    "You didn''t eat well last night. Even this morning. He hoped your favourite food would boost your appetite. Don''t disappoint him and eat it okay?"


    Sara didn''t know who was the big sister here right now. It was as if they had switched roles.


    "Come watch this. Just this scene. I''ll go bring your food in here for you" She took Sara''s hands and made her seat in front of the laptop which was positioned on the table.


    Sara sat there like a Zombie. She knew Joreen wouldn''t let her off if she refused to watch it. Then the scene appeared. "Isn''t this City Hunter?" Sara asked. She didn''t watch kdramas. But she had met a scene or two when Joreen was.


    "Yes, it is. The other movie refused to play" She complained "And I promised to catch up with Sis Heya." She pouted. "I was just rewatching it. And this is one of my favourite scenes. Enjoy your watch" Joreen left for the kitchen after she made sure Sara was watching it.


    On the scene was the Male and female lead featuring Lee Min Ho and Park Min Young. Both starring as Yoon-Sung and Nana.


    He sees nana sleeping on the couch and tucks her in, watching her sleep in that totally smitten way. He brushes the hair out of her face and gets up, but then stops and turns around¡­


    He leans down toward her face and traces her eyebrow with his finger And then he leans in ever so slowly, to kiss her. She opens her eyes. He stops, but he doesn''t pull away either and she squeezes her eyes shut. He moves towards her and as he got closer, his phone rang.


    ''Why does this feel so familiar?'' Sara wondered. She heard a voice in her head ask


    "Do you want to kiss me?"


    That voice, it sounded just like Muchen''s. And then, images began to flash through her mind. She was touching his dimple, he was smiling at her, they both spoke but she could not make out what they said to each other. She knew it must have been real. She had seen a blanket covering her when she woke up.


    She gasped in shock as she used both hands to cover her mouth.


    "Sis, are you okay? Are you fine?" Joreen asked as she carefully placed the tray of food beside the bed and moved to where she was.


    Sara gulped down whatever saliva she could find in her mouth and nodded. "Joreen Wang. Stop watching things like this. You''re still so young for this" She scolded and shut the laptop abruptly.


    Joreen didn''t know what was up with Sara. She just stared at her as she left the room. "What''s up with her these days? She''s always getting angry". She only wished her sister was okay.


    Sara met Jianjun returning from seeing Miss Kang off, in the living room. "You''re going out again?" He asked.


    "Yes. I need to take a stroll"


    "You look exhaused. You haven''t even freshened up. You should eat first. I prepared Nigerian Jollof rice" He said.


    It was one of Sara''s favourite. She liked eating it, especially with Jianjun''s special salad and duck meat. But today, she wasn''t really finding her appetite. "I''ll be back soon" And with that, she left the house.


    **


    She was just walking round the neighborhood when she caught glimpse of a car following her. "You don''t ever listen" She said to Dexi who was smiling at her as he got down from the backseat.


    "Missed me?" He asked.


    "I would have said you were the last thing on my mind. But you are not on my mind at all"

 Chapter 84 - Deal

    After several hours of being in the boardroom, the meeting finally ended. Ms Long knew something was wrong and even though it was not her place to ask, she had to. "Is something wrong Mr Li?"


    Silence lingered in the boardroom, which had only Muchen and Ms Long left, with her standing beside him.


    After a short while, he spoke. "You were my friend before you became my Secretary right?" He looked at her for the first time that day.


    She nodded and waited for him to continue.


    "Then I would love to hear you say something. Not as my Secretary. But as my friend. As Chou Long"


    Ms Long gave a small smile and sat down beside him. Today, she was going to be a friend.


    He contemplated for a while whether talking to her was a bad idea or not. But he knew he couldn''t talk to Minde instead. "Do you think my parents would like Sara?"


    Ms Long instantly understood what he was saying. She didn''t bother him into going into much details.


    That question had been in Muchen''s mind since the other night when he spoke with Jianjun.


    "Are you betrothed?" Jianjun asked him.


    "I am not. Neither do I have anyone in my life currently" He had simply answered.


    "So have you ever considered how your parents would react when they meet Sara?"


    Muchen hesitated. He really didn''t know how to answer since he didn''t care about what his parents thought about her. He only believed his love was the most important thing.


    "She''s my only child. She is important to this family as much as you are important to yours. I won''t send my daughter into a home where she is not accepted" Having said that, he left Muchen there without giving him a chance to respond.


    Everything was completely driving him crazy. He didn''t know how his parents would react since he had never taken a girl home in the first place. He felt the trouble was piling up. First, he had to bring Sara to his side, then made sure his parents liked her, then convince her father that his parents liked her. When was it ever going to end? He also had a very difficult grandma somewhere.


    ***


    "You must be crazy if you think I''ll go with you" The only reason she was still indulging him even while walking was because she needed the distraction.


    "Come on Sara. Are you playing hard to get right now?"


    She stood to look at him properly. He was about the same height as Muchen but slightly shorter. She didn''t care about his features. Whether he looked good or not, had nothing to do with her. "Do you have a problem with getting rejected?"


    "Yes. Exactly" He snapped his fingers.


    "Well then, deal with it" She continued walking. "If you keep up with this act of yours, I''ll have to report you to the police for stalking"


    Dexi chuckled. "You''re cool when you talk like that"


    Sara didn''t bother answering and just strolled the streets.


    "They''re going to be a lot of families you can make connections with. The Davids, Lins, Hwangs, Yuns Songs, Zhaos¡ª"


    "I''m not interested in building... Wait! What did you say?" She cut him off. "Songs? Song Changyu is going to be there?" She stopped walking and faced him.


    "Yes. you know her?" He smiled when he realised she was finally interested in something.


    It was silly for her to ask. She remembered that Changyu had been engaged to Dexi''s deceased brother, so obviously, she was going to be there.


    She was not going to let this opportunity slip by her. Although she disliked Dexi, she needed to meet Changyu. It was also a good distraction. She would have to kill two birds with one stone. "On one condition then"


    His face lit up when he heard her. "Tell me"


    "You''ll have to personally introduce me to Song Changyu" She said.


    "Why"


    "None of your business. Are you doing it or not?" She demanded.


    Was he supposed to tell her that Song Changyu was a woman even more difficult than her? He had thought that with their family ties, he would be able to meet her easily and secure a deal with her but it was impossible. He had been barely two years old when she left the country and has never seen her before. Even if he had, he didn''t remember. When he accidentally met her in Delight, She didn''t recognise him because his secretary was the one who had communicated with him on her behalf. Even after he introduced himself, she didn''t spare him any time to talk business. She was really a straightforward and practical woman. He wasn''t even sure he would get the chance to speak with her himself. Until Saturday, which was the day she had agreed to meet him for whatever business he was willing to discuss.


    "No problem. I''ll do that. We have a deal then?" He smiled at her.


    ''I hope I don''t regret this'' Was the only thing Sara could think of.

 Chapter 85 - You will

    Bilike could not believe what they had done to his Father''s apartment when he entered. He was amazed at how clean the place was. "Wow. You guys are amazing. If this place always looked like this, I''m sure Big Bro would always come home"


    He was referring to his orphaned cousin. Mr Chu had taken it up on himself to take care of him till he became an adult. He was the same person Mr Chu always tried to push Sara into marrying.


    They all laughed at his exaggerated expression. "You should rest. I''ll get you something to eat" Jianjun said and went inside.


    ***


    Soon, It was Friday. When she got to the Li''s place, Muchen had gone to work. She heaved a sigh of relief. Her eyes still had shadows. She had not been able to sleep that night either. She was really going to get enough distraction today.


    She wore a simple white tee-shirt and an ankle length plain trousers with white sneakers. She had to make an habit of dressing well.


    "Sara. You can dress the way you like. But I won''t lie, you do look like a gangster. Ripped Jean doesn''t really tell well of you. I don''t mean to be judgemental. You look good on anything. But you can do away with your ripped Jeans right?" That sentence kept echoing in her head that she had no idea when she locked up all her ripped clothes in a box that night.


    She enjoyed the fresh air as they biked down the City. She rode her bicycle slowly so Heya would catch up with her. She was glad Heya didn''t protest much and agreed to go with her. Heya was improving on her mental and physical health. She had been able to burn out a lot of calories and fats these past few days which had also surprised her. Sara took her to most of her favourite spots. Which greatly delighted Heya. Even the older people Sara introduced her to were all nice to her. Heya felt blessed to have met Sara. One, who was patient with her and understood the struggle instead of being judgemental.


    They finally stopped at a park. As Sara helped Heya massage her feet.


    "Li Heya?" A young man in his early twenties who was with a little boy, about age 9, called her.


    "Who... who are you?" Not much people knew Heya. So she assumed he had been from her school. But she wasn''t sure he was her classmate.


    "You''re correct. I was a class ahead of you. We belonged to the same music club. I''m Jin Cearo." He smiled. "And this is my nephew..."


    When Sara heard his name, she smiled sadly. Jin was her mother''s family name. Sara put that thought behind her and analysed him. He was tall and good looking, With a nice body frame. He had black hair and wide brown eyes. When she checked out his outfit she concluded he was from a rich home.


    "She''s my friend. Sara" She heard Heya say. Heya felt it would be embarrassing to tell him Sara was her Fitness coach.


    They all strolled. As Sara wheeled her bike while Cearo wheeled Heya''s with his nephew sitting on it. Sara could tell that Heya was not comfortable with this attention. When he asked if she was in college, he noticed she wasn''t saying anything and changed the topic to their high school. Another topic Heya hated discussing.


    "Do I make you feel uncomfortable Heya?" He stopped wheeling and asked.


    Heya also stopped walking. She looked at him and slowly nodded. "Sorry, I don''t.. I just don''t want to talk about anything that involves schooling."


    "We''ll talk music then" He smiled and continued indulging her. Here, she flowed freely with him. He had noticed she was a lover of music back then in high school. She was always present in the music club but never participated until one day when they urgently needed someone to play for them in the school''s social gathering. She had done so. And since then, became exposed to everyone. The jealous ones said a lot of mean things about her which he had also heard. Since then, she cut herself from the club.


    They saw a crowd gathered and decided to watch also. A young lady was singing an English song while the crowd swayed their heads and clapped their hands. She got to a point and could not go further as she had forgotten the lyrics. The crowd clapped as the moderator took over the mike from her.


    "Well, that was a wonderful performance. Who else wants to try? If you can sing an English song correctly, you''ll be going home with a free ticket to the WCI concert"


    "WCI? Bro Cearo. I want to go" His little nephew who was now standing on the ground tugged his shirt.


    "I''ll get you a ticket if you want" Cearo said.


    "I''ll prefer it if you won it though" He pouted.


    "Heya, why don''t you try?" Sara suggested.


    "Me?" Her eyes widened as she pointed a finger at herself. "You want me to sing?" She asked.


    "Yes, you can do English songs right?" Sara asked.


    Cearo and his cousin just watched the both of them without saying anything.


    "I can. But you don''t expect me to sing here. Besides, I''m not a fan of WCI crew"


    "You can get it for this cutie then" Sara pointed at the little guy whose eyes brightened.


    "What makes you think I''ll win?" Heya was getting tensed. Even her palms turned sweaty.


    "You will" Cearo spoke. "Because you are Li Heya"

 Chapter 86 - Im amazing

    "Hello Everyone. I''m Jin Cearo. And this here is my friend Li Heya." Heya didn''t bother raising her head to wave at them. She was a bunch of nerves. She was positioned to play the keyboard. She still remembered how people had looked at her when she walked over to the stage. She looked beside her. There was Cearo, who was on the mike. He had agreed to sing with her. The moderator had refused because they were giving out just a ticket. But he had told them they needed just one. They were both doing this for his Nephew anyway.


    It would be the second time playing in front of a crowd of close to a hundred people. The first wasn''t something she wished to recall. "We''ll be doing an English song. ''Read all about it'' by Emeli Sand¨¦"


    He signalled for Heya to start playing. She looked at Sara who was standing in the front, looking at her. Sara gave her a small smile and an encouraging nod. Beside Sara, Cearo''s nephew was also standing there. He gave her a bigger smile and thumbs up. Heya smiled back. She took a deep breath and carefully hit the chords. Both Sara and Cearo smiled when she finally did. The tune was soft and smooth. Cearo started


    ????*You''ve got the words to change a nation


    But you''re biting your tongue


    You''ve spent a life time stuck in silence


    Afraid you''ll say something wrong


    If no one ever hears it how we gonna learn your song?


    So come on, come on


    Come on, come on*????


    The crowd were awed by his voice and fluency with the English song. He signalled for Heya to sing the next part. She sang. It was the first time Sara heard her sing. Her voice was simply excellent.


    Heya was not looking up. She only looked at Sara who was smiling proudly at her. She felt the song was speaking directly to her. A song Cearo had chosen so carelessly. She felt it was for her.


    ????*You''ve got a heart as loud as lions


    So why let your voice be tamed?


    Maybe we''re a little different


    There''s no need to be ashamed


    You''ve got the light to fight the shadows


    So stop hiding it away


    Come on, come on*????


    Her eyes gradually pooled. She could finally see that she had disappointed herself. They both Sang. They flowed so well. As if they had both rehearsed it countlessly.


    Her confidence soared. She raised her head to look at the crowd of people for the first time. They were so entranced by their performance. Everyone paid attention even though most of them didn''t understand English. As usual with people, most of them were videoing.


    ????I wanna sing, I wanna shout


    I wanna scream ''til the words dry out


    So put it in all of the papers,


    I''m not afraid


    They can read all about it


    Read all about it, oh????


    They both sang it together and ended the song.


    It took a while before the crowd realised the song had ended. The applause rang across the entire street. Heya had a big smile on her face. She stood up. Cearo thought she wanted to hug him and opened wide his arms. But she quickly moved down to give Sara a big hug. "Thank you Sara." She said as tears flowed down. Happy tears. Sara also joined her. She was so proud of Li Heya.


    There was no question about it. They both had a landslide victory. "I''m glad I agreed to follow this little devil out. How could I have met you?"


    Heya blushed. She was also glad to have met him. She couldn''t remember the last time she spoke with a guy or did something that made her happy. Sara was conversing with the little guy. She had given them both a chance to talk. But it was already past 8 and she knew Heya had to go home. Thankfully, she had already placed a call to her chauffeur and he was there already.


    "What?" Heya looked at his stretched out hand quizzically.


    "Your phone." He said.


    Heya hesitated before taking out her phone from her pocket and placed it on his hand.


    After punching the screen for a while with his finger, his own phone rang. "That''s my number. Save it. I''ll be calling you from now on" He smiled and waved Heya and Sara good night before she could say anything else. His nephew joined him. They was a car waiting for them already. The little guy waved them both good night and left.


    "I think he is interested in you" Sara said with a big grin.


    Heya looked at the route their car had taken with smitten eyes. "He should be. I''m amazing" She said with a smile.


    Sara felt like crying when she heard her. She imagined the ''former Heya'' saying something like "No! why would he be interested in someone like me" But Heya now had confidence. Was it not the same confidence she lacked herself? It was funny how she could help someone else build their confidence while she didn''t have one.


    She held in her emotions and waved Heya off as she rode her own bike home.

 Chapter 87 - Fluctuating Confidence

    Saturday would have been like every other normal day. If the video of Heya singing in public had not been posted online.


    When she got back that night, she waited tirelessly for Muchen to return so she would tell him how she sang and received applause. But he didn''t return till she fell asleep. In the Early hours, he left for work without her meeting him. She had overslept after the biking yesterday. Even if she hadn''t biked, the joy in her heart would make her sleep peacefully.


    There was no need exercising today neither was there a need for Muchen to join them, since they had a stressful day yesterday. Sara helped Heya massage her body as she went on and on about how Cearo had called her once she woke up. And wanted to meet her one last time before he travelled back to school.


    "He seems like a nice guy" Sara commented.


    "I guess. But I''m not sure I''m ready to tell him yet that you''re my Fitness coach."


    "Why?" She was amazed at Heya''s fluctuating confidence.


    "I don''t know. Besides, it''s better to refer to you as my friend. We are friends right?" She asked with a smile.


    Sara laughed. "Of course. Who would not want to have the Almighty Li Heya as a friend?"


    "Not as much as they wish to be the Almighty Li Heya''s sister in law"


    Sara didn''t utter a word.


    "You don''t want that position?" Heya asked.


    "It doesn''t suit me" It was the only sentence Sara could make.


    Heya nodded and said with a smile. "You didn''t say you didn''t want it though."


    Sara stopped using her hands on Heya''s body and relaxed on the sofa. She was about to say something when her phone rang. It was Joreen who informed her about a viral video online. Some even captioned it.


    ''Jin''s young master and Li''s young mistress dating?''


    ''Li corporation''s young Mistress unveiled''


    Most people were shocked to have realised it was Li Heya. No one had actually paid attention at first. Everyone was talking about their voices and how amazing they sounded together. Until an anonymous user brought their attention to Cearo''s introduction of the both of them before they began singing. A lot of people did not believe because having the same name and surname was a normal coincidence. But the person had sent a photo of Heya getting into a car, with Sara standing beside her. Her former classmates also confirmed that it was Li Heya.


    Heya was almost at the edge of breaking down when she read the comments about how she was fat and that was why she had been hiding. Some said she would have made it in the entertainment industry if only she was fit.


    Her phone rang. It was a call from Cearo.


    Sara had tried everything she could to stop Heya from reading more. But Heya had refused.


    "Are you not going to take your call?" Sara asked her.


    Heya took a deep breath and answered it.


    "Are you okay Heya?" Cearo asked.


    "I''m fine. Are you okay?" She asked softly.


    He chuckled a bit before speaking. "Well, I''m good. I had no idea they took things so seriously here. We''ll get that down soon. How''s your family reacting to this?"


    The sudden mention of her family caused her to jolt up from the sofa. "Oh God! They are going to freak out"


    "They''re not aware yet?" He asked.


    "I don''t think so. I only just heard about it also."


    "You don''t have to panic. My family would get rid of all of it" His people had also been surprised to see a video of him online. And were in the middle of taking it all down.


    Heya paced round the room. All effort to calm her down by Sara was futile. She had tried reaching Muchen but he wasn''t picking up. She had called Ms Long but was informed that she took the weekend off and Muchen would probably be in a meeting with an important client.


    Sara kept going through the comments online. When she saw something, her eyes brightened "You need to see this" She passed her phone to Heya. When Heya saw it, her eyes widened.


    Muchen had just finished his meeting with Song Changyu when he saw several missed calls from Heya.


    He had expected to meet with Changyu personally, but had been shocked to find Mo Dexi there also, who was equally shocked to see him. When Song Changyu entered she spoke only twice, the first thing she said was "I''ll give you both 10 minutes each to explain why I have to sell the land to you"


    This came as a surprise to the both of them. After they were both done,she said. "You''ll both hear from me" And that had been all. It was more like they were being interviewed.


    Before he called Heya back, his secretary had briefed him on the entire issue.


    "Bro. Sorry, I didn''t know you were busy."


    "So you have a boyfriend now?" He asked.


    "Bro... what.. what. are you talking about?" She stuttered.


    "I saw that Jin guy trying to hug you. He''s lucky he didn''t succeed"


    Heya laughed. Sara who was also listening giggled silently.


    "I''m sorry. I didn''t think about the implication before I did that"


    "I''ll take care of it. You sounded amazing by the way" He complimented. When he was shown the video. He had been really surprised to see Heya singing boldly. Another thing that caught his eyes aside from Jin Cearo who had been wanting to hug her, was the pretty girl Heya hugged. She had really helped his sister a lot.


    He knew she was trying to avoid him. He had to make use of this chance. "Is Sara there?"


    Once he confirmed she was there, he asked Heya to pass the phone over to her.


    Her heart skipped when she heard him ask about her. She took the phone slowly and spoke.


    "Mr Li."


    ''How distant'' He thought. "I''ll send someone to bring Joreen over tomorrow."


    "Oh... okay. Thanks"


    After silence lingered for a while, he asked.


    "Are you free tomorrow night?

 Chapter 88 - Dont you feel ashamed.

    Heya smiled happily as she looked at her phone.


    ''Li Heya''s fan club''. The members rebutted every ill comment about her. A lot of people had been motivated by her courage and took her as their role model.


    ''I''m slim yet lack confidence. Wish I was like Li Heya.''


    ''Her family is rich, she''s pretty and super talented. What a blessing''


    ''Her voice is superb. I almost cried when I heard her.''


    ''She perfectly fits Jin Cearo. Someone please tell me they are dating''


    ''I''m fat and always hides myself indoors. I wish I could come out like her.''


    ''What a refreshing sight. She should definitely join the entertainment world''


    Anyone who tried to say something negative were violently backlashed. And just like that, most people continued praising her. Some encouraged her to open her private channel and drop videos of her singing. She began to regret since she knew everything would be taken down soon.


    She spoke to Sara. But Sara heard nothing. She felt like she had committed a grave sin. What sin did she commit anyway? She told him the truth. That she had plans for Sunday night. Why was she feeling down then? She had to do this. She only had to meet with Miss Song first. It was important to her. Then she would settle this whole thing on Monday.


    But going with Dexi, was something she had been rethinking. Was it really worth going there with him? But how else was she supposed to enter? She pushed every other thought from her head. She had to achieve this first.


    "That was fast" Heya pouted.


    Sara finally looked at her. "What did you say?"


    Heya showed her her phone''s screen. "They''ve taken it all down"


    Sara patted her back gently. "At least you know a lot of people love you. And you''ve inspired a lot of them also. I''m really proud of you"


    Heya held Sara''s hands and met her eyes with a firm gaze.


    "Sara...I think... I want to go to college"


    **


    Sara was about to answer their apartment when she received a call from a strange number. Who turned out to be Dexi. He obviously needed an award in stalking.


    "What is it this time?"


    She could hear excitement in his tone when he spoke. "You are always not happy to hear from me"


    "I don''t think I have any reason to be" She answered bluntly.


    "Are you free now? Let''s go get you something to wear tomorrow"


    Sara lightly hit her head against the wall. She had totally forgotten she would be needing an appropriate outfit for the occasion.


    "Are you there?" He asked when he didn''t hear any response.


    Sara cleared her throat and spoke."Did I mention I had none? Besides, why do you think I would want to shop with you?"


    "You''re my date. of course, you need to look the prettiest tomorrow"


    "Don''t delude yourself Mr Mo. We''re both using each other right now. And I''ll take care of my appearance" She cut the call when she was done speaking.


    Dexi chuckled. If all girls were like Sara, the world would have been quite an interesting place.


    When Sara entered the apartment, She saw Jianjun looking straight at her. "I told you I would take care of our apartment" He said.


    "I know. Just assume I''m lending it to you then" Sara answered and sat beside him. "I still have more than enough left."


    He didn''t know how to feel about Sara transferring her money to him. "Dad, you have been taking care of me for 25 years. It''s only normal that I do so now."


    His eyes shone "24 years Sara!" He corrected.


    She sighed and nodded. "24 years"


    ***


    Heya was glad Sara had already left the house before her mother arrived there. She was looking for the girl on the video and picture who had made her daughter expose herself to the public.


    "Can''t you see she''s a bad influence? What was Muchen thinking, hiring her as your coach?" Dana blew up.


    "Mum please stop it! Sara did nothing wrong. She''s my friend. It was my decision to sing there"


    "You now take her side? That girl cease to be your coach from today!"


    "MUM you can''t do that."


    "I can''t? I can do anything. I am Jiang Dana. Do you know the implication of that? To your father, to your brother, to me. Even to yourself. Have you thought of what might happen if your grandmother hears about this?"


    "PLEASE!" Heya raised her voice. Which startled the both of them, including the maids watching from their various hideout. "That''s all you care about. Do you ever think of me as your daughter?" Tears flowed down her cheeks freely. She didn''t bother stopping them.


    Dana''s mouth was agape. "She...she also taught you to speak to your mother like that?" Dana pointed a finger at her in disbelief.


    "Sara did nothing wrong. You should be grateful to her that she did something you all couldn''t do" She tapped her chest and spoke with a husky voice. "I... I really wanted to die. You all neglected me. You never cared how I lived or how I felt. You just wanted me to lose weight at all cost. When it wasn''t working, you completely ignored me and just fed me with food every time. You gave up on me! Don''t you feel ashamed?" She choked on her tears but continued "Don''t you feel ashamed that your only daughter prefers to stay with her brother than her parents?"

 Chapter 89 - Women were so difficult to handle

    Dana''s eyes turned bloodshot. "Heya, what..what are you saying?" When Heya noticed she was about to touch her, she avoided her touch. "Look at me, I guess you didn''t notice that I''ve reduced a bit. Because you''ve never really cared. Everyone keeps saying Li corporation''s young mistress has been in hiding. But is that really how it is? You all started it. You locked me in. You made me feel I would have been better if I was thinner. I eventually got used to that¨C To the fact that no one was going to like me as long as I remained fat. But you know what I realised today? Your weight doesn''t matter. Your look doesn''t even matter. You are who you are. I am Li Heya!" She declared and looked angrily at her mother. "I really regret growing up with the mentality you ingrained in me. If you really want to lose your only daughter, then fire Sara!"


    ***


    Muchen felt he was being punished as he looked at Joreen . Women were so difficult to handle. He had met his Mother and Heya quarreling yesterday and had purposely not interfered. His parents were both lovely people who loved themselves deeply. But they were bad at being parents themselves. His emotions were also ignored while growing up. They only cared about making him out to be the perfect heir to the Li corporation. When he became the CEO at 27, the first thing he did was to leave his family''s house and that had been the case till this very day. He never had thought to Heya''s side. He always felt whatever she did had been her decision. If he had known better, he would have taken her with him a long time back. Heya refused anyone''s consolation and locked herself in. His mother had cried and blamed Sara for making their daughter turn this way. Muchen didn''t want to involve himself at first, but he didn''t want her to push the blame to Sara. So he spoke up to let her know she had not really been a good parent. That had greatly broken her down and she left there in desolation.


    Now, he was faced with Joreen that Sunday morning. Sitting together with him on his car''s back seat. She had refused to say a word to him and just kept her head down.


    "Truthfully, I changed my mind about coming out with you" Her tiny voice spoke out as she raised her head.


    "I thought it was something you wanted" He said.


    "I didn''t want to mention this, but I can''t keep being quiet. Have you been bullying my sister?" She shot him an angry look.


    Muchen was startled by her question and adjusted. "No. Why would you think that?"


    "I can''t think of anyone else. She is easily annoyed these days. She rarely eats neither does she sleep. Did you by chance, hit her on Wednesday? There was a little cut on her lip."


    Muchen thought back to Wednesday and remembered it was the same day she had the encounter with Zhang Hansong.


    "It was someone else. He has been punished already"


    "Really?" Her eyes brightened. "But why did he hit her? She has refused to say anything"


    She had tried to ask Sara to come with her when the driver Muchen sent arrived. But she refused. She thought Muchen did something to her and so she refused to go with that ''monster'' until Sara laughed and told her she was going shopping for a party this evening. That had greatly delighted Joreen.


    "She doesn''t talk to me either." He said sadly. He was happy though that Joreen was finally willing to talk to him. "Tell me everything about Sara"


    Joreen smiled happily.. "Ooh.. the big boss is interested in my big sist right?"


    Muchen laughed but didn''t confirm or deny. Everything about Sara was interesting. Including her family members. They were also really smart and observant. Maybe¨Cexcept Sara.


    "If I tell you, Are you going to take me to the location site for ''The prisoners''?" She asked cunningly.


    Muchen was quiet for about 3 seconds before he spoke to his driver who had been surprised to see his boss speaking freely with a little girl. "Confirm the location for The prisoners and drive us there"


    He looked at Joreen. His look could be interpreted as ''See, We have a deal then''


    Joreen squealed excitedly.


    ***

 Chapter 90 - Beautiful

    Sara''s eyes widened in shock when she saw the pricetags on the evening gowns there. ''Seriously? it''s not even my wedding gown but I have to spend this much?''


    Everything there were stunning and of high end brands. She had deliberately entered into one of Li corporation''s branches to get the wears. When she entered, no one paid attention to her. They all focused on their customers. Except one who came to rudely ask her to leave if she wasn''t going to buy anything. Truthfully, she was having a double mind about it. The least amount she had seen there would mean she was going to clear her account. She apologised to the salesperson who gave her a dirty look for coming without any intention of buying. She was about leaving when she bumped into someone.


    ***


    "I''m coming out now" Sara announced as she stepped out of the room into the living room. Jianjun, Joreen and Bilike were all alert. As soon as they saw her, no one said anything. Everyone eyes shone. The first person to take a step was Joreen. She slowly circled Sara. Sara was wearing a flowing low shoulder Royal black evening gown. She had gone for an hair treatment earlier. Her flowing hair was brushed down her shoulders neatly. She wore a sliver plated pearl choker and a teardrop earring to match. Her make up was gentle and mild. She simply looked elegant and beautiful. "How do I look?" Sara asked with a smile.


    Jianjun staggered to were she was standing and gently pulled her into a hug. He couldn''t control his tears. "I''m sorry. I should have made you dress like this often" Jianjun sobbed.


    "Old men shouldn''t cry. Look, Bilike and Joreen are both laughing at you" She teased and hugged him back.


    "Sis, You look amazing. I''m sure you''ll be the prettiest tonight" Bilike complimented.


    "The dress wouldn''t have been this nice if you weren''t the one putting it on. You look stunning" Joreen said and joined the hug.


    When they broke away from the hug, Sara was able to take a few steps towards the door before she almost twisted her ankle "I hate heels" She sighed deeply and said.


    ****


    Dexi still couldn''t believe the girl beside him was Sara. When she walked out of her door, his breath seized. She looked like a goddess. A goddess he really wanted to keep for himself. He was proud to be going there with this goddess tonight. With his black tux and her black gown, they both looked like a perfect couple.


    He cleared the silence and spoke to Sara who was looking outside the car window. "You have a really great taste for fashion."


    She ignored.


    " I see why you didn''t want me going with you."


    Sara ignored.


    She really had not wanted him to go with her. He would have paid then she would be indebted. She didn''t like owing debts. Besides, if she really let him pay, then she would have to put up with his attitude or force herself to talk with him or even be nice to him. She wasn''t willing or ready for any of that.


    Dexi smiled. They both had a long night. She was going to speak with him anyway. But he was wondering where she got the outfit from since they all looked really expensive.


    It was after 7 when they arrived at Mo Dachuan''s mansion. When Sara saw people outside, she became tensed. Dexi noticed it. "You don''t have to worry. Just stick with me"


    Sara took a deep breath and they all got down from the car. He presented his arm for her to take it but she wasn''t interested and gave him a stink eye. He chuckled. He was trying to act like a gentleman yet she was rebuffing his effort. If it were to be another girl, he would have led her by her waist without her protesting.


    And just like that, they walked side by side to the back of his mansion where the party was being held.


    When he entered, all eyes were on him and the girl standing beside him. They were all wowed by her beauty. People would have easily concluded she was an actress or model but she was obviously a strange face. So they could only conclude she was from a wealthy family also. Especially as she was standing beside Dexi. Some couldn''t help feeling bad for her as she was now Dexi''s prey.


    Jinyong looked at her for close to a minute before he recognised her. He gasped in shock. And so did Weiyoung.


    He couldn''t lock himself up forever and knew he needed to be out for his Grandfather''s birthday. Weiyoung also could not miss it despite the fact that her family was facing turbulent times. She had to stick to the Mo''s no matter what. Muchen had really dealt with their family greatly. Investors kept pulling out, Shares has been dropping. Things were not looking good for her family. Her parents couldn''t even make it tonight. Because if they were not alert for even a second, they may go bankrupt.


    Sara greeted Elder Mo and his wife and wished him a happy birthday. They were both curious about who she was but knew it was not the right place to start doing all of that since they had more people to greet themselves.


    The next person that entered caught everyone''s attention. Muchen had his male secretary with him as he strode in confidently in his tux. He just finished greeting Elder Mo and his wife when his eyes met Dexi''s. He nodded politely at him then looked at the beautiful lady beside him.

 Chapter 91 - Jealous

    Sara was uncomfortable with the attention she was receiving. Especially with people wanting to know who she was and what family name she bore. Dexi helped her avoid answering those questions but she knew she couldn''t continue that way for long. She was lost in thought and came back to her senses when she heard Dexi say "Look who is here"


    Sara followed his gaze and got the scare of her life. She shivered. It didn''t escape anyone who saw her. She looked like someone who had been caught cheating. Even her legs almost gave way.


    Muchen had not been concerned about Dexi''s date. He had never been. But there was something about her that had caught his attention a d made him look at her intently.. ''Sara?'' He tried not to look too surprised and shaken as they were a lot of people present there.


    Dexi smiled at him and then looked at Sara. Whose head was down and face flushed. Her free hand which wasn''t holding her clutch, gripped the side of her gown.


    Muchen didn''t know what he felt at the moment. His hands were fisted by his side. He ran his eyes over her again. He wondered the kind of trick Dexi had pulled to bring Sara here. But what was worse was the fact that she looked this pretty beside another man. Her collar was even exposed.


    He took a step, and another. Before he was intercepted by a lady. "Brother Muchen. I didn''t know you were coming"


    ''Brother Muchen?'' Sara lifted her head to look at the lady that was talking with him. She was pretty and wore a red evening gown that accentuated her perfect curves. Muchen smiled at her and said something that made her laugh lightly. Sara''s hand grabbed the side of her gown tightly as she glared at the both of them. "Who is she?"


    Dexi knew he was sad. The first time she was actually willing to speak with him, she was asking him about a woman she was obviously jealous of. "She is Hui qingqing. Heiress of Hui automobile. She should be one of CEO Li''s Ex-girlfriend" He tried to sound nonchalant.


    Sara freed her down and dug her nail into her palm. ''Heiress. Ex-girlfriend'' She ran her eyes over her again and the entire place. Everyone there were either Heirs or heiresses or CEO''s themselves. She shook her head to stop her thoughts from drifting further.


    "Let me introduce you." Dexi spoke as Muchen walked to where they were standing. Sara didn''t know when he left Qingqing.


    "CEO Li. I had no idea you were going to show up. Thank you for coming" Dexi said pleasantly.


    Muchen gave an insincere smile in return. "Is that so?" He then looked at Sara whose eyes were looking anywhere but him.


    "CEO Li. This is Wang Sara. Sara, CEO Li." He introduced.


    The insincere smile didn''t leave his face when he spoke. "The Mo''s are never good actors. Why are you not looking at me Sara?"


    She startled when he called her name. She thought he was going to pretend to not know her. She raised her head to look at him. She wasn''t all that happy with him anyway but she still felt guilty. "Mr....Mr Li... I..." She didn''t know what else to say and just stopped there.


    Dexi was surprised to see Muchen openly admitting that he knew Sara. This was not nice for him. Another thing that surprised him was Sara acting all meek.


    Most people were interested in the scene. They wondered who this young lady was that knew both men personally. People became curious. Some felt she looked familiar but couldn''t place it. Jinyong and Weiyoung who were by the side could feel their blood boiling. ''After making me become like this, you are having fun with two men?'' Weiyoung eyed Sara angrily. The one who left worse was Jinyong. He had never seen Sara like that before. No doubt she was the prettiest lady there. He watched her as she spoke with both men. He felt conflicted within him. ''What was Sara up to?'' He only hoped she wasn''t dating his uncle or even Muchen. He didn''t like any option.


    Sara looked at Muchen''s back as he walked away with his secretary tailing behind him. She pulled Dexi to the side. When she was sure there was no one around there, she spoke. "Are you crazy? You told me about other families. Why didn''t you also tell me that Mr Li was coming?"


    "Why? You would not have agreed to come with me then?" His eyes no longer had it''s usual glow.


    "You knew we knew each other right?" She eyed him suspiciously.


    He didn''t answer. But he was not smiling this time.


    Sara understood the answer in his silence. "Maintain your lane. If you keep going about digging infos about me, I won''t let you off" She left him standing there.


    Dexi sighed. This night wasn''t as he had planned. Everything was really going the opposite direction.

 Chapter 92 - Youve turned fearless

    "Why is she not coming?" Sara tapped her fingers on the table nervously. "Did you lie to me?" She looked at Dexi who was sitting beside her.


    "You must think everything I say is a lie"


    "It''s possible" She shot back.


    She looked at Muchen''s direction. He was chatting with another girl. Everyone was surprised by his openness today. On various other occasions, no one dared go near him. He didn''t mind saving their faces when he embarrassed them. But today, he had to. To keep him from getting furious. She had been avoiding him these past few days. And now she''s looking so pretty beside another man? He tried his best not to look at their direction. Although he was tempted to keep looking at Sara, he tried not to. He might do something crazy if he kept seeing Dexi smiling at his woman like that. He looked at the girl on the table who was flirting with him openly. He was no longer in the mood. ''What am I thinking entertaining these ladies? What if Sara gets the wrong idea?'' His mind and brain were totally messed up. He raised his wine glass. Looked at it, twisted the stem for a little bit before he downed it.


    "Mr Li. You have to be careful" His secretary advised.


    Muchen shooed the girl away. He was done with this party. And he was going to teach Sara a lesson when he meets her tomorrow. He was about to stand up when he noticed a familiar figure.


    It was almost 9 in the evening. But the outside was lit with different bulb colours which radiated the whole place. Song Changyu came with with her usual grace and top notched fashion sense. A female secretary, formally dressed behind her. Her gown, jewelries, make up, shoe, clutch. Everything was perfect. She looked nothing like 40. Most people said it was because she never got married or had a child that was why she remained her youthful and graceful self.


    The Mo''s greeted her first. She had been their daughter in law at a time. But now, she was far higher than them in the social ranking. Other families followed. Muchen did also.


    Sara''s breath seized when she saw Song Changyu. She was tensed. But she knew today was the D day. "Here we go"


    Dexi led her gently by her arm. She didn''t object this time. She was thinking of nothing else but to meet with this woman. But the worse happened. A passing waiter bumped into her and spilled wine all over her.


    Sara stood, Frozen. Dexi too. The waiter apologized repeatedly. Sara knew it was done deliberately. She looked at the crowd. Most people had smiles on their faces. She had seen it before, she had sensed it. Their jealousy, their anger. Even though she had no idea why they were angry with her. She wasn''t bothered about them. If only they knew she was not a socialite, they wouldn''t have bothered with her also.


    She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I''ll visit the restroom. Beep me if she''s leaving anytime soon." She told Dexi who was still scolding the waiter.


    Although her gown was black, the stain was rather obvious.


    She finally got to the female restroom after missing her way a few times, and entered. It was built in a way that it could be used by two or more people comfortably. She could sense that someone was in the inner bathroom and settled with the first one instead. She took some paper towel and tried to wipe it all off.


    She Panicked when she saw that it wasn''t getting any better. ''What am I going to do? Oh god. Please..'' She continued cleaning frantically. From the mirror, she saw someone behind her and was shocked a bit. "What are you doing here? This is a ladies bathroom" She said as she turned to look at Jinyong.


    "It''s my house. I can enter in anywhere I like"


    Sara nodded and turned back to continue with her gown. She totally ignored him.


    "What are you doing with my uncle?" He asked. Not liking the fact that that she was ignoring him.


    "You must have asked the waiter to spill this wine all over me so you could get the chance to ask me silly questions" She turned to look at him.


    "You''ve turned fearless. It''s admirable" He commended.


    "And you look more haggard than I last remember. It''s what you get when you don''t have ''a Sara'' in your life"


    He chuckled. He had never seen this side of Sara. He wondered if things would have been different if she had always been this way.


    "Sara..." He tried to hold her hand but she pushed him off


    "Are you out of your mind Mo Jinyong?" She asked angrily. She didn''t wait for an answer and went straight for the door. But it was locked already.


    "You have some guts" She said.


    "You cheated on me Sara" His gaze changed. "We were together, yet you were cheating on me with CEO Li. And now you are with my Uncle? What exactly do you want?" He asked as he stepped closer to her.


    Sara tsked at him. "You must think everyone is like you? And you must be crazy to think anyone would cheat on you with Mr Li. Any reasonable person would throw you aside to have a date with him. They would be no need to keep you by their side."


    Jinyong''s eyes turned dark. "So that''s it?" He stopped in front of her "Then why did you come to my engagement party and put up that show in front of CEO Li?"


    "What....what are you talking about?" She looked at him in confusion

 Chapter 93 - I missed you

    "You want to act dumb now? You both planned to ruin my engagement party and I''m pretty sure it was your idea"


    "I don''t understand. " Sara was totally lost here. What did he mean by they both planned to ruin his engagement party with Weiyoung? She hadn''t even met Muchen then except two years back.


    "Why would he ask the security to not get involved on that day. And why would he end my contract with him thereafter? You told him to. Or are you going to pretend like you had no idea that that was his hotel and he was present there?" He concluded.


    Sara''s eyes shone. "Mr...Mr Li was at your engagement party?"


    Jinyong wasn''t so stupid. He saw the surprise in her eyes and asked "You... you didn''t know?"


    Her eyes further widened in shock. She no longer bothered about her gown. "Open the door this instant" She ordered.


    "Of course not. I, at least need my payment. Since you''re diving into bed with everyone, I need my own share" He giggled.


    Sara looked at him with irritation. "And you think you''re going to receive your share here?" She asked mockingly.


    "Of course, You didn''t give it to me when we dated. You can do that now since you''ve turned cheap." He grinned at her mischievously.


    Sara shook her head and sighed. "What kind of idiot is this?" She said out loud. She realised she always spoke out her mind whenever she was with others except Muchen. "So you are not scared of your uncle and Mr Li finding out?"


    "That Li bastard can do whatever he likes but¨C"


    "What did you just say?" Sara interrupted.


    Jinyong saw the fury in her eyes. "Sara, let me remind you. There is nothing you can do here. You are in my turf"


    Sara knew that. Same reason why she had not pounced on him there and then. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Let me remind you that he is CEO Li. The next time you call him anything other than that, I won''t care if I''m in your turf or not." She glared at him to make sure everything she said digested. "If you understand, then, open this door this instant" She demanded.


    "I won''t!" He stood his ground and refused to budge.


    "If she cannot do anything, do you think I can''t?"


    A voice spoke softly from outside the door.


    "Mr...Mr Li?" Sara called gently when she recognised the voice.


    Jinyong froze. What was CEO Li doing here in the females'' restroom?


    "I''ll count 5. If you do not open this door..." He paused for a second and continued "Sara, I give you permission to beat him up"


    Before he could begin counting, Jinyong, who was shaking in fright had already opened the door.


    "C...CEO..Li..I" He prayed Muchen hadn''t heard him calling him a bastard or saying he wanted to sleep with Sara there.


    Muchen pushed him out of the way. He saw Sara inside, looking at him with mixed expression. "You are always fond on getting into trouble" He said. When he noticed everything was in place with her, he pulled her out. She willingly followed.


    She looked at their joined hands as they walked together. He was in front, while she behind. Then he stopped walking and turned to look at her. They were in a quiet and not-so-bright corner. But she could make out the expression on his face. One she could not read.


    She pulled her hands from his and stared at him angrily. "I don''t understand you. A while back, you were happily chatting with those heiresses. Now, you are holding my hand. Don''t you think it is inappropriate?"


    Muchen thought back to all the girls he had conversed with that evening and a curve appeared on his mouth. "I wasn''t chatting with heiresses alone. Heirs and CEOs also" When he saw she wasn''t still saying anything and still giving him an angry look, he teased "You... are Jealous?"


    "What are you talking about? Why would I be jealous of my employer? It is normal for you to know socialites and converse with them.. It has nothing to do with me" She shot back indignantly.


    "I am not interested in heiresses."


    She scoffed. "But you date them" She almost hit herself when the last part came out. What was she doing right now? She had a lot to ask him but she was busy saying irrelevant things.


    He was enjoying the conversation "Who said I dated anyone?" He thought for a while. The first name that popped into his head was Dexi. He really felt like strangling that idiot.


    "I don''t think Joreen is smarter than you. You should know who I am interested in." He took a step closer and looked deep into her eyes "You are smart enough to know who I like"


    She shivered under his gaze and stammered as she moved her gaze from his. "I.. I have to hurry back" She really had to run now.


    Muchen had a lot to ask. Why she was here, How she got those wears, why she allowed Dexi hold her earlier, Why she pulled Dexi to a corner, why she had been avoiding him, why she cried that night. He had so much to ask. But the only thing that came out of his mouth, surprised the both of them.


    "I missed you"


    She heard Li Muchen say when she turned to walk away. His voice stopped her on her tracks. She turned to face him and confusion could clearly be seen on her face. Muchen stared straight at her. He was obviously waiting for a reply. He wondered if she missed him also. It drove him crazy that she had been with Dexi. But knowing whether she actually missed him was driving him even crazier.


    ''What do I say? How do I respond?'' She tried to come up with something as she avoided his gaze. Her eyes kept darting sideways. She hadn''t expected this sudden confession from him. Her heart was racing faster and she thought it might burst at any second.


    As if he knew what she was thinking. He laughed and pulled her into a hug. ''She is confused''


    "Just say you missed me too" He whispered into her ears. "I know you did"


    If she couldn''t decide herself, he was going to help her do so. She had a very pleasant scent. He could feel her smooth hair on his face. Her little body on his arms. He was really hugging Sara. His Sara.

 Chapter 94 - Do you like him

    Her head was on his chest. She could hear his heart beating faster. Same rhythm with hers. She had not expected the sudden hug as she was still dazed and her eyes wide open. His scent engulfed her. Her instinctive reaction was to pull away. She shouldn''t be hugging her boss. But when he exerted little pressure to keep her from doing so, she didn''t push further. She felt like a heavy burden had been lifted off her shoulders. She felt light and warm. ''I...am hugging Li Muchen'' Unconsciously, she snuggled closer when that thought hit her.


    She gradually lifted her hands to hug him back. But she stopped midway. "Mis...Mister Li. We can''t do this here. Someone might see"


    He broke free from the hug and looked at her. With his dimples revealed, he smiled. "So you are saying we can do this elsewhere then?"


    Sara shook her head vigorously. "I never said that!"


    The smile in his face disappeared when he asked. "Are you afraid CEO Mo would see you hugging me? Do you like him?"


    He turned to leave without waiting for her to speak but she panicked and pulled him back. ''What am I doing? Why did I pull him back?'' She quickly dropped her hand and looked down.


    ''She fell for it''. The bright smile he had on disappeared when he turned to face her again.


    "I... I mean, it won''t be good for you if anyone saw us like this. You are CEO Li." She explained with her head still down.


    "I asked if you liked CEO Mo" He asked softly. Lifting her chin so she would look at him.


    She was mesmerized by their proximity but managed to shake her head. "Of course not. I only came here for something important. I asked him to bring me here cause I didn''t know how else to get in"


    He was curious what she was here for. But he only nodded and didn''t ask. ''Was she here to get revenge on those two?'' He smiled at the thought. He was going to back her up anyway.


    He dropped his hand and reminded her "Your dress is ruined. You can''t go in there looking like that"


    Sara pouted sadly when she remembered the dress. "I have to do this today. It must be today" She muttered.


    ''She must really be here for revenge'' He thought.


    Sara didn''t want to raise the issue about Jinyong''s engagement party yet. To ask if he had been there. She would do all of that later. But now, she had to do something else.


    "Sara?" Dexi called. He wondered why she was spending too much time and decided to look for her himself. ''But she had actually been with Muchen?''


    He smiled at Muchen as he walked closer to them. It wasn''t a friendly smile. It was obvious. Muchen didn''t bother returning the smile and just watched him instead. "I guess you missed your way. We have to return Sara. She is free now"


    Sara gave Muchen an apologetic look before following Dexi, who didn''t bother to look at him again.


    Muchen didn''t stop her. He didn''t want to interfere with whatever she was here for. But he was sure of one thing. He would never let Dexi get his chance with her again. Though he wondered who the ''she'' was.


    He noticed earlier how the waiter bumped into Sara. When she wasn''t coming back, he went to check for himself. Not minding that he was entering into the women''s restroom. That was when he heard Jinyong calling him a bastard. He had wanted to say something then. But Sara''s reaction had greatly delighted him. He looked up at the sky. For some reason, he felt this night was going to be a really long night.


    **


    Her gaze swept between Sara''s annoyed look and Muchen''s indulgence with a pretty lady. Weiyoung smirked. She reveled in the fact that Sara was finally feeling jealous and insecure. Yes! It was what she had always wanted. What she wished for. She thought back to when they were still in highschool, when they saw their test grades.


    "You are still the best" Sara gave her both thumbs up when she saw a big A+ on Weiyoung''s test script


    Weiyoung smiled haughtily at her and checked Sara''s grades.


    "A C?" She cocked a brow at her.


    Sara smiled brightly. "Yes. I did well right? Last time I got a D"


    "Don''t you feel sad about your grades at all?" It would have been better if Sara was sad and jealous of her. If Sara tried to compete with her while she kept showing her who the boss was.


    Sara cupped her face with both hands "Am I not cute? What''s the point of studying hard? I''ll get married to a very rich man. You''ll introduce me to one right?" She said childishly.


    Weiyoung laughed. ''With such a low mentality, No wonder her family was so poor'' She thought.


    A lot of the guys in school had their eyes set on Sara. Even the senior Weiyoung had liked. She thought he was coming around because of her. When she realised it had been for Sara, her hatred for Sara soared. She had a father who loved her. She had merely suggested for Sara to change her school to hers and her father had willingly obliged. Sara was always happy and followed her about like a little puppy. She had always been the one jealous of Sara. Why would she be jealous of someone who didn''t have anything? It was supposed to be the other way round. She was mad at herself. Mad at Sara, at her parents, at the world. In an attempt to spite her, she had deliberately spread the rumour about Sara coming from a poor home. People naturally assumed that Weiyoung''s parents had been in charge of Sara''s fees. She didn''t bother to deny it. Everyone in school then saw her as a nice, humble girl who befriended a pauper.


    When Sara finally got a boyfriend, she had been shocked to see he was from the Mo family. Why on earth would a Mo fall in love with Sara? What was so special about her?

 Chapter 95 - Sending a message

    As she remembered the past, her grip on the wine glass tightened. She looked at Jinyong beside her and forced a smile at him that he didn''t bother to return as he had a lot going through his mind. ''What a bastard''. She wouldn''t have bothered with him if he had not dated Sara.


    In the past when she had noticed that he had a thing for her, she didn''t bother playing hard to get even though she didn''t love him. Her heart had still been with Li Minde. But she had agreed to date him and even gave him a condition ¡ªHe mustn''t tell Sara about it or break up with Sara. She wanted to watch Sara''s broken reaction when she saw their wedding photograph emailed to her. It was worth it. Sacrificing her own happiness for Sara''s sadness. She wanted Sara to know how it felt like to be discarded. She wanted her to be heartbroken. But it had not gone according to plan even after making the engagement party as low-key as possible so she wouldn''t get a whiff of what was going on. Even the papers had not carried it. But not only had Sara not reacted the way she wished she had, she was having fun with Muchen who was having fun in ruining her family. Even when she tried to pay him back with Heya''s video incident. It didn''t work out. His pig of a sister even got a fan club in return. Her supposed uncle-in-law to-be had even brought her to his Father''s birthday looking all dolled up. Her face burned with rage and jealousy as she fixed her gaze on Sara. She had gotten an inside information that Mo Aida was trying to matchmake her son, Jinyong with Song Changyu''s niece, Yang Aishu. Especially now that her family was in turbulent times. The fact that their engagement had been low-key made it easier to end everything easily. She scoffed. Did they think they were going to get rid of her easily? Even if she planned to break up with Jinyong had she had earlier decided. She couldn''t do so now. Her family was in crisis and they had specifically told her to be in the Mo family''s good grace, that was another reason she came here tonight. They had to stick with them no matter what. Till they found their feet again.


    She looked at Jinyong again. After that night where he almost strangled her, they had not met each other privately. He had totally ignored her. She had wanted to pour out her heart tonight and blame Sara for all of her misfortune. The wine spilling incident had been her doing. She had been waiting patiently inside the inner restroom for her to come. And just the moment she was about to step out, she heard Sara speak with Jinyong. She tried to suppress her anger as she recalled their conversation till when Muchen entered. She was not going to let anyone discard her. Never! She was going to destroy all of them one step at a time.


    "You are losing focus" Dexi told Sara.


    She realised she had not been paying much attention to Changyu any longer and had been staring at Muchen who was speaking with an even prettier lady than Hui Qingqing. She sighed. ''Does he only work with women?'' Her thought was interrupted by Mo Aida who had a big smile on stage.


    "Before the toast, I would like to say something" One hand held a mike while the other held a wine glass. She was not a tall woman. Her long red dinner gown revealed her hourglass figure. She had short hair which perfectly suits her face. And for a woman in her 40s, she looked younger.


    Everyone paid attention to her from their various tables. Sara''s eyes drifted to where Changyu was sitting. She had been receiving countless greetings since she got there. Dexi kept assuring her that he would make the introduction as soon as the greeting stopped.


    "I would also like to say something" Sara recognised the voice and looked back on stage to see Weiyoung there. She had no idea when Weiyoung got there and took another mike. Mo Aida stared at her wondering what she was up to. Weiyoung gave them all a warm smile and bowed in greeting before she spoke.


    "I am Weiyoung from the Liu family." She paused and looked at Aida beside her. "I didn''t think it was nice to not wish my grandfather in law a happy birthday after everyone else gave their wishes"


    Everyone who belonged to the Mo family had all said their wishes earlier. Most of the young ladies who just followed their parents there and had set their eyes on Jinyong were disappointed to find that he was engaged already.


    Aida panicked when she heard her. What was Weiyoung trying to do? She unconsciously looked at Changyu''s direction. Changyu was watching but didn''t look curious or bothered, as if nothing concerned her.


    Weiyoung liked the reaction of everyone. It was exactly how she had imagined. She looked at Sara''s direction. And their eyes met. Weiyoung offered her a smile as she thought ''I''ll be sure to ruin you soon''. Then her gaze met Jinyong''s whose eyes were bulged out. Her smile didn''t leave her face when she continued. "I am using this medium to invite you all to my wedding with the Mo family''s Jinyong. The wedding would be taking place soon" She paused for a bit. Not bothering to look at anyone else but Aida who was beside her "We have to hurry it up so I can fit well into my wedding gown." She faked a blush and rubbed her belly conspicuously to send a message to the crowd. A message they all understood.


    And at that same time, Song Changyu looked at Sara''s direction.

 Chapter 96 - Blackmail

    The party continued. Although, people frowned at the idea of getting pregnant before marriage, they had to congratulate them with a smile on. But unlike Weiyoung who accepted their wishes with open arms, everyone in the Mo family was shocked. What was she thinking making such plans on her own and announcing it to the public? Aida was especially stiff and angry. All effort to pull her son higher than her brother Dexi keeps failing. What was she going to do now? How was she going to raise the idea of bringing the Songs and Mos closer through marriage when Weiyoung had publicly announced in front of everyone, including Song Changyu that she was pregnant for Jinyong.


    Weiyoung smiled at her. "Mother, you shouldn''t be too shocked. These things happen all the time" She assured her and went back to her sit.


    Muchen''s heart raced faster whenever he looked at her. He could still remember their hug earlier. How her soft, delicate body snuggled to his. Just a hug from Sara and he was feeling this way. He remembered his past flings. He hugged them also. But why was Sara''s driving him crazy? Her scent was still all over him. He looked at her direction again and saw Dexi leaning closer to her. His gaze turned cold. He was obviously tired of the party. He would have left a long time ago if Sara was not there. He would make sure to take Sara home himself. He had also been waiting for her to exert her ''revenge'' but nothing was happening on her end. She had just been sitting there with Dexi. Though, she occasionally glanced at his direction while he acted like he wasn''t paying attention to her.


    He thought she was going to be sad when she heard about Weiyoung being pregnant for her ex-boyfriend. But she didn''t react at all and just joined the others to clap when they did. To Sara, the best punishment she could ever give to them was to allow the both of them get married on peace. For some reason, she knew it was going to be hell for the both of them once they did so.


    Dexi was chuckling in his sit. ''She is smart'' he thought.


    He had actually gotten a whiff of what Aida was going to do. From his side, he was going to keep pulling Jinyong down whenever he tried to surpass him. He made sure to let the information get to Weiyoung. He knew about her family''s problem and was very sure she would want to cling to the Mos at this critical time. He was happy she hadn''t disappointed him.


    "Are you that happy she''s becoming your niece in-law?" Sara asked.


    "Yes. I am very happy" He admitted with a smile and then leaned closer to whisper in her ear "Won''t you like to be her Aunt in-law?"


    Sara''s eyes unconsciously went to where Muchen was seated and their eyes met. He was looking at them with a really cold expression. She startled and pushed Dexi''s head away from close to hers.


    Dexi didn''t find her reaction offensive. He was used to her ways already. He looked at Jinyong, who still had a stiff smile on as he accepted the good wishes from various guests. Dexi couldn''t help laughing out.


    "You are Sara right?"


    Sara looked at the young lady in front of her who was blocking her view of Muchen. She was not sure she had met her before so how come she knew her?


    "You are?" Sara asked politely without bothering to get up.


    "I knew it. I''m Guan Lanbi. We were classmates in highschool. Wow. you really changed. I almost didn''t recognise you" She was not speaking softly so most people heard her. If further confirmed their suspicion that Sara was from a rich family if she went to the same high school as Guan Lanbi.


    Sara had no idea who she was. She never cared about her classmates in highschool. Those she could remember can be counted with her five fingers. Sara offered her a smile. "Nice to meet you Miss Guan. But I''m sorry I don''t actually remember you."


    "I got prettier." She said and threw Dexi, who wasn''t even bothering with her, a flirty smile. She moved closer to Sara to whisper in her ear. "A lot of people here thinks you look familiar. I guess they don''t remember you from Mo Jinyong and Liu Weiyoung''s engagement party. And they all think you belong to the Socialite circle" She stood upright and smiled at Sara before strolling to an empty corner to stand quietly.


    Sara knew instantly that this girl was trying to blackmail her. And common sense told her to follow Lanbi. She couldn''t risk becoming the main topic tonight. She only came for one thing and had to do it. She looked at where Changyu had been sitting and to her greatest shock, the woman was no longer there. She had no idea when Changyu left there since she had been busy staring at Muchen. What was wrong with her tonight? why was she not setting her priorities right.


    "I see you are smart after all" Lanbi complimented.


    Sara''s mind was not there. She wanted to go look for Changyu but Lanbi held her forearm firmly with both hands.


    "How do you think everyone would react when they realise you were the same person who tried to ruin Mo Jinyong''s engagement and are now here with his uncle. Do you want to know the kind of names they will call you?" Lanbi have her a small smile. Sara closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She reminded herself not to cause a scene. Muchen was here. She also didn''t want him or Changyu to hear about that incident even though she was now aware that Muchen had been there that day. She was too embarrassed to ask him so she decided to let the matter die and keep acting like she knew nothing.


    "Can you hurry up and tell me what you want to say?" Sara urged her as she pushed Lanbi''s hands from hers.


    Lanbi smiled and whispered to her.


    "I saw you speaking with CEO Li earlier."


    "What has he got to do with this?" Sara asked.


    "Introduce me to him"

 Chapter 97 - I only have one sister

    Sara refused to admit to herself that she heard her correctly. "You.. you want me to introduce you to CEO Li?"


    Lanbi blushed and nodded. "Do that and your secret is safe with me" She assured.


    "I can''t" Sara shook her head "I won''t"


    Lanbi''s face paled. "Why? What is so difficult there?"


    Sara gazed at Muchen''s direction. He was busy with his phone. She tried to imagine Lanbi sitting there with him and blushing just like Miss Kang whenever she was with her father.


    "Miss Guan. You said you were my classmate right?" Sara asked.


    Lanbi nodded. "So? If you think I will not tell people because we were classmates then you must be dreaming" She scoffed.


    Sara tapped Lanbi''s left cheek gently. "If you were my classmate, then you must have known about my nasty temper" Lanbi shivered when she heard her and saw the dead expression in her eyes.


    "I badged into a party with hundreds of socialite without being afraid of the consequence. Do you think I''m afraid of ruining this ugly face of yours?"


    Lanbi''s throat tightened as she took a few steps back. She tried to say something but nothing came out. She knew Sara meant it. No one paid attention to her in highschool until the period she joined her set after taking a-year leave from school. When she returned, everyone in school knew her. She never fought in school but her presence alone was a terror. She thought the years must have humbled her but Sara was still her very old self.


    "You can try spreading the rumour. But the moment you get near Li Muchen, I''ll finish you off" Sara gave her a stink-eye before leaving her there.


    She took a few steps before realising she had just called Muchen by his name. ''Wang Sara what is wrong with you? When did you become a possessive freak?'' She scolded herself as she moved back to where she had been sitting.


    "You weren''t keeping an eye on her. She''s not here" She glared at Dexi as she took her clutch bag from the chair she had been sitting. "If I don''t see her today. I will never forgive you"


    Dexi scratched his head and hurriedly followed her to search for Song Changyu. He then got the information that she left in a hurry even without informing Mo Dachuan. He didn''t know how to tell Sara. But from his expression, she could tell Changyu had already left. She frowned at him and continued walking to the car park designated for guests by the Mos. She refused to listen to whatever he wished to say to her.


    "Look, I''m sorry." He apologized. She stopped and turned to look at him with angry eyes. "We made a deal! I come here with you while you make me meet her. It was as simple as that. But you scammed me. I was stupid to have believed you" She hollered at him.


    "Sara please" He hurriedly moved to where she was standing and tried to hold her but she stepped back. He didn''t know why she wanted to meet Changyu so badly.


    "It''s okay. But I really don''t want to see you anywhere around me again." Sara said firmly.


    Dexi looked at her as she went further into the carpark that had nearly a hundred cars. He couldn''t follow her. He had not been paying attention as he had been watching his sister and nephew''s actions and reactions. He kicked a car''s tyre in frustration. Even the blaring sound that followed didn''t seem to affect him.


    "I can''t believe I just wasted today." Sara frowned. After looking through so many cars, she still could not find Changyu''s car. She was beginning to get tired and cold. Even the wine she drank earlier was making her dizzy and hungry. She heard a car honk and her breath seized for a while as she tried to imagine it was Song Changyu. But then, she saw Muchen get down from the driver''s seat of his Range Rover. Her eyes shone. "Mis... mister Li. What are you doing here?"


    Muchen didn''t answer her but gently pulled her to the side of his car and draped his tux jacket around her shoulders. The warmth enveloped her. She looked up at him. No one said anything for a while as they both stared at each other in the open park.


    "Who are you searching for? I will help you" He spoke softly.


    Sara contemplated telling him or not. But she felt it was best to let him know. "Song Changyu. I need to ask her something."


    He looked at her strangely. Wondering why she would be looking for her. "You need to go home now. I will look for a way to let you meet her"


    Sara remembered Dexi also promised her the same thing. But she knew she could not compare Dexi with Muchen and believed him instantly. She needed to go home anyway.


    He smiled when he saw her nod and spoke gently "I wanted to ask earlier."


    Sara nodded¡ªencouraging him to continue.


    "Are you..." He moved to whisper in her ear "wearing a heel?" He looked at her confused look and continued "You are still short" He had expected her to at least become a little taller but she was still the same.


    Sara didn''t know when she laughed out. She didn''t believe she could still laugh after everything. She looked at both sides to make sure no one was around and gently raised her gown. Muchen looked down to see she was wearing a sneakers under her gown and burst into laughter. She laughed also and dropped her gown.


    There was an awkward silence before she spoke


    "Mr Li. I think...I know you like me and I''m kinda flattered that you do. But I... I don''t like you that way" She tried to convince Muchen and herself. She had to put a boundary between them.


    He looked at her with an unreadable expression and took a step closer to her. "Its either you don''t know it yet, or you know it but you''re pretending. You do like me that way" He said in a low voice.


    "Mister... Mister Li. You are my employer" She tried to focus as she couldn''t stand his gaze.


    "So should I fire you?" He asked.


    "I didn''t say that." She panicked. "What I''m saying is.. is.. Heya is like a sister to me. Which makes you like a brother to me"


    Muchen moved even closer to her and smiled.


    "You are getting something wrong. I..only have...one sister" And with that, he covered her lips with his. It was soft and gentle. Sara''s breath stopped. So did Muchen''s. He had not actually intended to do that. Sara''s stomach tightened. Her heart raced.


    He pulled away slightly to gauge her reaction. Her eyes were wide opened but she was looking at his face. He smiled at her and was gradually lifting his head when he felt her soft hands which had been by her side, on his neck as she pulled him back to her. This time, She initiated the kiss. Which left Muchen and herself startled.


    From a car parked far away, Song Changyu watched the scene unfold as tears streamed down her cheeks.

 Chapter 98 - July 16th ?

Sorry to disappoint.. It''s not a new chapter.


    Sorry I haven''t updated yet.


    Well, It''s my birthday today ????????


    Just felt I should celebrate with my family here before I drop new chapters


    I love you all.


    *muah*

 Chapter 99 - 26 Years Ago

    Her presence attracted many attention as she strode into the glamorous restaurant. She was putting on a short white gown that revealed her long straight legs with feet covered with a black boot. She wore a pink beret, her long black hair flowed beneath it to her shoulders.


    "I said I''m not going" She complained loudly into the phone and slumped into a chair. She looked around her to see people staring at her. Some stared because she was really pretty. Some, because she was noisy. She bowed politely to them and spoke softly.


    "Mother. This is not fair. You always push me to do everything I don''t want to do."


    "Do you know what you want to do?" Her mother scolded her. "You should be grateful we are making good choices for you." Her mother spoke angrily from the other side of the phone.


    "I see how good your choices have been. You are all dictators. I won''t go!" She screamed even louder this time and hung up as she stomped her feet on the ground. The heel of her shoes producing loud clanks as it made contact with the floor.


    "Be gentle." She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see a pretty middle aged woman wearing a chef''s apron and instantly recognized her. The woman dropped a can of apple juice in front of her and sat opposite her.


    "Mrs Wang. Sorry for the disturbance. I''m just a little over the edge" She apologized.


    "Problem with home again?" Mrs Wang asked softly.


    She nodded "I think they intend to drive me crazy. They keep wanting to send me to blind dates. I''m still young. I''m just 19. Even when I turn 60, they''ll still be men queuing up to marry me. Why the rush?" She stopped to catch her breath then continued "You have a 19 years old daughter right? Can you force her to get married now?" She whined.


    Mrs Wang chuckled. "You are not getting any younger. But I would not advise my daughter to get married now. She won''t even agree. She''s a total bookworm and is currently in medical school."


    She pouted. "Can''t they just allow me mourn my Ex-finace in peace before raising another issue of marriage?"


    "I thought you mentioned he died three years ago?" Mrs Wang looked at her, confused.


    "It''s still fresh in my memory. Even though I never really wished to marry him, he was still my good friend. Dying at 18 was not something anyone expected" She bowed her head sadly as she sipped the apple juice from a straw.


    Mrs Wang could not help feeling bad for her. At 16, she was betrothed. Now that her fiance was dead, they were pushing her to someone else.


    "What do your parents do anyway?" Mrs Wang asked.


    "They''re into small business" She stopped there and took another sip before she changed the topic.


    Mrs Wang knew she didn''t like saying much about her family, so she just let it slide. She only assumed she was from an average family who wished to marry off their daughter to a wealthy one.


    "Any special menu today?" She asked excitedly.


    Mrs Wang laughed. "It''s a good thing you like eating. I wish my daughter was anything like you."


    "I wish I was her. At least she knows what she wants and you let her do it" Her mood turned melancholic.


    "It''s okay. Stop brooding already." Mrs Wang advised.


    "Where is Mr Wang? He didn''t come today?"


    "He is with Jianjun in the kitchen" She answered.


    "Jianjun? Your son?"


    "Yes. He came home two days back. And has been hanging around here often. Oh! Here he comes"


    She looked at the direction Mrs Wang was gesturing at, eagerly. Then she saw him. The 21 years old Jianjun. Tall,trim and dashing. He was not wearing a complete chef''s attire. But he was wearing a plain white apron.


    Her eyes shone when she saw him. "This... this is Jianjun Wang?" She tried to confirm as he got closer to their table. When he stood before them, he didn''t spare her a second glance and only spoke with his mother. He immediately left there when he was done speaking with her.


    His action of ignoring her had greatly traumatized Changyu.


    Her train of thought was broken when she was Sara running away from Muchen. Earlier, when she was still at the party, She overheard Guan Lanbi, who was sitting close to her table, speaking with her friends about Sara.


    "Ah! Sara. That''s right. She is Sara" Lanbi informed another girl.


    Changyu had been shocked when she saw Sara. Although, Sara wasn''t looking at her direction, as her gaze was fixed on Weiyoung at the stage, Changyu instantly recognized her as the same person she saw at Delight just a few days ago. There was no way she was mistaking about it.


    "Why.. does she look like him?" She wondered.


    "She was my classmate. I think her full name was something Lan or Kang. Yes! Wang. It''s Wang Sara" Lanbi announced excitedly.


    Changyu''s eyes widened when she heard the name Wang. ''She...she is a Wang?'' The revelation stunned her that she even dropped her wine glass on her gown. She needed to breathe. She wanted to breathe.


    After 10 minutes of catching her breath, her secretary came to her in the car. She handed Changyu, who was sitting in the driver''s seat a file. Bowed, and went home on Changyu''s instruction.


    She had trouble opening the file as her hand was shaking seriously. She tried to calm her nerves and finally flipped it open.


    Four things got her attention.


    *Wang Sara


    * 24 years old


    *Father :Wang Jianjun


    "Mother: Jin Helene


    She didn''t know when tears began streaming down her face.


    "I knew it! I knew it you bastard." She continued pounding her steering wheel with her fisted hand as she wailed. "While....while.. I was... suffering" She choked between sobs. "You lied to me" She covered her face with both hands as she cried her heart out.


    When she raised her head to drive home, She saw Sara peering closely at her car''s front windshield. Then, at other cars as Sara passed hers. Walking around the park like she was searching for something or someone. Her car was both soundproof and tinted so it was impossible to tell if someone was inside.


    She watched Sara laugh with Muchen. Her laugh reminded her of him. They were so alike. And it further broke her heart into pieces.

 Chapter 100 - Opportunity

    Sara ran outside the park and out of the Mos residence. She was too embarrassed to face Muchen. What was she thinking? She had just told him he was like a brother to her and she went on to kiss him? She had even pulled him down and stretched to meet his lips. At that time when they broke the kiss, her senses finally clicked. She couldn''t look at him. She just couldn''t. Her head was down. That was when she saw her clutch bag on the ground. She had even dropped her bag unknowingly when he kissed her. How was she supposed to pick it up now. It was too embarrassing.


    Muchen picked it up and handed it over to her. She didn''t raise her head when she took it from him.


    He couldn''t stop his grin as he whispered in her ears. "That was very sisterly of you"


    She raised her head to glare at him. But all she could see was his moist lips. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and ran away from him. She knew she might do something crazy if she continued to stand with him there. She didn''t want to have another taste of that sweet poison.


    Muchen laughed when he saw her running from him. ''She is cute''. He had totally been taken unaware. He was too excited. Sara had just kissed him willingly. It meant she really liked him too. He was no longer going to be patient with her. He had to step up his game.


    When she reached outside the Mansion. She realised just how much mistake she had made. It was already very late and there was no way she could find a taxi around there, as it was a secluded area. Dexi was supposed to drop her off. But now, she could not go back to ask him to. Neither could she go back to Muchen. Both options would be very embarrassing.


    She was happy she wasn''t wearing a heel. After it almost twisted her ankle at home, she decided to change into one of her sneakers. But after all her effort, today was still a waste. Her dress was even ruined. A dress she was supposed to return. What was she going to do. She noticed a car''s headlight behind her. Her heart sank as she imagined it was Muchen. She prayed a silent prayer for it to not be him. And thankfully, it wasn''t him but Song Changyu.


    She had been contemplating whether to pick Sara up or not. She knew it was going to be difficult for her to get a taxi there. And was also aware that she was trying to run from Muchen, whose car was not very far behind hers.


    "I''ll give you a ride" She spoke through the open window.


    Sara''s eyes brightened when she saw her. Wasn''t this the same Changyu she had been trying to meet for a very long time now? So she had been around?


    She looked behind her to see Muchen''s Rolls Royce. Without thinking twice, she hopped into the passenger''s seat of Changyu''s car.


    Muchen frowned when he saw her get into the car and quickly dialled her number. Two rings, and she s didn''t answer.


    "You should let him know you are fine" Changyu advised when Sara''s phone vibrated for the third time. Sara had been nervous. She sat there like a statue. When the phone rang the first time on her bag, she was startled and had to silent the phone. But it kept vibrating loudly. She wanted to strangle The Boss for getting her such a useless phone.


    She looked at Changyu nervously. She looked pale and looked like she had been crying. "Ma?"


    "You should take your call and let him know I''m giving you a ride home. Or he might just keep calling you"


    "How.. How did you know?" She asked in surprise.


    "I was at the park earlier. Sorry" She answered with a small smile.


    Sara''s face turned red from embarrassment as she took the call on it''s fourth ring.


    "Sara, are you okay?" He asked, worried.


    "I am fine Mr Li. Miss.." She had a problem on how to address Changyu. "Madam Song" She settled for that. "Madam Song is giving me a ride." She said in a low voice.


    "Madam Song?" He remembered that she had been searching for her that evening.


    "Yes. I''m hanging up now"


    "Wait!" He stopped her before she could do so. "Call me immediately you get home. Or if anything happens. And.... Don''t think about coming late to work. You should come before I leave the house"


    "What? Why? The contract says I can come anytime depends on how I observe Heya." She whispered.


    ''I like how humble she sounds'' He thought with a smile. "Heya needs your attention. She locked herself inside since yesterday. You need to talk to her"


    "Did something happen to Heya?" Sara raised her voice this time as she sat upright.


    ''She''s more worried about Heya than me?'' He pushed the thought from his head and answered.


    "Yes. Something big happened so you must come. And also, I need my jacket."


    Sara finally remembered his jacket was draped around her shoulders. She scoffed. ''It''s not like he is wearing it to work''


    "Call me as soon as you get home" He hung up with a smile plastered on his face.


    She also looked at her phone and smiled unknowingly.


    "CEO Li is your boyfriend?" Changyu asked as she briefly glanced at Sara.


    "No. Not at all" She denied vehemently.


    "Then CEO Mo?"


    She almost screamed God forbid. "He isn''t either"


    Sara just realised something. Changyu must have seen her with Dexi at the party. Then saw her kissing Muchen and now she was denying dating both. She wondered how Changyu would be looking at her now. Why was she even interested in her life anyway.


    Changyu didn''t say anything and just nodded as she focused on the road. "You can address me as Miss Song" She said.


    Sara was already feeling uneasy. But she had to make use of this opportunity.


    "Sorry to ask Miss Song..Do you by chance know any man named Wang Jianjun?"

 Chapter 101 - Bait

    "Oh my darling. You are the real daughter of your mother" Mrs Liu praised Weiyoung as she took the wine glass from her hand and sat opposite her. "You need to do everything within your power to keep this baby. That includes, giving up drinking"


    Mr Liu was pacing around the room. He looked at his daughter and Wife before shaking his head. He didn''t know how to feel about Weiyoung announcing to the whole world that she was pregnant. Weiyoung had told them before leaving, that she would do everything within her power to save their family. And they had to count on her. He was surprised when he received calls from some investors who had pulled out, that they were willing to give it a try with him again and also congratulated him. He realised it must have been Weiyoung''s doing. He was certain that after her announcement, people confirmed her relationship with the Mos. And didn''t want to let go of such connection. He heard his wife laugh again. He was no longer paying attention to them. He was only waiting for more calls to come in.


    "Now, we need more connections to deal with that CEO Li" Mrs Liu said with an angry smile.


    "You know it is impossible to touch him." Weiyoung reminded her. "No one would want to help us take CEO Li down. It''s like playing with fire. I''m more concerned about dealing with Sara" She said with an evil glint in her eyes.


    "Why haven''t you done anything yet? She''s been living well after ruining our family" Mr Liu hissed.


    Weiyoung eyed him as she muttered so even her mother wouldn''t hear her "How useless". Every other child depended on their parents but he was depending on her. " It''s not the right time yet." She answered. "I want to see how far she intends to go with CEO Li. I want her to know how it feels like to have something within your grasp and it suddenly slips away. And it wouldn''t be nice if we''re the only one who witnesses that. The whole world has to"


    "What do you intend to do?" Mrs Liu asked excitedly.


    Weiyoung smiled. "You don''t have to worry. It is going to be fun. I just have to patiently wait for the world to know her as CEO Li''s person. Then, I would crush the both of them together. And the netizens, the world would be by my side."


    Mrs Liu clapped her hands twice before getting up. "We need to be prepared. In case he intends to strike back. We need backing. How about the Jins?" She asked hopefully.


    "The Jins are very difficult to work with. They were the first to pull out from the investment." Mr Liu complained.


    "I guess they are pushing their son to Li Heya." Weiyoung smirked when she remembered that girl. "It might be difficult. But one way or the other, we are going to get their help. We still need a bigger fish... Let me say..." she pretended to think then, announced. "Like the Songs"


    "The Songs?" Mr and Mrs Liu asked in surprise.


    "Yes, especially now that their eldest daughter is around. Making her an ally automatically means hitting the jackpot" Weiyoung said.


    "The Songs are really tight. There is no way to get to them. I''m sure even the Li''s would find it difficult to connect with them. Talk less of us." Mr Liu was skeptical about the idea.


    "There is always a way. She was well acquainted with the Mos. So I could always make use that as their future daughter in law."


    "And if it doesn''t work?" Mrs Liu asked.


    Weiyoung smiled. "Everyone... has a weakness or a dirty past. We are going to find it and make sure that family falls into our hands."


    ***


    Muchen saw Sara got down from Song Changyu''s car. He had successfully tailed them there without being noticed. When he made sure she had gotten inside, he went his way home.


    Sara slumped on the chair and recalled her conversation with Changyu.


    She had denied knowing anyone who bore that name. And asked why Sara was asking her. Sara noticed her hands were tightly clenched on the steering wheel.


    Sara just brushed it off with vague excuses. There was silence in the car as both were lost in their thought. "You don''t mind if I play a song right?" Changyu asked.


    "Not at all" Sara answered before she hit the play button. The song which played startled Sara. It was the same Classical Music her father liked. She looked at Changyu who was focused on the road without saying anything. Her father and Changyu were both hiding the fact that they knew each other. Then something big must have happened. And now, she was fully willing to uncover it. She need to uncover everything about her Father''s past. About her mother''s also. About Changyu''s relation with all of them.


    She looked at the card Changyu offered to her. "You can reach me anytime" She had said before running her eyes over the apartment and driving off.


    She was sure going to use that card.


    **


    The next morning, she reluctantly got out of bed to have breakfast with the others.


    Bilike and Joreen were both eager to hear how everything went last night. "Well, I bumped into Mr Li there." She said.


    Their eyes all shone. Jianjun''s especially, since he could vaguely guess what happened. She had gone there with another man and bumped into Muchen. He didn''t want to ask further. He also stopped the others from asking when he saw Sara''s blush.


    Sara stole a glance at her father who was focused om his food, before facing Joreen. "Guess who else I met there Jo?"


    "Who, who?" She asked eagerly.


    Sara paused a bit before saying. "Song Changyu"


    Immediately the name came out, Jianjun''s spoon dropped on the table.


    ''He took the bait'' Sara thought

 Chapter 102 - I like it

    "We''re here" The driver informed her when he noticed she was not paying attention.


    She had been thinking about her Father''s reaction earlier. He had even left the house, saying he was going to take a stroll. No one knew where he went to.


    She apologized to the driver and got down. Now she was faced with something else¡ªmeeting Muchen.


    She slightly opened the door after imputing the password and peeked in to confirm whether Muchen was still around. Her body was out while her head kept darting inside.


    "Someone might think you are a thief"


    Muchen''s voice startled her and she dropped the bag she was holding. She couldn''t turn back to look at him. This was even more embarrassing. ''What was he doing outside by this time, and why hadn''t I seen him?'' She wondered. She bent down to pick up the nylon bag and slowly turned to find Muchen formally dressed for work in a suit and smiling at her. She had been so engrossed in peeking that she didn''t realise he had been standing behind her.


    Muchen looked at her face and furrowed his forehead in a frown as he moved closer to her.


    "Are you wearing lipstick?"


    Sara''s eyes widened as she shook her head and denied it. ''Did he have to notice everything? It was just a little lipstick for goodness sake''


    "You are." He walked closer to her and grazed his right thumb slightly over her lips. He was thankful that the cut on her lip was no longer visible.


    The proximity and touch had an effect on the both of them as they just stood there awkwardly.


    He cleared his throat and showed her the pink stain on his hand.


    "I...I.. I didn''t use.. rub.. I mean.." She could not find the words to use no matter how hard she tried. There was no point in denying it any longer. Besides, he was so close to her, which reminded her of their kiss last night. And what was worse, she didn''t regret it. Even though she felt that what she did was stupid and impulsive, she had caught herself smiling sheepishly whenever she remembered last night''s event.


    She used her hands to wipe her lips clean. She really was not ready for his talk this morning.


    Muchen smiled and observed her closely. Unlike her usual appearance, her hair was tied in a ponytail, she wore a navy blue sweater with a white scarf wrapped around her neck, a black trousers and her usual bag pack. Her sneakers was also covering her feet.


    He bent to meet her height. He made sure she met his gaze before he spoke very softly. "You are no longer confident."


    He used a hand to smoothen her hair as it moved further to the band she had used in tying her hair together. "I like it" He whispered.


    Color raised to her cheeks as she avoided his eyes and looked at anywhere but him. He smiled and yanked the band gently out of her hair to let it flow freely. "And I prefer your hair like this. Just like last night"


    Sara was stunned by his brazenness. And she couldn''t say anything as she just looked at his smiling face. She berated herself for being so stupid whenever she was around Muchen. ''I am Wang Sara! I will not let him treat me like this''


    He noticed the new determination in her eyes and smirked. He was going to see how long she would last.


    "I told you to call me as soon as you get home. But you failed to" He said as he moved back to his full height.


    "I don''t see any reason why I should always update my boss about my life" She said.


    "Oh. I was your brother yesterday and suddenly, I''m your boss again?" He teased.


    Once again, the embarrassment came as she remembered how she told him he was like a brother to her. But she had to stand firm now. She must!


    "You didn''t want me as your sister. You said so yourself" She shot back and glared at him. He laughed at her reaction. She quickly changed the topic before he could dwell on that. "Is Heya up?"


    "I don''t know. She has been down since Saturday and refused to leave her room."


    "Did something bad happen?" She asked in earnest concern.


    "She was scolded by Mother. But she should be okay"


    "Was... it because.. because of the video?" She bowed her head while her hair covered her face.


    "It isn''t your fault. If I had the chance, I would take Heya there everyday" From her reaction, he knew she was going to start blaming herself for taking Heya there.


    "Really?" She raised her head and brushed her hair back with her hand.


    He was smitten with her beauty and that very action.. He could only nod and reply "Yes. Really" as he looked at her lovingly.


    His gaze was starting to make her uncomfortable "I''ll go check on Heya now"


    He held her hand and gently pulled her back before she could leave. "It''s not yet time. You have about.." He checked his watch and said "About 12 minutes more"


    She realised he was talking about the time she usually arrived at their place. She looked at their joined hands. She didn''t know what to do. She wanted to leave as much as she wanted to stay. "Oh. Here!" She handed him the bag she had been holding. "Your jacket"


    He let go of her hand and took the bag from her. He almost laughed when he saw his million dollar suit in a nylon bag.


    He suddenly remembered something and asked expressionlessly.


    "Your dress yesterday... did CEO Mo get it for you?"

 Chapter 103 - Meeting a Director

    Jianjun looked at the tall building and sighed deeply. It was going to be impossible to get into Delight. But he at least, wanted to see a familiar face. The one he believed must have prepared that meal Sara had brought home. He was going to wait here.


    He thought back to what Sara said during breakfast. It was a big world. Whoever said it was a small world was wrong. But how did Sara suddenly bump into that devil of a woman? He just hoped they didn''t meet. He didn''t want to have anything to do with that woman. Neither did he want his daughter around her. After standing there for close to an hour, he finally saw a familiar face.


    **


    "Your dress yesterday... did CEO Mo get it for you?"


    Sara heard Muchen ask. She was about to say something when her phone rang.


    "Sara?" A masculine voice called from the other end as soon as she took the call.


    "Yes. Who is this?" She asked.


    "This is Jin Cearo. How do you do?"


    "Jin Cearo? I''m good. How did you get my number?"


    Muchen''s gaze narrowed when he heard her. Jin Cearo again? Wasn''t he the same guy who was trying to hug his sister? And he even went as far as calling Sara privately?


    Cearo coughed awkwardly before answering "I kind of searched for it. Sorry for reaching you this way"


    "Why is everyone getting my details without my permission?" She muttered a rhetorically. "So what''s up?"


    "I haven''t been able to reach Heya. Is she alright? Have you heard from her?" He asked, worried.


    "I''m currently outside her apartment. I''ll get to see her soon and let you know"


    He hesitated a bit before asking "Can I join you to meet her? I need to see her before I travel"


    Sara looked at Muchen. "Hold on" She said to the phone. "He wants to meet Heya before he travels. She''s not been reachable"


    "He has Heya''s number?" His eyes shone.


    "That''s not important right now." Sara eyed him.


    He could not believe that Cearo had the effrontery to talk about coming to his house to come see his sister. He nodded for Sara to tell him to come. He needed to have a man-to-man talk with him.


    --


    "So, who got you that dress?" He asked when she cut the call. He had been curious the entire night. He had to find out today.


    "Why are you so interested about my dress" She grumbled.


    "You don''t want to talk?" He asked softly.


    She sighed and tried to remember what happened that day.


    When she was about leaving,she saw someone staring at her intently. It was a young man obviously in his early 20''s and formally dressed in a suit and tie. His expression was aloof and the aura radiating around him was cold. She quickly noticed that a line of people were behind him. Including all the sales personnel. The Salesperson who asked her to leave earlier also bowed in greeting to him.


    "That''s enough. You can all continue your duties. The manager can remain" He said with his gaze still fixed on Sara. They all hurriedly dispatched leaving the middle aged manager and two young formally dressed men still standing behind him. They appeared to be his secretary or something of that sort.


    "What is your name?" He asked rudely when she was about walking past him.


    She stopped and looked him up and down without saying anything.


    "If he asks you what your name is then you should say it" The manager chided her.


    Sara scoffed in disbelief at the Manager. Then, looked at the young man once more. He seemed to be younger than her but he dared talk to her like she was his servant.


    His expression didn''t change at all as he continued to observe her. "I''m asking because you look familiar" He paused before continuing. "You were the girl in that video with Li Heya right?"


    Sara looked at him skeptically. She wondered who this person was. "You are?" She asked politely which made him smile a little bit.


    "Li Heya is my cousin. I am Li Hoy"


    "Minde''s brother?" She asked in surprise.


    The three people''s eyes behind him shone. How could she dare address the First young master casually as Minde?


    "It seems like you know a lot about my family."


    She shook her head. "Not much. I only work for CEO Li"


    Customers and the workers there, stole curious glances at them. The workers were surprised to see the director speaking with her. He never spoke much whenever he came. He only comes to check how thing were and leave immediately he was done


    Hoy nodded at her. "Follow me" He ordered as he strode past her.


    Sara remained there. She wondered whether she was the one he was referring to.


    He noticed she wasn''t following and turned to look at her. "Something wrong?"


    "You were referring to me just now?" She asked. When he still didn''t answer and just raised a brow at her, she said "I am not your subordinate. You should at least be polite when you talk to your customers" She was able to guess from everyone''s reaction that this store was under his ''jurisdiction''.


    Everyone who heard her were all shocked. Especially the salesperson who had asked her to leave earlier. Customer?


    --

 Chapter 104 - I do not like free things

    Hoy was taken aback by her speech. He looked her up and down again. His secretaries were also surprised to hear her speak to their boss that way. It was a new sight for them. They looked at her plain trouser, top and shoe. They could swear her wears weren''t designers. She had been about to leave the place because she could not afford to buy anything. But she called herself a customer?


    "I guess it grew on me to speak to people that way" He explained. "So just follow me"


    Sara still stood there without budging. "It didn''t grow on me to listen to people who talk to me rudely."


    Hoy was stressed out already. ''What kind of girl is this?'' He wondered. But he knew he had to be patient with her.


    "There are better gowns you could rent inside. If you''re interested, I''ll show them to you" He said in a very low voice. His secretaries and the manager were cut off guard. Why was he being polite all of a sudden? It was so unlike him.


    Sara''s eyes brightened "Really? It is possible to rent?"


    Hoy''s expression was unreadable. No one could tell whether he was happy or angry.


    "What is wrong with you? Are you not happy the director is sparing his precious time to talk to you? Why are you still asking many questions?" The manager scolded.


    Sara was not in the mood for him so she totally ignored him. And followed Hoy. She had to swallow her pride.


    Sara looked at the gowns in awe, after they settled in the VIP room. She had never thought that gowns would fascinate her this much. "But they are very expensive. You are sure to let me rent one at a cheap price?" She asked skeptically. Since they were much more expensive that the one in the main store.


    "You should spend your time trying them instead of talking. I''m not sure you have much time left" He answered her from the chair he was sitting.


    Sara didn''t wait to be reminded the second time as she began trying the gowns in the closet and coming out for Hoy to pass his judgement.


    The fun gradually died as Hoy kept giving a negative remark on every outfit she tried.


    "Remind me what kind of party is that again?" He asked.


    "A grandpa''s birthday party" She responded dejectedly.


    Hoy tried his best not to laugh. "Then you know why those gowns weren''t suitable for you"


    "Then why did you make me try them?" She asked angrily. He had been the one who chose the gowns.


    "Just because." He answered nonchalantly as his lips slightly curved upwards.


    He stood up and pointed at a mannequin covered with a black gown. "Get that for her" He said to the manager. The manager almost cussed him. At least he should have let him bring a salesgirl with him. How was he supposed to be taking out that gown from the mannequin. And giving it to this girl? But he could do nothing as he went over to bring the gown.


    Hoy also chose a pair of heels, clutch bag and jewelries to match her outfit.


    He said as he crossed his arms around his chest and looked at her seriously.


    "You can forget about paying for it. But in return...." She cut him off before he could continue. "What do you mean I can forget about paying for them? I have to pay for renting it" She said firmly.


    Hoy had never met anyone so stubborn. He didn''t even know what else to say. "I''m only doing this because you know my relatives"


    "That has nothing to do with this. I''m sorry, but I do not like free things. So I''ll have to pay."


    Hoy had to agree with her "It''s alright then. But you''ll be paying directly to me. You''ll have to bring it over to my office. You can forget about the dry cleaning we''re going to be in charge of that."


    "Your office? Why can''t I just bring it back here?"


    "You have to come to my office with it. It''s the least you could do" He said expressionlessly.


    "Are you..." Sara didn''t know whether it was right to ask him but she had to. " Are you trying to hit on me?"


    The others tried their best not to laugh. Who was she to think the director would hit on her? But they were also curious why he was interested in her all of a sudden. Except the manager who was busy glaring at her.


    "No." Hoy laughed for the first time and took her hand as he placed a card on her palm. "You have to return it unfailing on Tuesday. He said before leaving the room with his secretaries tailing after him.


    Sara left the unnecessary details when she narrated the event to Muchen and just told him she met Li Hoy who agreed to lend her an outfit for a cheaper price since he saw her with Heya on that video. She didn''t think it was necessary giving him the full gist.


    "Ohhhh" Muchen smiled. At least it was not Dexi but his own cousin. The Heavens was helping him. "That''s good. You don''t need to return it. You can just keep it. It suits you" He complimented.


    "That won''t be right. I promised to return it."


    "I''ll talk to him" Muchen said.


    "Mr Li..." She didn''t want to tell her he told her to personally return it to his office. Neither did she want him to meddle with her affairs.


    "Alright, alright." He agreed to her as he raised his hands up in surrender.

 Chapter 105 - A bigger problem

    "Mr Park?" Jianjun called in surprise when he saw an elderly man approaching the entrance to Delight.


    The man who dressed plainly in trousers and a shirt and he looked to be in his 50s, looked at Jianjun for a bit before asking "You are?" He observed him again and this time, he gasped in shock. "Are you Jian...jun?" he asked in utter shock.


    Jianjun had a shaky smile on as tears clouded his eyes. He nodded slowly to affirm his question.


    Mr Park''s eyes were already glistening with tears as he gradually approached Jianjun and enveloped him in a hug as he cried "It''s really you Jianjun. You are really the one." He cried some more before continuing "How long has it been? I couldn''t even recognise you." Jianjun hugged him back as he tried to lighten the mood. "You''ve gotten old Mr park" He said.


    ***


    Watching Muchen eye Cearo was an amusing sight for Sara. She wished she had a brother who was this protective of her. He had been ''interviewing'' Cearo for close to 20 mins now and Sara was already getting impatient on Heya''s behalf. Sara looked at Heya who gave her a sign to take Muchen away. She wasn''t ready for this right now. She barely managed to come out and now she had to sit here for this question and answer session.


    "Hmm, Mr Li. Sorry to interrupt. There is something I would like to tell you privately" Sara interrupted.


    "Really?" His eyes brightened as he stood up. "Alright. Come with me." He said as he happily took the stairs.


    Cearo whewed in relief when he saw the both of them going upstairs. He then looked at Heya to see her giggling. "Your Bro is really something" He commented with a smile.


    "You''re not taking offense" She asked.


    "Nah. It''s a good thing he is protective of you. I would do same or even worse if I had a younger sister."


    Heya only smiled and said nothing. She saw the funny look Cearo was giving her and remembered she was still looking so unkempt. She hadn''t taken her bath yet, her hair was a mess and she was still wearing her pink pajamas. She used her hand to brush her hair backwards as she spoke "Sorry, I didn''t know you were around. I thought it was just my bro and Sara"


    He chuckled lightly "No big deal. I like the fact that I can also see you like this.. But why is your friend here by this time?"


    Heya had told him Sara was her friend¡ª Not her coach. So it was normal for him to ask, seeing she was there this early . She didn''t want to lie to him. He seemed like a nice person and she felt she had to open up to him. "Sara is also my fitness coach." She said gently.


    He paused for a bit and nodded slightly after digesting what he just heard. "I see.. You plan to lose weight?" He raised a brow at her.


    Heya laughed "Of course." She nodded "That''s the plan"


    "I hope it doesn''t stress you out that much though." He said with a smile.


    "It does. But I have to be strong" She said.


    "More like the Heya I know" Cearo complimented. "I was thinking... if we could create a channel and you know.. since we have a lot of fans after our street singing the other day, we could just keep singing privately and then upload it to the channel" He paused to wait for her response.


    "You don''t mean that do you?" She asked skeptically.


    "I do." He affirmed.


    "But you''re traveling soon. Besides, I can''t do that. My family would freak out"


    "We''ll equally have an access to it. You can upload from here, while I can do same from over there. That''s of we''re both going solo since we can''t be dueting from our different destinations" He stood up from opposite her so he could sit beside her. "You should do the things you love, Heya."


    She looked into his dark eyes and held his gaze for about a minute before she spoke "I''ll have to think about it again... I know I like the attention and all. But I''m not sure about being a public figure. It had not really been my dream. And I''m sure it''s not the kind of thing I should get into considering the family I am from." When she saw the sad look he was giving her, she took a deep breath and said "I''ll have to think about it and also speak with my brother before I even consider venturing into it okay?"


    Cearo gave her a charming smile before agreeing with her. "That''s fine then" He gently tapped her hand that was resting on the couch . "I was meaning to ask...Is Sara dating your CEO Li?"


    Heya giggled. "Why are you asking?"


    His eyes shone. "Seriously? I kind of saw them in a funny position when I drove in. I think she was helping him fix his tie but she did a bad job and the both of them were laughing.


    Heya smiled and winked at him. "I don''t think they are dating yet. But I think they like each other."


    "Really?" He asked in surprise. "She doesn''t look like a socialite. Are your parents going to be cool with it?"


    "Well, that''s one big problem. There''s even a bigger problem; My grandma" She said dejectedly.

 Chapter 106 - You shouldnt like me

    Sara was beginning to think it was a bad idea following Muchen into his study. She stood by the door as soon as the got in and refused to go further inside. "What is it you wanted to say?" He asked as he rested his body on his office desk. He knew she was not going to sit. So he didn''t bother using the chair either.


    "Why aren''t you leaving for work yet?" She asked politely.


    Muchen ran his eyes over the study. Was he supposed to tell her that he had been working all night after the party and didn''t want more pressure about going to work? "I''ll leave in a while. So tell me what you wanted to say privately. I do not believe that was the question you wanted to ask me" He said pointedly with his gaze not moving from her.


    "I .. I was... I..." Sara thought of anything to lie about. She had never been a good liar and now she was beginning to regret that.


    "You what?" He asked. When he saw she wasn''t saying anything, he scratched his head and spoke. "Don''t tell me you brought me here to give them privacy?"


    Sara tried to deny it but she laughed instead. She couldn''t believe she was able to laugh now. And it gave her off. Muchen was always so good at reading her.


    "Mr Li. You need to understand. He came to see her but you were making them uncomfortable." She treid to make him understand by all means.


    Muchen moved closer to her and took her hand as he led her to where he had been sitting to make sure she sat on the table beside him.


    "Are you sure you didn''t do this to give us privacy instead?" He asked cunningly.


    Sara suddenly choked and tried to get up but he held her back down. "You don''t have to overreact. I was joking." He said gently. After a pause, he continued "I don''t just trust Jin Cearo. You can say I have trust issues" He opened up.


    Sara looked up at him. "It''s hard to believe that when you easily employed me and gave me the password to your apartment"


    He smiled at her and pinched her chin gently. "That''s because you are different. I trust you Sara."


    Sara''s breath ceased for a while and she met his eyes. For some reason, Muchen felt something was wrong as he searched her eyes. They both looked at each other quietly for a bit before she stood up abruptly and turned to face the door with her back facing Muchen. He didn''t do anything but just watched her. "Why?" She asked in a hoarse voice.


    She turned to look at him and he could see her eyes were filled with unshed tears. "I asked why you trust me. Why you like me?"


    He took a deep breath and stood properly, adjusting to full height. "I really don''t have any answer to that question" He said.


    "You... you recognized me right? You did recognise me from that party. Did you employ me on purpose? Did you feel that since Mo Jinyong could play with me then you could also do same or you did it out of pity since my boyfriend left me for my friend? I don''t understand why someone like you would like someone like me" She said with an increased tone. Trying desperately not to let her tears fall.


    "For goodness sake Sara, Why would you think that way?" He asked in bewilderment.


    "I have every reason to think that way. I really want to know if you employed me on purpose. Thinking back to everything that has been happening, I think it was all weird." She said in anything but a gentle tone.


    "Sara, I don''t like the way you are sounding. Can you please calm down?" He tried to hold her hand but she moved from his reach. "Fine... I did. It was for Heya as much as it was for me. I just wanted to get to know you. Believe me Sara. I have no ulterior motive."


    Sara scoffed in disbelief. "So you''re saying throwing your money at me is getting to know me?"


    "Jesus! When did I ever throw money at you?" He was desperately trying to control his emotions.


    "The case with the Liu''s should be a good example if you''re the one responsible¡ªwhich I believe you are. Your so-called salary advance payment, this job also. Did you think I''ll suddenly fall flat at your feet because of these?" She asked with tears flowing down her cheeks."I don''t want any of those. I don''t want to have anything to do with you people. Can''t you understand?" She covered her face with both hands. Trying to hide her tears from Muchen. "I... I don''t like you all treating me like that..it...it makes me depressed" She didn''t know when she found herself in Muchen''s embraced as he hugged her tightly.


    "I was wrong Sara... I was wrong. But please don''t cry. I won''t do anything without your permission again." He tried to hold back his own tears as he spoke even in a more hoarse voice "I promise"


    Sara''s sobs became even louder as she spoke between them "You.... shouldn''t... like me... Mr Li."


    ''I''m sorry Li Muchen. I can''t walk in eggshell everyday because I feel you''ll leave me the moment you get to know the type of person I really am. You have to not like me so I can also be able to control my self'' She thought to herself.

 Chapter 107 - I cant kill myself

    "How could you just disappear like that without leaving any note behind ?" Mr Park asked Jianjun as he placed two cups of coffee on the table. Jianjun ran his eyes over the place again. He was finally in Delight. But he felt it didn''t really deserve the too much overration everyone had made it out to be. "I had my reasons" He answered as he took a sip from his coffee.


    "You were so young back then. We were all so worried about you and your sister." He gave a deep sigh and also took a little sip of his coffee before he put it down and looked at Jianjun again.


    "It''s all in the past now" Jianjun said with a tiny smile.


    Mr park nodded vigorously. "Yes. It''s all in the past now... But where is your sister? Her name was...."


    "Cixi" Jianjun called out when he realised Mr Park was having a difficult time remembering her name.


    "She''s a doctor now. She goes about doing volunteer jobs. It''s even difficult for me to see her"


    "Oh. I''m happy she was able to fulfil her dream. She was never really into the family business" He began to cry again as he spoke "Your parents are such nice people. I can''t believe they left you both just like that" He took a paper napkin and cleaned his eyes and nose. "But I''m glad" He said as he tried to force a bright smile. "That I was able to see you before I die." He patted Jianjun''s hands lightly. "Yes.. Do you remember the Song''s eldest daughter?"


    Jianjun tensed when he heard the question. He remained silent and shook his head after a while.


    "What? you do not recognise her? She was your Mother''s apprentice and was always all over you then"


    "Did something like that happen?" He feigned ignorance and took another sip from his mug.


    "Oh. You must have actually forgotten her then. She came by recently. She asked whether I''ve heard from you all these years. I guess she still has some fire left" He grinned.


    "I wanted to ask you something Mr Park" He quickly changed the topic. "You seem to be of a high rank here." He noticed how people greeted him when they entered.


    Mr Park smiled when he said "I am the head chef"


    "Oh. Congratulations Mr Park. I am sincerely happy for you" He remembered when Mr Park was working for his parents as an assistant.


    Mr Park warmly accepted Jianjun''s good wishes.


    "My daughter came here last week and..."


    "Oh my.. You have a daughter? You must be married then. How nice. I can''t believe the little Jianjun then is now a Father."


    Jianjun smiled and nodded. "Yes. My daughter is a big girl now. I will bring her to greet you one of these days"


    "Oh.." There was a twinkle in Mr Park''s eyes. "You will really do that? I would love to see a female Jianjun"


    "She is really the feminine version of my younger self" They both laughed. Then Mr Park asked about Jianjun''s wife. Jianjun was not willing to talk about that and had to skip it for the main question he had come here for.


    ****


    "I can''t believe you could fall asleep after breaking my heart" Muchen muttered as he tucked her properly into bed. He was beginning to regret loosing her ponytail as he could observe she was uncomfortable with her hair covering her face. brushed her hair to a side and looked at her face closely. "I don''t ever want to see you cry Sara. I''ll kill anyone who dare to make you cry. But I can''t kill myself. Because then, I won''t see you again."


    Heya opened the door to see her brother crouched down beside Sara and speaking to a sleeping Sara. "Miss Long is here." She announced.


    "Shhhhhh" He said to quiet her and stood up gently. "Why did Sara cry?" Heya asked softly as she looked at Sara''s face. She had wanted to eavesdrop, even though she knew it was going to be impossible since the door to his study was soundproof. But when she saw Muchen carrying her out and trying as much as possible to hide Sara''s sleeping face from her, she knew Sara must have cried.


    "She is just stressed out" He said as he led her outside and gently closed the door behind them.


    "Make sure you do not disturb her. And you have to exercise on your own today" He announced.


    Heya eyed him mischievously. He noticed and stopped walking down the stairs as he turned to fave her. "What''s with the look?"


    "I just feel like I and Sara swapped roles. You seem to care about her more than usual"


    "Of course I should. Are you jealous? Didn''t you just have a guy come visit you?"


    "That''s different." She pouted.


    Muchen smiled and ruffled her already scattered hair. He was grateful to Heya for distracting him a bit.

 Chapter 108 - Even I, believed her

    Ms Long could easily tell Muchen was not in a good mood. She knew it wasn''t time to indulge in unnecessary conversations as they drove over to the company. So she simply went straight to the point. "Chairman Zhang was at the company this morning. He requested an audience with you"


    Muchen didn''t stop flipping through files as he responded from the back seat. "What was done about it?"


    "He was asked to leave. He still refused to budge."


    Muchen shook his head. "Let him know it was a little punishment for what his son did to you and Sara. If I find him there when I get to the company, I''ll completely wipe out the Zhang''s from doing business" He said coldly. Anyone who heard him could tell he was serious.


    The driver stole a glance at Muchen through the mirror and swallowed hard. He felt bad for whoever was on Muchen''s bad side. Ms Long was used to his ways and immediately put a call across to Secretary Min.


    "Has it been discovered, who uploaded the video of Heya?" He asked after Ms Long hung up.


    "They are still trying to trace it. It''s been quite difficult to track and the system''s IP address cannot be located."


    Muchen stopped flipping and turned to look out the window as he spoke. "Difficult?" He paused a bit which gave Ms Long and his driver the creeps. "I don''t pay millions and billions to my employees for them to tell me a task is difficult. If they do not want me to pay them a visit, they better bring me the person''s name by Wednesday." He ordered.


    Ms Long nervously agreed to his demands and sent a couple of texts. She raised her head when she was done and said. "Mr Li, about the Liu''s, they have been awfully quiet. I think they may be up to something."


    "Their daughter wasn''t so quiet last night." He replied nonchalantly.


    "Yes sir. About that, every media outlet is carrying the news of Liu Weiyoung and Mo Jinyong''s wedding and her pregnancy."


    Muchen smirked as he lifted another file to flip through. He was obviously thinking the same thing the Mos were thinking.


    **


    "You think I am stupid?" Mo Aida screamed at Weiyoung. "We totally blocked off all media outlets. So how can you tell me you do not know how the news got out?"


    Weiyoung lips were pursed as she looked at Mo Aida who had come to visit them so early in the morning. Last night, she had left on time because she knew it would likely happen if she stayed till the end of the party.


    "Calm down Madam Mo. It''s no big deal. They were going to get married soon anyway." Mr Liu tried to soothe her while Mrs Liu stood in between her daughter and Aida. "You shouldn''t sound that way. Let me offer you tea" Mrs Liu tried to take her hand but Aida rudely pushed her hand aside. "You think I came here to bond with you all? How did you raise your daughter?" She pointed an accusing finger at Mr and Mrs Liu. "Not only did she not inform us about her pregnancy, she went on to tell the whole world they were getting married and that she was pregnant!"


    "Mother.." Weiyoung moved to stand beside her. "I really did not do it intentionally" Tears started clouding her vision as she knelt down in front of her. The action startled her parents but they couldn''t involve themselves right now.


    "What do you think you are doing right now?" Aida yelled and glared at Weiyoung.


    "Mother forgive me. I love Jinyong so much and we''ve promised to marry each other. I just didn''t think there was anything wrong in letting people know that we were both going to marry soon anyway. It was something everyone there knew about since they were also in our engagement party. And I didn''t mention I was pregnant. You were there also and saw everything. I also didn''t inform any media outlet about it. Why would I do something like that that would soil both our family names? I can''t even go out now because a lot of people have been saying a lot of awful things about me." By now, tears were already streaming down her face as she spoke between sobs "I... I feel wronged. That even you do not trust me. My.. my family will organise a press conference to tell them it was all a joke and nothing like that happened. I''m sure the people... last night would play along. Please Mother"


    Aida scoffed and pushed the hand Weiyoung was trying to grab the hem of her gown with. She couldn''t agree to the idea of organizing a press conference. It would make their family turn into a joke."


    "You better watch yourself and stay low till I tell you what to do" She angrily stomped out of their apartment without waiting for the Liu''s to see her out. She couldn''t believe Weiyoung was ruining things for her. How was she going to handle this situation? She knew things were going to worsen once she met her parents.


    Weiyoung stood up when she confirmed Aida had left and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and a smirky smile. Her eyes were glazed and expression, cold.


    "Do you think she believed her?" Mr Liu asked his wife.


    Mrs Liu held Weiyoung''s two hands as she smiled widely. "Even I, believed her. That was wonderful. What do you plan on doing next?"

 Chapter 109 - Busybody

    Dexi was on his way to the office when his mother, Zhao Biyu, paid him a surprise visit.


    "I''m really surprised to see you here" He said as he ushered her to sit.


    "No need to sit. I''ll go straight to the point since you''re on your way to work."


    They both strode outside as she spoke "There are eyes on this family now. I don''t know what your sister was thinking when she allowed Weiyoung to take the mike last night. But we have to cover it up with something bigger."


    He stopped walking. She did also. "It''s their problem. Why do I have to help them cover it?"


    "They''re your family!" She scolded. "Family should stick to each other" She said and took both his hands in hers and gazed at her son lovingly. "Especially in times like this"


    "Did you know what Sister Aida was planning?" He asked. Biyu nodded. All she wanted was for her family to be happy. Which included her children and grandchild. "I know she wanted to make our family stronger by bonding with the Songs. But now that this has happened, I''m not sure there is anything she can do about it. We have to rely on you"


    Dexi almost laughed at his mother''s ignorance. ''Wanted to make the family stronger? I wish'' "So what do you want me to do?"


    She smiled warmly at him. "The girl that came with you last night."


    His eyes shone. Why was she asking about Sara all of a sudden?


    "Is she your girlfriend or one of your flings? I sense you do like her."


    Dexi didn''t say anything and only smiled slightly.


    "Come on. You do not have to be shy." She grinned widely at him "She is really pretty. What family is she from?"


    "Mother, I have to leave for the office now" He tried to evade her questions.


    "But... I think she looks really familiar. Has she been to any of our occasion before?"


    Dexi recalled his mother might have seen her that night at Jinyong''s engagement. Things were really going to get messed up if she recognised her.


    "Mother.. I really need to leave now. I''ll see you another time" He kissed her on a cheek and left her there.


    In his car, he thought back to last night. He couldn''t understand why he couldn''t get Sara when his useless nephew could do so. He knew his mother planned to cover Jinyong''s scandal by asking him to introduce his girlfriend to the public. He sighed deeply then spoke to his secretary.


    "Search for every detail about Wang Sara and send it to me as soon as possible"


    **


    Muchen used his hands to massage his temples. Of all days, Minde chose today to trouble his life.


    "Why aren''t you saying anything?" Minde asked worriedly.


    "I need to work and you''re distracting me" Muchen said.


    "Come on, talk to me. I''m here for you"


    Muchen looked at his expression and couldn''t help laughing at his cheekiness. He finally focused on his cousin.


    "What do you think is wrong?" Muchen asked.


    Minde thought for a moment before responding. "I do not think the shares dropped, neither do I think you''re in some kind of scandal or family problem. But...." His eyes shone brightly as he snapped his fingers. "Wait! Is this about sister in law?"


    Muchen smiled unconsciously. He liked the sound of that. "Stop being such a busybody. Are you here to distract yourself from thinking about your ex girlfriend getting pregnant for another man?" He teased.


    Minde laughed. "If he was a little bit better or cuter than me then I would have been a little bit sad. Only stupid people will date Mo Jinyong"


    Muchen smiled a bit before something settled in and he frowned. "Repeat the last sentence" He demanded.


    Minde wondered what was up with his brother and was about repeating it again before he remembered that Sara had dated Jinyong and he had just indirectly called Sara, stupid.


    He smiled awkwardly. "You know I didn''t mean that."


    Muchen glared at him and scanned through a file on his desk.


    "But about Sara. How is it going with you both?" Minde asked inquisitively.


    "She''s..." Muchen didn''t know what to say concerning their current relationship so he settled with "She''s okay".


    He dropped the file and looked at Minde seriously. "While you were with Weiyoung, did you by chance hear anything from her about Sara?"


    Minde paused and tried to recall. "Now that I think about it...there was a certain time I was a bit curious about Sara and asked about her from Weiyoung but she said something I didn''t take note of back then. Something like..." He paused for a while again to remember. Muchen was almost dying of curiosity, as every second felt like an hour.


    "She said something like Sara is not who she appeared to be. And I should stay away from her whenever I see her. I guess she was right after all. Judging from how she beat up my bodyguards at that time. Don''t you think she is a bit strange? Why would a girl know how to fight like that?" Minde wondered. He was also beginning to get curious.


    Muchen was quite for a while as he pondered upon the question. When he saw Minde also lost in thought, he snapped him back to reality. "Focus! Sara has nothing to do with you so mind your business"


    "Alright, Alright." Minde eyed him. "About Changyu, how was your meeting with her? Did she agree to sell the building to you?"


    "How did you know about the building?" Muchen asked.


    "Is there anything about you that I do not know?" Minde winked at him.


    "She hasn''t concluded. I have a feeling she doesn''t want to."


    "You''re all after the building because a redevelopment is going to happen around that area soon. So why would she sell it at this critical time?"


    Muchen shook his head. "I do not think that is the case"


    "Why has she been keeping that dilapidated building anyway? Or maybe she''s been keeping it for this very moment?"


    "What do you know about the building?" Muchen asked.


    "I heard it had been a 5-star restaurant but was closed down by the government due to some reasons. After that, the Songs bought the land. And a couple of years later, while Changyu was still abroad, she bought the land from her parents without them knowing it was her."


    Muchen nodded. He thought he was going to get a new information from Minde but it was what he knew already. "Do you know anything about the previous owner?"


    Minde shook his head."No"


    Talking about the Songs suddenly reminded Muchen of how Sara had been searching for Changyu the night before. What was up with her anyway?

 Chapter 110 - FRUSTRATED

    The entire morning, Jinyong did what he knew how to do best¡ªgetting drunk. He threw the last Cigarette butt into the ashtray and sighed deeply. Why was everything working against him?


    He remembered two years ago when he went into that bar. It had been by mere coincidence that he met Weiyoung there.


    On his mother''s orders to make sure he gets Weiyoung, he had been trying to get in touch with her . But then, be realised she was dating Mo Minde. He feared telling that to his mother so he had kept trying to get in contact with her.


    Until that very day when he went there to pick up his friend. His friend had gone there to get drunk after his failed marriage proposal that night. His girlfriend had turned him down in front of everyone with a single sentence "I didn''t think we were serious".


    When he sighted a drunk Weiyoung, he had been happy to finally meet her. He knew his mother would be pleased. He was about going over to her table when he saw Sara enter and walk up to Weiyoung. It would be a lie if he said he was not captivated and attracted to her despite the fact that she was dressed roughly. But he knew she was not the one. It was Weiyoung. Looking at Weiyoung now, he felt she was not even as pretty as he thought. Especially when compared to Sara.


    He saw them laugh as Sara showed her something on her phone. Soon, Weiyoung dozed off. When he went over to help Sara carry Weiyoung, She had bluntly rejected his offer. She later agreed when she realised she couldn''t help Weiyoung on her own. She also couldn''t drive because her license was not with her. Jinyong was happy to drive the three of them including his friend home. He didn''t know whether he was happy because he finally met Weiyoung or because Sara agreed for him to help her.


    He dropped Sara and Weiyoung at Sara''s place first before he went on his way. He didn''t know what he was thinking when he went into a relationship with her. But the goal had still been Weiyoung. After a couple of months passed, one day, Weiyoung walked up to him and said "I know you like me. I can see it in your eyes." Then she kissed him. And he kissed her back. That was how it all started.


    When his mother figured out that he was already with Weiyoung, she was so happy. The Liu''s were working on an important project and she knew it was going to be a step forward for them if Jinyong got married to her. She was also their only child and heiress. Aida didn''t want to let go of such a big fish.


    So many times, he tried to break up with Sara. But Weiyoung had warned him that she would end things with him if he dared do so. He didn''t know what was up with her. But he felt frustrated. He couldn''t risk her breaking up with him. Else, his mother would skin him alive.


    On his first anniversary with Sara, he had been so nervous. He felt like he was doing something wrong. Which of course, was correct. He looked around the bar and remembered it was were he first met her. When he tried to kiss Sara, she flinched and ran out of the bar, leaving him there. The second time he tried, he succeeded. But she didn''t reciprocate. She was emotionless with her eyes wide open. He began to lose interest and finally chose to focus of Weiyoung who gave him everything he wanted.


    That night of his engagement, he was really broken when he saw Sara''s disappointed face. But he knew it was too late. He couldn''t do anything about it anymore. When he even tried to peacefully break up with her, she had insulted him and crushed his ego.


    His hand tightened around the wine bottle as he heaved it at the fall and screamed in frustration.


    He remembered how Sara looked at Muchen last night during his grandfather''s birthday party. She had never looked at him that way. It was also the first time he saw her dressed that way.


    He was so angry. So enraged. She came there looking all dolled up just to spite him and make him jealous? She had even said that Li Muchen was better than him. The reason he was so hurt by her words was because they were the truth.


    While he has been frustrated, she was happily going back and forth between his uncle and CEO Li.


    He thought back to the event last night. He remembered warning Weiyoung to get rid of the pregnancy. Bus she had to do that to him. Was he really going to spend the rest of his life with Weiyoung now? Impossible! over his dead body. He was going to make sure that scheming bitch never became a part of his family even if it meant disobeying his mother for the first time. There was an evil glint in his eyes as he staggered up.

 Chapter 111 - An Idiot

    "Sara wake up"


    She could feel the air closing in on her as she struggled to breathe. But she kept going down the dark water. No matter how she struggled, she couldn''t go up. ''It''s too late to regret'' she thought to herself as she closed her eyes to let whatever was going to happen, happen.


    "Sara wake up". She startled awake when Heya shook her forcefully " Thank God you''re finally awake" She heard Heya sigh in relief.


    Her breathing was ragged. She stared blankly and it took a while before she realised where she was as she gradually sat up. "Wa...ter" She managed to say in a very dry voice. Heya caught on and hurriedly brought her a glass of water. Sara gulped it all down in one go.


    Although the room was cold, there were beads of sweat on her forehead, which were sliding down her face.


    "Sara, what happened? You scared me." Heya worriedly said.


    "I''m... I''m sorry." Her voice was still low and unsteady as she apologized. She remembered she had been with Muchen. Why was she here now. What happened to her? "How long did I sleep? you should have woken me up"


    "Bro said I should allow you rest. It''s currently.." She looked at her phone "past 5 in the evening"


    "What? Past 5?" She couldn''t believe she had slept for almost 8 hours. What happened to her?


    "I''m sorry we couldn''t work out today. I''m really slacking off"


    "You don''t have to worry. I did some workout today" Heya smiled at her. "I''m gradually getting used to it." Heya didn''t know whether to ask her about her nightmare just now. But she felt it was best to not raise the issue.


    "I heard your mother scolded you. I''m sorry about that. It''s all my fault"


    "No. not at all." She waved both hands at Sara. "I just wanted her to know what was on my mind."


    "So you''re better now?" Sara asked with a tiny smile.


    "Sure. Besides, Bro also talked to me. He said We''d both go home to see our parents when he returns from his trip"


    "Trip? What trip?" Sara asked curiously.


    "I guess it was an impromptu business trip or something of that sort. He doesn''t know when he''ll be back yet"


    Sara said nothing but sighed deeply as she stood up.


    **


    She felt suffocated during the ride home. So she asked the driver to drop her off just a few blocks from her place so she could walk home. She recalled her conversation with Muchen. She couldn''t help asking herself why he would leave every single girl out there for someone like her. She stopped to look at her reflection on a small building''s window. Gradually, she lifted a hand to touch her cheek. She was pretty. But not as pretty as those other women. She wasn''t an heiress. Neither was she rich. She was even depending on the salary he would give to her. Her face wasn''t spotless. Even her hair was slightly messy. She looked rough. So why would he like her? Or was he just trying to play with her? She blinked back tears as many questions flooded her mind.


    If he wanted sex from her, was there any point for him to do those unnecessary things for her instead of just throwing money at her? She sniffed and continued on her way. She felt bad for Muchen. If he truly liked her, then he was liking the wrong person.


    "Sara" She heard a familiar voice call her name.She turned to look at him and just as expected, it was Jinyong.


    "God, what were you thinking that you didn''t even realise I have been calling you?" He asked in a ''concerned'' manner


    "Why are you following me?" She asked in annoyance.


    Unlike his ragged look earlier, he was well dressed now in a shirt and black trousers. "Can we talk for a moment?" He managed to say out.


    Sara looked him up and down before turning to continue her journey home. She could see Mr Chu''s house already and needed to get in as soon as possible.


    Jinyong took large strides and stood in front of her. "Can you just hear me out? It took a great deal of effort to locate you. What happened to your former house and restaurant?"


    Sara scoffed at him. "I didn''t know you cared about things like that. Well, if you really want to know, then you can ask your fiancee" She pushed him aside and continued walking.


    "Sara!" He screamed her name. But she didn''t stop walking.


    He had to block her way again. "Let''s just talk somewhere okay? I have a lot to tell you."


    "I''m surprised you think I have the luxury of time to spend with you. Mo Jinyong. I won''t condone this nonsense. Remember, THIS IS MY TURF" She declared.


    It reminded him of everything he had said and done the previous night.


    "Look Sara, I know you are still a bit shocked about the whole thing, but you don''t have to pretend to be strong in front of me. You don''t have to walk dazedly on the street."


    Sara looked at him like an idiot that he was as she watched him kept spouting nonsense.


    "Do you even have common sense at all? I''m beginning to doubt that you do" She said mockingly.


    Jinyong tried not to exchange words with her. All he needed was for her to help him get rid of Weiyoung. He had to bring Sara to his side in other to achieve that. And when it was time, he would destroy Sara for messing with him. For going over to his uncle''s side instead of his. For making CEO Li to cut ties with him. She was going to pay. But not now.


    "I apologize for all I did. I will make it up to you. I know a part of you still want me. Please listen to me. I have really not been okay for the past week."


    Sara looked at him pitifully. The look gave him hope as he was beginning to rejoice within him. Then, he heard her speak gently.


    "You would have been a bit better if you had stayed in your original home" she patted his shoulders lightly.


    "Original home? What do you mean. I''m still in my house." He replied in confusion.


    "Nah.." She shook her head "A psychiatric hospital you idiot!"

 Chapter 112 - CHILD

    Jinyong could not believe Sara was treating him this way. He could still remember how she blushed around him. And how nice she had been to him. She even sent him various dishes from her Father''s restaurant a couple of times. Who was this person he was seeing now?


    He looked at her retreating figure as she entered into the Chu''s apartment. He recalled she said something about asking his fiancee why she was living here now. He clenched his fists tightly as he went on his way.


    **


    He was surprised, or not so surprised to find Weiyoung sitting on his couch when he got home. He had been trying to reach her while he was driving home but no to avail. Now, she was here, in his house.


    She gave him a welcoming smile when she saw him and stood up from the couch. "You didn''t call me for days. I was surprised to receive so many calls from you today" She said as she folded her hands around her chest.


    Jinyong''s expression was cold. For some reason, he was beginning to find her presence irritating and annoying. "Why didn''t you take the call?" He threw his keys on the table and plumped down in the couch. She also sat down. But far from him. "Aren''t you happy to see me here?" She asked.


    "I am not" He replied bluntly. Weiyoung dug her nails into her palm in anger as she tried to maintain her cool.


    "What were you thinking?" He screamed at her. "What were you thinking, telling the reporters about your pregnancy?"


    Weiyoung''s eyes turned watery as she began to speak. "Why would I do something like that? You know how much I care about my public image. Why would I ruin it by spreading such news?"


    Jinyong thought for a while. It made sense. Weiyoung wouldn''t do it. It''s not like she knew he was going to dump her for the Song''s daughter anyway and if she wanted to tell the world, she would have done that a long time ago. Besides, she had even agreed for their engagement to be low-key, talk more of her pregnancy.


    But then, he remembered how she had made the announcement that they were both going to get married. And her indirect admission of her pregnancy. "So what was that, about your announcement last night. You even rubbed your belly and indirectly told the world that you were pregnant." He spoke even louder


    Weiyoung allowed the tears flow freely as she moved to his side and knelt down in front of him. "I....I was.. threatened" She said between sobs.


    "Threatened?" He questioned. "Who threatened you?" He demanded.


    "Please..I do not want you to cause trouble. I will... I will handle it.. myself" She took both his hands in hers as she continued wailing.


    He stood up abruptly and yelled at her. "I asked who threatened you"


    Weiyoung swallowed hard. She was still kneeling down, facing the couch. While Jinyong was standing


    behind her. "It was... It was.. Sara."


    "What?" His eyes widened in shock. No! it was not possible. He shook his head in denial.


    "Why do you think she came to the party. Even your uncle had brought her there. It was planned. To ruin me. To ruin us." She continued crying as she gave him time for the news to sink in before she continued. "She said she was going to tell the whole world how I snatched you from her. She was going to tell the world how you played with two friends. I couldn''t watch her do that. So I... I had to do it. I don''t know how she was able to know I was pregnant. She said she would tell the world if I didn''t announce it. I still couldn''t say something as embarrassing as that directly. That was why I put up the act. I guess it was not enough for her so she went on to tell it to the press. I was also shocked when I saw the news this morning. I didn''t know she would go that far just to get revenge. I... I couldn''t even tell Mother-in-law about it when she came to our house this morning. I was so scared she was going to scold you."


    Jinyong''s breathing grew heavier. He couldn''t believe Sara was capable of such. Now it all made sense. ''But how? how could she do this to him? It was okay if she hated him. Why would she do all of these?"


    Weiyoung''s eyes darkened as she smirked. This was the beginning.


    "I don''t know why she is like that" She continued. "My family apologized to her. We even bought their apartment and restaurant in their name. But they insulted us and moved out of the apartment. I don''t know what she told CEO Li, he has been attacking my family. I''m sure CEO Li has already attacked you because of Sara." She cried even louder.


    Jinyong felt a headache coming. He couldn''t believe Sara was that evil. So manipulative and wicked. How could she do this? He looked down at Weiyoung who was crying. Although, he felt nothing for her currently, he still felt bad for her. She had even tarnished her image because she was trying to save the both of them from that witch.


    "I''m very sure she is not going to stop there. She''ll continue to torment us. We need to do something. We need deterrence. We have to fight her together"


    She stood up and gave him a back hug. Seeing he had been quiet the whole time, she knew he was angry. She knew he must be hating Sara for ruining his chance with the Song family. Her lips curved up. She was going to do anything to make sure Sara goes down. Her hands tightened around his waist.


    She remembered that day two months ago. He was drunk that night. She was drunk also but hers was not serious. While they were together, making love, he had called her ''Sara''. That day had been the worse day of her life. How could he call her Sara when she was there with him? When she was better than her? From that moment, she swore that she was going to let that seed germinate. She was going to keep that child. So that whenever he saw that child, he would always remembers that they had both made that child together. That that child was their fruit. That child was her revenge. She was going to protect this child with her life. She was going to use this child to climb up. She was going to use this child to pull people down.

 Chapter 113 - You stained it.

    Breakfast, the next morning was rather quiet. Except Joreen who kept reminding them over again about her encounter with different stars when she went to the location site with Muchen. They were already tired of listening but had had to act like they were paying attention when they weren''t actually doing so.


    Jianjun kept thinking about his encounter with Mr Park. Mr park had claimed that Jianjun''s Father had given him one of his recipe book shortly before his death. He sighed deeply as he picked on his breakfast.


    "A news was going round yesterday about Weiyoung and Jinyong. Did you see it?" Joreen asked them. She had not been able to tell them about it yesterday because she had gone to bed early. Her body still ached from the strenuous activity she did in school.


    Bilike had no idea who or what they were talking about so he just kept eating.


    "What news?" Sara was the only one who showed a little interest in the topic. Since it involved the two people she hated.


    "It was about her being pregnant for Jinyong. That''s gross" She shook her tiny body to show her irritation. She wasn''t getting the required reaction from any of them. Jianjun didn''t seem interested in the topic while Sara didn''t look bothered.


    "You knew?" Joreen asked Sara.


    This time, Jianjun looked at Sara, who was busy with her food. "Is that true?"


    She raised her head and looked at him. "Yes. She made mention about them getting married. She and had deliberately made it known to the public that she is pregnant."


    "What? Where did that happen?" Joreen asked inquisitively.


    "The party yesterday." She had intended to keep it a secret about whose party it was and why she went there. She didn''t want anyone to know she was digging into her Father''s past. "She also attended the party. I have to leave now" She stood up and hurriedly took her plates to the kitchen.


    "Say me well to Mr Chu. Tell him I''ll pay him a visit soon" She said to Bilike when she came out from the kitchen.


    "I will. He keeps saying he wants to come back home else he feared he might get used to the comfortable bed there"


    ***


    Sara was glad that Heya was improving and her weight loss dream was coming to reality. She tried to put in all her attention while working out with her.. ''You were employed to help Heya'' She reminded herself the whole time.


    "You look pale. Are you sure you''re not sick?" Heya asked in worry.


    "I am fine. Just a little bit stressed out" She knee what was wrong with her. But she just couldn''t admit it.


    "You should rest then. Bro might kill you if he finds out that I''m stressing you" Heya looked at Sara to see she was looking at her with an unreadable expression. "Just take care of your health Sara. I don''t know what''s been up with you lately but I believe you can sort things out." Heya encouraged. "You''re a big girl" She grinned.


    Sara gave her a smile in return. It was nice to see that someone, aside from her family, cared about her. "Thank you Heya" She said softly.


    **


    She was already tired. But had promised to meet with Li Hoy today. So that was it. She noticed his office was in the G-Global building. ''I wish Joreen was here'' was her first thought when she entered. The place was simply magnificent. Everyone was busy with something. No one was dillydallying.


    She carefully followed one of Hoy''s secretary that she had met that day to his office.


    Once she entered, she didn''t bother to sit and took out a nylon bag from her bag pack¡ª Which contained everything she was supposed to return. She was glad her bag was able to contain them.


    Hoy eyed the nylon bag she placed on his desk.


    "What''s that?" He asked aloofly


    Sara gave him a smile as she answered. "It contains the gown, jewelries and the shoe you gave to me. Thank you. You said I could pay 200 dollars for them right?"


    He stood up and took out the gown from the bag. He observed it closely "You stained it." He noted.


    "I actually wanted to wash it. But I didn''t know whether I would damage it in the process. I also remembered you told me the dry cleaning process would be handled by your people" Her smile broadened. She didn''t want her anxiety to be known.


    Hoy still didn''t say anything and just watched her ramble on.


    She wondered why he wasn''t saying anything and looked at him closely. She noted that he was taller than her. And was good looking. But his looks could still not be compared to Mr Li. His appearance looked cold. As if he had never smiled before in his entire life. He was the opposite of Minde but somehow synonymous with Muchen. As usual, he was formally dressed just like the first time she had met him.


    "The gown is ruined" He said.


    "What? Really?" She asked sadly.


    "If you had washed it the moment the wine spilled on it then maybe, we would have been able to save her"


    Was he trying to blame her right now? He told her not to wash it! And how was she supposed to know that just that little wine would ruin it?


    But then, it was still her fault so she only had to apologise. Even the manager had told her countlessly to make sure the gown doesn''t get ruined.


    "I''m really sorry. I''ll pay for the gown. The jewelries are still okay and I didn''t wear the shoe at all"


    Hoy smirked. "Do you know how much this gown costs?" He raised the gown higher as if she could be able to tell the price now.


    "How... how much?" She asked in a very low voice.


    "Two hundred thousand dollars"


    Sara gasped and used both hands to cover her mouth. "Two...two..hundred thousand?" She asked in bewilderment as she looked at the gown in his hands. "How... how..could you make me borrow.. such a gown?"


    She remembered how people had looked at her that night. Most of them might have known the worth of that gown. While she had been totally ignorant about it.


    "I don''t... I don''t have that money" She muttered.


    "There is always a way to pay" He folded his arms and sat on his desk.

 Chapter 114 - Dont mess with her

    Sara''s eyes narrowed to a squint. "What do you mean?"


    Hoy smiled at her and carefully placed the gown on his desk as he went over to sit down


    "You..." He paused then continued " ..have to address me politely from now on" He gestured for her to have a sit.


    "Is...is that it?" She asked in obvious surprise.


    "Loosen up." He said with a half smile.


    Sara smiled brightly and plumbed down on the sit opposite him. "Yes sir!" She said with vigor.


    Yes, she was that shameless. Especially when it involved a two hundred thousand dollar gown. "But I have actually been polite the entire time" She remembered to inform him.


    Hoy almost laughed but he had to keep his cool. She had been polite the entire time? He wondered how it would seem when she was actually impolite.


    He opened a file and flipped through it then asked "You''re Joreen Wang''s cousin am I correct?"


    Sara became alert. How did he know about that? "Yes.....sir" She remembered to include the formality. Maybe that would make it polite? She guessed. "How did you know that?"


    "She''s interested in joining us. Which is good by the way, judging by the awards she''s won in school. But I won''t tell you it is going to be easy because it is not"


    "Wait.. How did you know about this?"


    "CEO Li scouted her. And it''s normal for us to make our search before letting people join us. And I was surprised to find out she was related to you." He could have easily guessed that she had used her connection with Muchen to get Joreen there. But he wasn''t one to jump into conclusion.


    "Oh..." A tiny smile appeared on her face. Muchen was simply amazing. "What did you mean it won''t be easy?" She asked.


    "Hoy didn''t know how to put it. He dropped the file and tapped his fingers lightly on his desk. " She''s.. you know..."


    Sara looked at him weirdly. Trying to get what he was saying. She really hoped he was not going to say something about Joreen being born out of wedlock. "I mean, it would be difficult to fit her in. With her.. you know.. com..complexion" He fired the word out, trying not to look like a racist.


    Sara''s entire look changed. It was a downcast expression. She clearly understood what he was trying to say. Imagine seeing a movie where the parents were both light skinned and they suddenly give birth to a brown skinned baby. "There might be something. You might be able to fit her in somewhere, you never can tell." She tried to sound optimistic. "Joreen wants this.... please" She pleaded. It was the first time she genuinely begged someone for something.


    Hoy didn''t like the way she looked right now. He tapped the desk a little harder to get her full attention. "There is always a way. So don''t worry too much. There is always going to be a producer who is willing to add something spicy. So we''ll fix her in someway" He assured.


    "Really?" There was a twinkle in her eyes when she asked.


    "Yea" He responded with a tiny smile. Now, he couldn''t raise the issue about Joreen''s parents. It wasn''t about him. It was about the netizens finding out and attacking her with it. But he knew saying that now would worsen her mood.


    "Thank you so much Director Li. I will never forget this" She stood up and gave him a full ninety degrees bow.


    Hoy looked at her with a startled expression. This girl was really something. He could vaguely guess that there was something between her and Muchen. Why else would his cousin take a little girl to a location site despite his busy schedule? He had also presented her file to him. Did it make sense that he was simply doing it because she was Heya''s fitness coach?


    "That''s enough. Please sit." Her bow was making him uncomfortable. He didn''t know why he was actually uncomfortable. Besides, people older than Sara had bowed to greet him. Maybe because of his speculation about Muchen and her. She had even called his older brother by his name.


    "Sit? Are we not done yet?" She asked.


    Hoy shook his head. "Now, let''s talk about you"


    Sara gave him a confused look as she sat down. "Me? What about me?"


    "Aren''t you interested in the entertainment world?"


    "Me?" She pointed at herself in surprise.


    "He nodded.


    She gave a short laugh "No. Not at all"


    Hoy was rather surprised. This was the dream of most girls but she was not even interested? "Why?" He asked.


    "Everyone has a dream. And that is not mine"


    "Why?" He asked again.


    Sara folded both her hands "Have you ever considered being a runway model?" She asked without answering his question.


    Her question shocked him. "Me? Runway model?"


    Sara nodded.


    He tried to imagine himself on the runway,wearing funny outfits and heavy makeups. The thought shook him back to reality. "No" He answered bluntly.


    "Why?" She asked.


    "Why are you...." It suddenly hit him. He had never considered that. Maybe it was the same for her.


    "I guess you understand now. I love my job. I don''t like being in the spotlight. A simple life is what I want to lead. Just like you''re here in this office." She ran her eyes over the place "I want to be there in the gym." She concluded. Then,with a mischievous smile on her face, she added "And when you get bloated, I''ll help you get back in shape"


    Hoy couldn''t help but laugh. She also laughed. It was the first time she saw him laugh. And it delighted her.


    "Was that why you made me wear those dresses that day?" She asked.


    Hoy didn''t deny. He had purposely made her wear those gowns to see how they looked on her.


    "I''ll be sincere. Those gowns had been specially reserved for our models to wear on G-Global''s 5th year anniversary party. And I must say you looked good in them. Too bad you wanted a simple life. You would have been a terrific model"


    "Actually, it''s the other way round. The gowns looked good on me." She said cheekily.


    After she left, Hoy placed a call across to Minde, who was surprised to suddenly receive a call from his younger brother. After exchanging pleasantries and all, He asked about Sara from Minde. And was not surprised by the answer he got.


    "Don''t mess with her. If you do, I''m sure She''ll kill you and Bro Muchen would gladly take care of your funeral rites" Minde said to him.


    But one thing was certain, he sure liked this future sister-in-law.

 Chapter 115 - A Simple life

    Sara was almost entering the room when she heard Jianjun, who was inside the room, speak. "I can''t believe Delight''s head chef is scouting me now. I must say I''m really flattered."


    Sara''s attention was drawn to the conversation. She withdrew her hand from the door''s knob and tried to eavesdrop with her ear on the door. ''The head chef in delight wanted him to work there? Wow!'' She thought.


    "That was in the past. I don''t intend to live an extravagant life like my parents did" She heard him say.


    Sara''s eyes shone. ''Did he just mention his parents? So whoever he was speaking with actually knew his parents?''


    She heard him laugh gently before saying "Thank you Mr Park. And I do not mean to be rude, but I am really okay with running a small restaurant. That''s all." A little pause before he spoke again. "She is out now. I''ll let her know when she returns"


    ''She? Are they talking about me?'' She was jolted back to reality by the sudden opening of the door. Jianjun was startled to find her there. "When did you come?" He asked nervously.


    "I just got in now. I was about opening the door" She masked her anxiety with a smile.


    After Jianjun left for the kitchen, Sara thought back to what she heard. Didn''t he tell the Mr Park that he was going to let her know something when she returned? But her father hadn''t said anything.


    She was glad tomorrow was a free day for her. She would be going to Delight for the second time tomorrow.


    She looked around the room for something to indulge herself with. She had been considering taking a part-time job also. But she had to take care of her health.


    It was 4pm. Joreen was still busy in school, practicing for their end of session party. Sara contemplated texting Muchen about her meeting with Hoy. She suddenly remembered Hoy. He looked so cold, yet, he was such a warm person. Seeing him today made her remember the first time she saw Muchen. His expression had been quite similar to Hoy''s when she looked at him that day. But who would have thought he was actually a considerate person? Same with Hoy who had even invited her to G-Global''s 5th anniversary celebration¨C which she wasn''t going to attend anyway.


    She wanted to at least know how Muchen was doing. She hadn''t heard from him in a day. Maybe he was busy? She decided to text instead. At least, he would see it whenever he was free.


    ''Mr Li. I met Director Li today. We talked about Joreen and..'' She canceled the whole text and paced around the room. "What if he doesn''t call or text back even after reading the text? Shouldn''t I just call?" She wondered.


    In frustration, she threw her phone on the bed and used both hands to cover her face in resignation. "I was the one who told him not to like me. Shouldn''t I be happy that he is not calling?"


    She picked up her phone from the bed. "I have to thank him for helping Joreen at least."


    She was about dialling his number before she decided against it and sent a text instead. It read.. ''Mr Li. Hope you are good. I met with Director Li concerning Joreen today. Thank you for your help.''


    She sighed deeply as she lay on the bed. "When did my life make this drastic turn?" She wondered.


    The next morning, Jianjun informed them that he had seen a good place and they would be moving the following week when everything was all set. Bilike though, was sad to hear that. Joreen on the other hand was elated. She was tired of the small bed that she and Sara had to share while her father slept on the couch. At least now, they would all be able to sleep comfortably.


    Since Sara was done with everything, she decided to go over to the hospital to pay Mr Chu a visit before heading over to Delight to look for whoever Mr Park was. She was wearing a simple shirt and trouser. So was Bilike.


    "Sis, I have been wanting to ask but a lot has been coming up. I know you asked us not to tell Uncle Wang about it but I am still very curious."


    Sara knew instantly what he was talking about. The incident that occurred that night at the factory.


    "How do you know those people? They are very dangerous" He said.


    "You know they were dangerous yet you gambled with them?"


    "I was tricked" He defended himself.


    Sara was not interested in the details though. "I got into trouble one time and was saved by one of them. That was how I knew about them. That''s all" She said vaguely.


    Bilike knew there was more to it. She had even called a couple of names and had recognised their rank through a tattoo. She even said something about the overseer. But then, she wasn''t willing to say anything. Was he simply going to force her? He looked at her suspiciously and didn''t ask further till they took the bus and arrived at the hospital.

 Chapter 116 - Make a little noise

    Sara''s next stop was at Delight. She was relieved to have easily passed through without the doormen giving her trouble like the last time. Maybe because they weren''t the same people she had met the last time or because she was dressed better unlike the last time.


    She had more confidence this time. Even though she wore knockoffs, her confidence outshone it as she strode in.


    "Hello" She smiled at the girl on the counter. She noticed that this wasn''t the same girl she had met the other time and couldn''t help wondering the number of employees Delight actually had.


    The young lady who was probably in her mid twenties, was dressed formally in a white shirt¨C which was the only thing Sara could see.


    The lady was pleasantly surprised to have someone greet her so warmly. The people who came here were mostly the RAP (Rich, Arrogant and Proud) in the country. They couldn''t even spare a second to greet someone like her even if they wanted to.


    She smiled back at Sara. "Hello Miss. May I help you?"


    Sara returned her smile with a warmer one. "I am here for the Head Chef, Mr Park." She said confidently. She didn''t know what she was doing right now but she hoped it worked out.


    "Is he expecting you?" She asked politely.


    "Just let him know Jianjun Wang''s daughter is here to see him."


    "Just a moment" She said before using the telephone. "Oh. I''m sorry. Mr Park is not available at the moment" She said to Sara.


    "Can I know when he will be available?" Sara asked.


    "Sorry. I don''t know. But you could place a call across to him."


    Now, things were no longer looking smooth for Sara.


    "I really wanted to surprise him. It has been years since we last saw each other. Calling him beforehand would ruin the surprise don''t you think?" She flashed her a charming smile.


    *


    When she got outside, She sighed in resignation. She couldn''t believe that her trip here wasn''t successful at all. She thought back to the meal she had taken home from here last Wednesday. No wonder it tasted familiar. It made sense. She sighed deeply and only succeeded in taking about two steps when she accidentally bumped into the very person she had been waiting for.


    She looked at the middle aged man, dressed in plain white trousers and shirt, with grey hair sprinkled all over his once-black hair. He had dropped some books accidentally so she crouched down to pick it up and apologized repeatedly.


    She heard him laugh a little. "I must be so old my vision is getting worse" He said with a smile as he took the books from her. "My dear. I really apologize. It''s not right for you young lads to always take the blame just because you are younger"


    Sara noted that the books were all cookbooks. She observed the Man''s attire again. ''What if this was Mr Park? When she heard her Father speak with him on the phone, he had sounded really formal. It meant he was older than him right?'' Then, she decided to try her luck. "Mis...ter Park?" She unsurely asked.


    He gave her a questioning look before he asked "Who are you?"


    Sara could not contain her Joy when she heard him. Today wasn''t wasteful after all. Now, she only had to put in a few acting skills.


    She smiled excitedly. "I am Wang Sara. Wang Jianjun''s daughter"


    His eyes shone when be heard her. "Oh my. Oh my. You are his daughter?" He asked happily as he used his free hand to pull her closer in a short hug. "He said he was going to bring you to greet me. I guess he couldn''t make it. Did he send you here?"


    Sara smiled and nodded. He was indeed making things easier for her.


    Even after sitting inside, he couldn''t still stop his smile.


    "I am glad to finally meet you. He has said so much nice things about you" She remembered to add a compliment.


    Mr Park grinned widely. "Really? What did he say?"


    Sara was caught off guard. Wasn''t he supposed to just leave it at that? Everyone loves being complimented no matter their age. She concluded.


    "He said... you are a nice man...and a great cook" She didn''t forget to add. It wasn''t far from the truth anyway.


    He laughed excitedly and waved a hand. "I''m sure he is a better cook than I am. I only learned a fraction from his parents. He stayed with them for years and also has their genes so he should be a genius." He modestly replied.


    Sara played along and smiled with him. He was really making things easier for her. "You seem to know my grandparents well"


    "Of course,Your father must have told you about it. I was your grandfather''s apprentice."


    Sara became alert. This was the point of no return. She was going to completely dig in. "He mentioned it. But not much. How did it feel being an apprentice, now that you are such a great chef?" She had to pride his ego for him to keep talking. And it worked. He looked at his watch with a smile on his face. "I still have about 30mins" He noted.


    ***


    Weiyoung slowly waltzed around her sitting room as she hummed a song. She looked at the young lady, who was standing by her door with a stoic expression. Weiyoung had adamantly left her parents house for hers. And her mother, wanting to make sure Weiyoung was safe and stopped drinking too much wine, had sent Joanna to take good care of her.


    "Everywhere is quiet. Everywhere is too quiet" Weiyoung said to no one in particular as she sat down on the sofa with her legs crossed.


    She looked at her scattered phone on the floor and wondered when she was going to get out of the habit of heaving her phone to the wall. She thought Jinyong was going to do something. But everywhere was so dead quiet. Joanna had even informed her that Jinyong hadn''t visited his parent''s house as she had expected. ''He was supposed to spill everything out about Sara to Aida. So she would help us take care of Sara''. But he was doing absolutely nothing, which irked her. "How is it going online?"


    "People are still talking about you and Mr Mo but the heat has reduced" Joanna informed.


    Weiyoung scoffed. "I guess we should make a little noise then"


    Joanna knew instantly, what Weiyoung meant and took out her phone to make a call.

 Chapter 117 - A lot to ask

    She hadn''t expected Mr Park to take her words literally as he had been busy going on and on about his experience and the many mistakes he made as an apprentice.


    She was already getting tired and bored. Every attempt to make him digress a bit from that topic had been futile.


    It was as if he had been looking for who to ramble on to. "So, did you by chance,ever meet my mother?" She interrupted.


    "And one time I was asked...." He was cut mid sentence by her question "Your mother? Who is she?" He gave her a questioning look before he said "I asked your father about her but he said nothing."


    "She is late now. Her name was Jin Helene" Sara said.


    "Jin Helene. Jin Helene" He called the name repeatedly like he was trying to recall something before he gasped and looked at her with wide eyes.


    "Jin Helene? Oh my! Helene is your mother?"


    Sara didn''t know what she felt currently. Whether it was excitement or anxiety. Finally, there was someone who knew her mother. "Yes. She is" She answered excitedly


    "Oh my. This is so surprising" He clasped her hands gently.


    "Yes, I know her. I know her well" He nodded. "She was also your grandfather''s apprentice."


    Sara almost blurted out ''Really?'' But she didn''t want Mr Park to know that she was ignorant of even the most basic fact about her mother. ''So she was also grandpa''s apprentice?'' It came as a surprise to her.


    "Yes." Sara smiled. "That is why I asked you. You see, I didn''t spend much time with her before she passed away" She said sadly.


    Mr Park couldn''t help feeling sad for her also. "I''m so sorry my dear" He released her hands and gave it a soft tap. "Your mother was a really wonderful woman. She was young, charming and had a good heart." He praised.


    Sara wanted him to keep talking. No matter what, she was going to find something out today. "She did?"


    "Of course, it was obvious she liked your father then. I''m sure she won after all" He laughed heartily.


    "Won? What do you mean?" She asked with a confused smile on.


    "An old man shouldn''t gossip" He gave her a teasing wink.


    Sara laughed lightly. She really didn''t have enough time to play around with him.


    "What do you mean old? You looked so young, one might think you are actually in your thirties" She flattered.


    Mr Park seemed to enjoy the compliment as he clapped his hands and laughed. "Thirties indeed"


    "So, what did she win?" Sara nudged.


    "You see, Your mother worked as a cleaner in your grandparent''s restaurant. She was loved by everyone because of her cheerful nature. That was when your parents took note of her. They noticed she loved the kitchen but could not afford being a part of it. So, your grandfather took her in as his apprentice. About a month later, when your father returned from school and became your Grandmother''s apprentice, your grandmother also took in a new apprentice. A lady. I guess both ladies began to fight for your Father''s affection."


    He kept talking but Sara''s mind had already drifted far. She had a lot of questions to ask. A whole lot. And she had to do it in a way where she wouldn''t give herself off. But she had noticed Mr Park checking his wristwatch every minute. Didn''t her mother have any family? She didn''t have any relative from her mother''s side. Which was weird. Why did she work as a Cleaner? Who was the other girl?


    Sara thought of something and decided to try her luck. "By chance, Is the other girl''s surname Song?" She asked carefully.


    Mr Park looked at her in surprise."How did you know that? When I told your father she asked about him recently, he seemed to not remember her at all. Is he having memory problems?" He asked in worry.


    Sara''s eyes were already wide opened. She was right after all. They both knew each other. But she hadn''t seen anything about Changyu learning how to cook on her bio.


    She had a lot to ask. What happened next? What happened to her grandparents? What happened to the restaurant? But the time was up. Mr Park had already left for the kitchen. While she remained seated with bunch of questions floating on her mind.


    The sound of her ringing phone on her trouser''s front pocket pulled her back to reality. ''Please be Mr Li. Please be Mr Li'' She silently prayed.


    He hadn''t called her or texted her at all and it was beginning to make her feel anxious. When she took out her phone, she saw it was actually a call from her Father. She cussed herself for thinking about a man when she had a lot of things to uncover. But why hadn''t he called her at all? Was he mad at her?


    Then it suddenly hit her. Why was her father calling her now? Did he by chance know she came here? She took the call nervously.


    "Sara,where are you?" She heard his tensed voice speak immediately the call connected. She didn''t know how to answer. She couldn''t possibly say she was at Delight. Luckily for her,he didn''t wait for an answer before he spoke again. "You should hurry home this instant."


    "Why? Is something wrong?" She asked in fright. "Is Joreen okay?"


    He took a deep breath before he said. "Everyone is fine. Take a quick cab from wherever you are. As you do that, you can check the net"


    ***


    In another part of the town, an unconscious Weiyoung was being wheeled in the gurney towards the hospital''s entrance with reporters crowded all over the place.

 Chapter 118 - Most important thing

    Just as her father told her to do, she took a cab straight home and opened her browser while on the way. She didn''t even need to check for the latest news as it was everywhere.


    There was a picture of a girl and a guy standing outside, with the girl''s hand on the guys shoulder. The girl''s face was blurred but she could clearly see it was a picture of herself and Jinyong.


    She gasped in shock at the different captions.


    ''Mo family''s Jinyong, caught with another woman just few days after his fianc¨¦e declared she was pregnant''


    ''Mo Jinyong cheating with an unidentified lady before his wedding?''


    She look at the time the news was uploaded and realized it was about 30 mins ago. Although, most people''s anger was directed at Jinyong since they didn''t know the girl, lot of comments asked about who the mystery lady was and why she would dare cheat with a man who was about to get married and whose fiancee was pregnant. Even those who had been calling Weiyoung all sort of names about getting pregnant outside of wedlock. Started facing this mystery girl who was shameless enough to be a third wheel.


    Sara scoffed in disbelief. Everything was totally unbelievable. She scrolled down to see a trending video with the caption ''Mo Jinyong''s fiancee, Liu Weiyoung, faints due to shock from the news"


    Sara laughed. She didn''t know the reason why she laughed or what was even amusing her. But she felt it was funny.


    What was actually happening right now? She couldn''t help wondering.


    The cab driver took a peek at her through the rearview mirror. And said nothing as he parked by the side of her house.


    She clicked on the video as she got down from the cab and found her father nervously pacing outside with Joreen beside him. He sighed in relief when he saw her get down and quickly pulled her inside the apartment


    "Dad" She called.


    "Sis. What is happening?" Joreen asked,worried.


    "Why did you return from school early?" She looked at her phone to check the time and noticed the video she had clicked earlier was still playing.


    On the video, Weiyoung had a shocked expression on her face when the reporters threw various questions at her.


    Weiyoung, who was at the door to her apartment with two bodyguard''s beside her and a lady behind, shook her head rigorously as she said in denial "I don''t believe it, I don''t believe it" She denied repeatedly before dramatically collapsing.


    "Sis, We''ve also watched the video and seen the news. I''m scared for you" Joreen said.


    "When did he visit you? It''s obvious from the picture that it is this neighborhood" Jianjun said.


    "He came by two days ago." She used both hands to cover her face "Why did they have to drag me into this?" She complained.


    "Sis, why were you touching his shoulder? Are you two back together?" Joreen asked in disbelief.


    Sara remembered that she had touched his shoulder when she told him he would have been better if he hadn''t left his original home.


    "Wow. I must commend whoever took that photo." Sara said. "What a talent"


    "You should be worried about other things. A lot of people would be focused on you now" Jianjun warned.


    "Dad. I''m not sure the person was out to get me. Why would they blur out my face and leave Jinyong''s face? Besides, no one else knows it''s me except us. Right? In a few days, the heat would die down. That''s how it always worked"


    "But sis, people are saying a lot of bad things about you. Are you okay?"


    Sara was about to respond when her phone rang. It was a call from Heya.


    "Sara. Are you okay? What was that in the news?" She asked in worry.


    "You could easily tell it was me?" Sara asked.


    "Of course. Do not worry. I will ask Bro to take it down" Heya assured.


    "Bro? Is... is he around?" Sara asked.


    "Not yet. But I guess he would return today."


    Sara gasped and threw her phone on the couch. Even her heart beat was beginning to race faster.


    "Hello. Hello. Sara are you okay? Are you there?" Heya kept asking but didn''t get any response until Joreen took the phone. "Hello sis Heya. Sis is fine. I guess the entire thing is still a shock to her. We will call you later"


    After Joreen dropped the phone, she looked at Sara, whose hands were seriously shaking.


    "What is it? Did she say something else?" Jianjun was the first to ask in worry.


    "Sis. Are you okay?" Joreen held her hand and looked up at her face


    "Dad..."


    He looked at her with eager eyes, waiting for her to say something.


    "Most.. tycoons.. get some information firsthand right?" She inquired.


    Jianjun didn''t know where she was heading to and only nodded in agreement.


    "What if... What if.. Mr Li had seen it in advance?"


    "What do you mean?" He asked curiously.


    Even Joreen was curious to know what was up with her.


    "Is that... the reason he hadn''t called or texted me?"


    She had a sour expression on as she looked at her father with pleading eyes. Hoping that he would tell her, it wasn''t the reason he was snubbing her.


    Jianjun "¨C"


    Joreen "¡ª"


    They both couldn''t believe that, that was the most important thing to her right now.

 Chapter 119 - I cant count the birds

    "Sara. you shouldn''t be worried about that now." They tried to persuade her. But she wasn''t having any of it.


    "Why" She looked at her father with a confused expression. "I sent him a text but he hasn''t called or texted back...Since yesterday" She dragged to emphasize her point.


    She had updated her father on her conversation with Hoy concerning Joreen and they had both decided to keep it from Joreen for now.


    "Sis. What are you saying? Is he going to fire you when he sees it?" Joreen couldn''t help worrying. But something else was in Jianjun''s mind. Something entirely different. Sara, was completely gone! Gone to the point that she didn''t realise what she was saying in their presence.


    "Sara. You have to calm down. Even though he has seen it, it would make little or no difference. He isn''t going to fire you just because you were in a picture with another man" He decided to follow Joreen''s train of thought.


    Joreen nodded her head, in support of Jianjun.


    "Sis, You do not have to worry too much. Just settle down. The news will die down soon."


    Sara looked at the both of them. How was she supposed to relax? He had been there during their engagement and had obviously seen her there. He had also seen her with Dexi at the party. What would he think of her now? She worried.


    ***


    There was a tiny smirk on her face as Weiyoung,who was sitting on the hospital''s bed, browsed through her phone.


    "They must be stupid to think they can bully my daughter" Mrs Liu said from the couch beside Weiyoung''s bed "What are we going to do next?" Mrs Liu asked excitedly. She really enjoyed how everything was going.


    "We just have to wait patiently, for the coward" Weiyoung said nonchalantly with her gaze still fixed on the phone she was holding.


    "Who?" Mrs Liu asked in confusion as she looked back and forth between Joanna, who was standing by the door with a stoic expression on her face as usual, and her daughter. Impatiently waiting for someone to give her an update.


    "Mo.. Jin.. yong" Weiyoung dragged as she raised her head to look at her mother. "He''ll handle the rest, while we sit back and enjoy the show" She said with a smile.


    "But, aren''t you afraid of CEO Li coming after us?" Mrs Liu asked in worry.


    Weiyoung laughed. A short insincere laugh. "We have been worrying too much. There is nothing going on between CEO Li and Sara. Well, at the moment."


    "How did you know?" Mrs Liu asked with twinkling eyes.


    "I have my ways." Weiyoung shrugged off the question. "Turns out she is the Li''s young mistress''s fitness coach. And she dared fall in love with the master. How brave" She smirked.


    Mrs Liu gasped. "That girl is educated enough to work for them? So she wasn''t dating him and we were scared this whole time?" She asked in disbelief. "But, CEO Li announced to us that Sara was his person the other day" Mrs Liu remembered what Muchen said when he paid them a visit.


    "Like I said.." Weiyoung answered. "He likes her also. It would have been nice if they were dating though." She said then took a little bite from her slice of apple.


    "Why do you say so?" Mrs Liu asked in irritation.


    Weiyoung smiled. "Jinyong is obviously going to do something interesting. And once CEO Li sees it, do you think he would want to still like a girl like Sara. If they had been dating, he would have broken up with her. Which would obviously crush her. How refreshing would that be" Weiyoung smiled and sucked in breath.


    Mrs Liu clapped once. "We should tell the press that she works for CEO Li and she must have an hidden agenda."


    "We can''t do that." Weiyoung rejected firmly. "We have to keep every information about CEO Li out of it. We can''t involve him. But it doesn''t mean it would not have any effect on him. Let''s say, CEO Li''s parents finds out about this, do you think they would be willing to keep her as Heya''s coach, talk more of letting her be with their son?"


    "Oh my.. So you are actually killing two birds with a Stone?"


    "Actually, I can''t count the birds" She said with glazed eyes.


    She was going to ruin Sara''s reputation, Jinyong would be her weapon, The Li''s would not want her. Even Mr Li would know the kind of person she was. How was he going to keep her anymore? And upon all, she would be the completely innocent one. Who had the public''s support. Then talk about the Mo family, Sara would never be able to be a part of it. neither through Jinyong or through Dexi.


    She couldn''t wait for it to happen. And just then, Jinyong barged into the room. Just the right person she had been waiting for.

 Chapter 120 - Headlines

    Sara didn''t know what else to do as she just sat there, tensed. She thought for a moment and was about to say something before Joreen, who had been quietly sitting on the couch opposite them, curiously going through the comments online, interrupted her with a loud gasp.


    "You need to see this. She handed the phone over to her father, Sara also moved closer to him so she could have a look.


    This time, there was a clearer picture of herself on the screen, with the caption ''Mystery girl identified''. There was also a video underneath it.


    "What the hell is happening?" Sara asked in shock before clicking on the video.


    In the video, Jinyong was in the hospital, outside Weiyoung''s door. He bowed before the camera before saying.


    "Hello Everyone, I am Mo Jinyong."


    A lot of reporters threw questions at him. Asking whether he was there to see his fiancee and apologize to her. Some asked if the rumours were correct and who the mystery girl was.


    "I will be answering all of your questions. So I beg you all to pay attention. And I hope rumours like this would stop going round" He said loudly so they reduced their voices.


    He had to do this before his mother heard everything that was going on. He remembered how Weiyoung had told him with tears in her eyes, that she believed he wasn''t cheating on her and it must have been Sara who had done it on purpose to ruin them all. Why else would her face be blurred while his was exposed? She had even placed her hand on his shoulder. It must have been a deliberate action. "We have to do this now before she goes any further. We need to expose her to the world. It will also be of great benefit to us. At least, CEO Li would no longer back her up when he sees this. Even if he does, his parents would never agree to it. And your grandfather will not allow her marry Uncle Dexi" Weiyoung had nudged him.


    Now, he was here. And there was no turning back. If it was for the fact that CEO Li would have nothing to do with her anymore, he was willing to do this. ''I will not forgive you for this Sara.''


    "The girl in the picture with me...." He paused for a while which caused all the reporters breaths to seize.


    "She is my Fianc¨¦e''s friend. Wang Sara." There was a wild uproar immediately he finished saying that.


    The reporters had not really expected something bigger than what they had bargained for. Some were already busy typing away. While some kept throwing questions which Jinyong ignored.


    "There is nothing going on between us. And nothing ever happened between us. For those of you who attended my engagement party, I guess you must have seen her appear there that day and tried to cause confusion. And also to my grandfather''s birthday party, she had been there as my uncle''s date. I do not know her plan or why she is doing this. Neither do I know who threatened my fiancee into announcing her pregnancy. But I hope it all come into light soon." He turned like he was leaving. Then suddenly stopped and turned to face them again before saying "And about the picture, I only went over to talk things out with her. Little did I know that it would turn out to be such a big deal." He paused for a second before continuing "Please, be guided and know what to say" He gave a full ninety degrees bow before heading back inside Weiyoung''s room. Leaving the reporters in further disarray.


    Below the video, was a picture of Sara and Dexi entering the Mo family mansion together. There was also a picture of a younger Sara and Weiyoung smiling happily; Dressed in their highschool uniform and with Sara''s hand draped across Weiyoung''s shoulder.


    The heat increased. People began to abuse Sara for betraying her friend. They felt bad for Weiyoung. No wonder she had collapsed. She must have been so shocked and heartbroken after her so called friend went after her Fiance.


    Various headlines kept popping up.


    ''Is Sara Wang going back and forth between relatives?''


    ''Sara Wang was also CEO Mo''s date to his Father''s birthday party last Sunday. Why did she go there?''


    ''Sara Wang obsessed with friend''s boyfriend?


    People concluded that Weiyoung must have announced their wedding and her pregnancy to the public on purpose to indirectly shoo her off, or just as Jinyong had indirectly hinted, she must have been threatened to do so. And they all naturally assumed that it was Sara''s doing. ''What a witch'' They thought.


    Her father was shocked when he saw the news and looked at her. "The party was Mos?" he asked in disbelief.

 Chapter 121 - I want to go now

    Sara bit on her lower lip and clenched her fists beside her. "I had my reason" She said.


    Joreen just looked at the both of them quietly. She had also joined them in watching the video earlier and had seen the caption also.


    "What were you thinking? Aren''t you be done with them, Were you planning on taking revenge, Is that even necessary?" He yelled at her and threw his phone on the old couch, then, he stood up in anger.


    "Revenge?" Sara scoffed in disbelief. "I can''t believe you could think something like that. Why would I do something as pointless as plotting revenge? I went there for something important and I''m sorry, I can''t give you the details" She said as she also stood up.


    "What do you think you have been doing? Look!" He pointed at his phone on the couch. "The whole world is talking about you. What are you going to do about it now?"


    "I do not care if the whole world talks about me." She shot back. "It''s not like it is a new thing. I''m used to it" She tried to control her emotions as her eyes began to redden.


    Jianjun moved to where she was standing and held both her shoulders tightly. "Yes. You do not care what people say about you. That is why you should have avoided those people at all cost." He looked at her eyes, made sure she met his gaze. He noticed she had nothing to say in retort. She was just staring blankly. No agreement or argument.


    "You know nothing Sara." He shook his head in resignation and let go of her shoulders, then sat down on the couch dejectedly.


    Sara''s phone began to ring. Joreen who had been quiet the entire time, passed the phone over to her. Sara''s heart stopped when she saw it was a call from Ms Long. It meant she was probably back with Muchen right?


    "Ms Long" Sara said through bated breath.


    "Hello Sara. I saw the news. Are you okay?"


    Sara sighed dejectedly. If she has seen it. It meant Mr Li had also seen it. "I...am fine."


    Ms Long noted her tone and asked "Are you okay Sara?"


    There was silence before Sara asked in return. "Where is Mr Li.? He must have seen it right?"


    "He isn''t aware yet. I just saw it right now and Mr Li is currently unavailable" She said smoothly.


    Sara could hear some faint noises in the background and tried to make sense of the things she was hearing. She heard the tensed voices of nurses or doctors wheeling in, probably, a sick patient. She also made out the frantic movements of people.


    "Where is he?" Sara asked anxiously.


    "He...." Ms Long stopped when she heard someone call her name. The way the person called her and the manner at which she answered, Sara could vaguely guess it was her father.


    "I''ll get back to you Sara. Just stay safe okay?" And with that, she hung up.


    "Hello, Hello?" Sara''s mouth opened in shock when realisation dawned on her.


    "What is it?" Jianjun asked.


    "I think something is wrong with Mr Li" As usual, she was already pacing back and forth the sitting room.


    "What do you mean? Did she tell you that?"


    "No. But she is in the hospital." She didn''t even bother to stop her front and back pace even as her hands shook in worry.


    "How come I didn''t hear from Mr Li all these while if he was really okay?"


    "But you said he''s on a business trip. And it''s been just two days" Jianjun answered.


    "Dad, the last time he was sick, they told Heya the exact same thing." She paused. "Oh my God. What if something bad happened to him? They''re certainly in the hospital, I am sure of it. She was speaking with her father. He owns the hospital. I heard voices. " Oh God. Oh God. Oh God."


    "Sis. Please be still. What if you''re just imagining things?" Joreen chipped in.


    She ran inside the room, took her coat and was heading straight for the door before Jianjun held her back. "What do you think you are doing right now?" He asked in a tone she could not really interpret.


    "I have to go check." She said in shaky voice.


    Jianjun could see her hands shaking also. "You can''t go out now. You have to be careful." He warned.


    "Dad. Mr Li might be sick somewhere. I... I just want to check. Okay? Please." She didn''t wait any longer and suddenly opened the door in a hurry.


    What welcomed her immediately she opened the door was a swam of reporters eagerly flashing their cameras and throwing questions at her. Her brain was still trying to process what was going on but, Jianjun was fast and quickly pulled her in before shutting the door tight.


    She still stood there frozen and watched her father give her a look that said "See?"


    "Are you okay? He asked in worry when he saw she was still reeling from the shock and staring blankly into space.


    "What... what just happened?" She asked in what sounded like shock.


    "Sara." He shook her shoulders "Come to your senses."


    "What if he is really not fine?" She asked.


    "Big Sis. I''m sure he is okay. You can''t go out now" Joreen finally said after recovering from the horror she just witnessed.


    Sara looked at Joreen. No one could read her expression. And in the gentlest tone ever, she said. "But I want to go now"

 Chapter 122 - So likable.

    Jianjun did not know what to do with Sara. Was she trying to go through the sea of reporters because of a man?


    She had not been able to control herself for the past hour and had called Heya for the umpteenth time to ask whether Mr Li was back but the answer still remained the same, He wasn''t.


    She had also tried calling Ms Long back, but it was not reachable, which further worried her.


    Jianjun wondered whether Sara would be fine if he injected her with a tranquilizer. He had never seen her this tensed.


    "Jo. Go to the room" He said gently. He had to address this issue with Sara once and for all.


    Joreen gave Sara a pleading look before she went inside the room. Those camera flashes had terrified her. She had not expected it, neither had any of them. Was that how celebrities also lived their lives? Opening the door one evening and having the paparazzi at your doorstep? She only prayed Sara would not do something unwise. And hoped the reporters would leave there soon. Thankfully, Bilike had called to say he would be spending the night with his Father at the hospital.


    When Jianjun noticed Joreen had gone inside, he said to Sara softly.


    "You promised me you didn''t like him. You said he was your boss"


    Sara, who was pacing the sitting room, stopped abruptly. She looked at her father guiltily. He was waiting for it. Waiting for her to deny it at least.


    But then, he was shocked when she suddenly burst into tears.


    "I...am so...so sorry Dad. " She used her hands to cover her face and squatted down "I tried. I...really did. I don''t know what is wrong with me." She said in between sobs.


    Jianjun stood there, speechless. One thing was for him to know she liked him. Another thing was for her to openly admit it. He looked at his pitiful daughter, who was squatting down, crying her eyes out.


    He gradually moved to where she was and gently pulled her up. He saw her tearstained face and bloodshot eyes. When did his little Sara grow up to the point where she cried because of her confused feelings for a man?


    "I''m really confused" She looked him in the eyes and said. "I just can''t stop it. I have really tried. He is so.... likable" She admitted.


    Jianjun didn''t know whether to laugh or cry. She was all so serious crying, yet she was talking about him being so likable?


    He pulled her into a gentle hug with her head resting on his chest. "Sara, Can you at least pretend you do not like him? You''ll be safer that way" He said. He didn''t want his daughter to take the same path he took. Why couldn''t he just scold her or scream at her. Maybe she would listen right?


    Sara shook her head "I don''t know. I really don''t know. I just want to see him" She confessed


    "You can''t" He bluntly rejected.


    Sara stifled in his arms before she gently pulled away from him. "Why can''t I?" She asked in what sounded like anger.


    "Sara. What are you doing?" He noticed Joreen coming out and shouted. "Jo, go back inside the room"


    Joreen froze and gave them both a confused look before heading back in.


    "You can''t go out. You know that" He said in a stern tone.


    "You want me to not go out or you want me to not see Mr Li?" She asked. She didn''t bother to stop her tears from flowing.


    Jianjun was startled. It was the very first time Sara had disobeyed him like this. And could he really blame her for it? Just like she had said, Mr Li was indeed likable. If he had been a little bit unlikable, then, it would have been easy for their entire family.


    He couldn''t even ask Sara to quit her job now. He knew she would never agree to that. And even though he was her father, he had no right to tell her that. She was an adult after all.


    She had always been one to think carefully before acting. He had always known her to be a very rational person. But the very person before him now, he could not understand her. She wasn''t thinking at all, merely working on impulse.


    "Sara. You both can''t be together. You know that"


    "I never said I am going to marry him. I''m not saying I want to spend the rest of my life with him either. I didn''t even say I want to date him. I''m only saying I want to see him. To know if he is okay, to explain things to him." It seemed like she was saying it out with her last breath as each words struggled before coming out. Her tears didn''t stop flowing either.


    Jianjun knew she wasn''t asking for his permission. She was simply informing him. Telling him what she was going to do.


    Sara''s phone rang to break the silence in the room. She hoped it was Ms Long or Mr Li calling her. But then, she saw it was an unsaved number. She knew she wasn''t supposed to take any strange calls now but she never could tell who was calling.


    "You are?" She asked.


    Then, she heard the voice speak. "I thought you wanted a simple and quiet life. Your life isn''t so quiet anymore."


    "Director Li?" She asked in disappointment.


    Now, even Li Hoy had seen it? Who hadn''t seen it in the country? She wondered.


    "Yes. Why are you sounding like that? Were you crying? Hope you are okay?" He asked in obvious worry.


    Sara suddenly thought of something that made her eyes light up then she spoke "Director Li. Can you please do me a favour?"


    "Tell me" He said in his usual cold tone.


    **


    "But you really can''t leave now. The reporters are still outside" Jianjun said when she dropped the call.


    She used her hands to clean the remaining tears on her face "Do not worry. I won''t be bumping into them."

 Chapter 123 - Big News

    Muchen was almost dozing off in his car. He had been busy attending meetings, taking flights and going through various documents the last few days.


    On arriving the country, his first thought was to see Sara. But he knew it was impossible. So, he settled with having a nice shower, meal, and of course, a good sleep.


    But then, his plans changed after he received message. His cousin, Li Minde, was in the hospital.


    Minde had always been the type who gave utmost priority to his health, so Muchen was really worried that something bad must have happened for him to end up in the hospital. He had even called Ms Long''s business line directly, and told her to tell him that he was dying. "Mr Li, Your cousin, Li Minde says he is dying" Ms Long had informed him.


    Immediately they arrived the country, he asked Ms Long to head home first. She had been with him the entire time. He wondered why she was never tired, After all, she was a woman.


    But Ms Long told him she would go over to the hospital with him. She wanted to know how Minde was doing and also greet her father from there.


    So, off they went to her Father''s hospital.


    Apparently, Minde had gotten hit for flirting with a gang member''s girlfriend that evening.


    Ms Long shook her head. Was this the reason they actually came? It wasn''t even that serious and he had asked Muchen to come over immediately he landed.


    After she left them, she took out her personal phone from her handbag and browsed through. Muchen had suddenly decided to leave back his personal phone for no reason. Whenever there was any useful information, he believed whoever it was would relay the message officially through Ms Long. So she had been alert the entire time. But due to their various flights and meetings, she had not been able to check for any other update. And since the other secretaries hadn''t called her for anything, she assumed everything was okay. Well, until she saw the news with Sara''s name all over the net and gave her a call immediately.


    **


    Muchen looked at Minde''s bruised face and shook his head. "I can''t believe you made me come here immediately I landed because of this." He complained.


    "Bro. You have to avenge me. You really have to." Minde said and tried to sit up. But the ache he felt all over his body, made him think otherwise. He settled with lying down.


    "The only thing I need to do right now is to have a good rest." Muchen stood up and turned to leave.


    "Bro wait. Just keep me company. Just a little. I''m the only one here and can''t go home like this" He pointed at his face. "My body also aches badly" He pouted


    Muchen looked at him and almost laughed. His bruised face looked funny. Although, Minde was always so insensitive, he wondered why he couldn''t say no to him most times.


    He sat back down to indulge his brother for a little while. At least, an hour was something right?


    "Why did you suddenly travel without saying anything? I called you repeatedly but it wasn''t reachable." Minde whined.


    "You''re like a nagging wife." Muchen mocked.


    When he saw Minde pout again, he said "I left my personal phone in the office before traveling. I didn''t want anything to distract me" He said nonchalantly


    "What could possibly distract the Almighty CEO Li?" Minde asked.


    Muchen just cocked a brow at him without saying anything else.


    "Oh" Minde grinned when realisation dawned on him. Despite the fact that his face ached, he couldn''t stop the grin. "You thought if you took it, you might call Sara every minute? What a romantic" Minde hit Muchen in what was supposed to be a playful hit but unfortunately, it was much harder which caused Muchen to frown at him.


    "Sorry." Minde apologized with a cheeky grin.


    Muchen couldn''t deny it though. He had actually done just that. He didn''t want to get distracted. He had to settle some company crisis that was already spreading and had affected the company in two countries. The only people who had his personal number was his family, secretaries and Sara. His family could easily reach him through Ms Long, his secretaries spoke directly with Ms Long and for Sara, he needed to give her time, and a little space. He desperately wanted to rush it. But he knew it was the wrong step to take. If he had taken his phone with him, he would be tempted to give her a call. And he didn''t want to do that yet. ''Did she miss me? Is she thinking of me?'' Those questions kept popping up in his mind. But he had no answer for them. Sara, was too unpredictable. Maybe she was even happy he had been away.


    "I don''t like the way you call her.. Call her Miss Wang or Miss Sara" Muchen chastised.


    Minde eyed him. "How stingy. She''s not even your woman yet." He muttered.


    Muchen gave him a side glare but chose to ignore him. "Are you going to shut that thing off or should I do it for you?" Muchen pointed at Minde''s phone that has been beeping beside him.


    "Why does my phone keep beeping?" Minde complained. "Bro. Please pass me my phone. I''ll shut it off myself" He smiled broadly, which caused him to wince in pain.


    Minde scrolled through his phone a bit before he gasped "Oh My God! Just 3 hours here and I missed such a big news? Bro.. look"

 Chapter 124 - Through the roof

    It was dark and the company was already half empty. But there was still one person who sat quietly in his office.


    Dexi''s gaze turned cold when he saw the news. "Those dirty bastards" He muttered angrily as he clenched his fists tightly.


    He hadn''t been bothered when his Nephew was the one getting all the attention just a few hours ago. Now, It wasn''t just Sara, he was also thrown into the spotlight. People wanted to know why he went to his Father''s birthday with Sara as his date. He scoffed. Power tussle? He wanted to bring Jinyong down using Sara? He couldn''t believe people actually left most of the comments he was reading there. He couldn''t blame them for being so gullible though.


    He knew his Nephew wasn''t smart, he knew he was a coward, and he knew that the one behind it all was none other than Weiyoung. She had nothing to lose in all of this after all.


    "What do we do?" His secretary who had been patiently standing beside him asked.


    Dexi closed his eyes and tapped his fingers gently on his desk. When he opened his eyes again, he looked at the wall clock opposite him. It was already past 8 in the evening and he knew it was time to leave the office for home, but, he was sure of one thing, his parents were going to call him very soon. Especially his Mother who had even asked him whether Sara was his girlfriend. Now, they all knew who she was. He used a hand to loose his tie and tossed it to a corner. "Liu Weiyoung, You are really something" He smirked.


    He gaze then landed on the file his secretary and positioned on his desk, it contained some vital information about Sara''s personal life. And according to his secretary, they were some information he couldn''t find no matter how hard he dug.


    He decided to just spend time going through the file now before his parents called him.


    He looked through most of the things which he already knew about her. Then he saw something that caught his interest¨C Sara had taken a trip with Weiyoung and a few other girls one certain time, when they were still in highschool. They had visited another country during a school break. But then, Sara didn''t return with them. The next time she was seen was about a year later. And it was a totally different her.


    ***


    Minde looked at Muchen who had been seriously watching the video with an unreadable expression.


    After the video ended, he scrolled down to look at the pictures below. He looked at the picture of a younger Sara and Weiyoung. When he saw Sara''s innocent smile, his heart broke. ''Where did this smile disappear to? She looks so pretty'' The thought


    But when he saw the picture with Sara''s hand on Jinyong''s shoulder, he glowered at it.


    "How dare him?" Minde heard Muchen speak for the first time as his hands tightened around the phone.


    Minde worried for his poor phone. "Bro, what do you mean?" He asked in confusion.


    "I only left for a few days and he turned Sara into the Nation''s enemy? He even dared to stand there and allow Sara touch him?" He scoffed.


    Minde couldn''t understand his cousin. "You are supposed to be angry at Sara for touching him. Not the other way round" He informed.


    Muchen ignored him and tried to fish out his phone then, he remembered he had not carried it with him. He exited the browser and quickly dialed Ms Long''s number with Minde''s phone.


    "You knew?" Was the first question he asked in annoyance when she took the call.


    "Mr Li. I saw the news on my way out of the hospital. I was about to reach you when I suddenly received a business call from Mr Feng. I''m currently in a meeting with him"


    Muchen wanted to yell at her. Wanted to tell her that she was making unnecessary excuses. But he knew Ms Long was doing her best. She only just returned to the country and was already in a meeting. He couldn''t take his anger out on her.


    "Do not worry about it then" He was sure going to give her a good scolding but it won''t be today. He had to educate her properly to know that whatever concerned Sara was also his priority.


    Minde could not tell what his cousin was thinking. He only knew the atmosphere was dangerously cold. "Bro, calm down. I''m not really close to Sar... I mean Miss Wang. But I do not think she really did all of that" He tried to persuade him.


    Muchen glared at him "Are you crazy? Why would you think I''ll even think that?"


    He didn''t wait for a response before he dialled another number. It rang twice before he heard a tiny voice from the other side. "Hello, Mr Li?"


    "Joreen, Where is your big sister?" Muchen asked when he noticed it was her who took the call.


    ''He even has Sara''s number saved in his head. I''m sure he doesn''t know mine'' Minde pouted as he watched him.


    "I wanted to ask you that. Isn''t she with you? She said you were sick and went to the hospital. She isn''t there? Oh my God! Did the reporters see her?" Muchen could tell she was walking back and forth in worry.


    "Joreen, calm down. What are you talking about?" He asked in confusion. Sara was coming to the hospital to see him?


    "What reporters are you talking about? When did she leave?"


    "She left not too long ago. She mentioned that someone was going to pick her up. The reporters have been outside our door for hours. Big sist said you were sick and went out"


    "She went through the reporters?" He asked in horror.


    "No. Those people are terrifying. They even made her cry earlier" Joreen cried as she said that. She had heard Sara''s cries and even though she had not heard her conversation with Jianjun, she was sure Sara had cried because of those people.


    ''What?'' Muchen''s face turned stone cold. Those people actually made her cry?


    When he spoke again, he was already outside Minde''s room door. He didn''t even hear Minde''s cries to not take his phone with him.


    "Joreen, don''t cry. I''ll bring your big sister home okay? How did she leave the house?" He remembered to ask.


    "... Actually, she..went through the roof"

 Chapter 125 - I know you didnt

    ''What''s so important that she had to leave the house this night?'' Li Hoy had been asking himself this particular question since they drove out of her street.


    When Sara asked him to come pick her up, and specifically instructed him to park beside her house, he had been skeptical about it especially when he saw reporters around her front door.


    After confirming to Sara that there were no reporters by the side of her house, she told him to get ready and drive as soon as she got into the car because she was coming out very soon.


    He wondered what she was intending to do. He thought maybe, there was a hidden door or something. But to his surprise, he saw her signal at him from the roof. The day was dark already but lights from nearby buildings and the reporter''s vehicle headlights illuminated the place a bit. If any of them had decided to stroll to the side of the apartment, there would have been able to see her since the roof wasn''t so high.


    Before he could come out from the shock, he saw her running towards his car after doing a double front flip which perfectly landed her on the ground.


    At that point, some reporters took note of her and chased after her. But she was really fast and they couldn''t catch up. Even after she entered his car and told him to drive, his mouth was still agape as he stared at her in awe. He finally came to his senses when he saw the reporters eagerly flashing their camera lights at his vehicle. That was when he accelerated his BMW and zoomed off.


    "Can''t you wait before meeting your friend at the hospital, or is she dying?" He broke the silence and asked. He noticed how tensed she was entire ride. Most of his questions had been snubbed also.


    When he saw the news that evening, he had been surprised to see Sara everywhere. But, he wasn''t one to jump into conclusion easily. He saw many comments asking how she got that dress, since she was poor and whether she had slept around to be able to afford it. Hoy just shook his head before deciding to call her to know how she was doing.


    Sara wondered if Hoy was driving like this because he was still too young and inexperienced. She knew if they continued like this, it was going to take forever before they arrived at the hospital.


    There was only one way out, she had to drive.


    With the way she was now, she was very sure she was going to break traffic rules but that wasn''t bothering her right now. If the police came, the Li family would handle that. Li Hoy was involved right? Besides, it was his car also. It didn''t mind pushing the responsibility to him.


    And with that, the BMW sped off to the hospital. When they got there, Hoy tried his entire best not to throw up. ''How could a girl drive like that?'' His heart was racing faster and his breath, ragged. He was only thankful that they had both survived the ride.


    But one thing was certain, this would never repeat itself. Never in his life would he allow Sara to drive him anywhere.


    After She thanked Hoy and waved him goodbye, she ran straight towards the hospital''s entrance without looking back.


    Hoy looked at her retreating figure, wondering whether he was doing the right thing. He tried to leave after calming his nerves down but he couldn''t leave just yet. He wondered how Sara would get home tonight. So all he had to do was to wait for her.


    When Sara was about entering inside the hospital, she bumped into someone who was hurrying out of the hospital.


    "Sorry." She said without looking up and tried to hurriedly leave but was shocked when the person suddenly pulled her by her arm.


    "Sara?" He called in surprise.


    Sara''s eyes shone when she gradually raised her head to see the very person she had been here for.


    "Mi...mister Li?" She could equally see the surprise in his face.


    Both of them said nothing. They just stood there, looking at each other in surprise. With Sara''s head up and Muchen''s down.


    "Weren''t you sick?" Sara broke the silence and spoke first.


    "You... came because you thought so?" He asked hopefully.


    "I..I.. the thing is... I just" Sara hadn''t planned in advance and she really wasn''t a good liar. What was the point in denying it right now? She wondered.


    "I thought you were sick" She said looking down. She was too embarrassed right now she couldn''t look at him.


    Muchen didn''t know how or why she drew that conclusion but he couldn''t help smiling. "I saw the news" He said softly. "You should have remained inside"


    Sara''s head shot abruptly. She swallowed hard, not knowing how or where to start explaining things from.


    "Mis...mister Li.." She tried saying something but nothing came out. She could only shake her head in denial. "I... I...didn''t do it" She managed to say as her eyes began to cloud "I really didn''t I swea.." Before she could finish, she felt Muchen pull her into a hug. He patted her back gently as he said


    "I know you didn''t. I''m sorry I came late. I''ll help you fix it all"


    Sara couldn''t believe it. She had never thought that in her life, she would meet someone who believed her no matter what. Someone who didn''t even need to hear her explain anything before he believed her. She couldn''t control her emotions anymore as she finally hugged him back and cried out.


    **


    Hoy watched them from a distance with an unreadable expression. He had decided to go with Sara into the hospital cause he figured it wasn''t safe to leave Sara on her own. But then, he saw her speaking with Muchen and also saw the very strong Sara, melt in his arms.


    He couldn''t understand why he didn''t like the scene he was currently witnessing. He knew something might be going on between the two of them. But seeing it with his very own eyes, his chest tightened. He gradually turned and returned back to his car.

 Chapter 126 - So naive

    Jianjun still found it hard to believe that he had actually allowed his daughter to leave the house to go see a man. What was he thinking? He knew there was nothing he was going to tell her that would make her change her mind. She was like that. And she had inherited that trait from him.


    When he came out to see Joreen speaking on the phone with Muchen, he had wanted to take the phone and stop Joreen from saying further. But he knew it was too late. Joreen already told him Sara bad gone to look for him. Was he supposed to say something to counter that? Everything was just frustrating him.


    His phone beside him rang and he was desperately praying for it to be Sara who was calling. She had accidentally dropped her phone while climbing up and didn''t bother to ask for it again and just left.. So there was no way he could reach her.


    He looked at the phone to see it was Mr Park calling.


    "I saw your daughter all over the news. Is she okay?" Mr Park asked immediately he took the call.


    "Yes she''s... wait! What?" Jianjun asked in shock. "How did you know she is my daughter?"


    Mr Park was beginning to wonder whether Jianjun really had amnesia "Didn''t you tell her to come say hello to me today? She came over."


    **


    The atmosphere in the car was awkward for Sara. Muchen on the other hand, was quietly sitting on the driver''s seat, staring at Sara who was also quietly sitting on the passenger''s seat without trying to hide the fact that he was staring at her.


    She was too embarrassed. How could she have cried in his arms like she was a baby? She was always so strong. Never had she let anyone see her cry except her family. But she had cried before him, twice!. Things weren''t looking any good for her when her stomach growled. She bit on her lower lips and used both hands to press down on her stomach as if it was going to stop the sound.


    Muchen smiled at her and ruffled her hair. "Let''s go home. I''ll make you something to eat. I''m starving also." He said.


    Sara was shocked. ''Did he just ruffle my hair?'' She asked herself. It felt really strange to her since no one had ever dared to do that and the last time her father did that, she was still a little girl.


    "Home?" She asked when she came out from the shock.


    "My place." He corrected.


    "Your place?" Her eyes widened. "Why..your...place?" She had never gone there at night and never had any reason to do so. So why were they going there all of a sudden?


    "I heard reporters are all over your place. Are you going to take the roof again?" He teased with a grin.


    "Wha..what are you saying?" She asked in shock. ''How did he know that? Who told him that?''


    He pretended to think for a while before he said "I''ll really love to watch you go in through the roof. Should I just drive you to your place now?" He asked.


    "I.. don''t know what you are talking about" She eyed him and faced the window by her side.


    Muchen delighted in seeing her flushed cheeks.


    "Why were you in the hospital?" She asked without bothering to move her gaze from the window.


    "Minde is here" He answered plainly.


    "Something bad happened?" she finally looked at him.


    "Nothing really." He suddenly smiled brightly and gently poked her cheek. "Were you that worried about me?"


    "I wasn''t" She denied and turned to face the window again.


    "I think you were though"


    "I said I wasn''t Mr Li" She said firmly, still facing the window.


    He suddenly became quiet. His face, expressionless as he looked at her. Sara was beginning to wonder why he was quiet, so she turned her head to look at him and wondered what he was thinking about. Then, she heard him say "It''s fun watching you act like you do not care" He moved a hand to her face and gently tucked some strands of her hair behind her ear.


    Muchen remembered the picture of Sara smiling happily with Weiyoung. He couldn''t remember whether he had ever seen Sara smile genuinely like that. But he had never seen that smile. But instead, he had seen her cry because of those irritating people. He tried to suppress his anger and gently smoothen her rough hair.


    Sara wondered what was up with him and her hair. She was glad she didn''t tie her hair. He would have gladly yanked the band off. ''Does he think hair bands are cheap these days?'' She almost screamed at him.


    Muchen noticed her change in expression and wondered what Sara was thinking about.


    He withdrew his hands and started the car.


    "Let''s get you something to eat first then you''ll tell me what to do about those people"


    "People? Who?" she asked in confusion.


    "Mo Jinyong and Liu Weiyoung"


    "Weiyoung? What does she have to do with this? It was Jinyong who said all of that to probably clear his name" She said.


    Muchen looked at her in amazement. He didn''t know whether to laugh or to cry. But he couldn''t help chuckling a bit. "You act all strong yet, you''re so naive." He ruffled her hair again and this time, she blew up.


    "Why do you keep smoothening it if you are just going to end up ruffling it anyway"


    Muchen was surprised by her outburst and tried not to laugh "Young lady, Why are you getting angry? it''s not as if your hair was neatly combed anyway" He teased.


    Sara scoffed but decided to put it aside. "What did you mean about me being naive?" She asked.


    Muchen. accelerated the car then said to her "Never mind, I do not want to ruin your innocence yet"


    His words shocked her as her mouth fell wide open and she stared at him.


    He looked beside him while he drove and saw her reaction.


    He burst into laughter and shook his head "Your mind is so dirty" He said.

 Chapter 127 - Who took down the video

    "It''s okay already! You did the right thing" Weiyoung assured Jinyong for the umpteenth time.


    Even after hours, he was still fidgeting in his seat. He had received a call from his mother to come home immediately. But he knew she was going to kill him the moment he got there, even though he felt he had handled the situation perfectly. The best was to remain in the hospital with Weiyoung. Her mother had returned home to give them ''privacy'' but he wondered what was so private when Joanna was also in the room with them.


    "I don''t think this is a good idea" He said for the hundredth time.


    "I already told you it''s alright." She reminded.


    "What if it''s not? What if CEO Li comes after us?" He asked in anxiety.


    Weiyoung tried not to laugh out. Who was the ''Us'' he was referring to? Nothing was ever going to happen to her. He did everything on his own. ''What a dummy'' she thought.


    She signalled at Joanna who handed her a file. Weiyoung threw the file at his direction. "The Song family''s record is very clean" She announced.


    Jinyong took the file and gave her a confused look. "What do they have to do with this?"


    She raised a brow at him. "If we have them on our side, do you think the Li family or anyone else would be able to hurt us?"


    Jinyong thought about it for a minute. "Are you saying, I should dig on the family?"


    "Exactly! Imagine how proud your mother is going to be when you do it. Even Dexi will not be able to stop you from doing anything you wished"


    ***


    Sara wasn''t used to Muchen''s house at night. Especially with the quiet atmosphere. She saw guards stationed at different corners outside. ''Impressive'' she thought when she saw their bodybuild.


    Muchen quietly led her in by her hand, he was careful not to wake up Heya at all. When they both entered, the sitting room automatically lit up. Sara thought they were going to stop there but to her surprise, he kept going upstairs so she willingly followed. When he opened a room door, Sara could remember it was the same room she had woken up in that Monday.


    "You should freshen up. Come down when you''re done. I''ll fix you something to eat" He said without going inside.


    Sara''s eyes brightened "You can cook?" she asked without going in.


    Muchen chuckled. "Are you surprised because you think your father is the only man who can cook or because you think I''m a wonderful husband material?"


    Sara tried not to laugh. "Both I guess." She admitted. "I just didn''t think people like you had the luxury of time to cook for yourselves"


    "We''ll have to fix the time else we''ll never eat what we really like." He said.


    "Why are you going to fix me dinner? You just returned from a trip right? You should rest. What about the maids?"


    "They don''t spend the night here"


    "Oh.. I.. am not really hungry" She said softly. "You should just rest"


    He gave her a funny look and gently pushed her inside the room. "You''re so stubborn. You remind me of Star, you''re just like her. Just freshen up, I''ll leave you something to wear on the bed."


    Sara smirked. ''Now, he''s even comparing me to another girl'' She thought but then, she remembered she wasn''t supposed to be bothered by that.


    Muchen handed her Minde''s phone. "Here, you can call home to let them know you are okay" He said.


    Sara took the phone from him and watched him leave. What was she doing? She sighed deeply. She had totally forgotten about her family. ''Wait, Why am I here in the first place?'' She searched her brain for some seconds before remembering the issue she was currently facing. "How did he do it?" She wondered.


    **


    Muchen went into his study to use his telephone. He scolded himself for not memorising his other secretaries phone numbers.


    "Mr Li?" Secretary Min called.


    "You''ve seen the news about Sara Wang?" Muchen asked.


    His secretary wondered what the woman had to do with him. Everyone in the country should have known about her already. "Yes sir"


    "The reporters outside her apartment, let them know that if they do not leave there immediately, I''ll buy their companies and turn it into a bird house." Muchen instructed in the gentlest tone as possible.


    Secretary Min knew Muchen meant it. He wondered what his relationship with Sara but it was out of his place to ask.


    Muchen considered asking him to take down the news also. But he didn''t want to do so. That same news, he was going to use it to ruin those people and they''ll have no choice but to take it down themselves.


    "Actually CEO Li, the news was taken down about an hour ago" He said.


    "What? Who did that?" Muchen asked.


    "I have no idea sir"


    ***


    The image of a crying Sara still flashed through Hoy''s mind even after he got home. Maybe because she was strong and he hadn''t expected her to cry that way. Her tears broke his heart. He was beginning to get curious about her but he wasn''t in the right position to do so.


    Did he see her as a friend, an elder sister, his cousin''s woman or did he like her?


    He had never had a friend, an elder sister, a cousin in-law or ever liked a woman. So he didn''t really know how he felt about her. But he knew he wanted her to remain her strong self. He didn''t like seeing that side of Sara. He also didn''t care whether what ever Jinyong said was true or not.


    "We won''t ever be working with the Mo family in the future." He said on the phone to his secretary.


    "Yes sir. CEO Li has also cut ties with them and has been suppressing the Liu''s for a while now"


    Hoy smiled. "Sounds interesting. I shouldn''t let my cousin work alone then. Do the same" He ordered. "And do everything you can to take down every news about Sara Wang"


    "About that Director Li, the video was taken down a while back, same with every news on Miss Sara Wang"


    Who took down the video?

 Chapter 128 - How wrong have I been

    What welcomed Dexi immediately he got to his parents mansion was a slap from his father Mo Dachuan. Even his mother was shocked so she hurriedly stood in between them to stop her husband from hitting him again.


    "How could you hit my son like that?" She yelled at Dachuan.


    "Yes.." He pointed an accusing finger at her. "It was you who raised him this way"


    Zhao Biyu had no doubt always spoiled Dexi since he was born. Even with his promiscuous nature which everyone knew about, she didn''t care but had only advised him to settle down and produce a grandson soon. He was her only son at her 65 years of age after all.


    "Yes, I raised him that way. So you should hit me instead" She beat her hand on her chest "Hit me!" She ordered.


    "Mother, it''s okay." Dexi said gently as he looked at his father. "Why did you hit me?"


    "You punk! How dare you question me?" He hit his walking stick on the ground in anger. "What were you thinking using that wench to go after your nephew? Now the whole world is mocking this family"


    "I didn''t do anything wrong. Neither did Sara...."


    "You''re still taking her side? How dare you call that girl''s name in this house?" Dachuan interrupted.


    "Sara came here to meet Aunty Changyu. You can check the CCTV to see that they had both left together. None of us has anything to do with Jinyong''s predicament. I''ll be leaving now" He bowed and walked out leaving his enraged father and pleading mother.


    He wasn''t one to explain himself, he bad never been one to do so. When he looked through the CCTV footage to check how Sara left that night, he had seen a clip of Sara and Muchen kissing. Everything had been pissing him off for the past few days, then his stupid nephew had to do that. In frustration, he ordered his secretaries and driver to get out of the car. Then, he drove off, leaving them behind.


    Sara went back downstairs after freshening up and calling home. She wondered whether her father refused to talk to her because he was angry at her for leaving the house. She was only able to speak with Joreen who was very happy that she was going to spend the night in the ''Almighty'' CEO Li''s apartment.


    She carefully walked into the kitchen and was surprised to actually see Muchen wearing an apron.


    When he noticed she was behind him, he turned to give her the most adorable smile ever and turned back his head without saying anything. His most desired wish finally came through.


    ''Does he think I look funny?'' She looked at what she was wearing again. It was a tee-shirt of his which was big enough to cover most of her thigh, a house slipper covered in fur, and her hair, tied in a ponytail. She had been surprised to see the hairband he had yanked from her hair the other day, lying neatly on the bed with the shirt.


    "You''re just in time" He said as he positioned two plates of fried rice on the kitchen table. "Come over here" He gestured with his hand for her to come over then he went on to take off his apron. Sara took gentle steps to the seat he had opened for her and sat there. He then sat down opposite her.


    "It smells nice" She complimented.


    "I''m not sure it''ll be up to par with your dad''s. But you have to manage" He said.


    Sara remembered the first time she saw him in his office, she had thought him to be a showoff, she had even seen his as cold, unapproachable and annoying. ''How wrong have I been''


    She ate a spoon and nodded satisfyingly "Not bad"


    What? Not bad? That''s it? Muchen put down his spoon and looked at her. "I didn''t want to say this, but you should really be impressed with my cooking especially when you don''t know how to cook"


    Sara choked on her food when she heard him. She had no idea when Muchen left his sit to help her pat her back gently. After settling the glass of water back on the table, she shrugged off his hand from her back. "Who said I didn''t know how to cook?"


    He smiled and went back to sit. "I just know you don''t"


    Sara ignored him and tightened her hand around her spoon. "Joreen.. I am going to kill you" She muttered through gritted teeth"


    Muchen heard her but pretended like he didn''t. He tried not to laugh as he focused on his food. He wondered what more her father had that she lacked. Cooking? No! EQ? Even worse. No!


    "Why didn''t you go with your phone?" Sara changed the topic and asked.


    "Sometimes, I usually don''t"


    "But why? You are a CEO. Anything can happen right?"


    "Right. I actually have two phones. For personal use,and business use. Most times, I don''t go with my personal phone. If there''s something really urgent at home, it would be communicated through Ms Long and if there isn''t, then it''s all good."


    "That still doesn''t seem right if you ask me. During your trips? Ms Long is always with you 24 hours?" She asked.


    "Most of the time" He answered.


    "Oh..." She said nothing else and just continued eating.


    "Don''t think nonsense. Nothing is going on between us" He said with a tiny smile.


    "I never said otherwise" She corrected.


    "Well, the other day....." He paused for a but then decided to just let it slide "Well, never mind" He said.


    Sara wondered what he wanted to say then remembered when she saw Muchen blowing Ms Long''s eye. She tried not to laugh and quietly focused on her food.


    Muchen on the other hand, was feeling really dizzy but he tried his best to remain alert. Sara had to be okay first.

 Chapter 129 - Always doing weird things

    "Thank you" Sara said after a long pause.


    Muchen lifted his head to look at her with an unreadable expression. It was the first time she ever said such to him. He assumed she was talking about the meal and said "You don''t have to thank me for the food. I was starving also"


    Sara shook her head. "Not just the food. For everything" She avoided his gaze and focused on her food.


    "It''s nice to hear you say that" He said with a tiny smile on his face.


    They both quietly ate their foods. They mutually wanted to keep the conversation going because they knew once they finished eating, they''ll have to call it a night.


    Sara spoke first. "I spoke with Director Li about Joreen. I know things wouldn''t go smoothly but I still appreciate your effort"


    "You really do love her a lot. Don''t you?" It was more of a statement than a question.


    "Yes. I have always wanted a sibling. God bless Aunt Cixi for bringing Joreen to me"


    "At your age, you should be wanting your own child not a sibling" He teased then held back his laughter when he saw her glaring at him.


    "Something must be wrong with you" She said through gritted teeth.


    Muchen was impressed to see that she had totally forgotten he was her employer. "I''m glad you have Joreen now, she''s adorable" He said.


    Sara smiled and nodded. Speaking of siblings, she suddenly remembered something.


    "Minde called earlier. I accidentally took the call immediately I heard it ring, thinking it was Joreen calling back." Sara explained then passed him the phone she had kept beside her the entire time.


    Muchen remembered how he had left the hospital and even took Minde''s phone with him. ''Poor Minde'' "Did he say anything?" Muchen asked as he took the phone.


    "He said something about you taking revenge for him as soon as the call connected. I didn''t quite get him."


    Muchen chuckled. "He''s a nutcase"


    She suddenly recalled the factory incident and how Muchen almost got into trouble because of Minde.


    "Do you always clean up his mess?" She couldn''t help asking as she finally put down her spoon.


    Muchen raised his head to look at her. She didn''t avert her gaze and just stared right back. "I... sometimes do." He said nonchalantly.


    He checked to see Minde had called his phone with Dr Long''s phone. He was glad that Minde had at least, not passworded his phone. "Excuse me" He said to Sara before dialling the number. Just as he expected, Mr Long took the call. After exchanging pleasantries, he was informed that Minde had left the hospital due to ''boredom''. ''What am I ever going to do with that guy?'' He wondered.


    "You should go rest now. I''ll handle the rest" He said to Sara when he saw that she was done eating.


    "Are you saying you are going to do the dishes?" She asked in surprise.


    "Are you?" He asked back.


    "Of course! I can''t let you do it. Go, go away!" She said and gently pushed him out of the kitchen.


    "Sara wai.." Before he could finish, she already closed the door and locked it.


    She rested her back on the door after locking it and sighed deeply. Her thoughts were almost trailing off before she shook her head "No.. Please, don''t think about anything today. Just for today"


    **


    Jianjun sat down on the floor in their room, a opened little box beside him and a picture in his hand. He took another glance at the bed to be sure Joreen was really asleep and when he confirmed it, he looked at the picture again. It was a picture of his family. His parents, Cixi and himself. He could still remember the picture was taken on Cixi''s 16th birthday party, he was only 18 then. He smiled when he remembered she was now 29years older with a daughter while he was also 31 years older with a grown daughter who was doing things behind his back. ''Nothing is worth suffering for in this fleeting life'' He concluded.


    He tried to push the thought about Sara spending the night at Muchen''s out of his mind. He kept assuring himself that Muchen was a gentle man and nothing was going to happen.


    Earlier when Muchen called Sara''s phone, he had spoke with him and Muchen had promised to take care of Sara. When he noticed the reporters had left their apartment, he knew instantly that it must have been Muchen''s doing. But he still wasn''t comfortable with the idea of the both of them together. Funny things always happened when it''s dark.


    **


    She finally came out after about 15 minutes. She had a difficult time trying to open the door and had regretted ever locking it.


    When she entered the sitting room, she saw Muchen lying with his back on the couch and realised he was sleeping when she moved closer.


    She tried to lift her feet to head upstairs but she found herself walking closer to him with the excuse of waking him up to go sleep upstairs. Even though that particular couch was big enough to contain 3 slim people.


    She gently sat down on the couch he was lying down, careful not to wake him up. ''He must have been so tired. Why was I so insensitive?'' She looked at him sadly. ''He even looks good when he his sleeping.'' She tried to use a finger to trail his face but stopped her hand mid air and withdrew it. After being quiet for a while, she suddenly remembered something and spoke softly, deepening her voice so it sounded masculine. "Do you want a dimple? I can give you a dimple" She tried to reenact the hospital''s scene.


    She noticed Muchen''s face contorting. Before she could react, she heard him laugh out and opened his eyes. The shock made her lose balance and almost fall on the ground but he quickly wrapped a hand around her waist and raised her to sit well. "You are always doing weird things" He said

 Chapter 130 - A nice bug

    "Mr..Li.. you.. you were.. awake?"


    He exerted a little force which caused her to fall on the couch, he made her adjust, so she was lying down with her back to him.


    The shirt she was wearing rode up higher as a result of the sudden movement so she tried to adjust it but couldn''t since the couch barely contained the both of them.


    "Don''t worry, I won''t look" He said.


    She was completely tensed. She could feel his warm breath on her neck and could also clearly hear her racing heart. His hand was over her waist, trying to support her from falling. The other, served as a pillow for her head.


    "Mis..mister Li" Her instinct said RUN. But she didn''t want to, she also didn''t know what to say.


    Sara desperately needed to kill of the awkward silence. The painting hanging on the wall opposite them caught her attention "It''s... a beautiful painting" She commented even though she could not really find what was pretty about those colour strokes.


    "You love paints?" He asked softly.


    Sara thought for a while before saying. "Actually, I have no interest in paintings. I just felt I should say something" She realised if she said she did like paints, he might ask her questions then she would end up embarrassing herself.


    She heard what she could make out to be a laugh come from Muchen. "It was a gift from my grandfather when be was still alive. I really didn''t value it at that time until I realised it was worth millions of dollars"He said.


    "What? Mill...million of dollars for that thing?" she asked in bewilderment.


    She heard him chuckle a bit. "Exactly how I felt when I first realised that. I hope I''ll be able to pass it on to my grandson one day too."


    "Why not granddaughter? You''re being gender biased" She chipped in.


    "She might sell it off and go shopping with the money or she may likely want her own portrait all over her place instead of some old painting. Girls can be funny most times"


    Sara couldn''t help giggling.


    Another round of silence before Muchen broke it off this time.


    "You were supposed to tell me how to punish those people. I''m not sure I''ll be able to sleep comfortably if you do not tell me"


    "That''s unnecessary. It will all die down soon...I think"


    "It is very necessary you don''t just know it yet" He said then wriggled his body to adjust.


    "But, you really believe Liu Weiyoung has a hand in all of these? I don''t see how it relates to her though"


    "How long were you friends?" He asked.


    "Almost 10years I think."


    "Was she always good to you?"


    She was quiet for a while before saying


    "To be honest...she wasn''t"


    "Then why did you remain with her all those years?"


    Sara was reluctant to say anything before she finally opened up


    "I had no one else." She paused for a while. "Even though she didn''t like me so much, she was the only one friend I had. I believed my kindness would change her and at a point, I felt she really changed."


    Muchen had been quietly listening to her that she thought he might have dozed off


    "You''re too good for her." He said. "And also Mo Jinyong" He remembered to add before gently pulling her closer to him and gently tugged her shirt down, careful not to touch her thigh.


    Sara stiffened. Her mind was totally blank and she was beginning to get uncomfortable before she heard him speak again.


    "It''s nice to have someone to talk to."


    "Are you kidding me? There are people all around you" She said, thankful he said something.


    "There are people alright, but it''s always only about business."


    "Oh..." Was the only thing Sara could say.


    "When I was younger, I wanted to be like everyone else who had friends and all. Whenever someone came closer to me and I think,''this could be my friend'', the next thing you hear is either he has a business plan or proposal for you or he needs a financial or business favour There is always an ulterior motive"


    "So you decided it was best to stay on your own?" Sara asked.


    "Yes. I didn''t want anymore disappointment" He said.


    "No wonder I''ve only ever seen you with Minde" She said.


    "True. He... is a bug. But a nice bug" He heard Sara chuckle after he said that.


    "I guess he''s the only genuine one around you" She concluded.


    "Minde... is one person who has my best interest at heart ever since we were young. That is why most times, I just can''t help going out of my way to do things for him, he''ll bug me to death if I do not do so anyway" He sighed before continuing "But you''re also a genuine person right?"


    Sara smiled naughtily "You never can tell, I might just be buying time before presenting my business plan to you"


    She heard him laugh "I''m really eager to see what comes out of this brain of yours"


    In annoyance, Sara turned to her side to face Muchen. The force caused her to lose balance and almost fall off but he held her waist to stop her from falling, bringing her further closer to him.


    She noticed that his eyes were shut and both their faces were very close. She tried to turn back but he held her still then slowly, he opened his eyes.

 Chapter 131 - Dear Readers,

Figured I should make a proper apology.


    My system crashed. And fixing it is not going so smoothly as anticipated. So I ask that you all bear with me and the inconsistency. If I''ll be able to finish everything up today, then, I won''t forget to update.


    Thanks


    ThatAmazingGirl

 Chapter 132 - Sexual Tension

    Sara pretended to be asleep even as he lowered her on the bed. She didn''t know if he knew she was faking it or not. But she knew if she continued staying awake, he was not going to fall asleep and he really needed to rest.


    He gently tucked her into the big bed. Sara felt guilty for stressing him. He had carried her in his arms through the flight of stairs. She had wanted to not agree and ''wake up'' but she couldn''t. She liked it there. Listening to his heartbeat, feeling his warmth. She didn''t want to let go of such an opportunity. Luck might not allow her enjoy that again.


    "Sara" She heard him whisper.


    She was beginning to think he had known she was awake the entire time, and was about to open her eyes when he spoke again. "I hope you don''t avoid me tomorrow." It was always a step forward and two steps backward with Sara. Whenever he was beginning to feel she was coming around, things automatically goes back to square one.


    With that said, he moved closer to her. Sara could feel his face just a few inch from hers, she could feel his warm breath on her face also. She was in a state of dilemma as she didn''t know what to do in this situation. She felt even though he didn''t know she had been faking sleep, with her current ragged breath and pounding heartbeat, she believed he must have caught on by now. Was he going to kiss her?


    The answer came soon enough when she felt a light peck on her forehead and a gentle "Good night" Before he stood up and left the room.


    When she was sure he was out, She opened her eyes and tried to control her ragged breath. How come he had such a strong effect on her? This night, she had almost humiliated herself by trying to kiss him again!


    She remembered the sudden sexual tension in the sitting room earlier. When Muchen had noticed she wasn''t still comfortable lying that way, he had gently settled her on top of him. Sara had been dumbstruck by that single act. What shocked her most was the fact that her entire resolve seemed useless whenever he was in front of her.


    "Do you want a dimple?" She heard him ask in the sexiest tone she could ever imagine.


    What followed next was a hiccup from her. They both knew there was an hidden meaning to that question¨COne, only the both of them knew about.


    She didn''t know when her gaze dropped to his mouth. She had wanted to do it. She would face the consequence later. But she wanted to have a taste, just a little taste. Muchen seemed to have understood what she was thinking about so he said softly "Your father....might kill me" He knew if he started, if they started, she might be receiving more than just a dimple. Maybe, something else in about nine to ten months from now.


    Sara moved her gaze from his lips to his eyes. She saw it, something she had never seen before. He was holding back. She was glad he had enough self control because she wasn''t sure she did.


    He moved and tried to help her adjust, so she would move from on top of him to his side. And Sara could guess why. She had felt it earlier, poking at her thigh.


    That was when the thought came in, to sleep. She had to run from all of these.


    She sat up and wondered what was wrong with the room''s temperature all of a sudden. It was too hot. She felt uncomfortable. Even her heart palpitation was there also.


    As much as he didn''t want to wash Sara''s scent off of him, Muchen settled for a cold shower. It was the thing he needed to calm his nerves. Sara wasn''t his yet. She was still withdrawing from him so he had to be careful always. He couldn''t believe a woman was making him go insane like this. He had never really been interested in her body. He was interested in the person she was. But tonight, with her so close to him: almost naked, on his tee-shirt, even lying on top of him with that ''welcoming look'', he knew he had to escape this temptation. He had promised Jianjun and Joreen that he was going to take care of Sara. He didn''t want to do anything inappropriate especially now that she had a lot going on.


    He was impressed by Sara''s pretentious skill though. She still acted like they hadn''t met 2 years ago. She had also hidden the hospital incident when he first asked her if she wanted a dimple.


    The moment he stepped out of the bathroom in his bathrobe, he heard Minde''s phone stop ringing. Before he got to where the phone was by the side of the bed, the phone started ringing again.


    He recognised the number as Minde''s house phone calling so he took it.


    "Wow.. How did it go?" He heard Minde''s cheerful voice ring out.


    "How did what go?" Muchen asked. Feigning ignorance.


    "Wait, is she there with you? Where are you both?"


    Muchen lifted his free hand to scratch his forehead. How can a man be such a gossip?


    "Sara is sleeping in the guest room" He answered plainly. He could heard the disbelief in Minde''s gasp.


    "But you did it?" Minde asked inquisitively.


    "If what you mean is whether I ate dinner, the answer is yes"


    Muchen heard him scoff. Minde seemed to have lost interest in the topic as he just went on to ask.


    "You took down the video right?"


    "I didn''t."


    "Do you think Mo Dexi did? I had no idea he was friends with Sara until I saw that picture. She looked stunning by the way" He complimented.


    "She always looks stunning" Muchen corrected before adding "I''m not sure it was Mo Dexi. He would want to clear up issues since everyone''s talking about the power struggle between them but I don''t think he would take it down now. Do the findings" He instructed.


    "How do you resolve the issue then?" Minde asked.


    "I''ll leave it to Sara. She''s capable" And yes, be did believe she was.


    "What? That''s a bad idea. What if she kills one of them?" Minde asked in genuine worry.


    There was a little silence before he heard Muchen say "Then, I''ll get her the best lawyer to make sure she doesn''t go to jail"

 Chapter 133 - Meeting Madam Li

    The entire day, Muchen was curious about Sara''s plan. He wondered how the little favour she had asked of him earlier would help clear her name.


    Before she left that morning, she had assured his mother that she was going to clear up the misunderstanding. It did surprise him because he had not expected such reaction from her, especially since his mother slapped her.


    His mother had suddenly paid him a visit. Coming early so she would meet him before he left for work.


    Jiang Dana had refused to let him keep Sara as Heya''s coach. "She is not fit. Did you not see the news? No wonder Heya could talk to me carelessly the other day" She had merely wanted to follow the news last night because she learnt there was a juicy gossip going on. When she figured it was the same Sara Wang who was coaching her daughter, she flared up but decided to pay a visit to Muchen this morning since she knew he returned from his trip last night and didn''t want to disturb him. Then early this morning, after noticing that the entire news about her was gone, she saw an uploaded video of Weiyoung crying in the hospital. Lamenting on how she could not believe her best friend could put her through all of these.


    Heya who had been quiet blew up at her "Sara did nothing wrong. There are all lies. Even if it wasn''t, she is my coach and I have a say in who I want as my trainer"


    "You have no such thing" Dana lashed back. "You will move home this instant and I''ll find you a new coach"


    "I will do no such thing mother. It''s time you stopped controlling my life. I am an adult already!" Heya reminded. But she got it all wrong, so far she remained in the Li family, she was going to be controlled by them even after she got married.


    Muchen just quietly looked at them. He couldn''t scold Heya for raising her voice on their mother. Heya was right. She had been suffocated for too long. "Mother, I brought Heya here and I intend to keep her. Sara has done nothing wrong?"


    His mother looked at him in surprise "Sara?"


    Busted! He had addressed her informally again.


    **


    Sara looked at the time to see it was past 7 in the morning and scolded herself for waking up late in someone else''s house. Without taking her bath, she hurriedly fit herself into her clothes and walked downstairs. She had to apologize first before knowing what to do next.


    If she had known the kind of scene she would meet there, she sure wouldn''t have gone downstairs now.


    The last word she heard before appearing in sight was spoken by a middle aged woman and it was "You will fire that girl this instant!" Sara knew ''that girl'' was obviously her.


    When the woman''s eyes met hers, Sara could see the evident Shock in her eyes.


    She took proper note of the sitting room. Muchen was there, Heya was also standing there in her Pajamas, she was obviously surprised to see Sara there.


    Sara could guess that this other woman was none other than their mother, Jiang Dana.


    "What....what is she doing here?" Dana asked in shock as she signalled for Sara to come down.


    "Mother, the thing is..." Dana cut Muchen off before he could continue.


    "I don''t want to believe she slept here. In your house"


    Heya could not believe so either. When did Sara get here? What happened last night? "Mother, she came a bit early today. I asked her to"


    Heya said when she saw Sara approaching them. Dana didn''t believe her and didn''t bother listening to her. As soon as Sara got down and greeted her with a bow, the next thing that followed was a slap to her face.


    Sara''s eyes shot open. She hadn''t expected that. None of them had.


    Muchen didn''t know when he stood in between them and protected Sara from his mother. "What do you think you are doing mother?"


    Dana was surprised that her son could raise his voice at her like that. "Who do you think you are referring to?" She shot back in anger.


    "You mother" Heya spoke angrily. "How could you hit her like that?" She moved to where Sara had been standing quietly behind Muchen''s back. "Are you okay Sara?" Heya asked in concern when she noticed Sara''s face was still facing down.


    Sara slowly lifted her head. She had been hearing Muchen arguing with his mother, asking her to apologize while she was busy trying to make them see she was a bad influence to Heya and the family. One statement he made touched her. "How could you hit someone''s precious child? What if someone hits and treats me this way?"


    It was true. Her father had never lifted his hands to hit her. She knew he was scared of making her angry. He was scared of her suddenly leaving one day just like she had done before. She knew her father would not take it likely if he heard about this.


    "Mr Li" She gently called and moved to stand between him and his Mother, ignoring his protest.


    She bowed again, this time, in apology.


    She could understand Dana to am extent. She was a mother who cared about her children so it was a normal reaction. She hadn''t want to bother herself clearing anything up but she didn''t want Madam Li to have a wrong impression of her. She also didn''t like that they were all quarrelling because of her.


    "Those things about me are all lies. I will clear it up" She said resolutely.


    Dana gave her an unbelievable look before she scoffed. "Why should I believe you''re not capable of such?"


    "Because I am not" She said defensively


    "If you don''t do that before nightfall, forget about working here!"


    With that said from Dana, Sara knew she had to do so. No matter what, she had to do so: for her sake. for Joreen''s future, for her family, and for Li Muchen. She didn''t know why he was included in that list though.


    Dexi was patiently waiting also. He had really been surprised to see a call coming from Sara earlier. When he took it, she hadn''t even bothered to exchange pleasantries with him, she just gave him orders and ended the call abruptly. Before he could grumble, he found himself doing all she had asked if him.


    Just when he was about leaving his office that evening, his secretary came to show him something really interesting.

 Chapter 134 - An interesting story

    Sara sighed deeply. She was really going to do this. Her day so far had been terrible. Maybe because it started with her getting hit by Dana.


    Muchen''s eyes had been able to tell her how sorry he truly was and she didn''t try to make things difficult for him either. "I know" She said "I know you''re sorry. I am sorry too"


    Muchen gave her a pitiful look and she really wanted to explain that she was really fine.


    "It must have hurt a lot" He said then lifted a hand and placed it on the cheek Dana had slapped.


    Sara''s gut tightened and her breath automatically stopped. She totally forgot about anything else as she just stared right at him. He was staring back. "I.. it.. it really doesn''t hurt" She managed to say. ''Get a grip of yourself Sara''. She sucked in breath and spoke again.


    "I''m really grateful madam Li has such delicate hands. But her energy is something else though" She added in sarcasm.


    Muchen hadn''t planned on laughing since he was being serious right now but Sara''s comment made him laugh. Why did she always take things so lightly? He dropped his hand and informed her "She goes by Mrs Li. My grandmother is Madam Li"


    "Oh.. I see" When she noticed he was still giving her the pitiful look, she said "I''ve always heard that mothers are overly protective compared to fathers. Judging from how I''ve seen most mothers behave, I guess it''s a normal reaction from your mother. I''m really okay" She persuaded.


    Muchen was surprised. He was reminded that Sara had no mother and hadn''t known her either. He suddenly felt sad for her but decided to let the topic slide.


    "How do you intend to settle this?" He turned all serious and asked.


    Sara thought for a moment. She didn''t have any plan. She had even told Muchen just last night that she wasn''t interested in retaliating. But now...


    "There are a lot of ways to settle it" She tried to convince him (and herself) that she had a plan which she didn''t.


    "I can do it for you. If I come out and talk, everyone will believe my word" He said.


    Sara gave him a funny look before shaking her head. "I really appreciate but I told your mother I was going to fix it. What would she think if you start helping me out? Besides, it would not be nice going all public because of me.... And for what you did to the Liu''s earlier, I know I''ve been such a bi.... I mean, un-nice but I should thank you for that. I still dream about the look on their faces that day. And it''s always such a nice dream" She let a little smile escape her lips before saying "Thank you"


    It was a nice diversion. Muchen knew she was trying to stop him from helping out with this case and what she said was true also. He couldn''t help out else, his family would really come after her.


    When he heard her simple "Thank you" He got a fluttery feeling. "I didn''t hear that, what did you say again?"


    "I said nothing" Sara said nonchalantly and turned her head to look at the other side of his house. She wasn''t used to telling people thank you because she wasn''t used to people helping her. So asking for her to repeat it was making her embarrassed.


    Muchen smiled at her flushed face and pulled her into a hug. His hands were wrapped around her while his chin which rested on her head reminded him of how little she was before him. "I heard it." He said softly. "Since it gives you nice dreams, I''ll keep making you have nice dreams"


    "They will all end up hating me" She said. Not making any attempt to pull out from the hug. It was as if she had every right to remain there, in his arms.


    "If they hate you, I''ll buy their houses and turn it into a gym for you and Heya"


    Sara gave a short laugh "You''ll be a very bad guardian"


    "I know" He replied with a contented smile.


    ''I like it'' She said to herself as she unconsciously snuggled closer.


    She had no idea she had done so but Muchen felt it and smiled. "Sara Wang" He called softly.


    "Hmm"


    She waited for him to say something but he didn''t. Then she slowly lifted her head to see him staring at her. "What is it?" She asked gently.


    Muchen gave a wicked grin before he said


    "When last did you wash your hair?"


    Sara couldn''t forget that embarrassment till this very moment. It had made her run from him and left his place despite him calling after her to wait so he could drop her off. She could hear that he was desperately trying to hold back from laughing.


    "Bad Mr Li.. Very bad!" She muttered in annoyance.


    "Why isn''t the camera starting? How does it even work? She placed her entire face in front of the camera lens. "Do you think I need a facial before going live? If I look this ugly, no one will take me seriously" She told the person at the other side of the camera.


    Li Hoy who was at the other end of the camera felt like strangling her. He had told her that when he gave the OK sign, she was supposed to start talking. But it had been up to twenty seconds since she went live and hadn''t paid attention to the continuous signs he had been giving her. ''Where''s her mind?''


    He made a little throaty sound to her her attention. When Sara looked at him, he showed her the OK sign again. It seemed she felt the video just started. So she adjusted properly.


    Everyone who saw it, despite the fact that they all hated her, most of them found it amusing. So this was the Sara Wang?


    Sara suddenly became all serious and so did the viewers including everyone who had been keeping tabs on her. "You all know my name and who I am so I do not think an introduction will be necessary. I hope you all are watching this, well, I know you all are since you all wish to know what this ''cheater'' has to say. So I''ll be telling you all an interesting story"


    When she ran out of Muchen''s place that morning, he did follow her with his car and asked her to get in. Inside, he told her the video had been taken down and there was a new video online about Liu Weiyoung. When she watched the video on Minde''s phone, it made her hatred for Weiyoung to soar and this very idea of doing hers, was born.


    ''Liu Weiyoung. I hope you and Mo Jinyong are ready cause I''ll ruin you both in a go''

 Chapter 135 - Not a white flower

    Everyone eagerly watched as she began speaking.


    "It is very true that I and Liu Weiyoung were friends for over ten years. Regardless of how people looked down on me, she was the only one who stood by me as my friend and I was really grateful for that. At first, I knew she was withdrawing but along the line, she became free and my family did like her also."


    Hoy gave her a sign to let her know she was off camera now. She could still speak but on the camera, pictures of Sara and Weiyoung scrolled through. The first picture was the same picture everyone had seen earlier of a younger Sara and Weiyoung. Another picture came in and it was a picture of Sara, Jianjun, whose face was blurred out, and Weiyoung. They were all in a park, smiling brightly.


    Sara remembered the wonderful feeling she got when she saw a particular picture on her laptop''s recycle bin. It was the picture of herself with Jinyong while Weiyoung was behind them. Jinyong''s hand was draped over her shoulders.


    Hoy gave her a sign to let her know that that particular picture was on screen now, so she began her voice-over. She didn''t know how Hoy was doing it, had no idea how he connected everything together. He had only told her he would handle everything and the only thing she had to do was talk.


    "This particular picture was taken about seven months ago. And if you are smart, you will be able to understand what is going on here. The first question you should ask yourself is this ''Why is the girlfriend behind while he is holding his girlfriend''s friend?'' As much as I am embarrassed to admit it, I must let you all know that Mo Jinyong and I were in a relationship which lasted for two years until last month. And your ''angel'' Liu Weiyoung knew about it. But then, according to what Mo Jinyong told me, they had also been dating for over a year. Which was rather shocking to me."


    She went back on Cam and gave a wry smile "Well, this is just the beginning"


    **


    Weiyoung''s eyes bulged out as she watched it. She didn''t expect Sara to come out like this? What was she doing now. She had been enraged that the news was taken down and had made a new one of herself. Now, Sara was fearlessly humiliating her like this. She screamed in frustration and almost heaved Joanna''s phone at the wall but she used every ounce of her self control to stop herself. If she did that, she wouldn''t know what Sara was planning to do next. "You have to think of a way I can counter this right now!" She instructed Joanna with an angry glare and faced the video again.


    "I accidentally found out about their Engagement party and in disbelief, I went to the hotel. I am very sure everyone who went there could remember clearly that they had both denied knowing me. And had even asked who paid me to ruin their engagement party. I mean, if you did nothing wrong, why would you hide your engagement party from your friend and deny knowing her?"


    The video also appeared on screen. She had asked Muchen if there was anyway he could help her get that clip and fortunately for her, he informed her that they always had a video of every occasion which took place in his hotel, since they usually send the clip over to whoever had an occasion there.


    The footage they had sent to the Liu''s and Mo''s had been carefully edited so the part where Sara entered hadn''t been included. And it was that very part that Sara had asked for.


    She knew she was likely going to be receiving a negative backlash. But she was prepared to do this.


    "Why did you do it?" Sara''s voice sounded in the video. Everyone could clearly see Weiyoung fidgeting. They also watched how they had both denied knowing her and asked for the security to come throw her out.


    Sara appeared on Cam with a somber look this time. "If they had both been a little bit smart, I''m sure they would have been able to pull these whole thing off. They claimed they didn''t know me earlier but now, they were the first to say they knew me. Don''t you find it funny?"


    She took a deep breath before saying "I get that Weiyoung and Jinyong are together now. I really don''t mind. But I find it uncomfortable that they have both been pestering me." Sara forced a tear out before she spoke again "What did I do to deserve this? Is it my fault that I had such a bad friend? Her family even threw us out of our place. They brought us a deed of ownership and said they''ll give us back the apartment if I promised to not say anything about Weiyoung snatching Jinyong from me and also asked my father to kneel before them." She forced another tear out and made a show of trying to catch her breath. "I told them I wasn''t going to tell anyone about it but I won''t be staying there either... I didn''t want to remain as their dog for crying out loud"


    Hoy gave her a sign to let her know she was doing a good job and nudged her to continue. "I have been trying to live my life quietly but Jinyong has refused to let me be. He keeps saying he regrets leaving Weiyoung and wants me back. I think Weiyoung is aware of this because she paid a visit to my Father''s restaurant one night to tell me she would ruin my life if I didn''t stay away from Jinyong." She took a deep breath again before she continued "Even on his engagement day, he followed me out to tell me he still wanted me. When I shooed him off, he tried to hit me. That was when his uncle Mo Dexi rescued me from his clutches"


    As she said these, the CCTV footage of that night appeared on screen, when Jinyong almost hit her then Dexi punched him first.


    "Since then, I became acquainted with his uncle. He had known about my relationship with his nephew and had apologized on his behalf. He only invited me to his grandfather''s birthday party because we were friends. But even when I got there, those two rats still didn''t let me be."


    Weiyoung and Jinyong, I hope you''re both ready because there is more to come'' An evil glint appeared in Sara''s eyes. ''If you think you''re good at acting victimized so you can trample on me, I will show you real acting''


    She wasn''t a white flower. That''s why she didn''t like making trouble cause she wouldn''t even bother handling things nicely or genuinely.


    A lot of people could not believe Weiyoung and Jinyong were so despicable. Sara had been innocent after all. People didn''t wait for Sara to finish the video before they started raining insults on Weiyoung and Jinyong online. Sara couldn''t have lied since she even had the video evidence to back it up. Not only that, a short clip was anonymously posted online which had been going round. Sara''s family was standing outside with their luggages but Jianjun and Joreen''s face were blurred out. While the Liu family was there. In the video, Mrs Liu threw a document on the ground and everyone could tell it was the deed of ownership Sara had mentioned earlier.

 Chapter 136 - When you become a god, judge me.

    Ahhhh! Weiyoung screamed loudly as she sent everything on the hospital desk, crashing on the floor. "How can someone be so cunning? How can she lie so smoothly without batting an eye? WANG SARA!" Her breath was unsteady and ragged. She tried to contain her anger but she simply couldn''t. "You have a special place in hell Sara. You dare lie against me? Even the devil is scared of your lies you manipulative bitch" She screamed harder again and pulled her hair in frustration. How did Sara turn everything on her like this?


    Her icy glare landed on Joanna who was still very much in her usual could demeanor. "What are you going to do about this, how dare you still stand there, how come you didn''t see this coming, Are you even sensible at all?" She kept throwing abusive questions at Joanna without giving herself any breathing space. "You have to do something about this this instant!" She used her index finger to push Joanna''s forehead backward. "Make sure you prepare a counter speech"


    "It would be easy if you had a video evidence to go with it." Joanna responded expressionlessly.


    "What?" In anger, Weiyoung slapped her hard on her cheek. The fact that Joanna didn''t even flinch annoyed her that she lifted her hand to slap her again. But this time, Joanna intercepted her hand midair.


    "What do you think you are doing?" Weiyoung''s eyes widened in disbelieve.


    "I was brought here to watch over you during your pregnancy and not to act like you dog"


    "What? You must be out of your mind if you think we pay you all of that money to not do any dirty job. You must counter this by tomorrow." She looked at the time and noted it was past 10 in the evening. When did Sara organise all of these? "Don''t you think you are useless? Wasn''t it a human who helped Sara put all of that lies together?" If only she had the person who had helped Sara plan all of these by her side, her life would have been going smoothly.


    "Aren''t you a human?" Joanna fired back. She was really done with this shitty family.


    Weiyoung scoffed in incredulity. "Joanna, I can ruin your life without even lifting a finger. Don''t dare me" she warned.


    Joanna''s glazed eyes sought hers. "I would like to watch you try." With that said, she walked out of the room and out of her life.


    **


    Now, everyone was interested in the video of Sara in the restroom and Jinyong''s sudden appearance behind her. Since it was just a footage, there was no audio to it and even if there was, she didn''t want them to hear the conversation since Jinyong had mentioned Mr Li''s name. Everyone watched as Jinyong closed the door and sneakingly went behind her. They also saw how he tried to touch her but she pushed his hand away. Sara''s irritated look was obvious while Jinyong''s cheeky grin irked most of them. It totally spelt it all. Sara had been innocent.


    "He came in there and told me Weiyoung was pregnant but he wasn''t sure he was the father of her baby. He said she was only forcing herself on him and he wasn''t interested in marrying her. If you doubt all of this, you can ask Weiyoung who had been in the bathroom without our knowing. Oh! I''m sure she would lie or probably faint again if you ask her." Sara was blocking off every possible loophole. She was never going to give her any opening to use against her.


    The video forwarded to show an angry Weiyoung coming out of the inner restroom. Sara had been surprised to see it also. She had felt someone was there but hadn''t expected it to be Weiyoung.


    "I''m sure it was the same reason why Weiyoung suddenly announced that she was pregnant and getting married." Sara paused for a while, sniffled back unshed ''tears'' then spoke "As you can all see, I am not from a socialite family like them and I accepted the fact that they would never accept me. But you all should please, beg them to leave me alone. I know you all misunderstood when you saw the picture of me and Jinyong. I had actually pushed him off but whoever took the shot had taken that part just to spite me....I do not know what Weiyoung is using to blackmail Jinyong to have him say those things about me but I am asking you all to please, beg them to leave me alone. I can no longer die in silence. That is why I have decided to speak up."


    Now, Sara wished that video of Weiyoung ''fainting'' was still available. So people could refresh their memory on how she had fooled herself.


    "I really don''t blame people for judging me wrongly. I was surprised to see that we have a lot of people here representing the judicial committee in heaven..... And as for Weiyoung, she looked pointedly at the Camera as if she was directly speaking to her. "The next time you lie against me, I am going to bring up more video evidence. But do not worry, I won''t let anyone know how you asked the Waiter to spill wine all over me during Elder Mos birthday party."


    Without any closing remark, she went off Cam, then, these words appeared on screen


    "WHEN YOU BECOME A GOD, JUDGE ME"


    ***


    Dexi was stunned even after the video session ended. His Secretary had been giving him updates on the comments online. A lot of people apologized for judging him wrongly. Since they had all concluded that he had gone to his grandfather''s birthday party with Sara because he was helping her seek revenge to ruin his Nephew.


    His phone had been ringing repeatedly. Not just that, the video of Weiyoung fainting, and Jinyong''s speech also resurfaced online. The netizens could no longer contain their anger when they watched the video again. A rumour was also going round about Weiyoung being responsible for uploading the picture of Sara and Jinyong.


    Dexi remembered what Sara told him "Help me to help you." When he agreed, she had simply asked for the footage in the mansion''s restroom and that of the incident that occurred between them on the street. "From now on, they will be only one truth, and it''s the one you''ll be hearing tonight" She was going to help him get rid of Jinyong and Weiyoung, also going to help him clear his name and receive his family''s trust, for just a footage?


    There was no better deal than this.


    Still in shock, he spoke to his secretary "Please, always remind me to never get on Sara''s bad side"

 Chapter 137 - Shy

    "I can''t believe only two tears dropped despite all my effort" Sara stood up from the chair and wiped the tears off in frustration. "How did it go? Has anyone watched the video yet?" She asked as she went to stand beside Hoy who was busy with a computer.


    "I told you to trust me."


    Sara''s eyes bulged out when she saw the number of views and comments increasing. Thousands of people were already talking about it. "Is... is this real?" she asked in shock.


    "It is. As it seems, 80% are in support of you. 10% still hates you while the other 10% are more interested in knowing how you got those footages"


    Sara tsked. "I''m sure the 80% will cover the others¡ª wait, what is that?"


    Hoy was also wondering the same thing. He clicked on the video and Sara was surprised to see it was of her family and the Lius the very day they moved out. "How did they get this?" Sara was lost in her thought. Hoy was also lost in his. He wanted to ask but he knew it was not in his place to. He somehow felt that most of the things Sara had said were not true. But how was she able to link everything so perfectly? He looked at her with renewed admiration.


    When he called her that morning to know how she was doing, he had noticed the hesitation in her voice before she finally asked if he could help video her.


    He almost laughed when he asked how she intended to do it but she had simply said she would make a video with her phone and look for a way to upload it online. Hoy was glad she had asked the right person for help. He had a little studio which he spent most of his free time, and that was where they currently were.


    A slight knock came on the door and Hoy excused himself to go answer it, wondering who was here by this time of the night.


    Sara went through most of the comments online. People weren''t going easy on Weiyoung and Jinyong at all. A rumour was also going round about Weiyoung being responsible for sending the photo of Jinyong and Sara to the press.


    She smiled when she saw comments saying Weiyoung and Jinyong were both perfect for each other. Yes, they were. If anyone dared her, she was going to show them what she was made of. And she was really capable of a whole lot of stuff.


    She stood up from the front of the computer and stretched her stiff limbs. When she turned around, in the middle of a yawn, she received the shock of her life when she saw Muchen standing behind her, Hoy beside him.


    "Mis...mister Li..what..what are you doing here?" She stammered


    Then, it hit her. He must have seen it. Was he thinking she was too bad and manipulative? Did he hate her now, since he was very much aware about most of the things so he knew she had lied. She had never been bothered about what people thought of her. But now, she realised she was always concerned about what he thought.


    Going on air had been a risk. But it was one she wanted to take. She had received months of advance payment from Muchen. She had to keep working, had to keep helping Heya, especially now that she was improving. Joreen also, in case it was time for her to debut, she didn''t want this issue to be an obstacle for her. What if this case comes up and people start looking down on Joreen because of it? She didn''t want to soil her family''s name also.


    "I was on my way out and decided to drop by his place" Muchen said. His expression, cold.


    "Oh.." Was the only word she could utter. Somehow, she was really excited to see him unexpectedly.


    "You shouldn''t be in a man''s house by this time of the night." He said pointedly to Sara.


    Hoy cocked a brow at him and wondered whether he was the ''man'' Muchen was talking about. ''Acting all protecting like he own her''.


    "CEO Li, Sara was just about leaving" He spoke before Sara could say anything. He was already used to seeing Muchen as his boss instead of his cousin.


    "Why did you come?" Hoy knew it was very impossible for Muchen to pay him a visit. Except he had come here because he knew she was here.


    Muchen turned to face him with an unreadable expression.


    After watching Sara''s video, he immediately received a call from Minde who was also dumbfounded after watching Sara''s video. "See why you should stay away from her.. That girl is evil!" Minde said. "But, why is she in Hoy''s studio apartment?" Apparently, he had taken note of the background. Then, he also remembered to add "Hoy called me a few days back to ask about Sara. Do you think something is going on between those two?"


    Muchen also remembered that Hoy had given her the dress she had worn to Elder Mos birthday party. He really didn''t like the friendship brewing between this two.


    Hoy wondered why Muchen was staring at him like that without saying anything. His answer came soon enough when Muchen''s mouth formed a tiny smile before he said. "I came to apologize since I couldn''t get you a gift for your 20th birthday last month"


    Hoy knew instantly that Muchen was trying to remind him and at the same time, let Sara know that she was 5years older than him.


    "I can''t believe you came all the way here just for that. I am really honoured CEO Li" He tried to mask his embarrassment with an insincere smile. Thankfully, Sara wasn''t surprised when she heard his age, she didn''t even look interested in the conversation.


    Hoy could not believe Muchen was acting like a petty kid right now.


    **


    Muchen refused to say anything and opened the car door for her to get in. Sara didn''t.


    "Mr Li.." He heard her call in a little voice "You... must think I''m a bad person now right?" She said looking down. Why else was he giving her the attitude all of a sudden? He wasn''t smiling or holding her hand or even ruffling her hair.


    "What are you talking about?" He asked in confusion. It was the first time he spoke to her since they left the studio.


    "You... saw my video right? You knew most of the things I said were lies..."


    "They are lies?" He asked, feigning shock.


    "You''re pretending." She pouted "You must think I am bad and manipulative"


    Muchen studied her and took a deep breath. Why did she have to be so cute every time? He moved closer to whisper in her ears "I think..." He paused "I am beginning to like bad girls... a lot"


    When Muchen went back to his full height, he noticed she was trying her best to suppress a smile, but she couldn''t. He looked at her flushed cheeks and smiling face. Her smile melted his heart and he couldn''t help smiling either. He had promised himself he was going to give her a good scolding for asking for Hoy''s help instead of his. But now, none of that was important to him any more.


    He opened his arms, offering her a hug. Sara gave him a skeptical look before looking at both sides. He assumed she was checking if anyone was around. When he was finally sure she would hug him since no one was in sight, she covered her face with both palm and hurriedly entered inside the car he had opened for her earlier.


    ''Is she shy?'' He thought to himself. ''How cute!''

 Chapter 138 - Youve got your experience, I learnt from yours.

    Jinyong silently prayed when his car entered the Mo mansion. He wouldn''t have believed it, if someone had told him Sara was that manipulative. She had lied smoothly and there was no way he could refute her claims. It was really over for him this time.


    The world was now against him, his mother was going to kill him, his father would be disappointed and his grandparents¡ª he had to go in there to know his fate. Worse of all, he was stuck with Weiyoung¡ªthat witch. She had brought all these misery to him.


    Weiyoung had assured him that everything would turn out well. She told him there was no way Sara would come out of this. But in 24hours, she had turned the tables around. How evil!


    Immediately he got down from the car, he received a text notification. "HAVE FUN TONIGHT."


    He instantly recognised the number as Sara''s number. She was really planning to ruin his life as it stands.


    The moment he opened the door, it was just as he had expected. His entire family was there. His parents, grandparents and uncle, Dexi were all seated in the sitting room. Even his grandfather''s younger sister was also present there.


    "You Scoundrel!" Mo Dachuan stood up and threw his walking stick at him but Jinyong''s ducking skill was top notch since he was able to avoid it.


    Jinyong looked at his mother to see she was also boiling with anger.


    Aida had been planning how to smoothly ruin Sara for blackmailing Weiyoung into announcing her pregnancy. But now, everything was all a lie? It had been Weiyoung all along and her stupid son.


    Jinyong could no longer stand their looks. He hurriedly knelt down and allowed the tears flow freely "I.. am really Sorry... Everything that girl said are all lies. She is really deceitful" He looked at Dexi who had been quietly sitting on the couch with a straight face. When their eyes met, Dexi smirked at him.


    Dexi had been bored but he was suddenly interested in this little show. His parents had apologised profusely, especially his father, who had misunderstood him and even went as far as hitting him.


    "It was him..." Jinyong pointed at Dexi. "He planned everything with Sara. He wants to ruin me. Do not believe them. Mother, you have to believe me. Grandfather..." He looked back and forth between his mother and grandfather and tried to convince them. But the only thing he succeeded in doing was enraging them further.


    Mo Dachuan''s wife, Biyu and his younger sister had to stop Dachuan from getting to where Jinyong was kneeling. They didn''t know what he would do when he got to where Jinyong was since his temper was having the best of him.


    Even after everything, Jinyong still dare accuse his precious son?


    "You Punk. You still dare lie against your uncle. Did they forge the footage? Wasn''t that you? Even on my birthday party, you tried to make a pass on that girl, In my house!" There was disbelief in his tone. "You even went into the Ladies room, you pervert! Tell me why I should believe anything you say out of that dirty mouth of yours"


    Dexi simpered. This was the part he had been waiting for. "Father, do not blame him too much. I''m sure he has learned his lesson this time"


    "You see, your uncle is even trying to speak up for you. How can you accuse him?" Biyu asked angrily.


    Aida glared at Dexi. He was obviously trying to make Jinyong get on their bad side the more.


    "He is pretending. Can''t you all see it?" Jinyong spoke angrily and stood up from the ground. Aida was tired of this already and slapped him hard.


    "Mother!" He yelled. His eyes, bloodshot and wide in unbelieve. His face, tear-streaked and red "What did I do to deserve this? Everything is that girls fault¨CWeiyoung! It was you who pushed me to her in the first place" He accused. "Why did you have to hit me?"


    "You idiot! I would have preferred giving birth to a weak girl than you" Aida said in hurt.


    Everything she had worked for was shattered. She looked at her husband who had been quiet the entire time. The hurt in her eyes was evident to him. He had always known about his wife''s efforts towards their useless son. It was the same reason she had pushed him to Weiyoung in the first place.


    As it seems now, there was no way she could bring Jinyong into the limelight again. He had completely ruined himself with his own hands.


    Dachuan could have easily sent him to the army or outside the country if not for Weiyoung who was carrying his child. He finally decided on sending the both of them outside the country to stay there for at least, a year until she put to bed and the entire situation was settled.


    Jinyong didn''t want that. He was never going to leave this country. Even if he wanted to, he would never do so with Weiyoung. He was never going to allow Sara live in peace with another man!


    He realised Weiyoung was tying him down with her pregnancy. Now, it made sense. Sara didn''t do anything wrong in the first place, she had only retaliated because he was manipulated into saying those lies about her. Weiyoung was the evil one. She had deliberately taken that picture and sent it to the press.


    He still had goosebumps whenever he remembered the footage of how Weiyoung had eerily come out from the inner restroom.


    Her family''s business was at the verge of bankruptcy and it was worsening with each passing day. In fact, he was sure that with this latest blow, it was over for the Liu''s. Weiyoung had deliberately tied herself to him so she would have a foot to rely on. What a witch!


    No, never! He was going to get rid of her. And that baby was never going to come to this world. Over his dead body.


    Aida shook her head in anger and resignation before leaving the apartment, her husband followed her out. They both didn''t care about their useless son anymore. She was going to fight for herself now.


    **


    Jinyong intercepted Dexi when he was about entering the car his PA had opened for him to get on.


    "You think you''ve won this round right?" Jinyong asked in obvious fury.


    "Won?" Dexi looked at him, feigning confusion. "I didn''t realise we were fighting or in a competition"


    Jinyong clenched his fist and looked at him with a purple face.


    "A little advice for you little nephew.." Dexi tapped his shoulder, totally dismissing Jinyong''s obvious anger. "Stay away from Sara"


    "Because you like her? You think you won''t be like me one day?"


    Dexi chortled "Experience they say, is the best teacher. You''ve got your experience, I learnt from yours." Dexi grinned cheekily at him before he entered his car.

 Chapter 139 - I like you Sara

    Weiyoung still could not accept the fact that she had lost to Sara. Like, why would someone like her ever lose to someone like Sara?


    Weiyoung found it difficult to believe such. She had always feared Sara somehow so she had always been cautious. She had seen what Sara was capable of doing even at a young age. Exposing it to the world was her last card but it would get her into trouble. Getting into trouble at this time, was the last thing she needed.


    Her hands shook uncontrollably that she even found it difficult to lift it up. Joanna had left her all alone. That ungrateful wench!


    Weiyoung''s mother had called the hospital''s phone to let her know their company was in shambles and when she tried leaving the hospital to go hide somewhere, she bumped into many reporters just outside her door. She had never been so frightened her entire life. So frightened that she didn''t hear any question they threw at her. She just stared at them like a Deer caught in the headlight. Fortunately for her, her parents had sent her two bodyguards who quickly whisked her back into the room and locked her in.


    Now, she was stuck here because of that witch.


    She had lost everything, everything! "SARA WANG!!" she screamed in anger and frustration.


    After trying to stabilize her breath, she cradled her tummy. Yes, she still had this. So, she was still affiliated with the Mos. She would find her way back soon. She nodded rigorously and laughed like a maniac that she was.


    "Yes, no matter what, I will never go down!"


    ***


    Sara could not stop stealing glances at Muchen. ''How can such a perfect man like me?'' She wondered. She still couldn''t stomach the fact that Jinyong had called him a bastard. ''Ah! Mo Jinyong.. you''ve not seen anything yet. Even if you find your feet, I''ll bring you down again. Next time, you''ll mind your language'' She was going to do the same to anyone who used the wrong word on any of her people. Wait, did she just say her people? She racked her brain in confusion. What was she doing now? Mr Li was Mr Li! When did she ever stop seeing him that way? She took another long look at him.


    Then, she realised he was stopping the car. In confusion, she looked round and noted they were in the middle of nowhere.


    "What is wrong?" She asked when he pulled over.


    He turned to look at her and smiled. "I''m giving you the limited opportunity of looking at me" He inched his face closer to hers. The only thing stopping him from bumping his head to hers was his seatbelt.


    Sara blinked, he couldn''t tell if it was in confusion or embarrassment. As he expected, she turned to look out the window, probably hiding her blushing face from him. He also saw her swallow hard.


    "Come on, I know you want to look" He teased with a mocking laugh.


    Sara inhaled and exhaled twice before she turned to face him. "Mr Li, it''s not safe to park here" Sara diverted from the topic.


    Muchen looked at her attentively. He couldn''t remember how he had been living his life before he met Sara. He had been surprised, in fact, shocked when he saw her video. She had acted so well that he had totally forgotten she was somehow not being truthful. He had never liked deceitful people but for some reasons, Sara''s video had excited him. He was happy to know she was able to defend herself perfectly. He had even uploaded that video and also dug up the old video that had been taken down. He was never going to allow anyone bully Sara. Instead, she should do the bullying and he was going to support her because Sara Wang was always right!


    Maybe others who didn''t know her well might judge her but, he had seen her strong and weak side. He knew she was like every other woman who wanted to be loved genuinely. And he, had a whole lot of genuine love to offer her, if only she would free herself and let him love her.


    "Mr Li..." Sara called for the umpteenth time. He seemed to not be paying attention to her at all. "This place is not safe, we should leave here"


    She looked around again. It was dark and isolated. The only light shining was his car''s florescent headlights.


    He finally came back to his senses and gently pat her head and said softly "I am not afraid... you are here with me"


    He was sure Sara was going to beat up anyone who came close to them. But that wouldn''t happen since his people always followed him and monitored his surrounding.


    Sara said nothing and just stared blankly at him. She didn''t even know what to think about right now


    "Sara Wang..." He called her in a low voice.


    Sara gave him the ''go ahead'' look.


    The next words he spoke startled her.


    "I like you Sara. I like you a lot"


    Sara stilled. As much as she had prayed he never said those words to her, she had also wanted to hear it. ''He likes me. This perfect man likes the imperfect me''


    "I know you''re probably finding it difficult to like me back but I can wait." He paused for a while to notice she was still still.


    "I am so comfortable around you and for the first time, I feel emotionally healthy"


    "Mr Li... I..." Sara tried to say something, anything at all. But nothing was coming out.


    "I know you''ll like me too. I''m just telling you to be fast about it." He smoothened her hair and asked "You can do that right?"


    Sara''s heart raced. Why was Mr Li doing this to her?? As much as she wanted to say no, she couldn''t say so.


    He noticed her hesitation and didn''t bother pushing on. "Sara Wang..." He still didn''t know why he liked calling her by her full name.


    Sara wondered what else he was going to say. Her mind was in a turmoil already. "Mr Li.."


    "I... want to kiss you" He said huskily.

 Chapter 140 - A gangster fairy

    Sara hiccupped. Her face turned blazing red also. Did Mister Li just say he wanted to kiss her? Maybe she heard wrongly. She was sure she heard wrongly.


    Everything was too much for her that she found it difficult digesting it all. First, he just said he likes her, then he asked her to like him back in a hurry, now, he wanted to kiss her? Muchen''s temerity was still unbelievable to her.


    He wasn''t asking for permission. He was simply telling her what he was going to do. He was telling her he wanted to kiss her. ''What should I do? What should I say?''


    Muchen''s gaze moved from Sara''s eyes which kept darting sideways, to her clenched fist which was shaking.


    He tried not to smile when he spoke "I''m sure it''ll be awkward if I do it now since we''re still a bit far from your place. So let''s save it till I drop you off. You can easily run back inside once we''re done. Deal?" He winked at her.


    Sara couldn''t help scoffing at his audacity. She had never met anyone as shamelessly brazen as Muchen was. She finally gathered her wits to say something "You are so..... audacious"


    Muchen smiled warmly at her and ruffled her hair. "I know"


    Sara looked out the window as he started the car again.


    What? He was going to kiss her? He should try it then! She was going to put him in his place. What nonsense!


    Despite all of her inward tantrum, her heart kept pounding as they gradually approached her place. Did he really mean it? Was he really going to kiss her? It suddenly struck her that she hadn''t still washed her hair and she gasped loud enough for him to hear.


    Muchen tried not to laugh when he heard her gasp. Was she getting tensed now that they were almost at her place?


    Her hair! She hadn''t washed it properly. When she arrived home that morning, she hadn''t met her father or Joreen at home. Joreen had obviously gone to school but she didn''t know where her father had gone to by that time. She only assumed he was still running around because of their new apartment which she hadn''t gotten the chance to visit. She had spent her entire day trying to organise the smoothest way to ruin those idiots. It didn''t even take her up to five minutes before she finished showering. Talk more of washing her hair.


    The bend Muchen took suddenly reminded her that they were almost at the Chus residence. She breathed a sigh of relief when she didn''t see any sign of reporters around there. She had expected to bump into some after her video and even when she got home this morning. But no one was there. Sara concluded that they were tired of waiting outside her apartment that was why they had left. Serves them right. Annoying fellows!


    "We''re here!" She heard Muchen announce.


    Sara just nodded at him then she suddenly remembered something. On the night of Mo Dachuan''s birthday, Dexi had told her the same thing when the car arrived at the mansion, and her response had been "I can see that, I''m not blind"


    But now, she had simply nodded to Muchen. What was so different about Mr Li that she couldn''t just discard him like everyone else?


    She turned to face him when he stopped the car. She was determined to put an end to all of this.


    "Mr Li.."


    Muchen also turned to face her, wondering what was up with her all of a sudden. No no.. He didn''t like this side of her at all.


    "You said you liked me?" It was more of a statement than a question but he nodded in affirmation.


    "You''re making a mistake" She said firmly.


    "I like making mistakes" He answered back.


    Sara closed her eyes when he finished. Inhaled deeply, and opened her eyes again. Why can''t he just understand?


    "Sara Wang, do you hate me? Do you want me to stay away from you?" He asked when he noticed she wasn''t saying anything else. "Is that why you always try to push me away?"


    Sara became more tensed. She didn''t hate him. She also didn''t want him to stay away from her. But if she admitted it, then it would be trouble for her. "I am worse than you think. I am a very bad person"


    "I told you I liked bad girls." He said without hesitation. "Sara Wang. You were the one who made a mistake by coming to me first. You''re really mistaken if you think I''ll let you go"


    "What... what... are you talking about?" What did he mean by she came to him first? She had gone to that hotel because of those idiots. So what was he saying?


    He led a hand to her face and felt her hot skin despite the cold weather. "I liked that hood, and the lollipop, and the way you made those men wail." His voice grew lower and lower while her face grew hotter and hotter. "I liked everything you did that day. You were like a fairy, a gangster fairy"


    He remembers! Sara''s eyes shot open. He remembered her from that time. Desire shone in his eyes as he inched closer and closer to her. It was at this point that Sara remembered he had said he was going to kiss her once she got home. She also remembered she told herself she was going to put him in his place. But now, she couldn''t do anything. She was just stiffly staring at him.


    Now, this was the Sara that Muchen liked the most. The confused Sara.


    When she thought he was finally going to kiss her, he stopped midway.


    ''What happened, is my hair smelling that bad? Why did he stop?''


    Sara Wang, you were supposed to put him in his place! She reminded herself.


    Muchen suddenly laughed. "Sara, look" He moved the hand from her face to point at his seatbelt. "She''s jealous"


    Sara noted that the seatbelt was pulling him back and almost laughed out.


    "What do we do? I''m so lazy I can''t take it off right now?" He scratched his forehead to feign confusion.


    Sara was beginning to wonder what he was implying before he signalled her with his index finger and spoke in a quiet voice "Come closer"


    Before Sara could protest and call him crazy for ordering her about, she found her body already moving towards him as if she was hypnotised.


    Muchen was surprised to see her actually inching closer. ''Sara Wang, you can''t run from me''


    With one final smile, their lips met. In a long wet kiss....


    He didn''t mind her inexperience and just took the lead instead.

 Chapter 141 - I cannot do that.

    In a hand was a glass of red wine, in another, was a magazine, and on her lips, a tiny smile lingered.


    "It seems the Liu''s are trying to dig up information about you" Her PA informed as soon as she got in.


    Changyu scoffed. She allowed her entire body to relax on the couch before speaking "Even birds now think they''re dragons. With the rate they''re crumbling, it''s normal for them to start trying to play silly games. Let''s see how far they get" She replied nonchalantly without lifting her head from the magazine. If anyone could easily dig up on her, then, she wouldn''t have gotten this far at all.


    "And about Miss Wang....." Changyu cut her off with the wave of a hand before she could finish. "Seems she can take care of herself perfectly."


    Nothing like Jin Helene. Changyu thought. "She has CEO Li''s backing?"


    "Yes, CEO Mo also" Her PA responded.


    Changyu smiled and spoke more to herself than her PA "A Mo and a Li. How interesting¡ª It is refreshing to see two guys fighting for a girl''s affection instead of the other way round." She took a sip from her wine glass before she continued "Hope you told them I changed my mind about selling the building? I suddenly have the urge to keep it for a very long time..."


    **


    Muchen couldn''t stop laughing even after Sara entered the apartment. It was just as he had expected. When she suddenly came back to her senses, she ran away without looking back.


    He could still feel her scent around him. Even his heart has refused to stop racing. He looked at himself in the rearview mirror to see how flushed his face was. A contented smile was also plastered on his face.


    Sara had kissed him. She had willingly kissed him. Even her inexperience had delighted him greatly. It only confirmed she hadn''t done it too much with another man


    This was a girl he was trying so hard to have like him, he could not believe Jinyong had her for two years and had even chosen Weiyoung over her. For some reason though, he was grateful for everything that had happened. How would he have met Sara if it hadn''t all happened? Maybe, he was going to send a gift over to Jinyong to thank him for not allowing Sara to make a wrong decision by sticking to him.


    Muchen was happy, too happy. What more did he need in his life? He had his complete family, his sister''s psychological health was improving greatly, he was wealthy, the company was going fine, and he had Sara by his side. He was really blessed.


    Well, that was what he thought until he received an unexpected phone call.


    **


    "You have been digging" Jianjun sounded annoyed when he spoke to Sara.


    "Dad, please. You are scaring Joreen" Sara said.


    "Joreen, I told you to go inside" He yelled at her.


    Joreen shivered lightly before she ran inside the room. Whatever it was, Joreen knew it was not going to be good. She had patiently waited for Sara to come home after she saw the video. Now that she was home, she was being sent to the room. How unfair!


    "I am so disappointed in you Sara. How could you go behind my back to question Mr Park?"


    "Dad please. I''ve had a long day. Can we talk about this tomorrow? Please..." Sara knew she was in trouble, but she was prepared for it this time.


    "What is wrong with you Sara? You''re not the Sara I raised. You are doing every wrong thing and what were you thinking kissing Mr Li outside?" He yelled at her.


    Sara was taken aback by his sudden outburst and the fact that he had seen them kissing outside.


    "Dad. I am not doing anything wrong" She shot back at him. Surprised that she wasn''t trying to shy away from the topic. "I am not a kid anymore. I need to know things but you keep hiding things from me. What were you expecting?"


    "It''s for you Sara. For you! It''s to protect you" He tried to convince her.


    "Protect? Wow! I don''t need protection. I am 25 years old. I''m an adult. I need to know everything about your life and mine. Why can''t you just tell me and save me the stress of asking around? I can perfectly protect myself if that''s what you''re worried about."


    "You think this is about knowing a few karate moves? You think that''s all?" He questioned impatiently.


    Sara almost laughed in unbelieve. What? A few karate moves? Jianjun Wang knew nothing. And it was better it remained that way.


    "When did all of these start? When?" Jianjun asked in unrestrained anger.


    Sara pursed her lips and said nothing. Nothing was going to stop her from snooping. Nothing. Even if it meant disobeying him for the first time.


    When he noticed she wasn''t saying anything, he let it slide for now. They''ll address that later. But there was an urgent one right now "And you need to stay away from Mr Li" He added. "It''ll cause you more harm than good. Sara, you have to understand that I am doing this for you" He finally spoke in a gentle tone.


    Sara struggled to say something but nothing came out. He was sure that whatever she was going to say next, wouldn''t be good.


    Then he heard her say faintly.


    "I am sorry. But...I...cannot do that" Sara rejected.

 Chapter 142 - Please

    Hoy didn''t move from his studio. He remained seated there and went through most of the comments online. Just as Sara had said, the 80% who supported her were suppressing the other twenty percent.


    He admired Sara. He liked this side of her. She was strong. Maybe, he just didn''t like seeing women weak. He knew trouble was coming for him soon. CEO Li was not going to let him be. He scoffed. Was CEO Li thinking he wanted to fight for Sara''s affection with him? He knew it was going to be a futile effort. Not only was she older than him, she was obviously in love with Muchen. He remembered her excited look when she saw him and the way she just stared solely at him while they were conversing. Only a stupid person would want to push on for a romantic affair even after seeing these signs.


    He scrolled further then, saw a lady''s comment that had thousands of likes. It read... "UNTIL WE ALL STAND AGAINST THESE PEOPLE, THEY WILL CONTINUE TO OPPRESS US. JUST LOOK AT ALL SHE HAS BEEN GOING THROUGH IN THEIR HANDS, YET, SHE REMAINED SILENT. THE VIDEO OF HER STANDING OUTSIDE WITH HER FAMILY, BROKE MY HEART COMPLETELY. HOW CAN PEOPLE BE THAT WICKED? WHEN I READ MOST COMMENTS HERE, I SAW A YOUNG MAN''S COMMENT WHO SAID HE HAD WITNESSED THE SCENE ON THE STREET WHEN MO JINYONG TRIED TO HIT MISS SARA BUT WAS RESCUED BY HIS UNCLE. SO, CAN ANYONE SAY THOSE VIDEOS WERE FABRICATED? HOW DOES IT CONCERN YOU HOW SHE GOT THE VIDEO, IF YOU WERE IN HER SHOES, WOULD YOU NOT GO TO HELL JUST TO BRING YOURSELF TO JUSTICE? I''M SURPRISED AT PEOPLE MOST TIMES. IF MISS SARA NEEDS A LAWYER, WELL, I''LL BURN THOSE BASTARDS DOWN"


    Hoy thought her name looked familiar. She was obviously a socialite. But he was sure she was the rebelling type.


    He then saw the comment the lawyer was referring to earlier. A guy had left a bitter comment claiming to have witnessed the scene with his girlfriend but hadn''t paid much attention to it and he poured his anger on Jinyong because his girlfriend had broken up with him that night when he told her he wouldn''t fight on the streets with another for her because he believed it was childish. He had a lot of sympathisers as well as people who mocked him.


    Hoy couldn''t help chuckling a bit. The people of the world were all fun. It was the first time he had actually sat down to go through people''s comment on things unrelated to business.


    He was beginning to wonder why he had been having a bad chill that evening but his answer didn''t come any later, because he received the same phone call Muchen had received.


    **


    "What?" Jianjun asked in shock.


    "Dad, look. We''re talking about something else. This has nothing to do with Mr Li and I" Sara tried diverting his attention to their previous conversation but it didn''t work.


    "No! This is more important. You know this is wrong. I don''t know why you are turning a blind eye to all of these. You are going to get yourself into trouble."


    "I won''t" She said disinterestedly.


    "SARA WANG!" He yelled at her. What was wrong with this girl?


    "I said I can''t stay away from Mr Li. I can''t do that!" She screamed back.


    "Sara! Come to your senses" He moved to where she was and shook her shoulders forcefully. He was used to always doing so whenever he tried to speak sense into her. As if that would make her think straight. "You should not waste your time when you know you wouldn''t end up together"


    "You allowed me waste my time with Mo Jinyong but you can''t let me do that with Mr Li?"


    He paused for a while before saying... "Mr Li is... Mr Li! Can''t you see it? His family is powerful. He is powerful! You can''t possibly compare him to the entire Mos"


    "I can''t see it. I can''t see anything." Sara was also surprised at the sudden tantrum she was throwing. She always used to be an obedient and rational girl. But now, she was no longer a little girl. Even her rationality wasn''t working anymore. "He likes me.." It was at this point that Sara noticed tears were flowing down her cheeks. She didn''t know when it started. "I believe he likes me. I know he likes me. When am I ever going to find someone else who likes me?"


    "Sara...." He called her in a gentle voice but she refused to listen and just cried on "Why can''t it be me? I allowed Weiyoung take Jinyong. Now, I also have to leave Mr Li for someone else? Why can''t it be me? I...I like him..." Jianjun looked at Sara to see she was completely broken down. "I like him so much. You think I didn''t try to stop or run away? I like being around him. I cannot help it" She shook her head sadly. "I don''t want to stay away" She knelt down in front of him and held the hem of his plain trousers "Dad please.. I....am scared.. I am very scared also" She sniffed and choked back tears "I don''t know what might happen in the future, I don''t also know what Mr Li might find out about me. But for now, just turn a blind eye. Even if this is going to be a mistake, just let me make the mistake. You told me everyone is bound to make mistakes right? Please.. let me make this one. I... I can handle the consequence. I will bear it no matter....." She couldn''t continue talking because she couldn''t continue suppressing her tears. She used a hand to cover her mouth to suppress her sobs while the other hand was still holding the hem of Hus trousers tightly.


    "Sara¨C"


    "D...ad ple..ase!" She raised her voice. She didn''t want to hear anymore discouraging words from him. "I am not hoping for much from him. I just¨C"


    Jianjun moved away from her. "He tried his best to not look at his daughter''s face and tried to stop himself from crying also. " You have to understand that I also like Mr Li. But his family won''t allow you. You should know that by now. I am trying to save you the heartache. You are 25 and should be thinking of getting married. Not dating for the fun of it"


    Sara didn''t stand up. She remained where she was kneeling. She could feel her head aching from the day''s stress and her current state. She lifted her teary eyes to see the bedroom''s door was slightly ajar with Joreen peeking. Sara could clearly see Joreen was also in tears as she watched the entire scene unfold. "I''m sure you''re doing all of these because you must have heard or experience something like this before, but, I am not you. I know I can never end up with someone like Mr Li. I can''t even dream of that. But, let me be worried about his family alone. If you choose to keep opposing me like this, I swear..... I''ll shave my hair and remain single for the rest of my life" She said with resolve and determination.

 Chapter 143 - Sealed fate

    Sara sighed deeply as she plumped on the bed. No matter how she thought about it, she didn''t regret everything she had said to her father. She was going to have a lot of people who would tell her to stay away from Mr Li, her father shouldn''t be one of them.


    She didn''t know when it happened. Or when she had unconsciously began to like Muchen. She tried thinking back but couldn''t recall the exact moment it happened. She was going to get into trouble. She knew that. But the mistake had already been made. From the day she accepted the job as Heya''s coach, her fate had been sealed with Muchen''s. She was obviously going to have the heartache. So why not just enjoy her time while it lasts? He dared accuse her? It was his fault! She had been perfectly living her life until he cunningly brought her to work for him and seduced her. So how was it her fault?


    "Big Sis.. Are you okay?" Joreen sat up from the bed and held her hands to comfort her.


    Sara only nodded and gave her a weak smile. Her face and eyes were still red, her eyes were swollen also, even her head ached.


    "Jo, I''m fine. You''re going to have a busy day in school tomorrow. It''s very late. You should sleep"


    Sara was taken aback when Joreen started to cry again. "What is wrong Jo? Are you sick somewhere?" Sara fussed.


    "What...what if.. Mr Li''s mother offers you a cheque to leave Mr Li and end up throwing water on you when you refuse¡ª What are we going to do? " Her cry became even louder. Sara was beginning to fear that Jianjun, who had decided to sleep on the sitting room, was going to hear her. Sara wanted to laugh but Joreen was being really serious. See why children shouldn''t watch kdramas too much "Jo, it''s okay. It only happens in dramas. Everyt¡ª" A call notification interrupted her so she reached for her phone. She wondered who was calling her by this time of the night. These days, she was beginning to have too many people call her unexpectedly.


    When she saw the call was from Muchen, her heart skipped. She quickly took the phone, asked Joreen to stop crying and ran to the bathroom outside the room.


    "Hello Mr Li" She managed to say after organising herself.


    Muchen said nothing for a while which caused Sara to check whether the call was still ongoing "What''s wrong with your voice?" He finally asked. "Did you cry?"


    Sara panicked. How come he noticed?


    "My voice is fine. I was choking on something before you called so it''s not settled yet"


    "Call me back when it''s settled. You shouldn''t be talking now when you''re not okay"


    "NO!" Her sudden rejection startled them both. "I... am fine now" She said.


    "Sara Wang..." He called gently.


    "Yes Mr Li.." She wondered what he was about to say again. In one night, he had completely confused her. She still didn''t understand what happened in the car. Did he bewitch her? She had been prepared to not let him kiss her. But not only did it happen, she had even fully encouraged it!


    "You were supposed to call and ask whether I got home safely. I''m hurt" He said, sounding hurt.


    "Ooh..." Sara tried to suppress a laugh "I''m sure you always get home safely"


    "Says who?" He asked.


    "I just know so." She replied.


    He laughed lightly and was quiet for about twenty seconds before he said "Did Mr Wang get angry because of the video?"


    Sara paused for a bit before she admitted "We really didn''t talk much about that. But I had a little verbal fight with him. I feel like I am a bad daughter" She pouted.


    "Of course, you are a bad daughter. How can you quarrel with your nice father?" She heard him chuckle.


    "You are supposed to take my side" She shot back angrily. The other time, he had even said Jianjun was smarter than her.


    "Fathers always want what''s best for their children. Don''t you think so?" He asked.


    Sara smiled slyly "He asked me to stay away from Mr Li"


    "Then you should stay¡ª Wait, Me?" The surprise in his voice was evident.


    Sara affirmed it.


    "Forget about what I said earlier... your father is so wrong this time"


    Sara couldn''t help laughing out.


    "I can guess why though" Muchen spoke again "I don''t want you to be a bad daughter to your father so, you should obey him and stay away from me"


    Sara tensed. What was he talking about right now.


    "But I won''t stay away from you." He added. "That settles it then"


    Sara grinned. She just couldn''t control it. Where did Mr Li come from?


    "This place is suddenly so boring..... I miss you" He said gently.


    Sara''s stomach knotted. She had to sit on toilet seat to keep her wobbling legs from giving her away. A smile lingered on her face. "Have you had dinner yet?" She asked.


    "Se?orita, don''t try to run now. I''m saying I miss you" He repeated."If you tell me you miss me too, I''ll come over right now" He assured.


    Sara cleared her throat awkwardly. She was about to say she missed him too but when she opened her mouth, the words that came out were.. "Thank you Mr Li"


    Now, that was awkward. Why did she still find it difficult saying something reasonable and sensible to him?


    She heard Muchen laugh and what sounded like he was readjusting his sitting position.


    "About tonight ¡ª"


    "Mr Li.." He could hear the embarrassment in her voice. "I... the thing is...."


    "It was really nice" She heard him speak before she could say anything else.


    Why did he have to talk about that all of a sudden? Was it necessary? She used her free hand to cover her face in embarrassment.


    "You don''t have to be embarrassed. You should get used to it since we''re going to be doing that often" He said with obvious delight in his tone.


    Sara could never get used to his insolence. Did he think she would agree to whatever he said?


    Or maybe she would.


    "Tomorrow''s Joreen''s prize giving right?" He suddenly asked.


    "Oh.. yes. How did you know about it?"


    "She told me me about it and I promised her a gift for every prize she wins"


    Sara chuckled. "Yes, she told me about that. Be prepared, you''re going to be giving her a lot of gifts"


    "I believe so too" He laughed. "You should take tomorrow off then"


    "Off? Why?"


    "Let''s keep working with Saturdays. I''ll be free this Saturday so I''ll be working out with you two"


    Sara smiled when she heard that part. So did Muchen. The first time they had worked out together, she had called him crazy. She couldn''t wait to feast her eyes on his abs again.


    "I feel like I''ve been neglecting my duties too much. I actually planned on finishing up with Heya in the morning so I''ll meet Joreen in school later"


    "Heya won''t be around in the morning" He responded.


    "Why? Is she going somewhere?"


    "Actually, we all are... My grandmother is in town"

 Chapter 144 - Trouble!

    The next morning, Sara tried not to think back to whatever transpired between her and Jianjun. She really did feel bad but there was nothing she could do about it. Breakfast was quiet. Even Joreen who always talked about her prize giving wasn''t saying anything now that it was the D-Day. Sara and Jianjun said nothing either. Bilike still hadn''t returned from the hospital. They only hoped he was not doing any other funny thing outside staying with Mr Chu. They were sure going to pay Mr Chu a visit to find out. Luckily for him, he was going to be discharged the next day.


    "I''ve lost my appetite" Joreen said before getting up. She didn''t wait for anyone to say anything else. She just took the plates to the kitchen and went to their bedroom to organise her remaining items and costumes for school.


    "Do you hate me now?" Sara asked sadly. She didn''t like that everyone was sad and she was the cause of it all.


    Jianjun put his chopstick down and massaged his temples with both hands. "Did you really mean it? Shaving your hair and remaining single for the rest of your life?" He asked.


    Sara nodded gently. She was really going to do it.


    "Why? They are a lot of men out there that will love you"


    She shook her head and added childishly "I am not interested in any of them"


    He sighed deeply then got up and took his unfinished meal to the kitchen also. Sara just pouted after him. She had also lost her appetite.


    ***


    They all stood up as Madam Li joined them on the long dining table. Every member of the Li family were present there. It took them by surprise that she had suddenly come to City B without letting anyone know beforehand. It only meant one thing, there was trouble.


    The mansion was big. Very big. It had been the Li family''s home when Li Han and Li Fazhan were still kids. But after they both got married, Madam Li had gifted them with their own separate mansions still inside thesame estate. After which, she left the place since it was too lonely and boring for her. Her husband had died many years back and her children were both building their homes. What next for her?


    Feeling nostalgic, she moved to City Z where she had been raised. Notwithstanding, her mansion was still taken care of on a daily basis. If there was one thing the 71 years old woman hated, it was dirt!


    Madam Li had a domineering aura all around her. There was no hope of a smile appearing on her face. She was not too tall. Her grey hair was tied in a neat bun while her blue long gown perfectly went with her silver and blue house slipper.


    She sat down on the head seat and signalled for them to sit after they greeted her.


    Both daughters-in-law threw caring questions at her concerning her health but it was as if she heard nothing and simply went straight to the point.


    "You all have been disappointing me" She said in a calm but angry tone.


    Heya shivered when Madam Li looked at her first. "Dana, does your daughter look fit for marriage?" Madam Li asked in irritation.


    Heya put her head down in fright and shame. Did she have to start with her every time?


    "Mo...ther... She... I.. " Dana stuttered. Thankfully, she was cut off by Madam Li again. "You should be preparing her for marriage. But look how she is." Madam Li spread both hands open "So can we say you have been playing your motherly role well?"


    "Mother" Li Fazhan cut in. But she also waved him off with a hand. "You let your only daughter move in with her brother." She swung her head freely from side to side "And not only that, they gave her a rascal as a coach" She scoffed. "Is this family a joke?" This time, she looked at Li Muchen whose eyes were glazed. Hoy also had the same expression. Minde wasn''t hoping on saying anything today at all.


    "She is not a rascal. She is Heya''s coach and she has been doing well" Muchen spoke up.


    Madam Li raised a hand so the elderly maid who had been following her placed a document on it.


    When she took it, she threw it at Muchen. "Even I, couldn''t dig up some things about her. Do you think she is a normal girl?"


    When Muchen opened the first page to see it was truly a document on Sara, his fist tightened around it before he closed the document and gently placed it on the table.


    "I employed her. You cannot dig on my employees without my permission" He tried to sound normal. But the anger in his tone was evident.


    "Li Muchen!" His parents called simultaneously.


    Minde who had been sitting beside him had to pinch his thigh under the table to let him know it was enough.


    "You see how your son talks to me now?" She shook her head and looked at both Dana and Fazhan. "He said I needs permission. He said I, Li Sun needs permission." She mock-laughed. "Do you think so?" She looked at Li Han, who said nothing, then, at their eldest son Minde


    Minde literally almost hid under the table when their eyes met. "You!"


    Minde''s hands found Muchen''s under the table and held it tightly for support "Scoundrel" she muttered.


    Her eyes also landed on Hoy. For the first time, she smiled. "You have been doing a good job as a director. If your cousin keeps messing up..." She paused to look at Muchen. "It won''t take time before you to become the CEO" She said with a sly smile.


    The atmosphere in the room became tensed.


    Hoy looked at Muchen to see his face was completely expressionless. "Thank you grandmother. But I do not deserve it. CEO Li is doing a very good job" He gave her a warm smile in return.


    "Oh dear.." She said excitedly. But everyone was more concerned about the words she was going to say next. And it did come..


    "It''s so lovely that you take your cousin''s side¡ªEven though you both fancy the same girl"

 Chapter 145 - It was your fault

    The bus ride to Joreen''s school was even quieter. The little talks made by any of them to make it less awkward was futile. This was Joreen''s graduation and so, they had to make her happy at the very least.


    "Jo, you have to smile. You can''t look like this today" Sara nudged.


    Joreen faked a smile at her before she turned to fiddle with her schoolbag again.


    Sara sighed. This was all her fault. Everything was. But what was she supposed to do?


    When they got to her school, the first person they saw was Miss Kang.


    In her usual cheerful tone, she welcomed them. "I am really glad to see you here"


    She said to them all but it was obvious she was referring to Jianjun who looked totally inattentive.


    "Glad to see you too Miss Wang. You look stunning by the way" Sara complimented


    "Oh dear" She playfully hit Sara''s arm. She snuck a glance at Jianjun but he seemed to be lost in thought. Poor her.


    "Hello little pie" She crouched down to meet Joreen''s height and pinched her cheeks lightly. "Why the sullen look? Aren''t you happy?" She asked.


    "I am okay. Thank you" Joreen replied casually.


    Miss Kang took note of the cold air around them. She was about to ask questions before she heard a feminine voice behind her "My favourites" The person called.


    They were all surprised to see her. Joreen looked even stupefied, when she registered the person was real, she dashed towards her and wrapped her arms around her in an embrace. "Mum!" Only a few seconds before tears began to stream down her face.


    Cixi Wang smiled and bent down to hug her fully. "I missed you darling"


    "I missed you. Why didn''t you tell me you were coming?" Joreen said between tears.


    Sara had a big smile on her face. It was really a pleasant surprise seeing Aunt Cixi around. Jianjun was pleased also.


    "Aunt!" Sara also joined the embrace. "Why didn''t you call us? Do you know how worried we were?"


    When they broke free from the hug, she looked at Jianjun who was smiling at all of them. "Hello brother" She said in a perfect English accent. She also greeted Miss Kang who gave her a warm smile in return.


    "Alright Jo, stop crying. Mummy is here. How could I ever miss my baby''s graduation?"


    **


    "How have you been?" Jianjun asked her after they took their seats in the hall. Cixi sat in the middle while they both sat down beside her. Joreen had gone to join her classmates.


    "Long story I''m sorry for worrying you all. The last one month was a disaster. I tell you" She turned to look at Sara.


    "You look prettier than the last time. I can see Jinyong is treating you well."


    Sara literally laughed out. Where has this woman been?


    *****


    ***


    "Is....is that true?" Hoy''s mother was the first to ask in unbelieve.


    "Nothing is going on between Sara and I. She is just a friend." He said in his usual aloof tone.


    "Ah!" Li Sun scoffed. "Did I mention any name?" She threw the question at them all.


    Everyone of them was surprised at this revelation. When did Hoy and Sara become friends? Heya asked herself.


    "Sara..? You mean.., Heya''s coach?" Dana asked. Fazhan was also taken aback. What was actually going on?


    Muchen ignored. His grandmother was obviously back with her trouble.


    "It''s not true right?" Hoy''s mother asked in shock. "You like the same woman your cousin likes? And she is Heya''s coach?" This time, she looked at Muchen. Hoy''s father, Li Han said nothing and just watched all of them.


    Hoy knew he had fallen into the trap his grandmother had set. She was right. She didn''t mention any name. "Sara is my friend and Heya''s coach. That''s all" He said plainly.


    Sun smirked. "I didn''t come here to bother about your private lives¡ª" Everyone rolled their eyes to that (including me).. "I''m here to set some things right and put things in order before I travel back." She looked at Heya''s direction and declared "You''ll move back into your parent''s house"


    Heya shook her head and looked back and forth between her parents, and then, at Muchen. She didn''t want to go back. Never!


    She was about to decline when she heard Muchen''s voice. "Heya is with me."


    Sun tried as much as possible to not blow up at him. "Heya is a woman and she needs to stay with her parents"


    "I....I am...an adult... and... I am fit..to decide where I want to stay" Heya stammered before Muchen could say anything else. She didn''t want him to continue being on their grandmother''s bad side. Else, it might be bad for him.


    "Oh my dear" Sun said with a smile. "You deserve to stay with your parents. You''ll also like your new coach. I assure you that"


    Muchen laughed when he heard the last part. New coach? Even Heya''s eyes bulged out.


    Hoy and Minde stayed out of it. They knew it was not their business. In as much as Minde didn''t like Sara too much. He still felt his grandmother was crossing the line.


    "Mother" Muchen looked at Dana. "You gave Sara your word. You promised you would let her remain as Heya''s coach if she could prove herself. She did that already. Do you think it makes sense for her to be fired now?"


    Dana said nothing and only adjusted uncomfortably as she looked at Sun.


    "Your mother gave her her word. Not me! Did she ever prove herself to me?"


    "She is done doing so!" He blew up. "She can''t keep proving herself to all of you just because she works for me. I won''t let you all subject her to that point."


    Sun closed her eyes, inhaled deeply and opened it again. "She wouldn''t have to be proving herself if you hadn''t fallen for her." She pointed a hand at him and spoke in the gentlest tone as possible. "It was your fault Li Muchen"

 Chapter 146 - Messed with the wrong family

    Dana and Fazhan still couldn''t stomach the fact that their only son was in love with their daughter''s coach and worse of all, it was the same Sara who was recently in a scandal. But they knew it wasn''t time to talk. No one dared speak when Li Sun spoke. It was why they feared for their son''s future since he had been countering her.


    They only hoped Muchen would deny the allegation. Why would someone like him fall for someone like Sara? It if was a fling, they wouldn''t be so concerned, even though he wasn''t supposed to have a fling with someone like her either. They patiently waited for him to deny it. But to their surprise and shock, they heard him say


    "Yes. It was my fault. I did fall for her even against her wish. So leave Sara out of this." He spoke in anger and determination.


    "Sure" Sun said instantly. Not minding the surprised look on all their faces. Heya, Hoy and Minde had a clue about it but were still surprised he had actually opened up in front of their grandmother. His parents on the other hand, almost literally died of a heart attack when he admitted it.


    "She can stay. Heya can stay also." Sun smiled. "Settled now?"


    They all knew something else was coming and impatiently waited for it.


    "I told you all I came to fix things. I came to fix You, you, you, you" She pointed at the younger generation seated around the table. She started with Minde.


    "Minde, you''ll have to start working in the company from now on. And you''ll start from the bottom and gradually find your way to the top. If you have any objection, then I''ll make sure you get enlisted in the army¡ª So, any objection?"


    Minde shook his head. He didn''t want that. What? Wearing ties and suits for five days a week and spending hours in the office instead of partying or car racing?


    He looked at Muchen for support. But Muchen gave him the "You just have to obey" look.


    Minde still tried to say something. He was a man after all. "Grand...grandmother.. I.. I know.. I''m not supposed to...say anythin¡ª"


    "Then shut up" Sun cut Minde off abruptly. Then she looked at Hoy''s direction.


    "Hoy is going to be engaged with the Song family''s granddaughter Yang Aishu. You have a date with her this Sunday" She declared.


    Hoy said nothing and only stared expressionlessly at her. They were all used to this woman dictating their lives so it wasn''t something new or unexpected.


    When she noticed Hoy wasn''t saying anything or planning to say something, she looked towards Heya again.


    "Heya my darling. I see you''ve been having fun with the Jin boy. He is not good for you. I''ll find you a suitable groom soon. So hurry up with cutting down weight."


    Heya''s fists tightened underneath the table but she kept a straight face. She looked at her parents to see whether they were making any effort to object, but they both remained quiet. Same with Minde''s parents.


    A groom for her? Impossible! She was going to school immediately she was done with her weight-losing journey.


    "And.. I don''t want to make a big deal about the commotion you caused singing in public. We''ll have a private talk about all of that" Sun assured.


    .


    Heya''s muscles tightened. She was fed up with this family. Totally fed up! She just didn''t want to cause any trouble right now. Else, they may likely blame it on Sara''s bad influence or ask her to leave Muchen''s place.


    She looked at Muchen to see he was giving her a reassuring look. She trusted him. She knew that no matter what, he would be able to defend them properly.


    When they thought she had gone too far already, she looked towards Muchen.


    "And to our dear CEO Li Muchen...." She paused for a while to make sure his eyes met hers. "I''ll grant your wish of keeping the Sara girl as Heya''s coach" She gave a signal to her maid who moved over to where Muchen was sitting and placed a large envelope in front of him.


    "Your blind date is in two days also. You don''t want to miss it. It''s time you get married" She said with a radiating smile on.


    ***


    No one had anticipated it. Sara looked at Joreen''s direction to see her head was down. Probably suppressing her tears. Sara clenched her fists, even her eyes turned red. She was about to get up when she felt Cixi''s hand on her arm.


    Cixi had the same expression as Sara but she looked a bit calm. On her face, the pain and anger was obvious. Someone had messed with their family.


    Joreen had not even made the top three in all awards for her grade. Which was impossible. Totally impossible!


    The award ceremony was still on but their mind was no longer there. Sara ignored her aunt and the eyes looking at her.


    With her angry strides, it didn''t take long before she got to where Joreen was seated. It was quite challenging since she had to go through a few seats in the second row before getting to Joreen.


    Joreen''s graduation hat helped cover most of her face so she didn''t see Sara coming towards her.


    "Jo.." Sara tapped her shoulder gently and tried to crouched in front of her but the chair behind her couldn''t let her so she only succeeded in bending a little.


    When Joreen saw Sara, It was as if a needle suddenly pierced a full-blown balloon. The tears came crashing "I....I don''t... know...what happened.. I.." Joreen wrapped her tiny arms around Sara''s neck as she continued sobbing quietly. "I sw...ear...I did...I.. did...my best sis"


    When Cixi saw her little girl''s tears and action from where she was sitting, she closed her eyes in pain and tried to steady her breath. It was the very reason why she hadn''t want to go there and also why she didn''t want Sara to go there. She knew the instant they got to her, she could breakdown. She didn''t want those losers seeing her baby''s tears.


    Jianjun covered her hand with his to let her calm down.


    She slowly opened her eyes and said in a whisper "I''ll kill the bastard who messed with my baby"


    Jianjun saw her angry eyes. It was this exact trait that Sara inherited from her. Both of them were very similar when angry. "Cixi..."


    She didn''t wait for him to finish before she stood up and marched to where Joreen and Sara was. "Jo, let''s leave here" She said before extending a hand to her.


    Joreen stood up and took her mother''s hand.


    Sara''s eyes dimmed when she looked at the school principal who was busy taking photos with the awardees, a bright smile on his face. ''You''ve messed with the wrong family''

 Chapter 147 - I love her

    "I should go on a blind date?" Muchen asked in shock. Yes, it was shock! Do stuff like this still happen? Li Sun suddenly shows up and prepares a bride for him? Hilarious!


    "Of course" Sun affirmed. "She is a nice girl from a reputable family. She is a lawyer also. I''m sure you are going to like her" She assured.


    Muchen sighed. Was this really happening? "I do not understand. Why are you giving me a bride?"


    His sudden question shocked them all.


    Sun tried to suppress her anger as she spoke in a light tone. "You are no longer getting young. And it is normal for you to get married now. Which is why, I have painstakingly chosen a bride for you. You are welcome" She smiled.


    Everyone held their breaths. They didn''t like fights like this. Li Sun was not one to mess with so why was Muchen being disrespectful all of a sudden? He could have just easily pretended to agree for now.


    Minde tapped his thigh gently, signalling him to keep quiet. But Muchen was done with all of this.


    "I am honoured you care about my welfare, Grandmother. And I am glad you mentioned the fact that I am no longer getting young. It means I am old enough. Which also means I can obviously make decisions for myself and can choose whoever I want."


    "Sara Wang?" Sun asked in mock. "Is she the one you are going to choose?"


    "If she agrees" He answered instantly.


    "Li Muchen!" His father was the first to call him to order.


    Sun massaged her forehead gently. "You are being so stubborn son. Just go on the blind date and I will pretend like all of these never happened."


    "Alright. I will go on this date on one condition" He said.


    Everyone sat up. Did he really mean it? Was he really succumbing to Li Sun? They were also more interested in the ''condition'' attached to it.


    "What is it?" Sun asked skeptically.


    "I have to like her" He said. He tried his best not to laugh since he was having fun playing with them all.


    "Of course. I selected the girl I am sure you are going to like" Sun said excitedly.


    Muchen turned all serious "I am really picky. But whoever she is, she has to be really pretty, she must like cars, wear sneakers and tee-shirts¡ª" He tried not to smile when he thought of Sara. "And, I do not like lawyers... She has to be a fitness coach" He concluded.


    "Li Muchen! That girl has bewitched you!" His mother yelled at him first. She didn''t mind whether Sun was there. He was still her son after all.


    "Her name is Sara" He corrected his Mother. "And...She should have bewitched me earlier" He said nonchalantly.


    "Li Muchen!!" She screamed loudly at him again but his father was able to hold her back.


    The others at the table had been pretending to be invisible except Hoy who was trying to suppress a laugh. They had planned to not get involved but it seems it was not going to work. They feared things might get worse if they continued this way.


    "Aunt..Uncle.." Minde stammered as he addressed Muchen''s parents. He tried not to look at Sun''s direction as he spoke. "Sara is not as bad as you think. You might like her if you get to know her." He stressed the word ''might'' because of course, Sara still scared the hell out of him.


    Heya nodded in agreement. "She is a really nice person, I do not see why you should hate someone you do not even know" They were all surprised to hear Heya speak. She didn''t even know where the boldness came from.


    "No one hates her! We are only saying she does not fit Muchen" Sun added in anger.


    "You can even decide who fits me now?" Muchen asked. His anger matching hers.


    Sun stood up abruptly. "You will all obey my orders" Without waiting for any objection, she slowly left the room with her maid behind her.


    Muchen was the first to get up and angrily leave the place. Obey her orders? What a joke!


    *


    "You are not planning to disobey her are you?" He heard his Father''s voice when he was about entering his car.


    Muchen stood straight and gave his father his full attention. "I do not intend to obey her on this" He said straightforwardly


    "She is your grandmother." Fazhan reminded.


    "And I am me!" Muchen tried his best to contain his anger. Did he look like a puppet to all of them? "I know you and mother are bothered because you think disobeying grandmother would cost me the company. Just like she did to uncle." He paused. "But, I am not Uncle! She must have struggled to build Li corporation when grandfather died but I brought it to this point. We did! She cannot threaten me with what belongs to me" He said angrily.


    Fazhan sighed deeply before he spoke again "You know you cannot afford to get on her bad side" he paused a little before adding again "You really like the girl?" He was obviously still in doubt.


    Fazhan had always been a gentleman. He was very simple also. Even his tone, despite all that had happened, was still cool.


    Muchen softened when Sara was mentioned.


    "I love her." He admitted.


    "She is crazy and likes to do weird things but I love her no matter what." He took a deep breath, trying to steady his emotion. "I know you love mother, so you should understand what I mean." After making sure the word sank in, he added "If anyone tries to hurt Sara or her people because of me, I am not sure what I am going to do."


    It was obviously a threat!


    ***

 Chapter 148 - Give me a name

    The sound of another equipment getting destroyed left the principal cowering in fear. "I...already told you... " He stammered in fear as he tried to fit himself under his home''s office desk.


    Sara stood on the other side of the desk, wondering whether they were playing a hide and seek game. "You think I am joking?" Sara asked in a gentle but angry voice as she placed a hand on an expensive looking vase that had been carefully placed on the large shelf beside his work desk.


    His office was well furnished. Even his furnishing taste was exquisite. Most of the antiques and items which Sara believed to be irrelevant, were obviously expensive that she began to wonder how much he earned to be able to afford all of these or rather, how much money he had embezzled to furnish even his entire apartment so tastefully. "pl....ease not that!" he pleaded when he saw her hands on his precious vase. But it was too late. Sara carelessly let the vase fall from the top of the shelf. The sound of the broken vase resounded all over the room¡ªsame with his broken heart.


    "I told you. I just want to know what happened with Wang Joreen''s grades. It wasn''t enough that you messed with her awards. Her exam grades were also despicable." She swallowed hard before warning "You should hurry up and say something before your family gets here. Things might get uglier"


    "I really don''t know what you are talking about." He firmly denied.


    She looked carefully at him. He was probably her Father''s age mate or a few years younger than her Father. It was the very reason why she had not taken drastic measures. But he on the other hand, was not making things easy for her. He was really pissing the hell out of her.


    "Stop stalling. If you think the security would get a whiff of a break-in, then you are mistaking. Because today, it''s me and you!" Sara looked at the wall clock and spoke "In about 5 minutes when your wife and son gets inside the elevator, they are going to be stuck in there. Oh.. and I learnt your nine years old boy is claustrophobic. Poor him!" Sara said in mock pity.


    She trusted Aunt Cixi to handle it. Cixi was always known to be badass. It was still a surprise to them that she was still a legitimate doctor.


    Maybe he thought the petite girl in front of him who was wearing a simple shirt and trousers was only bluffing. He had thought so the moment he entered his apartment and saw her sitting on his desk with a club in her hand and a lollipop in her mouth. He knew he would have certainly charged at her if not for the club she held on her hand. The same golf club he had kept in his office was what she had used to turn his office into a mess. Even now, after she dropped the club, he realised he could not still do anything. Whether she was bluffing right now or not, he could not risk it. If she had been able to get into his well secured apartment, talk less about stopping an elevator.


    His son... He knelt before her and began to cry. "It''s really not me... I was asked to do it... I swear... it''s really not me.. please believe me"


    When she first asked him, he had tried to put the entire blame on Joreen''s homeroom teacher. She was not stupid. She would not have come here straight without meeting with Joreen''s homeroom teacher first. After having a ''little chat'' with him, he had informed her that the principal was responsible for it. He had been put in a tight corner and had no other choice than to do it.


    "Give me a name" Sara ordered.


    But he was still reluctant to do so.


    "They hold something against you." She figured. "See why it''s not good to do bad things... It always comes biting in the future."


    ''Hypocrite!'' She cussed herself. ''Who are you to judge him when you are not even perfect?''


    She pushed the thought out of her head to focus on what she had came here for.


    Sara took note of the worried look in his eyes whenever he looked at his laptop. She smirked.


    "I was going through your system before you came. And I saw some interesting things inside. Maybe you were blackmailed with it. Who knows?" She said as she took gentle steps to the other end of the desk where the laptop was stationed.


    He suddenly became all jittery. How did she open his system? No no no.


    "I will tell you. I will tell you everything" He said eagerly. "It was really not me"


    "You have said that a thousand times already!" She yelled angrily at him. She only hoped he didn''t say ''I swear, it''s really not me'' again.


    But then, it came "I swea...." Before he could finish, Sara angrily picked a book from his desk and threw it at him.


    She sighed deeply. What kind of person is this? Was he programmed to repeat a particular sentence or was he just trying to piss her off?


    The moment she lifted the laptop from the table, he blurted out. "It was an E-mail! Please... not my system. I don''t know the person. They asked me to do it through an e-mail. I couldn''t trace him or her ..."


    Sara''s eyes darkened.


    "Go on!" She commanded without any intention of dropping the laptop.


    "They.. they asked me to do it. They said I had to do it.. un...unless..."


    "Speak up" She urged. Her eyes, totally dark.


    "My...my dealings.. those things you''ve... you''ve seen." He pointed at the system. "They promised to expose it if I do not do it"


    Sara was suddenly interested in whatever was inside the laptop. She had tried opening it but could not unlock it. She had only guessed that with the way he had been behaving, something big must have been inside the system. And he actually took the bait when she laid it.


    She was not really interested in it because she was the ''Give the world Justice blah blah'' type. She was only interested because whatever it was, they had used it to get to Joreen and she was never going to let them be.


    He saw her typing on her phone and impatiently wondered what she was up to.


    When she was done, she looked at him and said "You''ve been so focused on your system and totally forgot about your family." She shook her head. "How pitiful."


    He suddenly remembered them and asked. "How are they?"


    "Do not worry. They were only delayed in the elevator. They should be arriving here soon" She carefully placed the laptop back on the desk and turned to leave. He couldn''t help heaving a sigh of relief. Finally, he was done with this devil.


    Sara turned back to look at him and grinned wickedly before she took it up again.


    "What... what are you trying to do?" He asked when he saw her opening her backpack that she had dropped on the ground earlier.


    She carefully placed the laptop inside, carried the backpack and moved towards the window. They both heard the ''ding'' from the front door, alerting them that someone just entered the apartment. Probably his wife and son.


    She smiled mischievously "It''s what you get for messing with a Wang"


    Then, she took the window out.

 Chapter 149 - You have his permission

    Cixi was obviously not happy. Especially since they were not able to get a hold of the person who was responsible. "I''ll fix it" She said when Sara handed her the laptop. Whatever was inside and whoever had done this to her girl, she was going to punish them in the way they deserved.


    "Aunt. Don''t worry too much. If our mood is sullen, It won''t make Joreen any better" Sara advised.


    Ever since they got into the taxi, they had both been quiet. Both had a lot on their minds.


    Sara felt that this likely had something to do with Jinyong and Weiyoung but she couldn''t go check with them today. It was already past six in the evening and she was tired and famished.


    But Cixi could not help it. Only a month she hadn''t heard from them, not only their apartment, they had also lost the restaurant. Sara had been dragged online and her daughter didn''t make her grades. For now, she had to look for a way to open the laptop, check the e-mail and trace the IP to whoever was behind the message.


    "I feel this whole thing is my fault. I am really sorry Aunt" Sara said sadly.


    Seeing Sara blaming herself, Cixi finally snapped out of it


    "It is not your fault dear. I am sorry, I just had a lot on my mind. It must have been hard for you" She said as she smoothened Sara''s hair lovingly.


    "I am fine." Sara gave her a tiny smile. "You are going to sleep over right?"


    "I should right? But it''s going to be uncomfortable since Mr Chu is coming home tomorrow also. I can use a hotel till we move into the new place next week" Cixi said.


    "Joreen misses you a lot. We all do. You should spend this night with us at least. Dad can use the couch while I lie on the floor so you and Joreen can have the bed to yourselves"


    "That girl still sleeps rough huh?" She asked wrinkling her nose.


    Sara laughed. "She sure do"


    "But lying on the floor is not good for¡ª"


    Sara cut her off. "Don''t go all doctor mode on me now" Sara playfully warned.


    Cixi forced out a laugh before her mood turned sullen again. "Life here is hard¡ª life everywhere is hard" She corrected.


    "How did you live this past month?" Sara suddenly became curious.


    "I was in Country V" She answered as their taxi made a turn.


    Sara''s eyes met with the driver''s through the rearview mirror. She noticed he had been staring at her ever since she got in. He was likely in his forties so she could not assume he had a thing for her. It was obviously because he had also recognised her.


    Even in Joreen''s school earlier, a few people had walked up to ask if she was really the ''Sara Wang'' they had seen on the news. They had also advised her to remain strong and blah blah blah. She hated the attention she was receiving.


    She ignored the driver''s look and continued with Cixi. "Country V? What''s with it?"


    Cixi had an amused smile on. "You are the last person I believe would care about anything that is going on in this world"


    Sara let out a laugh. "I actually do care sometimes though."


    Cixi turned serious and spoke gently.


    "A terrorist group took over a town in country V. It wasn''t funny at all. Men, woman, children were all killed. And a lot were injured."


    Sara furrowed her brows. "Country V is a developed country right? Didn''t the government do anything about it?"


    "They are trying I guess. But terrorists have a lot of leverage. These days, we can even say they are more powerful than the government." Cixi took a mental trip and reminisced all that had happened. "There was no way we could get in. We managed to find a small village close to the town and created a little hideout to save the escapees. Over there, no signal or anything. It was a really big challenge getting food even"


    "Poor them. Are they safe now or still at the village?"


    "The government took over from us and provided them with asylum."


    "It is really sad. See why everyone who is safe should always be thankful for their lives. I cannot imagine losing my family to war."


    "Yes, it''s really heartbreaking." Cixi inhaled deeply.


    "How long are you going to be staying for?" Sara asked.


    "Probably a month or thereabout."


    Sara''s eyes brightened. "Really? That''s good news"


    Cixi smiled back at her. "Did you missme that much?


    "Of course I do."


    ''And I have a lot of questions for you'' Sara thought. She was going to make use of Cixi''s presense to the fullest.


    **


    That evening, things were a bit settled. Jianjun had done his best to prepare one of Joreen''s best meal to celebrate her graduation regardless. It was a Filipino noodle; Pancit Palabok.


    Bilike was home. Cixi''s mood was better also. The only person who had a frown on, was Sara. She stabbed her fork on the plate and bit her lower lip angrily.


    They all just looked at her. After asking her severally what was wrong, her answer remained the same. "I am fine"


    A gentle knock came on the door while they dined and Bilike volunteered to get it. They all curiously peered at the door since they wondered who was visiting by this time of the night. And to all of their shock, they saw Li Muchen behind Bilike as he approached them. Sara who had a mouth full of noodles almost choked. Her eyes were wide in surprise. "Mr Li..." She stood up abruptly and forcefully swallowed everything. "What... are you. doing here" She asked while she used a hand to smoothen her messy hair


    "Mr Li?" Cixi also shot up after Joreen. "You are..." She suddenly gasped as she looked on in disbelieve. Muchen only smiled back at her and bowed politely. "You must be Aunt Cixi"


    The thing that surprised Sara most was the fact that he was actually wearing a Polo shirt and Jean trousers.


    Cixi had been surprised when she learned that Sara was working for CEO Li. But seeing him here all of a sudden was rather surprising. She tried her best to keep her cool and smiled politely at him. Joreen also greeted him.


    "Mr Wang. I came to ask for permission to take Sara out" He saidd politely. He couldn''t believe he was nervous right now.


    "Yes. You have his permission" Sara said. Trying so hard not to sound excited. Maybe because she had waited for his call all day and suddenly seeing him here made her hyper.


    He looked at her in amusement and mouthed "You are not Mr Wang" before he turned to look at Jianjun.

 Chapter 150 - Devil

    Joreen giggled. Cixi could not understand what was going on. Mr Li. was Sara''s employer, alright. So why was he suddenly showing up here and asking for permission to take her out. She looked at Sara who was pouting and glaring at Muchen and in turn, looked at Joreen to grab a hint but received a wink in return.


    Jianjun was at a crossroad. Why did these young ones like to tempt him so much?


    He looked at Sara and their eyes met. She gave him a ''you must agree look'' before she looked back at Muchen who was still eagerly waiting for Jianjun''s answer. Totally ignoring Sara''s angry look for shunning her.


    "She is still eating" was the only excuse Jianjun could find.


    "No, I''m done" Sara countered. Cixi and Joreen nodded in agreement. Even Bilike joined.


    Jianjun could only sigh.


    ***


    "Oh My God! He called me Aunt" Cixi squealed and held Joreen''s hand in excitement immediately Sara and Muchen walked out the door. Joreen happily jumped with her since CEO Li had promised to call her later.


    "He is really CEO Li? He is so handsome and humble."


    Bilike nodded in agreement. "And very generous also." He remembered how he had footed his and his Father''s hospital bill. "They both look good together" He grinned.


    "Oh my! How could Sara leave me out of this gist? Did you know about this?" Cixi asked Joreen.


    "You should ask Dad" Joreen pointed at Jianjun who was already retreating to the bedroom. He already lost his appetite.


    Cixi ran after him. Totally in gossip mode.


    "Brother Jun, Are they dating? Really?"


    When she entered the room, Jianjun looked to make sure no one else was around before he locked the door.


    "I do not think they are¡ª I don''t even know" He sat on the bed dejectedly.


    "What''s with your mood? It''s obvious they like each other. Shouldn''t you be happy?" Cixi asked in confusion.


    "Happy about what? Because he is CEO Li?" He tried his best to keep his voice down.


    "That''s a plus. Sara was just heartbroken and then she met someone like him who obviously likes her. So what are we saying?"


    "Cixi. I really hate that this is putting a strain in I and Sara''s relationship. I really want her to be happy. But I do not think this can work" Jianjun had it all bottled up. It was a good thing that he finally had someone to share his thoughts with.


    "So that''s what it was all about. I was going to ask why you both have been so quiet. And.. Why do you think it is not going to work?"


    "You know how these things work. You really do not need me to spell it out right?"


    "Brother Jun." She called softly. "Sara is a big girl. Since you want her to be happy, then you have to support her. I don''t see why you are killing yourself over it."


    "I really can''t. I just can''t." He stood up.


    Cixi exhaled loudly. "You have always spoiled her ever since she was a child. Do you think she is going to take it likely when you suddenly refuse her?"


    Jianjun forced out a laugh. "She promised to shave her hair and remain single if I object her"


    Cixi could not help laughing. "You see. And you know she is really going to do it."


    He nodded in agreement. Sara was that crazy. Nothing was difficult for her to do. "She believes this whole thing is just for the moment. But I know Sara" Jianjun began to pace around the room. "Once she enters, she would not want to come out. That is what I fear."


    Cixi looked at him quietly before saying. "Or you are scared of history repeating itself?"


    Jianjun stopped pacing and looked straight at her. "That is another thing" He admitted.


    "Brother Jun, History is history. Don''t use your past to affect Sara''s future."


    "You know best what those people can do if they do not accept Sara"


    Cixi took note of the anger in his tone. "I know."


    "And you remember what we promised mother before she died¡ªthat we were going to lead quiet and peaceful lives."


    "We promised mother a lot of things. How many did we keep? I even gave birth outside of wedlock"


    "That is different! Sara is my only girl. What is worse, she has been nosing about."


    He started pacing around again.


    "What has she been up to?" Cixi asked curiously. She had never seen her brother this tensed in a while.


    He hesitated before saying "She is curious about the past. About everything. She even met with Mr Park behind my back"


    "Who is Mr. Park?" Cixi asked in confusion.


    "Father''s apprentice."


    "Oh my God. Park Bun?" It was the name she always teased him with when they were younger.


    "Yes. Him. Not only that, she..." He hesitated longer this time.


    "She met with Changyu. Song Changyu."


    "What!?"  this time, her eyes shone wide in surprise or maybe, shock!


    "S...on...g.. Chan..gyu? That witch is in the country?" Cixi''s breath became unsteady.


    "She came in recently"


    "Sara met with her? Why? Does she know anything?"


    "No. I don''t think she knows something yet. But if she continues, it won''t be long before she finds something out" He began to panic. "What if she figures out something? What am I going to do?"


    "Calm down. There is no way she can figure out anything. Even Changyu knows nothing."


    "I don''t know how to convince Sara to just focus on her life and leave the past alone. It really bothers me."


    "First thing you should tell her to do is to stay away from that devil."


    "I know" Jianjun said immediately.


    "Have you met with her yet?" Cixi asked.


    Jianjun shook his head. "I don''t even want to see her."


    Cixi smirked. "You know I have always wanted to meet her"


    "Cixi! You won''t do such a thing!"


    Cixi''s mood totally changed as she blew up at him "That witch did more than just abandon her day old baby! Have you forgotten everything her family did to us?"


    Jianjun nervously asked her to keep quiet before someone hears her.


    But it was too late.


    Joreen who was standing at the other side of the door, gasped.

 Chapter 151 - I realised something today

    Muchen''s eyes narrowed when he looked at Sara. He couldn''t believe this!


    She actually ignored him after they got out of the apartment. But the moment she saw the car had he had come with, her mood totally changed to one of excitement. She rambled on to him about how she had wanted to ''feel'' the car ever since she saw Minde''s and how he had refused to show up after promising her (which he didn''t) that she would take it on a little cruise.


    When he saw how excited she was, he had allowed her drive instead. While he sat beside her on the passenger''s seat. But it seemed the car was entirely important to her that she had totally forgotten about his existence.


    "Where did you say we were going again?" She asked with a broad smile after driving around for over 30 minutes.


    He ignored her and faced the window by his side.


    "Uh.. Mr Li? Why aren''t you saying anything?" She asked. Looking between him and the road.


    "Since the car is so important to you. Why don''t you just go on. You can leave this lonely soul alone" He sighed.


    Sara almost laughed. She hit the brake and parked the car by the side of the isolated bridge.


    "Mr Li" She poked his arm amusedly but he still didn''t look at her. "Mis...ter.. Li" She resorted in pulling his arm gently. Muchen couldn''t stop himself from chuckling before he turned to look at her. "What is it?"


    "I''m done! It felt so niceeeee" She said excitely.


    Muchen scoffed. "Did you like it that much? You can just have the car then"


    "Ehn? Really?" Sara''s eyes brightened "You will really give me this car?" She ran her eyes over the interior of the car again.


    "You don''t want it?" He asked as his hand moved to her hair.


    Sara expected it. So she wasn''t surprised when he gently yanked the hairband from her hair and winked at her.


    "How tempting. But.... I don''t want it" She said as she finally let go of his arm that she had been holding.


    "Why don''t you?" He really wasn''t surprised that she actually rejected his offer.


    Sara scratched her head. "Hmm.. Let''s say, It is going to be embarrassing." She further explained "Imagine me driving this car while my family is still squatting or while we still wear knockoffs. Doesn''t make sense to me"


    "I can buy you a house and designer wears if you want" He retorted.


    Sara raised a brow at him in amusement before shaking her head. "There is more to life than driving nice cars and wearing expensive clothings. Besides, I won''t be happy with myself. Even the world is going to look down on me."


    The warm smile didn''t leave his face when he spoke again "You know, sometimes, I do think that if you were from a really wealthy family, you would sure be scary"


    Sara Chortled. "I do think that way too. I''m sure I''ll be so haughty and arrogant"


    He did believe that part. If she was like this even when her family had an average background. What if they were actually a socialite? He was very sure even he wouldn''t have been able to approach her.


    "Yes, I just remember" He stretched to get a bag from the backeat and handed it over to her. "When I saw it, I thought of you"


    Sara could see it was a teddy bear. She smiled at the knowledge that he thought of her when he saw it. But the smile disappear when she saw it was actually an hippopotamus !


    "You...you thought of me.. when you.. saw this?" She shot him an angry look even as she bit down on her lower lip.


    Muchen laughed out. He liked seeing this look. Maybe it was why he liked teasing her. "Of course, when I saw it, I thought it was cute. And when I think of cute, I think of you"


    Sara scoffed in disbelieve as she blew up at him. "That is supposed to make me feel better? You are indirectly saying I look like an hippopotamus!"


    Muchen still had an amused look on as he spoke back "I never said you looked like an hippo but if you think you do, who am I to dispute that?"


    "Li Muchen !"


    He looked at her in surprise. It was actually the first time she called him by his name instead of her usual ''Mr Li''


    "Call me that again" He said excitedly. "I like the sound of that"


    Sara suddenly recalled she had just called him by his name and gasped. "Did...did I really...?"


    He nodded. "You''re so cute when you''re angry" He moved closer and pecked her on her cheek.


    Sara was taken aback and just blinked back at him before she turned to look at her own side of the window. ''Did...did he just kiss my cheek?'' She asked herself. She had totally not expected that. ''Don''t smile you idiot.'' She cautioned herself before turning to look at him again. She cleared her throat and was about to speak before she saw him open the door and asked her to come down also.


    After she did, he moved over to where she was standing. He quietly looked at her for a moment before he said.


    "I realised something today" He helped pull up her shirt collar to shield her from the cold.


    "What is it?" She asked curiously.


    His eyes twinkled as he looked down at her. It was her. This tiny creature that made his heart flutter. The billowing breeze made her hair flutter about while he carefully smoothened them over and over again.


    "I love you" The words suddenly came out unexpectedly. He was prepared for whatever responsibility that those words came with.


    Sara forgot to breathe that instant. She felt the tiny jolt in her stomach again. For a minute, she just looked at his face without saying or doing anything. ''He...he... loves me.'' Instinctively, she tried to move away but he moved his hands from her shirt collar to her arms and held her firmly. "Even if you run again, I won''t let you go. So let''s save that energy" He advised softly.


    Sara''s mouth was suddenly so dry. No matter how had she tried to say something, it wasn''t coming out. Finally, she was able to say "Why?" No matter how she thought about it, she still found it difficult to believe that he chose her.


    Why? Maybe he had actually expected that question.


    "Because you are Sara Wang. And because, I can''t just help it" Sara swore she would have started smiling like an idiot if he had said one more word. She had to keep her cool no matter what.


    "You are going to regret it" She warned.


    "Let me be the judge of that Miss Wang." He eloquently responded.


    He saw the smile form on her face. But Sara was too shy? to let him see it. She moved closer and buried her face on his chest.


    Muchen saw it as an opportunity to wrap his arms around her in a hug. He couldn''t help smiling like an idiot. She had totally brightened his bad day.


    "You''re so cute when you are shy. I like it!" He said to her.

 Chapter 152 - Forever is an illusion

    "Goodnight." He smiled and ruffled her hair in his usual fun manner.


    Sara smiled back and stretched, trying to ruffle his also but he laughed and moved back from her touch.


    "It''s not fair" She pouted. "You get to do it but I can''t?"


    He looked at her in amusement before bending to meet her height. "Alright. I''ll give you 3 seconds to feel my perfect hair"


    Sara smiled happily. But instead of his hair, she poked at his dimple. She had always wanted to feel it. Hallelujah!


    "Are you indirectly sending me a message?" He asked with a wink.


    She laughed. Understanding what he meant and turned to leave but he pulled her back.


    "You should say ''goodnight'' properly."


    She rolled her eyes before she brazenly stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. "Goodnight Mr Li."


    *


    Sara laughed and hugged her hippo when she remembered it.


    "You must love him a lot" Cixi commented.


    "Of course" Sara said instantly before her brain registered what her aunt had just said. "Wait what?" Sara sat up on the bed. Keeping her voice down so Joreen wouldn''t wake up.


    Cixi didn''t bother to answer "I am still angry that you left such a gist from me"


    "I''m sorry aunt. I just didn''t think it was anything serious."


    "So you think it is serious now?" Cixi asked.


    "Hmmmmm" Sara paused to think. "I don''t really know now. I just think I should enjoy the moment. Don''t you think so?"


    Cixi nodded. "But... What if you want to enjoy the moment forever? What if you don''t want it to ever stop?"


    "Aunt.. Forever is an illusion" Sara countered. "There is nothing like forever. I could die today, or tomorrow, or the next. So where is my forever then?"


    Cixi pondered on it.


    "While there''s still time, while I am still alive, let me just do what I want to do. Till my forever ends."


    Cixi sighed. She was beginning to see what Jianjun was talking about.


    "What if his family objects?" Although she was happy for her niece and wanted to support her, she had to be realistic.


    Sara thought about it seriously.


    His family was not her problem right now. She flashed back to the encounter she had on the street.


    They both strolled hand in hand down the busy street. Muchen''s idea¡ª since he had been wondering what was up with them and cars. Whenever they had any serious conversation, it was either inside his car or on the street beside his car.


    "Oh look." Sara pointed excitedly with her other hand. "It''s a magic show!" She pulled him with her as she hurried her steps there.


    "You like magic shows?" He asked as he tried to meet her pace.


    "Of course" She said. Her gaze still fixed on the people gathered around. "Who doesn''t like watching lame tricks?"


    As she kept pulling him, he collided with someone by mistake. He didn''t even bother to look at the person and just kept following Sara until he felt a hand pull his arm back.


    The force caused Sara to almost collide with Muchen also.


    "You are blind huh?" A big bald man asked angrily as he spat out the toothpick on the corner of his mouth.


    Muchen just looked at him in surprise. He was surprised that anyone would actually talk to him and act that way towards him. But then, he remembered he wasn''t in his usual ''Almighty dignified'' self. He was just a simple man, strolling down the streets on a polo and jean.


    "Who are you looking at that way? You better lower your eyes and apologize sincerely" Another man beside the big man yelled at him.


    A crowd began to form.


    "Is something wrong?" Sara asked the three men standing in front of them. She was totally lost.


    He was about to yell at her but to her surprise, he cocked his head to the side and blinked before his eyes shone in surprise. "S...Sara Wang?"


    "Who...who are you?" Sara asked in confusion. Or maybe he also recognised her from that Video?


    Muchen protectively pulled her to his side.


    "Oh.. Oh.. Forget about me. Do have a nice time" He politely bowed to her before he scurried off with his two men who equally looked shocked.


    "You know them?" Muchen asked in surprise. What just happened?


    Still in confusion, she shook her head. "I have never met them before."


    They certainly did look like gangsters and Sara was sure they didn''t belong to that Black gang. So who were they?


    She looked up at Muchen and clearly saw uncertainty in his eyes.


    "I really don''t know them" she shook her head again.


    He intertwined their fingers and nodded at her. "It''s fine"


    **


    Muchen sat in his home''s office and tapped his desk gently. He was totally lost in his thought.


    He remembered his grandmother''s words. "Even I, couldn''t dig up on that girl"


    He also remembered the night at the factory and the gangster''s action after Sara spoke with him. "What was really up?"


    He couldn''t help wondering.

 Chapter 153 - Long time no see

    The atmosphere at the hospital was suffocating to the point that Weiyoung could no longer remain there. With the help of her bodyguards that night, she was able to successfully get into her car and head for her apartment.


    Everything was messed up. Her family was already blaming her for their calamity. She had nothing.


    Or maybe she should just travel abroad for a while? Thankfully, she had a lot saved up.


    But no! She still had this child. And with this child, she was going to find her feet again. She knew it was only a matter of time before the Mo family comes for her. She thanked her stars for the child in her womb.


    Sara had destroyed her in one go. For years, so many years, she had looked for a way to break Sara down. But in one day, without even planning for a long time like she had, Sara ruined her everything. Her eyes which were glistening with unshed tears turned cold.


    When did her life turn this way? When did her perfect like turn this way!?


    She was going to make Sara pay. Sara must kneel before her and ask for her forgiveness. A thought suddenly popped into her dumb head and she smiled wickedly. Even if it meant going to hell, she was going to ruin everyone.


    **


    Jianjun was rather curious about why Sara was suddenly interested in cooking with him. She had never really liked the kitchen especially since she was allergic to the smell raw pepper. So what was up with her today?


    "What''s that white thing? I think I have seen it before" Sara asked curiously as she looked at a can.


    Jianjun looked at the sweaty Sara who was breathing heavily and wore a face mask. He thought if someone saw her, they might think she had been doing something useful, when she was only actually running the kitchen errands for him.


    "It''s mayonnaise Sara. Ma...yon..naise" He stressed.


    "Oh.. I see.." She nodded. "You are going to add it to the rice?" She asked inquisitively.


    Jianjun sighed and made a decison there. "From tonight, I''ll be starting a cooking lesson"


    Sara''s eyes shone in delight. "Really, is that your new job? Do you have students already?"


    Jianjun chortled. He didn''t know which was worse. Her IQ or EQ?


    "I feel bad. Having not allowed you learn to cook all these while. It''s time to teach you you''re wifely duties even though you''re already too old for them"


    "Oh¡ª Wait!..." She shot him a puzzled look. "Do not tell me I am the student" She asked.


    He smiled at her and angled his chin to point at the pot on the fire "stir" he commanded.


    **


    Sara fell flat on her back as soon as she got into the room. "Wang Jianjun wants to kill me" she complained to Joreen who laughed in return


    "Didn''t you want to learn at first?" Joreen asked.


    "I did" Sara answered, trying to catch her breath as she focused her eyes on the ceiling. "I didn''t know dad would take it so seriously." She ferociously shook both legs in frustration and sat up before throwing a pillow at Joreen.


    "It''s all your fault! Why did you have to tell Mr Li that I didn''t know how to cook?"


    Joreen rubbed her arm which the pillow had smacked and giggled.


    "That''s what all this is about."


    Sara eyed her mischievously before asking "What did Mr Li say to you?"


    Muchen had called earlier. And when Sara was happy that he actually wanted to speak with her, he asked for Joreen instead¡ª which still annoyed her by the way.


    "Nothing much. He only asked whether I was okay"


    The previous night when they had both went out, he asked about Joreen''s graduation party. Sara saw the questioning look on his face when she said "She didn''t get any award."


    "Someone messed with it?" He asked, instantly getting the gist.


    "I think" Sara nodded nonchalantly. She didn''t want to go deep into the conversation but she noticed Muchen was still looking at her curiously "Did you make trouble again?"


    "Me? Trouble? No, I didn''t" She shrugged her shoulders and denied.


    -


    She nodded to Joreen. "It''s going to be okay"


    Joreen nodded also "I believe you"


    Sara smiled warmly at her before asking


    "Why haven''t I seen Aunt since I went inside the kitchen?"


    "She said she''s meeting with a long time friend so she left in a hurry"


    Sara wondered why Cixi didn''t bother telling them before leaving or maybe it was urgent?


    Joreen immediately remembered something and moved closer to Sara to whisper.


    "Yesterday, I overheard Mum and Dad talking" Sara would have been confused if she didn''t know the Mum and dad were obviously Cixi and Jianjun.


    "I didn''t hear much, but they were talking about a woman."


    "A woman? What woman?" Sara asked inquisitively.


    "Mum said something like ''you should tell ''her'' to stay away from that devil. She also mentioned something about wanting to meet her, but Dad rebuked her and she said something about the woman doing something to their family and also abandoning her child." Joreen summarised.


    Sara''s look turned to one of shock as she processed the whole information. A woman? Who was this woman? What did she do to their family and who was the child she abandoned?


    "Where did you say Aunt went to again? Did she say anything else?"


    Joreen shiik her head. "She said nothing else Or..." Joreen kept her voice lower "Do you think she went to visit that devil?"


    **


    Cixi was finally led through the gates of the estate, into Changyu''s white mansion which had bodyguards almost at every corner. Just like a typical socialite.


    Changyu patiently waited outside for her visitor. She was officially dressed in a blue trouser suit and black heel to go with it.


    When she saw Cixi enter, it gave her a nolstagic feeling. She remembered the petite girl then who always wore glasses and packed her hair in two ponytails. The girl, who was her friend.


    But now, the woman she was seeing before her had a cold expression on her face. She was still petite and had her usual long dark hair which currently had added a few strands of grey hair to it. She didn''t look so aged. One could think she was in her mid 30s. And with the graceful way she walked, anyone could easily guess she had not been born in a poor home.


    Cixi finally stopped in front of her. Changyu''s face was also expressionless when she said "Long time no see"


    But to her suprise and to the surprise of everyone there, Cixi slapped her hard on her face.

 Chapter 154 - Seduction

    Sara saw Ms Long first when she got to Muchen''s house, and smiled warmly at her.


    "How long has it been since I last saw your dignified presence" Sara teased while Ms Long laughed in return. "Been long I saw you too. And you look better" Ms Long ran her eyes over Sara''s wear again. It was the first time Ms Long was seeing her in a lady''s tee instead of the usual big men''s tee-shirt she usually wore. She was also wearing a blue jean trousers and white sneakers. Her black backpack was still with her as usual and she held another paper bag on her hand. . Nothing really different about her look but she looked somehow....changed? Ms Long wondered.


    Sara laughed also before replying. "Well, thanks. You also look good" She sincerely complimented Ms Long who was in her formal navy blue trouser suit.


    "I am sorry I couldn''t reach you all this while. But I am glad you were able to take care of yourself"


    "No worries. I am glad I was able to also"


    It was a new sight for Ms Long to see Sara continuously smiling. Did that explain the reason why Muchen was in a cheerful mood also? Something was up with this two.


    "Miss Wang..." Ms Long called in a low voice. "You have to be really careful, especially this period. Okay?"


    "I will. Thank you. Is... Mr Li in?" Sara asked, looking at the direction of the door.


    "Oh.. Sure."


    "Then, have a nice day." Sara bowed slightly before hopping happily towards the entrance.


    *


    "Oh my God, I have missed you!" Heya hugged her when she saw Sara enter. Sara also cheerfully returned the hug. "Wow.. You''ve lost a lot of weight. I am surprised, really!" Sara said and broke free from the hug to observe her closely. Truthfully, a lot did change about Heya''s look.


    "I guess a girl is determined." Heya giggled. She was glad there was someone who saw her efforts. Unlike her family who noticed nothing and still bothered her about losing weight in a hurry.


    She then went on to ask about how Sara was faring, How Joreen was and the gist behind that video. Sara impatiently answered all of her questions and finally sighed in relief when she heard Heya say "I''ll just go get ready. You can head to the gym room. Big bro is there already" Heya winked at her.


    Sara tried to hide the excitement on her face when she urged Heya to go on and get ready while she moved towards the gym room excitedly. She didn''t forget to take off the hair band she used to tie her hair together. She was very sure he would help her do it if she didn''t.


    She opened the door a bit and peeked in, wondering why she wasn''t seeing him in sight.


    "Oh my, You startled me!" Sara flinched back in surprise when Muchen''s face suddenly appeared in front of hers.


    He opened the door wide and laughed. "You''re always acting like a thief" He held her hand and led her in before closing the door behind them "Good morning" He greeted with a smile.


    "Good morning" Sara returned the smile. She didn''t fail to notice his body in the sleeveless compression shirt and short he was wearing. She had to take her eyes off his body before she gave herself away.


    "What''s that?" He curiously looked at the paper bag she was holding.


    "Oh yes." She handed it over to him. "I cooked!" She announced excitedly.


    "Y..ou cooked?" He asked in bewilderment as he looked at the lunchbox inside the bag.


    "Yes" She nodded. "It''s fried rice"


    Muchen gave her an amused look before asking "Why do I feel like your father cooked while you only helped a bit?"


    She shrugged her shoulders and pouted. "I really did a lot of things. I am so tired." She stretched her arms to emphasize how tired she was.


    Muchen led her towards the chair in the room and had her sit down before moving behind to help massage her shoulders.


    It did surprise Sara but she decided to let it slide and just enjoy the moment (and his hands :-))


    Muchen had expected her to say something about his confession last night but, she still wasn''t saying anything. He knew she liked him. He was very sure. He also knew she was being reluctant for reasons he had no idea of, but he was glad though. Even if he could feel she was still a bit uncomfortable with all of these, she was a bit open to him and it was a good thing. He was....finally winning Sara. And there was no way he was ever going to take things slowly again.


    "Why did you stress yourself out?" He asked gently as he continued working on her shoulders.


    "I just wanted to cook" She admitted.


    "For me?" He teased. He grinned.


    She smiled before saying "For... my future family"


    Muchen wasn''t seeing anyone else in her ''future family'' other than him.


    He moved his hands from her shoulders down to her arms, bending to whisper on her ear in the lowest voice ever. "I really don''t mind my wife not knowing how to cook. There is... another kind of food I''m sure she can offer me perfectly"


    Sara''s whole body stiffened. Not only was he so close to her, he was whispering sexily on her ear, his warm hands were on her exposed arm and he even said something so...so.. "-"


    What was happening? Why was she feeling this way all of a sudden. She was very sure that if Muchen paid attention, he would hear her heart seriously pounding. Even her body was beginning to emanate heat out of nowhere while goose pimples rose on her skin.


    ''He is doing this on purpose'' she said to herself. ''He is seducing me!''


    "Mis..mister Li.. I.. erm... the..the thing is.. You...I mean..I"


    Her eyes widened when she felt him gently nibble her earlobe with his teeth. "M...is..ter.. Li.." She caught her breath and swallowed hard.


    She couldn''t turn to look at him. Neither could she stop him. She just sat there like a statue.


    She could feel his hand shaking on her arm, as if he was doing his best to not move his hands from there to anywhere else.


    He chortled gently. "Do not worry. I won''t do anything. It''s not a good time" His voice was low and deep and sexy!


    "You look really pretty. I only wanted to tease you, but I guess it backfired at me" He admitted in a throaty voice.


    Sara was stupefied. She still found it difficult processing anything especially as she was beginning to feel a tingling sensation downstairs. Even her eyes were beginning to blink uncontrollably.


    "Mr Li..." She was surprised she could still talk despite her dry throat "He...ya"


    "She..won''t come now" He wouldn''t be making such brazen moves if he hadn''t planned in advance.


    Sara swallowed hard. She couldn''t even find any saliva to swallow anymore.


    He suddenly stopped and turned her chair so she could face him.


    The desire she saw in his eyes and his flushed cheeks shocked her. She wondered how hers looked like at the moment. She guessed that whatever was happening to her was likely happening to Muchen also.


    His eyes didn''t leave hers when he placed both hands on the chair''s hand and let his head hover freely above hers.


    Just when she thought he was going to finally kiss her, a kiss she was fully ready for, his lips landed on her forehead instead.


    "I''m not sure I''ll be able to workout with you today darling. I might embarrass myself once you change into those workout clothes you usually wear."

 Chapter 155 - Im not done with you yet.

    Cixi sat quietly in an hotel room. A lot going through her mind. Her phone rang with a call from Sara.


    She heard Sara trying to steady her breath and worried whether something bad had happened to her.


    "Sara, are you alright?"" Cixi stood up abruptly


    "Aunt... I.. I think I am running temperature" Sara managed to say.


    "You''re sick? What happened? Where are you?" Cixi began to gather her things in order to leave.


    "I.. I am in Mr Li''s house.." Sara informed.


    "Where is he, does he know? He should take you to the nearest hospital. I''ll meet you there now"


    "No! I.. I don''t want him to come close to me right now" Sara rejected.


    "What, but why? What is wrong?" Cixi worried since she had never heard her niece sound so down.


    "How do you feel honey? tell me"


    "My head.. is spinning. I feel very uncomfortable and hot. I just... I don''t know"


    She immediately opened the hotel room''s door and dashed out. "When did it start? How?"


    "I was.. I was with Mr Li"


    Cixi stopped moving "You were with him?" She asked.


    "He was very.. close to me and whispering things"


    "What..was he whispering?" Cixi asked curiously.


    She heard Sara hesitate before saying "Nau..ghty.. things.."


    "Naughty things?" Cixi asked in shock before it turned to amusement.


    "I have been trying to calm myself for the past minutes but it isn''t working. And I think I''m beginning to fall sick" Sara said in frustration.


    "What should I do? Heya''s been waiting for me. I''m still hiding in the restroom"


    Cixi burst into laughter. "I really think your father is going to kill that CEO for messing with you."


    "Aunt!"


    Cixi was amused. She turned and head back to her room. There was no way she was going to give Sara any doctorly advice right now. She grinned wickely before saying "Have fun. And don''t forget to tease him back." She was very sure Jianjun would kill her also if he found out.


    She had raised Sara like her own daughter. So it was not unusual for Sara to call her for advise since she had always been Sara''s confidante.


    She remembered how Sara had called her phone one morning, crying that she saw blood on her bedsheet when she woke up and was having stomach pain but was scared to tell Jianjun about it.


    At that time, Cixi realised she had left the most important teaching aside and had been teaching her to stand up for herself. She also remembered the time Sara first talked to her on the phone about Mo Jinyong and her plans to date him.


    When Sara disappeared for over a year, she thought she was going to go crazy. But she had to be strong in order to help Jianjun survive. And thankfully, Sara came back home when they had both lost hope of ever finding her again. Her eyes was dark and cold. She looked thinner and taller in the male''s outfit she was wearing. Her hair looked shorter and her complexion, darker.


    They were taken aback when they saw her appear in front of their building one day. When they saw the look in her eyes, they knew this was not the same Sara. They knew a lot had changed about her.


    Then, she broke down. As if she had been saving the tears all along. Her legs gave her away and she fell to the floor and wailed bitterly.


    No one knew what happened. No one knew what she had gone through even till date. For days, Sara said nothing and stared blankly into space. At nights, she was awoken by nightmares and cried even harder. It all continued until she gave birth.


    At that time when Sara was gone, Cixi had completely lost herself. She couldn''t even pay attention to work anymore since she was trying to console herself and Jianjun also. And one night, after losing herself to alcohol, she met Joreen''s father.


    Joreen''s birth brought Sara back to life. They saw the hesitation in Sara when she tried to touch the new born Joreen. Her skin was dark, had full curly black hair and round eyes. Joreen was simply too cute to be ignored.


    When Sara tried to pull her gloved hand away from touching her, Joreen''s hand found her finger and wrapped her tiny hand around it.


    Sara was shocked and her eyes glistened with tears as she smiled at the new born.


    Cixi smiled sadly when she remembered. Then, she thought back to her conversation with Changyu.


    "That was for my father" Cixi said after delivering her the slap.


    Changyu''s face was bent to the corner as a result of the unexpected slap. Even Changyu''s handprint was obvious on her cheek.


    The bodyguards moved swiftly to where Cixi was, but Changyu stopped them with the raise of a hand.


    Cixi smirked at her before instantly hitting her again. It further raised more gasps and surprised looks from everyone there.


    "That was for my mother who treated you like her daughter." She said angrily.


    Changyu raised her head and shot her a angry look. "Wang Cixi! Are you out of your mind? What do you think you are doing right now?"


    "I should be asking you that" Cixi responded in her usual haughty tone. "I must confess, I am really happy to see you. We have a lot of scores to settle you know"


    Changyu scoffed in disbelieve. "I have nothing to settle with you or your family so get out of my house this instant or else¡ª"


    "You are not trying to threaten me right now are you?" Cixi interrupted before laughing amusedly. "I can''t remember the last time I was threatened. That should be in the...50s"


    Cixi paused and made a show of thinking before she said "Oh I just remember, I wasn''t even born then!"


    Changyu glared at her "I do not know what you intend to achieve by doing all of these, but I really am not interested. So get lost!" Changyu thought she must have been crazy to have allowed Cixi in. She had thought Cixi was here to apologize.


    "Is that what you say to me?" Cixi yelled angrily.


    "Yes! You should be grateful I am not asking them to chop off your hand after hitting me" Changyu scoffed. "Do you even know who I am?"


    "You crazy piece of shit!" Cixi screamed as she tried to steady her breath and hold herself back from hitting Changyu one more time.


    "After all my family did for you. After how we treated you." Cixi''s eyes began to glisten. "You didn''t only lie, you also watched them destroy my family. You stood there... And watched your parents ruin my family." A tear dropped from her eyes. Followed by many others.


    "What did we ever do to you?" She choked back tears as she looked at Changyu with disappointment and anger.


    They had been friends at one point. In fact, she had been playing cupid, trying to matchmake her and Jianjun. "I regret it.. I regret all of it"


    Changyu furrowed her brow as she looked at Cixi in confusion. "What the hell are you talking about?"


    **


    "I have informed your parents about your visit tonight" Changyu''s PA informed her.


    Changyu didn''t say anything in return and signalled her to leave the room.


    She sat quietly as Cixi''s words kept echoing. "When I thought you have been hiding because you were too embarrassed to apologize." Cixi scoffed. "Song Changyu, I''m not done with you yet. I am going to expose your entire family. I am going to destroy all of you. You really did make it easy for me by coming to the country"


    Changyu began to pant heavily and closed her eyes to collect herself. "What is going on?"

 Chapter 156 - Find your excitement

    Thankfully, Heya was able to take Sara''s mind off any naughty thoughts about Muchen. How was she going to face him now? Instead of shunning him, she had been worried about Heya seeing them instead. She shook her head to ward off any naughty thoughts and focused on Heya instead.


    "How do you feel?" Sara asked when she saw her panting heavily.


    "I feel okay. I needed this" Heya said before helping herself sit up on the floor.


    "You''re sure you''re okay?" Sara asked. She''s been noticing Heya was more determined today.


    Heya sighed deeply and said nothing for a while. "What.. do you think about life, living?" Heya asked finally.


    Sara wrinkled her brow, wondering where this question was coming from all of a sudden.


    She sat on the floor beside Heya and handed her a bottle of water. "Life is.... Life" Sara said.


    "You know..." Heya rested her back on the wall "I really do feel like there is nothing in this life. It''s just a fleeting moment. Transient."


    They were both quiet for a while, pondering on the issue before Sara broke the silence.


    "We were all born to...die"


    Heya looked at her in confusion when she heard her speak.


    "We all die. It doesn''t matter when, where or how. We just live the life, hoping that we achieve a lot before we die. Hoping that in between our birth and death, we find our excitement in this boring life and have no regrets before we die. We all live for that moment. The moment when we close our eyes forever." Sara suddenly remembered what she had said to her aunt. ''Forever is an illusion'' Then, she came to a new realisation.


    "I think... There is only one forever...and that is, death ."


    Heya looked at her with a sad expression and glistening eyes. "You know, I read the news about that little town in Country V being controlled by terrorists. The lives lost, the broken homes... I was able to get a clearer picture of what you were telling me at the time when I newly met you. It made me begin to think about my life again. What if we were suddenly attacked and killed one day? I really.. don''t wish to die with regrets." She sniffled back tears. "I have been living a really useless life all these years. If I die today, I''ll never forgive myself."


    "You can start afresh. Find your excitement!" Sara held her hands in encouragement. "You have to redefine your life now. Because, it''s your life!"


    Heya smiled sadly at her. "I am not sure I''ll be able to stand up against my grandmother though."


    "Your grandmother?" Sara gave her a confused look.


    "I guess big bro didn''t tell you anything then."


    Sara shook her head.


    "You can ask him. But Sara..." Heya held her hands firmly. "You have to be really careful."


    Sara wondered why everyone was telling her to be careful. She was beginning to have a bad feeling about this. Since Heya wasn''t saying anything else, she didn''t bother to press on and just agreed to be careful.


    Heya''s mood turned lively again when she asked. "Where''s the bag you were carrying? Thought you brought something?"


    "Oh.. Yes. I brought fried rice for you and Mr Li. He''s with the bag"


    "Fried rice?" Heya looked at her in surprise. "Big bro doesn''t eat fried rice"


    "What?" Sara''s eyes bulged out. "He didn''t say so"


    "There are a lot of things he cannot eat. He has a very sensitive stomach"


    **


    Sara paced around his study''s door, contemplating whether to knock or not. She was already dressed in her normal clothes and Heya had left her to go upstairs, reminding her to ''find her excitement''


    She took a deep breath and tried to knock again but to her surprise, the door opened to reveal Muchen in a plain tee and short with his hair, slightly messy.


    "Hi!" She said nervously. Trying not to look at his eyes.


    He smiled at her before ushering her in.


    "You must be tired" He sat beside her on the large couch after organising his desk.


    "I am used to it" She said, trying not to think about their proximity.


    "You look uncomfortable" He pointed out.


    "I... I am fine.." Without looking at him, she replied. "Did you eat the fried rice?"


    He nodded. "Why?"


    "Why would you do that when you don''t eat it? Is that why you have that drug on your table?" She pointed at the drug she had seen on his desk when she entered. Guessing it must have been for his gastric problems.


    He looked at her in amusement. "You''re acting like a nagging wife."


    Sara sighed "But seriously, you should have told me. What if something bad had happened?"


    "I enjoyed it." He grinned at her "I am beginning to have a double mind about my wife learning how to cook." He winked at her.


    "How inconsistent!" Sara grumbled which caused him to laugh.


    "How''s your belly? Does it hurt?" She asked as she unconsciously placed her hands on his stomach.


    Muchen tried not to laugh. He was eagerly waiting for her reaction when she realised what she was doing. "It doesn''t hurt."


    Sara met his eyes then she saw his eyes drop to her hand. She flinched when she saw she had been rubbing his belly. Muchen couldn''t hold it in anymore and laughed.


    "You are done working out" He informed her as he tried to loose her ponytail but Sara stood up abruptly. It was time to finally put him in his place. Yes! Go Sara!


    Muchen saw the fierce look in her eyes and was excited to know what she was going to whine about this time.


    "Mr Li. There are a lot of things you should stop doing!" She glared at him and placed both hands on her waist like someone ready for a quarrel.


    "Go on" He nodded at her. Trying to hide his amusement.


    "First, you can''t just yank off my hairband anytime you want."


    "Okay" He urged her to continue.


    "You can''t just..you know..that.." She swallowed hard, finding it difficult to say it out.


    "That?" He feigned confusion. "What''s that?"


    "You know..ki..ss..me whenever you want"


    He gave a long "oooh" and urged her to go on.


    "And what happened in the gym earlier..." Her face turned red. "You can''t do that again!"


    He paused to watch her rant on before he pulled her arm, causing her to fall on top of him.


    Their face was so close that Sara found it difficult to concentrate or rethink what had just happened. "Why?" He asked in that usual sexy tone that Sara didn''t want to hear at the moment.


    Her eyes fell on his red lips and she swallowed hard.


    He moved a hand to her waist and held her firmly to him. Half of his body was lying on the couch while the other half was being supported by the couch''s soft end. So Sara was practically lying on top of him, with her chest pressed to his.


    Why did she have to come here, daring him even?


    "You were saying something" He reminded softly.


    "I..." She hiccuped.


    He gave a sinister smile before he uttered a low growl "You like it when I do all of that. You are just being careful. Cause earlier..." He whispered in her ear "you were..turned on"


    Sara''s eyes bulged wider when she heard him speak. When she felt his breath on her neck "I...was..not" She denied.


    He brought his face closer to hers again, so they were looking at each other.


    "You were...so was I..."


    Sara thought closing her eyes might save her from all of these. But she couldn''t as she just stared at his lips.


    "If you want me to do it, you can ask me" Muchen teased when he noticed.


    Sara closed her eyes and took a deep breath. ''Aunt Cixi. You told me to tease him back. This was your idea, not mine'' she reminded herself before opening her eyes to see Muchen still staring intently at her.  ''Aunt..it''s your fault. It''s your fault''


    Muchen kept wondering what she was mumbling about.


    She didn''t know when her hands moved to caress his face while her lips fell on his.


    "Sara... Have you found your excitement?" She remembered Heya asking her.


    "Well, maybe..."

 Chapter 157 - Blind date.

    Muchen felt something was terribly wrong and opened his eyes. He saw Sara''s eyes wide open like she was shocked or frightened or maybe both. Even her body went stiff all of a sudden.


    She broke free from the kiss first and gasped. Trying so hard to catch her breath as she stood up abruptly.


    Muchen hurriedly stood up also and asked in worry if she was okay. But Sara didn''t say anything and just continued gasping. When she was finally able to talk, she said gently without looking at him. "I am.. really sorry Mr Li..truly..sorry" She used both hands to cover her face and sat back on the couch dejectedly.


    Muchen knew something was terribly wrong. They hadn''t even kissed long before she suddenly started behaving weirdly.


    "It''s okay" He pulled her into a hug and patted her back gently. "It''s alright. I hope you''re good"


    Sara''s head that was resting on his chest bobbed up and down slowly.


    They were suddenly interrupted by a loud knock on the door. "Big Bro, can you hear me?"


    They both recognised Heya''s voice and wondered why she sounded that way.


    "Bro.. Grandmother.. She sent some people here." Heya said as soon as the door was opened to reveal Muchen and Sara.


    "What?" His gaze turned cold as he followed her downstairs, Sara trailing behind them.


    When he got outside, he saw two big bodyguards and two maids standing in the front of his door.


    Earlier, Heya had opened the door to a knock and immediately she heard they were from her grandmother, she locked the door instantly and went to fetch Muchen.


    "What are you doing here?" Muchen asked immediately they finished greeting him.


    The oldest maid, who looked to be in her 30''s  spoke first "On your grandmother''s orders, we are to send the young mistress back to the family house."


    Muchen eyed the guards and wondered why they were here also. As if reading his thoughts, the maid explained. "They are to see Miss Wang out."


    Muchen''s expression darkened. Heya pulled Sara to her side behind Muchen.


    Sara had no idea what was going on. She knew about their grandmother being in town but since no one told her anything, she didn''t bother to ask either. ''See Miss Wang out? For what reason?''


    The sound of a ringtone stopped them all from doing or saying anything else.  The older maid answered her phone.


    "Yes.." They heard her say before handing the phone over to Muchen. "Madam Li" she informed.


    "Grandmother, what is the meaning of this?"  Muchen asked immediately he took the phone from her.


    He heard Li Sun chuckle like he had just said something amusing. "My dear grandson. I gave you two options. But you ignored it. If you agree to go on the date tomorrow, I told you I''ll let Heya and that girl stay"


    Muchen''s fist tightened around the phone. "I make my own options"  Without waiting for her to say anything else, he hung up angrily.


    He looked at his three bodyguards who guarded the front of his house and signalled for them. They had been quietly waiting for his order.


    "See them out. And be gentle. They are my grandmother''s people" He said before opening the door and ushering his two girls in.


    Whatever was happening outside was no longer his business.


    **


    "The only way you can win my grandmother is when your stubbornness matches hers." Muchen said as soon as they entered his study again. He was glad to see Sara was finally better. He sat back on the couch and welcomed Sara to join him which she did with a little reluctance.


    "It''s because of me right?" Sara asked him, looking all serious. "They wanted to send Heya back and see me out." She emphasised.


    "Don''t let it bother you" Muchen said as he moved closer to her.


    Sara tried to hide her sad expression when she said "I thought after proving to your mother then that was it. But now, I don''t really know." She stood up. She didn''t want him to think she was sad. She shouldn''t be bothered about Muchen''s family liking her. Who was she to him anyway? Even though he said he loved her, he still needed his family''s approval.


    She had only been able to prove to Jiang Dana that she was not a bad influence to Heya and those were misunderstandings. Even though Dana had not personally come to tell her that she trusted her now, Sara came to that conclusion since Dana hadn''t come for her again.


    So what happens to her when she decides to stay beside Muchen? She would have to prove to them that she was good for their son. His mother, father, grandmother. She didn''t even know how Heya would react if she found out about her feelings for Muchen. Minde didn''t like her. She wasn''t sure how Hoy felt about her even though he had helped her three times.


    "I... really have to leave now." She turned to leave but was suddenly taken by surprise when she felt Muchen give her a backhug.


    She stood still and blinked a couple of times. Trying to send the tears back home.  She was afraid that staying here a little longer would send her emotions crashing.


    "Sara please..." She heard his deep pleading voice. "When I said I loved you, I was ready for all of these." He turned her to face him.


    "I... I don''t know what to do.. I have never been in this kind of situation before. What if I suddenly meet your grandmother one day?" She asked sadly with her face looking down.


    "Just do you. Be yourself. Your real self" He said.


    "My real self?" She asked with a hint of amusement in her voice.


    Muchen got what she was saying and chuckled. "Please, whenever you meet my people, bring out your NICE real self" he emphasised on the nice which made her laugh.


    "I don''t want you looking sad" He said, pulling her into a hug.


    "Is she that frightening?" Sara asked as she hugged him back.


    "Hmm.. She is just an older version of you. But a bit dictatorial" He replied in sacarsm.


    Sara''s face contorted. "What do you mean?"


    Muchen chuckled. "Nothing." He kissed her cheek loudly when she tried to pull away from the hug.


    Luckily for her, his phone rang. When he took it and checked the caller''s ID, he said to her "It''s the nice bug. Just listen. He is going to bug me to death now" Muchen placed the phone on the speaker and left it on the table. While he pulled Sara to sit with him on the couch.


    "Bro. What''s up? You don''t even bother to check up on me. Not fair"  Minde whined.


    Muchen could imagine Minde''s pouting face.


    "What''s wrong?" Muchen asked.


    "It''s the evil queen dowager again!." Which was none other than Li Sun.


    "I was asked to evacuate this house. I have to go back home and start going to work every morning." His tone changed like he was crying "I can''t live like this."


    "You should just do as she says. You don''t want to get on her bad side"


    "Ah. I know telling you won''t be any useful.  So, you are going to the blind date tomorrow?"


    Muchen''s eyes widened when he remembered Sara was still there. He looked at her to see she was glaring at him. Muchen faked a cough and laughed. "I don''t know what you''re talking about. When are you moving to your place?" He changed the topic and tried to snatch the phone from the table but Sara gave him the ''You-won''t-dare-it'' look so he stopped and only prayed Minde would move from that topic.


    "What do you mean you don''t know? You''re going on a date with the pretty lawyer tomorrow. Or...."


    "Minde!" Muchen suddenly interrupted. "Sara is here say hello to her."  Since he didn''t get the gist directly, he only hoped Minde would get it this time.


    "Sara? She is there? Can she hear me?" Minde asked.


    "Yes" Sara was the one who answered this time.


    "Oh.. Sister-in...." Minde stuttered. Followed by an awkward laugh when Sara said "You were speaking with Mr Li about a blind date just now."


    "Me? Date? When?" He feigned ignorance. Then spoke up "Oh.. Yes.. That is..some..blind people are..having a date in his hotel. Yes, his hotel. So we just called it a blind date. And you know, he has to be there as the hotel owner" Minde lied. "Okay bye" He ended the call abruptly. Leaving Muchen to his fate.


    Muchen *facepalm*


    Sara "_"

 Chapter 158 - Trust

    "A pretty lawyer huh?" Sara asked expressionlessly while looking at the sheepish smile he was giving her. It was the kind of smile you give when you know there was trouble waiting for you.


    Muchen moved closer to her and took both her small hands in his. She didn''t pull back but continued to glare at him while acting like none of it mattered.


    He should have had a second thought before leaving the phone on speaker. Why did he forget that nothing good ever happened whenever Minde was involved. He was badluck. A very big badluck! Why didn''t he talk about how he stood up for Sara in the family meeting instead. Not only did he talk about the blind date, he even called her pretty. What pretty? He didn''t even open the envelope to see her picture and details. To show how uninterested he was.


    Muchen''s eyes were down like a child being scolded.  He felt like Sara was going to stab him with her eyes. It did frighten him. What the hell had he gotten into? He wanted to keep everything from her. Didn''t want her to worry. For example, look what happened when she realised his grandmother wanted to send her out and send Heya back.  He didn''t want those mood swings from her or anything that would make her cautious of him. But.. Was that the mistake he made? Not telling her.


    "She is not pretty" Was the only thing he could say.


    "Oh.. So you''ve seen her?" Sara asked back.


    "No!" He raised his head to deny vehemently.


    "So how do you know she is not pretty?" She questioned back. Raising a brow at him.


    Muchen was frustrated already. "That boy is an idiot. At least he should have told you it was my grandmother''s idea before hanging up."


    Sara quietly looked at him for five seconds before chuckling. She squeezed his hands gently and said softly "I figured that out already."


    Muchen looked at her with renewed admiration before he sighed in relief. "Thank God!" He exclaimed.


    "Why were you so tensed? Acting like you were caught cheating" She mocked.


    "Of course I should be. I didn''t want you to misunderstand" He answered.


    "Why? It''s none of my business" She left his hands and shrugged her shoulders to show her nonchalance.


    He cocked a brow at her. "Are you sure?"


    "Of course!" She answered immediately.


    "You are very very sure?" He asked again in a teasing tone.


    "I am very very very sure" She kept bobbed her head up and down whenever she said ''very''


    He narrowed his eyes to look at her then to her surprise, his hands moved to her waist and he began to tickle her. At first, she wanted to pretend like she didn''t feel the urge to laugh. But it wasn''t for long. She began to laugh and push his hand away but he refused.


    "Say you''re not sure and I''ll stop" He said as he continued tickling.


    Sara fell back on the couch and laughed loudly with her body moving each side as she tried to stop him but his hands were firm there.. "I.. Hahaha... I am..hahaa...not...not sure" she said in between laughter.


    He grinned in satisfaction before he stopped and helped her sit up.


    "You are crazy!" She said in amusement when she sat up and threw one of the couch''s little pillow at him.


    "I know." He winked at her and pulled her closer to him. His body relaxed on the couch while Sara sat with her back to him. His chin was on her shoulder and his arms, around her waist.


    He suddenly sighed and his voice became serious. "She gave me too options: Go on the date, then you and Heya can remain here. But if I refuse, then..." He let the words trail off. "Today was a reminder" he added.


    "That didn''t look like a reminder. I''m sure they would have done so if you hadn''t stopped them"


    "If she had really planned on doing that, she wouldn''t have sent just those two bodyguards and maids. She was only trying to remind me of a deal she made on her own."


    "Why is she in so much control and what about your parents? Can''t they do something about her?" Sara asked.


    Muchen almost laughed when he heard her. "So far, no one can do anything about her. My grandmother runs practically everything."


    ''Interesting.'' Sara thought. She liked powerful women, but this one was going to be a problem for her. She was sure of it.


    "So if you disobey her....?" She asked.


    Muchen adjusted his chin on her shoulder. Making sure he wasn''t putting too much weight on it.


    "My uncle disobeyed her¡ª Minde''s father. He is older than my dad with a year and is naturally supposed to inherit Li corporation. But, he refused to take the bride she had chosen for him. My father on the other hand, willingly agreed to marry the woman she chose since he was friends with my mother already. And probably had a crush on her."


    ''Wow'' Sara thought. "Your grandfather didn''t have a say in the decisions she made?" She asked.


    "My grandfather died really early. When my father and uncle were still young. According to what I heard, my grandparents didn''t relate with each other much. After he died, the company was at the verge of collapse since my grandfather didn''t really take it seriously. But my grandmother stood and built the company."


    These revelations really surprised Sara. There must be more to this Li Sun.


    "But you said your grandfather gifted you that painting?" She remembered to ask.


    He nodded. "It was in his will for it to be passed on to his first grandchild. And I just happened to be the lucky one" He said, feeling pleased with himself.


    Sara smiled at the statement. Then, something clicked "If you disobey her, does it mean..." She stopped and turned to face him, looking worried.


    He moved his head from her shoulder and looked at her. Instantly getting what she was thinking about.


    "Don''t think about anything." He said and pat her head gently like she was a cute puppy.


    "She has the power and shares, I guess. Can you win against her?"


    Muchen smiled warmly at her. He was glad that at least, she wasn''t trying to urge him to go on the blind date. Maybe, she did trust him to a large extent after all.


    "If I can win you over, there is no battle I can''t win." He said with confidence.

 Chapter 159 - Evil queen dowager

    Sara finally left in the evening. Leaving Muchen all bored and lonely. He had work to do so Sara had rejected his offer to drop her back home.


    He was too used to her presence now. And was beginning to understand the statement ''Marry your friend'' He couldn''t help but agree with it. Sara was more like a friend to him. He couldn''t imagine himself getting married to a stiff boring girl or someone he couldn''t be free with. Sara, was born for him.


    But, he had a bigger problem¡ª His grandmother. He thought of ways to handle that woman. To make her know he was an adult who could make decisions for himself. He was never going to let Li Sun win. Else, she would continue dictating their lives for them.


    "No appetite?" Heya who had been sitting opposite him asked since Muchen hadn''t lifted his spoon ever since he served them both dinner.


    "A lot on my mind" He admitted.


    "About Grandmother I guess?"


    Muchen nodded.


    She put down her cutlery and spoke gently to him.


    "Bro, grandmother tends to get whatever she wants. Anyhow she wants. Why don''t you just go on the date? It''s not like you can continue dating her after" She really didn''t want to go back home. Neither did she want Sara to be fired. It everything could be settled with Muchen just having a couple of drinks with a lady, then why should he just do it?


    He shook his head "I cannot do that."


    "Because of Sara?" She asked pointedly.


    "Even if Sara wasn''t involved. I cannot keep taking orders from grandmother like a little boy. If we obey her every time, this is never going to end. Trust me"


    Heya sighed deeply and took a sip from the glass of water in front of her. "What''s the deal about Bro Hoy? He likes Sara?" Heya remembered to ask.


    "I''m not sure. He won''t even dare it."


    "What if he has a crush on her?" Heya asked in full gossip mode.


    He shrugged his shoulders and spoke nonchalantly "It''s nothing new. I mean, it''s normal for any guy to have a crush on her" He remembered how guys stared at her when they strolled down the street that night. Dexi was also there killing himself. He didn''t even want to talk about that idiot, Jinyong.


    He smiled proudly since he was the one who had Sara beside him.


    Heya giggled. Then, her mood turned sour. "Just when I was planning to go back to school, Now, I have to be prepared for marriage"


    "You don''t want to get married?" Muchen asked her.


    "Of course not!" Was the answer he expected from her. And it was the same answer she gave. "I haven''t even found myself yet. I''m still trying to understand life. I can''t just jump into some kind of marriage"


    "Are you sure this doesn''t involve that Jin guy?"


    "Maybe a part" She blushed. "But, how could grandmother just ask me to stay away from him? I mean, we talk everyday and he is a nice person. I can tell."


    Muchen sighed deeply. "I''m not sure he is"


    "What do you mean?" Heya asked curiously.


    Muchen sat up properly and put down his cutlery. He contemplated telling her something but he decided against it.


    "Just be careful"


    Heya eyed him suspiciously before nodding.


    Then, a naughty smile appeared on her face.


    "So how was your time with Sara? Remember you promised to fulfil any wish of mine"


    He grinned and stood up. Taking Heya''s empty plate and his half empty place to the sink since they were both dining on the kitchen''s table. "Don''t be a gossip" He said to her.


    ***


    Aunt Cixi, Joreen, Bilike and Mr Chu all gasped in horror when the door forcefully opened to see Jianjun pulling Sara by the ear. What was going on? They had been celebrating Mr Chu''s discharge and she had offered to go buy more beer. When they noticed she wasn''t coming home, Jianjun had offered to go look for her. But now, why was he angrily pulling her by the ear?


    "Ah Brother Jun!" Cixi placed both hands on her chest as if she was having a heart attack. "What.. What are you doing to Sara?" She swiftly moved to where he was and tried to pull his hands away from Sara''s ear.


    "Aunt, save me!" Sara begged as she tried to reach for her Aunt''s hand.


    "Dad, leave Sara alone, it hurts!" Joreen chipped in when she saw Sara bending and whining in pain.


    Mr Chu and Bilike said something also. Cixi wasn''t getting any of it though. She forcefully pulled his hands away. Which caused Sara to squeal. While she hurriedly ducked to hide behind Cixi.


    "Brother Jun! How can you pull a grown up woman by her ear like that?" She scolded.


    She turned to look at Sara and cupped her face with her small hand. "Sara, are you okay? Does it hurt?" She began to blow on her red ear.


    "I told you. This girl is planning to kill all of us" He said to Cixi then pointed at Sara.


    "Jianjun. Calm down. You didn''t have to treat cute banana like a scoundrel. What did she do?"


    Sara sighed in frustration when she remembered what had happened. She had gone out to get beer. And on her way out, a car honked at her while flashing its headlight.


    When she stopped to confirm who it was, she saw an elderly woman come out from the car. She looked elegant and graceful. Wondering who this woman was and why she stopped her, Sara greeted her politely. Waiting for the woman to introduce herself. And to her shock, she heard the name, Li Sun.


    Without wasting much time or beating around the bush, Sun went straight to the point. "You must have an Inkling of what this sudden visit is all about" She said in a gentle tone that made Sara begin to wonder why they termed her ''evil''


    That was before she saw Sun scowl at her outfit. She was wearing a big polo and Jean trousers, low slipper and a messy ponytail packed hair.


    "I am Sorry Madam Li..." Sara said with a polite smile "But I have no idea why you are here" She feigned ignorance.


    "I do not want to waste much time, so I''ll let you know. Submit your resignation letter to CEO Li first thing on Monday morning." She ordered.


    Sara frowned at her words. Okay, maybe she did judge her wrongly. This woman was really an evil queen dowager. Who was she to go about giving orders to everyone.


    "If I may ask, why?" Sara asked back.


    Sun frowned at her. She already told Sara she was Li Sun! So what other reason did she need but to obey her orders?


    "I do not want you around my grandson. Or grandchildren at all. So submit your resignation letter and I''ll double the amount he was to pay you"


    Sara''s eyes turned cold. She could no longer keep the fake smile that had been plastered on her face.


    "I believe we have a deal?" It was more of a statement than a question as Sun smiled at Sara ''pleasantly'' Money always worked with paupers. She thought.


    ''"Madam Li.." Sara called as she looked pointedly at Sun. "You are mistaking something."


    "What is it?" Sun asked.


    "I...am not a Li. I am a Wang."


    Sun looked at her in confusion and a bit of anger.


    "My father always told me to respect my elders. And I respect you a lot. Because you are an elder and you are Mr Li''s grandmother. But..you are not my grandmother. So, giving orders like that to me...is totally unacceptable!"

 Chapter 160 - Psycho girl

    Changyu''s face turned sour when she noticed what was happening in her parent''s mansion.


    "They must be having a party" Her PA announced.


    Changyu''s eyes darkened. She understood it perfectly. Since she hadn''t paid them a visit ever since she came to the country, they must be trying to seize this opportunity by having a party and telling everyone she was going to be present.


    "Let them know that if they do not throw everyone out in five minutes, I''ll do so myself" She said with an expressionless face.


    Her PA nodded before she left the car to the mansion.


    ***


    "Wh...what?" Sun shone her eyes in disbelieve. Did Sara just tell her that whatever she said was unacceptable?


    Sara did not say anything but just stared back at her. She had already said her piece so what next?


    "Did..you just say it is unacceptable to tell you what to do?"


    "Yes ma." Sara responded with a polite smile.


    The elderly maid who was standing behind Sun could not believe her ears. It was the first time someone ever challenged Madam Li. And it was really a new sight for them; including the driver


    "Do you know who you are talking to?" Sun asked exasperatedly.


    Sara''s fisted hands relaxed. "I am sorry madam Li if I sounded rude to you. Mr Li employed me. If he no longer needs my services, he can fire me anytime."


    "So.. you are saying if he doesn''t fire you, you won''t leave?" She asked in annoyance.


    "Yes Madam Li" Sara bowed politely, causing Sun to scoff in annoyance.


    "You want to act like you do not know the reason I want you far from him? Isn''t there more to it than just being his employee?"


    Sara''s lips pursed. "I am dedicated to my job. I put in enough effort to make Heya look the way she wants" She answered.


    Madam Li sneered at her. "Tell me the truth. It is his money you want right? You can''t possibly tell me you love him" She jeered her.


    Sara was beginning to get annoyed. She had to stay there regardless.


    Sun was older and was Mr Li''s grandmother. So she had to swallow everything no matter what.


    "I do not want any money aside from my salary." Sara replied smoothly.


    "Nonsense! You dare play around with me?" Sun blew up. What a daredevil she was. Annoying her to the bones.


    "Madam Li.. I was on my own. Living very fine on my own. Your grandson came into my life and seduced me first. Now, I fell for him. If there is anyone to blame, it should be him. It was his fault." The words that came out from her own mouth surprised her as much as it did Sun.


    "What!? He...seduced you?" She had never heard such an annoying joke in her entire life.


    "You are asking me to scold him instead?"


    Sara was also confused at herself and what she was saying. But she could only bob her head up and down "Yes Madam Li."


    "Are you out of your mind?" Sun yelled at her before massaged her temples. "Madam Li are you okay?" The elderly maid asked her in worry but Sun ignored her.


    She could feel a headache coming. Never in her life has she been challenged like this.


    "Do you know I can wipe off your entire family this minute?" Sun threatened in anger.


    Sara thought it was the only thing they could do. More like ''If you can''t win them, threatened them with their family''


    Muchen was doing his best to fight her off. She didn''t want to be the first to give up. She wasn''t a loser.


    "I''ll only stick with him more if you do anything to my family."


    Sun sighed in frustration. She felt weak all of a sudden. ''What kind of girl is this?'' She wondered


    "The thing is..." She retorted for negotiation. "You are not fit for him."


    "I am!" Sara shot back. "How are the other girls better than me? I am really pretty, I am currently learning how to cook, I am intelligent and I have a good job. So what is wrong with me?" Sara asked calmly.


    Of course, she couldn''t see anything wring with her since her family always made her feel special. Or..was it because her family didn''t have enough money? But, was there anything like ''enough money?''


    Sun would have laughed if she wasn''t so angry. Where those the qualifications for being with her grandson?


    "Yes, you have all of that." She said in scorn. "But you are mysterious. Your entire family is. Not only can I not get any information on your family, I can''t find some things about you. Your Aunt even got pregnant out of wedlock." Sun listed.


    Sara was taken aback. This woman did a background check on her? She tried to control her eyes from revealing her shock.


    "You even dated Mo Jinyong. I don''t want shame in my family. Imagine people saying my grandson is having the Mo family''s leftover." Sun spread out her palm in a ''you see'' gesture.


    Sara clenched her fist again and bit her lower lip to the point where she almost drew out blood. "No one is perfect" she managed to say. Trying hard not to show Sun her weak side.


    ''The only way you can win her is if your stubbornness matches hers'' she remembered Muchen''s words.


    "Everyone makes mistakes. Haven''t you made any mistake before?" Sara asked.


    Sun''s eyes twitched a little at her words but she remained calm. "I do not want any more mistakes in my family." She said gently this time.


    "I...am not..a bad person" Sara said with eyes brimming with unshed tears.


    "Then why is everything so mysterious? Look dear, I can no longer have this conversation with you. You will stay away from my grandson or else...." Sun searched her brain for what else to use in threatening this stubborn girl. Sara also patiently waited for the threat.


    "Else, they''ll be a board meeting soon to determine the next CEO of Li corporation." Sun smirked.


    Sara panicked. What kind of woman is this? She was more stubborn than she thought.


    Did it mean Muchen would stop being the CEO because of her?


    She was still determine to not let Sun win.


    "Your family will lose then" Sara answered.


    "Mr Li is a good CEO who has taken Li corporation to great heights. It will do more damage to the company if you suddenly change him. Don''t you agree?" Sara asked, looking straight at Sun who had the look like she was going to strangle her any moment.


    Sara shuddered slightly when she saw her look. But it still didn''t stop her.  "I am really sorry if you think I am rude." Sara apologised with a bow before adding "And Madam Li...you look prettier when you''re not glaring at me" Sara grinned at her.


    Madam Li scoffed in disbelieve before getting on the car. This psycho girl just gave her a migraine.


    **


    Changyu joined her family in front of the mansion. Everyone had left according to her order but her sister, niece and brother in law were still waiting for her outside with her parents.


    "What is the meaning of this?" Her mother angrily asked her.


    Changyu politely greeted her brother in law before she spoke. "I was here to speak with you not party. Let''s go in."


    She looked at her sister "I''ll see you another day" she was obviously telling her that she was not needed in the meeting.


    "Do you know the kind of embarrassment you''ve brought on this family?" Her father asked immediately they entered the sitting room.


    "You brought it upon yourselves." She said expressionlessly.


    "Changyu! Do not be disrespectful to your father" Her mother scolded.


    Changyu ignored them and went straight to the point.


    "Let me ask, twenty six years ago, what did you do with the Wang family?"


    The parents looked at each other, wondering where this sudden question was coming from.


    "What are you talking about?" Her mother angrily asked first.


    "I am not in the mood to beat around the bush!" Changyu spoke angrily in a loud voice. "That time, when you locked me up and treated me like an animal, what did you do with the Wangs?"

 Chapter 161 - Stubborn

    "Oh my goodness!" Cixi exclaimed after Sara stopped narrating her encounter with Madam Li Sun. "No wonder your father was so angry."


    She looked at the direction of the bedroom''s door. Jianjun probably speaking with Mr Chu in his room. Bilike and Joreen were both in the sitting room while Cixi had urged Sara to give her the full gist.


    "He is really angry right?" Sara pouted.


    Cixi thought this was the very reason why Jianjun didn''t want Sara to be with Muchen ''for a while'' like she claimed. Sara was never going to let go now. And it was going to be a big problem for all of them.


    "How did he meet you? I mean, your father" Cixi asked curiously.


    "I don''t know how much he heard. But the moment Madam Li''s car drove off, he suddenly appeared and pulled me by the ear" She used her hands to rub her left ear which was still red.


    "But.. who does she think she is to threaten you?" Cixi could not help being angry. She even went as far as threatening Sara with their family.


    Sara eyed her. "Don''t talk bad about Mr Li''s grandmother" She said to her aunt.


    Cixi looked at her in suprised before shaking her head. Sara Wang was completely gone!


    "But you do not like her right?" Cixi asked.


    Sara shook her head. "I never said that. How could I possibly be mad at Mr Li''s grandmother" A smile formed on her face.


    **


    "Of all the girls to fall in love with, he chose that girl?" Sun whined in disbelieve as the car drove down the streets of city B.


    "She is weird" Her maid commented as she tried to stifle a laugh.


    "I really do have a migraine now." Sun said before nonchalantly opening a can of drink beside her and quickly took a gulp in annoyance.


    When Sun saw the suprised look her maid was giving her through her eye corner, she looked at the can again before almost choking on it.


    When she entered the car, Sara had handed her the drink, telling her to have it and take good care of her health so she would live for a very long time because she liked her pretty face.


    "How brazen" Sun scoffed when she remembered and quickly wound down the window to toss it out.


    "What are you going to do now? I am not sure she takes your threats seriously" Her maid commented.


    Sun sighed deeply. She was feeling really weak and tired now. Sara had sucked out her entire energy.


    "All Sara''s do have a knack for pissing me off." She closed her eyes and didn''t speak further until she was able to stabilize her breath.


    "She is..so stubborn" Sun said softly without opening her eyes. "I don''t even know what to threaten that crazy girl with any more."


    "She must really love CEO Li" Her maid chipped in. Although Sara was weird and mysterious, she was adorable.


    Sun kept shut and said nothing until they got home.


    **


    "You think I cannot find out any information if I want to?" Changyu asked angrily.


    Both her parents eyes twitched and they both looked at each other when they heard her.


    "Changyu. You have been out of this country for many years. We even came to visit you many times but you did not humble yourself to see us. Now, you are here. Why are you suddenly raising irrelevant issues?" Her father asked angrily.


    She looked at her elderly father who was sitting on the couch with his stick beside him. His head was bald in the middle while the rest left were all grey. His face looked hard like someone who had never smiled in his entire life.


    Her mother was standing in between them, trying to smoothen the situation.


    Changyu placed a call to her PA who was waiting outside.


    "Leave now. Search for every hidden information on how my family is related with the Wang''s case few years back." She looked at her parents to make sure they heard her clearly.


    "My people are very efficient." She said.


    Her PA had not checked on the entire family back then. She had only done a little background check on Sara and believed she could easily get any information if she put her mind to it. And now that she was ready for it, nothing was going to stop her.


    "If she tells me first. And I find out that you did something...you know what I am capable of doing" She threatened. "So I am giving you the chance of letting me know first. Are you telling me first or should she?" She asked. Giving them an option to choose. It was the least she could do for the parents she hated so much.


    "Changyu, calm down. We didn''t really do anything.. We were only worried about you" Her mother was the first to fall.


    Her father said nothing and threw his face to the side like none of it was his business.


    "Worried about me?" Changyu sat on the couch opposite her father and crossed her arms around her chest. "You did something then?" She tried to control her emotion when she asked. She only prayed it wasn''t as bad as she imagined. She hoped it wasn''t.


    "Why are you getting angry?" Her father suddenly blew up at her. Causing her mother to jolt in shock.


    "Do I have any reason not to get angry?" Changyu retorted back. "You call yourself my parents? Really?"


    "Changyu what are you saying. If we are not your parents. Who is?" Her mother asked.


    "Leave her alone! This is how she treats her parents after refusing to meet them in years."


    "Oh judge of Israel!" Changyu mocked, clapping once. "This is how you treat your daughter also? You should have been so excited that you would even collapsed in joy because I am here. But no! You organised a party."


    She then spoke calmly "You know why?" She looked at her mother and then her father. "I am the god of this family. If not for me. Do you think you would be anything? This family would have been dead a long time ago. So every morning when you wake up, you should be thankful that I am still bearing the ''Song'' name. It''s my last gift to you since I do not consider you both as my parents."


    "Song Changyu! How dare you talk to your father in such rude manner?"


    "I was referring to the both of you Madam Song. Now, I want the full details of what happened. And I want to hear it this moment"


    They both knew what their daughter was like when she got angry. Her name alone brought power and influence to the Song family. So they had no choice but to spill the beans.

 Chapter 162 - A trip to the past

    Cixi''s little head peered inside the busy kitchen as her eyes went round as if she was searching for something. When she finally spoted what she was searching for, she smiled broadly before trying to make different signals for Changyu to see her. But no matter what she did, she couldn''t get her attention. She didn''t want to go in because her parents and brother were in there and she would be in big trouble if they caught her.


    Changyu was busy taking instructions from her mother so she didn''t look towards the door at all.


    "What are you doing?" The youthful Mr Park asked behind her which got her startled. "Park Bun. You scared me."


    "Why are you peeking?"


    Cixi avoided his question. "Thank God you are here. Hurry, help me call Changyu"


    "What are you silly girls up to this time?" He asked inquisitively. Changyu and Cixi had only known each other for a month. But they''ve been terrors to all of them.


    "Nothing. Just call her"


    He looked at the bag she was holding curiously so she hid the bag behind her when she saw his eyes on it.


    He narrowed his eyes to look at her before giving her the ''I am watching you'' sign. Then, he entered the kitchen.


    Few minutes later, Changyu came out and excitedly held Cixi''s hand. "Did you bring it?"


    Cixi raised the nylon bag to show her it was in there. After Changyu looked inside, she excitedly hugged Cixi.


    "Wait girl. Where is it?" Cixi opened her hands wide and threw her face to the corner.


    Changyu looked at both sides, making sure no one was coming before placing her hand inside her trouser pocket under her apron, and pulled out five notes of cash. "Here you go"


    She handed it over to Cixi while Cixi handed her the bag in return.


    FEW DAYS BACK


    "I will count to three. You better leave her now that I am still being nice" Cixi said.


    The three teen boys looked at the ''geek'' talking to them. She wore a eyeglass, a big tee-shirt, and a pencil jean trousers. Her hair was in a messy ponytail also.


    "Cixi, what are you doing here? Hurry, go call brother Jun" The young Changyu urged her since the restaurant wasn''t far from there and Jianjun was there.


    One of the boys holding her let go of her hand and walked closer to Cixi. "You''ve got some nerves baby girl" He said before using a finger to push her head backwards. Cixi glared at him angrily before using her index finger to do the same to him. Who was he calling baby girl?


    When he angrily tried to hit her, she used her knee to deliver a fatal low blow in his ''sacred region'' causing him to wail in pain.


    While trying to attack Cixi, the other boys let go of Changyu. Cixi smiled when she saw this. She quickly dodged their attack, took Changyu''s hands and told her to run.


    ***


    "Thank you" Changyu said, trying to catch her breath when they got to the front of the restaurant.


    Cixi laughed in excitement. "That was fun" She flashed her entire white teeth in happiness.


    "Weren''t you scared?" Changyu asked. Although, she had planned it with the boys to hold her. So that when Cixi met her there as planned, she would call Jianjun to come save her since she didn''t know how else to get her attention. But who would have thought everything would turn into a mess when he tried to hit her? She was going to give that idiot a proper scolding for messing everything up.


    "Truthfully, I was." Cixi answered "But I was also excited. Not everyday can one have fun. By the way, what did they want?"


    "Money obviously. I didn''t have any on me so they asked me to take off my clothes instead. Saying they would sell it off" Changyu lied smoothly. Maybe if Cixi told that to her brother, he would get angry because someone else almost saw his property (Someone is delusional. Lol)


    Cixi ran her eyes over it. "They probably would have sold it for a good price" She said nonchalantly. "Too bad." She sighed "They should be the same age as us and should be in school or doing something meaningful."


    Changyu also faked a sigh before dropping the topic to ask.


    "Why are you dressed like this again? Thought Mrs Wang forbade you from dressing this way?"


    Cixi giggled "Looking this way makes me feel serious. Wearing designer wears every time might get me into trouble just like what happened to ¡ª"


    "Wait" Changyu interrupted. "Is that brother Jun''s shirt you are wearing?"  She knew most times, Cixi wore big shirts but this one looked especially big and familiar.


    Cixi nodded and whispered "I stole it from his wardrobe" She couldn''t wait to see the look of horror he would give her when she entered inside the restaurant.


    To her shock, Changyu hugged her and started sniffling the shirt.


    "Hey stop! You''re embarrassing me. People are looking at us." Cixi said, feeling embarrassed when she saw the curious glances people were giving them.


    "Sell me this shirt" Changyu pulled a way from the hug to plead.


    And.. that was when the silly thought popped into her head to start taking her brother''s clothes.


    ***


    "What are you doing here instead of being in the kitchen?" Jianjun''s cold voice asked as he opened the kitchen door to see Changyu with his mischievous younger sister. Other than being a bookworm, she can also be a devil sometimes.


    On impulse, Changyu first hid the bag behind her. And it got his attention as he tried getting a glimpse of it from behind her.


    "What are you hiding?" He asked and tried to take the bag from her.

 Chapter 163 - This is exciting

    Cixi jumped in between them to stop Jianjun from reaching the bag.


    "Brother Jun. What do you think you are trying to do?"


    "I only want to check the reason she left the kitchen when she still have enough work to do" He replied smoothly.


    Changyu panicked. She didn''t want Jianjun to see that it was his shirt that was inside. How was she going to explain it to him?


    She was so tempted to have it because she liked his scent. Since they both were his Mother''s apprentice, they were usually busy together in the kitchen. That was when she came to like his scent. Despite the food aroma around, his (scent) satisfied her more.


    But then, he never gave her his attention. More like, he was never interested in talking to her even. Things got worse when Jin Helene began to work in the kitchen with them. She was so friendly and adorable that he always spoke with Helene and not her. She had even enrolled to be an apprentice despite her hating how to cook, just so they would be together since they were destined for each other yet, nothing work. Not even her pretty face or nice personality worked. Why exactly did he not like her?


    She looked at him with pouty lips and a sad expression. ''Stupid blind man'' she cussed him.


    "It''s girls stuff" Cixi blurted out.


    When Jianjun gave her a confused look, she went on to say.


    "You know, that thing with the wing and all that girls do use. That is it. She needs it urgently"


    Jianjun''s cheeks flushed in embarrassment when he got what she was trying to say. He cleared his throat awkwardly and pushed Cixi aside so he could see Changyu.


    "Just hurry up and come in." He said gently before taking large strides back to the kitchen.


    Cixi sighed in relief and smiled proudly at herself before turning to look at the absentminded Changyu.


    She seemed to not have heard any of their conversation and just stared at his back till he entered inside the kitchen.


    "Stop oogling already." Cixi slapped her arm lightly.


    "Do you think he hates me?" Changyu suddenly asked out of the blue.


    Cixi didn''t know how to answer. Her brother was quite difficult to read. But sometimes, she did feel maybe he had a thing for Changyu but he was really good at concealing his emotions so she couldn''t tell.


    **


    After hiding the shirt in her locker, she went back to the kitchen and apologised for not coming back on time. She had told them she was going to the restroom. But the time she spent was quite long.


    "Mrs Wang. I''m Sorry." She apologised respectfully.


    "No worries my dear. Jianjun said you had an emergency you had to take care of. Are you done with it?" Mrs Wang asked in concern.


    "Brother Jun said so?" She turned to look at Jianjun who was busy kneading a dough on the other table and acting like none of it was his business.


    "Yes. I took care of it well" She said to Mrs Wang before meeting Jianjun.


    "Thank you" She said with a smile.


    "For what?" Jianjun asked. His focus still on the dough.


    For what exactly? She asked herself also. She didn''t know why he told Mrs Wang that. In fact, she didn''t know what Cixi had told him.


    "Nothing really" She still flashed him a smile even though he wasn''t looking at her.


    "Do you feel uncomfortable? You could take permission and go rest at home" He spoke with his attention still on the dough.


    Changyu was focused more on his biceps as he kept kneading the dough. Thankfully, there wasn''t any work for her now so she had to fill her eyes a bit.


    Mrs Wang chuckled when she saw looked at the both of them and decided against calling Changyu to chop some vegetables for her.


    "Uncomfortable? I am okay." She said. ''Does he worry about me?'' The thought excited her.


    He nodded nonchalantly. Totally ignoring her again which caused her to pout.


    She had no idea what crazy thing possessed her. Because before she could think straight, she felt her hands on his biceps. He got startled and for the first time, he raised his head to look at her.


    When Changyu saw the suprise look he gave her, she came to her senses immediately and quickly pulled her hand back, taking a few steps back in horror.


    She had no idea one of the waiters had come to take an order and she accidentally bumped into him. Causing the tray he was holding to fall to the ground and the hot soup, spilling on her body and the waiter''s also.


    She felt the burn on her hand, the stains were also on her apron and shoe but she couldn''t feel the burn on her body or legs since they were well protected.


    "Ouch" she squealed in pain and used her unburned hand to cover her burned hand. She had no idea what to do in this situation.


    Before she knew what was happening, she felt a large hand pull her by her arm and took large strides to a nearby sink to place her hand under the running tap.


    "I am sorry. I am so very sorry." She looked over her shoulders to apologize to the waiter and everyone there. Thankfully, the waiter wasn''t hurt at all.


    The familiar scent of the person beside her registered something on her brain. Then, ever so slowly, she lifted her head to look at the dashing face that appeared in her dreams every night.


    She looked at him with starry-eyes, not minding whether the others were looking at the both of them or not.


    He also looked down, meeting her gaze. His expression was soft and somehow, he looked..worried? She didn''t know how to interpret it but she couldn''t help asking herself "Is he worried about me?"


    "You should have been careful. Does it hurt a lot?" He asked softly.


    Changyu just looked at him with love-eyes as she wondered whether she had to be burning herself to always have his attention. This was exciting!


    Helene looked at the both of them from her corner with a bitter expression before taking permission to go use the restroom.

 Chapter 164 - Hidden love

    "She is okay. It was only a minor burn and would heal soon" The doctor told a worried looking Jianjun.


    He had volunteered to take her to the hospital himself.  ''Why did the waiter have to move at that time?'' He couldn''t help feeling sad for Changyu because it was his fault. He had really been startled when her soft hands touched his arm unexpectedly. If he hadn''t reacted that way, she wouldn''t have been hurt. He was aware she had a delicate skin which always looked for an excuse to sore or cut. Getting burned, he couldn''t imagine how much pain she was going through right now. Especially as it was that time of the month for her.


    He looked at the direction where she was currently sitting. He didn''t want to be there. He didn''t want to see her in pain while she got treated. So he had decided to sit far instead. She looked slightly pale. But still obviously very pretty like he had always known her to be.


    His lips curved slightly when he heard her call his name and waved at his direction with a smile on her face.


    It was the first time he was seeing her look a bit disheveled since she was always looking very pretty and tidy whenever he saw her.


    She always gave him a positive energy and he liked being around her. Earlier, he had been worried since she left the kitchen to use the restroom just like she had told his mother. But, she wasn''t coming back in. He could no longer concentrate and decide to go look for her instead. What if she was in trouble or hurt? A lot of silly ideas went through his mind even though he couldn''t possibly see any danger she may encounter by only using the next two doors outside the kitchen door.


    His smile faded soon enough when he remembered that she was never going to be his. He had heard her telling Cixi about her losing her fiance and how she still missed him. She had also said something about how her parents had already chosen a new groom for her. He went away when he heard up to that part. He didn''t want to hear anymore about it.


    He remembered the first day he saw her at the restaurant speaking with his mother. His heartbeat had stopped for that second and then, it began to race. He tried not to look at her and only focus on his mother.


    He had contemplated trying a couple of times. He wanted to ask her out. Tell her he loved her. Tell her he wanted to be the one she would look at for the rest of his life. Tell her it hurt him a lot whenever she talked about her ex-fiance. But what if she didn''t like him back?


    What if she had no such affection for him?


    He had never had a girlfriend or female friend that he was very close with. Well, except his crazy sister, Cixi. So he didn''t know much about how girls reacted. Most girls that had been close to him in school, had the same reaction Helene and Changyu gave him. So he naturally assumed that all girls were like that. They always smiled politely, looked at him with nice eyes and offered him assistance even when he didn''t need their help.


    What is Changyu didn''t like him and it was just her nature to be nice? Besides, she already had a prospective groom her parents had already arranged right?"


    He came back to his senses and moved closer to her. "How do you feel now?" He tried to act nonchalant when he asked.


    "Better. Thank you" She replied with a blush.


    He wondered why girls easily got embarrassed. What was there to be embarrassed about getting burned?


    (I guess we all can see where Sara got her low EQ from. Man must have done some upgrade in the future. Lol)


    "I''m not sure you can work in the kitchen this period. You should rest at home" He said.


    Changyu frowned. Did he want to get rid of her that much? One time he had seen her making a call with a male friend of hers and had shouted at her to just quit if she was going to continue being unserious.


    "What''s with the look? Are you still hurt?" He asked in concern.


    She wanted to ask whether he hated her so much. But seeing his look of concern now, she changed her mind. "Are you worried about me?" She asked instead.


    Jianjun cleared his throat awkwardly since the question took him by surprise.


    "Of course... There is going to be too much chores for me to do by myself. So you have to get better soon and join me in the kitchen" He said expressionlessly, causing her to pout.


    ****


    DEAR READERS,


    I am writing it here since most readers do not read the author''s note.


    I want to appeal to you all.


    I saw something an author posted and I couldn''t help but agree. It takes up to two hours for a author to write down a chapter. After reading, you could leave a comment. Not only does it help us know what you think, it also helps us know how to progress. I got the statistic of the number of people who unlocked a chapter. But I was really surprised since the comments were not up to one quarter of the percentage.


    Please, do well to drop a comment.


    You all have been wonderful. The votes, comments, reviews, gifts and all. I really do appreciate it all. I''ve come this far because of all of you. As for the typos, I''m currently editing the reviously updated chapters. Sorry to you all who read it that way.


    **


    I intent to keep this ''past arc'' short. I don''t want to drag it since I already mentioned this is not going to be more than 300 chapters.


    So do well to leave your suggestions. I''ll be updating another chapter later today again just like I did yesterday.


    Thanks to you all once again.

 Chapter 165 - I will take the fall

    Days passed yet, there was no improvement in Changyu and Jianjun''s relationship as she had imagined. She had been thinking after their little hospital trip, he would become nicer and speak with her more often. But everything went back to normal.


    Cixi had even helped her a couple of times to be left alone with him after work hours. Yet, he never appeared.


    ''It must be because of that Helene''. Why did Helene have to take away all of his attention?


    She thought Helene was pretty also. She didn''t look down on her even though Helene didn''t have a family. She did see her as a worthy opponent.


    No matter what, Jianjun was the love of her life and she was never going to let another woman have him!


    She didn''t even want to think about the crazy plan her parents were making to marry her off to someone else.


    It was nothing new that her parents didn''t care about her. Just three years after he betrothed died, and she could not count the number of times her parents had sent her on a blind date and later changed their mind when they saw someone from a better family. They kept pushing her back and forth every single time like she was some irrelevant doll. Times like this, she envied her younger sister who didn''t have to live like her.. Well, yet!


    Her parents were all about money, power, business etc. They also liked to show off unnecessarily. The Songs were not number one in the Socialite echelon then but they were known to be ruthless and powerful.


    So, she had specifically hidden that information from the Wangs and everyone at the restaurant. If they knew she was their daughter, they might begin to treat her with fear and maybe, unnecessary respect and she didn''t want any of that.


    No matter what, she still decided to take matters into her own hands and follow her heart instead of her family''s greed. If Jianjun refused to love her, she was never going to get married to anyone!


    But her parents were still one big obstacle for her. Especially now that they were trying to marry her off to the contesting governor''s son.


    They kept monitoring her every second and kept reminding her every half a second not to make any mistakes or do any funny thing because she was going to be officially meeting her prospective groom''s family once her father-in-law to-be won the election as the governor of their region.


    There was no doubt he was going to win the election since her family and a lot others also supported him.


    After her high school, the plan was to prepare her to ''become a perfect wife'' for a year before sending her off to college. Since her mother was always busy, she didn''t know how to do any chores. Well, why did she have to? It''s not like her mother did any either. They were all left to the maids.


    But once the idea was raised, she happily leeched on the idea, saying she wanted to learn how to cook first since she had seen Jianjun the previous week when she was speaking with his mother. They had taken her suggestion and agreed to enrol her on a three months culinary course since she specifically told them she didn''t want to learn from the maids, rather, she wanted to learn it professionally.


    After the three months, she would take another course on something else related to her ''wifely'' duties.


    But now, to her parents, it seemed she wasn''t doing what they asked her to do and was busy doing something else instead. They had been noticing her funny movements and her eagerness to always go to the restaurant. "I like the scent in the kitchen" was the excuse she ways gave to them as the reason for her over excitement.


    Now, she had to walk on eggshells every second. But it was none of her business. She was going to have Jianjun no matter what.


    So the plan was set in motion. Tonight was the night. She was going to leave the house no matter what. Since her closing time was usually around 6pm, she could only guess Jianjun was still at the restaurant helping out. She''d heard from Cixi that he usually returned late or doesn''t even return home sometimes and just spends the night at the restaurant.


    "Are they asleep yet?" Changyu asked her elderly maid the moment she entered her room to hand her her night wear.


    "Young miss, where are you going to by this time of the night?" She asked nervously when she saw Changyu all dolled up. She looked at the wall clock. It was already past 11pm and no one was supposed to go out, especially her! This was the time she had to be extra careful since she was soon going to be the governor''s daughter-in-law.


    "Aunt. Just let me go out okay? I won''t waste time." She tried to talk her into agreeing.


    "What if you get caught? We would both be in deep soup" she said, still looking all tensed.


    "I will take the fall. But you don''t have to be pessimistic, I won''t get caught. I already settled everything with the people at the gate and the driver. I only need your assistance so the maids and bodyguards won''t be able to see me. Please Aunt help me this once will you?"


    Changyu held her hands and pouted sadly as she tried to cajole her into agreeing. She knew her maid liked her so much. She had practically raised her up instead of her own mother so it was always easy to have her way since she knew the maid would somehow agree to her wish.


    Her maid sighed deeply before whispering. There was no one else in the room but she couldn''t take any chances with the ones moving outside. "You want to go see that boy? Why can''t you just wait till tomorrow?"


    Changyu shook her head. "I''m sure Helene must have gone to the orphanage now so she won''t be there besides, tomorrow is sunday. You know I do not go to the restaurant"


    After much pleading and convincing, her maid finally agreed to help her.

 Chapter 166 - Orphanage

    The restaurant wasn''t meant to run for 24hours. Once it was 12am, the whole family left for home. But most times, Jianjun stayed back in the kitchen practicing.


    His parents loved each other dearly but they were each other''s kitchen rival. They always wanted to out do the other to show who the boss was. And a better way to show that was in the ability and performance of their apparentice to adapt and perform well within a specific period before a contest would be held against both sides to determine who the best chef and coach was. Mr Kang or Mrs Kang?


    Jianjun''s partner was obviously Changyu since she was also his mother''s apprentice just like he was.


    He knew she liked the kitchen to an extent and didn''t want her to stress herself too much when it was time for the contest. So he had to properly learn everything for the both of them. And when she had the time, he would put her through thoroughly.


    His Father''s side had Mr Park and Helene. Helene was also a diligent young lady. One reason why his father liked her so much. Mr Park was also too serious. Jianjun was surprised he wasn''t in the kitchen tonight also.


    "You''re still here?" He asked in surprise when he saw Helene walk inside the kitchen. It was past 12 in the morning already and everyone had left the restaurant. He thought he was the only one left but what was she still doing here?


    "I just returned from the orphanage. Knew you were going to be in here. You''re not the only one who wants to win" She said accusingly.


    He chortled and continued chopping vegetables.


    "I don''t know why they allow this" she said referring to the fact that he could still practice when the restaurant was closed. "It''s cheating. Don''t you think so?"


    She flashed her beautiful dentition at him.


    She was petite. Had a long black hair. Her black round eyes twinkled as she smiled at him. Her nose, lips, everything suited her. Nothing was too big or too small. It was all in the right proportion. She was wearing a black knee length gown whose bottom flared about. And a black jean jacket with a black boot.


    "It isn''t." He answered. "Weren''t you told that we could all practice all we want and whenever we want? If you''re lazy, then it''s fine. Gives me a upper hand you know." He winked at her.


    She took off her jacket and neatly placed it on a chair before moving closer to where he was.


    "Let''s see..." She looked at the vegetables he was chopping. "What are you making this time? Let me guess, stir fried tofu?"


    He have her a thumbs up in response.


    "You really meant it when you said you were going to make it just like Mr Wang" it was more of a statement than a question.


    He nodded. "How are the kids at the orphanage?" He changed the topic to ask.


    A smile spread across Helene''s face.


    "They are good. Too lovely" she said.


    "You must have perched in your little corner to watch the orphanage from afar like you usually do before coming here. Right? You like the building that much?" He asked. He had always been curious since the first time she took him there to show him her little hideout opposite the orphanage. There were many trees and flowers that blocked others from seeing her but she on the other hand, could easily see the building. The location of the orphanage was also a bit isolated. So he always wondered why she went there frequently and sometimes, just sit in her hideout to watch from afar.


    She exhaled sharply with a smile still on. "I haven''t told you this before.. But, you know, I grew up there." She paused to gauge his reaction but saw nothing strange except slight surprise so she continued.


    "Your parents are aware of it. I didn''t know who my parents were or how I got there when I was a baby. The place was like my home. A home with many siblings and elders."


    He looked at her sadly "I thought you only went there because you liked the children" It was what he had always thought. He hadn''t bothered to ask her since he liked to mind his business.


    "Nah. There was more to it. You know, my health was never the best right from when I was a baby so it was difficult for me to get adopted. And at a point, it became impossible. I had to live with that¡ª The fact that my family was always going to change. Have a friend today and tomorrow, she gets adopted leaving you there. It was an endless circle of torture for a younger me" She forced a smile and stretched her limbs. "But I''m all grown up now."


    "You are only still twenty." He reminded her sadly.


    "I''ve gone past all of those struggles. Thanks to Mr Kang. I can now do something I love. It''s a debt I will repay for the rest of my life." She said.


    "So you really feel better now?" He asked.


    "Of course" She smiled widely. "Now, it gives me strength. Going there to see beautiful kids. There''s this girl I love so much. Her name is Esther. She''s 5. So smart and adorable. When you agree to go with me to the orphanage, I''ll show her to you." She said.


    She had been trying to get him to go with her to visit at least once whenever she did but he always gave an excuse. She was able to deduce from it that he didn''t like kids that much.


    "I''ll follow one day. I''m just scared of having a migraine after paying a visit. Kids are too noisy." He complained.


    "So you don''t wish to ever have one?" She asked curiously.


    "Ermm.." He thought about if it for a while. "I do not know. If I want to have at all, then just one. I''ll love to have a daughter. Sons are too stubborn and disobedient. Girls are adorable and always listen to their parents. I don''t know where my sister came from though."


    He really didn''t want a daughter like his sister. "I want a nice, pretty and delicate obedient daughter."


    (Future Sara--> Sorry papa ????????)

 Chapter 167 - Déjà vu

    Changyu watched the both of them converse happily. So this was what went on behind her back every night? Helene had told her she was going to have a fair fight with her for Jianjun''s affection. So this was the fair fight? Happily having a conversation with him in the middle of the night?


    But wait, why was she here also? Was it not for the same reason.


    She remembered the saying ''All is fair in love and war''.


    She took light steps inside the kitchen to where they both were speaking. She was never going to go back. It would only give Helene more opportunity in flirting with her man.


    Jianjun''s eyes shone when he saw her and mistakenly cut his finger with the knife he was using to chop a onion.


    It was Changyu''s turn to widen her eyes when she caught sight of the blood.


    Before Helene could attend to him or say anything, Changyu moved past her to meet Jianjun.


    "I am so sorry. You must be really hurt" She wrapped her small hand around his wrist to take a proper look at it. "Let''s go to the hospital" She said gently before pulling him with her.


    Hospital? Jianjun wondered. What for? This was only a minor cut and only a little blood spilled. He looked down at her hand that was wrapped around his wrist as he willingly followed her out. He was totally short of words.


    That moment, he remembered someone else was there so he looked over his shoulder to signal for Helene to help with the ingredients. Changyu didn''t even bother to acknowledge her and just quickened her pace.


    Helene gave a simple smile and nodded, indicating she would handle it.


    *


    "What are you doing here?" He asked gently as she treated his wound.


    He was able to convince her to use the first aid tools in the restaurant''s sick bay instead of going to the hospital. It was late and he didn''t want her to be wandering about the city. It was no safe place for a young delicate lady like herself.


    The problem was, she didn''t know how to administer a first aid treatment. After showing and teaching her what to do, she was able to get it and help him.


    "I came to see someone" She replied without raising her head from his hand.


    "Who?" He asked curiously. He didn''t like the idea of her going out to see someone by this time. He didn''t like the idea of her going to see someone at all. Especially if it was a guy.


    "Why do you care who?" She asked with an angry tone. Still not looking at him. How dare he cheat on her with Helene?


    Despite the fact that she was angry, she still took great care in disinfecting his wound not to cause him pain.


    She didn''t care what anyone thought. To her, she was already in a relationship with Jianjun. She was only waiting for him to join her in it.


    "You sound annoyed. Did someone annoy you?" He asked in concern.


    "You''re all clean now." She said before arranging back the first aid box.


    "Changyu." Jianjun called her.


    She saw the look of concern he gave her.


    Of course, he felt something was wrong. She was really not her usual nice self.


    "You must really like Helene" She managed to say. Trying her best to sound unhurt.


    He gave her a confused look. Like Helene? Why this sudden question out of the blue?


    "Am I wrong?" She asked in am accusing tone.


    "No... I mean.. Yes" He had not been paying attention so he thought she asked ''Am I right?''


    But Changyu latched on the ''No''. An angry girl in love was difficult to convince.


    "You do like her."


    "What are you saying Changyu? Why would you think that and why the sudden question all of a sudden?"


    "Because I like you you idiot." Changyu yelled at him with teary eyes. "You are so blind and very dumb that you cannot see it when it was so obvious. I cannot believe you are Mrs Wangs son." She said angrily and began to cry.


    She used both hands to cover her face and squatted down. "You were supposed to be having those conversations with me. But you were having it with another girl. Why don''t you like me? I am very pretty, I am learning how to cook and I am nice. You are very annoying!"


    Jianjun was shocked, startled, bemused, amused, confused. Give it any name.


    What was happening right now?


    Changyu liked him? But she had been friends with his sister who had currently gone to medical school. How come Cixi never told him?


    And what was with the many insults she was raining on him?


    Everything was totally confusing to him. But he was more concerned about something else. Changyu liked him! She liked him just like he had always liked her.


    He didn''t know what to do. Or how to react. She was still crouched down with her face covered and crying loudly.


    "C.hang..yu?" He called to get her attention.


    "Go away" She said between tears. "I don''t want to talk with you today."


    A smile formed on his lips. She was always too cute for his liking. He ignored her and squatted in front of her. "I''m sorry I didn''t know you liked me. If I had known..."


    "What? You would have stayed away from me the more?" She raised her tear-streaked face to ask.


    He shook his head. "I would have told you how much I liked you first." He said softly.


    Changyu''s eyes shone. She stared at him for a while without saying anything. The next sound they heard was a hiccup ¨Cwhich came from her.


    Jianjun chortled before reaching to kiss her on her forehead.


    He was so excited. Too excited. The girl he thought he couldn''t get loved him also.


    "I... Am not dreaming right?" It felt like a d¨¦j¨¤ vu. Something she''d seen countlessly in her dreams. What if this was a dream also? What if she didn''t go out that night because her maid had stopped her from doing so and she was currently in a dream?


    Jianjun said nothing other than flashing her a smile. He pulled her up with him and wrapped his arms around her in a hug.


    "If this is a dream, let''s both not wake up from it. I love you Song Changyu"


    *****


    PRESENT DAY.


    Changyu looked at where used to be the sick bay with dull eyes. Instead of the normal glory the entire place had once radiated, it was now dark and dilapitated. The equipments inside where all old and dusty. It looked like a haunted house. Just a single flashlight illuminated the place for her to see.


    She could still remember that day like it was yesterday. It was here it all started. The very place she was standing on.


    No matter how hard she tried, she couldn''t stop her tears from flowing. She didn''t even know how she had managed to walk out of her parent''s apartment that night without her legs giving her away.


    Now, she couldn''t hold it in any longer. She fell on the dusty floor and sobbed loudly.


    "We did it for you. Because we love you" Her parents voices continued to reverberate in her ears. "It was for your future Changyu"


    A future she hadn''t begged them for.

 Chapter 168 - The visitor

    Sara was surprised to see Jianjun outside her room door. It was currently time for breakfast but she had refused to eat with them. She feared her father was still angry at her and may pull her by the ear again.


    "Come have breakfast" He said to her before turning to walk back to the dining.


    "Dad." She called him before he moved any further.


    Jianjun stopped without turning back to look at her. He was still angry at her, no doubt.


    How could she challenge Li Sun like that? He had always taught her and told her how to speak to her elders. She had even told him the issue with Muchen wasn''t serious. But then, look what happened.


    "Dad...do you..hate me?" Sara asked in fear.


    Her usual confident self was gone. She knew she was messing things up. But she could not control herself anymore. She only prayed her father didn''t hate her.


    Jianjun sighed deeply then turned to face her. "I do not hate you. I will never do so. I just want you to be happy. And this.... is going to be temporary you know that. I don''t want any temporary happiness for you. And why did you have to sound that way to Madam Li?"


    "I don''t know what came over me. I just told her what was on my mind. Besides, she didn''t have any right to tell me to stop seeing him when I haven''t even told him that I... I... " She stopped talking and looked down guiltily. She felt like she was letting her entire family down.


    "Dad, I love you. And I always want to be a good girl to you. But this time, I...am not sure I can obey you. You will forgive me right?" She asked hopefully.


    He looked at her attentively. Sara had not been one to always ask him for something while growing up. It was always rare for her to do so. Even now that she was an adult, she hadn''t asked for anything but had supported the family instead. But this period, she had been repeatedly begging for his permission. It was the first time she was earnestly asking him for something and he felt bad that he was denying her of it.


    But one family just sent them packing. What was Muchen''s family going to do to them? Because he was pretty sure they were going to do something especially that grandmother of his that he had seen last night. She looked really determined to pull Sara out of Muchen''s grasps and he knew his stubborn daughter quite well. It was the first time he wished he had a son instead.


    "You have to promise me.." He said.


    Sara raised her head and looked at him with hopeful eyes to hear what he wanted to say.


    "Promise me that you will hide this properly. I don''t know what his family might do to you if they find out you are dating him. And you have to always remember that this is temporary"


    He said. It was the least he could do. He didn''t want his family to split apart just because he was trying to protect them from a future he wasn''t even sure of yet.


    Sara smiled widely and hugged him "Thank you so so much dad."


    Her excitement also made him smile a little and hugged her back.


    "I can hide it every well. Trust me." She assured him.


    Sara happily ate breakfast in the full table with Mr Chu, Bilike, Joreen, Jianjun, and Cixi who had slept in her hotel room but came over this morning, saying she wanted to make sure Jianjun wasn''t bullying Sara.


    As Sara ate, she sent a text to Muchen.


    "Are you free today Mr Li ?"


    Immediately, she received a text notification from Muchen.


    "Wow. The mighty Sara texted me first. Today is going to be a good day for me ????"


    Sara giggled when she read it. Totally forgetting she was in the middle of having breakfast with everyone.


    She raised her head to see curious eyes looking at her. She smiled at them sheepishly. "Sorry. It''s work" She said before facing her phone again.


    Work? Seriously? Everyone ignored her and continued to eat. Cixi Wang held back a laugh and looked at Jianjun who was busy eating like nothing was his business.


    Before they knew it, Sara began to laugh again. She dropped her chopstick and used her hand to tuck her loose strands of hair behind her ear.


    Jianjun was fed up. He was sitting beside Sara so he easily snatched the phone from her.


    "Uhh.. Dad. What are you doing?" Sara asked in shock.


    Jianjun could not help ask himself whether this was the very same Sara who just promised him she was going to hide it very well.


    "When you''re done with your food. I''ll give it back to you" He said to her then started to eat.


    "But I''m done eating" She grumbled.


    He looked at her plate that was still full "No food wasting" He lectured.


    The others held back their laughter and continued to eat. Totally minding their business.


    Except Cixi who spoke "Brother Jun. Give her her phone. You can''t force a girl to keep eating. I''ll eat it for her. Darling..give me your food" She said to Sara who was in the middle of happily delivering it to her but was stopped by Jianjun.


    "You haven''t eaten much. You have to eat since we''ll be going to clean the apartment today."


    Sara pouted at him. Her mood even worsened when she received two more notification beeps.


    She looked at her Aunt who gave her a signal to just eat.


    Sara began to eat quickly. She needed that phone badly.


    "Here. I''m done" She announced.


    Joreen stylishly gave her a thumbs up.


    "Cute banana. That was fast. You must really miss that boyfriend of yours." He teased.


    Sara blushed but said nothing and just opened her palm for Jianjun to give her back her phone.


    Cixi almost laughed. It was obvious Jianjun was jealous since Sara was suddenly giving her entire attention to someone else. The old man must be heartbroken.


    "Just give her the phone already" Cixi urged him while he gave her a glare in return before reluctantly handed Sara her phone.


    "Thank you dad" She leaned to kiss his cheek and stood up. She was about to take her plates to the kitchen when she heard a knock on the door.


    She frowned. Who was coming now? She was going to be the one to open the door since she was done with eating. Why were they all disturbing her?


    She placed her plate down and head for the door. When she opened it, she got the shock of her life when she saw the visitor was none other but Song Changyu on her door looking disheveled. She had panda eyes which were also swollen like she had cried the entire night. Her clothes were dirty and rumpled. Her hair was scattered. She wasn''t even wearing any footwear.


    This was so unlike the elegant and sophisticated woman she knew. Why was she looking like that. And why was she here in the first place?


    "Miss...miss Song?" Sara called in shock.


    "What? Miss Song?" Sara heard Cixi''s voice ask before she rushed to the door with Jianjun behind her.


    When the both saw her, they also looked at her in shock.


    Changyu''s eyes met Jianjun''s. She looked at him for a bit before she spoke in a low raspy voice "Bro..ther...Jun"


    He still looked at her in shock and said nothing. Why was she here? And why did she look so untidy?


    The others inside had also come to see who it was. Joreen instantly recognised her and was surprised. She had no idea her father knew her at all. She was even further suprised that her mother knew her when she heard her mother angrily ask what Changyu was doing here.


    Changyu didn''t answer Cixi and to all of their surprise, she collapsed.

 Chapter 169 - He had never wanted her

    Sara kept pacing back and forth. She didn''t understand what was going on, what was up with Changyu. She would have followed them to the hospital but her father and Aunt had stopped her. Why?


    Now, she was here with a lot of unanswered questions for herself and for Joreen who was also as curious as her.


    "Jo. You mentioned that Aunt and Dad were talking about a ''devil'' the other day right?"


    Joreen nodded rigorously in answer to her question.


    Sara had a lot running through her mind. With her aunt''s reaction earlier, it meant her aunt didn''t like her. What if she was the ''devil'' they had both talked about?


    "Jo. Stay here. I''m going out for a bit" Sara told her before leaving the place. She knew the right place to go to right now. It was Delight. She had to meet with Mr Chu. She would probably find out a thing or two from him.


    **


    Jianjun looked at Changyu''s pale sleeping face on the bed. Memories from the past rushed in. Memories he hadn''t wanted to open the door for.


    It was the very first time he was seeing her in over 25years. Who would have thought the first time he would meet her again, she would be in this state?


    A lot had obviously changed about her. Not just her matured look and hair that was gradually turning hair, she just looked so different. And he couldn''t place it exactly.


    He looked at her little fingers that were rid of any jewelries. He couldn''t help but wonder why she never got married. Even at 45, she was still absolutely stunning. She was wealthy also. She could have easily married anyone she wished but she was still single. What exactly was the reason?


    He shook the thought out of his head. It was none of his business. He shouldn''t be bothered about this evil woman. He didn''t want to have anything to do with her anymore.


    He stood up. Took a long look at her before he head for the door.


    "Brother Jun" He heard her weak voice call, causing him to stop dead on his track with his back to her.


    He slowly turned to look at her. She struggled to sit up and he used every ounce of self control to stop himself from helping her up.


    He reminded himself that this woman didn''t deserve his pity. He had done really well by bringing her to a good hospital like this so, she shouldn''t expect anything more from him. No matter what it was.


    "Brother Jun... I guess I must have stressed you. I am sorry"


    In his eyes, she materialised into her younger self that moment. But soon, he returned back to reality.


    "What exactly are you apologizing for?" He asked indifferently.


    Was she apologizing for what she did years ago, or what her parents did, or the fact that she suddenly showed up in front of his house and collapsed there?


    He didn''t wait for her to say anything else. He turned around and left the room with these final words "I hope we never cross paths anymore"


    **


    "I am glad you didn''t fall for her scheme again" Cixi said immediately he came out of the room''s door. She had been patiently waiting for him to come out and if he had even considered in the slightest bit to have a conversation with her, she was going to barge in there. Who was she to cause them trouble and collapse in front of their home while looking like a beggar? Cixi thought she should be glad she haf even helped because she had suddenly gone into ''Doctor mode'' the moment she collapsed. Now that she was awake, there was no point in remaining there. Her ''lovely'' family would obviously take care of the rest.


    Jianjun didn''t say anything to his sister. He just continued walking out. He didn''t want to think about anything else. He didn''t want to hear anything else. He couldn''t believe he was even worried about her. He must have gone crazy!


    **


    Changyu looked at the door with lifeless eyes. What happened to her life? To her plans?


    She had planned to live the rest of her life with Jianjun. He was the only man she ever loved.


    One time when the crazy thought popped into her head to run away with him, she had asked him to travel with her but he had flatly declined.


    He had a family. He had an obligation. He didn''t want to throw it all away because he wanted to run from her parents who objected to their relationship.


    It had pissed her off. She threw a tantrum childishly and accused him of not loving her. Things became even worse when she saw him hugging Helene intimately one evening.


    That period, had been the worse in her entire life. She could not handle the heartbreak. She had been having emotional issues and that worsened it to the point where she was diagnosed with mental illness.


    Her parents were also busy frustrating her. They locked her up and forbade her from going anywhere. She was put on surveillance for 24hours. She gradually began to lose control and her sanity.


    She couldn''t believe that she was in there while Jianjun was busy with Helene. Her family had even showed her pictures of the both of them smiling happily together while urging her to completely forget about him.


    She was in there. Locked because of him. Because she loved him! But he didn''t care about her. Did he even love her at all? What if he was playing with her because she offered herself to him cheaply?


    She threw and destroyed everything in the room to the point where nothing tangible was left.


    Once in a while, her parents came into the room to remind her how to act and behave when her in-laws came. She have having a tough time and all they cared about was the in-laws?


    She pleaded with them to let her out at least. It was becoming very suffocating. She could no longer eat well or sleep well. Everything irritated her. Until the day she finally collapsed.


    They had not even taken her to a hospital and had brought the medical team to her ''prison'' instead. And that was when they all learned that she was pregnant!


    That was the greatest shock of her life and the greatest blow her family ever received.


    But somehow, she was happy. She knew her family would no longer push her to marry the contesting governor''s son. She also felt that Jianjun and the Wangs would be interested once she told them about it. Maybe her family might allow her marry Jianjun since she was carrying his child.


    After having her maid smuggle in a system for her to send a mail to Jianjun, letting him know she was pregnant, she didn''t know what happened anymore. All she knew was that she received an e-mail after trying to check if he had left any for her. She had received a message of him telling her he didn''t want her and wasn''t interested in her at all. He told her he loved Helene and wanted to be with her instead and to get rid of the baby.


    The shock she received was greater than the one she received when realised she was pregnant.


    He had never wanted her.


    *


    She smiled sadly. Why did she still feel sad even after so many years?


    She didn''t even know why she had gone to his place in the first place. She just found herself driving there.


    Seeing him for the first time in so many years plus all the rush of emotions she had been feeling the past few hours had caused her to collapse.

 Chapter 170 - Selfish

    Sun tapped her fingers on the table lightly as she patiently listened to all Muchen had to say: Why he didn''t want to go on the blind date, how he was not going to keep obeying her wishes, how he was old enough to make decisions for himself and how he wouldn''t be threatened by her. Most especially, he was not going to let Heya and Sara out of his sight.


    "Are you done?" She simply asked when he finally stopped talking. "I asked if you''re done?" She asked again when she saw he wasn''t saying anything.


    "I am done. So I''ll leave now" He stood up and gave a full ninety degrees bow.


    "She is not good for you" Sun said gently.


    "I know you all must think I am a evil witch. But I do everything for the best of my family. Take for example Heya."


    She gestured at the seat, signalling for him to sit down since it was time for her to talk.


    "You must know how the Jin family are."


    Muchen said nothing but patiently listened. "I know you''re stopping yourself from taking drastic measures because of Heya. But as a good brother, don''t you think you have to punish those who messed with this family?"


    "Grandmother I¡ª"


    "I...am still talking." She cut him off in a gentle and composed tone.


    "He approached Heya with an ulterior motive which I am pretty much sure you are aware of. He helped that crazy little girl from the Liu family when she uploaded the video of Heya and himself on a major blog. He did most of the publicity to make people talk about him and Heya being a couple and all of those annoying trash. I am sure you are aware of that. Guess who told me about your little love game with your sister''s coach?" Sun smiled before answering her own question "It was none other than the Liu girl. And you want to know how she knew to tell me first instead of your parents? Heya must have told that boy something about me." She deduced.


    She paused to watch his entire reaction. She knew instantly that he was aware of the whole thing.


    "So what have you been doing? I want to hear it" She demanded.


    He kept quiet guiltily. He had known for a while. When he had gone on that business trip, on his orders, his subordinates had filled him in on everything. He had done his part with the Liu family. They were already at rock bottom and he would make sure they never got up. Thanks to Sara''s major contribution.


    As for the Jins, they weren''t really that wealthy. But they were powerful. He and many others suspected that family had some underground network and dealings. Aside from that, there was every possibility that they were into illegal smuggling of ammunitions. But without clear evidence, no one dared act rashly. It was the very reason he hadn''t wanted Heya to be with him. From the onset, he knew they were up to something by sending Cearo.


    "Didn''t you ask yourself why they didn''t go directly to the Songs? At least, there was Yang Aishu there. So why the Lis?"


    She opened her arms wide like she usually do and answered. "It''s simply because you let your guard down. You can even allow strangers in and out of your apartment as they wished"


    "Sara is not a stranger" He knew she was indirectly referring to Sara since she was the only one apart from Ms Long who freely entered inside his apartment.


    "Anyone who''s not a Li..is a stranger" She corrected.


    "I will fix the Jins" He said before trying to get up. He was tired of this back and forth conversation about Sara.


    "You can''t easily do that. There are more to it than you can see. They may be trying to infiltrate inside this family by having their son and Heya be together. What are you going to do? Heya might not listen to me since she thinks I''m a bad granny"


    "I''ll tell her about it. She has to keep her guard up." He said. It was the best he could do now. If he tried to wait till he got any evidence on them, he might as well wait for forever.


    "You must also remind her to stay away from Jin Cearo''s Mother no matter what." She instructed.


    Muchen didn''t know much about the Jin family or Cearo''s mother but he simply nodded."


    "Ah.. That reminds me. I''m sure your sister''s coach didn''t tell you I paid her a little visit."


    Sun still refused to address Sara as Muchen''s girlfriend or anything else. She was better-off with the coach title.


    Muchen''s eyes widened. "What? You paid a visit to Sara?" He asked in suprise.


    "She''s too stubborn. She will control you a lot. Stay away from her" Sun advised.


    What? Sara control him? So that was the new thing she came up with for him to stay away from her? He was curious what conversation they had but before he could ask further, he received a text notification so he quickly checked it, thinking it might be work related even though it was Sunday.


    " Mr Li. Come pick me up at delight. Today''s not a good day ????"


    Seeing this kind of text from Sara sent him up on his feet that instant. She was having a bad day? Oh no!


    "I''ll leave now." He bowed politely before running out of the apartment into his car.


    ***


    "Madam Li, she is here" Her maid announced to her. Sun looked at their direction to see a beautiful young lady on a blue shirt and white knee-length skirt. She wore a three-inch black heel and was carrying a white designer hand bag. Her curly black hair flowed down her shoulders to her back and she had a smile plastered on her small pretty face.


    "Madam Li" She smiled and bowed politely before she was offered a seat opposite Madam Li in her garden.


    "Yan Lilian. How are your parents?" Sun asked with a smile.


    "They are both good. They sent their greetings" She smiled also.


    After exchanging an unnecessary line of pleasantries, they finally went to business.


    "CEO Li left here a couple of minutes back. In fact, you must have missed each other on the way"


    "Oh. Is that so? Then, it is a pity. I actually had wanted to meet him."


    "Sorry I had to cancel the blind date today. He is really stubborn and doesn''t want to obey his grandmother"


    Sun was always known to be straightforward. She didn''t like beating around the bush just to make someone feel better. She told you as it was.


    Disappointment was evident on Lillian''s face but she tried to mask it with a smile. "I''m sure he''ll come around soon enough"


    "You seem to like my grandson. Have you met him before?" Sun asked. She wanted to know whether she was interested in him as a person or the fact that he was ''CEO Li''


    "I have actually met him a couple of times in different occasions we both attended. And I do think he is a really nice person."


    Sun laughed. "That''s right. He really is a nice person. You''re a lawyer right?" It was more of a statement than a question. "At 25, your life is almost perfect. From the few experiences you''ve had as a lawyer, I''ll like to ask you a question" Sun said.


    "What is it?" Lilian asked with a pleasant smile.


    "Let me say... You were given two options: Stay with the man you love while he loses something important to him, or stay away from the man you love while he continues to keep that which is important to him. Which would you choose? I must add this, the man also loves you dearly. So choose wisely" Sun said with a smile.


    The smile gradually disappeared from Lillian''s face as she pondered on it.


    "Because I love him, I''ll let him go. If that thing is so important to him, I don''t want to hinder him from having it." She answered smoothly.


    Sun narrowed her gaze to look at her before raising a cornet of her mouth in a tiny smile.


    "Someone might think that action is selfless. But it actually is a selfish one."


    She gradually stood up "Say hello to your parents for me... You can lead her out" She said to her maid before walking out of the garden.


    Sun tried to imagine the scenerio with Sara and Muchen. She imagined Sara choosing the latter option of staying away from Muchen. What if that wasn''t what he wanted? What if she was actually more important than his title as a CEO?


    She shook her head to clear her thought. It didn''t mean she liked that Sara girl. She only admired her spirit to fight.

 Chapter 171 - Maniac

    Weiyoung hid herself in a little studio outside of town. She couldn''t believe that the first incident she faced after getting to her place was to get attacked by someone who had tried to kill her. Luckily, she was smart. As soon as she noticed the funny movement of the uninvited delivery man, she had taken to her heels. It had been a bit difficult running from him. But with her life on the line, she was able to survive. They must have really underestimated her will to live.  Sending just one person to kill her was their mistake.


    Now, she was here. Her family''s business had collapsed. All investors had pulled out, shares prices plummeted and sold undervalue.


    There was nothing left of her family. What was she supposed to do now?


    She tried to think of who had actually wanted her dead. Obviously not Sara. She didn''t see any reason why Sara would want her dead.


    Her only answer was the Mos. They must think her a burden now and must be trying their best to get rid of her. Especially Mo Aida, Jinyong''s mother.


    What was she supposed to do now?


    She pushed out every thought of taking revenge on Sara for now. There was no time for that. She needed to survive. It was the most important thing right now.


    So what do she do to survive? She thought for a while and decided to go to the Mo family house. That was the only place she could go to and she believed they would not try to kill her there.


    She didn''t even know how her parents were faring. But she knew they wouldn''t want to see her. Everything was because of her. Because of her spirit of envy. But it was too late for regrets now. She was going to find her feet first and come back. As far as she was alive, Muchen and Sara would never be together. Over her dead body! Someone like Sara deserved to die old and unhappy.


    **


    "Something as simple as this yet you messed it up!" Jinyoung roared before his fist landed on the bodyguards face. "Just a woman. Just a tiny pregnant woman. You couldn''t even get her? You''re a shame. A disgrace!" He spoke ferociously to the man who was trying to get up from the ground.


    His anger was at the peak. He had expected him to do a good job. Failing like this would only give Weiyoung new and crazy ideas. He knew how that woman thought.


    He didn''t want to live even a day beside her. He didn''t want to breathe the same air she was breathing under the same roof. She irritated him badly. She disgusted him.


    He still asked himself everyday what he saw in her that made him like her and even slept with her. No matter what, he would have still preferred Sara.


    "God!" He hit his forehead in anger and frustration. Why did he let Sara slip by? He was pissed at her for everything she did. But it actually opened his eyes to the kind of person Weiyoung actually was and so, he was willing to forgive her and take her back again.


    He didn''t want her to be with any other man: CEO Li or his uncle. Sara was meant for him. Not only was she pretty, even her smile drove any man crazy. She had a little nice figure. He had never seen her naked but he could imagine how wonderful her naked body would look and feel beneath his.


    Only once has he ever kissed her soft lips. But she had suddenly pushed him away like she was frightened or something. Still, he wanted her. The crazy surge of emotions he had been experiencing lately only heightened his desire for her. He wanted her badly.


    Not that dirty pregnant clingy thing.


    He pointed at two of his bodyguards out of the four that were standing behind the one he had been scolding.


    "Make sure you take care of her tonight. And don''t forget to make it look like she did it herself"


    He then pointed at the other two "Bring Sara to me tonight. No matter what" He instructed.


    These set of bodyguards were new. And he had specifially selected them for this very task because he believed neither Weiyoung nor Sara would recognise them as his people. Thereby, making their job easier.


    But even Weiyoung was still able to slip out of his grasp.


    He must have underestimated that girl. He wanted to see how she would be able to escape from two of his men now.


    God! He hated his life! Why did he have to be born into a family where they controlled everything including their personal lives?


    According to his parents, they were almost done with the preparation to send himself and Weiyoung abroad in three days.


    He laughed humourlessly. She had to die. He didn''t need any hindrance in his life. And after she leaves, he''ll know how to handle the rest for him and Sara to be together. He could tell she still had a thing for him. And this time, he was going to hold her tight. Though, she still had to apologise to him and he would let it all slide like nothing ever happened.


    He smiled contentedly. Tonight, he was going to have Sara all to himself. He was going to show that bastard from the Li family that Sara still belonged to him.


    He continued to laugh like the maniac he was.


    ***


    Sara took in a deep breath as she watched the ocean waves.


    "I am so curious" She said.


    It was the first word she spoke to Muchen since he picked her from Delight and drove her here.


    "What are you so curious about?" He asked, moving closer and enveloping her in a backhug.


    Sara smiled and held his hands that was around her shoulders.


    "My family" She opened up. It was the first time she was actually talking about her family to someone else.


    She figured she might as well tell him since he always told her about his.


    "What about them?" He asked gently.


    Sara inhaled deeply before releasing the air slowly.


    "Do you.. know anything about Miss Song Changyu?" Sara asked before turning to look him in the eyes. She had planned to ask Mr Park a while lot of questions but he was unavailable.


    Song Changyu again? Muchen was actually curious about what she had with that woman.


    "She is a mysterious woman. We only know bits about her. Nothing really tangible." He answered.


    "Mr Li..." She called cautiously.


    "What is it? Tell me" He took both her hands in his and looked down at her with concerned eyes.


    "I think..my family was once close with her."


    "Really?" He looked at her in surprise.


    "I do not know much. But from the little information I gathered, she worked in my grandparent''s restaurant as my grandfather''s apprentice. My mother worked there also"


    Muchen became fully interested. "Your grandparents really had a 5-star restaurant?"


    He had heard Sara and Heya talking about it but he felt she was just exaggerating then. Now, this was interesting.


    Sara nodded. "I do not know what happened. But I think something bad happened. I just feel...weird. No one wants to tell me anything" She said sadly.


    "Wait. A 5-star restaurant? Do you know anything about the restaurant? Like, the location or anything?"


    She shook her head. "I have no idea. Why?" She asked back, sensing he knew something.


    Muchen suddenly remembered the building he was so eager to buy from Changyu. It was obviously a dilapidated restaurant building. What if the actual owners he had asked Minde about was actually the Wangs?


    He had to confirm before telling Sara about it

 Chapter 172 - Be my girlfriend

    Sara was calm now. She enjoyed the warmth of Muchen''s back hug. It was as if he shouldn''t pull out at all.


    "You like the ocean that much?"


    Muchen asked since he noticed her eyes had been there for long.


    She shook her head. "I don''t like the waters. But looking at it settles the mind" She answered.


    "You don don''t like the water or you don''t know how to swim?" He asked mockingly.


    "I don''t just...like the waters. So I do not swim at all."


    "Bad experience?" He asked.


    Sara nodded.


    "Sorry" He simply said without asking further.


    They both were quiet for a while before he said softly.


    "I''ve been waiting for you to tell me about your meeting with my grandmother"


    She giggled. "I had no idea she told you about it. I really wanted to let it slide"


    He turned her around so she would face him.


    "I''m sorry for putting you through all of these. You must have been tensed."


    She smiled at him warmly and shook her head. "I think.... I like you grandmother"


    "Eh?" He looked at her in surprise and shock. Did he just hear her say she liked his grandmother?


    Sara laughed when she saw his reaction.


    "I don''t believe she is an evil queen dowager. I''m sure she only wants the best for all of you. But maybe, she''s just a bit over doing it."


    "Okay. That''s one of the weirdest things I''ve heard you say" He said in amusement. "What exactly did she say to you? I''m curious"


    "It''s not important Mr Li. Listen to me"


    She moved a hand to feel his smooth handsome face. "She looked really lonely and bored."


    He placed a hand on top of hers that was on his face and smiled at her. He liked the feel of her hand on his face. "I''m not sure she is"


    Sara cocked a brow at him. "How did you manage to make Li corporation successful? You''re pretty clueless"


    "Wow Sara! That''s the first time I''m hearing something like that. I''m CEO Li! Li Muchen!"


    Sara laughed then dropped her hand that was on his face to hold his hand.


    "When was the last time you all ever paid your grandmother a visit bearing gifts to know how she is faring?" Sara asked.


    Muchen chuckled then shook his head. "She''s not been around and we''ve actually been busy"


    "Still my question. Did you visit her or call her often just to know how she''s doing?" Sara asked accusingly.


    Muchen knew Sara was all business now. So he also turned serious "I did call her once in a while but never visited"


    "Once in a while. You mean...once a week?"


    He grinned sheepishly "Like once in two months" He admitted shamefully.


    Sara couldn''t help but gasp. "What about her birthdays?"


    Muchen used a hand to scratch the back of his head. "She doesn''t celebrate. I''m sure she doesn''t like it" He answered.


    "She''s your grandmother! Was she supposed to throw herself a party when she has all of you? Did she even tell you she doesn''t like birthday celebrations or you just assumed?"


    "Come on Sara. Why are you doing this to me? I''m not the only one guilty of this. The entire family is" He pouted.


    "Don''t be sad. I''m sorry" She apologized when she saw his sad look. Then, she remembered she was actually scolding him and he deserved it. "Why am I even apologizing? You deserve it!" She poked his chest.


    "Granny lost her hubby many years ago. She has kids and grandkids but none of you care about her. She''s bored obviously. If I were her, I would not only choose your spouses for you, I''ll also choose the clothes you wear everyday." She glared at him before leaving him there to sit on the passenger''s seat of his car.


    "Why is she getting angry? Acting like it''s her grandmother" He smiled before joining her in the car.


    "I understand everything. We''ve all ignored and neglected her too much. We''ll surely make it up to her now that she''s still alive. I''m sure we think she''s all evil but when she dies, we might all regret not doing our best for her" He said solemnly.


    Sara grinned widely. "See why I love you. You''re so smart" She pinched his cheek gently.


    "Did you just say you love me?" He looked at her with surprised eyes causing Sara to become conscious and look out the window.


    "When did I say that?"


    "Come on.. You did. You said that. Say it again" He nudged her and tried to pull her arm so she would face him.


    "Just drive. It''s getting late already" She said with a laugh. She was so embarrassed she could feel her cheeks get flushed.


    "Say it one more time. Else, we''re both sleeping here" He said excitedly.


    Sara took in a deep breath and turned to look at him. "I said.... I...love..." She suddenly started laughing and covered her face with her hands "You''re embarrassing me. Just drive"


    Muchen couldn''t help laughing also. He wondered why Sara was always shy.


    "You should give me a present for not going on the blind date. Don''t you think?" He changed to topic.


    She uncovered her face and looked at him. "Why should I?"


    "Because I am a very loyal man and I am reserving all of these" He used his hand to gesture from his head down to his feet "for you" He said.


    She managed to keep a straight face for a few seconds before she let loose with a loud guffaw.


    Muchen wondered why she was laughing so hard.


    "Actually, I wasn''t bothered about you attending the blind date..... I would have crashed it anyway" She said nonchalantly.


    "Really?" He asked in surprise.


    "Look Mr Li. If there is anything I hate in my life so much, it''s sharing. I do not like to share my things. Especially the things I love."


    She looked at him. This time, she didn''t miss his eye contact.


    "Really?" He asked again. This time, his tone was softer. "You always have a way of making my heart flutter with your words" He said in a whisper as he moved closer to her.


    He stopped midway. With his eyes glistening,  he said "Be my girlfriend"


    Sara tried to suppress her smile when she warned "I have a nasty temper and I am really possessive"


    "I still want you to be my girlfriend"


    "I am not as gentle as those heiresses you once dated."


    "I didn''t actually date them" He corrected before adding "Still be my girlfriend."


    Sara smiled and moved closer to kiss his cheek then further to his ear.


    When he thought she was going to kiss him there, he heard her whisper "I''ll give you the honour of being my boyfriend after you treat your grandmother well" She said with a cheeky grin.


    **


    "You just have to rest well. It''ll help you improve a bit" The doctor said to Sun before leaving.


    Sun smiled sadly when her eyes landed on the picture frames on the shelf beside the bed she was lying down.


    "Madam Li. Why don''t you tell them about it?" Her maid asked in worry when she returned from seeing the doctor out.


    Sun shook her head and closed her eyes to rest

 Chapter 173 - Uncle

    "Why can''t women understand it when you tell them they are not needed anymore?" Dexi rolled his eyes in displeasure before fetching a pack of cigarette in his inner suit pocket.


    "Make sure never to allow her come in again" He instructed his PA who accepted the orders.


    Dexi had met Christine recently when she was being chased by a group of men in black a few nights ago.


    For some reason, she did remind him of Sara. After having his men save her from the group, he took a proper look at her and noticed she was also pretty with her hair slightly shorter than Sara''s. She had been wearing a tee-shirt and jean trousers with a black boot. Totally Sara''s style! He thought.


    He offered her dinner which she accepted on the go. That same day, he had taken her to bed and the days afterward.


    She wasn''t fun at all! He concluded.


    She was nothing like Sara. How cheap!


    Even after telling her he was no longer interested in their little ''sexcapades'', she still didn''t let him be. Calling him every second and minute, acting like his wife.


    She even had the guts to come to his apartment to ask him why he was avoiding her. How brazen!


    He appreciated the efforts of his men in throwing her out. He didn''t need a liability of any sort in his life right now.


    He put down the cigarette and walked to the side of his study where a large mirror was stationed.


    He took a closer look at himself. It was the first time he tried to take proper note of his features since he had always been confident in his looks.


    He was a very charming man, no doubt. Everything about him was in the right proportion.


    Women liked men like him right? Rich, handsome, tall and ambitious.


    He remembered Li Muchen had the same features. In as much as he hated to admit it, he had to admit that Muchen was slightly better than him.


    "Found any thing on Sara Wang?" He asked his PA who was still patiently waiting beside him.


    "Nothing yet. Everything is empty." He answered with his head down. Dexi was always fond of playing around. But when he got angry, it was something entirely different.


    Dexi could not help being curious. What was about her that was so difficult to find? He was about to say something else when his phone rang. His PA swiftly delivered the phone to him.


    "CEO Mo on the line. Who is speaking?" He asked.


    "It''s me" He heard the agitated voice speak and instantly recognised who the voice belonged to.


    "Liu Weiyoung?" He chuckled lightly. "I am surprised you''re calling. What can I do for you?"


    "I need your help" She said in an obnoxious tone.


    ''What a witch!'' Dexi thought before moving to comfortably sit on his office chair.


    "And why should I help? You should be preparing to go abroad. Ah.. Does my little nephew know you''re calling me?" He asked in amusement.


    "I didn''t call you to play around" She said in annoyance.


    "Look here. You better drop that tone with me. If you want my help, you better keep your manners. Do you follow?" He said in irritation.


    She should be grateful he hadn''t hung up. But she was even giving him an attitude? Unbelievable!


    "Help me leave this place. I need to go over to your family''s house" She said without bothering to answer him.


    "And why should I? I am a business man. I don''t do things that doesn''t profit me"


    "I know." She answered. "Someone is trying to get rid of me and I''m sure it''s from your sister''s family. If I die. You''ll be at a disadvantage" She warned.


    "You must really attach much value to your life. Your life means nothing especially right now" He said in mock tone.


    "Look here Mo Dexi. I don''t have time to play around with you. If they get rid of me, then it''s over for you. Your sister will go to any length to pair Jinyoung up with any other family and then, it''ll be easy to take you down. Really easy. But what if I''m still alive? I''ll give birth to this child and stay beside Jinyong no matter what. There''ll be no way he''ll be your competition. Not now or in the future." She made a long speech hoping he would be convinced and help her out.


    Dexi smiled before throwing the cigarette butt into the ashtray. "First, you shouldn''t address me by my name but as ''Uncle''" He corrected. "So you''re saying?" He asked impatiently.


    "They might try to come after me again. I need to get to your family''s house before then. You have to protect me to make sure I get there safely. If I and Jinyoung go abroad, you''ll no longer feel threatened" She spoke confidently, ignoring his correction of her calling him ''uncle'' How silly of him!


    But to her surprise, she heard him laugh.


    "I do not care about your life. It''ll be too easy to make sure Jinyoung never gets to the top. With or without you" He spoke clearly and carefully.


    "Mo Dexi!" She screamed at him in fury.


    "You don''t have anything for me. So I''m hanging up now" He said before pulling the phone from his ear. His hands stopped when he heard her say


    "Wait!... What...what do you want?" She asked in a shaky and pleading voice. He was her last hope. She had no one else to call for help.


    Dexi''s smile widened. He had been waiting for this moment for a long time.


    "Sara Wang.... I need to know everything you know about her. And..you must not leave any detail out"


    ***


    Hoy looked at Yang Aishu with dull eyes. Everything she had been saying didn''t interest him at all. The only thing that caught his interest was when he heard her ask


    "You don''t want this right?"


    Hell ya! He didn''t. It was his first ever blind date. In fact, she was the first girl he was sitting with and having a drink with in a private bar room. Totally boring and awkward.


    "I don''t want this. And I believe you don''t want it either."


    Aishu scoffed in annoyance. Even if he didn''t want it, he didn''t have to be so blunt about it.


    She was a woman everyone wanted even at her 19 years of age.


    She was from Country B''s number one family. Pretty, smart and had a big mall even though she was still studying business management in school.


    "You must think you''re something because you''re young and successful" She said


    "You must also think the same way about yourself." He replied in a relaxed tone. "Since we''ve both been sitting here, acting like we''re obeying our family''s wishes, which in the actual sense we''re not, I think it''s better to end this and go home." He stood up and buttoned his expensive suit. Then, he nodded politely at her before leaving the room.


    He didn''t want any of this. His grandmother should face Minde instead of him since he was older.


    *


    Minde on the other hand smiled happily when his car got to Muchen''s apartment.


    Go to his parent''s house? He''d rather die.


    "From today, I''ll be living here" He said with a wide grin on his face.

 Chapter 174 - He is not a bargaining chip

    Muchen still found it difficult to believe. Sara was going to give him the honour of being his girlfriend if he treats his grandmother well? He scoffed in disbelieve.


    He looked at Sara as he drove down to her place. She had a smile on, acting like she did nothing wrong.


    Seeing her smile, he smiled also. He remembered her words again about her not liking to share. ''I don''t want to be shared either'' He said to himself excitedly.


    What more did he want? She liked him. No! She loved him. She was finally going to accept being his girlfriend. No matter what, he had to do what she had said before that crazy demon possessed her again and make her change her mind.


    He thought it would be better if the entire family were involved in this mission. That would even be more points for him.


    He pulled beside her house. It was already late and the entire place was getting dark already.


    "We''re here" He announced sadly. He really didn''t like separating from her. Why can''t she just stay with him every time? He sighed.


    "What''s wrong? Are you okay?" She asked in worry.


    "I''ll miss you. Tomorrow is too far" He whined like a child whose mother was traveling without him.


    Sara smiled widely before moving closer to hug him. It was kind of unconformable since they were both sitting in the car, but they both didn''t mind.


    "I''ll miss you too Mr Li." She admitted.


    He gently pulled her from the hug and looked  her in the eyes. "You really mean it?" He was still somehow insecure and unsure of her feelings. Hearing her say the words to him still felt surreal.


    Her eyes twinkled when she nodded.


    He smiled widely at her and pulled her into the hug again.


    "Thank you Sara. I don''t know... I just..." He couldn''t find the right words to use so he tried again. "I know a lot of people think since I am CEO Li Muchen, then I am so difficult and have everything I want. But they''ve been a lot of things I''ve actually wanted in my life but couldn''t get. You have no idea how happy I am to be able to have you beside me. You''re just so....well, you''re crazy most times. But I love you" He laughed.


    Sara was touched by his words. Hearing him call her crazy made her laugh a also. Hearing the words ''I love you'' brought her so much joy.


    Did she say this was going to be temporary? That she only wanted to be with him for a while before letting him be?


    What was she thinking saying those crazy things? She was never going to let him be!


    Even if ten Li Suns tried to stop her, she was never going to let him be.


    Now she understood better. Why her father said she never actually loved Jinyong.


    She tried to imagine the event that day. But this time, Muchen was the one getting engaged to Weiyoung. Was she just going to tell them they deserved each other and walk about peacefully like that?


    She knew deep down that she was never going to do that.


    She didn''t know when she fell in love with him or when her possessive nature came in. But, she knew one thing, Li Muchen belonged to her and only her.


    "Mr Li...Thank you." She said softly.


    "Why are you thanking me?" He asked without pulling out from the hug, savouring her scent that he was now getting used to.


    "For everything. For cunningly making me meet you. For making me love you. And for loving a girl like me" She said. "I love you Mr Li. And... I really mean it" She confessed.


    Their little ''love hour'' was cut short when Muchen received a call from Heya that Minde had ''relocated'' to his house.


    Even when the ''bad luck'' was far from him, things didn''t go smoothly and now he was coming to stay in his house?


    After making sure the love of his life entered the house, he drove home straight.


    **


    When Sara entered the house, she wasn''t surprised to be intercepted by Joreen and Bilike. She was already used to this.


    "That was Mr Li just now right? Are you two really dating?" Joreen asked.


    Sara looked at the both of them. Bilike also had a curious expression as he looked expectantly at her. She chuckled and pushed past them. "Where is dad and Aunt?"


    She asked when she didn''t see any of them in sight.


    "Mum has gone back to the hotel. Dad is inside the room." Joreen answered.


    "My father said I should let you know that whenever you''re less busy, he would like to talk to you" Bilike said.


    "Really?" Sara wondered what Mr Chu was likely going to tell her. "Alright. I''ll just go say hello to dad and meet him"


    When she was about entering the room, Bilike stopped her again. "But Sis, are you dating the CEO? For real?"


    "Something like that" She answered with a smile before knocking to let Jianjun know she was about entering the room.


    "Oh. You''re here?" Jianjun asked as he instantly shut a little box and stood up from the ground he had been sitting. "Where have you been?" He asked since he didn''t see her after he returned from the Hospital and no one knew where she had gone to.


    "I was out with Mr Li" She answered as she curiously looked at the little box on the ground. She wondered what he had been so engrossed in that he hadn''t noticed she was already at home since he would have heard her talking with Bilike and Joreen.


    Jianjun followed her gaze and quickly lifted the box. He had guessed she was with him that was why he hadn''t bothered to call her.


    "How is she?" Sara asked. "I mean, Song Changyu."


    Jianjun avoided her gaze and nonchalantly replied "The woman is okay."


    "Why did she come here? I thought you said you didn''t know her?" Sara continued to ask.


    "I don''t know why she came here either. Let''s just drop the issue." He put and end to the conversation and tried to walk out.


    "She was your partner!"


    Sara''s words stopped him from opening the door. "She was grandmother''s apprentice just like you. Why are you hiding it? Was they more to it? Did she do something unforgivable?" She threw a string of questions at him. When she noticed he was not going to answer, she smiled and said


    "You can ignore it then. There is nothing I cannot find out"


    Jianjun turned to face her. "I let you date Mr Li. In return, you should forget about all of these" He demanded.


    "Even if you didn''t accept, I was still going to date him. He is not a bargaining chip. This is totally different. It..hurts me that you always hide things from me but it''s fine. I''ll get my answers on my own" She retorted.


    Jianjun''s words paused when Sara''s phone began to ring.


    She wondered who the intruder was. She looked at the unfamiliar string of numbers and sighed. What was it with strange numbers calling her everyday?


    "Who is this?" She asked in annoyance when she took the call.


    "Sara Wang?" The deep voice asked.


    "Who is this?" She asked again without bothering to answer.


    "The alley close to your place, meet me there in three minutes. Else, we''ll just have to pay you all a visit. I''m sure everyone''s at home now." He said before hanging up abruptly.


    Sara''s gaze narrowed but she kept her composure. She didn''t want Jianjun to know something was up.


    "I''ll be back" She said.


    "Who was that?" Jianjun asked in worry. He wondered if it was someone from Muchen''s family again.


    "It was for a product I ordered. I have to go accept it." She lied smoothly before leaving the house.

 Chapter 175 - Lacking common sense

    Weiyoung heard the sound for the second time and shivered. She knew someone was outside her door. But she was too scared to do anything. She could not even lift a finger or breathe. She pressed her palms together and prayed silently. She wondered whether the sweat coming off her were due to the fact that the air condition wasn''t working or because she was scared to the bones.


    She had long put off the light in the entire studio.


    "Please God. Save me. I must remain alive" She prayed silently.


    Then, she heard another sound. Someone was trying to open her door.


    There was no where she could possibly run to. No where to hide in the small studio. With shaking hands, she dialed Dexi''s number again. But he still wasn''t answering. Who was she going to call now? She had to save herself. She had to brace herself for whatever was to come.


    She looked around the dark room, trying to get sight of anything she could use as a weapon. Fortunately for her, she was able to make out the image of a knife she had used to peel an apple that morning.


    Stealthily, she crawled to the table where it was. But she didn''t succeed in getting there before the door burst open to reveal several men in black suits.


    She screamed her lungs out and grabbed the knife but was suddenly blinded by a very bright flashlight. When she expected the worse to happen, she heard one of the men say to her.


    "CEO Mo sent us."


    Weiyoung instantly recognised the man when they switched on the room''s light. She had seen him with Dexi a couple of times.


    She gasped and then suck in air. She didn''t know how long she had been holding her breath. Tears streamed down her face.


    "What a bastard" She muttered in a hoarse voice before using the back of her hand to clean off the tears and sniffled back the others. Why did they have to break in instead of just informing her they were coming? He had obviously done it to threaten her.


    Her phone began to ring with a call from Dexi. She closed her eyes to steady her emotions before taking the call on the third ring.


    "They''ll safely send you to my parents house. Let''s meet up tomorrow"


    She heard him laugh a bit before hanging up on her.


    ***


    Sara looked behind her to make sure no one was following her. When she confirmed she was the only one on the street that night, she entered the alley.


    Her street was usually so quiet and isolated especially at nights since a lot of people do not live in that area.


    When she moved further inside, she saw a black expensive looking car parked there.


    There were street lights on the street whose lights reached the alley so it was easier for her to see well instead of straining her eyes in the dark to see clearly.


    Two young men in black suits, probably in their thirties, came down from the back of the car. She could clearly still see two other men in the driver and passenger''s seat.


    One of the men who came down looked at the young lady they were supposed to fetch. She was wearing a black turtlenecked sweater and blue jean with a black sneaker. A scarf was wrapped around her neck while her hair was packed in a messy ponytail.


    "Sara Wang?" He asked.


    Sara''s gaze narrowed when she looked at him. "You are the son of a bitch who threatened me?" She asked calmly.


    The other man looked at her in suprise. She''s really got some nerves¡ªtalking to them like that.


    The man she spoke to scoffed in disbelieve at her words but chose to ignore her. He was here to take her to his boss and that was it.


    "Please join us" He gestured at the car.


    "And why should I?" Her voice was still calm as she cocked her head to the side.


    The other men who had quietly been observing, felt this girl was a bit difficult and decided to also get down.


    "Quietly follow us or we''ll have to force you" The one who had been sitting in the front seat advised.


    Sara laughed in derision. "Force me? Who ordered you?" She demanded.


    "Come with us and you''ll see" He answered.


    "I want to know the person first. Else, I''m going back home" She said nonchalantly.


    After exchanging glances amongst themselves, the first man who spoke to her placed a call across to someone and after a few seconds of saying inaudible things that Sara couldn''t make out since he wasn''t so close to her and was speaking in a low voice, he passed the phone over to her.


    "My darling. Why are you making things difficult for them?"


    She heard Jinyong''s voice ask.


    "Childish Bastard!" Sara muttered through gritted teeth. "This is your new hobby? Going about abducting people?" Sara asked in mock and annoyance.


    He chuckled and didn''t bother to answer her question. "Just come with them already. We have a long night ahead of us. You shouldn''t be wasting any second being difficult." He said smoothly.


    It was Sara''s turn to chuckle. "You must have really lost your senses. I have been wondering what the letter C in your name stood for. I just found out now, It''s for Common Sense" She said sarcastically.


    Jinyong was quiet for a while. He tried to understand what Sara actually meant. Then, he got the gist. There was no letter C in his name. It meant she was saying he didn''t have common sense!

 Chapter 176 - Ill send you a really nice gift

    His grip around the phone tightened. Why did Sara always like to piss him off?


    He decided not to think about any of that. Tonight, was the night!


    "You don''t have a choice. They have been ordered to bring you to me and that is it. You better follow them willingly. There is nothing you can do now. And your CEO Li cannot save you right now. You must have had fun watching the ocean with him. How romantic" He sneered before laughing throatily.


    "I can see you have enough free time to monitor my life. How jobless!" She mocked.


    "You can put it that way" He spoke amusingly. Totally enjoying their little banter before they drag her over.


    "If you wanted to see me, you could have just come pay me a visit. Not bothering these men who are supposed to be resting by now. Oh! Your crazy wifey might take photos and start spreading rumours again" She continued.


    "And you''ll worsen it by making a video and lying to the public" He said to humour her.


    Sara was already bored with the conversation so she went straight to business.


    "I should advice you. Send your boys back. Even before I turned 12, I was already the best student in most of the fighting classes I took." She bragged with a smile remembering her younger days.


    "You didn''t see that side of me because I was trying to be cool." She used a hand to scratch her head and spoke leisurely.


    "These days, I have been a little bit crazy. I don''t know what I''m capable of doing to those who piss me off" She threatened.


    Then, lifted a corner of her mouth when she saw how the men were paying attention and looking at her like she was making the biggest joke of the century.


    Jinyong laughed crazily "You? Sara Wang? I really want to see what you''re capable of doing" He said excitedly.


    "Then, I''ll send you a really nice gift" Her lips curved upwards before she hung up.


    She threw the phone back at the owner and looked at the four of them. "It''s been a really long time since I last did this." She warned with a ''pleasant'' smile before pulling up her sweater''s sleeve.


    "What do you think you are doing Miss Wang?" The driver asked curiously. Why did she look like someone who was preparing to fight?


    "What does it look like I''m doing? I''m giving you two options. Go back to your boss. Or... try dragging me with you" She laid it out for them to choose.


    "Take the crazy girl into the car now!" The other man who had been sitting behind the car and was currently sitting on the car''s hood ordered angrily.


    When she saw two men coming for her, though slightly tensed, she smiled. Her eyes landed on the first guy who had spoken to her. She was very sure he was the one who had threatened her to come here. Before they could grab her, she sidestepped and safely docked out of both their reach before delivering a solid kick to the first one on his right knee.


    She was so fast that the other guy who had tried to grab her from behind hadn''t expected her to suddenly spin around and deliver a knife hand strike to his neck.


    She gave them no chance to attack her first.


    The both of them were stunned by her attack. The other two were even flabbergasted. They knew instantly, that this was no ordinary woman. But no matter what, they had to get her on their boss''s orders.


    The two of them tried to find their feet again and go after her at the same time. But they still tried to keep it minimal since the order was not to harm her but to bring her. If they could just grab her hands and legs, it was all they needed to stop her crazy and ferocious attacks.


    Sara saw through them and didn''t give then any such opportunity. She delivered two more kicks and punch to the two of them and this time, they couldn''t stand as fast as before and had blood in their mouths.


    "I''m sorry. Does it hurt a lot?" Sara asked as she tried to catch her breath. It had been a really long time since she last fought and fighting to not cause major damage was rather stressful since she had to make proper calculations before throwing a punch or landing a kick.


    The other two men looked at each other. They were doomed! They were in a state of dilemma, not knowing whether to go after her, or just go back to Mo Jinyong. But both options were very dangerous.


    "Just go back already." She advised them. "This was me playing around. If I get angry, I don''t know what I might do."


    She moved closer to where the first guy was. He avoided her gaze and tried to get up from the ground but Sara kicked him back down, eliciting a wail from him. Then, crouched to meet him.


    "The next time you threaten me with my family, I am going to beat you to a pulp." The playfulness disappeared from her eyes when she lifted his chin so he could look at her angry eyes "Make sure you understand that you rotten scumbag"

 Chapter 177 - Treat grandmother well

    Muchen looked at the ever-smiling Minde who was acting like it was a very natural thing to move into his house without a prior notice.


    "Explain" Muchen demanded as he plomped down on the couch beside Heya.


    "Look big bro. You know I can''t stay with your Uncle and Aunt"


    "You mean your parents?" Heya asked.


    Minde nodded. "They''ll keep nagging me everyday. I can''t live that way" He whined.


    "If only you were a bit responsible, no one would be forcing you to stay with your parents at this age. Even Hoy doesn''t stay home often" Muchen scolded.


    "I know" Minde knelt down beside him and held his hand. "I''ll suffocate to death there. I won''t be able to live. Let''s just stay here as one big happy family okay?" He said with a smile.


    He knew his cousin was never going to reject him. If he had asked beforehand, Muchen would have obviously refused. But coming here by this time, he knew Muchen was never going to throw him out.


    "Brother Minde." Heya called softly. "You''re making things a bit complicated. As much as I''d like to stay with you, grandmother is still going to send us all out. Why don''t you just go home so Big bro wouldn''t have to deal with you also?" Heya said.


    To Minde, staying with Muchen was far better than staying with his parents. His heart was bursting with joy at the thought of living together with his beloved brother. Heya''s ''rational'' statement didn''t even bother him at all.


    Heya shook her head and excused herself to go upstairs when she realised Minde had really made up his mind to stay with them.


    Muchen used a hand to massage his forehead in frustration. He understood everything Minde was trying to do. He wondered why he couldn''t just throw him out for a change.


    He must have spoiled Minde too much by always doing whatever he wanted. That was why he kept acting and thinking he was a baby.


    "Where are your things?" Muchen asked.


    "It''s already in the guest room" He responded cheerfully.


    Muchen looked at him in surprise. "You''ve already made yourself at home when the owner wasn''t even around? Wow!"


    "My brother''s house is my house" Minde said cheekily before sitting down beside him.


    Muchen sighed. "I''ll only let you stay for a week and you won''t be staying for free."


    "What? A week? Come on! Let me just stay here till grandmother travels back. I''ll do anything you say" He tried to negotiate.


    Muchen''s lips curved slightly. "Anything?"


    Minde nodded to show he meant it.


    "Before that, you need to know that any weekend Sara is coming over to workout with Heya, you must quietly leave the house" He didn''t want any other man to see Sara working out.


    "Oh God! I totally forgot about her." After the incident of the ''Date with blind people'' he had gone into hiding. Sara wasn''t bothering him anymore so why was he still scared of her?


    "Are you both...dating now?" He asked curiously.


    Muchen ignored his question and went on with the conditions.


    "You will help me gather some information."


    Minde was a bit disappointed that his question was ignored but he was very sure he would get the answer soon enough "What information?"


    "On the Wangs" Muchen simply said.


    "Wangs?" He asked in surprise. "You are digging them?"


    Muchen shook his head. "It''s for Sara."


    He remembered he had asked Ms Long for this at one time but had asked her to stop. Now, he was glad he was doing this with a very good excuse. He was going to help Sara out and also satisfy his curiousity. He only hoped he would be able to know more about Sara through this investigation.


    "That building I''ve been trying to buy from Song Changyu. Dig more into it and find out if it belonged to Sara''s grandparents" Muchen instructed.


    "What!?" Minde''s eyes bulged out.


    "Sara''s.... Grandparents?"


    Muchen nodded. "Some things are strange. You should also check for any connection between the Songs and Wangs."


    "Wait. Let me get this¡ª"


    "There is nothing to get" Muchen interrupted. "Just do it and bring the details to me."


    Minde has a lot going through his mind and was still very much confused. But he nodded.


    "And lastly¡ª"


    "There''s still a condition?" He whined.


    Muchen smiled before saying "You''ll treat grandmother well"


    Minde felt he didn''t hear the last part well. What? Treat grandmother well?


    "What does she have to do with this?" Minde asked in shock.


    Muchen almost laughed when he saw Minde''s shocked expression.


    "What do you know about grandmother? Her favourite food, colour, plant, birthday? Any idea?" Muchen asked expectantly.


    "Grandmother has a birthday?" Minde had totally forgotten that someone actually gave birth to Li Sun.


    Muchen eyed him and shook his head.


    "Quick. Find out something for me."


    "I''ll call Father" Minde said before placing a call across to his father. After exchanging pleasantries with him, Minde asked.


    "When is grandmother''s birthday?"


    "Your grandmother?" Li Han was quiet for a while "Why are you interested in that all of a sudden? What are you planning to do?"


    "Ah! I didn''t mention. I now stay with Bro Muchen. He..." He was about to tell him Muchen asked him about it but he saw Muchen wag a finger, telling him to not say so.


    "I just want to get to know her" He retorted into saying.


    He heard his father clear his throat and say "I''ll get back to you"


    Minde gasped and looked at Muchen. "He doesn''t even know his mother''s birthday. Wow!"


    Muchen felt an unexplainable sadness. Did Li Sun really deserve this?


    Every of their birthdays, she didn''t fail to call and send a gift over to her children and grandchildren. But no one even knew her birthday?


    He sighed deeply and closed his eyes.


    "Bro, are you okay?" Minde asked in worry before his phone beeped with a text notification. He opened it to see the message from his father.


    "Bro. Granny''s birthday is in two weeks. Christmas eve. What do you plan to do?"


    Muchen finally smiled. How fortunate!


    He still felt he was an unfilial son for not having the slightest clue of his grandmother''s birthday being a day to Christmas.


    "We...are going to throw her a party" He said.

 Chapter 178 - Solace

    "Jianjun, are you okay? You seem lost" His worried mother asked.


    He raises his head to look up at her. He had no idea when she came to his room because he had been so lost in thought.


    "Mum. When did you get here?" He asked.


    "Few seconds ago. I knocked but you didn''t respond" She said before sitting on the chair opposite the bed he was sitting.


    "What is wrong? Is this about Changyu again? When are you going to stop brooding?" She asked in genuine concern.


    He used both hands to cover his face. Took in a deep breath and released it slowly.


    "Why did we never think her ''Song'' was that ''Song''?" He asked in frustration. "Why did she have to lie about her family? I don''t... I don''t just understand" He dropped his hands from his face to look at her, hoping she would have an answer for him.


    "Things would have been different if we knew she was from that family. I wouldn''t even have accepted her as an apprentice. A lot would have changed. So you shouldn''t blame her for hiding it. And stop living like this. Everyone is worried about you. Especially your father."


    Jianjun nodded. "I''ll be fine" He said in a low voice.


    She sent him a small smile before covering one of his hand with both her hands.


    "I am really sorry. It''s all my fault. But....you really have to stay away from her. You don''t want her parents coming to cause a scene at the restaurant again. They might do something worse than that next time."


    He raised his head higher and tried to blink back tears.


    He remembered how she had pleaded with him the previous week to run away with her.


    How she had cried and accused him of not wanting her because he didn''t agree to it.


    His dream had been to become a chef along side his wife in his parents restaurant¡ªjust like his parents. It had never been to run away from everything because he was scared.


    Should he have run away with her instead? He was beginning to rethink.


    He had waited in front of her gate for hours, two days ago. But they told him she didn''t want to see him and sent him out. When he refused, he was beat up. He still had those bruises even now as he spoke with his mother.


    He could no longer hold it in. The tears spilled out. His mother embracing him made him sob even louder.


    "Wh..at...what if... I never see her again?" He asked between sobs. "I..want to see her.. see her everyday"


    "Jianjun please..." His mother pleaded. "I like her also. But she is out of reach now. I know it''s hard. But you''ll get over it. We''ll all help you"


    He pulled away from the hug after a while and sniffled. "I''ll just go get fresh air" He forced out a smile before leaving.


    He left the house for the restaurant that night. It was the only place he could think of going to. It was the place that held most of the memories he had with Changyu.


    "Brother Jun..." He heard a soft voice call him immediately he entered.


    ''How nice would it have been if that voice was Changyu''s'' He thought as he turned around.


    "Helene? What are you doing here by this time?" He tried to sound natural. Not wanting her to know he had been crying. She also had tears on her face with bloodshot eyes.


    "Are you okay?" He asked moving closer to her.


    She kept trying to suppress her tears but she couldn''t. She gasped repeatedly before finally bursting into tears.


    "She...she died. Esther....  Esther died."


    Esther was the 5 years old girl Helene loved so much. Apparently, she had been ill with an incurable disease. Nothing could be done about it and so she died.


    "I..watched her die.." She continued to cry but in a muffled sound now. She walked closer to him an hugged him even as she continued to cry.


    Jianjun felt her pain. Maybe because he was going through his own ordeal. He really needed the embrace.


    The two broken people found solace in each other''s embrace as they both quietly sobbed.


    **


    Jianjun woke up with tears sliding down the corner of his eyes. He used his phone to check the time and found it was slightly past 5am. He sighed.


    Ever since the moment he heard Changyu was in the country, he had been having dreams about his past.


    He wondered how she was doing. If she was out of the hospital. If she had eaten anything. He wondered why she looked so pale. A lot ran through his mind but then, he remembered he shouldn''t be worried about her.


    He would be an unfilial son to his parents if he did so.


    He looked at the direction of the room where Sara and Joreen was sleeping. Sara had come in really late. He wondered the kind of ''delivery'' and ''item'' that would make her stealthily walk inside the house when it was past midnight.


    She always worried him. Right from when she was little.


    He knew Sara was able to take care of herself. He had enrolled her in various fighting classes from the moment she clocked 5 to when she turned 16. He knew she could fight. Her personality even got worse after the year she suddenly disappeared.


    But he still couldn''t help being worried. She was still a woman. What if she got into the hands of bad guys? She had been able to beat up a group of boys a couple of times when she was younger but he wasn''t sure she would be able to beat up a group of grown men now.


    There was a lot to teach her. And one of them was her manners. She had to learn to speak properly to people so she won''t be getting into trouble.


    So, he made up his mind to enroll her in the best manners and etiquette class he would find.


    He stood up and went inside the kitchen. The best thing to do at a time like this was to cook.


    ***


    Changyu looked nothing like her previous self that appeared before them just two nights ago.


    She was wearing a black sweater dress with a big faux fur coat that were perfectly shielding her from the cold. A black jean trousers and boots with a heel, making her look like a total baddie.


    She looked nothing like the elegant CEO many people knew her to be. Her love for jewelries remained. She was wore whatever jewelry that went best with the outfit. A necklace, earring and designer ring. Her hair had been shortened to a Bob which ended just below her chin. A few strands of her completely dark hair were already turning grey from the root. It was the only evident to show she was in her mid-fourties instead of the late twenties that she was looking right now. She had a mild make-up on.


    But her facial expression was entirely cold.


    The Song family were all shocked to see her looking like this. Her PA had done a good job informing all members of the Song family to make sure they were present that morning in the mansion.


    Even her sister''s husband and daughter were there.


    "Let''s go in" She said before moving past all of them. Not bothering to say ''Hello'' to anyone.


    They all willingly followed her. Her parents were tensed because they knew whatever she was here for wasn''t good. And it actually wasn''t.

 Chapter 179 - I hate you all

    Jinyong couldn''t get enough of hitting his useless bodyguards out of frustration.


    "Just a girl.. Just a tiny little girl." He used two fingers to show a small size.


    "You expect me to believe she did this to you?" He pointed at the four bodyguards who were kneeling in front of him and said accusingly.


    "You fought amongst yourself instead of doing what you were asked to do. What? She beat you people up?" He scoffed.


    The four of them were bruised all over. The other two who had been watching Sara fight hadn''t wanted to do anything. But they felt it was better to try their lucks and grab the girl for their boss.


    Who would have thought they would also suffer the same fate like the first two?


    No matter how much they tried to make Jinyoung believe Sara had actually beat them up, he got angrier and hit them the more in anger.


    Same way he felt towards the other group of bodyguards he had sent to get rid of Weiyoung. He was told that his uncle''s people safely escorted her to his family''s mansion.


    He had even received a call from home to show up there that morning. Things were not looking good for him at all.


    He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, trying to calm down.


    He wondered what crazy thing his uncle was planning this time with that witch.


    No matter what, he was never going to just go down!


    He was going to get rid of Weiyoung, have Sara beside him and take down his Uncle for all the humiliation he had caused him.


    He needed Aida by his side at a time like this.


    ***


    The teenage Changyu continued pretending to be unconscious as she heard her parents converse beside her bed.


    "It''s those people''s fault. Now, we''re at a loss. A really big loss" Elder Song spoke angrily to Madam Song.


    With tears in her mother''s eyes, she held Changyu''s hand that was free of the IV cannula.


    "I cannot believe this. Why my daughter?"


    Changyu held herself back from crying. She was able to deduce from her parents conversation that the doctor had informed them about the complications with her pregnancy. They would have to transfer her to a hospital (instead of the house where she had been locked up) so she would be operated on in other to deliver safely.


    Aside from that, the doctor had told them that she was likely not going to be able to conceive in the future after the operation.


    "Why didn''t you just listen to us? Why didn''t you just go on the blind date? Now, what do we do? People are beginning to say things"


    Her mother sobbed gently. Burying her face on the bed.


    "This is your fault! You should have just allowed her get rid of the baby at that time" Elder Song blamed her.


    She shot her head up to look at him in disbelieve. "Didn''t you hear what the doctor said at that time? Her life would be at risk. Do you want to lose your daughter?"


    "Isn''t it the same thing now? She won''t even be able to conceive in the future. She is as good as useless!"


    He stomped his feet on the ground angrily before leaving the room in annoyance.


    ***


    Changyu threw a large envelop on the table nonchalantly and crossed a leg on top of the other, sitting down like the boss she was.


    "What...what is this?" Her mother threw her a look of confusion before lifting the envelop from the table to check its contents.


    When her eyes scanned through the document she took out of the envelop, she gasped and raised her head to look at Changyu in shock.


    "What.. Is the meaning.. of this?" Madam Song asked in complete shock.


    Elder Song took the document when he saw her reaction and went through it also. His eyes also bulged out and he raised his head to look at her.


    "It is as it is" She said coldly. "I am cutting ties with all of you" She announced.


    "What!?" Her younger sister, Song Ling looked at her in shock before grabbing the document from her father. "Sister Changyu...what...do you mean by that?"


    Her husband, Yang Xie and daughter, Yang Aishu were also bewildered by the sudden news. They all shifted on the seats   uncomfortably.


    Yang Xie had never met Changyu. Or maybe, he had met her once many years back during an occasion were the children of tycoons came with their parents. And at that time, he was really young since Changyu was about two years older than him. Even during his wedding with Song Ling many years later, Changyu didn''t attend it. Seeing her now, he felt she was a really difficult woman. But he knew the influence she had on the Song family and his.


    "You would have been informed through the media. But for old times sake, I''m giving you the last respect as the people who brought me into this world. Everything that connects me with this family, the paper work are all in there. The contract of transfer of my shares in your miserable company are also in there. I''m giving it all back" She said with glazed eyes. "I''m giving back what belongs to you and taking back what belongs to me."


    "Changyu.." Her mother''s eyes began to water. "Why are you doing this to us?"


    "Why?" Changyu smirked. "You deserve worse actually."


    "Shut it!" Her father roared, angrily hitting his walking stick on the tiled floor. "You ungrateful wench! Everything we did was for you. To make your life meaningful! But you dare pay us back this ¡ª?" He was interrupted by Changyu''s sudden laugh.


    "For me? You ruined a family. A perfect happy family. You ruined them all! You framed them and sent his father to jail." She tried to control her emotions. She had never been really good at doing so since she was a very soft person.


    "I told you. My people can find out anything for me. I gave you a chance, an opportunity to tell me what you did. But what did you do? You also lied to me. You lied to me!"  She yelled and stood up abruptly. "How many lies have you told me since I was born?"


    Her sister also stood up with her and went to hold her hand "Sister Changyu. What is going on? What are you all talking about?"


    "You...you all should go out now" Madam Song said to Ling''s family. "We''ll explain later"


    Changyu pulled her hand out of her sister''s. "No! They won''t go anywhere. I called them here. They have to be here since they''re a part of this family"


    Elder Song blinked a couple of times and threw his face to the corner. He had always been a man full of pride and arrogance. He cared about his family''s name and title more than anything else.


    Because of his will to keep his family''s name at the top, he had done a lot of unimaginable things. What was so wrong about removing an obstacle so their path to success would be smooth?


    "I hate you all. I hate all of you. You ruined my life because of your greed."


    "You ruined your own life the moment you got pregnant for that bastard!" Her father stood up and angrily yelled at her. "Your life would have been perfect if you had listened to us!"


    Everyone was startled by his sudden outburst. Aishu who had been quiet used her hands to cover her agape mouth. Yang Xie also looked on wide-eyed.


    Ling was stupefied. She looked at her father in shock "W...hat? Are you talking about father?" She then looked at her sister. "You...you..were pregnant?"


    Changyu began to laugh. A dry humourless laugh. "Yes. I was" She forced a smile as she answered.


    At that time, Ling had been in a art school in Paris. Her sister had always wanted to study art and own a studio gallery and it had been a dream come true for her.


    A phone''s notification beep lightened the tensed atmosphere.


    Changyu looked at her phone when she received a notification and raised a corner of her mouth.


    "I am going to show you something interesting." She said to all of them with a sly smile plastered on her face.

 Chapter 180 - Shes badass

    Sara ran her eyes around the room. Her mind travelled back to the little box she had seen Jianjun with. She remembered she had also seen him with the box a long time ago and he had also hidden it behind him when she suddenly barged inside his room.


    What could possibly be in it?


    "You''ll join us to clean the house after work right?" Joreen pulled her back to reality with her question and so she nodded.


    They were supposed to clean the house the previous day. But because of the incident with Changyu suddenly showing up in front of their house and collapsing, they could no longer go there.


    "I''ll quickly wrap up with Heya and meet you people"


    "I''m so excited. We''ll finally live well now." Joreen said happily before holding Sara''s hand comfortingly.


    "You must have suffered a lot" She said like a middle-aged woman comforting her child.


    Sara smiled before shaking her head "Sorry for everything that has happened to you and dad. It''s all my fault"


    From the moment they were thrown out of the house, to losing the restaurant, to living with the Chu''s uncomfortably and Joreen''s end of session problem. Everything was obviously her fault and she felt bad about it.


    "If we were to turn back the hand of time, I don''t mind you doing whatever you did again, and more." Joreen smiled widely at her, revealing her two front teeth that were now grown halfway after losing them sometimes back.


    A knock on the door stopped Sara from speaking further.


    "Sis, can you help me with your laptop? I need to check my mail and my phone is having issues" Bilike asked.


    "Oh sure" Sara took her laptop from the vanity table and handed it over to Bilike.


    "She has some Bollywood movies in it" Joreen sent him a wink.


    Sara looked between the both of them and asked with a raised brow "What is going on?"


    Bilike laughed and waved his free hand in front of Sara. "Ignore her"


    "He said he likes Bollywood movies because of the women."


    Bilike blushed and smiled sheepishly "Of course, they are very pretty." He said before dashing out of the room.


    Joreen looked at Sara before giggling. Sara could not help giggling back.


    Time to get ready!


    She went to take her bath hurriedly and also quickly ate breakfast with them.


    Jianjun knew she was actually in a hurry to go over to Muchen''s house before he left for work. He shook his head for his pitiful daughter who had fallen deeply.


    When Sara was done, she promised to join them to clean their new apartment later, also told Mr Chu she would speak with him whenever she got back since she wasn''t able to meet with him the previous night after Jinyong''s bodyguards came to ''see'' her.


    She stretched until she heard her bones crack. She was actually feeling a bit sore all over, after fighting with the four men.


    She had actually wanted to leave it at that and leave but when she crouched down to warn the man who had threatened her, the other two attacked her from behind.


    The pain would have actually been worse but thankfully, because she had been exercising for the past weeks, it had helped a lot in minimizing any pain.


    She knew this was the beginning of trouble.


    The next time, Jinyoung was obviously going to send more men and it would be challenging for her.


    She nodded her head to the idea of enrolling in a fighting class again just to be sure she was still on board.


    From when she was very young, her father had enrolled her in different classes. He said he wanted her to learn how to fight since the world wasn''t an easy place and he wanted her to be able to take care of herself when he wasn''t there.


    At first, she didn''t like it. But later, she was open to the idea and grafually began to enjoy fighting.


    Jianjun also specifically warned her to never fight outside no matter what happened except it was for self defense.


    Yea! Self defense like when someone make you drop your ice cream after standing in the queue for a long time.


    But no matter what happened, she never fought in school. Rather, she suppressed her emotions and after school, go over to her fighting class and take it out on her mates there during friendly matches.


    "You''re ready to leave now?" Jianjun asked when he saw she was now fully dressed in a sweater and Jean.


    "Yes. I''ll meet you all later" She replied with a smile. She was glad that at least, things were finally looking good between her and her father. Well, aside the incident last night when she had been angry about him using her Mr Li as a ''bargaining chip''.


    "We haven''t been able to start with the cooking classes. It''s going to be three days a week. Since you''re free on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. That would be fine right?" His tone didn''t sound like he was really asking. It seemed he had made the decision already.


    Sara''s eyes widened. She thought he had forgotten!


    "Most Saturdays I''m not usually around" Which was true since it depended on Muchen''s itinerary. Whenever he was going to be free, the three of them worked out on Saturdays.


    "It''s not like you stay there for 24 hours. You only spend a couple of hours there. No running from this! And... I''ll be enrolling you for an etiquette class."


    **


    Sara held her head with both hands as she left the house. Fearing that her head was going to explode because of everything she just heard.


    She was 24! How was she supposed to start doing all of that now? Etiquette class? Seriously!


    She mentally took note of everything she would be doing that day. After work out, she''ll go to their apartment, privately meet with Cixi to ask her a few questions and think of a way to lay her hands on that little metallic box.


    Her father was obviously up to something. Mr Park no longer took her calls and he had even declined meeting her saying her was ''busy''


    ''Smart move old man'' Her father was one sly man. How impressive!


    **


    In the car, her phone beeped with a notification, checking to see it was a ''news update'', she frowned


    "Why do these annoying people keep sending me news notification everyday like I am interested?" She muttered angrily and bowed her head in apology when the elderly driver turned to look at her since she was sitting in the front seat where she preferred instead of staying at the back like she was a ''madam''


    She was about to hit the ''clear all'' icon when the content of the news caught her eyes.


    ''CEO CHANGYU CUTS TIES WITH FAMILY.      CLICK HERE 1   TO WATCH VIDEO''


    Sara''s eyes widened in surprise. She had never been a fan of seeing the news but she hurriedly clicked on it.


    She was further surprised by the way Changyu was dressed when she got down from her car, and the haughty look she was giving to the reporters that had intercepted her in her ex-family''s mansion gate.


    Sara heard a string of questions from the reporters asking ''is it true this and that.... why did you do this and that.. Was this the reason you came to the country.'' Blah blah. Sara wasn''t bothered about their questions she was only curious to hear the woman speak and she actually did.


    "They''ll only be one person talking. And it''s me" Changyu said coldly which silenced them all.


    She had never agreed to an interview before. This was their biggest chance so they were all quiet and didn''t want to miss any information.


    "It is true" She said. She had asked her PA to make sure the news spread while she was in her ex-family''s house.


    She turned and looked intently at a reporter. "Do you understand?" She asked with her sharp gaze on him.


    He bobbed his head up and down. Somehow terrified that she was looking at him that way.


    "If you do, then get out of my way" She ordered.


    It was then that he noticed he was actually a human barricade between her and her car''s door. He quickly scurried out in fright.


    Sara watched as a lady opened the door for her while she entered elegantly with a straight face.


    A smile slowly crept into Sara''s face as she fixed her eyes on the screen like she was looking at her idol ''Damn! She''s badass!''


    dash

 Chapter 181 - Lonely

    "Wow! This is really something" Minde exclaimed in surprise. "Why did she just cut off her family like that?"


    Muchen had been surprised to see the news also. He thought maybe he was seeing things. But Minde''s surprise reaction when he came to meet Muchen in his room confirmed it was correct.


    Muchen still kept a straight face as he pondered on the issue. Changyu was a very complicated and difficult woman so no one could tell her plans or what she was up to.


    "I''m sure a lot of families and corporations would be celebrating now." Minde added.


    The Songs were at the top of the social ranking obviously because of Changyu. Even though she hadn''t been in the country, the kind of influence she had extended to many countries and because of that, they always want to suck up to the arrogant Songs.


    But now that she was out, the Songs were nothing more than an average wealthy family.


    Like an ordinary elite family.


    "What a pity. The Song corporation shares must be dropping by now." Minde added again. At this point, he felt like he was actually having a conversation with himself since Muchen wasn''t contributing at all.


    "They''ll bounce back soon enough. They have the Yangs." Muchen finally said something.


    "And why did you just barge inside my room?" He remembered to ask.


    Minde didn''t bother to answer his question  and just continued with his "Bro, does it mean the Li family is at the very top now?" He asked with his gaze still fixed on the video.


    "Something feels strangely familiar" His forehead wrinkled as he thought deeply.


    Muchen looked at him and shook his head.  Minde actually looked funny when he was all serious, especially now that he was wearing a suit and tie.


    "You should go change your suit. You don''t want to make them all think you''re from a wealthy family" Muchen advised.


    Minde raised his head to look at him and blinked. "But all my suits are expensive." He whined.


    "Find something less expensive or go get a new less expensive suit before you go over to the company"


    Minde stomped his foot on the ground in aggravation before leaving Muchen''s room.


    He still couldn''t believe he''ll be working and more so, he had to go by an entirely different identity with forged documents so no one would be able to guess he was actually from  the Li family. "The moment they find out, you''ll go abroad" Li Sun had threatened him.


    Muchen clicked on the video again and looked intently at Changyu. He was able to guess why Minde felt something seemed familiar. For some unknown reason, he saw Sara in Changyu.


    ***


    Changyu''s car stopped in front of the dilapidated restaurant building. She looked at it with sad eyes before entering inside with unsteady steps.


    Once inside the dark empty building, her legs gave away and she fell to the ground.


    She looked at the file in her hand and remembered some of the contents in it.


    Elder Wang had been arrested for using opium poppy¡ªwhich was banned in the country, to get people addicted to his meal.


    The government took control of the building immediately after his arrest. Since he was actually like the main owner, his wife was spared from it.


    The case didn''t drag on like most cases before he was proven guilty and jailed immediately.


    It was at that point that Changyu realised something was wrong somewhere. Elder Wang died in prison a month after he was jailed while his wife died two months after her husband. From there, no one heard anything about Jianjun and Cixi.


    At first when she came across the news about Elder Wang''s arrest, she didn''t care much about it since she was dead of any emotion when it came to that family; worse mistake of her life.


    She no longer cared about them even after she traveled out. The hurt had been too much for her to bear.


    But, she was somehow still attached to the restaurant so she went through every means to acquire it when she became finally stable. It had also been out of spite. She felt that whatever happened to the Wangs was karma at work and she wanted to get her hands on their property. Well, it was the only thing from her past she could actually hold on to.


    But now, things were beginning to make sense especially after she met Cixi. She started seeing things clearly and not with the eyes she had used to see things when she was still younger.


    Elder Wang would never do something like that. She didn''t know about their insincere son, but Elder Wang and his wife were both sincere and good people.


    If Cixi had the guts to openly accuse her parents and even hit her, it meant something had actually happened. Something she knew nothing about.


    Her P.A couldn''t find any tangible information earlier.  She had only bluffed to her parents and they had taken the bait to let her know that they actually had a hand in it when her father said he had done it for her, because that family was hindering her, they only had to ''push'' them aside a little.


    The new information she received revealed that her parents had met with the judge in charge of Elder Wang''s case. The same judge died in a car crash a few days after Elder Wang was jailed.


    Putting everything together, she realised that her parents must have framed Elder Wang. She didn''t even want to imagine whether they both had a hand in their deaths also.


    "I didn''t ask you to. I didn''t!" She threw the file on the dusty floor as she cried loudly and cussed her parents.


    She thought back to when she was still in the house with them.


    "I''ll show you something interesting" She took the TV remote, and tuned it to a news channel.


    Her Father''s feet could not support him, making him slump on the couch when he heard the female news anchor broadcasting a news about ''Changyu cutting ties with her family''


    It was over for them! He thought he would be able to convince her. But now that the whole world knew...she was really determined to do it.


    "Cha.. Cha...ng....yu.. what are you doing?" Her mother tried to hold her hands with tears in her eyes but Changyu didn''t give her any opportunity to do so.


    "How can you do this?" Song Ling sounded angry when she asked. They were going to marry off Aishu to Li Hoy. Now that things were going this way, the Lis may likely not consider them again since they were just like every other normal rich family.


    "Shut it!" Changyu glared at her. "Aren''t you all tired of using me? Because I am tired of all your hypocrisies." She warned.


    "Changyu. You can''t do this to us." Her father said in a resigned tone. "Why are you abandoning your family?"


    Changyu forced a smile. "You abandoned me first. You all did." She stopped to look at all of them with cold eyes before pointing at the TV


    "I''ve clearly distinguished your properties from mine. Now, I want you to feel it"


    She looked at her father and said in a gentle and clear tone


    "I want you to feel how it''s like to be abandoned. I want you to see how much influence your useless daughter have over this family. I want you to feel the pain of falling to the ground when you''re at your highest point."


    Even if Jianjun had wronged her, his family


    didn''t deserve that.


    "I have always prepared this for you Mr Song, Mrs Song. Just when I wanted to forgive you all, you made me realise just how despicable you both are."


    She looked at her brother in-law and sister "You''ve both been using my name for your evil deeds also. You''re all despicable!"


    No one...was on her side.

 Chapter 182 - Youre so harsh

    Ms Long noticed that Muchen was stalling. What could he possibly not ask in the car while they drove to the office? But he wasn''t making any effort to get inside the car.


    "Ms Long has prepared everything. We''ll drop you by the bus station to catch a bus to work."


    Minde still had a frown on his face. He couldn''t believe he was going there as an intern in the public relations department. An Intern!


    He sighed and only nodded. He knew this was only for a while. He had to do it quickly and move to the top like Hoy and Muchen.


    He imagined employees bowing at him while calling him Director Min.


    He chuckled at the thought, earning a glare from Muchen.


    Soon, the car Muchen had been waiting for arrived. A smile appeared on his face when it stopped and Sara came down.


    He was glad she had stopped wearing those three-quater jean shorts since the weather was getting really colder as Christmas approached. She wore a long trousers and cardigan that fully covered her upper body.


    But...why was she looking sad? Muchen wondered as she approached them.


    After the driver bowed and left, Sara greeted Ms Long, Minde¡ªwho forced out an insincere smile. Then, she looked at Muchen with dull eyes. After about five seconds, her lips curved into a very pretty smile.


    ''He''s so handsomely cool'' She thought.


    He was wearing a deep blue turtleneck sweater under a grey blazer, and pants. His oxford shoe, Rolex watch, smooth hair, and his perfect dimple as he smiled at her, got her heart racing fast.


    She totally forgot about the little quarrel she had with the driver.


    After the video ended, since she hadn''t used an earphone and only played it directly, he heard the whole thing and started badmouthing Changyu for being a bad daughter who abandoned her family.


    Sara had tried to make him see that there must have been a reason for it. But he didn''t care about any of that. "Any child who does that is evil!" He firmly stated, making Sara angry at him for judging her when he hadn''t heard her side of the story.


    It had been her philosophy ever since she was young. She didn''t judge anyone until she heard the other side of the story. It started one time when she said some really mean things to her classmate in grade school, who she believed had actually stolen someone else''s pen. She later found out that the person was actually the victim and had been lied against.


    Sara cried for the whole day and apologized to the little boy she spoke against. Ever since then, she learned her lesson. ''Of everything you hear, believe nothing. Of everything you see, believe half'' and it had really helped her a lot.


    Muchen tried not to chuckle. What was wrong with her? First, she was looking sad, now, she was giving him this ''smitten-eyes look'' in front of his bodyguards, secretary and cousin. Oh..and the maids that were also on their way out.


    "Miss Wang" Ms Long called in an amused tone for the second time but Sara was still looking at him like he was the only one there. She was beginning to regret not accepting to be his girlfriend. What if he changed his mind later?


    "He is so pretty" She said to herself softly as her eyes twinkled.


    Muchen tried to stop himself from blushing in front of all these people. This girl was really planning to ruin him. "You realise you said that out right?" He asked Sara with a smile that revealed  his deep dimples.


    Sara was knocked back to her senses when she heard the pretty man speak.


    With her eyes wide open, she mouthed in embarrassment. "You...heard.. that?"


    Muchen tried not to laugh at her embarrassed look. He pulled her by the hand, told Ms Long to drop Minde at a bus station and informed her he would drive himself to work. Taking long strides, the entered inside his apartment.


    "What was that about? Were you trying to seduce me in front of so many people?"


    He asked as he pinned her soft body to the door with his hard body.


    "Mis...ter Li.. What... are.. you..doing?" She asked in shock at the sudden proximity.


    What was wrong with this man? People were just outside the door and she was sure his sister was inside the house.


    Muchen chuckled. He liked that he was the only one who could see this side of her.


    He didn''t want to tease her today. He had a busy day to attend to.


    Besides, if he started, he knew it would pretty much backfire and these days, he was doing a very bad job controlling himself whenever she was around.


    When Sara was wondering what he was planning to do next, she heard him ask in a gentle but hoarse voice.


    "Why were you sad earlier?"


    Sara''s racing heart even increased when she raised her head to meet his eyes. He took two steps backwards so she wouldn''t have to hurt her neck by looking up at him like that.


    "It''s nothing." She shook her head.


    "It''s something. Who annoyed you?" He didn''t want her to avert any of his questions.


    "No one. I...it''s fine Mr Li. Really." She assured.


    He gave her a look which she was able to interprete as ''I''m not going to let you be if you don''t tell me'' She sighed deeply before answering


    "Fine. I only had a little argument with Mr Lee. He was saying some things I didn''t support. That''s all"


    Muchen smiled in relief to hear it wasn''t really a serious issue. He ruffled her hair before saying "Sorry about that. I''ll fire him"


    "I never asked you to!" Sara fired back. "I won''t talk to you again if you do" She threatened.


    Muchen chuckled before giving her a kiss on her cheek because she looked so cute when she threatened him. "Fine. I won''t do it.... Geez..you''re so harsh."


    Sara blushed and smiled also. She could look at his face all day without getting satisfied.


    She didn''t even want to talk about his body...


    She pushed the naughty thought out of her head and asked "Why aren''t you going to the office?"


    "Yea. I wanted to tell you something." He led her by her hand to sit on the couch.


    Sara concluded that he was a very touchy person. And... She liked it!


    "Guess what?" He asked with twinkling eyes


    .


    "You no longer need meds for your stomach?"


    He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. Okay, it was his fault for asking her to guess and she actually took it literally.


    Sara gave him a ''am I correct'' look before he shook his head and answered.


    "We are going to be organising a birthday party for my grandmother" He announced with a proud smile on his face.


    "Wow! That''s great news" She said excitedly. She was really happy he took her words seriously. It mean he was still going to be her boyfriend!


    Of course, he had to take it seriously, else she wouldn''t be his girlfriend.


    "Her birthday is around the corner?"


    "Fortunately and coincidentally, her birthday is in two weeks.." He paused before adding "And... I want you to be the MC"

 Chapter 183 - How to say goodbye

    "Me?" She asked again. Pointing at herself with her index finger.


    Sara tried to confirm whether she heard him correctly. Did he just say he wanted her to be the Master of Ceremony for his grandmother''s birthday party?


    Muchen nodded for the second time. "You can do it"


    He wasn''t asking her or anything. He was simply telling her that he wanted her to do it.


    "Wh..y? I mean... Why do.. I have to do it?" She asked and shifted uncomfortably on her seat.


    "Because it was your idea. Actually, I must thank you for making me look at this deeply. If not for you, I wouldn''t have known I was doing something terribly wrong. So, I want it to be you on the stage that day. At least, grandmother wouldn''t send you out except she wants to ruin her own party"


    "That''s something big" She used her hand to fan herself.


    Muchen smiled at her and held the hand she was using to fan herself. "Don''t be tensed. You can do it. Besides, since you''re rendering a service, I am obviously going to pay you" He tried to bribe and it did work.


    Sara took in a deep breath and gently released it. "I can do it" she answered with a smile. "But..." She inched closer to him and said in a low voice "How much are you paying?"


    Muchen''s smile grew wider. He also inched closer with the intention of kissing her because she looked too cute and he couldn''t just ignore it.


    But Sara pushed him away and stood up abruptly when her eyes caught sight of Heya at the top of the stairs.


    "Grandmother''s having a party?" Heya asked, looking confused.


    Sara sighed in relief when Heya didn''t mention anything about their ''closeness'' just now. She convinced herself that maybe, Heya didn''t see.


    She didn''t know how Heya might react if she found out that she had a thing for her brother.


    ''She is probably going to be disappointed in me'' Sara thought sadly as she watched Heya descend down the flight of stairs.


    "Good morning Sara" Heya smiled warmly at her before turning to look at her brother.


    "Grandmother is having a party?" She asked again since Muchen didn''t answer her the first time.


    "She is. We''re all throwing her a party. A surprise party" Muchen emphasized before his eyes went back to Sara. ''Did she just push me away because of Heya?'' He wondered.


    "Why? She has done nothing other than control our lives. Why do we have to throw her a party? Whose idea was it?" Heya sounded annoyed when she asked.


    "It was my idea Heya." Sara answered before Muchen could say something.


    Heya looked at her and pursed her lips. She didn''t know what to say to Sara exactly. But she didn''t want to sound rude because Sara was her friend and potential sister-in-law.


    "You don''t know how that woman treated us. How much of our lives she controlled!" Heya stated in a gentler tone.


    "I don''t know" Sara agreed with her. "But even if it''s one thing. Just one good thing she''s done. Think of it and give her this birthday."


    Sara pleaded and took Heya''s soft hands in hers.


    Seeing Heya''s hands made Sara realised just how much weight she had lost. She looked proudly at Heya and remembered the first day she saw her. A lot had changed about her since then. She had the confidence also.


    "I think I am going to spend 48 hours in deep thinking then" Heya answered sarcastically.


    Making all of them laugh, including Muchen who had been watching quietly.


    He was proud of his girlfriend.. Maybe the right word was ''future girlfriend''.


    He noted that Sara had the ability to make people listen to her.


    "Have you told the others about it?" Heya asked Muchen.


    "I''ll be meeting with them today." He looked at the watch, then stood up. "I should get going now" He announced.


    He looked at Sara, expecting her to say something but she just stood there awkwardly because of Heya.


    She figured she had to tell Heya soon that she liked her brother. It still scared her though.


    When he noticed she wasn''t going to say anything, he gave her a tiny smile and walked past her.


    She was slightly relieved and a bit disappointed. She gradually turned to at least look at his retreating figure.


    He took only a few steps before turning back and to her surprise, he took large strides to where she was standing, bent down and kissed the corner of her mouth. "That''s how to say goodbye" He winked at her then turned to Heya. "Don''t stress her too much" And with that, he left the house with a big smile on his face.

 Chapter 184 - Bloody intern

    ''Oh my god! What just happened?'' Sara asked her bewildered self before she remembered that Heya was still standing there.


    Before Sara could explain things to her, she heard Heya say with a smile


    "He dotes on you really well. Big bro is such a romantic."


    She almost spilled the beans about everything that had happened during their family meeting and how her wonderful brother had taken Sara''s side. She was also curious about the gist with Hoy but then, she remembered Muchen had told her not to so she decided to just let it slide.


    Sara''s eyes widened. "You...knew?"


    "Knew what? That you''re both dating?" She raised a brow.


    Sara swallowed hard. She really couldn''t believe this. If she knew Heya was aware, she would have just allowed Muchen kiss her then!


    In her head, she screamed ''Noooooo! Why did I push him away?''


    Now, she had to settle with only the half kiss he gave her. How sad!


    "Y...es." Sara answered.


    They weren''t really dating now but who cares? They were already kissing about the whole place. It would be weird to tell people they weren''t dating.


    "Of course it''s obvious."


    Things would have been a bit easier for Sara if Heya had just left it at that. But then, she went on to say


    "You must have the heart. There are tons of women trying to cling unto him. Better watch your man"


    And that ''advise'' rang in Sara''s head all day.


    **


    The suit was nice and suited him perfectly but maybe because it was the cheapest clothe he had ever wore in his 25 years of age. He felt very uncomfortable.


    He was in Li corporation. The very Li corporation that Muchen was in, while Hoy was in charge of G-GLOBAL.


    He was going to see Muchen everyday so his anger dwindled a bit.


    But when he remembered he had to take the bus everyday from now, he became angry again. It was the most uncomfortable ride he had ever taken in his life.


    He began to see more value in his luxury cars.


    He was also pissed off because he wasn''t getting much attention from the ladies he had been seeing. He blaimed it on his entire knockoff outfit and wristwatch.


    He belived they would all have been squealing in excitement and dying for his attention if he had appeared in his usual sophisticated self.


    He was very sure no one recognised him since he had always been ''off-cam''. It wasn''t as if his parents were proud of showing him off to the world anyway.


    He didn''t care about those unnecessary gathering. He only played around and traveled about. If only he had been a bit open to the media. He wouldn''t have to be here with a fake identity.


    What the hell was Eric Wu? Even the name didn''t suit him.


    Soon, he was led inside the PR team leader''s office.


    He looked uninterestedly at the office desk and something interesting cut his eyes.


    The team leader was not a middle-aged bald man liked he had expected. It was a lady. A very pretty lady! Probably in her late twenties. She was busy typing something on her computer and only made a noncommittal sound of acknowledgement when she was informed of his arrival by the junior manager who then left ''Eric'' there and shut the door behind him.


    Minde ran his eyes on her. Her neat ponytail dangled about when she moved her head between her office computer and a file stationed on the desk.


    Minde looked at her name plate and saw the boldly crested "TEAM LEADER KIM EVA"


    ''Kim Eva. Even her name sounds pretty'' He said to himself.


    He moved his gaze back to her and saw her sit up with a contended look on her face.


    For the first time, she looked at him and then, stood up.  He could now clearly see she was wearing a navy colored business skirt suit, a little almond-shaped silver earring that looked very much like her almond-shaped eyes. She was wearing a light make-up and even if most people wouldn''t notice she was wearing a lipstick, he knew she was. He had been with too many women to know even the slightest detail about them.


    "Eric Wu?" She asked with a straight face. Not bothering to concern herself with the flirty look the intern was giving her.


    Hearing her call his ''name'', he remembered that at the moment, he wasn''t ''Li Minde'' but ''Eric Wu''


    And this Kim Eva was his boss while he on the other hand was nothing but a bloody intern!


    ''Damn it!''

 Chapter 185 - Naive and stupid

    "What''s the point of looking pretty when she''s poor and motherless? She keeps acting like she''s something. How annoying!"


    The corner of Weiyoung''s mouth lifted slightly when she heard how their classmates made jest of the little Sara in school.


    She thanked her stars that Sara was naive and stupid. It actually did help her a lot.


    Maybe Sara thought they would all treat her well just because they were classmates so she had not bothered to hide her identity from her them and told them where she lived and that her Father''s restaurant wasn''t a 5-star restaurant like they imagined but rather, it was just a little unknown restaurant by the roadside.


    She turned to look at Sara who looked annoyed but didn''t say or do anything. She was aware of the fighting classes Sara took and Sara had mentioned to her that she didn''t want to ever cause a scene in school because it would be easier for them to kick her out as she had no connection like all the other students there.


    And.... Weiyoung didn''t want her to leave the school. She wanted to see her little dog everyday.


    "Will you shut up already?" She faked a glare at the girls who were gossiping behind them before pulling Sara away.


    "Thank you. You''re like the only one who takes my side"  Sara said awkwardly.


    Weiyoung gave her a tiny smile before saying


    "I''ll use the dance club today. You can go on with the jet club" Weiyoung walked away after informing her.


    "Jet club?" Sara asked herself. She had not really liked science. In fact, she hated science. Hearing about those Atoms, molecules, chemical reaction blah blah, all made her dizzy.


    She only went there because she feared others would say bad things about her when Weiyoung wasn''t there since Weiyoung always made them shut up.


    To Weiyoung''s surprise, she saw Sara sit beside her in the club.


    "What are you doing here?" Weiyoung asked in a whisper.


    Sara only smiled at her and turned to look at the stage. Weiyoung''s anger was totally oblivious to her.


    "Can our new members come show us some nice moves?" The club president asked with a charming smile on.


    Weiyoung couldn''t help smiling when she saw his smile. But then, she was a bit uncomfortable thinking she was going to go up there while he was going to be standing there also.


    Leo was their senior. Not only was he very handsome, his family was super rich. She had heard he didn''t have a girlfriend so she was very much interested in that position since she''d been having a crush in him for close to a year now. Too bad he hadn''t taken notice of her yet.


    It was the reason she had come here. To show herself to him. The reason she had taken dance classes everyday after school.


    But this annoying fly (Sara) was interrupting her.


    The new comers were three in total. After the  boy who looked like a junior was done with some good moves, Weiyoung and Sara was left.


    "Wei... I....can''t dance" Sara said uncomfortably.


    "Then leave when I''m dancing." Weiyoung answered before getting up.


    She was really anxious as she gradually approached the stage¡ªLeo.


    After introducing herself, She smiled at Leo just before a loud hiphop song resonated in the whole building.


    And quickly, she began to move her body to the song. A plan formed in her head to ''trip and fall'' on Leo. She was about to set it in motion when she suddenly heard Leo''s voice on the mic..


    "You there... Where are you going to? It''s your turn"


    The music stopped and everyone turned to look at the pretty girl who was sneaking out.


    "I....I can''t ... I want to use the restroom" Sara lied.


    Leo could tell she was lying so he got down from the stage and walked to where Sara was standing nervously.


    "Go when you''re done" He took her hand and led her to stand on the stage beside a furious Weiyoung.


    "I told you to leave" Weiyoung said through gritted teeth when Sara stood beside her.


    She reluctantly got down from the stage to the back seat where they had both been sitting.


    Leo signalled for the tech team to start the song and another hiphop song began to buzz.


    Sara thought it was a bad idea to just stand in front of over twenty students like that so she decided to do something.


    For a minute, everyone wondered whether Sara was dancing to the song that they were all listening to or whether she was dancing to another song playing in her head. Her steps didn''t match at all.


    It was so amusing that they couldn''t help but laugh. The one who really delighted in this was none other than Weiyoung. "She just made a fool of herself" She said to herself when she noticed the amused look on Leo''s face.


    But to her shock, she watched as Leo stepped closer to Sara and took her hand. He danced with her with a charming smile plastered on his face. He twirled her around and when she almost fell, he held her waist firlmy before making her spin again. It was as if they were hiphop waltzing.


    The sight looked beautiful to everyone. That they clapped till their hands turned bright red when the music stopped.


    Sara also had a big smile on her face. She couldn''t believed she just danced and a lot of people applauded her.


    She bowed politely to Leo and tried to leave the stage but he pulled her back before speaking through the mic with an unsteady voice.


    "I suddenly think this is going to be a nice concept for the school''s club day out. ''A Cinderella suddenly rescued by the prince"


    He explained to everyone how the prince met Cinderella in a ball, and out of every person there who could dance, the Prince''s eyes fell on Cinderella who couldn''t so he took her hands and led her smoothly and in the end, she became the star of the show. Proving to everyone that anybody can dance.


    When Leo was done explaining, everyone seemed pleased with his idea. Well, not everyone.


    Leo smiled and looked at the pretty girl he was holding. She was probably two years younger than his eighteen years old self.


    "Hello.. I am Prince Leo...can you be my... Cinderella?" He asked smilingly, looking down at the girl who wasn''t as flustered as he had expected.


    **


    A knock in the door brought Weiyoung back to reality.


    The head maid in the Mo Mansion entered when Weiyoung let her in and informed "Young mistress, young master Jinyong is here"

 Chapter 186 - Money solves all things

    Jinyong was not surprised that his parents were not in the Mo mansion when he got there.


    Mo Aida must have really given up on him. But no matter what, he was still going to need her. He had to convince her that he was ready now; ready to takeover.


    He was willing to be used by her, but....he had to choose his own woman. He didn''t want another Weiyoung in his life.


    But he knew that was very much going to be a big problem.


    He looked at the people present there with an expressionless face. What was there to fear? What else did he have to lose again?


    "You rascal! What are you doing not protecting your fianc¨¦e? Do you know she almost died, if not for your uncle who rescued her?"


    Elder Mo yelled angrily at his useless grandson. He was really fed up with this family where they all fought with each other every passing day.


    About the incident with that video, he was not stupid. He knew very well that someone in the Mo family must have helped the young lady with the restroom''s footage. And he knew it must have been his precious son, Dexi. But Jinyong had attacked Dexi first in his own video. He really didn''t blame Dexi for fighting back. Besides, he was not wrong.


    But the effect was that, it was affecting his entire family. And he was really angry about it.


    If things continued like this, the Mo family was going to turn into a laughingstock soon.


    Jinyong didn''t bother to explain anything. His grandparents were only going to keep calling him names so what was the point?


    His eyes found Weiyoung who was quietly sitting on the couch with a straight face.


    She hadn''t bothered to acknowledge his presence ever since he got in. It was as if they were both two strangers.


    "I''m glad she is fine" He said in the most insincere manner which earned him scoffs of unbelieve from both his grandparents.


    "Forget it. Go get your things. You are going to stay here with her before you both travel out on Wednesday." Madam Mo instructed.


    Jinyong smirked at all of them. Wasn''t it obvious that he was done with her? She was the one who announced their fake wedding so she should deal with it. His mother had linked him up with her and now he was left alone to take care of all of these?


    "I''m not staying here. Neither am I traveling with her. I no longer want to marry her" He brazenly informed all of them.


    For the first time, Weiyoung threw her head sideways to glare at him.


    ''It was him'' She said to herself. ''He tried to get rid of me.''


    It did hurt her feeling a lot but she tried to hide her emotions as she just stared at him blankly.


    Things were never going to look good for her. Nothing was going to work now. She had even planned to use the Jin family and Song family. But now, she had no one by her side to help set her plans in motion. Her family was nothing right now and she wouldn''t be able to appear in public for the fear of being criticized. The media on the other hand were looking for any chance to trouble her.


    And... there was someone who wanted her dead, despite the fact that she was carrying his child.


    Was this a mistake? She didn''t think the child would be enough to keep her alive now.


    Her ears were deaf to the banter going on in there. She was thinking of ways to survive. Ways to live.


    A thought popped into her head to get rid of the baby and travel out to start afresh. She didn''t care about her family. It''s not like they''ve always cared about her. She had to think of and for herself especially at a time like this.


    But she knew she couldn''t do it. It would mean she surrendered, it would mean she was weak and everyone won while she lost. She would be giving every other person a happy ending except herself.


    And she didn''t want that.


    She came back to reality when she heard the door slam. Jinyong had just walked out on all of them.


    She clenched her fists beside her tightly. She allowed different thoughts flow freely in her head before she finally accepted one with an eerie smile.


    ***


    Elder Song was still reeling from the shock of what had happened. He had been receiving phone call upon phone call. The more the call, the more the Song corporation''s shares dropped. If not that he had to put things in order, he would have fainted.


    He was at the age where he believed he should be resting at home. But now.... He only hoped that the managers in the company would be able to handle things smoothly. Thanks to the Yang family who was also helping him out.


    "We should just do what she says" His wife said with tears in her eyes.


    "We are going to keep sinking if we continue this way. Let''s just go apologize to the Wangs like she asked us to please" She retorted to pleading. Her husband was a man of too much pride. She knew it was going to be hard for him to accept defeat like this.


    "Do you know what is going to happen to us? Do you even know what you are saying?" He yelled angrily.


    Changyu had told them that it was already too long and the people mainly involved were already dead so she asked them to take it up on theirselves to let the world know what they did to that family. To clear the Wangs name.


    How was he supposed to do that?


    Elder Song remembered telling Father Wang that he was capable of wiping off his family name from the face of the earth if they didn''t handle their son properly.


    But when he thought Father Wang was going to take his threats seriously, Father Wang had annoyed him further by telling him he would protect his family till he draws his last breath.


    That was the last straw. Elder Song didn''t waste time in finishing off the family.


    Now, his daughter wanted him to apologize to Elder Wang''s children and tell the whole world he had actually framed them and destroyed the family?


    Why was she protecting them all of a sudden? What reason?


    "I totally forgot about them. If I had known they were still in this country, I would have gotten rid of them a long time ago" Elder Song was pissed for letting his guard down.


    "Do you... Think she still loves that Wang son? Is that why she is doing this? Is that why she never got married?" Madam Song asked.


    Elder Song tried not to laugh. Why would she still be hung up on that person for all these years? Maybe she felt bad about what they did. How could his daughter be hung up on that insignificant being.


    "The most important thing is saving this family and the company. We can just offer them enough money. I''m sure they''ll let go of everything. What can money not solve?" Elder Song said.


    "Please...let''s just go apologize to them first. Changyu might let us be if we do so."


    His wife still tried to reason with him. But he could not accept it.


    "If we do it, do you think it''s going to end there? She will keep finding things out. What if she also finds out about that incident?" He asked in a worried tone.


    Madam Song instantly understood what he was saying and began to pace around uncomfortably.


    "She won''t. She can''t possibly find out....right?" Madam Song was beginning to sound unsure.


    "We....we got rid of all of them involved. She won''t find out" Her confidence came back when she thought about how they had handled everything smoothly.


    "Wait.. Do you think she found out and that''s why she travelled out for all those years?" Madam Song asked in a panic again.


    "No, it can''t be. She would have done worse to us if she knew that we didn''t cremate her baby like we claimed" Elder Song answered in fear.


    Changyu''s wineglass dropped when she heard the conversation sent from the listening bug a maid had helped her install under the expensive wooden table.

 Chapter 187 - Her son

    Changyu had always found it difficult to breathe whenever she heard something really shocking.


    She had decided to relax and listen to her parents conversation because she knew she was going to get an information but this was rather shocking. What? Her baby wasn''t cremated?


    The wine spilled. The glass shattered.


    She gasped for breath since she felt really suffocated but no matter how much she tried, she couldn''t breathe steadily. She also couldn''t get up from the chair because her legs were so weak and wouldn''t support her.


    When was all of this going to end? When was she going to finally find peace?


    What else had her parents done? But...the most important question was ''What happened to her child?''


    ***


    26 YEARS AGO


    "Where are you coming from?" Changyu asked her maid with the most unfriendly expression and dark eyes.


    Despite the fact that she was older and had practically watched Changyu grow up, Anna couldn''t stand the glare and faltered.


    "Please forgive me" Anna knelt down and looked down guiltily. "I... had... to do it. I had..to let him know you were carrying his child." Anna confessed.


    "Are you out of your mind?" Changyu yelled at Anna with tearstained face before dropping the only flower vase left in her ''prison''. Thankfully, her parents had left her with things she could easily destroy whenever she was angry. Hopefully, they were going to stock the room again since she had destroyed every tangible thing left.


    "He didn''t want me. He said he didn''t want it!"


    Changyu sat on the ground and continued yelling like a mad woman which she looked like at the moment. Her hair was scattered and unkempt. She looked rough, pale and shattered. She also had bruise marks on different part of her body.


    "Wh...at...what are you talking about? I thought you said he didn''t leave a message?" Anna raised her head to ask with tears in her eyes. "What...what do you mean he didn''t want you?"


    Changyu cried louder not bothering to care whether anyone would hear her. Her parents had gone to attend the governor''s party so she was left home with the bodyguards and maids.


    Any of them could come in but she couldn''t be able to go out because right outside her door, bodyguards were stationed there to block her from escaping.


    "Forget it. It makes no difference now" She stood up and used the back of her hand to clean her face


    "Get me a pen and a paper something.. You have to deliver the letter to Jianjun at all cost." Changyu said with a determined and cold expression.


    She succeeded in writing the letter after thinking it through and through. It was to inform Jianjun to not worry about her because she was going to get rid of the child. She didn''t want to have anything to do with him or his family and he should pretend like she never existed because she hated all of them and wished them bad luck.


    She wrote it all with the memories of the mail she had received from him. The more she remembered, the more she wrote down every hateful word she could think of.


    Weeks before Changyu was to deliver, the sonographer had informed them after the ultrasound scan, that her baby was likely going to be a boy. But he wasn''t saying for certain since suprises always happened.


    Changyu didn''t care. She had made up her mind that no matter what, she wouldn''t care about the boy.


    She had even tried to take her life several times. But didn''t have the courage to. She was so scared. Scared of living. Scared of dying.


    No matter how much she tried to deny it, a part of her was also curious to see her baby.


    She wanted to see the fruit of her love. But another part of her didn''t want to. The baby was obviously going to remind her of her betrayal. Of the love she thought she had.


    Her indecisiveness drove her crazier.


    Suspecting a placenta previa as a result of her past uterine surgery, the doctor had recommended a Caesarean birth instead. The baby was also going to be delivered a few weeks before the stipulated 40 weeks.


    Changyu had also found out about the Caeserean hysterectomy that they were most likely to perform on her with the way things were at the moment.


    She wasn''t stable outside, she wasn''t even stable inside? She laughed crazily. She was really a bad luck. Maybe she betrayed her country in her past life.


    The thought of never going to be able to give birth again since her womb was going to be removed didn''t scare her as much as the thought of losing her life or baby''s life.


    She made up her mind. She needed her son. She wanted her child. And no matter what, she was going to fight for both their lives. She was going to raise the only child that she''ll ever give birth to in her entire life.


    She had a new will to live. She was going to live for her son. She was going to protect herself and her child from her parents.


    After she was operated on, she didn''t know how long she slept for but when she woke up after everything, she felt so weak and fragile but the will to see her son had pushed her to wake up.


    "You''re awake? How do you feel?" A nurse asked her politely and began to check her vital signs.


    "My baby...where... is my baby?"


    She hadn''t bothered asking about her parents because according to them, if people saw them there, word would spread and it wasn''t good for their family''s image so they had to stay back.


    Not like she cared anyway.


    "I''ll get the doctor. Please lie down" The nurse helped her lie back down before leaving the room.


    "Doctor...where is my baby? Where is he?" She asked in a dry voice.


    "Doctor Peters was the one who helped you deliver and he is currently not on ground. But¡ª"


    "You have a call" The nurse handed her phone over to Changyu.


    She looked at her mother''s name and instantly answered. Maybe she was with her son. Or maybe he was undergoing incubation somewhere in the hospital. Whichever it was, her mother would have an answer.


    "Mother.. Are you with him? Where is he?" Changyu asked hopefully.


    "It''s such a relief that you''re okay. You''ll be escorted out of the hospital safely. Come home and you''ll see your baby" Her mother assured her. "Changyu... I prayed for you" Madam Song added before hanging up.


    Changyu sighed in relief and eagerly anticipated seeing the only child she would ever have.


    But on getting home, she heard the words which still made her go crazy even after 26 years.


    She saw the confusion on her parents faces when she asked for her ''son'' but it didn''t last.


    "My darling, your baby died. He was cremated" Her father said nonchalantly before adding "It''s a good thing. You have to focus on your life now. We''re glad it didn''t blow up. This family would have all been in deep soup"


    "N..o...no...no! You''re lying.." She tried to get up from the wheelchair but her mother didn''t let her  "You have to take care of your health now. We''re sorry but there''s nothing we could do about it" Tear streamed down Madam Song''s face as she spoke to her daughter.


    "Please Changyu. You have to forget about everything now. Your life is more important"


    "I said I don''t believe you!" Changyu screamed, looking all shocked and baffled. Her eyes scanned the empty room. "Where is Anna? Where is she?" She believed Anna was the only one who could tell her the truth. She didn''t believe her parents. She didn''t want to!


    "She resigned. But don''t worry. Your new maid will resume tomorrow. She will surely assist you well" Her father assured her in a gentle fatherly tone.

 Chapter 188 - You must want to

    Sara still thought about Heya''s ''advice'' even as the car dropped her off at home.


    It was true. Muchen was obviously every woman''s dream. Not only was he super cool and handsome, he was rich, ambitious, and he had that dimple that drove her crazy.


    She suddenly remembered those heiresses that Dexi had told her Muchen must have dated. What if more heiresses came to steal her man away?


    She walked into the apartment in a daze and plumped down on the couch unhappily. The house was obviously empty since they had all gone to clean up their new apartment.


    ''Why did he have to be so perfect? I wouldn''t have been bothered if he had a normal look like Jinyong or Dexi'' She complained.


    She took out her phone and wondered whether it was wise to call him now. He had mentioned something about having a busy day. She decided to try her luck then. If he was busy then he could just call her back later.


    On the second ring, he took the call.


    "Hello, Mr Li." She said. She really liked greeting him this way.


    She smiled when she heard him say a happy ''Hello Miss'' in response.


    "Are you less busy now?" She asked.


    "Yes. Is something wrong? Why do you sound that way?"


    Muchen stood up in the middle of a board meeting and signaled to the people present there that he would be back shortly.


    Their surprise was written all over their faces. What was going on? He happily said hello to a woman, asked what was wrong with her and even left them here?


    They turned to look at Ms Long for answers but she said nothing and only flipped through a file with a tiny smile on her face.


    "Ms Long... Is the CEO dating?" One of the directors asked when he could no longer hold in his curiousity.


    She raised her head and looked at all of them like she didn''t know what they were talking about. "You should ask CEO Li. He''s the best person to ask." She said to the director who looked like he was in his mid-thirties


    *


    "Mist..er...Li. I wanted to ask..."


    "Go on." Muchen waited impatiently. He wondered what it was that was really bothering her.


    "Do you..do.. I mean... Do women really throw themselves..at you?" She gathered her wits and asked.


    He blinked his eyes in confusion and convinced himself that he didn''t hear her clearly. Did she really call him to ask him about this?


    "What did you say?" He asked.


    "You heard me please don''t make me repeat myself" He heard her ''embarrassed tone'' and he could guess she was using a had to cover her face.


    His face lit up. "Who told you that?" He asked.


    "Just answer me. I know you''ll have advances like that but... I want to know how...how.. often"


    Muchen chuckled and used a hand to rub his forehead. He decided to play with her a little "It happens hmmm.." He pretended to think "Very often... Everyday" He tried to suppress a laugh.


    "What? Are you serious?" Sara swallowed hard and stood up abruptly. In her head she was screaming ''Noooooo! Not my boyfriend!!!!!!!!''


    "Why? Aren''t there other guys in the world?" She asked him in anger.


    She didn''t hear him say anything for a while and was beginning to wonder whether he had ended the call on her but then, she heard him say..


    "Jealousy looks good on you, my love"


    Sara stopped pacing around and heard her heart begin to thump loudly. ''Did he...did he just call me his love? Omg...'' She used a hand to cover her face and smiled widely.


    "Don''t listen to whatever Heya tells you. It doesn''t matter whether they throw themselves at me every second. I only want you to throw yourself at me. So stop thinking nonsense and go help Mr Wang clean up. I''ll talk to you later babe" He hung up and went back inside the room with a broad smile on his face.


    Sara began to jump around in excitement. After jumping to her heart''s content, she began to twirl around. "I must have saved my country in my previous life. How nice" She spread her hands wide and fell back on the couch with her back.


    The smile didn''t leave Muchen''s face at all. He wished she would call him like this everyday because she was a bit insecure. Wasn''t Sara always bold and confident? He realised that he liked every single side of her.


    He ignored the look his subordinates were giving him and checked his phone when he heard it beep with a text from Sara.


    It read...


    "Mister Li.... You''re planning a birthday for your grandmother right? It means you''re already treating her well right?... The thing is... Why don''t we just start dating now? ????"


    His employees wondered why he was grinning widely while reading something on the phone. Oh... He''s even smiling widely while typing on the phone.


    The curious director could not hold it in anymore. He took the risk to ask him even if he would lose his job because of his curiosity.


    "CEO Li....by chance....are you dat...ing?" He stammered.


    The other employees looked at him in shock. They couldn''t believe someone dared ask the CEO something entirely not work related.


    Muchen raised his head after hitting the ''Send'' icon. He looked at the director and smiled.


    "Yes. Anything?"


    Muchen''s answer garnered gasps and whispers.


    "You''re really dating?" A female supervisor asked this time.


    "I am" He answered with a nod.


    "Does she work here? When do we get to see the lady boss?" Another man asked.


    It was the same question in the minds of all of them. Who was the lady that their boss fell in love with? They guessed she must be very rich, powerful and famous. Someone they couldn''t even stand before.


    Ms Long chuckled and continued going through her laptop like none of it concerned her.


    "She doesn''t work here. And you can''t see her. She.....gets shy easily"


    ***


    "What if I don''t want to?????"


    Sara''s eyes narrowed when she received the text from Muchen. She was annoyed but she didn''t even know why she laughed.


    ''You must want to Mr Li. You must want to'' She chanted.

 Chapter 189 - I know best

    Sara chose not to take Muchen seriously so she didn''t bother texting back.


    She ignored him and stood up to head to her room when she saw Mr Chu approaching, scaring the life out of her.


    "Uncle... I didn''t know you were in" She said with a jump.


    "Sorry for scaring you. I was resting inside. They didn''t allow me go because they believe I''m still weak." He whined playfully.


    "Of course. How could we possibly allow you to clean up our apartment for us? You need to rest well" Sara supported the others.


    He tapped her shoulders gently before sitting down and ushering her to sit with him.


    "Work is fine?" He asked in a fatherly tone.


    Sara nodded before sitting opposite him.


    "Have I ever told you how I met your father?" Mr Chu asked her with gentle eyes.


    Sara wondered where this question was coming from all of a sudden. She shook her head and answered "I haven''t heard the story before"


    A gentle smile formed on his face as he reminisced the past.


    "After I lost my wife and my job, I wandered about like a stray cat. I had this place..." He ran his eyes around then continued "but I didn''t think it was ''home''.  Hope was completely far from me. Then, I was also raising my orphaned nephew so I sent him and Bilike to Bilike''s aunt to stay with her for a while. I actually felt like dying then. I wanted to end everything so I could go be with Bilike''s mother."


    He stopped and studied Sara''s face to see she was fully paying attention then he gave her a weak smile.  "One day, I walked into this little restaurant to have my last meal and drink before I die. I think your father must have sensed something was wrong with this ciustomer. After serving me my food and drinks, he sat with me and told me about his little daughter. About the challenges her faced raising her and how he overcame most of them. He told me how he could and would do anything for his daughter and asked if I had child and whether I felt the same way.... I don''t know how long we talked, but I later realised it was a selfish decision to end my life. What about Bilike? What about my little nephew, Aotian?" You remember that night many years when you saw me in your house right?" He asked.


    Sara thought for a while before nodding. She remembered the night she saw a ''beggar'' in their apartment  and screamed her lungs out before Jianjun told her he was their guest and introduced him to her as Uncle Chu. But she settled with Mr Chu instead.


    When she saw Mr Chu again the next morning, he was well dressed and looked neat...and was wearing her Father''s clothes which annoyed her.


    "Till this day, I still see him as my life saver. Any time Bilike or Aotian celebrates any important event, I feel very joyful because at least, I am alive to wish them a happy birthday or watch them graduate and every step they take in their lives. Your Father... I will do anything for him.... And you also..."


    Sara smiled and took his hands "Uncle. You''ve done more than enough for us these past years. Letting us stay with you was very nice of you. I just hope now, you also give much attention to Bilike." She advised. One thing was to be alive, another was to look after your kids.


    Mr Chu patted her hand and smiled. "I''ll do that now. I''ll do that."


    "So why exactly did you want to see me earlier?" Sara asked because she believed he didn''t want to see her just to tell her how he met her father.


    He pulled his hands from hers and took in a deep breath. "Remember I said I''ll do anything for the both of you?"


    Sara nodded.


    "I want to know what is up with you" He said.


    Sara raised a questioning brow at him "What is up with me? What do you mean?"


    "I didn''t tell your father, it didn''t mean I wouldn''t want to know what is up with you. I want to hear it. What happened at the factory with those gangsters? The memory is still fresh."


    Sara pursed her lips and closed her eyes to breathe in deeply. She released the breath and opened her eyes.


    "Uncle, you don''t have to bother about that too much. Nothing happened. The things is... I know one of their members. We met by chance one time so I just told them to call him and confirm that I know him so they''ll let us be and it worked." She said


    "I should believe that?" He asked.


    "Yes uncle. Don''t bother yourself with irrelevant things. Everything''s fine." She assured.


    "Are you sure you didn''t make any kind of deal with them?" He asked again. He had to be sure for his conscience to be clear. Everything had been caused by him and his son.


    Sara laughed and shook her head. "Nothing like that"


    Mr Chu sighed in relief. "Stop meeting with gangsters if you still do. Nothing good ever comes out of knowing them" He advised.


    Her smile turned to a sad one when she answered "I know... I know best"


    **


    She was about leaving the room to go join the others in cleaning their new apartment when her eyes landed on the wardrobe where Jianjun kept his things.


    She remembered the little box and wondered if it was in there and the contents in it.


    She gradually approached his wardrobe and opened it anxiously.


    She looked at his tidy wardrobe. Some clothes were on the hanger while there was also a medium sized luggage bag standing there.


    Sara''s eyes unknowingly began to water. This was all there was to Jianjun. He had nothing. This was all the wears he had.


    There were only three clothes on the hanger: one suit which he wore to any official occasion, and two other casual wears.


    Her father had always been more worried about Joreen and herself and had totally ignored his own needs. He hadn''t bothered to  take care of himself and it broke Sara''s heart.


    She looked at the bottom part of the wardrobe and saw one knockoff official shoe that he wore with the suit to formal occasions. There was nothing else there. The other shoe he had was the one he always wore and he should currently be wearing it now wherever he was.


    She shut the wardrobe to stop looking. It was as if a big hand was squeezing her heart. She had been a really bad daughter. Jianjun was suffering in his own way but she on the other hand was always disobeying him or throwing tantrums. ''I am going to be a good girl from now on. I am going to work very hard and take care of my family'' She nodded to the idea before opening the wardrobe again.


    She thought it was actually pointless. The wardrobe was very tidy and spacious. So where could he possibly hide the little box? She thought and thought for a while and decided to open his luggage which was something she had never done before.


    When she finally opened it, she saw that there really was no much clothes inside. Just a trouser and two tee-shirts. And...the little box was also there.


    She sighed. Both in relief and sadness before her hand lifted the box in anticipation.

 Chapter 190 - I love you Jianjun Wang

    "So if I understand what you''re trying to say....it simply means you want us all to throw a party for your grandmother?" His uncle Li Han asked in obvious surprise.


    Muchen nodded in agreement. He looked at his parents and Minde''s parents. They all have similar expression on their faces.


    "I would really like all of you to put in your best and help with whatever you can."


    "I don''t understand. Where did this idea suddenly pop out from?" His mother asked.


    His father didn''t bother to say anything and only looked proudly at his son.


    Muchen scratched his head and literally bit his tongue to stop himself from saying ''it was my girlfriend''s idea''


    He smiled at his mother before asking gently. "You''ll help out right?" He turned to also look at his Aunt, letting her know the question was also for her.


    They all thought it was a bad idea. No one knew how Li Sun was going to react to the sudden idea of a birthday party. But since Muchen of all people was raising it, they had to have faith in whatever he was planning. So they all agreed.


    On Christmas eve, they were going to throw Li Sun a suprise birthday party for her. The problem now was, no one knew what she liked so it would be difficult when choosing a gift.


    ***


    It was the first time Sara was seeing their new apartment. It wasn''t as bad as she had expected considering the fact that the rent wasn''t very expensive unlike most other buildings inside of town.


    It made her wonder why someone hadn''t rented the apartment before them or were they just lucky?


    She concluded it was probably because the place functioned more as a business centre which was actually a good thing for them because since the two-storey building was located in a rather busy area, the entire first storey served as stores for businesspeople. There were four large stores which sold wines, knockoff wears, cosmetics and the last one that had been rented by Jianjun to serve as his new restaurant.


    She hadn''t checked out the store yet but she was able to deduce that it was quite bigger than his former restaurant.


    Thankfully, he had saved much to get some chairs, tables and whatever was needed to start up a small-scale restaurant.


    She really liked the fact that her father wouldn''t be returning late from the restaurant since it was just downstairs.


    She perfectly understood what was wrong with the place when she noticed the place didn''t have an elevator and so, she had to take the flight of stairs to get to the first floor.


    She thanked her body that was used to things like this but began to think twice since Joreen and her father were both going to be subjected to this on a daily basis.


    Taking it as a little exercise, she got to the first floor in a few minutes."So much stairs. They could build a house with it" She grumbled.


    There were four rooms on each row directly facing each other.


    She sighed at the thought of having seven neighbours.


    She stopped in front of the ''401'' sign on the second door by her left and used the doorknob to gently open the door, knowing it was not going to be locked.


    "You''re here"


    Sara first heard Cixi''s voice and bowed with a smile to greet her aunt who was busy mopping the floor. "Yes"


    Sara ran her eyes around the two bedroom apartment. The sitting room was wide and spacious. Painted plainly in white and nude.


    She could vaguely guess the bedrooms were also spacious also.


    There was a medium sized window were you could see the busy street outside. Even right now, they could hear cars honking and people''s loud voices.


    But in all, this was going to be their home. And she didn''t mind.


    "Big sis come see our room. It''s so large" Joreen said excitedly before taking her hand to lead her to the room.


    "You should be resting " Jianjun dropped the little cleaning rag he was holding and said to Sara when they got closer to him since he was on their path to the bedroom.


    Sara smiled at him. She gently pulled her hand out of Joreen''s hand and hugged her father. "I only worked out. I wasn''t involved in an accident" She said sarcastically.


    He was startled by the sudden hug and began to wonder whether Mr Li had broken up with her. But then, he remembered she wasn''t looking sad and....didn''t have blood on her hands¡ªThe blood of whoever he was dumping her for.


    He knew this wasn''t the time of Weiyoung and Jinyong. This was Li Muchen!


    He hugged her back and asked softly "What''s wrong? Are you okay?"


    "Can''t I hug my father again?" Sara asked back.


    "I''m sure he''s wondering why you''re suddenly showing him too much affection since you''ve been giving it all to your Mr Li" Cixi summarised with a laugh.


    It also made Jianjun and Sara laugh. ''My Mr Li? I like the sound of that'' She sent a discreet thumbs up at Cixi''s direction since she couldn''t even see her.


    "Daddy...." Sara called like a little girl.


    "Yes daughter?" He answered with a short laugh.


    "I''ll go for the manners and etiquette class...I''ll also learn how to cook and do whatever you want me to do. I promise."


    "Hmm?..." He said skeptically. "What''s come over you all of a sudden?"


    Sara shook her head. "I don''t want to be a bad daughter. I love you Jianjun Wang"


    He laughed when he heard her call him that. He remembered how she used to call him that when she was younger. She said she preferred calling him Jianjun Wang because he was young and didn''t look like her father but like an older brother instead. She had even told people that she was going to marry him when she grew up. It had taken him a great deal of effort and lectures to let her know why she couldn''t marry him.


    "I love you too Sara Wang"


    "Geez... How cheesy.. Sweetheart let''s go clean the kitchen before they ruin our eyes" Cixi rolled her eyes at them before grabbing Joreen''s little hand.


    **


    When Sara had carried the box earlier, she had thought half of her questions would be answered by checking out the contents but to her surprise, the box had a lock. And not the ''key'' type of lock but the ''combination'' type of lock where you had to wind four numbers to get it to open.


    It really frustrated her. When she got a glimpse of it earlier, she hadn''t expected the little box to be that complex. Despite looking old, it looked obviously expensive.


    From the four Zeros default which it was set, she tried to open it with four different number combination she could come up with: Her Father''s birthday, her mother''s, hers, her aunt''s, and even Joreen''s but none of them worked out.


    No matter what, she was never going to give up. She was going to find it all out and help her father live well and she was never going to blame him. Because.....he was Jianjun Wang!

 Chapter 191 - Dont insult my Mr Li

    Changyu''s PA, Jang Hani looked at the pale looking woman that was lying on the bed.


    Hani had been working for Changyu for four years. She remembered when she was about applying to work for Changyu at the age of twenty four. She heard rumours about Miss Changyu being a very difficult person and had a bad temper.


    At that time, Hani still decided to apply for the job because the pay was high and she needed the money to pay for her younger brother''s tuition. She suspected she was able to get the job easily because she was from the same country as Changyu.


    The first month after she began, Hani realised that Changyu wasn''t as bad as people had painted her to be. Most people did respect her and salute to her influence and intelligence but since she was a very direct and straightforward person, rumours couldn''t help flying about.


    At one time, Changyu had paid her brother''s complete tuition when she didn''t even raise the issue to her at all.


    When she tried to confirm from Changyu if she really paid his tuition, she simply said "I don''t like my assistants working for me with troubled hearts. I believe you''ll relax and do your job right. If you make anymore mistakes, I won''t hesitate to fire you. If you understand, you should go rest at home. I''ll see you tomorrow"


    From that moment, Hani had made up her mind to be loyal to Changyu for the rest of her life and follow her to wherever she wanted to go.


    Looking at her sleeping figure on the hospital bed, Hani couldn''t help wondering what was up with her again.


    She had been shocked when she heard a sound like something crashing and when she came inside to check, she saw Changyu was collapsed on the floor. She had actually thought it was blood she saw everywhere but after taking a closer look, she figured it was red wine. Though, she had bruises on her hand as a result of the broken glass on the floor.


    Ever since she came back to country B, it was always one problem or the other. She had visited the hospital countless times more that she did abroad. Hani had been doing all the digging so, she was able to link it with the man that had visited her in the hospital the other day. Since her boss met that man, her emotions had not been stable.


    She really felt bad for her boss. Most people saw her as cold and unapproachable even  while abroad, she didn''t have friends or hang out. Hani had never even seen her smile happily except the ''evil smirk'' she usually gave.


    For the first time, she decided to take matters into her own hands and do something she believed was right.


    *****


    After they were done with cleaning the apartment, they moved downstairs to clean up their restaurant-to-be.


    They all complained about the many stairs that were too tiny and close to each other.


    Bilike had added that whichever architect or engineer responsible for this needed to be stoned to death.


    It was as if they were climbing a hill. No wonder the room was vacant. Sara realised that three of the rooms were also vacant meaning they had only 4 neighbors; that''s if they''re single.


    "Aunt.." Sara pulled Cixi to a corner and whispered.


    "What''s up with you?" Cixi asked curiously.


    "The thing is.... What kind of gift can I give to a woman in her 70s for her birthday?"


    "Who''s celebrating? Mr Li''s grandmother?" Cixi asked pointedly.


    "Wow! That was so accurate. How did you know?" Sara looked at her Aunt in awe.


    "Who else do you know that''s that old? It''s not like you have any friend who has a grandma. But....you want to give her a gift? Does she approve of you now?" Cixi couldn''t help worrying for her little neice.


    Sara grinned excitedly. "Mr Li wants me to MC her party."


    "Wow.. You both must have really gone completely nuts." She chipped in.


    "Maybe I have. But don''t insult my Mr Li" Sara playfully scolded her aunt. "You should get a boyfriend soon aunt. Seems you''re getting too jealous lately" Sara teased.


    Cixi laughed and waved a hand "I''m too old for all of that. Besides, who would want a 45 years old woman?"


    "Don''t say that. We look like age mates if you ask me. You''re still so young and vibrant" Sara smiled widely at her. "Even younger guys may doubt you''re up to 35 and try to woo you."


    Cixi raised a brow at her "Then can we try it with Mr Li then? I do like him" She teased back.


    Sara''s smile faded and she eyed her Aunt. "Don''t even think about going near him"


    She eyed her again before returning to clean, totally fogetting she needed an advise on the gift to buy for Madam Li.


    Jianjun looked at the both of them suspiciously, wondering what they were both whispering about and why Sara''s face suddenly changed. His eyes met Cixi''s then she laughed and waved a hand at him and mouthed that he shouldn''t worry about it.


    "I only teased her a bit" Cixi said when she got closer to him. "She doesn''t seem to like it when someone makes a joke with her boyfriend. So possessive!"


    "She should be. Don''t make jokes about him again if she doesn''t like it" He scolded her. He didn''t care to ask what she had said to her because Sara was always right.


    Sara turned to see the both of them staring at her. She laughed and spoke loudly so they could both hear. "I''m not angry or sad. What am I? 12 years old?" She smiled and continued cleaning the counter.


    Jianjun smiled to see it wasn''t something serious and was about to say something to Cixi when he heard his phone ring so he took off his gloves and reached for it in his trouser pocket.


    "Yes, this is Wang Jianjun, who is this?" He asked the feminine voice at the other end of the line.


    "Are you acquainted with a Song Changyu?" The lady asked.


    Jianjun''s eyes darted sideways. He could vaguely guess from the look on Cixi''s face that she heard the question.


    He took a few steps away from close to Cixi before answering in a low tone. "I do. What is the matter?"


    Cixi eyed him suspiciously. She was very sure she heard the person say ''Song Changyu'' what was that woman planning again? She had just caused a stir by cutting ties with her family now, she was still reaching her brother?


    She saw the state of shock her brother was in after the call ended and moved closer to ask in a low tone so the others wouldn''t hear. "What was that about?"


    "She''s in the hospital. She collapsed." He was aware his sister knew already so there was no point in hiding anything.


    "Why would she suddenly collapse and why did they reach you instead? Oh...because she no longer has a family, they chose to reach you instead?" She said in irritation.


    "What do you mean by she no longer has a family?" Jianjun peered curiously.


    Cixi sighed at her brother''s reaction. "You didn''t see the news this morning? She cut ties with every member of the Song family. Not like it should concern you though." Cixi concluded. She didn''t want to believe her brother still cared for that woman.


    He looked sad and confused but he agreed with her. "Yes.. It doesn''t concern me at all....it doesn''t concern me one bit"


    He repeated it over and over again and Cixi was able to tell that he was more like trying to convince himself.


    "Brother Jun... Come to your senses! You won''t go see her in the hospital right?" She asked hopefully.


    He looked at her with sad eyes. Cixi saw the answers in his eyes even before he ran out of the building.

 Chapter 192 - I didnt know about it

    "Where is she? Where is Anna? I don''t believe you. She won''t resign like that. She promised she was going to be with me for a very long time. She said she won''t leave me alone" The Changyu who just turned twenty years old on her delivery day cried her eyes out as she wheeled the wheelchair around with the little energy she had left.


    "Changyu. Come to your senses!" Her father yelled angrily at her.


    "Why would she stay with you forever..why? I already told you. Someone new and better is coming tomorrow. You just have to recuperate for now. If need be, we''ll send you abroad. We really want the best for you so you''ll start your life afresh. It''s what you deserve"


    "It''s true Changyu. We really care about you and will do anything for you" Her mother stood in front of her to let her know how they truly felt about her. "You just have to move on now. You have a golden life ahead of you. We''ll help you reach it. Trust your parents"


    Changyu looked at the both of them with dark and angry eyes. She didn''t have the energy to keep wheeling about. She was so weak and felt like she had no life in her.


    "Where is my baby? Wh..y? Why did you do that? I didn''t even see him, I didn''t hold him... How could you do this to me?" She broke down in tears again. She had to accept it even if she didn''t want to. Her baby was gone. Gone forever!


    "Why did you do this to me? Please bring my baby back. I...I.will do any...thing you ask me to. I''ll...I...will marry whoever y..ou want me to. Just... bring back my boy.... I beg... of you" She begged desperately. She begged with all her might but, they only handed her....her baby''s ash.


    "Changyu... Changyu?" She heard someone call her. She recognised the voice. She knew very well who the voice belonged to. It was Jianjun Wang. The one who caused her all these pain.


    She wouldn''t say he used her and dumped her because she was the one who threw herself freely at someone she had barely known for two months before she went to bed with him.


    She had even purposely made him drunk because she knew he was never going to agree to that wish if he was sober. She thought if she got pregnant for him, her family would let them both be and agree for them to get married but who would have thought.....


    She still didn''t want to blame him for anything. It had all been her fault from the very beginning.


    ''Why is he here? Why is he appearing in my dream all of a sudden?'' She wondered.


    For the past 26 years, she had shut him out of her memory. Shut him and his entire family out. But why was he here all of a sudden?


    "Changyu...please...wake up" She heard his pleading voice and gradually opened her eyes.


    She tried to focus on the figure hovering above her on her queen-size bed. But she was still half-awake and half-asleep. She cried loudly at the loss of her baby and nanny. In her dream, Jianjun was hugging her as she cried. She was in his embrace and could smell him like he was right there with her.


    "How did my life turn this way? What did I do to deserve this?" She said in a low voice and cried loudly, wrapping her hands around the man she hated so much.


    "It''s fine. Wake up." She heard the deep voice say and felt his big hands tap her by the side soothingly. "Wake up Changyu.... Please"


    She suddenly shot-out of dream mode and was fully conscious now. She gasped for air while in someone''s embrace.


    It felt uncomfortable because she was lying down on the bed while the person was standing at the side of the bad and crouched to hug her.


    Gently, the person pulled out of the hug and his face came into focus. ''It is him. It is really him....or....am I dreaming?'' She wondered as her squinted eyes began to widen further.


    "Bro...ther...jun?" She asked in a hoarse and unsure voice.


    "Are you okay? Do you still feel sick somewhere?" He asked in worry.


    "Why are you here?" She tried to get up so he gently helped her up.


    "You should be in the hospital." He said pointedly.


    "Why are you here?" She asked again.


    "The doctor left a few minutes back. According to him, you''ll be fine. You only need to rest for a while. Here..." He handed her a glass of water that he just poured.


    She looked at the tall man with black hair that was wearing a navy blue polo shirt and plain black trousers. To her, his looks didn''t change much. ''But....did he grow taller or did I become shorter?'' She wondered before gulping down the glass of water.


    She remembered what happened. After collapsing and Hani came in, she had specifically reminded her with her last strength "No hospital"


    She didn''t want to go back there. She hated the hospital with passion. The past years, she had refused to visit the hospital no matter what happened. She had only visited the last time because she had collapsed in front of the Wangs and they had sent her there unknowingly.


    "Where is Hani?" Since he didn''t want to tell her how he came in here, Hani was going to have the answer. She also had other jobs for Hani to take care of.


    "She''s out. She went to get some items the doctor recommended. She''ll also bring you something to eat."


    ''It''s the first long conversation we''re having in years'' Changyu thought.


    She hoped she hadn''t said anything about her baby while she was half conscious.


    He had told her he wasn''t interested and she had sent him a letter that she was going to get rid of the baby. If he knew now that she kept the child then and he was probably alive, Jianjun might blow up especially now that he had a grown up daughter.


    She was so excited at the thought of her son being alive. She was excited and anxious at the same time. But...what if he wasn''t?


    She tried to take out the IV cannula from her hand but he stopped her.


    "What do you think you are doing?" He asked harshly.


    "There is somewhere I need to go to. I''ll be¡ª"


    She suddenly became conscious of her hands in his. She looked down at both their hands and unconsciously, tears began to form in her eyes.


    She raised her head to look at him and saw his other hand midair as if he was trying to place his hand of her head before she lifted her face.


    He sighed and withdrew his hand. "You should rest. You can do that later. But you should rest now" He said in a gentle tone.


    He was about pulling his hand away from hers but she held it firmly with both hands.


    "I... I had no idea my parents did all of that to your family"


    She felt tears slide down her face.


    As much as she wanted to know about her child, she wanted to apologize more. "I am... so sorry Brother Jun... I... I really didn''t know about it"


    She let go of his hands and used both hands to cover her face as she cried and apologized.

 Chapter 193 - Ill hate her for the both of us

    "I''ll see you all tomorrow" Cixi waved at Sara, Joreen and Bilike from the cab and left them to her hotel room.


    "She didn''t still tell you where Dad ran off to?" Joreen asked curiously.


    Sara shook her head "She didn''t say anything. I just hope everything is fine." She answered in worry.


    She had seen her dad running out of the building and saw her aunt''s disappointed look.


    "Have you tried calling him?" Bilike asked.


    "I have. He didn''t take the call but sent me a text that something came up and he might return late"


    Sara scratched her head in frustration. Why didn''t she have a clue about anything?


    **


    Cixi rested her head on the cab''s chair and closed her eyes to gather her thoughts properly.


    She had joined them in completely cleaning the restaurant but her mind hadn''t been there the entire time.


    What was that?


    She couldn''t believe her brother still had a thing for that woman. What was he thinking going to meet her? Why did he care whether she collapsed or died?


    She was beginning to get scared. Even though the Songs have been cut from Changyu, they could still come after them. She was also scared about Sara''s safety.


    Why? Why did he still have to care about her after everything?


    She remembered years ago when she returned from school after hearing the news about her father getting arrested.


    Everything had been turned upside down. Even her parent''s account had been frozen. They had nothing to their name.


    Regardless of what was happening to their family, Jianjun had repeatedly gone to the Song''s estate to wait for Changyu. And whenever he returned home, it was with new bruises and a message that Changyu didn''t want to see him.


    She had seen him countless times crying while holding a letter from her.


    The day she laid her hands on the letter and saw the contents, she had sworn to kill Changyu if she ever saw her.


    She dared curse her family? It was at that point that she also realised Changyu was pregnant for her brother and had said in the letter that she was going to terminate it because she didn''t need any stain from Jianjun to ruin her life and she regretted meeting the entire Wangs.


    At a point, he had even collapsed.


    Even their mother had gone to her family''s gate to plead with Changyu to come speak with her after she found out about her pregnancy but Changyu had refused to meet with her and allowed her mother wait for hours. She was also hit by the guards when she refused to leave without meeting Changyu first.


    Everything Jianjun was going through plus their father''s death caused their mother to have a heart attack and die also. The only one they had beside them, was Helene. Helene had stayed back to console them and help them get back up.


    Tears slid down the corner of her eyes.


    "Fine... I''ll just hate her for the both of us. But I hope you''ll be able to face our parents when you meet them one day"


    If her brother couldn''t fully hate her despite everything she did to them, she was going to volunteer and hate her for all of them instead.


    ***


    "Stop crying. You should be resting. Do you want to collapse again?" Jianjun threw his face to the side and spoke coldly to her.


    He didn''t want to see her cry. He reminded himself to not care whether she cried or not but he still didn''t want to look at her.


    Maybe she was trying to play tricks on him again. How could she possibly not know about any of it?


    Her parents had come to their home to tell them they were only giving them what they deserved and Changyu was happy with her life now. Warning them not to never come to their place again before they did worse.


    So how come she didn''t know about it?


    Changyu ignored him and kept on crying. He still refused to look at her. She was awake so he should probably leave now. Yes... Leave now!


    "Your Secretary would be here soon. I''ll leave now" He said and head for the door.


    "Brother Jun..." He heard hurried steps and felt a hand wrap around his waist in a back hug.

 Chapter 194 - He really left

    He stood still, wondering what she was doing right now.


    Or maybe the question should be...What was he doing? He should be pushing her away.


    He clenched his fists beside him and tried to think of something else so his heart would stop throbbing. This was crazy... Everything was crazy!


    "I swear I didn''t know. If I did¡ª"


    "Then what would have happened?" He interrupted her and asked before gently turning, causing her to drop her hand from his waist to look up at his dark eyes.


    "What would have happened?"


    He looked down at her. She was still petite like he remembered. Her hair was shorter now but she was still very pretty although, she looked very pale with swollen eyes and bruised hands that were covered in bandages. It took everything within him to stop himself from reaching out.


    She put her head down. She didn''t dare look at him. She heard the doubt in his voice. Which broke her heart.


    "You.....don''t believe me... Do you?"


    She smiled sadly before taking a few steps back.


    It was one thing for him to not love her. It was another for him to not trust her at all. What did she do to deserve this.


    "Why should I believe you?" He asked in turn.


    His parents died. She said she didn''t love him. She prayed for misfortune to befall the Wangs¡ª which happened.  She asked them to send him away. They also sent his poor mother away. She said she was going to get rid of their child and she did.


    So why was she acting like she was suffering more than the rest of them? Did she know how hard it was for him to live? To live without her. To live without his parents. To live with Nothing.


    While she on the other hand, had been living perfectly all these years. So why was she acting this way?


    "It''s okay if you don''t want to believe me. You can leave if you want to. I won''t stop you." She said gently and sadly.


    "Why are you doing this?" He asked painfully. Why was she making it difficult for him to hate her? He had spent over 25 years trying to hate her. When he heard she was noe in the country, he had held himself back from meeting her at all.


    Why was she doing this now? Why did she have to come back into the country and mess his life up? Why was she making him worry about her?


    "What am I doing? I am only trying to apologize" She answered sincerely. "I even cut ties with my parents." She added, hoping to gain brownie point.


    "So I should be grateful? At least... You have parents." He said coldly.


    "Did you put up this act with your Secretary and doctor just so I could come? Is that it?"


    Changyu looked at him in confusion before scoffing. "I....really don''t know what else to say to you."


    She sighed sadly. "I''m sorry they troubled you. I didn''t ask anyone to call you here. I don''t... I don''t even know what''s wrong with everyone lately. They keep doing what I never ask them to" She ran a hand over her face and spoke in a hoarse voice.


    Jianjun could tell she was starting to cry again. ''What''s with so many tears?'' He wondered frustratingly


    "I really wouldn''t have known anything about my parent''s involvement if it had not been for Cixi. I''m glad she hit me. It brought me to my senses" Changyu said as she looked at him with teary eyes.


    Jianjun''s eyes widened. "Cixi hit you?" He asked as he looked at both sides of her face.


    ''What am I doing right now?'' He asked himself and shook his head.


    He should leave now. He had to. But he couldn''t understand what was happening. He wanted to stay. He wanted to see her eat and rest well. He didn''t want her to collapse again.


    No... He didn''t want to stay. It wasn''t his business whether she ate or not. It wasn''t his business whether she died or not.


    "It''s in the past. Your apology won''t bring back my late parents or those years of suffering. So you can just live the way you''ve been living like you knew nothing¡ªthat''s if you really didn''t. And go back to your parents..."


    He said coldly before turning his back to leave but she shouted at his back.


    "Why do you hate me so much?" She raised a pillow from the bed and threw it at him but he didn''t flinch and just let it hit him.


    "I''m.. I''m so depressed.....I...I feel like dying... If you leave without forgiving me... I will.. kill myself" She threatened as hot tears flowed down her face.


    "Are you crazy? You now threaten me with your life? Kill yourself if you want to! You think I care about your life? I''ve lost my parents." He yelled angrily at her before walking out of the door.


    Changyu looked at the closed door and fell back on the bed in despair. ''He really left'' she thought sadly.


    But to her shock, the door opened once again with full force and she heard his angry voice yell at her.


    "Why are you doing this to me?"

 Chapter 195 - Word for the day

    They both had a lot going through their minds.


    Changyu was scared of asking him anything. As much as she was curious to know why he did what he did and why he preferred Helene to her, she was scared to hear his answers.


    Besides, she was already too old for that. She mocked herself inwardly for thinking stupidly. Even though Helene was dead now, she believed she still couldn''t replace her in Jianjun''s heart.


    What was she even thinking, he was someone who didn''t want her when she was younger. Did she expect him to like her now even after what her parents did to them?


    She had been stalling¡ª Giving him enough time to ask about their child.


    She had told him she would get rid of the child. But why wasn''t he asking her now? Wasn''t he curious about their baby and what happened to him?


    She concluded that he must really hate her. Maybe he was happy when she told him she was going to get rid of the baby.


    She believed he didn''t come back inside the room because he was worried about her killing herself like she threatened.


    Maybe he only returned to accuse her more. Who was he to accuse her? What right did he have?


    "Why are you doing this? Do you think this is funny?" He asked again. This time, he sounded even angrier than the first time.


    "Why do you hate me so much?" She asked from the bed she was still sitting on.


    He gave her a surprised look like he couldn''t believe she was actually asking him that question.


    "Why? What''s the reason? What did I do to you?" She yelled in frustration.


    Jianjun scoffed in disbelieve. He couldn''t believe she had the effrontery to ask him that question. He was about to say more when they both heard a soft knock on the door followed by Hani''s presence with a lunchbox in her hand.


    Hani bowed at the both of them, noting the tension in the air before speaking to Changyu "I brought some porridge. You''ve not had anything to eat since last night"


    Jianjun looked at Hani and then at Changyu. She hadn''t eaten since last night? What was she thinking starving when she wasn''t feeling too well? What a crazy woman!


    "I''m not hungry" Changyu said dismissively before turning to look at Jianjun.


    "You can leave if you want to. Thanks for looking after me" She said with a straight face.


    Jianjun took the box from Hani and placed it on the bed beside Changyu.


    "Eat! And don''t leave till you''re better. I don''t want you collapsing in front of my house again" He said harshly and eyed her before leaving the room. He remembered she had almost left earlier claiming there was something she had to do before he stopped her.


    Hani stood there awkwardly watching as Changyu''s eyes followed Jianjun''s retreating figure.


    Changyu sighed and placed a hand on her forehead after Jianjun left the room.


    "Why did you do it? Why did you call him here?" She asked Hani.


    Hani looked down and apologized


    "I''m sorry. I really am. I just couldn''t bear to see you like that. I thought it would be better if I asked him to come over."


    Changyu looked at her without saying anything. She was actually more concerned about the fact that he came because he learned she was sick. She shook that thought out of her head. There was no time for her to be delusional again.


    "You''ve been snooping around" Changyu said with an expressionless face.


    "I am so so sorry Miss So¡ªChangyu" Changyu had forbade everyone from calling her Miss Song. Hani thanked her stars for reminding her.


    "Thank you"


    Hani startled and shot her head up when she heard her boss'' voice. She hadn''t expected her to thank her.


    Changyu was thankful to have been able to apologize to him since she didn''t know how to approach him to ask for forgiveness. The next person to approach was Cixi. And that woman was something else.


    Hani was still looking at her in confusion when she heard her say "Tell Mr and Mrs Song to¡ª" She looked at the lunch box and remembered Jianjun''s orders to eat and not leave till she was better. It was already getting dark and she didn''t want to go out since she was still a bit weak and hungry.


    "Tell them to come here first thing in the morning." Her eyes turned cold.


    They had to come instead. If she paid them a visit herself, rumours would fly around that she was still keeping in touch with the Songs after cutting ties with them and she didn''t want that.


    Hani bowed and was about leaving before Changyu stopped her.


    She reached for her pause at the other corner of the bed and took out a black credit card.


    "Have this. You should take care of yourself. Don''t always be stuck with me. It''ll do you no good. I don''t want my bad luck to rub off on you" Changyu advised in a motherly tone.


    "It''s fine Miss Changyu. I can''t accept it" Hani declined politely.


    "Have it." She persuaded Hani to accept it.


    "You can also take any car in the garage you fancy. You should live well"


    "But... I am living well" She bowed her head.


    Changyu shook her head at her


    "You can''t be stuck with me forever. Don''t you want to get married? Let me know if there''s any person you fancy. No matter the family he''s from, I''ll fix it for you." The woman who never got married said to her.


    On the other side of the room, the person on the television who had been speaking the entire time concluded by saying....


    "*Word for the day*


    *Never jump into conclusion.


    *Always ask questions.


    *Of everything you hear, believe nothing.


    *Of everything you see, believe half.


    *Do not create unnecessary misunderstandings.


    *The life is too short for that.


    *Learn to listen and have a nice day"

 Chapter 196 - Nosy Sara

    Sara had been pacing around anxiously since she got inside the Chu''s apartment.


    Joreen was tired and had gone to bed while Bilike was in the room with his father.


    It worried her that her Father''s line wasn''t going through. Her Aunt claimed she was busy and would speak with her tomorrow.


    She had no idea where the both of them were and she was dying of curiosity.


    Her phone vibrated and she eagerly reached for it hoping it was her father who was calling. But to her surprise, it was Li Hoy.


    "You are really a bad friend. You don''t bother calling. Did CEO Li tell you not to?" He ''greeted'' immediately she took the call.


    Sara didn''t have any excuse for him. She wasn''t really the type to call people when she knew she had nothing to say other than exchanging pleasantries¡ªwhich she was really bad at.


    She also didn''t see any point of calling any other man aside from her father and her Mr Li.


    "Sorry. How''ve you been?" She asked.


    "Come outside and you''ll know" He said in a relaxed tone.


    "What...Outside?" She pushed the curtain to peek outside and could see the headlights of his sports car parked just in front of the house.


    "What are you doing here by this time?" Sara asked when she reached where he was lazily leaning on the car''s hood. It was almost eight in the evening but she could see him clearly. Thanks to the lights brightening their street¡ªincluding his car''s headlights.


    Hoy was wearing a white cardigan and blank pants. His hair fell freely and handsomely to his forehead. Even his body looked really fit.


    Sara concluded that God must really love the Lis to bless them with good looks. Muchen,Minde,Heya and Hoy were all very good looking and talented¡ª Okay, maybe we should exclude Minde from that list.


    "I was bored. And then, I remembered that you''re the only friend I have so I came over. How are you?" He asked with a tiny smile.


    Sara was already getting used to the strange phone calls and surprise visits from people lately. She was no longer surprised.


    His smile caused Sara to smile also. She remembered the first time she met him. He had been so cold and aloof and was ordering her about. But here he was, calling her his friend.


    "I am fine" She leaned on the hood alongside him. "So how are you and how''s business?" Sara asked in return.


    Hoy nodded. "I''m okay I guess. Business is ...nice. Thanks to CEO Li who handles things properly, we don''t have to work too much"


    Sara gave him a stink eye before asking coldly "You''re all slacking off because he is so capable...?"


    Hoy couldn''t help chuckling. "Of course." He admitted shamelessly before changing the topic.


    "Oh...I heard something really strange today.... It''s about my grandmother''s birthday party and you being the MC. It was your idea right? Because I don''t believe any one in my family would think of something like that."


    "What? Mr Li told everyone I''ll be the MC?" Sara asked wide-eyed. She thought he was going to keep it a secret till she was really sure she wanted to do this. She might be the strong type, but this was different. She was going to be standing in front of his entire family.


    "No" He shook his head. "Just me. It''s a secret from the others. He asked me to help you with whatever you''ll be needing and put you through. He also specifically warned me not to get too close to you" He added with a chuckle.


    "Wh...y?" Sara asked in confusion.


    Hoy raised a brow at her before answering "The same reason he came to get you from my studio apartment that night"


    When he noticed she was still looking at him with confusion written all over her face, he shook his head and explained


    "Maybe because you''re the first female I am a bit close with, they all think I like you." He said nonchalantly, placing both hands in his pant''s pockets.


    "Ehn???" Sara widened her eyes in unbelieve.


    The action made Hoy laugh out.


    "They? Who is they?" She asked further.


    "Forget about that. But that''s what CEO Li thinks. I assure you"


    "He...think so? That''s absurd!'' She scoffed.


    "Of course you''re a very likable person so it''s normal for CEO Li to be cautious."


    Sara looked at him like he was insane. She pointed a finger at herself. "Me? I''m a very likable person?"


    "You don''t believe?" He gave her an amused look.


    "Of course not..." She chuckled. Was he crazy to make that kind of conclusion about her?


    "Now, let''s analyze...My cousin likes you. I admire you. Mo Jinyong... Likes you I guess.. His uncle....you went with him to his grandfather''s birthday, so he probably also has a thing for you.... Wow.. You''re surrounded by socialites. You''ll probably build a mansion soon" He added jokingly.


    Sara made a show of puking. "Mo Dexi likes me? That''s absurd. He might be looking for who to play around with and I don''t have time for him. Let''s not even talk about his stupid Nephew, Jinyong."


    Speaking about Jinyoung, she remembered the ''gift'' she sent to him. She hoped he liked it.


    "So that''s left with CEO Li and I"


    "Why don''t you call Mr Li Big bro like Minde do?''


    She wondered why he kept calling him CEO Li when they were cousins.


    "The same reason you still call him Mr Li" He answered smoothly and winked at her.


    "So you admire me huh? What exactly do you admire?" She said with a grin. It was refreshing to hear someone admired her.


    "I don''t know. Maybe because you''re a strong person. And I like your confidence"


    "Wow.....I should have recorded that statement with my phone." She said playfully.


    "Too late. I won''t repeat that" He said with a hint of amusement in his tone.


    "So we''re left with CEO Li" Hoy said.


    Sara smiled and said nothing. Just hearing his name or title makes her happy. She hoped he was done with work and would call her soon.


    "I''m always rooting for the both of you. I want you to always know that." He said with a smile.


    "Thank...you" She responded. Also returning his smile.


    "How did your blind date go?" Sara remembered to ask. She felt bad for him. He was just twenty  but was already subjected to all of these.


    He shrugged his shoulders and answered. "Sour... Didn''t like her"


    "Are you sure your grandmother will let you off?"


    "Yea. Since their solid back up is out, grandmother wouldn''t be interested in them anymore"


    "Solid back up?" She asked inquisitively.


    "You know Song Changyu? It was her niece I met. Yang Aishu. So arrogant!" He complained.


    He had never been one to talk much but he had really spoken a year''s worth only this evening with Sara.


    "Since Miss Song is out, they''re no longer that important" He added.


    Sara remembered the girl. She was the one who had stopped her from entering into Delight the first time she went there with a coupon from Heya. But her mother seemed to be a nice person unlike her.


    Speaking of the Songs, she suddenly remembered Changyu and the video.


    She didn''t know why she was drawn to the woman. She liked the woman''s style and for some reason, she felt bad for her also.


    She did feel Li Sun and Song Changyu were a bit similar.


    Maybe they were both going through difficult times?


    She had been searching for the card Changyu gave to her after she dropped her off on the night of Elder Mo''s birthday party.


    She hadn''t really taken the search seriously or reached Changyu because she wanted to be really sure before approaching her again and asking her questions.


    But it seemed like this was the right time. In case she tried to lie again and deny ever knowing her father, she was going to bring up the evidences she had been gathering so far. Especially the fact that she had worked for her grandparents.


    This time, she was going to look for the card properly and call her.


    She was also going to find out what was up with Li Sun.


    ''If Li Sun is happy, Muchen will be happy and Sara, will be happier. :-)''

 Chapter 197 - Handsome for nothing

    In a daze, Jianjun walked down the street as he headed towards the Chu''s house.


    He stopped walking when he heard the constant chirp of a bird lying on the ground.


    He looked at the pitiful bird and gently lifted it from the ground to check what was wrong. After taking a closer look, he realised that the little bird had a broken wing.


    "You must be in pain" He said gently like he could really feel what the bird was going through.


    "You must be lonely also. Where are your parents?" He asked the bird as if the bird could answer him.


    The little bird gradually stopped chirping and relaxed in his palm when he noticed the big man was not going to hurt him but only speaking to him gently and nicely.


    With his big hand, Jianjun stroked the bird''s head as if to put him to sleep.


    "Will you hear her out?" He suddenly asked the little bird out of the blue as he began to walk down the nearly empty street. "You must wonder why this man is wandering about by this time right?"


    "I don''t know why I still care about her. Cixi must hate me now." He sighed.  "I''m sure Sara would probably hate me also if she was aware about all of these"


    To the Wangs, family was everything.


    "If it were you, will you want to see her? Your family was destroyed because of her even if she really wasn''t aware. It was still her family who ruined yours. You were beaten several times because you wanted to see her. Your mother was beaten. Your father was framed and jailed. Your entire family....." He let the words trail off in sadness.


    "Even your child, she didn''t want it. She said she hated you and you were a stain in her life. So tell me.... Would you want to listen to that kind of person if you were in my shoes?"


    He raised his head to look at the sky and blinked back tears. He was glad he had a good company to pour his heart out to. A company who listened quuetly and didn''t judge him or say he was overreacting because to him, he wasn''t.


    "So what if she wasn''t aware? Her parents did it. It must have been what she wanted.


    So what if she cut ties with her family? She is still living well. She is a powerful woman who had the world at her feet. But what about me? What about my family? We have nothing but ourselves"


    The little bird raised its little head to look at him pitifully which caused Jianjun to laugh throatily with a tear gliding down from his eyes. "You even think I am pitiful, don''t you?"


    The bird closed its eyes and continued to enjoy Jianjun''s strokes on its body.


    "I don''t want to say anything to her. Neither do I want to listen to her. Because if I do... I am afraid I''ll look for an excuse to forgive her.


    I don''t ever want to stop hating her. Because if I do....then I don''t know how I''ll be able to face my parents when I die." He paused.


    "The only crime I committed was loving...a woman like that. It was really my fault"


    He had been living guiltily with that thought for years. If it had not been him, his family would have still been alive by now. Everyone would have been happy.


    How sad!


    ***


    On the taxi home, Minde dozed off. When his head hit the window, he jolted awake and spoke in a loud and annoyed voice, totally startling the driver.


    "Jesus! Do people work for such long hours? I am Li Minde! How could they ask me to serve them coffee?" He scoffed loudly while he angrily took off the round-framed unmedicated glasses he was wearing as part of his disguise.


    In summary, his day was terrible. Totally terrible! He had to run errands for everyone like a slave and when he slacked off or didn''t know what to do, they complained and said annoying things like ''Handsome for nothing'' or ''Such a waste of good looks'' blah blah blah.


    Who did they think they were to treat him like a scum? He was a prince!


    In annoyance, he used a hand to ruffle his hair. He hated the way it was styled like he was a highschool kid.


    Was all of this really necessary?


    He so badly wanted to see the look on all their faces the moment he announces to them that he was CEO Li''s beloved cousin.


    A quick image of the team leader suddenly flashed in his mind. "Kim Eva" He said her name out.


    She was pretty no doubt. But she looked cold. He remembered her gentle and lovely voice when she said "Eric Wu. Glad to have you here"


    At that point, he realised the value his real name held but he had been taking it for granted.  He believed if they all knew he was Li Minde, especially her, she would have tried to get closer to him.


    But because he was Eric Wu, she kept reminding him to abide by the rules and regulations. Oh... He was also told not to ever go to the top floor where the CEO was residing.


    ''He is my cousin. I am his beloved cousin'' He screamed in his mind the entire day.


    "Arghh" He pulled his hair in frustration.


    When he remembered he was still wearing a tie, he widened his eyes like he couldn''t believe that he had not taken that off ever since. He quickly undid the knot and tossed it on the other side of the vehicle.


    The driver looked at him through the rearview mirror, wondering why he had to carry this crazy man of all the men and women on the street.


    "You all just watch. I''ll show you all that I am still me. That even as Li Minde, Eric Wu or any other scumbag''s identity I have to live by, you''ll all still fall for my charm. Even you Kim Eva" He spoke with resolve.

 Chapter 198 - I really dont know

    That night, Dexi paid a visit to the Mo''s mansion. He made a show of coming to see his parents but in actuality, he was there to see Weiyoung. They had a deal and he had to make sure she fulfilled her part.


    "Your Nephew has refused to leave the country with his fianc¨¦e. I don''t know why he has chosen to put this family to shame" His mother complained sadly.


    "Mother." He held her hands lovingly before he continued


    "You should not bother yourself with Jinyong. He is old enough to take care of himself. If he doesn''t want to go then just speed up his marriage plans"


    His mother looked at him like he was nuts. They didn''t want any more publicity especially right now and organising a wedding ceremony was so out of it because they weren''t talking about just any people but the infamous Mo Jinyoung and Liu Weiyoung.


    She shook her head at the bad idea.


    Dexi tried to suppress a laugh. Everything was amusing to him. He liked the fact that his Nephew was in a messy situation. He so wanted Jinyoung to get married to Weiyoung especially now that he found out that he didn''t want to marry Weiyoung and had even planned to get rid of her.


    Dexi thought back to how he grew up. His parents had tried to raise them both like twins and at a time, he was actually open to the idea.


    But then, his older sister Aida made it so obvious that she didn''t like him. She always wanted to put Jinyoung first in any and everything that involved the Mo family.


    When he got matured to understand all of these, he chose to stay away and keep to himself. If they needed a rival or a competition, he was happily going to be one to them. That was how it all started.


    "You should go rest also. I''ll leave now" Dexi said to his mother.


    "Too bad your father fell asleep quite early tonight. I''ll let him know you dropped by" His mother said as she followed him out to see him off but he suddenly stopped and said


    "I should say hello to my future niece. She must have been terrified after being attacked" He said empathetically.


    **


    "My future niece-in-law" Dexi greeted excitedly when he entered the room where Weiyoung was waiting.


    She turned around to look at him with cold eyes without bothering to greet him.


    "Why are you standing? Let''s get to business. Sit!" He gestured towards a seat before sitting on the opposite side.


    Dexi observed her as she carefully sat down. He noted she looked paler than the remembered. Her long hair was tied to the back. She wore a long floral maternity gown that got Dexi wondering whether her pregnant belly was becoming obvious.


    "What is it?" Weiyoung asked disinterestedly. He had saved her life yea! But why did he have to do it in exchange for information about Sara.


    "You know it. I want to know everything about Sara that no one else knows"


    "If know one else knows about it, how am I supposed to know?" She asked rudely.


    Dexi smirked at her. "I told you darling. I am a businessman. If you don''t want to have business with me, you''ll wake up in the morning and find yourself back in that tiny studio apartment of yours outside of town without knowing how you got there" He threatened with a tiny smile still plastered on his face.


    "Do you like her?" Weiyoung questioned.


    Dexi wagged a finger on front of her before crossing his legs leisurely and spreading his hands to rest eagle-style on the couch.


    "You have no right to question me. I do the questioning here." He reminded her.


    Weiyoung didn''t back down. She felt it was her duty to talk sense into him. "Sara is not the girl you think she is. You might think she is pretty and innocent but she isn''t I assure you"


    Dexi grinned at her statement. "You make me interested in her the more. So.... tell me what this is." He threw what looked like a document at her.


    "You both traveled together with a group of other girls but she didn''t return with you all. It took me a while before getting this little information." He said to her and carefully observed her behavior.


    He noticed Weiyoung was uncomfortable and she looked nervous when he raised the issue. Seeing her like this, he tried to make guesses.


    "She travelled with you but....the flight records disappeared. Then I thought and thought and thought about who took the record down. Then I figured it probably was your family. And if your family took down the flight records, it obviously means you must have done something...to her?  So....?" He allowed his words trail off.


    Weiyoung''s eyes widened when she heard him before shaking her head vigorously.


    "I.... I didn''t do anything!"


    "Then why was it cleared?" He asked further.


    "Why would you think I did it? Like you said, I travelled with some of our highschool classmates also. Why didn''t you think it was their doing?" She yelled at him in fury.


    "You''re overreacting sweetheart. Keep your voice down" He said with amusement in his voice.


    "Sara was your friend. From my findings and observation, you weren''t so friendly to her. But..." He scratched his head in frustration. "She''s so naive. I actually find it cute if you ask me" He said with a smile.


    "You were her only friend in high school. But you traveled back home without her and the flight records which proved she also used the same flight with you all suddenly vanished into thin air. So....who else was I supposed to suspect?"


    "I said I didn''t do anything!" Her nails dug deeper into her palm as she looked at him in anger.


    "I actually felt bad for her and wanted to make her feel better when she was depressed. So I asked her to travel with me. But when it was time to travel back, she was no where to be found. What did you expect me to do? We searched for her but didn''t see her so we had to go back home. We also had families waiting for us" She said in annoyance but Dexi didn''t seem to buy any of that.


    He shook his head "I still don''t see why her records had to be deleted. There is obviously more to it. Now... It''s not about Sara anymore. What did you do to her?"


    "I said I didn''t do anything!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. Her eyes were bloodshot and her breath, unsteady.


    "Why was she depressed then?" Dexi remembered she said something about Sara being depressed and that had been the reason why she had traveled together with them.


    He was curious about the reason a sixteen years old girl with a happy family was depressed.


    Weiyoung blinked a couple of times as she went through an inner battle. As much as she hated Sara, there were times when she felt she had actually been genuine to her. Even right now, she wasn''t sure revealing anything to Dexi was a wise decision but she knew she had to. She had to keep their promise for her to live.


    "I... I really do not know what happened. But... But we were both attacked one night by one man... I was so scared." Weiyoung closed her eyes and forced the words out "I don''t know what else happened" She said nervously.


    "What do you mean by you do not know what happened next? Weren''t you both together?" Dexi adjusted and inched closer to her. The smile was no longer on his face when he heard about two teenage girls getting attacked at night.


    "I really don''t know... I...ran away" She said with her head down.

 Chapter 199 - Nine Years Ago

    "You must be very happy since you''re now a Cinderella" The Sixteen years old Weiyoung said to Sara as they both strolled at night.


    It was the same night after they both attended the dance class.


    Weiyoung had followed Sara home as usual because she didn''t want to stay home by herself since she was quite sure her parents wouldn''t be around.


    The entire day, she had been giving Sara an indifferent attitude. Not interested in whatever she was saying or giving a noncommittal response to her.


    Weiyoung hadn''t bothered to raise the issue when they were in Sara''s Father''s restaurant but she felt since Sara was seeing her off to where she would get a taxi, it was the best time to ask Sara to give it up.


    "I''m so so happy." Sara twirled around in her short gown.


    "Did you see my Father''s face when I told him about it? He must have been so proud because there''s something I can do in school now. He has always been worried about my school life" Sara said excitedly before clinging onto Weiyoung.


    "I hope I can also be a real life Cinderella one day like I''ve always wished for. How exciting would that be"


    Weiyoung tried to pull away from her clinginess but Sara held her firmly.


    "Sara." Weiyoung called her gently.


    "Hmm.. What is it?" Sara turned her head to look at Weiyoung who stopped walking.


    "Don''t do it. I mean the dance. Tell Leo you''re not interested" Weiyoung ordered.


    Sara looked at her in surprise and confusion before she slowly pulled her hands away from Weiyoung''s.


    "What do you mean? Why shouldn''t I?" Sara asked in confusion.


    Weiyoung looked at her angrily "You said you were my friend. You came to this school because of me. So why can''t you do something as simple as this? Or is it that you like Leo?" Weiyoung accused.


    "No! How could you say something like that? I''m only doing this because it felt refreshing earlier and I liked the feeling"


    Weiyoung scoffed at her statement before walking into a dark and empty alley by the corner.


    "That''s not the way... Where are you going to Wei?" Sara took hurried footsteps to catch up with Weiyoung and held her arm to stop her from moving further. "Why are you going there?"


    "I''m just strolling around. Go home!" Weiyoung said dismissively.


    "I can''t go home and leave you here. Let''s leave here. It''s too scary" Sara pleaded.


    "I am sad and when I am sad, I do this...." Weiyoung opened her school bag and took out a pack of cigarette. You don''t want me to be seen by people when I do this or do you?" Weiyoung cocked her head to the side and gave her a questioning look.


    "What is this?" Sara widened her eyes in shock and forcefully snatched it from her "How can you have this? What is a young girl like you doing with this?" Sara threw a string of questions at her. It really shocked her to see Weiyoung with something like that.


    "Give it back!" Weiyoung demanded angrily and tried to take it from her but Sara refused. "What do you want. Why are you doing this?" Sara asked pleadingly.


    "I already told you. Tell Leo you don''t want to do it and we''ll continue being friends"


    "Why are you being like this? I already told my father and even called my aunt. Does it make sense to just back out just because you do not like it?"


    Weiyoung felt a sharp pain in her heart when Sara said that. It was the first time Sara had actually refused to do something for her.


    She was going to say something when a deep voice startled the both of them.


    "High schoolers are very annoying" A dirty looking man came out of a darker corner that was close to them and stood in front of the two of them.


    He was probably in his late thirties or early forties. His clothes were dirty and torn, his hair was so messy and his eyes were very red. Although the place was dark, the street lights from afar helped them see a bit.


    "Piss off. No one talked to you" Weiyoung said to him in anger and pushed past him but to her shock, he held her arm tightly.


    "Say that again you dirty little thing" He demanded.


    "Sorry sir. She wasn''t referring to you" Sara pleaded and tried to smoothen things but Weiyoung opened her mouth to worsen the situation... "The only dirty thing I see here is you. Let go of me this instant!"


    The man chuckled like the entire thing was amusing to him "So what if I don''t? You really do know how to run your mouth" He used his other hand to pinch her chin which caused her to cry out in pain.


    "Do you want to die? Do you know whose family I come from?" Weiyoung asked with angry eyes.


    "Let her go!" Sara used force to push him off her and they were all surprised that it actually worked. The man guessed she must have been taking fighting classes.


    "Let''s run" Sara said and held Weiyoung''s hands to run together but the man held Sara back and refused to let her go.


    "I think I am more interested in you now" He laughed maniacally.


    Both girls thought he was probably a crazy person who escaped from the psychiatric hospital. Everything about him creeped them out.


    When Sara tried to fight back, he held both of her hands firmly and swiftly dodged her attacks. When he got an opening, he hit her straight on the guts which caused her to fall flat on the ground and spit out blood.


    Weiyoung instantly got goosebumps all over her body. She screamed at the top of her lungs when she saw him attack Sara. She knew she was going to be next.


    The man turned to look at her and said "You should go hide somewhere for now. If I need you I''ll call you" He said to her before flashing her his entire brown teeth.


    "..R..un.. Go.. g...get help..." Sara managed to say to the frightened Weiyoung who was just standing there with wide eyes.


    Weiyoung knew there was nothing she could possibly do to help out. Since her path was clear and the man was only interested in Sara, she had no other choice but to run.


    Once she got to the side of the road, she received a call from her mother who told her to return home that instant.


    "It was her fault. I wouldn''t have gone in there if she had listened to me. I was not here. I don''t know what happened." She assured herself in fright before stopping a taxi.


    ***


    Weiyoung''s entire body shook as she remembered that incident years ago. She still had nightmares about it because it had been so scary.


    She looked at the opposite seat where Dexi had sat down. He had long left the place but she remained there deep in thought. She hadn''t bothered going into more details about what had happened that day. There was no way she would tell anyone she had gone home that day instead of the story she told them about her getting into an accident when she was running out of there.


    Thankfully, her mother had supported her and had even asked for her to be admitted in the hospital so that her story would be even more believable.

 Chapter 200 - You little liar

    Sara did her best to prepare dinner in the kitchen that evening.


    Jianjun wasn''t at home to do it and no one knew where he was. Her aunt wasn''t here either.


    She thought about ordering something or making Noddles for everybody since it was the fastest and easiest to do but she shook her head at that thought. Jianjun would kill her if she ever did something like that.


    With Joreen and Bilike''s help, she settled with the idea of making fried rice.


    Mr Chu quietly sat on a chair inside the kitchen, watching how everything was going since they all refused to let him do anything.


    Bilike volunteered to help chop the ingredients especially the chilli pepper since he knew she was allergic to raw pepper¨C which was the reason she was currently wearing a face mask.


    Joreen helped him with rinsing the ingredients while the boss of them all Sara, was going through her phone with a face mask on. She checked for the best and easiest ways to prepare Chinese fried rice.


    Bilike and Joreen quietly gossiped her in their corner. They began to feel bad for Muchen who chose to fall in love with someone that could never be considered as a ''wife material''


    "I feel bad for CEO Li" As if Mr Chu knew what Bilike and Joreen was thinking, he said out loud with his eyes on Sara.


    It took about three seconds before Sara registered what he had just said so she moved her eyes from her phone to him.


    "Wh..y?" She asked him in confusion.


    She saw the amused looks on Bilike and Joreen''s faces like they were both trying to suppress a laugh. She had no idea what was going on.


    "You should really attend the cooking classes your father talked about. If you continue like this, your future in-laws might send you packing and we won''t accept you back. Just so you know" He informed her with a tiny smile on his face.


    Sara scoffed at all of them. "What? Jo... Do you think so too?" She asked the only person who was always on her side.


    "Of course not! I''ll accept you back if they send you away" Joreen rushed to answer.


    "You even believe they''ll send me away also?" Sara looked at her in shock and betrayal.


    "You all just watch me. I am going to prepare the tastiest fried rice you''ve ever eaten in your lives" She eyed them before dumping her phone to work on something.


    "No please... Use your phone" Bilike cried out. The others thought exactly the same way. She had been using her phone yet, she couldn''t start something so what happens if she dropped her phone? It was going to be disaster!


    Sara''s phone received a call notification so she moved her eyes away from all of them to take the most important call in her life.


    "Hello Mr Li..." She said excitedly before leaving the kitchen. Not forgetting to remind them to keep working and talk less.


    "She''s one weird kid. How do Jianjun cope?"


    It was the last words she heard Mr Chu say before she stepped into the sitting room.


    "Hello Ms Wang." She also heard the excitement in his voice. "You sound really happy today. Something special happened?" He asked.


    "Nothing special actually."


    ''Except the fact that you''re calling me now'' she said in her mind.


    "The thing is...." She looked back to check if anyone was there before whispering "I am cooking"


    "Cooking?" He paused for a while before she heard him say again "Why do I feel that''s not a good news for the rest of the family? Where is Mr Wang?"


    Sara rolled her eyes. They were all looking down on her "He isn''t around. Someone has to cook around here" She said proudly.


    "So how far have you gone?" He asked curiously.


    Sara didn''t want to tell him that she was relying on the net or that Bilike was helping her with the ingredients so she went on to say "I''m chopping the ingredients for fried rice right now. Tcha tcha tcha" She made a chopping sound with her mouth.


    She heard Muchen chuckle before he asked "Then why are you in your sitting room?"


    "I''m not¡ª Wait, what? How....did you know?" Her eyes shone then she took quick steps to the window and pushed the curtain aside before she heard him say "I saw your silhouette"


    "What! What are you doing here by this time?" She rushed to open the door before hanging up the call. He also got down from his car when he saw her coming out. He really hadn''t planned on staying here for long. He didn''t even know why he came here directly from the office but he was really excited to see her.


    He looked at Sara as she approached. She was wearing a black tank top and a grey short that was above her knees. Her hair was in a ponytail while a face mask was hanging on her left ear.


    Sara could tell he was just returning from work because he was still on the formal clothes he wore that morning.


    He quickly took off his suit jacket and draped it around her shoulders when she got to where he was standing.


    "What are you thinking coming out like this in this cold?" He scolded her with soft eyes.


    Sara didn''t mind his scolding. She just smiled happily at him and asked "Why did you come?"


    "Why are you wearing that?" He helped take off the face mask hanging on her ear.


    She gasped.


    She had totally forgotten about it. She quickly snatched it from him and tucked it in her Short''s pocket.


    "You must think you''re a surgeon since you''re using the knife today" He teased her before leading her inside.  "It''s too cold. You should stay inside."


    Sara happily followed him and opened the door to let them both in.


    Inside the house was a lot warmer than outside so she took off the jacket. They only just took the third step when they both heard Bilike speak loudly from the kitchen


    "Big Sis, we''re done with the veggies, you can come cook now"


    Sara suddenly wished she had magic powers to quickly shut him up. She turned to look at Muchen awkwardly. He cocked a brow at her and said "You little liar.¡ªwait!" He suddenly remembered something more pressing so he asked. "Bilike was in the kitchen with you and you''re dressed like that?" He asked as he looked her up and down.


    "Like what?" Sara gave him a confused look.


    She was wearing a tank top and short. What was wrong with it?


    "Sara please... Go cover up. You''re revealing too much skin"


    No matter how much Sara tried to refuse, the stubborn man didn''t relent. He was never going to let another man see his girlfriend''s body. If possible, he would prefer her to always wear a long sleeved turtleneck shirt and trousers everyday.


    When Sara returned from the room after changing into a Tee-shirt, she was disappointed when she didn''t see Muchen in the sitting room. She hurriedly looked out the window and saw his car there but it didn''t look like someone was inside.


    She took fast steps to the kitchen when she heard a voice that sounded like his and got the scare of her life when she saw Muchen by the fire with folded sleeves.


    It was the same shock Jianjun and Cixi got when they witnessed the same scene.

 Chapter 201 - Backstabbers

    Jianjun dropped the little bird back on the ground after doing his best to make sure the bird could fly again.


    "Thank you for your time little one" He thanked the bird before walking down the street to the Chu''s apartment.


    He was almost at the Chu''s apartment now but the street was a bit dark.


    "Brother Jun" Jianjun turned when he heard his sister''s voice call him. He didn''t know how long she had been behind him and he hadn''t even taken note because he had been so lost in thought.


    "Why are you here?" Jianjun asked as he looked around the dark street.


    "How is she?" Cixi asked in turn without answering his question.


    Jianjun could see the sadness in his sister''s eyes when she asked. He had expected to see anger, resentment and disappointment but instead, she was sad.


    "I....am sorry" He sincerely apologized and closed his eyes to stop the rapid blinking back of tears.


    "I am truly sorry Cixi. I know you must really hate me now"


    Cixi threw her head to the corner with the intention of hiding her tears from him. She was quiet for a while and just listened intently at what he was saying.


    "It''s not your fault" She managed to say when he was quiet. "It''s really not. And I cannot hate you because your heart keeps pulling you to that woman"


    With his eyes still closed, he said "I hate myself. I shouldn''t be doing this to you. You don''t deserve this. You don''t deserve this at all" He sniffed back tears.


    Cixi forced out a smile. "As much as I hate her, I can''t tell you what to do. I can''t tell you to stay away from her. You have your heart and the heart most times works separately from what our brain wants. Even after all she did, you still find it difficult to hate her. I really can''t imagine the kind of inner battle you''re going through. But...do not hate yourself." She spoke softly.


    Jianjun could no longer hold it in. Tears dropped from his eyes. Despite the fact that it was somehow dark, Cixi saw it and wrapped her hands around him in a hug.


    Her little act made him to cry out even more. It would have been better if she had just hated him.


    "She said she wasn''t aware. She said her family did all of that without her knowing. I desperately want to believe her. I desperately want to believe it was all of her parents doing. I''m so frustrated right now. She even threatened to kill herself if I do not forgive her. What if she kills herself? She already looks so pale and lifeless. Why did she look like that? I thought she had been living well"


    Jianjun unknowingly said out everything on his mind. The Wangs were like that. They could try their best to conceal their emotions when they were in front of other people but once they were with their very own, they spilled everything on their guts out.


    Cixi chuckled sadly "She''s always been like that¡ªbluffing every time to get people to do what she wants. Don''t take her seriously"


    "And why did you have to hit her? I told you not to meet with her" Jianjun remembered to ask in between tears.


    Cixi could not believe he still had the time to ask her that. That witch really had to report her to her brother? Just wow!


    "She deserved it. Brother Jun, if you can''t hit her, I''ll hit her for you. If you can''t hate her, I''ll hate her for you. Anything you can''t do, I''ll help you do it. So just live the way you want" Cixi said and patted his back gently like he was her child.


    "I''m so sorry." He apologized again. He should be taking care of his family. But now, it was the other way round. His sister was taking care of him instead.


    "It''s okay. Let''s stop thinking about the Songs. It''s not like they can harm us now. Sara has Mr Li. He''s more powerful than them so they cannot think about hurting her or us" She said reassuringly.


    It was the first time Jianjun was thinking to this side. Yes.. If the Songs wanted to start their craziness again, then he was sure nothing would happen to Sara since she had Muchen and he obviously likes her a lot.


    Speaking about Sara, he remembered another pressing issue.


    "Did you make dinner for them?" Jianjun asked her and slowly pulled out from the hug. He believed she had followed them home after he left earlier.


    Cixi shook her head. "I went somewhere. I just came here to see you" She answered.


    She was still busy with the laptop Sara had given her the other day. She was not going to rest until they were able to trace the IP address of the person who messed with her daughter.


    "What? Oh my God!" They were four people in the house and none of them could cook. What were they going to eat?


    Before Cixi could say something else, he ran towards the house. She also followed him.


    When they got to the entrance, they saw a black car parked there. They both wondered who it was but Jianjun remembered he had seen the car before


    "Looks like it''s Mr Li''s" Jianjun noted. But any socialite could have this same car. What if it was someone else? He wondered.


    "Oh.. Nephew in-law?" Cixi excitedly ran inside the house before Jianjun could enter.


    ***


    "Mis...ter Li?" Sara called his name in shock when she saw him by the fire.


    He turned to look at her and used his chin to signal for her to leave the kitchen since both his hands were busy. One hand was holding the pan with a little napkin while the other was busy stirring.


    "Go outside. You might choke" He said to her.


    Sara could smell pepper everywhere since it was now on the fire and instantly, she began to cough. Thankfully, she still had the face mask that helped cover her nose.


    "I told you to go outside" He scolded unhappily when he heard her cough.


    "Aww that''s so sweet" Joreen said happily as she watched the ''romantic'' scene unfold before her eyes.


    "Sis. Brother in-law is a really good cook" Bilike said excitedly before giving Muchen a thumbs up.


    Hearing the words ''Brother in-law'' Muchen smiled but continued with what he was doing.


    "Mister Li... Leave it. I''ll continue. You''re just returning from work. You shouldn''t be doing this. My father will kill me if he finds out about this" Sara pleaded with him but he refued to budge.


    "The oil might touch you. Just go outside. Your father won''t know. Are you all going to tell him?" He turned his head to look at Bilike, Joreen and Mr Chu.


    "No" The three of them said in unison.


    "Cute banana go outside and stop distracting him." Mr Chu added with an amused look on his face.


    Sara looked at all the backstabbers. They had been fully supporting her when she wanted to cook but now they all preferred Muchen to her? She was going to take the cooking classes and pay them back for this humiliation.


    Bilike kept smiling and asking what Muchen wanted him to do to help. Same with Joreen.


    "Jesus Christ!"


    Sara froze when she heard her father''s loud exclamation. It was over. Jianjun Wang was going to kill her.


    "Mr Li. What are you doing?" Cixi asked in shock.


    Jianjun took slow steps inside the kitchen like he had just seen something really frightening.


    When Sara saw him approaching, she slowly backed away from his reach while waving both hands in front of me. "I don''t know anything. I didn''t do anything. Ask them I swear"


    Muchen lowered the heat and stood in between Sara and Jianjun. He bowed to greet the people who just entered before saying. "She really did nothing. It was my idea."


    "Sara Wang" Jianjun called gently and cocked his head to look at her behind Muchen.


    "How can you let him cook? Is this how you treat guests when I''m not around?"


    "Yes! How can you let him cook? I''m also not in support" Mr Chu stood up and spoke fiercely. "Erm.. I''ll go use the bathroom" He quickly excused himself before Sara''s eyes burned him.


    "Oh my God! You can really cook. You''re so cool" Cixi stood in between Muchen and Jianjun and shook his hands excitedly.

 Chapter 202 - Playing hard to get

    "Dad please. I really didn''t ask him to cook. I just went upstairs to change and saw him when I got back. I am innocent" She made sure to hide well behind Muchen so her father wouldn''t see her but hear her voice only.


    ''This is why ladies should date someone taller.'' She appreciated Muchen in her mind.


    "It''s true" Joreen''s tiny voice spoke out. "Big sis did nothing. Mr Li even asked her to go out of the kitchen" After she was done saying her part, she muched on a carrot like nothing else concerned her.


    Bilike nodded in support of what Joreen said. He could not believe his father took off like that when he had been in support of Sara leaving the kitchen. ''What a shameless man'' Bilike said in his mind.


    "What are you doing? Go check what''s on the fire. I''ll take care of our guest" Cixi said to Jianjun.


    "You really don''t have to. I''ll ¡ª"


    She didn''t allow Muchen to continue. She excitedly pulled him out of the kitchen. Totally exposing Sara to Jianjun. Muchen looked back at Sara and gave him a ''I tried to save you'' look before his figure completely disappeared.


    Bilike and Joreen left the kitchen also. Since Jianjun was here. He was sure going to take care of everything but they would have preferred the Almighty CEO Li to cook for them.


    "D..ad." Sara called pleadingly when it was just the both if them left in the kitchen.


    He raised a hand and threatened to hit her arm but stopped midway and gave her a disapproving scowl.


    "I can''t believe you''re my daughter" He walked last her to check what was on the fire.


    "I really would have cooked it well. Where were you anyway and why do your face look like that?" Sara tried to get a better look of his face from the corner.


    "Something came up" He said nonchalantly entirely focusing on what he was doing.


    "Your eyes are swollen. Did you cry?" She asked in shock.


    Jianjun chuckled at her question. "Why would I cry? I was only sad because a friend of mine broke his arm so he couldn''t use it. I felt bad for him and helped out a bit" He said referring to the little bird earlier.


    "A friend?" Sara gave him a questioning look "But you have no friends" She added


    "Just go out already. As soon as we relocate to our new apartment, we''ll start your cooking classes. I don''t want you disgracing this family like you did today." He said unhappily.


    "But dad...do you know I can be a better chef than you if I put my mind to it? Stop thinking you''re a boss. I can crush you down within a month" She narrowed her eyes and gave him a challenging look. With her ryes still on him, she gradually retreated with her back out of the kitchen.


    Jianjun shook his head before a laugh escaped his lips. He wondered how his life would have been like if Sara wasn''t in it.


    He couldn''t still believe that this crazy daughter of his would be someone''s mother one day. He felt bad for his future grandkids.


    When Sara entered the sitting room, she saw Just her aunt, Joreen and her Mr Li happily conversing together.


    "Aunt stop stressing him. He''s tired" Sara plumped down in between Cixi and Muchen on the couch.


    "I asked him to stay for dinner and he doesn''t mind" Cixi said excitedly. She still could not stomach the fact that this right here was CEO Li and he was sitting with her!


    "He also said he''ll come to my birthday party on New year''s day" Joreen added happily.


    "Oh..." Sara looked at Muchen and saw him looking intently at her like she was the only one present there. His look made her feel butterflies in her stomach that she no longer paid attention to what her aunt and Joreen was saying.


    "Excuse me." She said to him before pulling Cixi and Joreen along with her.


    "What is it?" Cixi asked when they  entered the room.


    "You both should remain here okay? Do this for me please" She quickly left the room and went back to meet Muchen.


    "They forgot to fix something" Sara said with a smile before sitting down close to him. She inched closer this time.


    Muchen chuckled. He wondered what was up with her this time. With the kind of look she was giving him, he knew there was something she wanted to say.


    "What is it?" He asked her.


    "So....." Sara scratched her head awkwardly before adding while colour rushed to her cheeks "About what we discussed this morning"


    Muchen remembered she had asked them to both date now but he hadn''t given her an answer yet. "What did we discuss?" He feigned ignorance by giving her a confused look.


    "Stop acting like you don''t remember" She pouted unhappily. Did he think it was easy.for girls to raise topics like this?


    She had always been confident but now she didn''t know what was wrong with her. She felt that the more she delayed, the more someone else was likely going to seduce him and she was going to die before she allowed anyone steal him from her.


    Was she the CEO of a Snatch my boyfriend company?


    Muchen smiled at her lovingly and used a hand to carefully tuck some strands of her loose hair behind her ear. He had the urge to kiss her pouting lips but he knew he couldn''t do that here. "You''re pretty" He complimented her.


    "I know but that''s not important now" Sara quickly brushed it aside and held his hand. "We....are dating right?" She asked impatiently with a charming smile.


    "Dinner is ready" Jianjun''s voice rang out in the whole building and immediately, everyone came out from their shells. The shameless Mr Chu and Bilike came out of their room while her Aunt and Joreen came out of the other room.


    "I hate fried rice! Why did it have to be ready at this time" She complained through gritted teeth when Muchen stood up with a smile on his face and went straight to the dining table.


    She quickly caught up with him and whispered so only he could hear "Stop playing hard to get already" She then walked past him to help Jianjun serve the dishes.


    Muchen stopped walking and laughed out. Everyone turned to look at him wondering what was so funny.


    "Ah... sorry" He apologized before sitting on the seat Cixi offered him beside hers.


    Sara had no other option but to sit opposite him.


    "Thank you so much for your hospitality" Muchen said to all of them.


    Jianjun gave him a tiny smile while Cixi didn''t waste time to say more pleasant things to him.


    His eyes fell on Sara who was looking at Mr Chu on the Chief seat. He saw her mouth ''Betrayer'' to him while the old man chuckled.


    Muchen smiled at all of them. He could exchange his wealth to be a part of a family like this.


    "So..since when did you start to like my wonderful niece?" Cixi asked out of curiosity.


    It was one question they were all curious about whether they admitted it or not.


    "Aunt... How can you ask him that?" Sara blushed. "Mr Li.. Don''t answer her just eat"


    "Hmm.."


    When Sara thought he wasn''t going to say anything else, she heard him say  "That should be two years ago"


    Sara choked!

 Chapter 203 - Destined for each other

    "What? T...WO....two years?" Cixi asked in obvious shock and surprise.


    Sara gulped down the entire glass of water in front of her and cleared her throat awkwardly to get Muchen''s attention.


    "Big sis... You''ve known him for two years?" Joreen asked curiously.


    Jianjun was also surprised. He hadn''t heard of anything like them meeting two years ago. They''ve really known each other for that long? And not only that, he has liked his crazy daughter for that long? Wow!


    Sara knew he remembered her from two years ago. He had said something about her looking like a ''gangster fairy'' but she had no idea he had liked her for that long. When it registered, she blurted out. "What? Two years?"


    All of them looked at her in surprise. So she didn''t know either... Was it a one-sided love by chance?


    Muchen nodded to all of their questions.


    "She is somehow acquinted with my cousin. I met her for the first time when came to speak with him one day."


    He answered with a smile as he remembered her entire actions that day.


    Sara bit her lower lip. Why did he have to talk about that day? What if he re-remembers everything and suddenly refuses to date her because she fought that day. But... he said he had liked her since then so did he really like the fact that she fought and dressed like a gangster? What was he? A low-key masochist?


    "Wow.. So it''s like a love at first sight?" Mr Chu asked.


    Muchen lowered his head and smiled "We could put it that way" He responded in an embarrassed tone.


    The words ''Love at first sight'' rang in Jianjun''s brain. He smiled sadly and watched the others as they conversed together.


    "So she was there to see your cousin but you fell in love with her. Oh my god!" Cixi exclained excitedly. She loved stories like this. "So did you keep in touch? Did you approach her then?"


    "No" Muchen answered honestly. "I left it to fate and hoped we would both meet again if we were meant to be"


    "Oh my!" Cixi and Joreen both covered their mouths. This was too sweet. Sweeter than the fried rice they were eating!


    "So Sweetheart..." Cixi turned to look at Sara "When did you fall for him? Was it also a love at first sight?"


    Sara ran her eyes over everyone on the table before filling her mouth with rice. She was glad Muchen hadn''t mentioned anything about what had happened that day. Her father would have really killed her this time.


    She pondered on the question she had just been asked by Cixi.


    That day two head ago, she had actually thought he looked very handsome and was somehow attracted to him but she didn''t know neither was she sure she fell for him that day. Besides, it was the same day she met Jinyong and they had both dated without her thinking about Muchen ever again except for one tune when she suddenly remembered the look in his eyes when both their eyes met.


    "Come on sis. Don''t be shy" Joreen urged her. She was just like her mother. Both loved juicy gossips and this was the best of them all.


    "So was it by mere coincidence that she started working for you two years later?"


    Jianjun asked Muchen for the very first time when he noticed that Sara was finding it difficult to answer the question. Truthfully, he was also curious.


    Muchen didn''t hesitate to answer


    "Yes. I guess we''re both destined to be together" He lied smoothly.


    He didn''t think it was wise to let them know he had manipulated the whole thing. Was he supposed to say ''No Mr Wang. I met her during her friend and boyfriend''s engagement party and after that I asked my assistants to leave her the only flier for the job specially reserved for her and then she came to me just like magic''??


    "Liar!" Sara muttered under her breath. He had employed her on purpose but he was lying smoothly while keeping an innocent face.


    ''Well, it doesn''t matter. I like working for him anyway''


    She was oblivious to whatever was going on in there. Her focus was solely on Muchen who was responding to whatever questions they were asking with a smile plastered on his face.


    The people on the table concluded that they were both destined for each other.


    A smile unconsciously formed on her face. ''How nice would it be if I can see this face every morning'' Sara said to herself.


    This others wondered why she was smiling at Muchen like that.


    Muchen''s face was down so he had no idea someone was crazily smiling at him.


    "Just eat" Jianjun mouthed to the rest to ignore his crazy daughter. He had to teach her that it was a problem being too obvious like this. ''I can hide it very well'' He remembered the words she told him and shook his head. She was doing a really bad job!


    Muchen had never felt this warm because of a simple meal. He smiled warmly at the family he just finished eating with.  He knew they weren''t trying to suck up to him by being nice simply because he was rich. He knew they were only this nice and friendly because Sara liked him and he liked Sara also.


    They had never asked him for anything before.Even Joreen had never pestered him about working with G-GLOBAL. They were more concerned about doing things for him and having him around than asking for help.


    He liked this family with all his heart!


    He should really thank Mo Jinyong for making him meet Sara.

 Chapter 204 - Jealous or Possessive?

    "We''re glad you joined us as well" Cixi replied to his greeting. She was acting more like the mother of the house now and it was funny to the rest of them.


    After Sara successfully pleaded with the others to go inside their rooms so she could remain alone with Muchen, Muchen said to her..


    "I''ll be going on a trip tomorrow. Don''t miss me too much or hang out with other men."


    He said as he smoothen her messy hair.


    "A trip? Why so soon?" She asked in surprise.


    "There''s something I need to take care of in country V. So¡ª"


    "Wait...country V?" Sara remembered it was the same country her aunt had been stuck in  because of a terrorist attack. "It''s not safe there. Why do you have to go? Terrorists are everywhere" She said in worry.


    Muchen chuckled at her exaggeration. "They aren''t everywhere. I just have to fix something in a safer part of country V."


    Sara still didn''t feel it was right to suddenly leave. How was she supposed to live without seeing him?


    "You won''t stay long right?" She asked hopefully.


    "I just hope I finish up everything before my grandmother''s birthday so I wouldn''t have to go back" He said with a smile.


    "What? That''s like in 13 days! You''re not coming back till two weeks time?"


    "Do you want to come with me then?" Muchen offered with a wink.


    He saw Sara bit her lower lip and darted her eyes around like she was seriously considering his offer.


    He smiled and patted her head "Just be good. And don''t be nervous. Hoy will help you out with whatever you need in regards to my grandmother''s birthday party"


    Sara still had a sad expression on her face but she agreed to it. He was a business man after all.


    "I already met him today. He told me about it."


    "What? You met Hoy?" He asked in suprise.


    "Hmm. He came over" Sara nodded like it was a very natural thing for Hoy to suddenly visit her.


    Muchen''s eyes widened in surprise. This Hoy was seriously becoming a big problem. Maybe he should ask Minde to help her out instead.


    He was about to say something else when Sara suddenly cut him in "So....about our discussion earl¡ª"


    "Big sis" Bilike cried out as he suddenly barged inside the sitting room and hurried to where Muchen and Sara was standing.


    "I just got a mail stating I could resume  JACOBS university next monday. I don''t remember making the acceptance deposit. So I called and they said my sister paid for it. You...did?" He asked in surprise.


    ''Oh no... Why did they send him the mail now?'' Sara cried in her mind before smiling awkwardly at him.


    "Oh.. I forgot to tell you about it. You didn''t close your mail after borrowing my laptop so I accidentally opened it. Sorry for encroaching" She apologized with a sheepish smile.


    "You....paid?" He asked again with wide eyes. He had applied but when he saw the acceptance deposit, he couldn''t afford it. He knew his father couldn''t so he hadn''t bothered to trouble him with it when his father said he could only afford a half of it.


    He had chosen JACOBS university in City X because it had special offers. If one''s grades are really good, he would be put on a scholarship. He had applied to study cinematography and his only problem had been the acceptance deposit. He really couldn''t believe Sara had helped him with it.


    "I just thought I should try since I saw the mail you sent to them about not having the complete fee. Such opportunities shouldn''t go to waste" She said awkwardly.


    Tears streamed down his face and with his sudden rush of emotion, he enveloped her in a hug that startled both her and Muchen.


    He had met a group of people who introduced him to gambling, telling him he could earn enough to send himself to college. His gambling habit had almost killed him and his father if not for Sara and Muchen''s intervention at the factory that night.


    He owed Sara a lot! And he wasn''t sure he could repay her.


    The others came out when they noticed something was going on in the sitting room. Mr Chu also had tears in his eyes when he slowly came out from his room. He couldn''t believe that his useless son was finally going to college.


    ''Why is the hug taking too long?'' Muchen looked at them uncomfortably. It was actually what he was most concerned about. He noticed Sara was also very uncomfortable but Bilike was too emotional and didn''t care about anything else.


    ''Thank God she changed.''  Muchen didn''t want to imagine Bilike hugging Sara in her earlier outfit.


    ''Okay...this hug is getting too long''


    He pulled Bilike away from Sara. Not to seem awkward, Muchen hugged him instead.


    "Congratulations" He was really proud of his girlfriend. Not only was she pretty, she was also hardworking... Wait! Was Sara hardworking? He left that out of the list and counted again. She was pretty inside and outside. He left it at that!


    As much as Bilike was happy he was hugging CEO Li, it felt awkward so he quickly pulled out.


    ''Oh...so you don''t like hugging guys for long then?'' Muchen squinted at him.


    The entire family had been watching the whole show. They were so happy for Bilike and proud of Sara but Muchen''s action made them laugh.


    They had seen Muchen''s shocked expression when Bilike was hugging her. Muchen suddenly pulled her out and helped her continue the hug. Was he jealous or simply possessive?


    "I''m so grateful sis. I''ll never forget this goodness" Bilike said happily with tears still all over his face.


    "I will never forget this either" Mr Chu patted her shoulders gently before turning to Jianjun with tears still in his eyes.


    "She really didn''t let CEO Li cook." He confessed.

 Chapter 205 - Two apples a day...

    The next morning, Cixi left earlier than usual without giving Sara any opportunity to speak with her and ask questions. They had been too many interruptions and Sara didn''t want to raise the topic of Song Changyu when anyone else was around.


    She just wanted to casually raise the issue without giving her aunt any hint that she was snooping.


    "In case you see the card, let me know. Make sure no one else knows about this" Sara whispered to Joreen who very much agreed.


    "I''ll leave for work now. And... I''ll take these" Sara took some apples from the table and placed it inside a little fancy nylon bag.


    "You''re leaving very early today. Is something wrong?" Jianjun asked before handing her a lunch box. It was weird that Sara suddenly asked for a takeout.


    "I take my job seriously" Sara grinned.


    She didn''t want to waste much time chatting with them. She needed to see Muchen before he traveled. They would keep in touch yea, but she wouldn''t be seeing him for days and that was something really troublesome for her.


    "Come back on time. We need to go somewhere together" Jianjun said to her retreating figure.


    "I will." She hurried back to kiss her father on his cheek and spoke impatiently while heading out "Let Uncle Chu and Bilike know I had to leave early. Have a wonderful day"  She said before disappearing out of their sight.


    "Something is up with her right?" Joreen asked suspiciously.


    "Probably" Jianjun answered nonchalantly with an amused smile on his face.


    He was glad that his daughter was happy. He had always been worried about her and her future. But it seemed there was no need for that anymore. Her future was well secured whether Muchen''s family liked it or not.


    ***


    Dexi''s personal assistant was shocked to see him looking like that when he entered inside his apartment to help him prepare for work. It was as if he didn''t get any sleep at all.


    He was still dressed in the previous day''s clothes with his tie crooked and button half undone. He also had obvious dark circles under his eyes.


    "CEO Mo...are you okay?" He asked cautiously¡ª fearing that Dexi might blow up at him.


    Dexi ignored him. He had a lot on his mind and it was really driving him crazy. His chat with Weiyoung last night and helped in messing up his mind.


    He tried to put things together but he didn''t like the conclusion he was arriving at.


    According to Weiyoung, she ran to get help but got into an accident. She also said she had no idea whatever happened to Sara and only heard later that Sara reported sick when she was absent from school for over a week.


    So, he tried to draw a possible conclusion from the premises: A crazy man held down an helpless and vulnerable little girl in a secluded alley at night and had even hit her. After that time, she didn''t go to school for over a week and reported sick. Afterwards, she became really depressed,travelled with Weiyoung and disappeared for over a year.


    What if....?


    He shook his head at that thought


    He didn''t want to think about what had possibly happened to the little Sara that night.


    He remembered what Weiyoung had said to him.


    "I just thought I should help her. She wasn''t herself after that night and when I had the opportunity to travel, my mother funded Sara''s trip also. She still didn''t flow with us but did a lot of weird things and was always absent minded. A lot of times, she abstractedly walked into busy road or bumped into people. I really became scared. When it was time to leave, no one saw her. We searched everywhere but we didn''t see her. We had no choice but to return home ourselves and report the incident to her father" Weiyoung narrated.


    Dexi still felt something was not right. If that was all, why did they clear her flight records? Weiyoung claimed her parents weren''t involved and she knew nothing else about the whole thing but he still had his doubts. Weiyoung was never one to be trusted. He had seen how good she was with lying and acting. Unfortunately for her, Sara exposed her to the whole world.


    He needed leads to know what truly happened with her. Even though Sara hated him, he was curious about her. He was drawn to her and he was never going to stop until he knew what he actually wanted from her. Even CEO Li Muchen would not be able to stop him if he meant things.


    If only Weiyoung knew the name of the hospital Sara was taken to¡ªthat''s if she was taken to any hospital in the first place, it would have been easier to get his leads. But the bimbo knew nothing. She kept shaking her head saying she didn''t know anything else. How could she possibly know nothing even after being friends with Sara for over 10 years?


    He scratched his head in frustration. Although Sara had told him she never wanted to see him again on the night of his grandfather''s birthday, he was going to see her and he knew it was going to be very soon.


    ***


    When Sara arrived, she saw the same people she had seen the previous day outside while preparing to leave. She was glad she bumped into them before they left.


    But something else caught her attention: Minde''s funny look.


    She hadn''t seen him look like this the previous day because he changed on his way to work but now, he was dressed at ''Eric Wu''. Although his hair wasn''t usually slicked back like Muchen, but was more like the cool kind of messy style, now, it was cut to look like a young highschooler''s kind of fringe and it really suited him making him look quite adorable. He wore round-framed glasses and a very obvious cheap black suit and brown leather shoes.


    She was very sure she wouldn''t have recognised him if not for the fact that she was already accustomed to his body built and posture.


    "Good morning" She greeted them all with a smile. Even the bodyguards who watched the house could not help smiling back at their friendly lady boss who always gisted with them when she was done inside.


    Ms Long smiled back at her. Minde was already looking unhappy so he didn''t bother to force a smile out. Muchen also smiled warmly at her and returned her greeting. She looked especially pretty today. She wore a White highneck sweater and black pencil trousers and on her feet were a pair of black laced shoes. Her backpack was on her bag as usual and on both hands, she held a lunch box and a fancy little nylon bag.


    "Here. This is yours" She handed Muchen the lunch box she was holding before handing an apple each to the two bodyguards at the front who were more like her gist buddies, one to Minde, one to Ms Long and the two left in the nylon, she handed it to Muchen.


    ''There are a lot of apples inside, Heya would eat it from'' Sara said to herself.


    Muchen looked at her and his two hands holding a box and nylon in confusion.


    "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" Sara lectured with a smile. She then inched closer to Muchen and whispered  "Two apples a day should probably keep terrorists away right?"

 Chapter 206 - New relationship

    Muchen laughed when he heard her. What was with her and terrorists? Didn''t they already have this conversation last night and he assured her that he wasn''t going to that town?


    "We''re through" A man announced after placing a luggage on the car''s trunk.


    Sara felt the man looked familiar but she couldn''t really place it.


    She remembered she hadn''t given him an apple since he just came out from inside. Not wanting to be partial by giving everyone but not him, she quickly took back the apple from Minde''s hand and handed it to him causing Minde to scoff at her in disbelief.


    The man looked at her with familiarity and thanked her for the apple. Without sating anything else.


    She had seen there had been another luggage in the trunk when the man opened it so out of curiosity, she asked Muchen


    "You''re not leaving alone?"


    "Ms Long is leaving with me" He answered straightforwardly.


    "Wait¡ªwhat? She''s staying the entire time?"


    Sara asked with widened eyes not caring that they were others there. He was leaving for close to two weeks and his beautiful female secretary was going to be staying with him? She didn''t know how he lived when she wasn''t here but now she was!


    "Yes." Muchen nodded. He had no idea what was going through her mind.


    He suddenly saw her glare at him and snatched back the lunch box and nylon from his hands.


    She handed the nylon of apples to Minde in annoyance and took the Lunchbox with her inside the house.


    It took Muchen a minute to process what had just happened. Wait..was Sara angry that he was traveling with Ms Long? Then why wasn''t she angry at Ms Long but only him!?


    He looked at Ms along in confusion so she laughed and shook her head. He saw the others also had looks of amusement on their faces.


    "You''ve spoiled her a lot CEO Li." Ms Long commented with a laugh. "You should appease her before we leave" She gave him a friendly advise after checking her watch.


    She had observed that Sara was a very straightforward and open person. Someone could easily tell how she felt since it was very open for everyone in the world to see. Her EQ was something else.


    Muchen scratched his head before snatching back the nylon from Minde.


    "Seriously!?" Minde exclaimed for the first time in annoyance "Why are you all neglecting me? I have feeling too"


    He quickly got into the ''taxi'' beside Muchen''s car. It was the car that would take him directly from here to the office from now on in other to not raise any suspicion. He was never going to take the bus! And fortunately, Muchen understood his plight.


    When Muchen entered, he saw Sara talking to herself with an angry expression. He didn''t know what she was saying but he felt she was cussing him.


    "Why are you upset?" He approached her with a back hug and held her firmly to stop her from pushing him away.


    He thought it was enough to have a sister who liked throwing tantrums. But now, even his girlfriend had joined her. He only hoped his daughter would be better than these two women.


    "I don''t want to talk to you. Go to Country V with your secretary" Sara whined in displeasure but didn''t push him away.


    Muchen chuckled before turning her to face him. "We aren''t sharing a room. It''s just like how we work here. She needs to be there as my personal Assistant. If you want, I can call you every hour"


    "Anything can happen within the next hour" She shot back angrily.


    Muchen chortled and turned her to face him


    "Ah! I can call you every minute then. I assure you nothing can happen within a minute. I''m not that weak when it comes to that" He gave her a teasing wink which caused her to blush and hit his chest.


    "Stop talking dirty this morning" She warned.


    "But you started it" He accused her.


    "But seriously, I don''t want you to feel insecure when it comes to Ms Long. She''s just doing her job. Without her, I''ll crash from overwork" He said to her with a doting pat on her little head. He didn''t want to loose her ponytail since he wouldn''t be staying for long anyway.


    Sara pouted before nodding. She didn''t know why she was feeling insecure and acting childish lately. Maybe because she was used to the mindset of Socialites not sticking with one woman and she liked Muchen a lot so she was scared of suddenly walking into his engagement party with another woman one day.


    She sighed and decided to let it slide. She trusted Muchen and his feelings for her. If he ever wavered, she was going to knock back some sense into him!


    She was so deep in her thought that she didn''t notice him place a little box on his hand. With a smile on his face, he opened it and Sara gasped when she saw the beautiful necklace inside. It was a tiny silver necklace with a round pendant which had the letters ''SW'' on it.


    "Sara Wang?" She said with her eyes still wide open.


    He gave a noncommittal grunt before taking it out to wear it on her neck. He was contented with the look on her face. "I thought you wouldn''t like something too extravagant so I got you this. Anytime anyone sees it, let them know your boyfriend got it for you"


    He really hoped she would tell that to any man who got too close to her. He was beginning to feel insecure especially now that he would be leaving her here for days.


    Sara looked at him with sad eyes and he started to think she was uncomfortable with it so he asked to know what was wrong.


    "Do you not like it?" He asked in concern.


    "I love it. I love it a lot. But I''m beginning to feel like a leech. I haven''t given you anything but you''ve given me a lot" She said sadly as she admired the necklace around her neck with a finger on the pendant tracing her initials.


    He sighed in relief when he heard the reason for her sadness.


    "You''ve given me a lot more than you think. It''s too much that I don''t think I can repay for you the rest of my life. So the least you could do is to stick to me like a gum so I''ll have the opportunity to keep paying you back in bits" He said to her.


    "Me? What have I done?" She looked at him in confusion which caused him to chuckle.


    "You''ve fed me a couple of times, you''ve made me laugh..hmmm... You''re my girlfriend. It means a lot that you''re beside me" He said with a smile.


    "Oh... Wait!" She just remembered he had used the word ''girlfriend'' twice. Did it mean....?


    Her eyes twinkled as she looked up at him. "Really? We''re dating now?" She asked excitedly.


    He smiled back and bobbed his head up and down. "You came a little late though. I''ve been dating you all by myself for the past few weeks" He pouted.


    Sara smiled excitedly before wrapping her hands around his waist in a hug. "You''ll never take back your words." It wasn''t a questiin!


    "I am really crazy sometimes so make sure I don''t see you with those heiresses except it''s for business." She warned in advance.


    The night of Mo Dachuan''s birthday party still haunted her whenever she remembered Muchen with those ladies and how they smiled seuctively at him. Even that little rat Guan Lanbi had tried to blackmail her.


    ''But guess what? He''s mine now!'' She said to the universe.


    "So...can I have my lunchbox ? I really have to leave now" Muchen asked with a laugh. Why was Sara suddenly being so clingy? And he really liked it!


    "Yes you can boyfriend Li" she took the lunchbox from the table and handed it to him gently.


    "Boyfriend Li?" He chuckled at the new title.


    He reminded himself to stop playing around and leave already. But he was already beginning to miss her.


    He gently pulled her with his free hand and almost went in for a kiss before he heard a voice from upstairs say loudly


    "CEO Li go to work and leave women alone!"


    They both looked up to see Heya standing there on her pink pyjamas. She shook her head at the both of them and disappeared out of their sight. They had no idea how long she had been there but they both laughed.


    He didn''t back down and still went in for the kiss that sealed their new relationship.

 Chapter 207 - Too much pressure

    Changyu used a hand to cover her eyes after helping herself sit up on the bed. Her head ached and she felt really weak.


    She had just woken up after long hours of sleep. Everything that had happened the previous day flashed through her mind: her meeting with her parents, how she heard her parents'' conversation and lastly, Jianjun''s conversation with her.


    She remembered how she could no longer hold in her curiousity last night so she had tried to force herself to go over to her parents house. How could she possibly sit calmly after hearing something like that?


    She couldn''t possibly do so!


    She tried to think that her son was still alive somewhere. She desperately wanted to believe that. She held unto that tiny shred of hope in other to keep surviving because she was already tired of her life.


    But before she could leave, her PA, Hani stopped her. She pleaded with her to watch over her health and lie back down. Hani tried to convince her that It wouldn''t make any difference whether she met with her parents last night or a few hours later. But Changyu felt that the more she delayed, the more something might become wrong.


    She didn''t know what happened after that. She only remembered threatening to fire Hani and after that, everything blanked out.


    She must have collapsed again. Damn it! Why was she so weak?


    But....she suddenly remembered her dream. Why did she suddenly see brother Jun''s daughter in her dream?


    Sure, the girl was pretty and adorable, and looked very much like her father. Was her mind playing games with her because she had been thinking much about Jianjun lately? Or was the universe reminding her that he had a daughter he loved so much and so she shouldn''t interfere with their lives?


    She winced in pain. Not knowing where it was coming from exactly: Her physical body? Her heart? She simply had no idea.


    She only knew she was in pain and could feel the life gradually sucking out of her.


    "You''re awake" Hani sighed in relief. "You collapsed last night so the doctor came over to put you to rest. He said you should take those meds as soon as you wake up" Hani said, pointing at some bottles of medicine carefully placed on the shelf beside her bed.


    Changyu used a hand to smoothen her already messy hair and stood up. She looked at the clock to see it was already past 10 in the morning. "They should be here" She said in a hoarse and crooked voice. She had cried a lot and had been sick so it was normal for her voice to sound so terrible.


    "They are here" Hani nodded.


    Changyu could hear her heart throbbing loudly. Her eyes blinked rapidly and her hands shook uncontrollably. Even her breath became unsteady and loud.


    "Are you okay Miss Changyu?" Hani moved closer to her and asked in concern. "I''ll call the doctor"


    "No. It''s fine. I''m fine" Changyu said before heading towards the door.


    "Miss Changyu. You have to freshen up" Hani reminded her.


    Changyu looked down at herself and sighed. She was completely synonymous with the word ''messy''. But right now, this wasn''t important to her. She ignored Hani and headed straight towards the sitting room where her parents were waiting patiently for her.


    ***


    In another part of the city, Sara closely observed Heya who was quietly lying on the hospital bed.


    Sara had been suspecting that something was wrong with Heya but she hadn''t been able to place it until today.


    They both had the goal of making sure Heya look fit but everything was happening too fast.


    In barely a month, she had dropped from 250 lb to 240 lb!


    She was able to guess that Heya had been overdoing it. She was probably skipping her meals and overexercising even after Sara left and on the days she was supposed to rest.


    She wouldn''t have known what was actually wrong if Heya hadn''t collapsed because she was working out while wearing a steel boned corset underneath her clothes.


    Was she planning to kill herself? Why was she overdoing it? Losing weight was good but did she have to do it to the point where it had to affect her health?


    She shook her head against the idea of informing Muchen about it since he had just left for a business trip. She couldn''t call Heya''s parents also.


    She was sure Heya was already going through a lot and was under a lot of pressure already.


    And her parents were likely not going to help.


    So she decided to just stay with her until she woke up.


    Thankfully, they were people at home who organised things when Muchen wasn''t around and they had helped to send Heya to Dr Long''s hospital which they currently where.


    After sitting there for a while waiting for Heya to wake up, she decided to take a stroll around the hospital.


    Who would have thought she would suddenly bump into the last person she had expected to see there.


    ***


    "Oh precious daughter.. Why are you looking like that?" Madam Song immediately moved to where Changyu was as soon as she entered the sitting room.. "Are you sick somewhere? You look pale" Madam Song kept truckling and fawning over her like Changyu had ever been her favourite daughter.


    In annoyance, Changyu pushed her mother''s hand from her arm. "What do you think you are doing?" She asked in the coldest voice they could ever imagine.


    Her father looked at her without saying a word. Changyu noted he was a bit humbler than the last time because he would have yelled at her and called her names because of the way she just treated his wife.


    He was smart for keeping shut!


    "Cha....ngyu" Her mother called in a hurtful tone. She couldn''t believe her daughter just disregarded her like that. Even though people weren''t there, she was still hurt by her daughter''s behavior.

 Chapter 208 - Mistake?

    Changyu ran her eyes around the sitting room and was pleased with the way things were.


    Hani was good at organising things. She didn''t see any maids or bodyguards around. Even Hani was no where in sight.


    She personally didn''t like interruption or crowd, especially at a time like this when she had something really important to discuss with her parents.


    "Changyu. Consider it. We are your family. Anything you ask of us, we''ll do it. If you want to be the chairwoman of Song corporation, I''ll hand over all of my shares to you plus the shares you''re forfeiting. Don''t just pull out like this. You can''t treat us like this after everything we''ve dine for you. You been outside the country for a long time, we should be dining together as a family and not doing all of these"


    Her father said with his tail between his legs. He didn''t mind about not being the chairman of the Song corporation, so far Changyu would take back her words. They were used to power in fact, they were addicted to it!


    How could they possibly live the rest of their lives without this power. Truthfully, Changyu had been out of the country. But when they suddenly heard of her progress abroad, they had all been stupefied.


    The kind of influence she had abroad skyrocketed theirs in the country. No one knew they hadn''t kept in touch with her for years but people did try to suck up to them in other to get closer to Changyu or get information about how to meet with her privately.


    Even they didn''t know how. How were they supposed to tell others?


    Because she couldn''t be reached, it made people even want to know more about her.


    That was why the moment they were suddenly informed that she was in the country, they were so happy to their bones. They didn''t waste time in organising a party when she said she was coming over. They wanted everyone to know that their daughter, the Song Changyu that they had all been dying to see was really their daughter and she was coming home.


    But they were surprised when she suddenly asked for all of them to be sent away. Not only that, she had to ask them about an incident that happened a long time ago and even told the world she was no longer a part of their family?


    How were they supposed to live now?


    No one would ever respect them anymore! They wouldn''t be able to raise their faces in public.


    The biggest problem now was that they couldn''t bribe her with anything. She was rich. Far richer than them. She had power, she had influence. He wasn''t even sure offering her the position ofs the chairwoman of Song corporation was enough to keep her.


    But to both their surprise, they heard her say "Yes. I will do it"


    In the lowest voice as possible, she continued..


    "I will tell the world I am a bad daughter. I will tell them I am an unfilial daughter. I won''t take the position of the chairwoman of your company. I don''t wish for anythin¡ª"


    "Really?" Elder Song quickly cut her off excitedly before she could finish.


    "Oh my goodness! You have finally returned to your senses. Oh my darling daughter!" Madam Song excitedly hugged her daughter.


    "But...I have a condition. I just want the truth.....please...tell me the truth" She pulled out of the hug and looked at them with pleading eyes. It was the first time she begged someone in years.


    She had simply done what ever she wanted to do without anyone''s opinion.


    "What is it? Tell me anything and I''ll make sure I do it!" Elder Song declared in happiness. Not only was she going to remain with them, he was also going to remain as the chairman. What more could he ask for?


    "Where.... did you take my son to?" She asked nervously.


    ***


    ''Obstetrics''


    Sara looked at the sign slightly above the door Weiyoung just stepped out from.


    The last time she saw Weiyoung was on the night of Mo Dachuan''s birthday party where she had told everyone about her pregnancy and ''wedding''.


    Seeing her now, Weiyoung looked paler and not like the person she had always known.


    A lot had happened between them. A whole lot. But.... Weiyoung had been her only friend for so many years so there was slight worry in Sara''s eyes when she saw her.


    Sara didn''t have any friend while growing up. Her neighborhood was rid of kids her age so she was practically alone with her father and Aunt who visited once in a while. When she wasn''t at home or in school, she was either at her Father''s restaurant or was taking her fighting classes.


    She hated school with passion!


    At first while growing up, she was a bit chubbier than most kids her age so the kids called her names and reminded her everyday that she was motherless.


    Sara didn''t relent. She felt she should at least be grateful for her father who loved her a lot. She wasn''t bothered about her chubbiness either. Her father and Aunt liked her so much so what else did she need?


    Her fighting classes greatly contributed in helping her look fit. Her father also helped with her diet when he realised what had been going on with her.


    Because of all that, she didn''t like any of her classmates in school. Even as they progressed with their classes and turned to teens. Some left, some came. But she wasn''t interested in making friends with any of them.


    Jianjun tried to curb her introversion by introducing a lot of things he believed would help but nothing changed. Until the day she saw Weiyoung at the park.


    She felt bad for the girl who looked sad and sat on her own so she asked to play with her. She thought maybe, Weiyoung was just like her who didn''t have friends.


    ''Was that a mistake?''

 Chapter 209 - Hate and Jealousy blinds the mind

    ''How would my life have been like if I hadn''t asked her to join us that day?''


    Sara had asked herself this particular question a lot of times.


    Being friends with Weiyoung, Sara liked the feeling¡ªThe feeling of having a friend at least.


    A friend that was intelligent and rich. She also liked how her father treated Weiyoung like they were twins.


    She began to imagine what it felt like to have a sister and she liked the feeling.


    Even when people began to spread rumours about her in her new school, for the first time, someone took her side and helped her shun them.


    Sometimes Weiyoung did annoying things. Tried to control her, and did so many other things Sara pretended to not know about. But she had really wanted to make sure Weiyoung turned into a better person. She wanted them to be best friends forever.


    But... it all had been her wishful thinking....


    Her life would have been different if she hadn''t met Weiyoung. She didn''t know whether it would have been for the good or bad but she knew one thing for sure, she probably wouldn''t have met Li Muchen if not for Weiyoung.


    The first two times she met him was because of her.


    Well, Sara believed she had done her part. She made up her mind to finally end her ''friendship'' with Weiyoung and that was why she had released that video.


    There was nothing wrong in paying back!


    No matter the kind of person Weiyoung was, Sara had never wanted to use it against her. She remembered the very last time she spoke to someone about Weiyoung. It was nine years ago.


    **


    After the dance that day with Leo, Sara realised Weiyoung was no where to be found. As she was about leaving to go search for her friend, she was intercepted by Leo.


    "Hi there!" He said with his usual charming smile.


    Sara almost ignored him and kept stretching her neck to look at each side whether she would catch a glimpse of Weiyoung by chance.


    "Are you looking for your friend?" Leo asked.


    He finally got Sara''s attention because she looked at him and asked curiously if he had seen her.


    "She left a while ago whilst we were still on stage" He informed her.


    "Really? But.... How did you know?" She asked Leo inquisitively. She almost brushed the question aside because she guessed he must have seen her leaving while he was addressing the members of the club. But then, she heard him say..


    "Hmm..." He scratched his head shyly. "I always see you with her. Her name is Weiyoung right?" He asked in turn.


    Sara wondered why he was acting funny. Why was he smiling sheepishly with a red face?


    "Yes. Her name is Weiyoung. We''re classmates and friends. Why?" Sara questioned.


    "Can you get her to keep coming to this club with you? ...Please" He added when she looked at him suspiciously.


    "Why?" Sara questioned ''detectively''.


    Leo must have guessed she was slow on the uptake so he simply said "I kind of like her. But I''ve heard people say things about her. Since you''re her close friend... You can tell me about her right?"


    He had only danced with Sara because he was passionate about dancing and he got an inspiration from the dance they just had. Everything had solely been for the good of the club. There was nothing else about it.


    He had been surprised to suddenly see Weiyoung in the dance club since he knew she always attended the Jet club.


    Sara squealed excitedly and started telling him a lot of fabricated ''nice'' things about Weiyoung. When she was through, he pleaded with her not to tell Weiyoung till he tells her by himself and Sara agreed happily. After that time, she didn''t see Leo again.


    After taking a week off from school, the other week was for the Club''s day out and she hadn''t bothered going. Then, it was time for exams and they had all been focused on exams¡ª except for her though. After that time, she traveled with Weiyoung and some other girls. By the time she returned a year later, Leo was already out of highschool while Weiyoung became her Senior since she had to repeat the class.


    She hadn''t bothered to ask Weiyoung what happened or whether he succeeded in confessing to her.


    On Weiyoung''s part:


    She had been perching around to know what was still going on in there. To her shock, she saw Sara smiling at Leo while he looked like he was blushing. She swore she saw him say something like ''promise me'' and Sara bobbed her head up and down like an agama lizard.


    Weiyoung clenched her fists in anger. So Sara had been liking Leo also?


    The week Sara missed school, Weiyoung missed school for two days as an alibi for her ''accident''. When she resumed school two days later, she accidentally bumped into Leo in the school canteen and he had asked her why Sara wasn''t with her.


    "Where is your little friend? We have to start practice" Leo asked her with a blush. It was obviously the first question he could come up with?


    In anger, she yelled at him.


    "She is not here. Are you blind? If you can''t see her here it means she''s not here or are you dumb?" She looked at him angrily and said a lot of things she couldn''t remember out of frustration and anger.


    Who was he to treat her that way because of Sara? If he liked her so much then he should go after her but first, she had to show it to the whole school how she treated the Almighty Leo.


    She smirked at the embarrassed look on his face when he walked away from the crowded canteen.


    That was the first and last time she spoke to the crush who hurt her pride..But she was sad that it had all ended just like that.


    *Hate and Jealousy blinds the mind.*

 Chapter 210 - I am that evil

    "Ch..angyu... Wh...at are you talking about right now?" Her mother was the first one to stutter in shock.


    Why was she suddenly asking about something like that? Her eyes nervously quickly looked at the direction where her husband was standing. He was also looking at Changyu with wide eyes and his hands was beginning to shake just like hers.


    "When there is a question, there should be an answer. You don''t ask back a question!" Changyu yelled at her mother.


    "Give me the truth. I want it" She stretched out her hand like ''the truth'' was something tangible they could just hand over to her.


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about. We...told you your baby was crema¡ª"


    Before her father could complete  the sentence and say the word ''cremated'', Changyu already yelled at him also.


    "It was what you told me. I''m asking for the truth right now!"


    Her mother''s legs failed her so she supported herself with the couch.


    They both knew their daughter had a really nasty temper and right now, she was being so scary.


    The ''crazy'' way she was looking right now didn''t make it any better for them.


    "Why are you looking at me like that? You think I''ve gone crazy again? Are you suddenly going to fly me to a psychiatric hospital abroad again?" A throaty laugh followed after her question; which sent shiver down their spines.


    "We really don''t know anything Changyu. Why are you raising this issue now?" Her father asked in obvious fear.


    Changyu smirked before lifting a little recorder on the table. She poked the play button with a finger, letting her parents to hear their own voices.


    ("She won''t. She can''t possibly find out....right?") Madam Song heard her voice first and this time, her legs couldn''t support her anymore. She collapsed on the floor.


    ("We....we got rid of all of them involved. She won''t find out")


    Madam Song remembered how she had thought that they handled everything smoothly.


    ("Wait.. Do you think she found out and that''s why she travelled out for all those years?")


    ("No, it can''t be. She would have done worse to us if she knew that we didn''t cremate her baby like we claimed")


    The record stopped. She didn''t have to include the next part since her parents had simply brushed that issue aside and continued with their conversation on how to give the Wangs money instead of apologizing.


    Changyu''s heart ached when she remembered how her father had said he would have gotten rid of Elder Wangs children if he had known that they were still in the country.


    "You...were spying on us?" Her father asked in shock. He would have also collapsed on the floor just like his wife if he didn''t have a better stamina.


    "Look at me. You know what I am capable of doing if I go crazy" Changyu stopped and blinked back tears.


    "Every single day I feel like I am on the edge of going crazy. I feel like I''ll go mad and die without anyone finding out." Her teeth began to gnash involuntarily and her eyes turned bloodshot.


    She suddenly begin to laugh and scratch her head


    "Who would thought that the Almighty Song Changyu is a crazy person? Who would believe that the person they''re all dying to meet is battling with mental illness Ehn?"


    She took quick steps to meet her father and held his hands like an obedient little daughter.


    "If you want power. I''ll give you. If you want influence, money, fame... I''ll give you. Just give me the truth" She let his hands go and stretched hers in front of him.


    "Chan..gyu" Her father called gently


    "Don''t say anything if it''s not the truth. You told me you cremated my Son. You told me he died!"


    She stopped talking and gasped. Her eyes shone while her eyes looked around the room like she was trying to find or think about something.


    "I kept wondering why Anna suddenly resign. Even the bodyguards and maids..everyone left just like that. Oh my god!" She gasped louder this time


    "Why didn''t I think about this? You killed them! You killed them to hide the truth!" Changyu accused with a look of disbelief written all over her face.


    "Changyu please. You''re losing it. We should go to the hospital" Her mother pleaded.


    "Shut the hell up! No talking... Oh no! My ex-parents are murderers"


    She used both hands to cover her mouth and began to pace around.


    "Changyu..."


    "I said no talking!" She screamed at her father.


    After about a minute of silence, she took in a deep breath and looked at the both of them with cold and unreadable eyes.


    "Tell me what happened to my son" She ordered in a gentle tone. "If you don''t, I''ll expose you for all your wrongdoings and would make sure you both rot in jail"


    "Changyu please" Her mother who was still still sitting in the floor cried. "We did nothing. We didn''t cremate your child what we meant was....we buried him...yes... We buried him" Her mother knew there was no way out so she had to look for any way possible to get out if this.


    Changyu looked at her father who bobbed his head up and down in agreement to what his wife had just said.


    "Oh... You buried him? So why did you lie? Why did you say you cremated him?" She asked softly.


    "We....we were scared you would want to know the grave and go there everyday" Her father said.


    Changyu looked down and smiled eerily. "So...where is his grave? Where did you bury him?"


    Both her parents looked at each other nervously.


    "We...."


    Changyu cut her mother off when she was about saying something. "Say it together. I want to know where you buried him. Say it together at the count of 5"


    Madam Song adjusted into a kneeling position. "Daughter... It''s been a really long time. We can''t possibly remember where he was buried. Please my daughter" Madam Song tried to hold the hem of Changyu''s palazzo trousers but Changyu kicked her hand off.


    "Good! Since you don''t want to say anything, I''ll do what I want to do now"


    She quickly took her phone and dialed a number "Come in" She said to the person who took the call.


    Immediately, four hefty bodyguards came in through the front door. They were in all black and even had sunglasses on!


    Elder Song and his wife looked at each other in fear and confusion before looking at Changyu. What was she planning to do?


    Changyu looked at the four men and nodded at one of them. The man quickly took large strides to where she was standing and handed her his gun.


    Her parents panicked and at this point, her father had no other option than to join his wife in a kneeling position.


    "I could easily pull the trigger and guess what? I won''t go to jail!" Changyu said with a smile. "Worse comes to worse, they would rule it out because I am a crazy person"


    She threw the gun back at the man who caught it easily. "I don''t want your dirty blood on my hands" She said to them before looking at the four men that were patiently waiting for her orders.


    "These two.. lock them up in the basement. Do not feed their bellies or quench their thirst. Make sure it''s as hot as possible for them. And....don''t be careful. As you all know, these people mean nothing to me. Treat them just like you would treat any murderer or criminal. And...do not let my mother''s weak cries fool you. She is a devil in disguise."


    Her parents looked at her in shock. They couldn''t believe their ears.


    She looked at the both of them and spoke softly "When you''re ready to talk, let me know. Until then, you''ll rot in there and no bastard can deliver you from my hands."


    "You can''t do this to us" Her father said weakly.


    "I can do anything. I am that evil. Take them away!" She ordered.

 Chapter 211 - Final laugh

    "You don''t look bad" Weiyoung commented the girl standing directly opposite her.


    Unlike her who was struggling to survive to the point where she had to wear a face mask and baseball cap whenever she was going out, Sara looked good. Like someone who had no problem at all.


    She had to hide from the reporters, she also had to hide from whoever was desiring to kill her. And most importantly, she had to hide from her parents who were likely going to strangle her the moment they see her.


    Her family had been trying to reach her for days but she had refused to take their calls. She knew exactly what they were going to say. They were going to blame her for their downfall and lay curses on her. She wasn''t ready for any of that right now.


    Her plan now was to travel out of the country with Jinyong whether he liked it or not because this country was no longer comfortable for her.


    Bumping into Sara had been the last thing she needed. If she hadn''t taken off her face mask a few minutes back because she felt suffocated, Sara would probably not have recognised her and they would have both gone their separate ways. But here they were...


    "I don''t look bad? Tell me something I don''t know already" Sara replied haughtily.


    "You have changed a lot" Weiyoung noted.


    This wasn''t the Sara she knew. And it was strange...


    "Yea.. I dropped a lot of trash recently"


    Sara said before her eyes moved to look at Weiyoung''s tummy.


    Weiyoung was wearing an oversized shirt and trousers so Sara couldn''t see whether her belly was already protruding or not.


    "You should thank that child you''re carrying. It''s the only reason I haven''t taught you a lesson for those lies you told about me. You even put on an act of fainting..ah!" Sara laughed. "What a weird psycho you are."


    Sara didn''t want to waste time with her. She needed fresh air and the air here was already contaminated.


    With one last eye roll, Sara walked past her but stopped walking when Weiyoung called her name.


    "You must think you have it all now. You must think you won this fight right?" Weiyoung turned to ask her.


    Sara also turned to look at her and with a confused look, she asked


    "Oh... We were fighting? I really had no idea we were. I didn''t put in any effort and you''re already looking this terrible. Imagine when I do" Sara mocked.


    Weiyoung scoffed and tried her best to control her emotions. She didn''t want to blow up. Blowing up meant she was going to create a scene and that was a bad idea.


    "You really do act funny now because you have CEO Li by your side. But remember, you''re going to be put in your place soon. Do you think his family would ever consider you? Who do you think you are? What do you have?"


    Sara smirked at her when she was done speaking. "I''ve always been in my place. What other place are they going to put me? You should be more concerned about your family instead. I''m really surprised you have enough free time to worry about me."


    Weiyoung''s hands fisted. Why did Sara always have her way with words? Why did she like to humiliate her?


    "Whatever you''re hiding, you cannot hide it forever. It''s going to be laid out for the whole world to see. And you''re going to be crushed."


    Weiyoung smirked when she saw Sara''s expression change after she was done speaking.


    She still had the final laugh!


    "At least I didn''t snatch my friend''s boyfriend,  got pregnant for my friend''s boyfriend, cling unto someone who is no longer interested in me and leech off a wealthy family."


    Sara embarrassed her one more  time before she turned around and walked away.


    When Sara returned to the VIP hospital room later that day, she found Dr Long and a nurse in the room attending to Heya who was finally awake.


    Sara sighed in relief. Heya had been asleep for long hours and even though the doctor had assured her that Heya was perfectly fine, she still couldn''t help but worry.


    "You''re awake. Thank goodness. I was beginning to get really worried"


    Sara bowed to greet Dr Long and the nurse as they both left the room.


    Dr Long greeted her warmly. He recognised her as the lady who had brought Muchen dinner when he was ''sick'' and after she came that day, Muchen discharged himself saying he was better now.


    He only just realised today that she was Heya''s coach. But he still had his suspicion about her and Muchen. Why would his sister''s coach bring him dinner?


    "I''m sorry Sara" Heya apologized after the two left with tears clouding her eyes.


    "It''s okay. It''s fine" Sara covered Heya''s hand with hers. "I don''t want you to think much about it. I''ll meet Dr Long to know what''s wrong"


    "He already said I''m good and a lot of other things. He advised me not to push myself too much and just take things slowly" Heya said.


    Sara nodded and sat on Heya''s bed before pulling her into a hug. "I was really worried. I''m so glad you''re okay"


    "You didn''t tell anyone did you?" Heya asked hopefully.


    "No one is aware. I thought you wouldn''t like it" Sara answered.


    "Thank you so much Sara." Heya wrapped her hands around Sara. "I''m really sorry." She tried to sniffle back tears.


    Sara pulled out from the hug and looked at her. "What happened? Did I push you too much with the exercises?"


    "No...you did nothing wrong. It was totally my fault. I was too impatient." Heya admitted as she used a hand to clean off her tears.


    "I know. Especially when you see the improvement, you''ll want to overdo it. It''s a normal thing" Sara handed her a box of tissue as she lectured.


    "Sara. My twentieth birthday is in two months. I already promised big bro that I''ll wear the dress he bought me on my birthday. Grandmother''s birthday is next week and our school''s reunion is on the day after new year. I already promised Cearo I was going to attend and I told him I was improving with this weight loss. I also have to resume school next year. I just...wanted to get this over with on time so I''ll live a normal life. The life I already imagine myself living. I guess I was too impatient."


    "Why didn''t you tell me about any of these?" Sara asked in a hurt tone.


    "I didn''t want to bother you with this. I thought I could take care of it. You know I''ve never really gone out for any occasion aside from when I was in school. But now, I''ll obviously have to come out. I can''t miss grandmother''s birthday even."


    "Don''t pressure yourself too much. If something happens to you, you won''t be able to live the kind of life you have been imagining. It''s a gradual process dearie. I assure you.... Your dreams is going to come true. No matter what, I''ll help you make sure you achieve it. But please, do not hide anything from me anymore."  Sara pleaded with her.

 Chapter 212 - Strong and independent

    Soon it was evening.


    Sara stared out the room''s window in a daze. A lot was going through her mind and she was beginning to feel nervous.


    "A lot of people are curious about your past. At this rate, you won''t shine for long"


    Those were the last words she heard Weiyoung say before she disappeared out of her sight.


    Why were they all curious about her past? Shouldn''t they be more concerned about the present?


    She only hoped that among those people, Mr Li wasn''t included. She bit her fingernail nervously as she thought about all of these.


    She was beginning to get scared. She couldn''t remember the last time something scared her this much but this time, she was really scared. Especially now that those people she met at the factory had called her a couple of times to remind her that someone wanted to meet her.


    She also suddenly remembered the night she was out on a stroll with Muchen and he had bumped into a man who got angry. What was that about?


    He had called her by her name and even apologized to her. She didn''t know them neither had she met them before.


    She felt like a lot was wrong with her life. She felt like everything about her life had been a lie.


    Why couldn''t she just have a normal life? Why couldn''t she have the answers to every question just like everyone? Why couldn''t she have a smooth life without secrets?


    She wasn''t asking for a perfect life. She only wanted to live freely.


    She remembered one time when she was younger and had asked her father some questions she had been really curious about..


    "Why can''t I see any picture of Mummy? What about your wedding pictures? I heard the kids in my class saying that in every home, the first thing you see are the wedding pictures of your parents."


    Sara had asked him quizzically.


    "I already told you. Because we moved, we lost a lot of our things including our pictures. But I''ll show you a picture of your mummy when I get one"


    And he had actually given her one and that had been it.


    "Daddy....why do everyone keep saying I''m 4 years old when I''m actually 5?" She knew deep down that she wasn''t 4. She could also vaguely remember her mother''s face and knew she had called her ''mummy'' a lot of times. But everyone kept saying her mother died when she was barely a year old.


    Her father then told her to believe what everyone else was saying. "You are 4 not 5!"


    But no matter what, she still felt that something was wrong. She knew deep down that she was currently 25 but everything including her birth certificate proved that she was 24.


    She sighed and moved from the window back to her seat. Her eyes met Heya''s eyes that were staring at her intently and she got startled.


    "What are you so deep in thought about?" Heya asked her curiously.


    "Oh.. It''s nothing." She lied.


    ***


    At home, Jianjun sat on the ground with the little box beside him. Even though Joreen was in the sitting room with Bilike watching a movie with Sara''s laptop, he had made sure to lock the room''s door so she wouldn''t just barge in like Sara did the last time.


    His hand picked up a little paper from inside the box.


    It was the same card that Sara had been searching for.


    He had seen it among her things one day and was really shocked to find it there.


    Why on earth would she have this with her?


    He believed that the best way to keep Sara safe was to make sure his stubborn daughter didn''t have anything to do with that woman. He only hoped they hadn''t met again somehow.


    He looked at her office address as well as the phone numbers written on it.


    He began to wonder how she was doing.


    He wondered whether she had eaten?


    She didn''t look too good when he saw her and it had really troubled him.


    He gently dropped it back inside the box and took out an old picture of a chubby little girl. It was the 5 years old Sara.


    It was just like yesterday when she was so little and followed him about with too many questions to ask. But now, she was all grown up and really pretty.


    He chortled.


    She had always been too inquisitive and at that time, she kept throwing questions at him that he even began to run from her or stay in the restaurant for a long time till she fell asleep.


    He was proud of his daughter. He was proud of the woman she grew up to be.


    Strong and independent.


    He decided to free his mind and allow her do whatever she wished. If she wanted to be with Muchen that badly, then she should.


    He knew this was different from when she dated Jinyong. It was obvious that she really liked Muchen and he was relived that he liked her a lot also. It would have been a problem if it was just a one-sided love on her part. No one knew what Sara would have done if Muchen didn''t like her back.


    When she was with Jinyong, Sara was very relaxed and did not care much.


    He hadn''t liked Jinyong because he was one kid with pride unlike Muchen who even entered his kitchen.


    Jinyong simply did whatever he liked and throughout the two years they dated, he only saw him twice.


    It was one reason he had been surprised when Muchen suddenly came to ask for permission to take Sara out when he could have easily done whatever he wanted to.


    At first, he had been worried that he wasn''t open to Jinyong and that had been the reason Jinyong was also distant.


    He just couldn''t force himself to like Jinyong after he heard that he was from the Mo family because it made him remember that Changyu had been bethroted to a Mo back then.


    No matter what, he was glad Sara separated from him.


    He was proud of Hus daughter for choosing the right man. He only hoped, wished, and prayed that things would go smoothly for the both if them.


    He remembered he had something to do so he stood up and kept back the little box.


    He then took his phone and called Sara.


    He was going to make sure that Sara learns proper manners and etiquette.

 Chapter 213 - Its already too late

    "At least I didn''t snatch my friend''s boyfriend,  got pregnant for my friend''s boyfriend, cling unto someone who is no longer interested in me and leech off a wealthy family."


    Weiyoung remembered the hurtful words Sara had said to her.


    As much as she hated to admit it, she knew that Sara was obviously referring to her.


    Why was everyone seeing her that way? For goodness sake, Jinyong willingly offered himself to her. She didn''t snatch anyone!


    And was she the only one who got pregnant outside of wedlock? Why was everyone acting like she was the worse kind of human?


    "Miss, where would you like me to drive you to?" The driver cum bodyguard looked at her through the rearview mirror and asked for the second time.


    The then looked at his partner who was sitting beside him on the passenger''s seat.


    With the look he received in return, it was obvious they were both thinking the same thing.


    They were beginning to get tired of this girl.


    They had been outside the hospital for more than an hour ever since she came out of there.


    She hadn''t said a word or even looked at them. It was as if they weren''t existing.


    Why did the Mo elders assign them to follow her about?


    "What did you just say?" Weiyoung asked as she looked at the driver through the rearview mirror.


    "I asked where you would like me to drive you to" He repeated.


    "Before that. What did you say before that?... You called me....?"


    "M...iss?" He asked questioningly.


    Weiyoung scoffed and yelled at him in anger "Are you crazy? Don''t you know your job? Would my grandparents-in-law ask you to follow and protect a common miss?"


    The two bodyguards looked at each other in confusion. What was wrong with this crazy woman?


    "Young mistress! That''s what you should call me. Do you want me to remind you that I''m the first young mistress of the Mo family?" She said in irritation.


    "I''m sorry first young mistress" He said to her while his hands tightened around the steering wheel.


    He was obviously about ten years older than her but the rat dared talk to him the way she liked because he was asked to protect her. First young mistress? How funny!


    Everyone was already aware of the fact that not only was her family bankrupt, Mo Jinyong didn''t want her either. Who was she to act all cocky?


    If they didn''t have families to take care of, they wouldn''t have taken this kind of job where they had to be insulted everyday.


    "Sorry for yourself." She hissed. "Take me to my parent''s house."


    She ordered. She had no idea whether they still had the house since her family had a lot of debts and the house may likely be taken from them. But she really hoped that at least, the house was safe.


    She decided to go visit them today instead. There was no point in delaying any further. She had to face them and let them know she was really going to survive on her own now.


    As the car quietly drove there, she suddenly spoke again.


    "What did my grandparents tell you when they assigned you to me?" Weiyoung directed the question at the guard sitting on the passenger''s seat.


    Grandparents? Nonsense! He almost rolled Hus eyes but he had to keep his composure and answer..


    "We were both ordered to protect you at all cost and make sure no harm comes to you." He summarized.


    "...Make sure no harm comes to me..." She repeated with a sinister glint in her eyes.


    "What if you have to kill to protect me?" She asked again.


    The both of them looked at each other before the driver answered.


    "Well, we''ll have to do it"


    A corner of Weiyoung''s mouth curved upwards. "What if... there''s someone who is a threat to me?" She asked.


    "What? Who is it?" The driver asked.


    "Just saying" Weiyoung dropped the topic as the car arrived at her parent''s apartment.


    It wasn''t surprising that the first thing her mother welcomed her with was a resounding slap.


    "You useless child! Is this how you treat your parents? Tell me.. Is this how you care for the parents that have kept you all these years?"


    Her mother held her firmly and shook her shoulders furiously.


    How could she abandon them like that and refuse to take their calls?


    "Will you stop it already?" Weiyoung used all of her energy to push her away, causing her to lose balance and fall on the floor.


    "What...did you just...." Her mother looked at her with wide eyes. She looked at her husband who acted like he saw nothing. He just sat there and stared blankly.


    "Did you not see what your daughter did to me? Did you not!?" She blew up at her useless husband who had pratically lost it.


    "I came to wish you both well. From now on, let''s live like complete strangers till I can find a way to settle all these."


    "What?" Her father snapped out of his daze and stood up. "Let''s live like strangers? Whose fault is it that we''re like this now?"


    "I never asked you both to do anything! I was quietly doing everything on my own until mother''s pride pushed her to do worse to them. If she had left everything like that, CEO Li wouldn''t have done anything to us neither would we have been in this state. Why did you throw the Wangs out of their house!?"


    Weiyoung yelled at her mother in anger. Yes, it was her mother''s fault. It wasn''t as if they ever truly cared for her so why did she have to push the Wangs that far?


    She believed they would have all been living happily if her mother hadn''t done that so why were they blaming her?


    "What?.¡­.. It''s my fault? I did it for you. I did it because that witch girl pissed you off. If I didn''t have such a bad daughter like you, our lives wouldn''t have turned this way. And you dare say this is my fault? Do you know how many things I have done for you? Do you know how much dirt I covered for you ungrateful girl?"


    Weiyoung looked away with teary eyes "That''s all in the past. If only you had treated me the way Mr Wang treated Sara. If only you had listened to me. If only you had showed me how wrong I was living and taught me the right way.... But now... It''s already too late. There is no turning back for this daughter of yours. You have to live the way you wish now. I have to survive on my own"


    In anger, her mother stood up from the floor and hit Weiyoung over and over again till she fell on the floor helplessly.


    Mr Liu who had been watching the both of them finally spoke while they were both tussling..


    "I knew it was a bad idea raising another Man''s child Cai Genji"


    Mr Liu turned to look at his wife accusingly.

 Chapter 214 - I am a Liu

    Genji''s eyes widened in shock when she heard her husband''s statement.


    "What...are you...talking about?" She stammered and tried to get up but she was too shocked to the point where she couldn''t.


    Weiyoung who was still reeling from the pain on her lower abdomen as a result of their little brawl also looked on in confusion. What did he mean by raising another Man''s child? Was he referring to the fact that she was carrying Jinyong''s child?


    Mr Liu began to laugh. He took a stick of cigarette from the packet on the table and lit it.


    "Hey Wench!" He addressed Weiyoung. "Make sure your in-laws support us. They have been acting distant lately. I didn''t raise you and make you meet a nice family for nothing. It''s the least you could do for thus father of yours" He used a hand to tap his chest.


    Weiyoung felt there was something wrong with the way he said it. Earlier, he wasn''t talking about the child she was carrying.


    "What...are you implying?" She asked her father as she tried not to think about the pain she was feeling.


    "You can ask your mother who your father is. He probably should be one of those disgusting pigs from the streets" He said in irritation before puffing out cigarette smoke from his mouth.


    With shock written all over her face, Weiyoung turned to look at her mother.


    Mr Liu chuckled when he saw their faces. He wasn''t as stupid as his wife had imagined.


    Because of the kind of life he led in his younger days; his too much alcohol and drug intake, he was diagnosed with low sperm count.


    He knew very well that he would not be able to father a child.


    So when Cai Genji, the daughter of his family''s butler suddenly claimed that she was pregnant for him after they both had sex a couple of times, he decided to play along and at the end, he got married to her.


    He decided to turn a blind eye since he knew very well that he wouldn''t be able to father a child anyway.


    To keep his pride, he had willingly agreed to marry her despite his family''s refusal, and had raised Weiyoung like his own daughter.


    But now, the wild chicken was asking to cut ties with him?


    "Mother. It''s not true right?" Weiyoung managed to ask hopefully. Her life was already so miserable. She didn''t want to hear something else like this. She didn''t want any more complications in her life.


    "It''s really not true right?" She asked again.


    "Wei...Wei...young don''t listen to him."


    "..What do you think you are saying to your daughter?" Genji blew up at him.


    "You two... The least you could do is to help this family. I already lost a lot. So I really do not mind telling the world how you brought in a wild chicken and claimed she was a Liu. If you want us to keep living like we''ve always had, then....."


    He paused and dropped the cigarette butt on the floor then, he trampled on it with his shoe before looking at Weiyoung.


    "I do not care how you do it. Even if you have to grovel and beg that girl and CEO Li. Even if you have to become a slave for the Mo family. Whatever it is, you have to do it. Else, everyone is going to hear about it. And we''ll all die together. No one escapes."


    He threatened. "You dare ask to be treated like Mr Wang treats his daughter?" He scoffed and shook his head before leaving the apartment.


    Weiyoung was stupefied. She was suddenly beginning to feel dizzy coupled with the pain she was experiencing.


    What just happened? Was she beginning to hear things?


    She tried to stand up but the pain she felt on her back and lower abdomen did not enable her do so.


    "Wei...don''t listen to him. He is spouting nonsense" Her mother managed to say. She had been in a state of panic the entire time. She had to make sure Weiyoung didn''t believe what he was saying.


    Many years ago when she visited the Liu family house to run an errand for her father, she had accidentally bumped into Weiyoung''s father then.


    She didn''t go there often. She had only gone there to deliver a parcel to her father which he had forgotren at home.


    She had no mother. Her mother died when she was just fifteen in a hit and run accident. She only had her father who tried his best to support her but he wasn''t always around since he was always in the Liu family''s house.


    After she met Weiyoung''s father that day, she set her plan in motion to have him to herself.


    As the only son of the Liu family plus the fact that he was good looking, she made up her mind to seduce him.


    She believed their poverty was going to end if only she could get herself into the family and she had done just that.


    After discreetly meeting with him a couple of times, her plan finally worked and they both had sex.


    After the first, second and third time, nothing still happened.


    She still didn''t get pregnant even though they had both done it without protection.


    She began to feel something was wrong. But she didn''t know where the problem lied.


    Meanwhile, the man who had helped her with her plans asked for his payment in ''kind'' which she easily obliged to.


    When she realised later that she was pregnant, she was delighted. It had been her plan all along. She guessed the child was likely not a Liu but she pushed every other thought out of her head and decided to keep pushing forward.


    "I...am not his daughter?" Weiyoung asked with wide eyes.


    "You are his daughter. Only believe what I tell you" She hurriedly corrected.


    "So I''m his daughter?" Weiyoung asked with hopeful eyes.


    Genji nodded with all her might. "You are. You are a Liu. Don''t listen to him or anybody else. I am your mother and only I can tell you who your father is."


    "Weiyoung... You have to do what he says. You have to go beg that girl and CEO Li. You have to do whatever it takes to help this family. You don''t want us to be thrown out into the streets do you? This house is going to be taken from us soon. We can only depend on you" Genji cried her eyes out as she pleaded with her daughter.


    Weiyoung used her hands to cover her face. Why was everything so messed up?


    She bit her lower lip and allowed her tears to flow freely.


    "I am a Liu... I am a Liu" She repeated over and over again.


    No matter what, she had to believe her mother.

 Chapter 215 - Alice

    "Oh.. Sorry. I don''t think I''ll be able to come home today." Sara said on the phone to her father.


    "You are sleeping over at Mr Li''s house?" Jianjun asked.


    Sara giggled when she heard the tone he asked ever with. It sounded like he was uncomfortable with the idea.


    "Mr Li is not in the country. And something happened with Heya so I have to stay with her for today. I''ll return home tomorrow so we''d both go together"


    She had promised to go register for the classes. She also planned on registering for a fighting class. After the incident with Jinyong''s bodyguards, she didn''t want to ever be taken unaware so she had to get prepared.


    "I hope she is fine?" Jianjun asked about Heya.


    "Yes. She is very okay." Sara assured.


    "Good then. Say hello to her for me. And about your classes... I already registered for you and made the deposit online. There are a lot of things about it you should know so when you come home tomorrow, I''ll explain it all to you."


    "Oh... Alright then. Put me in a call with Joreen later. Love you Papa"


    "Be good and stay safe" He said before hanging up.


    ***


    The next day, Sara didn''t bother working out with Heya.


    They both had a long talk and Sara reminded her of how special and precious she was. She was glad Heya took everything well and had promised not to overdo it.


    When she got home, she received the shock of her life when she saw the outfit Jianjun had laid out for her to wear to the class.


    She looked at the pink short gown, black bob wig, round glasses, black laced shoes and a white purse.


    "This....is not for me right?" She asked in shock.


    "Then is it for me?" He asked sarcastically.


    "Why do I have to wear this? It all kooks weird. Besides, this is pink" She lifted the gown with a hand to inspect. "I hate pink! You should have gotten black instead."


    She dropped the gown and looked at him. "Why do I have to dress like this?" She asked in confusion.


    "I guess you like the attention you''ve been receiving from people lately don''t you? You want everyone to know you are Sara Wang?" He asked.


    Sara knew exactly what he was talking about. People still easily recognised her whenever she went to as the girl from the video who dated Jinyong and it was beginning to annoy the hell out of her.


    "So you''re saying I should look like this?" She asked again.


    "It''s not something new. The class accepts false identities. According to what I gathered, a lot of rich heirs and heiresses take their classes there and their families would not want their children''s identity to be revealed so most of them there are on disguise. Their names are also fake. The management only asks for you real name and ID after the class so it would be written on your certificate" He explained.


    "You don''t want Mr Li to find out also right? Are you not going to be embarrassed?" He asked with a laugh.


    "Oh god!  I''ll be more embarrassed wearing this dress. Why didn''t I just disguise as gangster instead?" She asked unhappily.


    He raised his hand and threatened to hit her. "You''re going to be learning some etiquette the least you could do is to dress properly."


    "Alright...go change Alice" He said with a wink.


    "Alice?"


    "Yes. That''s the name I registered you with. Alice Feng." He said excitedly.


    Sara scoffed and shook her head. "This is totally unbelievable. When is Aunt coming home?"


    "She is out. Besides, she can''t do anything. She bought you these clothes and there are more inside that bag" Jianjun pointed at a shopping bag beside the bed.


    "I seriously can''t believe this" She said in displeasure before taking the dress with her to go change inside the bathroom before Joreen and Cixi returns home to see her in the embarrassing outfit.


    ***


    "That''s the building over there. Call me when you''re done. And make sure you take a taxi back home" He said as he turned back to leave.


    "I don''t like this." She pouted. "It''s already bad that I look like a doll. I also have to pretend to be someone else?"


    "They will all look down on you if they find out you''re not a socialite" He tried to reason with her but she shook her head.


    "I''m already angry because of all the money you''ve spent. Why did you choose this kind of expensive place? I would have just taken an online class instead" She complained unhappily.


    Jianjun smiled warmly at her. "Do whatever you want. The money cannot be refunded. The least you could do is to attend the classes. You promised me." He reminded her.


    "That''s why I''m here right now. Don''t Jerry about me. No one can look down on me. Have you forgotten who I am?" She asked with a smile.


    "Don''t even think about telling anyone that you are Mr Li''s girlfriend. You better watch it and remember what you promised me" Jianjun reminded her of her promise to hide her relationship with Muchen.


    "I wasn''t planning on telling anyone. I am Jianjun''s daughter. That is who I am. Sara Wang! No one can dare look down on me"


    She shrugged her shoulders unhappily before heading towards the 5-storey building building.


    He laughed and waved her goodbye before going his own way.


    The building was really big and comprised of different stores that sold everything one could possible think of.


    It was simply magnificent.


    She felt very uncomfortable with the way she looked. With the way people glanced at her, she felt that they were probably laughing at her.


    To her, she looked really weird.


    The gown was just above her knees. The wig she wore made her neck itch. She was even wearing a powder and lipstick!


    She took the elevator to the third floor and checked her phone for the class'' description when she arrived there.


    Soon, she stopped in front of a door which had a '' First step¡ªBE PUNCTUAL '' boldly written on a placard just above the door.


    When she was led inside by a young woman in a black and white formal wear, she was awed by the interior. There were other doors to different rooms inside.


    She obediently followed the lady till they stopped in front of a steel and glass office.


    "That''s the Admin sitting there. He will attend to you when the man inside leaves" The lady said politely before living Sara there.


    She could see a young man sitting there and another who was standing but looked really angry as he spoke to the one sitting down. The place was soundproofed so she couldn''t hear a single word.


    The man sitting on the Admin''s desk was Probably in his early 30''s. His hair was gold. She had ni idea whether it was natural or artificial. He looked really good looking like a k-pop star especially with the white gold earring he was wearing on his left earlobe.


    "He looks like a gigolo. What is he doing here?" Sara sneered as she looked at him.


    His eyes suddenly met hers which gave her a scare.


    He smiled at her revealing his perfect dentition before using a hand to gesture to her to come inside.


    Sara furrowed her brows before carefully opening the door.


    When she got inside, the man who had been inside looked at her displeasingly.


    Since Sara had been outside, she had only seen his back. But now, she noticed he looked very familiar.

 Chapter 216 - Are you cheating on me?

    She bowed slightly to greet the both of them but when she raised her head, she almost died of a heart attack when she finally recognised who the man was.


    It was none other than Zhang Hansong!


    The man she had slapped in Delight who tried to bully Ms Long.


    "You! Can''t you see we''re in the middle of a discussion? Get lost!" Hansong ordered angrily.


    ''This idiot still hasn''t changed''


    Sara smirked but she tried her best to hide her face from him. She didn''t want to disappoint her father.


    Sara used a hand to cover the corner of her face so he wouldn''t see her.


    "The admin asked me to come in" She said in an indifferent tone which seemed to enrage him the more.


    "I said go out!" He ordered again.


    "Michael. You should leave now. I asked her to come in. You can''t do just whatever you like here. So please leave" The admin said to Hansong.


    Michael? Sara tried not to laugh. So this was exactly what her father was talking about.


    So Hansong was also here for the class? What if he recognised her? She didn''t want any more trouble now.


    "Mr Gold. You have to hand me the certificate no matter what. I have been here for over three months now. I can''t keep coming to thus damn place because of a useless piece of paper" Hansong hissed.


    "It''s no one''s fault. You keep failing the tests. We can''t just hand you a certificate just because you asked for it. No matter how much you are willing to pay.  We believe in transparency just like this glass office" Mr Gold said with a smile.


    Hansong would have been saved from this embarrassment if only he had left when he was asked to but now, another person heard their conversation.


    Sara tried not to laugh. She used a hand to muffle whatever sound that threatened to come out. It was a good thing that he hadn''t recognised her. She hoped for it to remain that way.


    "How did you expect me to pass the tests when I didn''t even know it was a test? Why did you have to suddenly test me with someone on the streets? Instead of giving me a normal paper test?" He complained.


    Mr Gold looked at him like he was the dumbest person in the world before saying "I have someone to attend to right here." He used a hand to gesture at Sara.


    Sara on the other hand prayed she wouldn''t have to repeat like Hansong. They couldn''t afford to just throw away the deposit fee like that.


    In anger, Hansong stomped out of the office.


    "Sorry about that." Mr Gold apologized with a smile before asking her to sit.


    "You must be Alice" He said.


    In a split second, Sara was confused but then, she remembered that she was Alice so she nodded.


    He looked at her before saying politely "You don''t nod. You answer"


    Sara sighed. Here goes it!


    "I am Alice Feng" She replied with a forced smile.


    Mr Gold smiled warmly at her "My name is Jerry Gold. The administrator. You can call me Mr Gold."


    Sara almost nodded but she stopped. She didn''t know how to answer to that so she simply said a "oooh.."


    He looked through his computer and smirked. It was obvious she was using a fake identity like most of the people there.


    "Mr Gold... Am I...going to be attending the same class with the man that just left here?" Sara asked.


    "Why? You don''t want to?" He asked back as he raised his head to look at her.


    Sara shook her head.


    He raised a brow at her to remind her that she was supposed to speak not use her head.


    Sara sighed in frustration "Can you just please.... Jesus! I haven''t even started taking the classes yet." Sara complained unhappily.


    He chuckled. There goes why she needed the class!


    "Your class already begun Ms Feng. And No. The ladies and gentlemen are taught differently. There are some things both genders need to learn discreetly. You''ll be starting with the new batch in two days" He answered smoothly.


    Sara sighed in relief. But then, he continued.


    "The young man that just left is going to be in the same batch with you. So you''ll definitely bump into each other when there is a general class." He had noticed how she tried to hide from him earlier and smiled.


    Sara but her nails nervously and with a reminder from him, she stopped it.


    As they went on with their conversation, he let her know the classes would be held three times in a week, told her to be punctual and to get along with everyone. It was all going to be a part of her final assessment.


    He handed her a manual to go through and when he was finally done with his long speech, Sara rejoiced within her and sighed in relief.


    After a tour around the place by the lady earlier, she finally left the building.


    On the bus ride home, she received a call from Boyfriend Li''s international phone number.


    It brought a big smile to her face when she saw his call because she hadn''t hear from him since he traveled and she had had a nightmare about terrorist. She plugged in her earphone to her ear and took the call.


    "Hello Girlfriend Wang" He said in a delighted tone.


    Sara blushed and used a hand to cover her mouth.


    "Mr Li... Hi!" She answered.


    "I think I actually prefer Boyfriend Li." He said with a laugh. "Sorry I couldn''t call you last night. We arrived here pretty late and there was a meeting I had to attend. By the time I was done, it was already late in Country B and I didn''t want to disturb your sleep" He said.


    He heard Sara sigh in relief "I thought something bad happened. I don''t like country V" She complained.


    "Country V probably doesn''t like you too" He laughed. "You''re out?"


    He asked when he heard the background noises.


    "Oh yea. I''m in a bus" She answered.


    "Bus?" He asked again. Sara could hear his displeased tone. "Why a bus? Where is the chauffeur?" He asked.


    Sara then remembered that she was supposed to be ''working out'' with Heya now and even if she was on her way home, she was supposed to make use of the car.


    She didn''t want him to know Heya collapsed the previous day. She also didn''t want him to know that she was going to be taking those classes.


    She thought of something to say and as she was thinking, she accidentally accepted a video call from Muchen.


    She smiled when she saw his face but when she saw her face at the bottom corner, she gasped and ended the video call.


    "What was that? Did you cut your hair?" He asked in shock when he saw her short hair.


    "And why are you looking so pretty? Where are you going to? By chance....are you going out on a date? Are you already cheating on me Sara?" He threw a string of questions at her.


    "No!" Sara immediately denied with a shout which caused the others in the bus to look at her unhappily.


    "What happened to your hair?" He asked again.


    Sara giggled. She knew Muchen loved playing with her long hair. He must have been really shocked when he saw the Bob.


    She decided to play with him a bit


    "Yes. I did cut my hair" She answered.


    She had not expected to get home and suddenly receive a delivery of different hair care products and a message from Muchen telling her to make sure her hair grows back before he returns to the country.

 Chapter 217 - Who took her?

    Hani looked at Changyu through the rearview mirror and noticed that she was deep in thought.


    She sighed sadly.


    Miss Changyu was a nice woman. She was everything a man would probably want in a woman. But here she was, lonely and broken.


    Changyu stared out the window in a daze. She looked at the Orphanage they had just come out from. The hope she had gone there with was no more.


    "I will talk. Please... I will tell you everything." Her mother cried out.


    Maybe they thought she had been bluffing when she asked her bodyguards to lock them up. After an hour in the basement, they must have realised that she meant it and so, Madam Song yielded first.


    "Talk." Changyu simply said without any intention of bringing them out of the dark and uncomfortable basement.


    Just as she had ordered, the place was very hot which caused sweat to drizzle down their bodies. Both their hands and feet were tied with chains. They totally looked like mad people.


    That''s right, she didn''t have to be the only mad one.


    But, she wasn''t impressed by the fact that the place was tidy. She would have preferred it if it looked like a haunted house instead.


    "Please.. Get us out of here. We will tell you everything you need to know" Her father pleaded with her for the first time.


    "I gave you the chance earlier but you took it for granted. You better start talking. Do not expect anyone to get you out of here until you tell me everything I need to know." She replied coldly.


    "He....he did everything" Madam Song pushed the blame to her husband. "He totally did everything. I warned him against it but he refused."


    Changyu''s breath became unsteady and her hands began to shake.


    So it was true after all. Her baby didn''t die. They had both done something.


    "We were in it together. Do not dare try to put the blame on me now" Elder Song countered angrily.


    "What do you mean by that? I warned you against it all. You were the one who went ahead with your plans. You are a bad father!" Madam Song accused.


    "Keep quiet. I do not care who planned it. I just want to know what happened and where my baby is!" She demanded.


    25 Years Ago.


    ***


    Madam Song paced around the sitting room nervously while her husband sat on the couch in his usual composed manner.


    Soon, the door opened to reveal Anna who was cradling a little baby that was well covered¡ªmore like hidden.


    "My goodness. That''s him."


    Madam Song quickly carried the baby from Anna.


    "Actually.... It''s a She" Anna stuttered.


    "What!?" Elder Song who had been quiet shot up from his seat and looked at his wife who was equally surprised.


    "A she? That stupid daughter of yours had to disgrace this family even more" He said in frustration.


    The plan had been to tell people that they adopted a son since they had none. What was the point of having two daughters and adopting a third?


    "What are we going to do?" Madam Song asked in panic. "How is Changyu?"


    "She is still unconscious. According to doctor Peters, it''s nothing serious"


    "Wait outside" Elder Song told Anna and turned to face his wife after when she left.


    "We can''t keep this child." He said pointedly.


    "What do you mean? She is our grandchild. Where are we supposed to keep her?"


    At that point, the little girl began to cry. She had just come into this world but she was being moved about.


    Madam Song tried her best to stop her granddaughter from crying as she spoke to her husband.


    "We have to keep this child. No matter what."


    "If anyone finds out about this do you think there would be anything to this family again? What would people think when they suddenly see a little girl in this house after hiding our daughter from the public for months?"


    "But..."


    "We have already chosen a groom from a reputable family for her. This baby is going to ruin everything if we keep her. She is going to ruin this entire family!" He said loudly which caused the baby to cry even louder.


    "What..  What are we going to do?" Madam Song asked with tears in her eyes.


    The plan was simple. Sending the baby to an orphanage was impossible for them and they couldn''t just abandon her somewhere. She at least, needed a family to take care of her.


    Because he cared about his granddaughter, he asked them to drop her off in front of ''Happy Ending Orphanage''. It was the best Orphanage he could think of and at least, the staffs there would easily find her.


    With tears in her eyes, Anna refused to do it when she was told.


    How could she possibly do something like that to a child who was like her grandchild?


    "Please...." On her knees, she cried. "The weather is too cold. And it''s already late. No one is going to find her this night. She will freeze to death if we leave her there" She begged.


    "Then wear her the thickest sweaters. We can''t possibly drop her there during the day. If you don''t do it, I''ll just ask one of the guards to do it then. You don''t have to worry about getting seen, we will block off the entire CCTV cameras in that area" Elder Song spoke angrily.


    ***


    Changyu cried when she listened to her mother''s narration. Her legs gave her away and she crashed on the floor. It was a girl. It was a fragile little girl. Her parents did that to her daughter.


    "W....hy? Why did you do that? Why!?" She cried at the top of her lungs.


    "We are sorry. Changyu we are truly sorry. We didn''t want you to have any obstacle in your life. We are very sorry" Her father began to cry as he apologized. Seeing his daughter like this now, he was beginning to think he had made the wrong decision back then.


    Changyu looked at the both of them with evident hatred in her eyes before leaving them there.


    The light in the room was put off so the couple both cried silently in the dark room.


    Changyu used a hand to clean off the tears that threatened to fall from the corner of her eyes.


    They told her it was this particular orphanage HAPPY ENDING.


    She felt she had heard of the name before but she could not really place it.


    Just like her mother had told her, they had not only cleared the footage for that night, but the footage for the entire day wasn''t there either.


    No matter how hard they checked, nothing was there.


    She had visited Happy Ending Orphanage yesterday to ask questions but most of the staffs there were all knew.


    There was only one elderly woman who had stayed there for close to 30years and had promised to check the past entries.


    But after returning today to meet with her, she was informed that they had been just one record of a child found outside the orphanage and that was about eighteen years ago and it was a boy.


    If her daughter had died, they would have obviously seen her body there. But if she wasn''t there at all, it only meant that someone had carried her daughter from there that night.


    According to her parents, Anna told them that she dropped the baby outside the gate. They also confirmed from the driver and bodyguard that had taken them there.


    So who carried her baby?


    Her phone rang and she almost ignored it when she saw it was a call from her sister but she changed her mind and took the call instead.


    "Where are they? I heard your place was the last place they visited. No one had seen them ever since." Her sister questioned.


    "So?" Changyu asked indifferently.


    "Where are they?"


    "They are in my place. You can go meet them there if you wish" Changyu answered before hanging up.

 Chapter 218 - Poor and mannerless?

    Sara spent the next couple of days busy with Heya, her etiquette class and also her fighting classes.


    Once in a while, she spoke with Muchen. Sometimes, she didn''t hear from him in a whole day but she was convinced that he was safe wherever he was.


    She had successfully hidden the fact that she was taking fighting classes from her family and it pleased her that she was still in good shape even though it was a long time ago she last practiced.


    Those in the class had been surprised to see her fight really well after looking down on her because she was a woman and because she was petite.


    She hadn''t bothered to go there in a disguise so she only tied her hair in a bun and wore whatever she wanted to wear there until they all changed into their robes.


    She had specifically not taken it lightly with a man she had wrestled with during practice.


    When she was asked to wrestle with someone for them to know her capacity, with a chuckle, a big man they all referred to as ''Baldy'' sneered "You should be getting married and making food for your husband. Leave things like this for us and go chop vegetables"


    He laughed and invited the others to laugh with him which they gladly obliged to.


    The statement annoyed her. The man was known as a bully. Sara wasn''t the only woman there. The two days she went there on Friday evening and Saturday, she had met another young woman probably in her late twenties and like Sara, she was treated the exact same way but she totally ignored them all. She looked so determined like her life depended on it.


    Sara was glad she had taught Baldy a lesson when he agreed to fight with her as her opponent.


    And just like the rest of them there, the woman gave her a proud smile when they all saw Baldy on the ground.


    Things went smoothly for her and her family.


    They successfully moved into their new apartment. Cixi now stayed with them and was always with Jianjun as they both dedicated their time to set up the new restaurant.


    When Sara got the chance, she met with Cixi to discuss about Joreen''s principal''s laptop and the latest update on whether they had been able to crack the password.


    From what her Aunt told her, they had been able to open the laptop and were still in the process of tracking the IP. There was also a strange file on laptop which had been locked also.


    Cixi had decided to crack everything. She had to know what her daughter''s principal was up to.


    They had been informed by a former neighbour that the principal had paid a visit to their former apartment since he had no idea they had moved to Mr Chu''s house. To Cixi and Sara''s relief, Jianjun didn''t ponder much on it when he heard about it.


    She hadn''t been able to try more pins on her Father''s ''secret box'' because they had relocated now and he had his own room to himself. She also haven''t gotten the opportunity of having a serious conversation with her Aunt concerning Changyu.


    Her life was suddenly so busy.


    The more Li Sun''s birthday drew near, the more she became nervous. It was just two days to her birthday now and she had been informed that a few dignitaries were going to be there on that day.


    What was Muchen thinking by asking her to do this? She wasn''t a professional MC. In fact, she hadn''t MC''ed before. So why did he have to ask her to do this?


    She looked at the bank alert on her phone as she waited for her lecture to come.


    According to Muchen, it was her payment. ''''I can''t leech off my girlfriend. I still have to pay her for her services'''' He had said to her on the phone.


    Sara was still in doubt. She thought the money was too much just for MCing. She was also beginning to feel weird and uncomfortable about receiving money from Muchen. She didn''t like the feeling one bit.


    "Hey you!"


    A young lady who had been sitting beside her called to get her attention.


    Sara looked at the lady. She had heard people call her ''Martha'' but she didn''t know whether it was her real name or a fake. She was probably around 26-28 years old. She was tall, slender, pretty and had a long dark hair that flowed freely.


    Just like Sara''s outfit today, she was also wearing a shirt, trousers and sneakers.


    "Can I help you?" Sara asked.


    "You''re Alice right?"


    Sara nodded at first but then she remembered she was supposed to give a verbal response so she answered.


    She was already accustomed to the name after going there a couple of times.


    "I know it''s a fake. Don''t worry. Mine is also a fake" She said with a smirk.


    "So?" Sara knew there was more to it with the look on Martha''s face.


    "You look really familiar" Martha noted.


    Sara reached for her glasses and adjusted it to sit well on the ridge of her nose. Thankfully, she was still wearing her Bob wig so she believed that people wouldn''t recognise her as Sara Wang.


    "Which family are you from? Tell me yours, I''ll tell you mine" Martha said to her.


    Sara looked at her with disinterest before turning to look at the white board in the front.


    They were other people in the class also. About six more ladies who were conversing together.  While Sara and Martha preferred to keep to themselves.


    So why was Martha being so nosy right now?


    "You don''t want to talk?" Martha asked in displeasure.


    Sara turned to look at her again. "I''m not a Socialite if that''s what you mean"


    "I doubt that. You walk like one, talk like one. Even your attitude: Rude, arrogant, haughty. Who would believe you''re not from one? I''m not as stupid as you think" Martha laid it out for her. She believed the girl was playing with her.


    Sara smiled. "I hear a lot that I act like one. But I am really not one. And the way I look right now, is the way I usually dress."


    "I know I''ve seen you before. If you''re not a socialite then how come you look familiar to me? I don''t know any poor people" She said proudly.


    "I''m not poor. I have a good job that pays me well. My father owns a small restaurant. I''ll make sure to invite you when he is done with setting up everything. My Aunt is a Doctor and I have an amazing cousin who tops her class" Sara announced proudly.


    Her father had warned her to not say anything about her family, to act like she was a socialite so they wouldn''t look down on her. But no!


    She was too proud of her family to choose a fake life over them.


    She didn''t care whether they looked down on her or not. She was not bothered by it anyway.


    Martha ran her eyes all over her with an unreadable expression.


    "So if I understand what you are saying clearly, you are not from a really rich family?"


    "Exactly my point." Sara agreed with a smile.


    "And....you are mannerless?" Martha scoffed.


    "If you''re not rich you have to have manners at least." She shook her head in displeasure "How can someone be poor and mannerless at the same time? You''ve got some nerves"


    Sara thought about what Martha just said. Funny enough, she didn''t feel bad about it. She looked at the shocked expression on Martha''s face and didn''t know when she laughed.


    Martha shook her head and began to laugh also. "There''s no kind of person I won''t see in this world"

 Chapter 219 - Youre so cool

    Sara happily hopped out of the room after the class ended.


    It wasn''t easy for her at all. She wanted to get out of these silly outfits as soon as possible.


    She also wasn''t looking forward to the cooking classes she was going to start taking probably next week after her father was settled.


    "Hey PM. I''m sure you do not have a car. Come with me. I''ll drop you off" Martha called after her.


    Sara had been able to deduce that this Martha girl wasn''t a bad or troublesome person. She kept to herself and didn''t say a word unless spoken to. Except today when she started a conversation with her first.


    "PM?" Sara gave her a confused look.


    What did that mean?


    "Poor plus Mannerless equals PM" Martha said with a smile and walk past Sara with the mind that Sara would follow her.


    "P plus M can never be PM. Which school did you attend?" Sara sniggered.


    Martha turned to look at her before commenting "You don''t look quite smart to me either"


    "Trust me, I graduated with a first class honours" Sara said proudly.


    "Then I''m glad there''s something good about you."


    Their banter kept going back and forth before Sara decided to leave her there and take a stroll around the stores since she remembered she had to get Li Sun a birthday present. She also wanted to get Muchen something. Just anything.


    Her family also.


    The problem was, she had no idea what to get Li Sun.


    She had never had a grandparent so she didn''t know what the older generation liked¡ªespecially Li Sun who looked like a really picky person and difficult woman.


    Sara wondered why Sun hadn''t met with her again. Someone like her wouldn''t just give up so easily right?


    She had to prepare herself mentally. She knew there was going to be too many problems to encounter because of Li Muchen and she was fully prepared for it.


    She stopped in front of a store in the shopping centre at the third floor and was about entering the boutique before she saw the last person she had expected to see coming from the opposite direction.


    Sara''s face lit up when she saw Changyu.


    She had tired to find her card but to no avail. She knew quite well that someone like Changyu was not easily seen and it was a once in a life time opportunity to receive a business card from her¡ªWhich she had misplaced carelessly.


    Sara saw the surprised look on Changyu''s face when she saw her also.


    "Miss Wang?" Changyu asked. She wondered why the girl''s hair was suddenly short like hers and she was suddenly wearing glasses.


    "Miss Song" Sara called excitedly.


    She admired this woman. She was very pretty and looked very young even in her fourties. Another thing Sara liked about her was her style.


    She was wearing a black jean trousers, a yellow beige turtleneck sweater and black boots. This time, she wasn''t on much jewelries. Her side part Bob hairstyle with a corner tucked beside her ear, revealed a single silver earring that was dangling freely on her left earlobe.


    "Miss Changyu." Changyu corrected her with a smile.


    She didn''t know why she liked this girl. She was Helene and Jianjun''s daughter and since she did not like them, it was only natural for her to not like their daughter right?


    She didn''t even know what she was thinking when she asked Hani to take down the video of Weiyoung and Jinyoung accusing her online.


    But on a second thought, Sara did nothing. She was just an innocent girl who looked so much like her father.


    "Sorry... Miss Changyu" Sara remembered the video and how she had announced to the world that she was no longer a Song. It was really true then. She felt really sad for this woman who looked lonely. She wasn''t married. She also didn''t have any family now.


    Changyu saw the sad look on her face and naturally assumed it was because she corrected her.


    "I''m sorry if I sounded harsh" She apologized.


    Sara quickly waved a hand in front of her "I''m not angry. It''s fine. Why are you alone?" Sara asked inquisitively. Every time she saw Changyu whether on the news or in real life, she was always with someone. Except the night she had dropped Sara off after Mo Dachuan''s party where she driver herself.


    "Oh.. I gave them some time off. They shouldn''t always stick around" She answered.


    "Did you...cut your hair?" Changyu finally asked out of curiosity.


    "Ah..No. It''s a wig" Sara smiled sheepishly but didn''t bother to explain further. She only took off the glasses she was wearing and placed it inside her pause.


    "Miss Changyu. Welcome. I didn''t know you were here I would have waited for you at the entrance with the others" An elderly man quickly approached from behind Changyu with smiles all over his face.


    "I didn''t want any of those that''s why I didn''t mention I was coming."


    "Oh yes yes yes. You can come to the office I''ll make you a really nice tea" He truckled as he tried to lead her to his office.


    "I''m not here for tea or supervision. I believe you''ve been doing a really good job so keep up the good work managing the affairs here. When I''m done shopping, I''ll quietly leave"


    After the man left, Sara looked at her with admiration. "You...own this place also?"


    With a smile, Changyu nodded. "The building is mine but I only own two stores here including this." Changyu used her chin to gesture at the store Sara was about entering.


    "Wow.. You''re so cool" Sara raised her two thumbs at her which caused her to laugh.


    It was the first time Sara was seeing her laugh and she must confess the woman looked prettier when she laughed.


    Changyu was also surprised when she heard her self laughing. She couldn''t remember the last time she laughed or smiled sincerely.


    Everyday, she thought about her child. She wondered where she was, what she was doing, the kind of parents she grew up with. Most especially, she wondered whether she was alive.


    Looking at Sara now, she tried to imagine how her daughter would have looked like.


    She should be a year older than Sara. Would she have looked like her or like Jianjun?


    Everyday, she searched for her little girl. It was the same reason Hani and the others weren''t here right now. They were busy trying to trace wherever she was. No positive news from every orphanage they had visited. No positive news from the police. No positive news from every hospital around Happy Ending orphanage.


    "Why are you here? You came to shop?" Changyu finally asked.


    "I was thinking of buying some wears. But I''m beginning to have a second thought since I am very sure it would be expensive" Sara answered.


    "We can go check together. I also came for a little shopping and would like some company.... If you don''t mind"


    "I don''t mind. I don''t mind at all" Sara said happily before following her inside.

 Chapter 220 - What ifs

    Every now and then, Minde''s eyes looked at Eva''s office door.


    It frustrated him that she had been snubbing him like he didn''t exist.


    During the welcome party they held for him in a bar last friday, she hadn''t bothered to appear there, claiming she had something to do.


    She always kept to herself and it made him difficult for him to see her at all.


    Should he just tell her he was Li Minde?


    If he did, he knew it was going to be over for him. Maybe this was the time to actually prove to everyone that people could fall for his charms whether he was Li Minde or Eric Wu.


    The thoughts occupied his head till it was time for Lunch.


    Even after every one left, he stayed back in the office with his gaze still fixed on Eva''s door.


    He summoned the courage to go see her inside her office.


    It really hurt his pride that she wasn''t paying attention to him.


    They were five other women who worked in the PR department. Three of which were married. For the other two single women, one was a lot older than him, probably in her mid thirties and the other looked like she was around his age grade.


    Both single women didn''t even spare a second glance at him. It didn''t bother him that much. The only thing that bothered him was  Kim Eva''s indifference.


    According to what he heard from the others, Eva was probably about two or three years older than him. And he guessed she was a single workaholic.


    But it didn''t matter. He wanted to know her.


    He wondered why he was becoming very nervous as he gradually approached her office door.


    "I am Li Minde. The wonderful Li Minde" He continued to chant under his breath and lifted his hand to knock on the door. But before his hand could land, the door suddenly opened.


    Minde gasped in shock and placed a hand on his chest. "You startled me" He blurted out and tried to steady his breath before remembering he was supposed to act cool.


    He cleared his throat awkwardly and looked at her.


    As usual, she looked pretty in her grey colored business skirt suit which was slightly above her knees. With her hair tied in a ponytail.


    Even with the black heel she was wearing, he felt pleased that he was still very much taller than her.


    He noticed she was wearing a purple lipstick now unlike when she entered the office in the morning.


    ''Seems like she did a little face touchup before coming out. Is she trying to look pretty for me?'' Minde thought excitedly.


    He knew quite well how women behaved. He has had his fair share of women so he understood perfectly how they acted when they were trying to seduce a man.


    Many of the women he went out with always excused themselves with the excuse of using the restroom but after they returned, their faces looked brighter and more colourful.


    Then, they begin to give him those coquettish smiles that pissed the hell out of him.


    "Can I help you?" Eva raised a brow at him and asked when he wasn''t saying anything.


    Minde came back to his senses and tried to say something but nothing came out.


    "Ehm... The thing is... Well..."


    He looked around and noted that it was just the two of them there so he blurted out.


    "Everyone''s out for Lunch. I wanted to remind you it was time for Lunch." He said.


    "So why aren''t you going out like the rest?" She asked before moving out of her office and shutting the door behind her.


    "I just..."


    "I have a business to attend to. If you''re not hungry then you can just get busy."


    She quickly scuffled out of the office when she was done speaking.


    Minde looked at her back and pouted. "I thought she was looking pretty for me. Is she going out on a date by chance?"


    His gaze narrowed before the silly thought popped into his head to tail her. He was going to see the bastard she was looking pretty for.


    ***


    "You and your daughter look really pretty. Someone might think you are twins" A young saleslady said to Changyu with a polite smile.


    Seeing the woman enter with a younger woman, they both didn''t just look alike, even their hairstyles and the way they walked were very similar.


    Anyone who had eyes could easily tell they were related.


    Changyu smiled sheepishly before looking at Sara awkwardly. Sara didn''t seem to mind but just smiled back.


    How nice would it have been to have mother. Sara thought.


    How nice would it have been that she was really here with her mother?


    For someone to mistake someone like Changyu as her mother, she felt like she had hitten a jackpot.


    What if Changyu was really her mother? The woman was pretty. She was influential and she was super cool!


    She didn''t know the kind of woman her father liked but...what if she tried to ship them together?


    She almost laughed at that thought.


    She wasn''t sure Changyu would like someone like her father. She also wasn''t sure about her father liking her.


    Suddenly, Mr Park''s words resounded in her ears...


    "You see, Your mother worked as a cleaner in your grandparent''s restaurant. She was loved by everyone because of her cheerful nature. That was when your grandparents took note of her. They noticed she loved the kitchen but could not afford being a part of it. So, your grandfather took her in as his apprentice. About a month later, when your father returned from school and became your Grandmother''s apprentice, your grandmother also took in a new apprentice. A lady. I guess both ladies began to fight for your Father''s affection."


    Sara''s smile widened in joy when she remembered. She had asked him if the lady was a Song and he had said she was.


    ''Oh my! If that''s true then that''s wonderful.''


    Was that the reason she had collapsed in front of their apartment the other day? Was she still hung up on her first love which so happened to be her father Was that why she never got married?


    Sara asked herself.


    She had the urge to ask Changyu right now. To ask her about her father. If she still liked him. What happened between them?


    But... she was very sure that something was up. What if she was the person her father and Aunt wanted her to stay away from? What if she was the devil that they both hated?


    "I''m sorry President. She is new so she didn''t know who you were."


    Sara came back to her senses when she saw a man who looked like the manager, apologizing to Changyu on behalf of the saleslady.


    The other sales personnel all knew Changyu wasn''t married neither did she have a child. They had also been surprised to see her with a young lady that looked like her so they didn''t blame the saleslady for her mistake.


    "It''s fine. We came to shop. You can just go about your thing and act like I''m not here" Changyu said to the both of them with a smile before turning to Sara.


    "Sorry about that. Must have been pretty awkward for you" She apologized.


    Sara shook her head. "It''s fine. It''s an honour to be called your daughter. It''s so exciting" Sara said happily which caused her to laugh.


    She didn''t mind actually. In fact, she felt it was nice to be called Sara''s mother.


    What if she was actually shopping with her daughter right now?


    What if Sara was her daughter?


    She smiled sadly before shaking the thought out of her head.


    She believe in miracles but this one....was impossible.

 Chapter 221 - Pride and Love cannot go together

    "You haven''t seen anything you like?" Changyu asked when she noticed Sara wasn''t picking anything.


    "They''re all more expensive than I thought." She scratched her head and explained. She then remembered the store belonged to the woman who just asked her so she corrected..


    "Sorry... I don''t mean they are all just expensive for nothing. The quality only demands for it" She said with a sheepish grin.


    "It''s fine. You should pick whatever you like. I''ll pay for it"


    "Ah... No no" Sara waved both her hands in rejection. "I have to pay for them. I am getting them as gifts so it''s only appropriate for me to pay. I am grateful for the offer though"


    Changyu nodded with a smile. "If you can''t get anything here, there are other stores you''ll find cheaper and prettier wears. You don''t have to buy because I''m here." She advised.


    Sara saw a knitted Navy colored scarf and ran her fingers on it.


    "Do you think a granny would like this?" She asked for Changyu''s opinion.


    With a nod, Changyu answered. "It''s nice. The weather is getting colder with Christmas approaching so I think it''s a nice gift."


    She wondered who it was that Sara wanted to give it to. She knew Sara had no paternal grandparents neither did she have any maternal grandparents since Helene was an orphan.


    "Who...are you getting it for? Your grandmother?" Changyu feigned ignorance and probed.


    Sara shook her head. "No. She is a woman who...doesn''t like me." She answered.


    "Probably from your boyfriend''s side?" Changyu asked in amusement.


    Sara looked at her with wide eyes. "How did you know that?"


    She shrugged her shoulders before turning to lift a purple dinner gown from the hanger in front of her with her back to Sara.


    "I just kind of know so. You must like him so much to care about his grandmother. Is he CEO Li?" She asked pointedly which caused Sara to look at her in shock for the second time.


    "How did you know that also?"


    "That night at Elder Mo''s birthday party. I saw you both. It was easy to tell you both had something going on even though you said otherwise."


    "Oh..." Sara scratched her head in embarrassment. "We weren''t dating then" She informed her.


    She had no idea why she was free with this woman. But it felt really comfortable speaking with her.


    "You obviously liked him then" Changyu said with her gaze still fixed on the gowns in the hanger.


    Sara was embarrassed talking about that topic. She knew Changyu had seen her kiss Muchen that night.


    She turned to check out for scarves on the hanger beside her and admitted.


    "Maybe I did. But I was skeptical about it. I mean...he''s my boss" Sara whispered even though they were the only ones in that corner.


    All the salespersons were busy with other customers since Changyu had told them to ignore her. She was also good at choosing her things without their help.


    "What''s so wrong about liking your boss?" Changyu asked casually like it was the most natural thing for her to like him.


    "Speaking about standards. I thought maybe...he should go for someone who suits him more."


    "So why did you change your mind and date him instead?"


    "Because.... I love him" Sara admitted after a pause. "He should be the one caring about all of that but if he doesn''t care about it? Why do I have to bother myself?"


    Changyu turned to look at her since they had both been talking with their backs to each other.


    When Sara sensed Changyu was looking at her, she also turned.


    "Let me advise you. Don''t put in too much. You don''t know what these men are capable of doing. You don''t also know what his family is capable of doing to yours if they don''t like you. You should be very careful." Changyu advised.


    Sara thought about it for a moment before shaking her head "I believe him. I believe in him. And because I believe in him, I believe he won''t let his family hurt mine. I am that confident in his love"


    Changyu paused for a moment and swallowed hard. She didn''t know why the words made her feel sad and she didn''t want to ponder on it.


    "Don''t just get hurt. You might not recover in a long while. Don''t throw your pride and sanity aside because of love." Changyu warned with a warm smile.


    She was speaking from experience. She knew how it all worked and she would never wish for anyone to experience what she had experienced. Especially this innocent girl.


    "I believe Pride and Love cannot go together. I love him. If I have to throw my pride aside just to be with him, I won''t think twice before doing so. If I let him go because of my pride, would I possibly be happy then? Would Mr Pride really make me happy in place of him?" Sara asked rhetorically before moving closer to her when her gaze fell on a little black and white ball gown on the hanger in front of Changyu.


    "Joreen would love this" She said with a smile after lifting the gown.


    Changyu pondered on the words Sara had just said. ''...Would Mr. Pride really make me happy in place of him?''


    She smiled sadly as she watched her admire the gown with twinkling eyes.


    "What if you regret it after putting in your all? What if he didn''t like you as much as you thought?"


    "Even if he says he doesn''t love me with his mouth, I can read his eyes. I see it clearly in his eyes and know he likes me a lot. And... I can''t regret it even if it turns out for the worse one day. I''ll only be sad at most because the feelings I had made me really happy at one point. There''s no point in regretting those happy moments of my life"


    Sara spoke leisurely. She was just speaking freely with her eyes on the gown but her words had a great effect on who she was speaking to.


    Changyu smiled proudly at her with watery eyes. This girl should have been a lecturer instead.


    If there was any good thing Jianjun had ever done, it was raising his daughter well.


    "Who is Joreen?" Changyu changed the topic and asked. She didn''t want to get too emotional right now.


    "She''s my Aunt''s daughter. A very pretty girl. She''ll turn 8 soon." Sara announced proudly.


    So the Joreen is Cixi''s daughter?


    She guessed Cixi must have been married with kids. It was only normal since she was pretty and smart.


    Something registered so Changyu asked


    "Oh. You''re getting a gift for CEO Li''s grandmother''s birthday right?"


    "Yes. How did you know about it?"


    "I received and invitation for her birthday party. I wasn''t sure about going at first but I decided to give it a try."


    "Wow. That''s cool. I''ll be attending too." Sara announced happily. She was looking forward to meeting this woman again.


    "That''s nice. Got anything to wear there? What kind of dress do you like?"


    "I like just any type that''s nice. And I already have what to wear there"


    Hoy had called her to let her know he was in charge of the entire outfit she would be wearing to the birthday party. Even though she had declined, he insisted on it because it was Muchen''s instruction and he had to carry it out.


    She had no choice but to agree since it would save her the money and time of looking for something to wear.


    They both had enough time and privacy to say a lot of things. They were people in the place but it was big enough for everyone to have their separate corners.


    When they were done getting things for the women, it was time for the men. Sara wanted to get something for Muchen and her father so Changyu offered to go with her since she was less busy.


    But on their way to the counter, they met an unsightly scene of a customer trying to bully another customer.

 Chapter 222 - Do you know who I am?

    "Do you know who I am? I am a VIP customer here and many other stores. If I want to take this then I will take it"


    Sara looked at the scene in annoyance. The one who had spoken was a middle aged man probably in his late fourties.


    A younger woman with a short red hair who clung to his arm like a leech, adamantly refused to leave a female''s customer''s path until she gets the black leather bag the the young female customer was holding.


    Both women were obviously in their twenties and Sara guessed the red-hair was the man''s daughter.


    Apparently, the other lady had claimed the bag first but the red-haired lady wanted it at all cost.


    "I picked it up first. Even if you are a VIP here, it doesn''t matter to me." The lady said in annoyance before trying to walk past them to the counter but the red-haired woman who was still blocking her path, pouted and whined..


    "Honey, can you see her? She is looking down on us. I don''t think I need just the leather bag now. I also want the blue bag on her other hand"


    Sara''s eyes widened. ''Honey?'' Seriously?


    Looking closely at him, Sara noted that his ugliness must be skin deep. His face had the shape of an avocado while his head was completely bald. He had small eyes which confused people because looking at him now, all she could see was a man ranting with his eyes closed. She tried her best to stiffle her laughter.


    His nose was very large in contrast to his eyes and his lips were thin.


    ''Ah. This guy must have betrayed his country in his past life to look like this. Geez''


    But good thing was, he was dressed responsibly in a formal wear unlike the woman he was holding who wore a mini skirt and a top that exposed her cleavages with a large coat draped around her shoulders. She also wore a knee length black boot and her face was conspicuously painted.


    Looking at her very red lips and red hair made Sara suddenly feel dizzy.


    The man quickly pulled back the lady by her arm when she tried to walk past him. The action almost caused her to fall but she was able to quickly find balance.


    All effort of the sales personnel to control the situation proved futile since he wasn''t listening to anyone but the red-haired woman beside him.


    He was a VIP customer so they couldn''t possibly just throw him out of the place. They had to be polite and handle this issue properly but they also didn''t want to annoy the other customer who wasn''t a VIP customer. The leather bag was a limited edition handbag and was very expensive. Unfortunately, they had just one available.


    No ordinary peron could afford it so before the lady decided to buy it, it meant she wasn''t just any ordinary person so no matter what, they had to settle the issue peacefully since Changyu was still in the building and the noise had attracted the attention of other customers who frowned at the scene.


    "Give her the two bags and leave" The man ordered the lady.


    In response, he received an annoyed scoff from her and he got all riled up by her brazenness


    "What''s with the noise? You are all pissing me off" Changyu said in displeasure as she gradually approached them.


    She signalled for the staffs to be quiet and not say a word when they tried to explain.


    She finally stopped walking when she got to where the three was standing.


    Sara was behind her and looked at the man in annoyance.


    "Who are you? You better keep out and mind your business" The man warned her sternly.


    "You are noisy and you are pissing me off" Changyu said with her gaze fixed on him like she was daring him to try and bully her.


    From his looks, he should probably be a few years older than her. But she didn''t care. He was causing a scene and an annoying scene at that.


    If there were two things she hated the most, it was :A crowded place and a Noisy place.


    And this man had succeeded in creating both at the same time.


    The man forcefully let go of the other woman he was holding and looked at Changyu in anger.


    "What did you just say?"


    Changyu smirked at him. This man must think he''s something. She tried her best not to laugh at his angry ugly face.


    "You are noisy and you are pissing me off. That''s what she said. What are you going to do?" Sara moved closer to address him in the same manner.


    He laughed throatily in disbelief before adjusting his suit jacket.


    "You wenches. You think you can talk to me the way you choose? Huh?" He asked calmly while raising a brow at them.


    "If you don''t want to buy then leave. Stop being a nuisance. And....you can''t take those bags. She bought it first." Sara said to him before looking at the young lady who gave her a look of gratitude for her intervention.


    "Do you know who I am?" The man asked again.


    "Do you know who I am also?" Sara shot back at him.


    "Who are you? Who the hell are you? Tell me!" He demanded.


    "I am..." Sara paused. On a normal day, she would have blurted out "I am Sara Wang. Jianjun Wang''s daughter. But right now, she was dressed as Alice Feng and she was still in the building so she couldn''t possibly say anything.


    She looked at Changyu through the corner of her eye and took a step backward so she was closer to her.


    "Well...forget about me. Do you know who she is?" Sara quickly passed it unto Changyu.


    Changyu looked at her in amusement but said nothing. Seemed like Sara was capable of handling the whole situation.


    The man laughed cheekily. "What is this? Are you playing games with me? You are both nothing. You see this... I am a big person here" He flased his VIP card in front of their eyes.


    Sara almost laughed at his ignorance. Was he really doing that to the woman who owned not just the store but the whole building?


    The man was standing in the other lady''s way to the counter so she was restricted from going to make her payment. Sara noticed this and took the bags from the woman which she delivered without complaints.


    "Here are the bags you want. Come get it" Sara raised both bags and looked pointedly at them like she was daring any of them to take the bags from her.


    "Tsk... They are so annoying. Let''s go Honey. Trust me to leave a lot of bad reviews on your website. Your business will go down in no time" The red-haired woman said to the entire staffs in displeasure.


    "You can go ahead. Then I''ll see you in court" Changyu said with a tiny smile.


    She wasn''t one to exchange words with people. She could have easily walked out of there and left the staffs to handle everything.


    But she had seen the displeased look on Sara''s face when she saw the scene. She was curious about what Sara was going to do, so she hadn''t bothered to ask for the security first.


    Sara was a true Wang. The Wangs liked to bully bullies.


    Changyu remembered when something like that happened many years ago. On that day, she had gone shopping with Cixi and they had both experienced almost a similar scene with this.


    Cixi had even slapped the man and ran away leaving her behind.


    "Court?" The red-haired woman scoffed. "Who are you to take me to court?"


    "If you are so curious about me, then go write the reviews on the site. It won''t be long before you find out"


    The man looked at both women as they walked past him. The woman he had been bullying also followed behind them after glaring at him.


    He wondered why both women looked so scary. In anger and frustration, he stomped out of the place with his red bimbo behind him.

 Chapter 223 - Why did you lie to me?

    Minde succeeded in tailing Eva till she entered inside an average looking restaurant. Totally forgetting that his lunch break was over.


    Eva could stay out as much as she liked. She was the team leader after all. But he on the other hand, was an intern. He was supposed to be in the office. But here he was, peeping through the window as she approached the table where a young lady who was around her age bracket was sitting.


    The lady was dressed casually in a sweater and jean, and looked pretty in her short brown hair.


    "Wait...what? She was coming to see a woman? Then why did she get all dolled up?"


    Minde watched as the woman quickly stood up immediately she saw Eva and wrapped her arms around Eva in a hug not minding that they were in a public place with customers around.


    His eyes bulged out when the lady kissed Eva on both cheeks with a happy smile plastered on her face.


    For the first time, Minde saw Eva smile happily. She welcomed the hug and kisses like it was a normal thing for her.


    "Wait a minute..... By chance is she...." He gasped and used both hands to cover his mouth.


    He tried to analyse the situation properly.


    Kim Eva was a very cold woman. She neither smiled nor related with any of the employees. He wondered why the theople in the PR department liked her when she had this kind of attitude.


    According to them, she was a nice boss and was very capable.


    Well, he had doubted that though.


    Now, not only was she wearing make-up, she had even taken a twenty minutes trip to come see a woman. She had happily hugged the woman and allowed her kiss her.


    Wow.. Its no wonder she hadn''t fancied him. It so happened that she fancied women. Just wow!


    He saw them converse happily while having a glass of wine. The noticed that the other woman was a very touchy person. Every now and then, her hand moved to touch Eva''s hand or her face.


    Minde frowned at the sight. So he was supposed to dress in a skirt and wig before he gets her attention?


    He wasn''t being judgemental about her sexual preference. He was only sad because his rival was a woman. If it had been a man, it would have been easier for him. But for god''s sake. It was a woman. A pretty woman!


    He continued to peep. He had no idea why he was still there when he was supposed to return back to work. He just wanted to see how far they were both going to go.


    ***


    When Changyu and Sara were done shopping, they decided to take a rest at a nearby caf¨¦.


    A lot of people had mistaken them to be mother and daughter and Sara guessed it was because of the wig she was putting on. She noted they both had the same face shape plus they were on the same hairstyle.


    Sara believed it was the reason why people''s imaginations were conjuring the resemblance on their own.


    She looked at Changyu who was quietly sipping her coffee.


    She remembered when they were both shopping for her Father and Muchen''s gifts.


    When it was time to get something for Jianjun, Sara had asked the salesman for a sweater a middle-aged man could wear. She didn''t like the ones displayed there since it wasn''t Jianjun''s style and believed they had some inside, which the man nodded to.


    When the man brought a few sweaters from inside, Sara had been busy admiring some of the clothes there and imagining it on Muchen''s body so she had no idea the man was back.


    But then, she heard Changyu say to him... "There are all bright colours. Don''t you have something a bit warmer? Like Grey?"


    Sara paused but didn''t look at Changyu''s direction. Her father hated bright colours. He preferred dark colours and grey was actually his favourite.


    He always said grey was warm and made him feel comfortable.


    She smirked.


    "I saw the news. Must have been hard for you" Sara finally broke the silence and said to Changyu who was busy sipping her coffee.


    Changyu instantly understood what she was talking about. It was the news about her cutting ties with the Songs.


    Changyu gave her a tiny smile before shaking her head. "It''s fine. I''m good" She assured.


    Her only regret was not cutting them off earlier.


    She despised them. Every night, she saw them in her dreams. Every morning, her hatred for them soared.


    She had allowed her sister take them from her place. She didn''t see any need in keeping them in her place again.


    She had left them to their conscience¡ªif they had one.


    But one thing was certain, she was going to make sure nothing went well for the Songs. If they tried to climb higher, she was going to watch them quietly. And at the moment when they''re about getting to the peak, she was going to smash the ladder and make them fall back down.


    She would make sure they see success right in front of their eyes.


    And she would make sure they watch it slip from their hands.


    Just like the way her baby slipped away from hers.


    She had made the vow. And she was going to keep it until the day of her death¡ª And it was obviously going to be before them.


    It was her new drive to live at any cost. Finding her child was one. Frustrating the Songs was another.


    She had actually planned on staying here for just a month before traveling back. But at it is now, she wasn''t seeing that happening any time soon.


    Sara didn''t push further. She believed she must have had her reasons for cutting ties with her family.


    But, something else bothered her.


    "Miss Changyu..." Sara called gently.


    Changyu raised her head and gave her a ''go-ahead'' look so Sara went on.


    "Why... Did you lie to me?"


    Changyu dropped the coffee mug on top of the saucer on the table.


    With the look she gave to Sara, she knew immediately that Changyu knew what she was talking about. It was as if she had been waiting for the question.


    "I asked you that night whether you knew any Jianjun Wang. You told me you didn''t. Why?"


    She questioned.

 Chapter 224 - Guilt

    Minde''s inquisitiveness led him to follow Eva and her ''girlfriend'' to an hotel.


    He knew it! He knew his instincts were never wrong. This women really had something going on with each other.


    He felt like ripping the other woman''s hair from her head. Then maybe she would obviously look like a man to Eva.


    Minde''s mobile phone had been vibrating inside his pocket but he didn''t care to check who was calling. His entire gaze was focused on the two women whose hands were draped on each other''s shoulder''s as they strolled into a small hotel.


    He stopped in front of the room they had both entered a minute ago.


    "Room 69... How erotic!" He smirked before pressing his ear to the door in case he would hear any sound.


    Minde''s heart stopped when he heard the tiny voice he believed belonged to the other woman. Since he had been tailing them from afar, he hadn''t heard their voices or what they were saying to each other.


    "Your boobs has gotten bigger than the last time I remember. What''s the secret?"


    Minde heard Eva laugh to the other girl''s words.


    He tried to imagine her cute innocent face as she laughed. Too bad he couldn''t imagine it.


    She was always stone cold to him but was happily laughing with another woman.


    "Oh...this feels nice. Being with you like this. How long has it been? I must confess I missed you dearly"


    Minde heard Eva speak this time, followed by a loud smack as if someone was kissing another.


    He could do nothing but gasp and open wide his mouth as he tried to imagine what was going on in there.


    "Alright. There''s no time to waste. I have to return to work as soon as possible. Let''s get to business." Eva''s serious voice rang out.


    Inside the room, Eva looked at the clothes her friend''s mother had sent her. Emma''s mother was a seamstress. Most of the clothes Eva wore were made by her and they were really classy.


    Emma and her had been friends right from when they were in highschool. They had been BFFs before Eva and Emma''s twin brother, Pascal began to like each other. Emma had naturally played cupid and shipped them together which eventually led to a happy life life for the both of them until three years ago.


    Pascal died in a car crash.


    Eva had been in the car also and she beloved the accident had been her fault. She had distracted him while he was driving.


    And like the wonderful boyfriend he was, he had used his body to shield her which caused him to have a greater impact and died on the spot.


    She had been unconscious for days but the moment she woke up, she heard the heart wrenching news that her boyfriend was dead.


    Out of guilt, she had taken up the family''s responsibility from where Pascal left off.


    When Pascal was alive then, he had taken responsibility for their father''s problems.


    All effort of her mother to successfully get him to sign the divorce papers were futile.


    Unlike their mother who always cared for them, their father on the other hand was not just a problem to the family, he was a problem to the entire society.


    A chronic gambler who incured debt with his wife''s land and house as collateral.


    No matter what, they had to pay off his debts before they took away their mother''s only land and their apartment which he had used as a collateral.


    Pascal had been taking responsibility for it until the day he died.


    Their father could not make the payments and worse of all, he also died a year ago, leaving his debts behind for Emma and her mother.


    Since then, Eva had been helping out with it. She beloved Pascal would have continued to do it if he was alive.


    Even though Emma and her mother refused, Eva refused and decided to take up responsibility. Thankfully, she had a good job and her family was well-off.


    It was the fourth year now but for some reason, she was not actually feeling relieved about it ending in a couple of months. She felt she hadn''t done enough to pay for what she did to their son.


    "Alright. It looks good on you. Take it off and put these on. I''ll take a few photos of you" Emma said before handing her a short black gown for her to wear.


    Emma''s mother always demanded for pictures of the clothes on Eva''s body to be sure it fit her properly.


    Eva knew Emma was going to take some photos of her. It was the reason she wore make-up


    Eva didn''t want the woman to call and ask why she looked pale or why she wasn''t wearing any make-up since she always nagged her.


    "Wow. You look stunning. You should always look like this." Emma complimented after Eva put on the black gown.


    "Come on. Give me a sexy pose. Let me take some nice shots"


    Minde gasped when he heard their conversation. "What? Is she taking a photo of her naked or did she give her a seductive outfit to wear?"


    Take off your clothes? A sexy pose? Unbelievable!


    He gulped down saliva as he felt his cheeks begin to heat up.


    "What are you doing?" A female voice asked from behind him.


    It suddenly registered to him that he looked like a pervert.


    He hid his face from the staff who had asked him and began to run out.


    The lady didn''t give up and chased him with all her might, calling the security as she ran after him.


    ***


    "I asked you that night whether you knew any Jianjun Wang. You told me you didn''t."


    Changyu sighed. She didn''t know how to answer this girl. At that time, she had denied it and she hadn''t felt bad about it because they had rejected her first. But now, she had realised that her parents had a hand in her family''s misfortune.


    She could have easily denied it if she hadn''t collapsed in front of their apartment that day.


    But now, what could she possibly say to deny it?


    "I knew your entire family. I worked with them years ago."


    Sara smiled in relief when Changyu didn''t deny. She was already tired of everyone neglecting her and ignoring her questions.


    "You knew my mother also right?"


    It had been Sara''s goal at first. She wanted to know about Helene and her grandparents. She wanted to know about her father''s past. Wanted to know why he was always sad. She believe it had something to do with his past and she was very curious about it.


    But now, there was something else she was curious about¡ª Changyu''s involvement with her entire family.


    She also wanted to know why they were hiding everything from her.


    "Your father...." Changyu threw her face to the side so Sara wouldn''t see her face. She was very sure her heartbreak would show on her face.


    "....I loved him" Changyu admitted.

 Chapter 225 - Taking her side

    Sara had guessed it. She had suspected something was up with her father and Changyu. But hearing her admit it like this, she looked at Changyu in surprise and sat up immediately. Changyu''s head was still thrown to the side and didn''t bother to look at Sara as she admitted it.


    This woman. This powerful woman loved her father?


    Sara didn''t know what else to ask. And she had to be careful in order not to ask something that would make Changyu to stop talking.


    It was as if Changyu knew she was at a loss for words because she suddenly turned to look at Sara with a sad smile.


    "It''s all in the past. Just a teenage love and that was it. Apparently, he loved your mother."


    Sara took note of the sadness in her voice.


    She felt there was something wrong somewhere.


    If it was as simple as that, then why was everyone beating around the bush?


    Jianjun could have just said Changyu liked him back then and that was all. Why did both of them have to lie about it?


    "What about now? Do you....still like him?"


    Sara didn''t like to assume. She could have just easily assumed that Changyu wouldn''t like someone like her father now. She was rich. She was powerful and influential. Her father on the other hand was far below her in the social ranking.


    He ran a small unknown restaurant and he also didn''t want to be in the spotlight.


    He only fancied a simple and quiet life.


    It was why he had refused to expand his business or work in a bigger place despite the offers he had received from people.


    Sara had to hear it directly from Changyu to be sure. She was sure the woman still liked her father. It was probably why she was nice to her.  Also why she had collapsed in front of their home.


    Changyu crossed her arms in front of her chest leisurely. She was now looking less emotional than a few minutes ago.


    "It would be crazy for me to still like him. How could you possibly still like someone after he rejected you for another? That would be crazy wouldn''t it?"


    Sara relaxed her body on the chair and looked at Changyu as she spoke.


    Was the woman indirectly calling herself crazy?


    "It might be crazy. But people do crazy things when it comes to love. For some reason.... I think my father must have liked you also"


    Changyu laughed before lifting her coffee mug to have a sip.


    "I''m serious. I''m sure he must have liked you also. I saw how worried he was when you collapsed in front of our apartment. And I believe ¡ª"


    "Weren''t you worried also? What about your aunt? Wasn''t your aunt and everyone in the house worried when they saw me? My dear, it''s a normal reaction everyone gets when they see something like that. No one would want another person to die in their house."


    Sara was quiet.


    She bit her lips and looked down at her own coffee.


    She was being pulled to this woman. The force was strong. She felt her father must have been pulled to her also. Or was this woman her mother in her previous life?


    The sound of Changyu''s ring tone made her raise her head to look at the woman and their eyes met. It seemed like the woman had been staring at her also.


    With a tiny smile, Changyu answered her phone. After a couple of seconds she said an "Okay" and ended the call.


    "I should leave now Ms Wang."


    "Call me Sara. Sara is fine by me" Sara stood up immediately Changyu did.


    "Alright. Sara. Let''s talk some other time. I have business to attend to. I''m sorry I wouldn''t be able to drop you off." She apologized.


    "Oh. It''s fine by me. You can just do your thing. I''ll take care of the bills" Sara urged when Changyu offered to pay for it instead.


    "I owe you for the ride the other day and for your company today. It''s the least I could do. It''s actually fun chatting with you" Although she was sad that Changyu had to leave now, there was nothing she could do about it.


    Oh¡ª" Sara quickly took out her phone from her bag. "Can I...have your number? Sorry I misplaced your card" She asked unsurely.


    Changyu quickly took her phone and typed in her number then, dialed the number to call hers and her phone began to ring.


    "Here, you can call me when you just want to hang out. If I''m free, I''ll come join you. You don''t mind me also calling you once in a while right?"


    What the heck! The Almighty Changyu was offering to call her.


    "Not at all. You can call me anytime" Sara smiled widely.


    "Oh...and here..." She opened her bag to take out a flier before handing it to Changyu.


    "When you are free, you could come eat there. It''s officially going to open tomorrow. I''m sure it would make you feel nostalgic. And.... Our new apartment is just upstairs."


    Sara gave her the flier for Jianjun''s new restaurant with the hope that she would visit one day.


    "And whenever you''re there, call me. I''ll rush down to welcome you"


    She really hoped it worked. She wanted to see what her father was going to do.


    After Sara waved her goodbye, the smile disappeared from her face and she sighed in resignation.


    If she was older than her father,  she would have smacked his head. Who did he think he was to break her heart?


    She was very sure something had happened between them.


    Did they perhaps date and he broke up with her to date Helene?


    As much as she wanted to take her mother''s side, she felt bad for Changyu.


    The woman obviously still liked her father. And he was playing hard to get?


    She shook her head. Something didn''t feel right. But she didn''t know what is was. But no matter what, she was going to make sure Jianjun falls in love with her.


    But what if he truly was in love with her? She remembered that day. The day Changyu had appeared in front of their apartment.


    She had seen the look on his face. She had seen the worry in his eyes.


    When she collapsed, he had quickly reached for her with widened eyes. For about 30 seconds, he said nothing but only stared at her. He looked at her like he couldn''t believe she was actually the one he was holding.


    Very gently, he had tried to shake her awake.


    And in a very terrified but low voice, he had said the words.


    "Changyu... Are you playing a prank on me right now?"


    "I...s.....is that Miss Song Changyu?" Joreen had asked with a gasp but no one paid attention to her.


    Mr Chu and Bilike had no idea who she was. But since Sara and Joreen had talked about her a couple of times, Joreen obviously recognised her at first glance.


    Sara had looked at Cixi who looked like she was struggling with something within her. She didn''t pay much attention to her but turned to look at her father again.


    When he still got no answer from Changyu, he swallowed hard.


    "Please.... Wake up" He pleaded in fear.


    Sara had been scared also. The woman looked very pale like someone who had died already. She hadn''t bothered to think about why the woman was there at that time. She had only feared for the woman''s life.

 Chapter 226 - Shareholder.

    The next day, everyone got busy with the restaurant''s opening preparations.


    Sara also had to help out a bit before going out. Herself and Hoy were to go over to Muchen''s hotel where Sun would be having her birthday party the next day which was the 24th of December. She had to familiarize herself with the place and the organisation team so she could easily work with all of them.


    Sara ran her eyes over the place and smiled. This was way better than his former restaurant. It was bigger so there was no need to put extra chairs and tables outside at nights. The furnitures this time wasn''t the old wooden type of furniture he had used in his previous restaurant. He had contracted a nice carpenter to help him this time and thankfully, it was cheaper since he needed it in bulk.


    Because this place was in the main town and he was expecting more customers, he had to put in a lot of money to make it look nice and presentable and she must admit, he did achieve that.


    Now, he didn''t just sell liquor, he sold other types of drinks that suited each person''s tastes whether children or adult. And he had put a limit on the number of liquor a person could buy. He didn''t want any inappropriate behaviours in his restaurant.


    The money had come from herself and her Aunt. It gave her joy whenever she remembered she was a shareholder. But even though she was currently penniless after deciding at the last minute to invest the rest of her money on the restaurant, she was still going to brag about it to Muchen once he got back.


    She was now a shareholder just like him but only on a smaller scale. How exciting! She thought.


    Jianjun didn''t have time to play around or say a word to Sara. But whenever she saw him, she glared at him. Remembering how he was treating Changyu, she was displeased. She hadn''t bothered to ask him about anything. But she only hoped Changyu would come over today.


    He was busy in the kitchen with a new employee of his¡ªA guy in his mid twenties. Her aunt was also there to help him out with whatever she could. While herself and Joreen¡ª


    "Please pass me the napkin behind you" Miss Kang''s gentle voice said to her.


    Oh, and Miss Kang also, were cleaning the place one final time before they officially open it in an hour.


    Miss Kang had been coming around once in a while. It seemed she was serious about the crush she had for her father.


    Sara had always liked her. She was a pretty woman and always looked adorable whenever she was talking to her father. Sara hadn''t found it weird that she was only ten years older than her. But now, she was beginning to have second thoughts.


    She suddenly didn''t want her as her stepmother. Not because Miss Kang was lacking in any way but because, she already had a potential stepmother in her mind.


    Secondly, her father didn''t fancy Miss Kang in that manner. He was always trying to hide or run away from her. Either Miss Kang was oblivious to it or she was pretending like she didn''t know.


    Hearing that he was opening a new restaurant today, she had taken her time to come help out looking all dolled up.


    "Why are you looking like that? Did she annoy you? Because she is really pissing me off. Always acting like she is the boss here. Does she think we are in school?" Joreen whispered behind Sara''s ears.


    Sara was startled when she heard Joreen''s voice behind her ear so she turned immediately. Joreen was climbing on top of a chair with a lollipop in her hand. Her lips were pursed as she looked at Miss Kang clean one of the tables for the umpteenth time.


    "Jo, come down. Dad is going to get annoyed when he sees you"


    Sometimes, Sara do forgot Joreen was still a child. She was very smart and outspoken so Sara had really blocked out the fact that she was still only seven years old. Well, until times like this when she acted childish.


    Joreen jumped down with a sad face. "I liked meeting your height"


    Gently patting on her braided hair, Sara assured... "One day, you''ll be as tall as I am okay?"


    Speaking of Tall, she remembered her boyfriend. She so much anticipated seeing him tomorrow. He had said his coming was going to be under probability but she had to have faith that he would come.


    How was she supposed to do anything there when he wasn''t even there?


    She missed him so much. In fact, the past few days had been hell for her.


    She suddenly missed it when he hugged her or played with her hair. The way he teased her, smiled at her and kissed her.


    The word ''kiss'' suddenly made color rise to her cheeks.


    "What are you daydreaming about? You better hurry if you''re going out. The traffic may get worse soon."


    Sara came back to her senses when she saw her father and Aunt appear from the kitchen. He was wearing a black pants and grey polo shirt which an apron was covering.


    Sara remembered the dress she had gotten. It had all been neatly sealed in the gift box she was going to place under the Christmas tree  for them.


    Her family had never celebrated Christmas that way but since they just entered a new apartment, Joreen had asked for a tree and Jianjun hadn''t declined. So to complete Christmas, she was going to place the gifts under it.


    "What could she possibly be daydreaming about if not her boyfriend. You should watch your daughter, she might go crazy soon" Cixi advised as she passed by Sara with a tray of God knows what.


    "Jo, tell your mother to stop being jealous and go get a boyfriend"


    "Geez... What are you saying to her?" Cixi dropped the tray on one of the tables and ran over to cover Joreen''s ears while Jianjun glared at her.


    "Don''t spoil my baby girl." Cixi warned.


    Sara giggled before pointing at Joreen who was grinning with her ears still covered. "You don''t know your daughter"


    All of a sudden, Miss Wang popped out from no where to lecture Sara on how bad it was to expose kids to such languages blah blah blah.


    Sara rolled her eyes at her. ''Just when I was looking for an exuse to strike you off. Well, Namaste!''


    Miss Kang went on and on and even Cixi and Jianjun got tired of her.


    "I told you she''s pissing me off" Joreen whispered behind Sara through gritted teeth.


    "Miss Kang. As much as I love to listen to your lecture, I have to hurry out now" Sara said with a smile but before she could go out, Jianjun stopped her.


    "Wait. Let''s have a toast first." He brought out a nonalcoholic wine and shared it into different glasses. For himself, Cixi, Sara, Joreen, Miss Kang and his new employee Lisa.


    Coincidentally, Bilike and Mr Chu came at that time to come help Jianjun serve in the restaurant so they also joined in on the toast.


    "To DELIMEAL." Jianjun raised his glass.


    "And to all the shareholders..." Sara didn''t forget to add that part.

 Chapter 227 - You there...

    When Sara arrived at the hotel with Hoy, she instantly recognised the place.


    It was this hotel. Where she had seen Jinyong and Weiyoung together getting engaged behind her back.


    She smirked before entering inside with Hoy leading the way.


    "I don''t know what CEO Li is thinking but I hope things work out well" Hoy said.


    He still couldn''t fanthom why Muchen was doing this but he knew his cousin. He didn''t take decisions without thinking it through and thoroughly.


    "I hope so too." She tired her best to mask her anxiety.


    When they both entered inside a hall, Sara noted that this hall was smaller than the hall those two idiots had used for their engagement party.


    They both stood side by side to watch the people working inside. Decoration team, Technical team etc. They were about ten to fifteen people scattered inside the hall.


    "The guests are few. Just relatives and a bit of the top tycoons. Remember it''s a surprise birthday party. Every other person is aware except for grandmother. The issue is the plan to bring her out tomorrow. I don''t know how it''s going to happen. I paid a visit to her yesterday but didn''t know what next to say" Hoy admitted with a sigh.


    They all had been thinking of ways to bring Sun out. She was a woman who knew things that were even done in the secret. They had all taken extra measures to make sure she wasn''t alerted.


    Even the invitees had been informed also. No one was to mention anything to her.


    "I heard you''re her favourite" Sara said with her eyes glued to the workers inside.


    "I''m not sure about that" He honestly replied.


    "You should being her out then"


    "How am I supposed to do that." He turned his head to look at her.


    "You''re taking her out on a date. Tell her to dress nice. And do not think about leaving until she agrees to go out with you. Then, bring her here." Sara paused to think before adding


    "In fact, give her the clothes to wear. Tell her it''s your Christmas gift to her and you want to see her wear it. It would be awkward for her to dress casually while everyone else dresses nicely for her birthday don''t you think so?" She tried to reason with him.


    "What if she refuses to wear it?"


    "No problem. Bring her here. Once she sees it''s her birthday party, She''ll agree to change."


    Hoy chuckled. "You''re smart"


    She turned to look at him for a split second before looking back at the people working "I know" She said haughtily.


    "I''ll introduce you to them. Come on" Hoy look large strides to the front and asked the workers to gather.


    After the introduction, he hurriedly left to attend to some business but asked Sara to give him a couple of minutes and he''ll be back to join her.


    She still had to familiarize herself with the place. He also had to fill her in on the guests that would be arriving tomorrow.


    She had noticed the way some of them looked at her during the introduction like she was not meant to be there.


    They had obviously recognised her as Sara Wang so they knew she wasn''t a socialite or whatever. Well, that was their business. She wasn''t here for them.


    Sara strolled round the place, carefully looking at the decorations and was truly marvelled. Suddenly, she heard one of the girls in the decoration team behind her, sneer indirectly at her.


    "It''s one of the reason you should be born pretty. You can always have your way."


    Sara pursed her lips and pretended like she didn''t hear the lady.


    No one said a word. The guys or ladies, everyone acted like they hadn''t heard her and Sara didn''t bother to take it seriously.


    "It must feel nice to seduce a rich man. First it was the nephew then, then the uncle. Only God knows who else you seduced to get here"


    "Will you shut up and keep working already?" One of the young men at the technical unit snapped at her in annoyance.


    She scoffed and placed both hands on her waist. "Who are you yelling at? You better watch it." She warned him.


    "It''s okay sis. Let''s just get this over with and leave here" A younger girl from the decoration unit said to her.


    She pretended to admire a flower as she listened to their exchange. She didn''t bother to look at her direction but she could feel their eyes on her.


    The girl who spoke seemed to the leading the decoration team. Sara hadn''t turned to see who was talking but she knew instantly who it was. She had seen the way the lady looked at her when she appeared with Hoy and after he had introduced her to them as the MC of the party.


    Sara had expected the girl to stop there but it seemed like she had no intention of doing so. She continued ranting about how they had to pick a nobody because of connections blah blah blah.


    She tried to control herself but she was losing control. She knew the best thing to do was to ignore her. She had been taking those classes and she had learned a lot. But the problem was putting it into practice.


    She ruled out the fact that this was probably a test from them. She had had rumours plus what she had seen in Mr Gold''s office on her first day there, what had happened with Zhang Hansong.


    They usually tested people unknowingly to them. What if this was a test?


    But then she remembered that no one there knew her as Sara Wang so they probably wouldn''t have known about her coming here.


    But even if this was a test, well, she could just fail this one then.


    "You there..." Sara turned and called her arrogantly.


    Everyone stopped whatever they were doing to look at her.


    They wondered what it was that she was going to say or do.


    She looked quiet and innocent so they hadn''t expected her to retaliate.


    The lady on the other hand looked like she was ready for whatever Sara was going to throw at her.


    "What? You there?" She asked with a scoff of disbelief.


    "If you want to talk to me, then do it in front of me. Say it directly."


    "What is this?" The lady laughed throatily. "You think you are something now because you are here?"


    "Don''t blame anyone for your ugliness. If you feel the world is unfair to you because you are ugly then I''ll gladly put up a donation for you to have a plastic surgery. With that face of yours, you should always keep quiet and not draw attention to yourself. Who do you think you are to talk to me in such manner?"


    To be sincere, the lady wasn''t that bad looking. She looked average and it was obvious from the trousers and shirt she was wearing that she had a nice body. But Sara knew she was prettier than her. And that was what she was going to use against this woman.


    "What....did you just say?" The woman looked at her in surprise and anger. How dare this girl call her ugly and mock her?


    She could clearly hear the muffled laughter of most of the people there as they watched the show. Most of them didn''t even bother to pretend like they weren''t laughing.


    "You are too small for me to banter with. Just do your job quietly and please... refrain yourself before my patience run out." Sara said to her with a straight face before strolling out of the hall, leaving the lady totally stupefied.


    Maybe it was a bad idea waiting for Hoy there. She was going to wait outside instead.


    ***


    She went through a door at the other end of the hotel and was blessed with a very beautiful sight.


    Her mouth fell open when she saw how beautiful the place looked. It was like a big garden with a water fountain  at one end.


    "Wow!" She couldn''t help exclaiming.


    She closed her eyes and widened her arms to take in a few deep breaths before opening them up again.


    "For weddings" She heard a voice say behind her.


    She had thought she was alone so the voice startled her.


    She turned to look at the one who had spoken behind her and saw it was a middle aged man. He was probably in his late fortiesor early fifties but he looked really dashing for his age.


    She didn''t know much about clothing brands so she only knew his grey suit was fitted and his dark hair, scattered with bits of grey was slicked to the back handsomely. He had broad shoulders, a high chin, pointed nose and round black eyes with full brows.


    For some reason, she felt he looked familiar but she couldn''t place it.


    "Sorry I startled you" Li Fazhan said with an apologetic smile.

 Chapter 228 - Chatting with Boyfriends Father

    Li Muchen''s father, Li Fazhan, had come to meet with some relatives who were lodging in Muchen''s hotel, for lunch.


    He felt it wasn''t a good idea bringing them over to his house since Li Sun, might know about it and wonder what they were actually up to.


    Since it was a surprise, they had to plan well and made sure everything went smoothly.


    After Lunch, he decided to see the hall to be used for her birthday party before leaving. And just as he was about entering after his PA opened the door slightly, he heard a young lady''s voice saying things about how the world was unfair, how people could easily get what they wanted by simply seducing others.


    He looked at his PA in confusion, wondering who she was referring to since no one was responding to her. Then, he heard a voice call her out.


    "If you want to talk to me, then do it in front of me. Say it directly."


    For the first time, his eyes saw Sara. He felt she looked familiar as he watched her speak to the other lady angrily.


    "Oh...that''s her" He heard his PA say in recognition.


    "Who is she?" Fazhan asked him curiously.


    "Ms Sara Wang. The Young mistress''s coach."


    "Really?" Fazhan looked at him in surprise before turning to look at Sara. No wonder she looked familiar. He hadn''t watched the trended video of her but his wife, Dana, had been in disapproval about Sara working with Heya especially when she mentioned that their son might be in love with her.


    He hadn''t actually taken it seriously since he believed Muchen was capable of taking care of himself.


    He had later asked for her info after Muchen declared that he loved her and didn''t want his family to butt in.


    "So it''s her. What is she doing here?" He asked but even his PA had no answer to that.


    He looked at her again. He could only see her side but he saw the anger when she said to the other lady..


    "Don''t blame anyone for your ugliness. If you feel the world is unfair to you because you are ugly then I''ll gladly put up a donation for you to have a plastic surgery. With that face of yours, you should always keep quiet and not draw attention to yourself. Who do you think you are to talk to me in such manner?"


    He didn''t know when a chuckle escape his lips.


    "Let''s go." He said to his PA before they both left.


    But he turned back when he heard someone walk out of the room and towards the opposite direction.


    It was her.


    He thought for a minute before asking his PA to go wait for him inside the car.


    Before his PA could guess what he was up to, he saw his Boss was already following the lady.


    **


    He watched her breathe in deeply and when she dropped her hands, he finally decided to show himself.


    "For weddings" He said behind her and watched as she flinched in shock.


    "Sorry I startled you" He apologized.


    "Ah.. It''s fine" Sara bowed to greet him and continued looking at the place without paying much attention to him.


    Fazhan realised then that Sara had no idea who he was. Because she would have at least greeted him with the recognition as Heya and Muchen''s father.


    "It''s beautiful isn''t it?" He tried to strike up a conversation.


    "It is. I had no idea a combination of many flowers would look this heavenly." She turned to look at him and asked.


    "Do you work here?"


    She knew that hotels like this had workers everywhere. Maybe he wanted to show her around. He was dressed like a top manager or something so she couldn''t help but ask.


    Fazhan raised a brow at her. He had never in his life be mistaken for an employee. What was happening right now?


    "Yes. We can put it that way." He decided to play along. Maybe he would know the kind of person she truly was.


    "Ah.. I see. You must be lucky to work in a place like this then. Looking at this place everyday would probably make you live a long and refreshing life"


    Fazhan laughed. "Then you can have a long look." He gestured towards a seat and she sat down comfortably.


    "Why aren''t you sitting?" She asked when he still remained standing.


    He smiled politely before sitting down opposite her.


    "You should sit once in a while."


    She said before staring into space.


    "Are you okay m..." He tried to say the word ''ma''am'' but the words could not just come out.


    "Miss? Are you okay miss?" He settled for that.


    "I saw you quarrel with an employee earlier..." He raised the topic about what had happened earlier.


    Sara signed deeply "I feel really bad for calling her ugly"


    Fazhan wanted to comfort her and tell her that it was normal to say mean things when one was angry but then he was shocked when he heard her continue


    "I should have called her a monster. A ugly little monster. Who did she think she was to say mean things about me when she knows nothing. I didn''t seduce anyone! How annoying"


    Fazhan watched her rant in anger as her eyes turned sad.


    "It''s okay miss. You shouldn''t let it get to you" He tried his best not to chuckle and comfort her instead. "Just be calm"


    Sara smiled warmly at him. "Thank you. At least you''re not judging me also."


    He nodded. "Miss....why are you here?" He decided to satisfy his curiosity and ask.


    Sara was about to tell him when she suddenly thought of something else.


    "Hmm please tell me... What kind of girl would you like your son to date."


    He raised a brow to look at her wondering where the question came from all of a sudden.


    "I mean... If your son is introducing his girlfriend to you for the first time, how would you want her to look like or dress or act...just anything. Tip me" She said eagerly as she inched closer to him.


    "You...are meeting your boyfriend''s parents tomorrow?" He asked curiously.


    Muchen hadn''t told them about introducing Sara to them.


    "Not really. But tomorrow is his grandmother''s birthday and so everyone would be there. He even asked me to be the MC. I am so nervous"


    Fazhan was shocked. He raised a brow to look at her in surprise. "What? He...asked you to be the MC?"


    What was Muchen thinking?


    He looked at her hands to see it was actually shaking. She was really nervous just like she had said.


    Sara bobbed her head up and down. "But I''m so scared of his mother. The first time I met her, she gave me a resounding slap, I thinking I actually saw stars" She whispered to him despite the fact that they were the only ones there.


    The woman scared her since then even more than Li Sun.


    As much as he felt bad that his wife had slapped her, he could not help laughing.


    This girl was really crazy. He remembered what Muchen had said to him. "She is crazy...but I love her"

 Chapter 229 - Mr Pessimist

    When Hoy got back, he didn''t meet Sara in the Hall he had left her.


    According to the workers there, he was told that she went out after getting into a quarrel with one of the employees.


    He wondered where she was and whether she was having second thoughts about this already.


    He called her line but she wasn''t answering the phone either.


    In worry, he went out to look for her.


    ***


    "So...what exactly do you want to know?" Fazhan asked her.


    "You can just be your real self. They might like you that way. Who knows?"


    When he finished speaking, he heard her laugh out sarcastically like he had just said something extremely funny.


    "My real self? Do you know my real self? It''s terrible! they''ll probably hate me more." She shook her head against the idea and stopped laughing.


    "Are you that horrible?" He asked in surprise.


    "Of course" She quickly answered.


    "You see...I''m currently taking a manners and etiquette class. My boyfriend doesn''t know about it though. I''ll be so embarrassed if he finds out." She used both hands to cover her face.


    "I have to be ''mannerful'' before meeting them. That''s my worry. It''s too soon"


    "Mannerful?" He looked at her in confusion.


    "Yes.. Like having more manners." She answered like the word was totally correct.


    "Oh...."


    ''Even her word choice is something else'' He thought.


    "Since you''re taking those classes, it''s a plus." He then remembered that her father owned a restaurant.


    "But you can cook right? Your in-laws would definitely like that part of you." He assured her with a smile.


    His wife liked cooking. And she also liked trying out new stuffs. If Sara was a good Cook and could bring new recipe ideas, he was sure Dana would like her.


    He saw her pretend to cry. "That''s even worse. I can only make noodles." She complained with a pout.


    "Eh... Only noodles?" He almost asked her why she didn''t know how to cook when her father owned a restaurant but he knew he would give himself away that he probably knew her.


    "Yes. Only noodles. But... I''m going to start the cooking classes soon. My father is a really good cook and he promised to teach me."


    She regretted not learning earlier. This was such an embarrassment.


    "But.... Do you like him a lot? I mean your boyfriend?" He was curious about it. He wanted to know how she truly felt about his son.


    "Of course. If I do not I wouldn''t be bothering myself with trying to be better. He''s just so perfect and I''m a psycho..." She whined.


    "Yes. He is perfect" He said proudly.


    When he saw her raise a brow to look at him questioningly, he added. "And you''re not a psycho."


    Sara smiled excitedly before taking his hands. "You''re such a nice man. It feels nice talking to you."


    Her eyes darted sideways and soon she was smiling mischievously.


    "Since you work here, will you be able to have a free access into Hall 3B tomorrow? Since everyone can only enter after presenting an invite"


    Hall 3B was the one to be used for his mother''s birthday. He wondered what this girl was up to with that kind of smile on her face.


    "I can try... Why?" He asked suspiciously.


    Sara clapped her hands together in excitement.


    "When you come, I''ll show you my boyfriend''s family. Can you help me do something hmmm..." She paused and scratched her head. She didn''t know how to possibly ask him but he urged her to go on.


    "That is...can you just stand close to them and pretend like you''re talking to yourself then you can say something like ''that girl on stage...she is nice or she is pretty''.. Just say anything within their earshot so they would get a good impression of me at least. Especially his mother." Sara pleaded earnestly.


    Amusement was written all over his face. He almost laugh out but he knew he had to suppress it. Was she asking him to say things that would please himself and his family?


    "What if after everything, they still don''t like you?" He asked.


    Sara narrowed her eyes to look at him in displeasure.


    "How can you say something like that to me?"


    "I mean... You''ve just said you have a lot of bad attitudes that might rule you off as their potential daughter in law."


    "Even though I said that, you don''t have to put it plainly like that. I thought you were by my side." She said grumpily.


    "I am just trying to be realistic." He explained.


    "No. You are being pessimistic. They are surely going to like me. I have a nice job. I am pretty. I am intelligent. And most importantly...I am a shareholder" A smile appeared on her face when she got to that part.


    Those were enough reasons for them to like her right?


    "Shareholder?" He questioned.


    With a nod, she answered "Yes. My Father''s restaurant. I am a major shareholder. So you see..." She used a hand to tuck in a few loose hair strands behind her ear. "I am just as important as their son."


    He chuckled. Oh... So that was it. A major shareholder indeed!


    "You seem to be a wonderful person. I can just introduce you to my son instead. You''ll surely like him" He said to her.


    Sara closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, desperately trying not to sound annoyed


    "Mr Pessimist. Why are you suddenly being annoying? I asked for advice and you''re talking about introducing me to your son."


    "Mr Pessimist?" He could not believe it.


    "Yes. I am not interested in your son. You are not making things better for me at all" She said unhappily before standing up.


    He laughed throatily before getting up also "I''m telling you. You''ll like him"


    "I said I don''t like him. He''s not my type" She rejected.


    "How can you conclude when you haven''t even met him yet?"


    "I don''t have to meet him before I know. I was born to only be with the love of my life. And you better watch... I''ll gloat to you as soon as his family accepts me."


    She glared at him one last time before walking out of the place.


    Everyone was annoying her today.  Just when she thought the man was nice, he was about introducing her to his son? How shameless!


    When she got to the door, she stopped walking and turned back to look at him.


    He had been standing there while looking at her retreating figure with a smile on his face.


    "What? Have you changed your mind?" He asked when he saw her turn.


    "Ehmmm.. Mr Pessimist. I apologize for the way I sounded earlier. But you can still do that for me right? Just say a few nice things about me to them and we''re even. I''ll even introduce your son to a a very nice woman."


    "You''ll really introduce him to a very nice woman?" He asked again just to be sure.


    "Sure. I promise." She said with a smile.


    Fazhan smirked. He was really looking forward to tomorrow.

 Chapter 230 - Yes I am

    Changyu seriously looked at the flier she was holding in her hand and briefly thought about going over to Jianjun''s restaurant.


    She didn''t know how to face them. Especially Cixi, she wanted to apologize to her.


    She had tried apologizing to Jianjun but she knew he didn''t believe her. Or maybe he didn''t want to.


    But she knew she had to meet Cixi somehow. She wanted to tell her she was sorry about what her family did to theirs.


    But would she listen to her?


    Cixi had been her only friend back then. But now, she had no friend. No family. Maybe she only had enemies lurking around.


    And....it was almost Christmas.


    She left her room and watched from the stairs as her employees decorated the house.


    Hani had told her about the wishes of every member that worked in the household¡ª they wanted to have their Christmas party here.


    It was as if they all felt bad for her and had decided to stay for Christmas instead of going home since she would be lonely. No matter how much she refused, they stood by their words, promising to celebrate Christmas quietly since she hated noises.


    She wondered what was up with all of them. Only three had followed her from abroad: Hani, her Cook and another secretary cum driver of hers. The others had been employed after she arrived. So why were they being so loyal to her?


    They had all each given her Christmas presents.


    And for the first time in her life, she felt a bit of ''Christmas''.


    Ever since she was younger, her family hadn''t bothered much about celebrating Christmas or whatever festive season.


    They only went out for parties and wherever they would present themselves to be worshipped during those periods.


    So this sight was somehow refreshing to her.


    It was too bad she didn''t have any biological family to celebrate with.


    She watched as they cheered after the little bulbs of light came on the tree.


    She must admit it looked really pretty and she couldn''t help but smile.


    "Miss Changyu. You should place the star on the top of the tree to complete it" Her driver called her from downstairs.


    The others looked up at her and agreed with him. Although she seemed like a very difficult person, they knew her very well. They knew how nice she was, how she cared for them and their families. She had even given them Christmas bonuses.


    "That''s a bad idea" She said with a laugh.


    "Here''s a stool you can use." Her Cook carried the stool to place it in front of the large tree.


    She signed in resignation before taking the stairs down.


    She dropped whatever she was holding on another stool and carefully climbed the stool in front of the tree.


    Her hands still did not reach the top so she had to stretch. Thankfully, it worked this time.


    Although it was a bit crooked at first, she was able to fit it in properly.


    "Merry Christmas to all of you" She said with a happy smile and watched them all clap in jubilation.


    "Here. You all should go eat there." She handed Hani the flier as well as a credit card from the purse she had dropped on the ground when she climbed the stool.


    "It''s a little advance Christmas treat for all of you"


    ***


    Weiyoung looked at her former apartment with a melancholic expression on her face.


    She was there to get some stuff since she was not going to go back there again.


    She could still see the mess from the last time she was there when someone tried to kill her.


    While running around, both herself and whoever he was had both knocked down a couple of items which were currently still there.


    She missed the place a lot. For weeks, she had been living like a prisoner in the Mo''s Mansion.


    She had expected that they would care about her since she was with a child; Their families Child. But unfortunately, they didn''t seem to care about any of that.


    It seemed Mo Dachuan had made up his mind to pass the company over to Dexi''s son instead.


    But shouldn''t they at least be excited that she was with their great grandchild?


    She frowned.


    She was supposed to travel with Jinyong the previous week but not only had rejected her, he had told her he never wanted to see her again. He said she disgusted him and he regretted ever being with her.


    After that time, one had heard any word from him. It was as if he disappeared into thin air after that day he came over to tell them he was no longer interested.


    What did she do? What did she do to deserve all of these?


    And now, her father had warned her to look for any way to help the family unless she wanted him to expose the fact that she wasn''t his child to the public.


    How was it her fault that she wasn''t his daughter?


    She had gone past the stage of being sad.


    She held resentment now. She hated everyone. Her mother, her father, Jinyong and  his entire family and most especially, the Wangs.


    Dexi had refused to help her family. He said their deal was already over and she was no longer needed.


    The only person left was Li Muchen. He alone had the power to save her and her family.


    The thought of it made her begin to laugh like a mad woman.


    The bodyguard who had been standing close to the door looked at her cautiously. If his driver partner was here, he would have probably wondered the same¡ªwhether she had gone crazy.


    Too bad he had to be the one to follow her here when the other one had to remain in the car. What bad luck!


    Weiyoung turned to look at him.


    He was very much older than her but he was good looking and manly.


    She wondered why she hadn''t notice it ever since. She wondered whether it was because her emotions and mood wasn''t in the right state now and that was why she was now seeing him differently.


    "Tell me Aotian. How do I look?" She suddenly threw the question at him.


    Aotian wondered where this question was suddenly coming from. But he had to answer honestly even though he didn''t like her.


    "You are pretty" He said.


    "Just pretty?" She added seductively.


    "Prettier than any woman I''ve met" He added with the intention of pleasing her so she would stop this and get moving.


    Her eyes lit up. She slowly approached him and said in a low voice. "Say that again"


    Aotian wondered what this woman was up to now.


    She placed a hand on his chest to feel it and gradually raised her head so her eyes would meet his.


    "Y..ou...are prettier than...every woman I''ve met" He stammered uncomfortably.


    She smiled at his words. "Yes. I am"


    She said before walking past him and out of the room.

 Chapter 231 - A day before Christmas.

    Sara woke up feeling refreshed and nervous at the same time.


    She hadn''t been able to hear from Muchen since the previous day so she had no idea what he was up to or whether he was on his way. Hoy knew nothing either.


    It was finally the day they had all been waiting for. The day things would change for the Li family.


    She was really eager to see Li Sun''s reaction when she joins them. According to what she heard from Hoy, the others thought it was probably a bad idea since she might not like it but she didn''t actually think so.


    She strolled inside the kitchen to see Jianjun in the middle of preparing breakfast.


    "Good morning Papa" She greeted before giving him a quick back hug.


    "Good morning. Slept fine?"


    She nodded. "What are you making? It smells nice" She commented.


    "Wait for it. It''s something new I''m trying out. It''s going to be my own special delicacy" He said with a wink.


    "Oh.... When do I start making my own special delicacies?" She asked eagerly like a child wanting to know when she''ll be given her favourite snack.


    Sara watched him chuckle before turning to stir whatever was inside the pan on the fire.


    "You can''t make simple meals yet you''re talking about special delicacies?" He mocked.


    "I told you not to look down on me. Tell me.. What do you want me to help you do?" She rolled up her shirt''s sleeves and looked at the table that was full of different ingredients.


    He used his chin to point at the door "You should go prepare yourself mentally for tonight." He advised.


    **


    Sara wondered what her Aunt was up to when she suddenly came to pull her out from the kitchen and led her outside the house.


    "Did something happen?" She couldn''t help but ask curiously.


    "I just received a call now. They''ve been able to crack the codes in Joreen''s principal''s system. So I''ll be going to get it tonight." Cixi said to her in a whisper.


    "Wow. Finally! What about the IP address? Were they able to track it?" Sara asked.


    Cixi shook her head. "They haven''t been able to. But I believe we might be able to find a couple of things that may link us to the person."


    "Wait... What? You''re going there this night? Weren''t you supposed to go with me to the birthday party?"


    An invitation card had been given to her family to be there. But Jianjun had refused to go, claiming it would be uncomfortable and besides, he had to open the restaurant.


    She had pleaded with Cixi to go with her and now, this?


    Cixi looked at her apologetically. "They''ll be going home for Christmas this evening. I was the one who kept them busy until now. I have to go get it this night else I won''t be able to for the next few weeks. You know it''s in another town and I cannot promise to make it to the hotel for her birthday party on time"


    "Why do I feel that is just an excuse?" Sara gave her a questioning look.


    Cixi sighed before patting Sara''s head gently.


    "I''m sorry Sara. But I really don''t wish to embarrass you with my presence there" She sincerely apologized.


    "What? Embarrass me? Why would you say or think that?"


    "Look Sara. I''m not a good Aunt. It''s bad enough that they do not consider you good enough for their son and my presence there would only worsen things for you. I am a woman who never got married and even had a child outside of wedlock. Do you¡ª"


    "Please stop it Aunt." Sara cut her off in displeasure.


    "Do I look like I care about any of that? You are my family. You are all important. Who cares about what anyone says about you?" She said angrily.


    "Sara...." Cixi called sadly.


    "Aunt.... Please..." Sara took her hands in hers "If you are not coming because of the laptop issue then I''ll perfectly understand. But I won''t accept it if you look down on yourself because of me. You''ll make me sad" Sara pouted unhappily.


    Cixi blinked back tears before pulling her into a gentle hug. "I am very sorry Sara. I''m so sorry" She apologised while blinking back tears.


    ****


    Sun cocked her head to the side as she watched Hoy stutter.


    She kept wondering what this young man was suddenly up to. None of them actually came to see her on their own except she called for a family meeting so why was he here saying something about a hang out?


    "The thing is.... You are not always available and since I''m very sure you''ll be traveling back soon, I just wanted to hang out with you before Christmas" He managed to say.


    Sun looked at him in obvious surprise. This was the first time a member of the family was asking her to go out together. Was she beginning to hear things? Was this one of the symptoms of her illness?


    She looked at her maid beside her and saw the woman also looked surprised. The surprised look on her face was soon replaced with a grin.


    "You....want me to go out with you?" Sun asked skeptically. "That sounds weird" She added.


    "Yes." He answered her first question politely. He must confess, this seemed pretty awkward for him but he had to manage. Everyone was counting on him.


    "I got you this. I thought it might look good on you so I bought it. Tell me what you think" He handed her maid a box which she carefully placed beside Sun and opened it.


    Sun saw an Indigo flower-patterened suede Cheongsam.


    Her eyes lit up as she carefully lifted it to see it was long and would probably end at her ankles. Also inside the box, was an elegant, silver mid heel shoe.


    "It is pretty." She said with a tiny smile.


    It was also the first time she was receiving a gift like this before Christmas. And today just happened to be her birthday even though none of them actually knew about it.


    Hoy looked at his watch and noted it was just a few minutes to four. It meant it was almost time to start leaving with her.


    "Can you change into it so we can leave now?"


    He asked carefully.


    "What''s the other box beside you for?" Sun asked curiously.


    "Oh.. This is for you Aunt" He handed the box over to the maid. "You should also come out with her"


    If she had been smiling before, her smile got bigger this time. She was really happy that someone was finally caring about Li Sun.

 Chapter 232 - Mr Pessimist is Chairman Li?

    ''The hotel looked like a palace.


    On the walls were various artworks and paintings of prominent artists. The antiques looked like they had been bought for millions of dollars and the interior alone could make one feel like they were in heaven already.''


    Those had been her thoughts on her first time here.


    As different kind of shoes strode down the hallway into the hall; heels, wedges, oxford shoes etc.


    Another shoe appeared in sight: A black sneakers studded with silver metals. It had a zipper by the side that stopped right at the feminine ankle.


    The person stood in front of a grand door before stretching out a pass to the doormen.


    Slowly, they looked at this person from the sneakers on her feet to the hem of the blue flair gown she was wearing.


    It was a short blue long sleeved flair dress with lace bodice, a beaded waist, and a scoop neckline. On her neck was a tiny silver necklace with the letters ''SW''.


    On both earlobes that were almost completely covered by her long hair which was flowing down in waves, a pair of silver earrings peeked out.


    The two young doormen had to hold their breaths when they saw her face. She was completely stunning. Her make-up was moderate. They could only guess it had been done by a professional.


    "Hello" She greeted the doormen with a warm smile.


    On the first night she came here about two months back, she had come to meet her friend and boyfriend getting engaged to each other.


    But now, she was not just here as a guest alone, she was the hotel owner''s girlfriend.


    ***


    When Sara entered, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. They were a couple of other guests who were already present and some stole glances at her.


    She went further inside to say hello to the workers she had seen there the previous day and they had been very surprised to see her looking so pretty.


    She was actually happy that the members of the decoration team were not around so she didn''t have to bump into that annoying lady again.


    She was suddenly beginning to shake all over. She knew it was not from cold because the place was warm. The temperature of the hall had been regulated to a comfortable degree.


    Not cold, not hot.


    So she wasn''t feeling cold at all even if the dress she was wearing was more of lace.


    She was shaking out of anxiety.


    Her eyes scanned the room for Changyu or any familiar face but she found none.


    Hoy had already called to inform her that he would be coming with Sun soon. They didn''t bother meeting today but he had sent people to get her ready for the party.


    She felt a bit odd being the only lady wearing a sneakers but she didn''t mind much. She was not going to kill herself by trying to do something she couldn''t. Besides, Mr Pessimist had advised her to be herself.


    "Hello, would you mind a drink?" A young man asked before snagging two glasses of wine from a passing waiter.


    "No thanks." She declined politely with her gaze still fixed on the door as more and more people came in.


    She had even gasped loudly when she saw some of the people that had entered. These were people she could have imagined only seeing on the TV but here they were. Right in front of her!


    "Hello?....miss?" The young man on a tuxedo called to get her attention when he noticed her absentmindedness but she didn''t even spare him a glance or remember that someone had been talking to her.


    She gathered her wits and went over to the stage.


    ''I am confident.'' She reminded herself before using the mic.


    "Hello everyone"


    When she noticed she had gotten their attention, she continued


    "I am the MC for this occasion. My name is.... Sara Wang. I specially want to welcome each and everyone of you for coming. And I''d like to inform you that we''ll be starting shortly so I hope you get comfortable until we begin." She gave a brief welcome speech and received an applause plus murmurs from the crowd.


    Most of them had obviously heard the name before and they recognised it. They wondered what she was doing here as an MC. And in a party organised by the Lis!


    Others admired her and her dress sense, and some ladies couldn''t help but regret why they hadn''t thought about pulling off something like that before.


    Finally, her eyes landed on a familiar figure immediately she went outside to wait for Muchen, Heya or Changyu.


    She saw Mr Pessimist as he approached her and waved him with a smile.


    "Mr Pessimist. You really came."


    He looked at her from head to toe and gave her a thumbs up. "You look really pretty" He said with a smile.


    "Of course. I mentioned I was pretty." She moved closer to whisper "The thing is... His family isn''t here yet. So immediately I see them I''ll ¡ª"


    She suddenly paused when her eyes caught a sight of two people approaching them.


    Immediately, she hid behind him. "Please... Do not move. Just let me hide here for a while before I think about what to do" Sara said unsteadily.


    He looked at the people she was hiding from and saw that it was actually his wife and daughter Li Heya.


    He muffled a laugh and asked. "Are you...hiding from them?"


    "Yes.. It''s her. She was the one that hit me. I know I was actually prepared to see her today but I''m still scared. Why did they have to come together now. Oh no...what do I do? What if she sees me?"


    She was thankful that he was at least tall. If Dana didn''t bother to look this way, she would succeed in hiding from her till she was ready to face her inside.


    Sara went into panic mode. Ordinarily, she would have began to pace about but this was a totally bad time for that.


    "Call me father-in-law and I''ll make sure she doesn''t see you" He trtried to coerce.


    "Are you being serious right now? You never give up do you?" Sara said in displeasure. "Are they close yet? Have they entered inside?"


    Since Dana and Heya were both coming from the opposite direction, they could easily go inside the hall without passing her.


    "You don''t want to call me father-in-law?" He asked again. If she was so scared, why didn''t she just run away? He could not understand how this girl reasoned.


    When he saw she was still quiet and that his wife and daughter had seen them, he quickly stepped to the side, totally exposing her to the two women.


    "Mr Pessimist!" She gasped before using a hand to cover her mouth when she saw Dana and Heya staring at her.


    His wife looked at the both of them in confusion. "Sara?" Heya called first in surprise to see her with her father.


    "Sara...?" Dana looked questioningly at Heya and then at Sara. What was this girl doing here?


    Sara smiled awkwardly before greeting them both.


    "Honey, why is she here?" Dana asked her husband in confusion.


    ''Honey?'' Sara looked at Dana in confusion as she wondered who the woman was talking to.


    ''Wait...why is she looking at Mr Pessimist?''


    "Father, you must have met Sara. She is my fitness coach" Heya introduced.


    Sara''s breath seized as she tried to understand what was going on there.


    "Mr Pessi... Sor..ry I mean... Sir... You... You know them?" Sara stammered in shock.


    "What do you mean? He is my father" Heya was the one to answer.


    Sara gasped louder this time. Her eyes shone and her entire body froze as she processed the information.


    Mr Pessimist is Chairman Li!?


    Li Fazhan smirked at her. He had been looking forward to this moment.

 Chapter 233 - I messed up

    The first time she saw Muchen, he had seen her fight and threaten his Cousin.


    The first time she saw his sister, Heya had disliked her for no reason at all.


    The first time she saw his mother, the woman had slapped her for being a bad influence to her daughter.


    The first time she saw his grandmother, she had challenged her and told her she was not going to stay away from her grandson.


    And now, she had mistaken his father for an employee and called him a pessimist?


    She gasped in shock at the realisation that Mr Pessimist was actually Chairman Li "Chair....man Li.. I... The thing is... I had no idea you were...Chairman Li... Everything... I said... I didn''t mean it... I...I was joking." She stammered with her head down.


    How was she going to come out of this mess right now? How was she possibly going to do it?


    She tried to recall the entire conversation she had with him.


    When she remembered bits of it, she closed her eyes and tried to steady her breath.


    Wait... Did she tell him her real self was horrible and she was taking manner classes because she lacked it?


    Did she tell him she was going to gloat to him after his parents accepts her?


    Did she tell him to say nice things about her to his family? Suddenly remembering this part, her heart stopped.


    Unknowingly, her eyes began to water. She had really killed herself this time.


    She had just shot her own foot.


    In fact, she had no idea what happened next. The only thing she remembered was that she  opened a restroom''s door and hid herself in one of the cubicles to think her life through.


    Chairman Li was never going to want someone like her as his daughter in law.


    She felt a tear trickle down her face.


    Her phone began to ring and she checked to see it was a call from Changyu.


    She quickly used a hand to clean off the tears from her face before taking the call.


    "Hello Sara." Changyu greeted.


    Sara greeted also before Changyu asked.


    "Are you inside the hall now?"


    "I... I am in the restroom opposite the side door of the hall."


    "Why do you sound that way? Are you okay?"


    Changyu asked when she heard Sara''s unsteady voice.


    She began to head towards the direction of the restroom.


    "I...am okay.." She answered.


    "Hang on." Changyu said before ending the call.


    After the call dropped, Jianjun called her immediately.


    "How are you? Are you there yet?" He asked Sara.


    Sara could not hold it in anymore and began to cry. "I messed up. I messed up big time" She said to her father.


    "What happened? What did they do to you?" Jianjun''s worried voice asked.


    "Dad... I am so embarrassed." She paused to cry a bit before adding. "I mistook Chairman Li as an employee and said a lot to him. Why did I have to say so much to a stranger? I just felt we clicked and wanted an advice from him. How on earth did he end up as Mr Li''s father? I even told him I didn''t want to be introduced to his son because he wasn''t my type. I even called him a Pessimist!"


    As she recalled everything that had happened, her tears flowed down even more. This was the first time she was feeling so helpless. How was she supposed to face him now?


    "What? You...really said all of that to him? What did he do? How did he react?" He asked impatiently.


    "I don''t know... I ran away. I''m currently in the restroom and I don''t know how to face him. I even called his wife scary and used him as a shield to hide from her"


    Jianjun almost laughed but he knew Sara was probably going to transfer the aggression to him if he did so. But as much as it was funny, he was really shocked to hear about it.


    "Just wait. I''ll come help you apologize to him okay. But you have to go out. I''ll be there shortly"


    "You shouldn''t come. How can you leave the restaurant to come apologize for my mess? I''m not a baby" She whined.


    "So are you just going to lock yourself in there? You went there for a different purpose remember? Just go out and apologize sincerely to him. If he refuses to forgive you, I''ll help you speak to him."


    "But I''m scared...." She admitted sadly.


    "Have you forgotten who you are? You are Sara Wang. Jianjun Wang''s daughter. The number two major shareholder of DELIMEAL."


    He tried to boost her mood by flattering her.


    Sara closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. "I am Sara Wang. Jianjun Wang''s daughter. And a shareholder." She stood firm before opening the door and flinched in shock when she saw Changyu standing there.


    "Miss Changyu..." She called before quickly hanging up. "I didn''t know you were here"


    Changyu smiled at her. She had been standing there for a while and had listened to her phone conversation. Although she had only heard Sara''s part as she cried and complained, she could roughly guess what was going on with her.


    She had to admit that Jianjun was a good father. He was really close to his daughter to the point where she could tell him anything.


    No wonder Sara was a loveable kid.


    It made her remember how he had rejected their own child.


    "Are you okay?" Changyu asked her.


    Sara sighed before nodding her head.


    "I feel better now. You look stunning by the way." Sara complimented.


    Changyu was wearing a green bodyfitted evening dress that ended just below her ankle and a nude heel to go with it.


    Sara concluded that the woman probably had a thing for ''nude'' since most of her footwears and clutch¡ª including the one she was holding now was nude.


    Her hair was put up in a jaw clip which allowed the A-neckline of her dress to reveal the diamond necklace around her neck which matched the diamond earrings that were dangling freely on both her earlobes.


    "You look really good also. You were really prepared for this" Changyu said to her before handing her a handkerchief from her clutch.


    "You must have cried a lot"


    "Oh... Thanks" Sara took the handkerchief from her and moved towards the mirror to dab her face.


    "I just ruined my make-up. It had taken hours to fix all these" She complained unhappily.


    "I''ll help you." Changyu took out her powder and gently began to help Sara apply it on her face.


    "You didn''t have to cry because of that" Changyu said to her. "Chairman Li seems like a nice man. I''m not sure he''ll be offended by it"


    Sara guessed that she must have heard her making the call earlier. She was lucky others hadn''t been inside the restroom with her.


    "Do not worry. I''ll help you talk to him. At least, he''ll listen to me." She promised.


    "You...will really do that for me?" Sara asked hopefully.


    "Sure. So you just have to do what you have to do and I''ll handle the rest. Okay?"

 Chapter 234 - She is a friend of mine

    As Dana and Fazhan greeted the guests there, Heya wondered where Sara was.


    Why did she suddenly run away?


    Heya watched as people looked at her curiously.


    Most of them could not believe that this was actually the ''Li Heya''.


    Those who didn''t get to see her video before it was taken down had heard rumours beforehand that she was ugly and it was the reason why she had been in hiding for years.


    But this girl before them was nothing close to being ugly at all.


    She was on the big side but she wasn''t as fat as everyone had exaggerated. She looked really stunning in the long purple cocktail gown and low heel she was wearing.


    Heya was slightly uncomfortable but she decided to rule out every negativity today.


    She was Li Heya. She had confidence!


    For days, she had been trying to get used to wearing a corset comfortably. But whenever it was time to workout, she didn''t forget to take it off.


    She was glad that she could comfortably wear the corset now. It helped made her figure appear like a hourglass.


    This was the first time she was in a place like this. Also her first time on so much make up, jeweleries and these kind of clothes.


    "Hello" She said with a bow to whoever her parents introduced her to.


    Truthfully, she wasn''t interested in any of these.


    When they were finally done with the introductions, she went out to look for Sara.


    "Honey... You haven''t answered me yet. What is that girl doing here?" Although a soft music was playing on the background, Dana asked in a whisper as soon as Heya left.


    Fazhan chuckled. "You''ll find out soon. But isn''t it normal for your son''s girlfriend to be in his grandmother''s birthday party?" He asked her.


    "What? Son''s girlfriend?" She looked at him with surprise written all over her face. "What are you saying all of a sudden? How can you accept her as Muchen''s girlfriend just like that?"


    "Why can''t we? He is the one who loves her. If you love another woman too much and you want her as his girlfriend, you can just date her instead. Why do you have to give him the person you like when he likes someone else?"


    He asked with a short laugh which caused her to frown.


    "The girl is weird. She is not suitable for him. I can''t believe you are saying this. When did you draw such conclusion without my knowing?"


    She asked in displeasure but smiled and bowed to a person who just entered inside the hall before facing her husband again.


    "What did she say to you outside? You both seemed really close."


    "We were just discussing. She seem like an interesting person. I''m sure it''s the reason why he likes her."


    "It doesn''t matter. She is not from a suitable family. The best I can do is to allow her keep working as Heya''s coach. She shouldn''t expect any more"


    He laughed before adding. "Is she getting married to an emperor or something? Besides..."


    He moved closer to whisper in her ear  "She is in fact, a shareholder" He added in amusement.


    Dana''s eyes widened before she asked with interest. "Which company?"


    "Her Father''s restaurant" He answered with a wink.


    Dana scoffed in disbelief before glaring at her husband.


    "She is obviously lurking around because of who Muchen is. Do you think it would be normal for any lady to reject him even if she doesn''t love him.." Dana shook her head before correcting herself.  "Do you think it would even be possible for any woman not to love him? I know what I''m saying. She''s here for his money" Dana critically analysed. "I can trust Muchen''s feelings for her but I can''t trust hers"


    "I don''t think so if you ask me." He paused to greet a guest before whispering back to her.


    "If she was after this family''s wealth, do you know what she would have obviously done first?"


    Dana looked intently at him before asking  inquisitively


    "What?"


    "She would have gone deeply into this family''s root. She would have known every member and the type of things we like just to please us. But...she obviously didn''t know who I was. She sincerely likes our son so stop being judgemental. And...do not hit her again. You scare her."


    When he was done with his speech, he took large strides to go greet his elder brother who just arrived with his family minus Hoy.


    "This is unbelievable" Dana shook her head and murmured before joining her husband to greet her in-laws.


    As they were conversing together, they saw Sara enter with Changyu and Heya.


    People became further curious about the person Sara truly was.


    Not only did she date Mo Jinyong, her best friend had been Liu Weiyoing. She was also acquainted with Mo Dexi.


    And now, she was the MC for this occasion and was currently walking in with Changyu holding her hand like they were friends.


    A lot of people had no idea she was working as Heya''s coach. Only a handful had seen the video of Heya hugging Sara after she finished singing on the streets. And no one had taken note of her before the video was taken down. Only people who knew her and Heya personally had known it was her that time.


    They had only known her when she made the video about Weiyoung and Jinyong.


    Who was she really? She wasn''t a socialite but it seemed she had a lot of solid connection and socialites around her.


    They knew instantly that she wasn''t one to mess with.


    When the members of the Li family saw Changyu and Sara, they all quickly approached Changyu to say hello to her. No matter what, she was still the number one in the business sector. They hadn''t bothered inviting her family because it might annoy her and besides, her family had no influence now. They were still trying to get back on their feet and it seemed Changyu was actually serious when she said she was no longer a Song.


    "Miss Changyu" They all greeted her with smiles on their faces and curiosity as to why she was holding Sara''s hand so intimately.


    After greeting them back, she said to them "She is a friend of mine" Changyu introduced Sara to Han, Fazhan, Dana, Minde and his mother.


    They all looked at her and then at Sara in surprise. Sara smiled sheepishly before bowing to greet them all. When her eyes met Fazhan''s, she lowered her head in shame.


    "Oh... I know her. She is a very nice girl and she is pretty also" Fazhan added with a tiny smile. After all, he was doing what Sara had asked him to do.


    Changyu smiled back when she noted that he wasn''t looking at Sara in a disapproving manner.


    Before Sara could think of something to say, the door opened again. And the one who entered was none other than her boyfriend Li Muchen.

 Chapter 235 - Happy birthday Sun.

    Maybe it was because she hadn''t seen him for close to two weeks so now, he was looking even more good looking than the last time she remembered.


    Like an Emperor, he walked majestically into the hall in his expensive looking tuxedo and shoe. On his left hand was his signature Rolex watch and his hair was slicked back neatly.


    He stopped to greet some prominent people his eyes caught immediately he entered.


    Sara''s heart began to race when she saw him. He was here. He was finally here!


    When she saw him smile at the guests, she was compelled to smile back.


    It took everything within her to keep herself from running down to give him a hug. Seeing him now, she realised just how much she had missed him even though they had both communicated on the phone a couple of times.


    Behind him, Ms Long who was also looking very stunning in her milk cocktail gown greeted the people also. Everyone knew her as Muchen''s secretary so they also greeted her politely.


    Muchen''s eyes scanned the room like he was searching for something. Then finally, his eyes landed on Sara.


    He saw how she was intently staring at him with twinkling eyes and his eyes shone when he noticed just how pretty she was looking.


    He didn''t bother to listen to what the man he had been talking to what saying. He quickly started walking to where Sara was standing.


    His entire family watched the exchange. They were all sure he was looking at their direction but he wasn''t seeing any of them. His gaze had been on the little lady beside them.


    "Are you okay?" Changyu whispered the question when she noticed Sara was feeling a bit tensed.


    Maybe it was out of uncontrollable excitement.


    Sara didn''t bother to answer. Her eyes were still focused on him. But she knew she had to control herself. Her father had warned her to learn to control her feelings and not expose their relationship to the public because it would be risky to do so.


    Muchen said he felt the same way. He believed she would not only be exposed to danger, they would either want to use her against him or use her to get to him.


    He finally stopped walking when he got to where she was standing and stood in front of her. "You pretty little liar... You didn''t cut your hair." He said to her with a smile.


    Dana scoffed.


    Fazhan raised a brow at him.


    Minde used a hand to cover his face and shook his head for his cousin. He had been smiling like an idiot, hoping Muchen would say hello to him first since he missed him a lot. But not only did he ignore all of them, he was feeding their eyes with their lovey-dovey interaction.


    Minde''s parents looked at all of them in confusion. They both wondered what was happening right now.


    Heya and Changyu smiled while Sara giggled. She had totally forgotten that she was hiding from his father.


    Muchen had actually believed that she did cut her hair so he was glad to see it was still how he remembered and his girlfriend was looking very pretty.


    "CEO Li... Your family is here" Ms Long whispered to him in frustration.


    She was glad other people was far from them so no one had actually heard what he had said to Sara.


    For the first time, Muchen seemed to realise that his family was standing just beside Sara. He looked at them in surprise, wondering when they arrived there.


    He bowed to greet all of them before his eyes landed on the woman beside Sara.


    "Miss Changyu" He bowed to greet her.


    "CEO Li. Long time no see. Thank you for the invite" She said humbly.


    "It''s our pleasure that you are here. This means a lot." He replied modestly before looking at the other lady beside her.


    "Heya?" He called out in surprise.


    She was looking very different and pretty! He almost hadn''t recognised her.


    Heya smiled and nodded. "Yes Big bro."


    Sara soon received a text message from Hoy  to inform them that he was almost there with grandmother.


    She mounted the stage again and firstly introduced herself to the guests for the secind time since most of them hadn''t arrived when she did the first time. Then, she informed everyone that it was almost time.


    She looked at Heya and gave her a gentle nod. Heya nodded also before leaving where she had been standing.


    Dana looked at her husband in shock and then at Muchen. "What is she doing there and where is Heya going to?"


    Minde was also surprised to see Sara standing on the stage. He hadn''t expected it. He pouted at Muchen for keeping things away from him.


    No one cared about him anymore.


    Muchen just smiled before announcing to his entire family. "That is my girlfriend. She is pretty isn''t she?"


    He watched how she spoke eloquently to the crowd. She said some funny things that also made them laugh. The atmosphere turned light and soon, the lights in the hall dimmed.


    The grand door opened to reveal a woman in her early seventies, a young man in his early twenties and a woman in her mid fifties directly behind them.


    Sun could vaguely make out the silhouettes of the people inside the hall. She wondered why the light was very dim. ''What kind of party is this?'' She asked herself.


    Suddenly, a spotlight focused on someone by the side of the stage with a piano in front of her.


    "Heya?" Sun whispered in surprise.


    Heya smiled at her direction and with gentle movements of her fingers, she created a melodious tune with the piano.


    "Happy birthday to you..." Heya began to sing in a melodious tone that matched the one being produced by the piano.


    "Happy birthday to you.. Happy birthday, Happy birthday, Happy birthday to you."


    Sun''s eyes bulged out.


    Was she singing for her?


    Heya ended the song with a smile before saying into the mic "Happy birthday Grandmother. I love you"


    Sun gasped and unconsciously used both hands to cover her mouth.


    The lights brightened and everyone soon came into sight, clapping and shouting a happy birthday.


    She saw her family smiling at her and gradually, they all approached her to wish her a happy birthday.


    Her maid who had been quietly standing beside her was already in tears. She could not control her emotions after seeing this.


    Sun looked at the people present there. There were even members of the extended family present there. She saw other top business men and women she hadn''t met with in years.


    "Happy birthday mother" Li Han hugged her.


    Sun stood still. She still could not understand what was going on. After Han pulled out from the hug, she turned to her side to look at Hoy.


    "Happy birthday grandmother" He said with a small smile.


    "Everybody. Let''s sing for her" Sara said from the stage and everyone began to sing to the tune Heya played.


    Sun looked at the stage to see Sara. She wondered what this stubborn girl was doing there. But she didn''t have much time to ponder on it.


    As she heard them all sing for her, she used her hands to cover her face and for the first time, the Almighty Li Sun felt tears trickle down her face.

 Chapter 236 - Suits the weather.

    Even after they all stopped singing, Sun''s hands were still covering her face as she cried.


    "Grandmother. Are you okay?" Muchen asked her softly.


    He saw her bob her head up and down before sniffing.


    Her maid quickly handed her a handkerchief to wipe off the tears on her face.


    She understood better than anyone how Sun felt because she was also crying.


    For years, the poor woman was neglected. Her birthdays had been like every other day. She did irrelevant things and that was it.


    But this year, today, they suddenly remembered her. She hadn''t thought she would ever see anything like this before she died.


    Sun tried to smile as she cleaned her face. She couldn''t believe she had lost her cool just like that and cried in front of everyone.


    "I know you blockheads would never think about throwing me a birthday party. Whose idea was this?" She asked her family that were gathered around her.


    They all looked at Muchen but he shook his head.


    Sara had mentioned to him that she didn''t want him to tell them it was her idea. Because truthfully, she hadn''t been the one to organise the party for her.


    She had only asked Muchen the last time he gave her a gift or paid her a visit and he had simply planned her birthday party for her even though he hadn''t been around.


    Muchen turned to look at the stage and smiled warmly at Sara. Because of her, his grandmother was happy. Never in his life would he have imagined doing this for her if Sara hadn''t mentioned it.


    Madam Li looked at Mucjen and then at Sara who was smiling at her from the stage. "It was obviously that girl. Was she doing this to please me?" Sun muttered to Muchen.


    "Happy birthday grandmother." Heya said to Sun for the second time when she joined them.


    Sun smiled at her before pulling her into a hug. "That was a wonderful performance my darling. You look stunning and you have a really pretty voice"


    It took Heya a couple of seconds before she was able to digest what Sun had just said.  Did she just say her voice was pretty and her performance was wonderful? Did she also say she looked stunning?


    That was three compliments at a go!


    It was the first time Sun was complimenting her. Also the first time Sun started a conversation with her without mentioning her body size first.


    "Thank you grandmother. I''m glad you liked it" The other family members also looked at Heya with pride. None of them had expected it.


    The one who had planned it with her and asked her to do it was none other than Sara.


    A lot of Sun''s distant relatives whom she had lost touch with for a really long time came over to wish her a happy birthday. They didn''t forget to add that they envied her for having a wonderful family who took time to throw her a surprise birthday party.


    Sara watched it all with a smile. It was nice to see Sun look so happy. She knew it. Sun wasn''t as scary as they thought. She was only lonely.


    She looked at the smile on her face. It was the first time seeing her smile genuinely. The Li family thought so too.


    "And now, we''ll call the celebrant to give us a speech. Ladies and Gentlemen... Join me make welcome Madam Li Sun" With a smile, Sara introduced boldly and heard the people clap as Sun stood up.


    Although everyone could see that Sara was smiling, Sun noticed she looked very tensed when she joined her on stage and saw her from up close.


    Madam Li looked at her intently before using the mic.


    "I am Li Sun." She paused to look at everyone there. Never in her life would she have expected to see all of them in a place specifically for her.


    "I do not have much to say. But to everyone here.. I am really grateful for your presence. And to my family....." Her voice began to shake as she continued. "I love you all. I just want you to know that."


    After Sun was done with her little appreciation speech, she went back to sit down and watched every member of the family give theirs.


    Most of them¡ª especially her grandchildren didn''t have much to say about her but she appreciated it. She could not remember the last time she cried so much.


    It didn''t just end there, they had set up a foundation in her name. And every guest present there had made heavy donations in support of it. She guessed they had been informed earlier to make such preparations.


    How did they plan all of these without her knowing?


    When it got to the last person to make her donation, Changyu had simply asked them to sum up the financial donations each guest had made and to give her the total summation. She was going to give them the exact figure including a land where the building would be situated.


    She didn''t disappoint. Everyone knew she was wealthy but most of them were still surprised.


    Sara''s eyes bulged out when she heard Changyu. A total of everyone''s financial contribution? Only one person had donated millions of dollars!


    So they were supposed to add up all the millions and thousands of dollars and she was going to pay it all as her own part of the donation?


    So if for example, the summation of the other guests was about a million dollars, Changyu''s donation was going to be a million dollars which meant the foundation had two million dollars.


    Just wow!


    Changyu smiled at Sara. She was actually doing this for her. With this type of donation, no one would look down on Sara since she had earlier introduced her as her friend.


    Her donation got the attention of the greedy people present there.


    They decided to make a move to bring her to their side before it got late. They knew it was nearly impossible to see Changyu again since only the Mos and Lis had the privilege of inviting her to their parties. Speaking of the Mos, people wondered why they weren''t invited to this party.


    **


    Sun was surprised to see that there was also a gift presentation session. She had thought the foundation was all but there had also prepared gifts for her?


    This was her first time having a birthday party and so she didn''t know much about how any of these worked. Even as a child, she never celebrated her birthdays.


    She watched how people dropped expensive jade beads, jewelries, property documents, paintings etc. She was beginning to feel that most of them were trying to suck up to her instead of offering her a sincere birthday gift.


    When they were almost done, she looked at someone who hadn''t dropped anything yet. "Why aren''t you giving me anything?" She complained.


    Sara looked at her and then at everyone who were looking intently at her.


    Her hands were behind her back as if she was hiding something there.


    Of course, she was hiding a box with the scarf she had bought inside.


    She had a second thought after she saw other people''s gifts. Hers had only cost a couple of hundred dollars and she had thought they were expensive but here, people were giving out millions of dollars without flinching.


    Muchen raised a brow at her. He seemed to guess what was up with her but he said nothing.


    He felt bad that she was getting embarrassed  but on the brighter side, Sun was actually asking her for a birthday present! That was a good thing right?


    Sara revealed the box to everyone. Although it was small, it was the biggest box that had been presented to her. Everyone became curious about what was inside.


    Sun was surprised to see Sara had really brought her a birthday gift. She opened the box and found a scarf inside.


    Most people there began to snicker as Sun raised her head to look at Sara and then, down at the scarf again.


    "You don''t like it?" Muchen asked her as if he was daring Sun to actually embarrass Sara.


    Sun smirked at him before carefully covering the box. "It perfectly suits the weather."


    Fazhan, Heya, Hoy, Minde and even Changyu sighed in relief. They had thought she was going to cause problems now but it seemed Sun was in a good mood today.


    "That''s very thoughtful of you. You''re really nice" Fazhan said to her.


    Sara''s cheeks reddened in embarrassment. Maybe the others had no idea what he was doing, but she on the other hand, knew exactly what he was doing. He was teasing her!


    Father and son were both similar.


    Muchen looked at his father and then at her, wondering what was suddenly up with the both of them.


    The guests were actually amazed ny the favt that Sun had really asked a nobody like Sara for a gift and had accepted that cheap scarf? Who exactly was Sara Wang?

 Chapter 237 - Unreliable

    "Hi... That was a wonderful performance earlier" A young man said to Heya.


    Heya had seen him approaching her but she hadn''t been sure he was actually coming to meet her. She did recognise him. Her parents had introduced him as Zhu Lian. He was the son of her father''s friend who owned the biggest automobile company in the country.


    Zhu Lian had come in place of his parents who were currently not in town because they had gone for a friend''s funeral.


    Heya guessed he was probably in his mid twenties. He was tall and a bit huge. There was a Golden stud in his left earlobe and Heya swore he could pass off as a lady with that face of his if not for the fact that he was quite tall and had a masculine built.


    "Thanks for the compliment" Heya said with a modest smile.


    "Most welcome. I have attended a couple of special events organised by your parents but you were never present. This is my first time seeing the Li family''s young mistress. Thought maybe you didn''t like the crowds"


    "Yea. I really do not fancy it." She admitted.


    Sara watched from afar as the both of them communicated. A smile lit up her face as she thought about another potential suitor for Heya. Speaking of suitors, she wondered why she hadn''t heard anything about Cearo from a while now.


    Her gaze landed on Muchen who was busy speaking with his grandmother and a group of other guests. Once in a while, she looked at his direction and he sent her a smile or wink once their eyes met.


    She was glad that he wasn''t neglecting her at least.


    Everyone seemed to be busy except for her. If even Minde was in the middle of a conversation right now, then it was very obvious that not even Changyu would be left alone.


    Soon, she saw the front door open again. She wondered who it was that was coming here by this time when they were almost ending the party.


    But then.... She saw a gold-haired man enter. She gasped in shock when she saw it was the admin of the school she took her etiquette classes. Mr Jerry Gold.


    She saw him walk towards where Sun and Muchen was sitting with some other guests who were probably distant relatives.


    "Grandmother. Happy birthday" Jerry bent down to kiss Sun on both cheeks.


    What....? Grandmother? Sara could vaguely hear what they were saying since she wasn''t very far from them. She tried to inch closer so she could hear and also not get seen by him.


    She was hiding the fact that she was taking those classes from Muchen. It was already bad enough that his father was aware, she didn''t want Muchen to know about it.


    "Jerry. You also came. How are your parents?" Sun asked excitedly. From her look, it was obvious she knew him well and it had been long since she last saw him.


    "They sent their greetings. Sorry I''m just coming now. I just returned to the country about an hour ago. I didn''t want to miss this"


    Sara watched him exchange greeting with Muchen like they both knew each other well.


    "Why are you acting like a thief?" A voice startled her from behind. She turned to see it was Mr Pessi... Sorry... Chairman Li.


    She bowed to greet him and looked at him awkwardly. "Chairman Li. I''m really sorry for everything I said. I''m not really like that"


    He raised a brow at her "Are you sure you really are not like that?"


    Sara scratched her head awkwardly. "Maybe just a bit. But I''m actually a nice person."


    "Oh... I see. So...are you really friends with Miss Changyu or you begged her to say nice things about you to us?" He asked her with a teasing smile.


    "Of course not. I wouldn''t do something as shameless as that!" Sara denied resolutely.


    She had been able to deduce that this man didn''t have any problem with her so she became relaxed.


    Fazhan looked at her in confusion. Was this not the same person who asked him to do it just yesterday and even this evening?


    He shook his head. "I hope you haven''t forgotten your promise?" Fazhan asked her.


    "Promise? What promise?" Sara looked at him in confusion which caused him to scoff loudly.


    "You said you were going to introduce my son to a nice woman. I gave you the chance o f being my daughter-in-law but you rejected it"


    "How was I supposed to know Mr Li was your son? It''s actually partly your fault. You could have just told me from the beginning that he was your son. But you allowed me embarrass myself" Sara whined and pouted.


    It didn''t seem to register to her that she was scolding him. She was used to talking this way since it was the same way she spoke with her father.


    And this... was actually one of the things her father really wanted her to learn.


    Fazhan didn''t seem to mind as he exchanged words with her.


    "What? My fault?"


    She nodded. "You obviously recognised me. It was the reason you kept playing with me. I''ll tell Mr Li you''re asking me to introduce him to another woman"


    "What? You were the one who said that. Why are you lying against me in my presence?" He scoffed in disbelief. She was not only a psycho, she was also shameless.


    "Alright... But I only have one woman in mind. She is a perfect candidate and would suit your son completely."


    "You...are not talking about yourself are you?"  He cocked a brow at her.


    She placed both hands on her chest and grinned. "Of course it''s me."


    He shook his head and laughed out.


    "But Chairman Li... You...won''t tell Mr Li about those classes I''m taking right? I''ll die of embarrassment if you do"


    "Hmmmm..." He pretended to think. "Call me father-in-law and I won''t do it"


    "Father-in-law!" Sara shouted immediately.


    Fazhan could not help laughing. Yes... She was simply really shameless.


    "But...who is that man over there?" She gestured towards Mr Gold who was still speaking with Madam Li.


    "Why? Are you interested in him?"


    "Of course not!" She denied immediately.


    "He is an admin in the school I told you I was attending. He doesn''t recognise me as Sara Wang but Alice Feng. What if he sees me and tells your son about it?" Sara began to bite her finger nervously. "Is he close with Mr Li?" She inquired.


    "His grandmother and my mother were friends and classmates while growing up. Even after she relocated abroad and got married to a foreigner, they kept in touch and met each other often. His grandmother died last year but the ties remained."


    "Oh... I see"


    Sara''s eyes suddenly widened when Jerry looked at her direction. He furrowed his brow in confusion before excusing himself to come meet her.


    "He''s coming. He saw me. What do I do?" She asked Fazhan nervously.


    "You should talk to him before he tells Muchen about it."


    "I''m not ready for that please hide me" Sara moved behind him to hide but immediately Jerry got closer and greeted him with familiarity, he moved out of the way and exposed her to Jerry.


    Sara glared at him before murmuring "unreliable"


    He chortled gently and walked out to give them privacy.

 Chapter 238 - Wait for it

    Muchen had been wondering what Sara and his father had been laughing about. But now, even Jerry had gone to meet her. His girlfriend!?


    He didn''t want any another man looking at her like that. It was the very reason he hadn''t invited that fly, Mo Dexi.


    But now, Jerry was gisting with her in front of him!


    "They look good together" Sun whispered to Muchen when she noticed how he had been angrily staring at the two people standing opposite them.


    Muchen didn''t wait to hear more. He quickly stood up and hurried to where they were both standing.


    When Sara saw him approaching, she panicked. It was going to be a bad idea for both men to stand in front of her at the same time.


    "Sara... Can I see you outside for a minute?" Muchen asked.


    Jerry didn''t look really surprised like Sara had expected.


    He had always known Alice wasn''t her real name in the first place. He was just surprised to see her here and she had been chatting with Chairman Li.


    He looked at Muchen and Sara.


    "You don''t mind right?" Muchen asked him.


    "I don''t. We''ll just talk later." Jerry said to Sara.


    "I really hope there wouldn''t be a later though" Muchen muttered under his breath before walking towards the side door with Sara behind him.


    "Hehehe... I expected that." Fazhan said to his wife who had been watching the show with him.


    "You must really be having fun with her aren''t you?" Dana asked unimpressively.


    "Yes I am." He admitted.


    "Is it true that he also likes her?" She asked her husband.


    Fazhan followed her gaze and realised she was talking about Hoy who was in the middle of a conversation with Dr Long and another man.


    "Probably. Probably not" He answered before changing the topic. "Look there... Your daughter is having fun."


    He drew her attention to Heya who was laughing with Zhu Lian at the other end of the hall.


    A small smile formed on Dana''s face. Her relationship with Heya was still abit strained but she was happy to see her daughter tonight. Looking pretty, Socializing and even singing for her grandmother.


    "Do you think Zhu Lian is a good candidate?" She asked.


    "I already told you to not butt into your kids lives." Fazhan reminded her with a frown.


    ***


    "I''ve wanted to do this all day" Muchen pulled her into a hug as soon as they both entered inside the Ladies room.


    "Someone might think you''re a Prevert if they saw you in here" Sara said with a laugh before wrapping her hands around him to return the hug. Thankfully, he wasn''t asking her about Jerry.


    "I don''t like you talking to other men." He complained without pulling away from the hug.


    "I don''t like it too" She admitted. Yes! She didn''t want to talk to Mr Gold either.


    "I wanted to show you something" He said before taking out his phone from his pocket.


    He opened his browser and handed the phone to her.


    She saw it was a news about Sun''s birthday. They hadn''t  been reporters around so she could only guess the invited guests or just some nosy employees had uploaded it.


    There were also other pictures of the events that took place inside the hall but the one that actually caught her attention were the pictures of her that had been uploaded there.


    There were pictures of her standing on stage, standing beside Sun and Muchen on stage, standing beside Changyu who held her hand, and one where Muchen was talking to her. The last picture was one where she was talking to Li Fazhan.


    Everyone on the net seemed to be talking about her and the kind of people she associated herself with.


    People also wondered why the Lis would use her as their MC.


    ''Wow... Isn''t this the Sara Wang of the other time? She is so pretty. How did she know all  those people?'' One person commented


    ''Wtf!!! She''s the MC? Look at her standing beside CEO Li. As much as I hate to say this, they look perfect together.''


    ''Seems she is close with the Li family. Did you see the blush on her face when CEO Li stood in front of her? Maybe she is the Li family''s future daughter-in-law? Hahaha. I''m dreaming right? But she obviously has a crush on him. Good luck girl!''


    ''That''s Miss Changyu holding her like that? Oh my f*cling god!!''


    ''Just imagine she ends up with a member of the Li family. That''s going to be a big slap to Mo Jinyong''s face. Hahaha.."


    ''Who else can pull off something like that? Just look at her outfit. I want to marry her already.''


    Sara read on to see messages of people wanting her as an MC for their parties, people asking for any of her social media handle so they could follow her, people advising her to enter into the entertainment industry, people congratulating her for living a good life even after the betrayals she had faced.


    She used a hand to cover her mouth and blinked back tears as she raised her head to look up at Muchen.


    "Was this... the reason you asked me to do it?" No one seemed to see her as that ''Mo Jinyong''s Sara Wang'' again. She was now a ''Sara Wang with dignity''


    He pulled her into a hug and gently patted her back. "I''m glad it worked out. You''ll probably be receiving a lot of job offers now. I want you to live comfortably with or without me. But you''ll definitely live with me."


    He said and allowed her cry.


    "I.. can''t believe you actually did this. How did you think this far?" She asked in-between tears.


    "I have a smart brain that always think about how to make you happy."


    Sara used a hand to gently wipe off the tears on her face. "I should probably make a video to advertise DELIMEAL since I have a lot of fans now" She said sarcastically.


    Muchen laughed. "You don''t let go of an opportunity do you Miss Shareholder?" He remembered how she had bragged to him on the phone about being a shareholder.


    "I shouldn''t let go of opportunities. Thank you Mr Li. I don''t know how to repay you."  She said with a happy smile.


    "Hmmmm...we can start by ending the party. The guests need to go home." He said with a short laugh.


    After the party officially ended, everyone began to leave to go prepare for Christmas celebration with their different families. Sara could not count the number of cards she received from people there. She also couldn''t count the number of stink eyes she that were sent to her from the young women.


    Sun had to leave first. So her family gathered to see her off with the promise of meeting her tomorrow for Christmas.


    With a contended smile on her face, she entered inside the car that drove her home.


    "Miss Changyu" Sara called Changyu who was about entering her car.


    "Oh Sara... I''m glad things worked out well for you today. It seemed like his family do like you. I''m happy for you" She said earnestly.


    Sara smiled and nodded excitedly "I like them too"


    "It was nice meeting you dear. But I have to run home now"


    "About tomorrow..... Can you... Come to the restaurant?" Sara asked hopefully.


    "It''s Christmas and I would like you to come if you''re free"


    Changyu formed her lips into a thin line "I''m...not really sure about that"


    "Please. I really want you to come. You don''t have to stay long. You can leave as soon as you feel like" She negotiated.


    Changyu considered the offer. It was not as if she had anything or any place to go to tomorrow. "Okay. I''ll meet you there tomorrow then"


    "Yes!" Sara exclaimed excitedly. Her plan was slowly falling into place.


    ''Jianjin Wang... Wait for it!''

 Chapter 239 - CHRISTMAS

    This Christmas felt very different for everyone.


    Thankfully, it wasn''t snowing much outside so everyone could still go out to enjoy Christmas with their loved ones of they wished.


    As people walked down the streets, they were  entertained by wonderful shows and performances¡ª including the sight of people singing Carols on the streets.


    With a smile on her face, Sara''s gaze was fixed to her phone''s screen. Her eyes had refused to leave the text message she had received from Muchen early that morning. It read...


    ''Feliz Navidad Mi Amor'' 1


    Which meant ''Merry Christmas My Love'' in Spanish.


    As she read the message for the umpteenth time with a smile plastered on her face, She suddenly heard a scream from the sitting room. "Oh my God!!!!"


    She smiled knowingly when she heard Joreen''s voice. She must have seen the gift boxes she had left under the Christmas tree.


    She shuffled to the sitting room to see Jianjun and Joreen with a box on their hands. There was still a box left under the tree which belonged to Aunt Cixi who wasn''t around since she hadn''t been able to return home last night from the city she had gone to.


    "Merry Christmas People" Sara greeted again with a cheerful smile. She had placed the gifts there a few minute before Joreen woke up. Seeing Jianjun standing there also, it meant Joreen''s scream must have called him out of the kitchen.


    "You got these for us?" Jianjun asked in surprise.  He opened the box with his name on top of it and found a complete outfit of a shirt, trouser, shoe and wrist watch.


    Joreen opened hers to find a white and black ball gown, a small brown shoe and sockings.


    There was also a Christmas card on each box.


    Jianjun and Joreen both looked at Sara adoringly. They hadn''t expected her to do this so it was really a pleasant surprise.


    Joreen was the first to approach her with a hug to thank her for the gifts.


    "I''m very sorry I couldn''t get you both gifts this year." Jianjun apologized sincerely.


    "It''s okay dad. The restaurant had to be set up. You could always get us gifts next year"


    Joreen said first after pulling away from Sara''s embrace.


    "It''s fine. You should hurry to the store. You''ll be having a lot of customers today."


    She said with a wink.


    She had actually done it last night.


    She didn''t leave the hotel on time so with Muchen''s help, they both opened an Instagram account for her. She wasn''t a social media person and that was her first ever account.


    She didn''t wait to have thousands of followers like she had now before she left a video there to ask people to come to her father''s restaurant and had promised to serve them personally.


    A lot of people had reposted it, calling her humble for not denying her background and for being a filial daughter.


    A lot of people had also promised to come there.


    In fact, she also had tons of messages especially from guys who wanted to have her private number.


    And... She also had other plans for her father.


    She smirked evilly at the thought of Changyu''s appearance.


    **


    Over at Muchen''s house, they made plans to go visit grandmother Sun.


    They had to celebrate this year''s Christmas with her to make up for all the times they hadn''t.


    As Muchen, Minde and Heya ate breakfast, Heya noticed that something was up with Minde who had been sighing repeatedly and wasn''t eating much.


    "Bro... Are you okay? You don''t like the food?" Heya asked.


    Muchen actually had an amused expression on his face as he remembered what had happened just an hour ago.


    He had been in his study going through some documents online when Minde suddenly barged in with a laptop in his hand.


    "Seriously?" Muchen said in displeasure.


    "Bro look at this. See what I found" He ignored Muchen''s remark and placed the laptop in front of him then moved over to his side so he could point some things out for him.


    "Remember you asked me to check for the previous owner of the building Changyu owned and whether it was a Wang right? Well.. I have been into it since then and was finally able to get the names today."


    He used the cursor to point at two names on the screen.


    "Ma Shufen and Wang Jiahao" Muchen muttered. "This is really something.." He added.


    "Yes. I was even more flabbergasted when I realised that the building was gifted to them by the then president HE JIANHONG!" Minde exclaimed. "So they are Sara''s grandparents right? But why are there a lot of mysteries surrounding those two? I mean... Why was it so difficult to find it?" He asked.


    Muchen remained quiet. He tried to link everything together and how it could possibly be related to Changyu but he wasn''t coming up with anything.


    "Or do you think..." Muchen paused and then gasped.


    "What are you thinking in that head of yours now?" Muchen asked with a frown.


    "I mean, let''s try to analyse it properly. Miss Changyu newly cut ties with her family and forbade everyone from calling her a Song. Do you think... There is some kind of mystery behind her birth? Maybe she was Ma Shufen and Wang Jiahao''s secret daughter and they had given her the restaurant. Wow!" Minde concluded. There was no better way to analyse this case.


    Mucjen sighed and used a hand to massage his temple.


    "Sometimes, I wonder if we''re really from the same family. I really feel bad for Aunt and Uncle."


    Minde pouted when he heard Muchen. "But maybe it''s actually true. Did Sara tell you anything? Anything at all? What about her grandparents? Were are they?" He pressed on.


    "Go outside. And.. Send it to me. I have to go through the details myself"


    "No no no no" Minde wagged a finger in front of him before lifting the laptop from the desk. "We need to make a deal first" He negotiated.


    "You can just go back to your parent''s place then" Muchen said to him with his gaze back to his system.


    "Why are you being this way? It''s just a little thing you can help me fix. Please..."


    "What is it?"


    "My team leader....." Minde paused when he saw Muchen frown at him. "I know what you''re thinking... But that''s not it. I promise you." He added.


    "You want to mess with your team leader?" Muchen asked straightforwardly. "You promised to be in your best behaviour remember?"


    "I know. I don''t want to mess with her. I just need a favour from you."


    After he successfully ran out of the hotel he had stalked her to that day, he hadn''t been able to talk to her properly.


    Well, except for the time he was called into her office and got scolded for slacking off.


    Who did she think she was to scold him when she had skipped work to go meet her girlfriend?


    "So what exactly do you want?" Muchen asked.


    "I want her to know I am Li Minde. She doesn''t respect me at all. I just want to see the look on her face when she realises who I truly am" He said firmly.


    "Okay then. So send it" Muchen agreed immediately.


    Minde could not believe Muchen had actually agreed just like that. Out of excitement, he didn''t even wait till he got out before he sent it. He placed the laptop on Muchen''s desk and quickly transferred everything to him.


    "Remember our deal. You''re left with your part." Minde said happily.


    With his attention on the document he had just been sent, he said to Minde. "About that...


    Miss Kim Eva actually knows who you are"


    Minde''s smile turned to a frown and his eyes bulged out "What!?"


    Merry Christmas my love

 Chapter 240 - A Christmas tip

    "Yes. It''ll be ready in a minute" Sara said to a customer with a smile on her face before heading towards the kitchen with an empty tray on her hand.


    The middle aged customer looked at her retreating figure lustfully. He admired her body on the brown sweater, black skinnies and black boot she was wearing. Even her dangling ponytail fascinated him for no reason at all but because he was simply a pervert.


    He concluded that she was very much prettier than those annoying models and actresses he sponsored.


    "You should focus" A friend of his hit him playfully which caused the other two on the table to laugh at him.


    "I can''t help it. She''s even more prettier without make-up" He said with a laugh.


    As soon as she entered inside the kitchen, she used both hands to massage her numb cheeks which were as a result of her effort to smile to every customer all day.


    "Ah... Smiling is stressful" She complained to Jianjun.


    "They didn''t force you to smile. You can just be polite instead" Jianjun said from beside the fire.


    "Smiling is my only way of being polite" Sara pointed out to him.


    The restaurant had been full all morning. Their major problem was the table and space to fit in the customers and also, the waiters to attend to them.


    Sara and Bilike were already helping out with the servings but they obviously needed more hands to help. His employee, Lisa, do join them to wait on customers whenever there was lesser work for Jianjun in the kitchen. It seemed she was more interested in cooking than in serving and Jianjun was very much interested in teaching her.


    Thankfully, Some customers had decided to have takeouts instead so it reduced the trouble.


    "Put up a ''Closed'' sign in twenty minutes. I need enough time to make more dishes"


    Jianjun said to Sara.


    It was just two in the afternoon but that was going to be the second time they''ll be putting up the ''Closed'' sign.


    Sara didn''t have the time to talk with any of them since they were all busy. Even Joreen was helping them arrange the drinks and had resused to go to the Christmas party her school had organised for the students.


    She was obviously still hurt and probably embarrassed after what happened during the prize giving day.


    Sara could not wait for Cixi to come back so they''ll finally know the idiot who had done that to her.


    She went back to serve some customers who were happy to have her attention and even asked to take photos with her.


    As she was about entering inside the kitchen again, her eyes caught sight of a familiar figure entering inside the restaurant.


    It was a young lady who held a little boy''s hand as they both approached where she was standing. She was tall, slender, pretty and was wearing a Faux-fur coat, leather pants and a thigh high boot. Her long dark hair was let loose and her make-up was moderate. The little buy who seemed to be around nine years old was wearing a cardigan, dark Jean and snow Boot.


    "Martha!" Sara called in surprise. She hadn''t expected to see her here. It was the same lady from the etiquette class who called her poor and mannnerless.


    Before Sara decided to upload the video online to invite people to her father''s restaurant last night, she had been prepared for her cover to be blown. And this was just the beginning of this.


    "No wonder I thought you looked familiar. You''re actually Sara Wang." Martha snickered as soon as she got to where Sara was standing.


    "Hello Sis. Long time." The little boy Martha was holding greeted Sara familiarly with a smile on his face.


    She looked at the boy who was probably around nine years old questioningly. She realised he looked familiar but she couldn''t remember where she had met him before. But suddenly, it clicked.


    "Oh.. You were the one with Jin Cearo the other time right? His nephew?"  Sara asked him.


    She was surprised he had recognised her immediately when she hadn''t.


    The little boy nodded happily. Of course he remembered her. She had been the one who convinced Heya to sing an English song so he could win a ticket to the WCI concert he had enjoyed so much.


    "Oh wow! Nice to meet you dear. Merry Christmas" She said to him with a friendly pat on his shoulder.


    "You two know each other?" Martha asked in surprise with a raised brow.


    "You are Jin Cearo''s sister?" Sara asked back.


    "I guess both our covers are blown then. I''m Jin Cherry. This is my son Michael." Cherry introduced the little boy to her.


    Sara was a bit surprised since she hadn''t known that Martha or rather... Cherry was married and had a son.


    A group of customers entered through the door so Sara quickly said to her...


    "I really have to hurry in. You need takeouts? Sorry, the place is full so they''re no vacant seats" She apologized.


    "Sure. I''ll have them. I hear you serve Chicken rolls with sesame seeds. Michael loves them to I''ll have two servings"


    Sara smiled politely before going back inside the kitchen. When she came back a few minutes later, she didn''t see Cherry or Michael anywhere.


    "Did you see the lady that was just standing here with a little boy?" Sara asked the nearest customer beside her.


    "Oh. She went outside not quite long" The lady answered.


    She thanked her and went outside with the food bag in hand. She did not forget to change the ''open'' sign to a ''closed'' on her way out.


    When she got outside, she saw Cherry and Michael standing beside a White Mercedes-maybach S 560 4Matic. For a minute, she forgot that she was there to deliver something as she admired the car with and suddenly remembered that Muchen had a black S 650 model.


    When her consciousness came back, she looked at Cherry and Michael and It looked like Cherry was having an argument with the person sitting in the back seat of the car.


    "I only came out to get something. Why are you overreacting?" Cherry asked the person inside the car angrily.


    Sara wasn''t interested in their conversation. She was very busy so she had to deliver the food to Cherry and go help out inside. She was also waiting for Changyu who had informed her that she was stuck in traffic and would be coming very soon.


    "Miss Cherry. Your food is here" Sara raised the bag to show Cherry as she approached her.


    "See?" Cherry said to the person inside the car.


    "I have to go make the payment with my card before leaving" She explained in annoyance.


    Sara watched as the back door of the car opened.


    And for the first time, she saw the person Cherry had been talking to.


    It was a woman in her Mid or late fourties. She was not very tall, had a long dark hair, slim figure and a small pretty face. She was wearing a red and black plaid coat and Jeans with a wedge shoe. Her hair was in a bun, her make-up, mild and her jewelries, loud.


    When her eyes landed on Sara, the woman looked at her with and unreadable expression without saying anything for close to a minute.


    Maybe because she saw that her look made Sara uncomfortable, she moved her gaze to look inside the car. She then brought out a small white purse and took out some cash notes from inside.


    "Here. This should be more than enough for the meal right?"


    Cherry scoffed in annoyance. "What do you think you are doing?"


    Sara was a bit skeptical about it but she took the notes from her and began to count.


    "Can''t you tell? I''m paying for my daughter and grandson''s meal. You can just quietly get in the car and stop embarrassing yourself. Michael... Come to grandmother"


    The woman tried to hold Michael''s hand but Cherry quickly pulled the boy behind her.


    Sara furrowed her brow and looked intently at the woman again. Why did she look so familiar? It seemed she had seen her before but she could not remember at all.


    It was a family''s business and none of hers so she simply did what she came here for.


    "Here. The change is over" She said to the woman who looked back at her with that same expression Sara couldn''t read.


    She stretched her hand to give the woman the excess change but she didn''t take it.


    "You can just keep it. A little Christmas tip for you" She said to Sara before looking back at Cherry.


    "Your father wants you home this minute. So get in" She said in a gentle but authoritative tone.


    There was something about this woman that seemed to give Sara the creeps.


    She looked at Cherry whose expression had turned sour.


    Sara watched as Cherry grumbled before stopping an empty taxi which was just close by.


    As the woman and Sara watched, Cherry sat down at the back seat of the taxi after Michael did. It seemed the boy didn''t have a choice. He simply did whatever his mother asked him to do.


    "I''ll see you some other time. Merry Christmas Sara." Cherry said sadly before the taxi drove off.


    The woman turned to look at Sara with no much change in her expression. "Your name is Sara?" She asked.


    It was at that point that she noticed she was still holding the ''little Christmas tip'' in her hand.


    "Yes. Here''s your money. It''s too much for a tip"


    The woman looked up and down at her before running her eyes over the restaurant. She said nothing to Sara neither did she make any move to take the money from her. She simply entered side the car and the driver drove off immediately.

 Chapter 241 - Wanted Vs Unwanted guests.

    The woman''s face kept popping up in Sara''s mind even after she returned back inside the restaurant.


    She knew she had obviously seen the woman before but why couldn''t she remember?


    With the little time she got to check out the woman, she could vaguely guess that the woman had gone under the knife for some kind of facial modification since her eyes and nose didn''t look quite natural to her.


    Was that perhaps, the reason she couldn''t remember her?


    Had she seen her before she went for a plastic surgery? That''s if she did.


    Or was she a sister to someone she had met before?


    Sara sighed. She was just going to ask Cherry the next they met. So for now, she decided to push every thought about the woman aside.


    Six out of the eleven tables inside the restaurant were free already. It was going to take up to two hours before Jianjun opened again since he also needed to rest as much as they did.


    The perverted man from earlier, signalled for Sara to

 Chapter 242 - Sit with us

    Changyu raised her head when she heard her name to look at the young woman who just entered.


    She had noticed this young ''Santa'' ever since she came in and it seemed like she was actually here for Jianjun.


    She had decided not to pay much mind to it and surf the net instead. Aside from the Merry Christmas wishes from the government, big organisations and others, the trending news was that of Sara and the Lis.


    She had been looking at a picture of herself and Sara that was taken inside the hall.


    Most of the comments was about her ''dope'' dress sense and many wishes from people to be like her when they grew up.


    Some others also commented on how both women looked very much alike, asking jocularly whether Sara was her long lost daughter.


    The comment had brought s smile to her face as she thought...''I do have a long lost daughter. But it''s not her''


    "Is that..... Miss Song Changyu?" It was at that point that Changyu raised her head to look at Miss

 Chapter 243 - But I want to talk to you.

    Sara smiled contendedly when Jianjun finally sat down beside her. Now, they were both sitting opposite Changyu, whose attention was on the food she was eating.


    Jianjun pinched Sara''s left hand that was placed on her thigh which caused her to flinch in pain while his face remained straight like he did nothing.


    Changyu''s gaze was solely on her food as she chewed gently. Not once did she raise her head to look at the both of them or the others who were looking at her with curious eyes. Even Lisa was busy taking pictures of her.


    "What do you think?" Sara asked.


    "It''s okay." Changyu said without raising her head.


    ''What? It''s okay?'' Jianjun thought maybe he didn''t hear her correctly. Did she just give an ''it''s okay'' remark and that was it?


    He sighed in annoyance but decided against saying something to her.


    When Sara heard him sigh, she almost laughed out. She felt bad for her father whose ego was probably bruised right now.


    "Thank you very much for the compliment Miss Song. I''ll go get busy now" He said before standing up.


    Her chopsticks stopped mid air and she slowly lowered the Chicken she had just been about placing inside her mouth back to the bowl. "It''s Miss Changyu." She corrected unhappily and for the first time since he placed the food and drink in front of her, she raised her head to looked at him.


    He stared right back without flinching, to the point where the ambiguous atmosphere became obvious to everyone present there.


    A knock on the door drew their attention and when they all turned to look at who it was this time, they all saw Cixi standing there.


    She was wearing a leopard print coat, leather pants and a white faux-fur ankle boot. Her hair was let loose and her face had just a little make-up.


    When Jianjun saw her, he immediately looked at Changyu who was also looking at the door. And he noticed how tensed she was even if it wasn''t obvious to the others.


    He knew it was going to be a bad idea if Cixi saw her there but there was nothing else he could do.


    To the others, Changyu looked as composed as ever as she watched Sara open the door for Cixi to come in.


    "Aunt! You''ve missed half the day already. Merry Christmas." Sara greeted her with a hug.


    As Cixi hugged her back with a smile on her face, her eyes suddenly caught sight of the woman sitting down besides where her brother was standing.


    "Miss Wang. It''s nice to see you. Merry Christmas" Miss Kang immediately moved to where Cixi was to greet her. She had been feeling down since everyone neglected her. She had taken the pain to come celebrate Christmas with them but look what she got...


    The only one who always tried to ship her together with Jianjun was Cixi and so, she liked Cixi a lot.


    The smile on Cixi''s face vanished as she looked at Changyu who was staring right back at her.


    "What are you doing here?" Cixi asked in a gentle but cold tone.


    "Mum. That is Miss Changyu. You remember her right?" Joreen asked her mother since they had all seen her faint in front of Mr Chu''s house the other day.


    "Eating" Changyu replied to Cixi''s question with a calm voice.


    Cixi looked at Jianjun with disappointment written all over her face. She couldn''t believe that her brother had actually allowed this woman come in here and not only that, he had even fed her.


    "Aunt what are you doing? She''s a guest!" Sara tugged the hem of her dress to get her attention.


    She had been able to deduce that her Aunt didn''t like Miss Changyu very much and it was going to be a big problem in her shipping plan.


    Cixi ignored her and moved closer to Changyu. Now, Changyu ate quietly like she wasn''t there at all.


    "Changyu... What do you think you are doing here?" She asked again with an annoyed expression.


    Changyu carefully placed her chopsticks on the table before standing up. "Sorry. I was starving. If you''re free now, I''d like to speak with you" She said to her politely.


    Cixi looked at her almost empty bowl and scoffed. Who did this woman think she was? Anyway, she wouldn''t blame her. She turned to look at Jianjun angrily. "Did you call her here?"


    "Aunt stop it already. It was I who invited her over"


    Everyone watched on with wide eyes as realisation dawned on them that they all knew each other.


    Of course for Bilike and Joreen, they could have easily guessed it but Lisa and Miss Kang were totally stupefied.


    "I only came to eat." Changyu explained. "And please.. I would like to talk to you. Can we go outside?" Changyu pleaded with her.


    She really did not know how to face Cixi. And as much as she really wanted to apologize, she didn''t look forward to this moment. In fact, she had been a little scared when she saw Cixi through the glass door.


    She knew she couldn''t avoid it now. She had to sincerely apologize on behalf of her parents.


    "I don''t want to talk to you! Who do you think you are to come in here? Didn''t it all start with you coming to eat many years ago also? What are you going to do this time?" Cixi yelled angrily at her.


    After getting the laptop last night, she couldn''t return back and had just slept in an hotel in the town. While returning home today, she had gotten stuck in one traffic or the other for hours.


    Because she didn''t want to go inside the restaurant with the laptop bag, she went into their apartment first and freshened up so she could come spend the Christmas with her family but who would have thought that things would turn out this way for her?


    "Cixi calm down."


    Jianjun who had been quiet the entire time finally said something.


    Changyu thought she saw Jianjun give her an apologetic look but she wasn''t sure that was it. Why would he give her an apologetic look?


    Why did everybody hate her so much? She asked herself.


    "I should calm down? Are you seriously asking me to calm down?" She asked her brother in disbelief. She had promised to hate her for the both of them. In fact, for the entire family.


    She knew her brother might still foolishly be in love with this devil of a woman but seeing this unfold before her eyes, she was really perplexed.


    She looked around to see Miss Kang, Joreen, Bilike and Lisa looking at the scene with profound interest.


    "But I want to talk to you" Changyu managed to say to her.


    Cixi glared at her before heading towards the door and without looking back, she left the restaurant with Sara running after her.


    "Sorry about this. I''ll make the payments and leave quietly." Changyu apologized to Jianjun without looking at him.


    As she walked past him to go meet Lisa, Jianjun took in a deep breath before he said to her "Do you... have a minute?"


    After the words came out, he wished he could take it back immediately but now, there was nothing he could do about it. He had asked her already and it was left for her to give him an answer.


    But the problem was... He didn''t know what he wanted to say to her. He had probably stopped her from leaving because she looked sad.


    He inwardly scolded himself for falling for this woman''s tricks again.


    This Christmas was really something else!

 Chapter 244 - Allergy

    Changyu turned around to hear what Jianjun wanted to say. Since no one wanted her there, wasn''t it best for her to just leave quietly?


    She decided to just apologize to Cixi another day. She already felt bad for ruining Christmas for this family because she didn''t want to celebrate Christmas all by herself this year.


    She didn''t blame Cixi though. She believed she would have acted the exact same way if the reverse was the case.


    "What is it?" She asked Jianjun expressionlessly.


    She had noticed how Miss Xia something Kang or whatever her name was had been looking at her. She had been able to guess that this young lady liked Jianjun. Even now as she looked at her direction, Changyu could see how the woman was intently staring at her and Jianjun.


    "Come with me" He said to her before leading her to a little room beside the kitchen.


    "What just happened?" Bilike asked no one in particular as he looked at the direction they had both walk past.


    "Wow... I had no idea the Wang''s knew her. This is surprising" Lisa chipped in from her corner and immediately got busy with her phone.


    "Don''t upload anything sister Lisa. Dad is going to be mad" Joreen said to her before going to sit down at the far end of the restaurant with a sad expression. She wondered why her mother had reacted that way and suddenly left.


    The only one who remained completely quiet was Miss Kang. None of them knew exactly what the woman was thinking.


    The little room they both entered was where they made accounts and kept their records. Three wooden chairs were placed around a wodden table and there were some papers stacked on the table but the entire place looked neat and organised.


    Changyu stood awkwardly after following him in. Truthfully, she didn''t know why she had followed him in here in the first place. But it was the first time he was willing to say something to her. Wasn''t it best for her to at least listen?


    Maybe he was finally going to apologize to her right? She though hopefully.


    "You should sit." Jianjun said after pulling out a chair for her.


    He had already performed the action before he thought about what he just did. Why on earth did he do that!? He scolded himself again.


    Changyu didn''t think much about it and just sat down with her legs crossed and hands folded in front of her chest as she eagerly waited to hear what Jianjun wanted to say.


    After sitting down opposite her, he cleared his throat awkwardly before speaking.


    "About earlier..."


    "Yea I''m sorry about that. I really shouldn''t have come. Sorry for disrupting your business" She cut him off to sincerely apologize sincerely.


    She didn''t regret coming though. Eating the food had actually given her the nostalgic feeling Sara had talked about. It was the reason she couldn''t stop eating even though she had tasted the Sesame seed which she was actually allergic to.


    "I....was going to say¡ª" He paused and looked closely at her but was interrupted by something and so he stopped mid sentence.


    He noticed her face was really flushed and he began to wonder why her face looked like that all of a sudden. Was she embarrassed or something?


    But then, an action seemed to get his attention. He saw her scratch around her throat area. And he remembered he had seen her scratch it a couple of times already.


    "Are you....okay?" He asked in concern before standing up to get a closer look at her. He realised he was sounding really worried but there was nothing he could do about it even if he had tried to ask the next question in a less concerned voice but it didn''t seem to have worked also. "Are you sick?"


    "Can you.. go outside for a minute?" She blinked a couple of times before standing up with wobbly feet.


    "Don''t worry, I don''t intend to steal anything here" She added in a gentle voice.


    Jianjun only sighed and didn''t think twice before going to stand outside the door to give her privacy for whatever she was about to do.


    After about three minutes, he heard her gentle voice say.. "You can come in"


    He gently opened the door and saw her sitting on the chair she had been sitting on eearlier, with her head buried on the table.


    He gradually approached her and when he got to where she was sitting with her head down on the table, with quivering hands, he gently tugged her turtleneck down a bit and was shocked to see the red rashes on her neck.


    His action caused her to lift her head and pull her turtleneck back up.


    "You....are allergic to something?" He asked with wide eyes. Why didn''t he ever know about it? He was very sure that it was related to the food he had served her a couple of minutes ago. But at least, he was supposed to know what she was allergic to right?


    Changyu didn''t respond to his question and just asked back.


    "You wanted to say something earlier right?"


    "I asked you a question" He countered in displeasure.


    "It was just a little allergy. Why are you getting all worked up like you even care?"


    "Just a little allergy? Your face was red and swollen and can you see your neck right now? And how come I know nothing about it?"


    Changyu scoffed before standing up and muttering under her breath. "Someone might think you are really worried about me. Were you afraid that I was going to die in your restaurant? I''ll leave now if you have nothing else to say."


    She tried to walk past him but unconsciously, he pulled her back by her hand.


    Changyu was a bit startled and turned to look at him. "What....are...you doing...right now?" She stuttered.


    He blinked awkwardly before slowly releasing her hand.


    He thought of something to say and after a couple of seconds, he was finally able to awkwardly say... "Did you take your medication right now?" He asked her softly.


    Changyu stared right back at him before bobbing her head up and down.


    "Why do you never take proper care of your health?" He berated her before stopping himself to take a quick breath. "Just rest here for a bit before you go out." He added.


    "I''m okay. You can just go do your thing" She said to him with fluttering eyelashes as she tried to avoid eye contact with him.


    "Sit! Stop being stubborn" He said to her in displeasure.

 Chapter 245 - You are my problem

    "Aunt please wait. Why are you being like this?" Sara asked Cixi in frustration as they both walked towards the door, with Cixi planning to leave the house with her luggage.


    Ever since they both left the restaurant, she had been trying to get her aunt''s attention and it hurt her so much that she had refused to pay attention to her at all.


    She quickly hurried to stand between Cixi and the door in other to stop her from leaving. When she successfully stood between her aunt and the door, she spread her hands wide and looked at her aunt with pleading eyes.


    "What do you think you are doing right now?" Cixi asked in annoyance.


    "Let''s talk. You can''t just leave like this. How do you think Dad and Joreen is going to feel? How do you think I am going to feel by leaving like this? I already told you it was I who invited her. Scold me instead of leaving...please"


    Sara pleaded.


    "Oh really?" Cixi dropped her luggage bag on the floor and folded her hands around her chest.


    "I guess none of you did put into consideration how I would feel before inviting her over."


    "That''s the point.   What the hell did she do? I have no idea so how was I supposed to know about not bringing her here?"


    "Don''t you dare lie to me Sara! I am very much aware your father had told you several times to stay away from her. But you still brought her in here."


    "That''s not enough reason Aunt. You can''t ask me to stop having ice cream without giving me a concrete reason why I shouldn''t. What if I really like it?"


    "Are you saying... you like Changyu?" Cixi asked in a hurt tone.


    "Of course I like her. So can you please tell me the reason why I shouldn''t?" Sara asked with a pleading voice.


    Cixi bit her lips before asking in a gentle voice. "By chance.... Do you know anything about her?"


    "I only know she worked in grandparent''s restaurant. I also know she liked father a lot but he doesn''t seem to like her back."


    ''Even though I doubt that.'' She said in her mind.


    Cixi laughed dryly when she heard her. "Was that...what she told you? What a crazy woman!"


    Although she laughed like that, she was still feeling slightly relieved that Sara didn''t know anything else about her. It was going to mess things up if she knew Changyu was her birth mother.


    "Aunt please. I have always wanted to talk to you about this. So please let''s just talk."


    "I''ll agree to talk to you if only you promise to never meet with her again. Do you promise me?"


    Sara bit down on her lower lip gently before shaking her head. "I''m sorry Aunt. I cannot promise you that. I need to hear the reason first."


    Cixi scoffed in annoyance. "I can''t belief you are all doing this to me today."


    She took hurried steps back to the bedroom again and this time, Sara wondered what she was going to do this time. She knew her Aunt was not deciding to stay back because her luggage was still on the floor close to the door.


    Soon, she saw Cixi open Joreen''s wardrobe and began to pack her things into a bag also.


    "What are you doing now?" Sara asked in a panic. "Aunt stop it"


    She tried to take the clothes from her but Cixi was quick and pushed her away. Since she hadn''t been prepared for it, she fell down and looked at her Aunt with hurt eyes as she remained sitted on the floor.


    Cixi stooped what she was doing, sighed, and turned to look at Sara.


    "I''m tired of this. I am tired of all of these! We are family. And for the Wang''s, family comes first. How....how could you all do this to me? I am beginning to feel like I am the only sane person in this family."


    She tried to blink back tears as she spoke to Sara but some still escaped from her eyes.


    "That woman....her parent''s killed our parents. They killed your grandparents!" She paused and raised her head to look up at the white ceiling before she continued. "She did nothing about it. Throughout that time, she didn''t even appear once. Not once to stop them. Do you know what happened to us? Do you know how hard we fell to the floor? You think all of that can go away just because you simply like her?"


    Cixi could not control it any more and this time, she began to cry.


    Sara looked at her with shock written all over her face. "Miss....Chang... Yu''s parents killed... grandparents? She stuttered in disbelief.


    She had never expected that at all!


    "Isn''t that enough reason to hate her?" Cixi asked in-between tears.


    ****


    "Just rest here for a bit before you go out."


    "I''m okay. You can just go do your thing" Chanyu said to Jianjun with fluttering eyelashes as she tried to avoid eye contact with him.


    "Sit! Stop being stubborn" He said to her in displeasure.


    "Who do you think you are controlling?" She asked with a glare.


    She could not remember the last time she was told what to do by someone else. But now, he was actually using an authoritative voice to ask her to sit down.


    Did he think she was easily controlled about? If she was, then she wouldn''t have been the number one Changyu!


    "You!" He said to her nonchalantly before adding... "You are the one I''m controlling"


    She scoffed at him before picking up a few papers from the desk and then, threw it at him.


    "What do you think you are doing?" He asked immediately he felt some papers hit his chest and face.


    "What does it look like I''m doing?" She hmphed before sitting back down with her hands crossed around her chest.


    "If you knew you were going to sit, why did you throw a tantrum? Even my Seven years old neice does not throw unnecessary tantrums" He added before turning to walk out.


    He wasn''t surprised when he felt some more papers hit his back.


    He closed his eyes, took in a deep breath and turned to look at her.


    "What''s really your problem? I''m curious"


    "You... You are my problem." She stood up and moved closer to him before muttering.


    "You annoying jerk!"


    £¬

 Chapter 246 - No matter what, he loves her.

    "You annoying jerk" Changyu muttered to Jianjun who stared back at her in disbelief.


    "You....are referring to me right now?" He asked with a finger pointing at his self.


    "I need to be sure of something. Are you sure you are not possessed by an evil spirit?"


    "I am possessed? I want to ask you one question. Just one question...." She looked at him carefully, hoping that he would agree to hear her out instead of his usual style of walking away.


    When she noticed he was not planning to walk out, she went on to ask..


    "Aren''t you curious?"


    "About what?" He asked her back after a few seconds of silence.


    "Our child..." Changyu paused. It was the first time she was raising the issue about their child with him and it felt slightly awkward.


    But she wanted to at least know. He had told her he wasn''t interested in her and their child. But at least, he should be curious right? He should at least ask her how she''s been and what happened to their child. Did this really mean that he truly had never loved her?


    Jianjun almost laughed when he heard her question. She had been the one who promised to get rid of their child and she had done just that. So why was she asking him? Was he supposed to thank her for abandoning their child on that cold night?


    "I''m not curious. You promised to get rid of it and I believe you did just that. So why should I be?" He asked expressionlessly.


    Changyu''s eyes gradually began to water when she heard him. Unexpectedly, Jianjun felt her hand hit his face.


    "You are the worse kind of person. How can you say that to me? Was I a joke to you all along? Because I threw myself at you, was it fun for you to use and dump me?"


    She accused with teary eyes and began to hit her fist on his chest repeatedly.


    Jianjun stood there without budging an inch.


    He watched her with furrow brows as she cried and hit him and he could not help but begin to wonder whether she had a mental problem.


    He was supposed to say those words to her so why was she using it instead? He was supposed to ask her why she dumped him, why she said she regretted meeting him. So why was she accusing him right now?


    "Stop it already. You''re becoming annoying" He said in displeasure.


    "You owe me an apology you bastard!"


    "For what exactly?" He asked back in confusion. "I used and dumped you? You were the one who abandoned me first! It was you who did."


    "I did? I did?" Changyu looked around for something to probably throw at him or destroy. But then, she remembered that this wasn''t her home.


    They both quietly stared at each other for a while and the only sound they could both hear was their ragged breath.


    "I have to go open the store now" He said. He wasn''t in the mood to banter with her about an issue that happened between them over two decades ago. It was best to leave instead.


    Changyu sighed deeply. "I''ll leave also." She took her bag from the table and pushed past him but was startled when he suddenly pulled her back by her hand.


    She stopped walking to look at him. "What? Didn''t you say you were going to open the ¡ª"


    Before she could finish, he pulled her into a hug and firmly wrapped his hands around her waist.


    Changyu''s eyes widened in surprise. She tried to say something but nothing came out except an hiccup.


    "I didn''t use and dump you. But....you really did hurt me." He explained sadly. "The others are waiting for me...so I really have to go now. But...I''d really like for us to talk tonight. There are a lot of questions I need to ask. You can ask yours also."


    He was finally open to discuss what had happened between them.


    It was the reason he had never wanted to listen to her or see her in the first place. Because if he did, he would want to listen to her and even though she was really at fault, he would want to forgive her. He felt bad for Cixi. But he couldn''t do a thing about it. Because no matter what, he loved this woman.


    He had realised a long time ago that they''re people you can''t just hate no matter how hard you tried. Even after thinking an rethinking everything he had gone through, he still couldn''t hate her. He was only hurt and his parents death had made things even worse. But...he could never hate her. And if only she could tell him that she regretted abandoning their child, then, he was willing to forgive and forget.


    Changyu pursed her lips and desperately tried to stop her tears from flowing. She didn''t know why he said he hurt her when she had been the one who was hurt. But right now, she was feeling really sick and nauseous¡ªan effect from the food she had eaten a while back.


    "Alright. Let''s talk about it later. I also have something to do so I''ll leave now." She pulled away from the hug and went through the door while he sinoly stood there limply.


    It had always been like that with her. She had never wanted him to see her sick. It was the reason he didn''t know about her allergy even though they had both worked in his parents'' restaurant for months. Whenever he fed her anything with Sesame seeds back then, she didn''t waste time before accepting it and then go into the bathroom to inject herself with an epinephrine.


    It was the same now. She didn''t want him to see her sick or know she was sick.


    She saw how the other people inside the restaurant looked at her curiously. She simply gave them all a bow before leaving to where her car was parked.


    She tried not to cry at all as she walked. It was still daytime and they were people who obviously recognised her on the busy street.


    So, she held it in. ''No matter what, you must not cry'' She reminded herself over and over again.


    Finally, she saw her car in sight. But not only her car, she also saw Sara sitting on the hood of her Blue Chevrolet Camaro.


    When Sara raised her head to look at her, Changyu saw her bloodshot eyes like she had cried.


    She could only guess that Cixi must have told her something.


    She braced herself as she prepared to have her ''Angry-Wang'' third encounter for the day.


    Sara stood up when she saw Changyu approach and slowly walked to where she was to meet her midway.


    "Miss Changyu..."


    Changyu looked at Sara and said in a very low voice. "I guess you have a question.."


    Sara nodded and tried to blink back tears when she remembered what Cixi had told her. She guessed it was probably the reason why her father hated her and didn''t want her to have anything to do with Changyu.


    "Miss Changyu..." Sara took a few steps so she was standing directly in front of Changyu.


    "I only have one question.... Were you....aware about what your parents did to my grandparents? I desperately want to believe you had no idea. So please.... Tell me the truth" Sara pleaded. "Tell me you didn''t know"


    Changyu''s eyes blinked rapidly as she tried to stop her tears from flowing.


    The place her car was parked wasn''t very crowded but they were still people around.


    Changyu nodded. "I know about it. But..... I only found out recently."


    Sara closed her eyes and sighed in relief. And when she opened it again, tears flowed down from her eyes.


    Gently, she pulled Changyu into her embrace. "I knew it. I knew I could believe you. You don''t seem like that kind of person" Sara said to her with tears in her eyes.


    "You.....really believe me?" Changyu stuttered. She had been trying to explain this to her father and aunt but none of them wanted to hear her out or believe her. This was the first time someone was asking her this question and not only that, she said she believed her?


    "I believe you. You must have been hurt" Sara said before she began to gently pat her back.


    Changyu no longer cared whether there were people around or not. She broke down in tears and hugged Sara back.


    "I knew you were smarter than that dumb father of yours. I wasn''t wrong about that." She said in-between tears.

 Chapter 247 - flashback to earlier.

    Sara looked at Cixi with shock written all over her face. "Miss....Chang... Yu''s parents killed... grandparents? She stuttered in disbelief.


    She had never expected that at all!


    "Isn''t that enough reason to hate her?" Cixi asked in-between tears.


    Sara staggered up and moved closer to Cixi.


    "It...it really is true?" As much as she tried to not believe it, she really couldn''t help it if it was the truth.


    "Would I make up such stories? Her parents did that. And she couldn''t stop them. How do you expect me to see her and act normal? Do you even expect me to listen to whatever nonsense she has to say? But you....you had to bring her here. In front of me!"


    Cixi sounded extremely hurt as she spoke with tears running down her eyes and down to her cheeks.


    Sara could not control it and also found herself crying with her Aunt.


    Was this the reason why her father had been living this way? Was that why he was always sad?


    "What happened? Why did they do it?"


    Sara asked her. She was really curious to know the reason why Changyu''s parents did that to them.


    "Your father liked her. It was..."


    She paused to cry for a bit before she continued.  "It was the only mistake he made. He loved her so much and I really feel bad and terrible because I had been the one trying to bring them together. I thought she genuinely liked him. But..."


    She stopped talking and plumped down on the bed with both of her hands covering her face as she cried to the memories of the past.


    Sara sat down beside her and patiently waited for her to say something.


    "I was preparing for my exams in school abroad as at the time it all happened. I had no idea what was up here since I was in medical school. I guess they hadn''t wanted me to know about it because no one told me what was happening back home. No one told me the restaurant had been closed by the government and that your grandfather was in prison for a crime he hadn''t committed. No one told me your grandmother was beaten when she tried to meet that witch."


    Sara''s tears flowed even more as she heard her Aunt speak. With the way Cixi was sounding, Sara understood how hurt she felt.


    "Can you imagine the thought of living without your father? Imagine Mr Li''s parents doing something bad to this family. Are you ever going to forgive him or forgive them at all?"


    She stood up and looked at Sara with glazed eyes. "Her parents didn''t want her to have anything to do with us especially after they found out that she was dating your father. At first, we didn''t know she was from that ''Song'' family because she hid it from us and told us she was from an average family. We knew how ruthless those people were because even the government and police didn''t have a say in whatever they did. If we had known, we wouldn''t have allowed her to work in the restaurant since everyone avoided that family like a plague. If I had known.....I wouldn''t have tried to ship her with your father. Every single day, I feel like it was all my fault. I don''t even want to start thinking about how I returned home after I began to hear rumours from school mates who were also from Country B, to find out that my father was dead. I don''t want to talk about how Changyu never came all those years to apologize. I don''t want to mention how my mother died from hardship and heartbreak. I don''t even want to mention how your father and I lived¡ªhow I dropped out of school, how we had to use our last cash to leave this country because a lot of people treated us like criminals. We would have just thought it was bad luck. It would have been easier to accept that it was all bad luck. But that witch''s parents came to us to tell us how they had warned my father and promised him that he was going to get rid of all of us. They also told us Changyu was going to get married to a Governor''s son or something like that and he made a stupid remark saying he was the winner while we were the loser." Cixi laughed drying as she narrated. "Her father promised to spare us if only your grandmother knelt down to beg them and also made your father swear to never meet her again." Cixi began to cry again as she added. "Do you know how painful it was seeing my mother kneel down before those dirty things and we couldn''t do anything? Your father had also reluctantly swore to never ever see that woman again till the day he dies."


    Life seemed to have been drained out of Cixi as she remembered everything. The memories she hadn''t wanted to remember.


    The Songs should be grateful that she wasn''t planning on taking revenge. So she would also prefer it if Changyu stayed on her own¡ªaway from all of them.


    But then, remembering her brother still loved that woman regardless of everything they had gone through, she was heartbroken.


    "Aunt... " Sara called in a weak voice as she stood up to hold her.


    "Let us ask her. I don''t think she is the kind of person to do that. I promise you... If she actually permitted that, I am going to stay away from her and hate her for the rest of my life." Sara promised.


    "Ask her? Ask her!? Have you been listening to me at all? What is there to ask her? Look at me Sara...Look at the father you love so much. Do you like how we''re both living? Try comparing the way she lives to the way we do. Do you know how long it took your father to set up a restaurant? Do you know how many years it took us both to save money to send me back to medical school? Do you know the effort your grandmother made to wipe off the Wang family name? She had even forced us to change our names because she thought we wouldn''t be able to survive or be accepted in the society if we continued to bear our real names but we had refused it. Why should we hear from her? Even if she wasn''t aware, does it make any difference? Her parents did this to us! Do you think your father likes living this kind of life with a small miserable unknown restaurant when he could easily have a nicer and better one like he had always dreamed of? Think about what happens when he owns a big restaurant and then people suddenly realise he was Wang Jiahao and Ma Shufen''s son who added opium to the meals they sold to the world. What do you think is going to happen to your father then? What do you think is going to happen to you and all of us? That woman is the most powerful woman in the country but look at us!" Cixi yelled in frustration.


    Sara looked at her with wide eyes as she listened to everything her aunt said. It was even more difficult to swallow now.


    "Sara think. Please think and stop acting solely based on your emotions. You might get us into trouble if you do"


    Cixi walked out of the apartment, leaving her luggage behind.


    She hailed a taxi and after thinking of where to spend her Christmas, she thought of this place she was currently standing at.


    She looked inside what used to be her family''s restaurant. The entire place was dusty, old and dark. For years, she hadn''t been here. She didn''t even know who owned it now¡ª Whether it was the government or someone else, she had no idea.


    Herself and her brother had both promised their mother that they wouldn''t come here and would live their lives carefully and quietly. But.. she was here now.


    After having that conversation with Sara, she was even more sad now. She was happy though that she hadn''t mentioned anything about Changyu''s pregnancy to Sara. It would have been something else and she was sure her brother would never forgive her for telling Sara.


    As she looked inside the used-to-be restaurant, she felt a rush of emotion as she remembered how everyone had been happy at one point.


    How she used to tease Mr Park and call him Park Bun, how she used to steal her brother''s shirt to sell to Changyu, how Changyu had quarreled with her and calling her a bad friend because she had been close to Helene also.


    She also remembered the smiling faces of her parents as they both cooked together.


    Her eyes began to blink rapidly and no matter how hard she tried to stop it, she couldn''t. She sat on the dusty floor and with a weak voice, she said "Merry Christmas Mother.... Merry Christmas father" And after the words came out, she broke into tears.

 Chapter 248 - Unnamed

    In a pretty garden behind Li Sun''s mansion, the Li family sat together around a large round table.


    On the table, there were fruits of all kinds and different varieties of food as they celebrated Christmas in their own way.


    Muchen smiled as he watched his family eating and laughing together like this. Never in his life would he have thought that they would live like this¡ªSitting together with Sun on Christmas day.


    This was all thanks to his precious girlfriend. If it wasn''t for her, they wouldn''t have known they had been doing the wrong thing all these years by neglecting their grandmother.


    For the first time aside from her birthday party, they saw Sun smile happily as she listened to what each of them were saying and contributing when necessary.


    "Something special brewing between you and Zhu Lian?" Sun asked Heya who was sitting beside Muchen.


    Heya was shocked by the question. She wondered where the question was suddenly coming from. Besides, she was in the presence of her entire family right now and could feel color rise to her cheeks as a result of it.


    She looked awkwardly at everyone before shaking her head. She was not going to think about any guys for now. She had thought there was something special between herself and Cearo at first.


    He was the first guy to show interest in her and she had believed he genuinely liked her.


    But then... She remembered the conversation she had with Muchen this morning. He had asked her how her relationship with Jin Cearo was like and she had went on to tell him the truth about how things actually were between them.


    After the day he had come to see her at their place, he traveled back to school a few days after.


    They were only able to communicate once in a while and things dwindled between them.


    But then, she was surprised when Muchn suddenly advised her that it would better if she stayed away from him.


    "Why? What''s wrong?" She knew her brother didn''t just dictate things for people. He always had a reason for everything and she did believe there was a reason he had asked her to stay away from Cearo.


    "I didn''t want to mention it... But there are some things you need to know about him. Aside from the fact that his parents are rumoured to be into illegal smuggling and dealings, after Liu Weiyoung sent that video of you and Cearo to a major media outlet, he had been the one in charge of the publicity¡ªSending pictures and all. Most of the netizen''s accounts trying to ship you both together were fake and were most likely created by him."


    " What ? He...he really did that?" Heya asked in surprise. "Liu..Weiyoung?" She thought for a moment before she remembered who the person was. "That was Sara''s friend right?"


    "Yes. I also received a photo of Cearo and Weiyoung together. That was before the Liu family went down the drain." He stopped talking and narrowed his eyes to watch her reaction. And was glad when he noticed she was only angry and not looking sad or hurt.


    It only meant she really didn''t have any feelings for him and it was a good thing.


    Heya''s eyes darkened while her hands fisted. "So he approached me on purpose?"


    "That... I can''t say. And I can''t also say that I''m very sure they both met before the video was uploaded. Could be they formed an alliance after it. From the little information I was able to gather, it seemed like Liu Weiyoung got to know what Jin Cearo was up to and had threatened to tell in exchange for something. Could have been in exchange for information because according to grandmother, she had gotten the information from her that something was up with Sara and I. And I believe she must have known about it through Cearo"


    Heya scoffed in disbelief.


    "That Bastard! I really did tell him you and Sara both liked each other and felt grandmother may oppose once she found out about it. He was a spy after all. Dirty bastard!" She said again in anger.


    "Was that... The reason grandmother asked me to stay away from him?"


    "I''m sure grandmother must have found out about it. That''s why she''s taking extra measures to not let the Jins get inside this family through you. Even though grandmother acts like...''that'' sometimes, it''s all for a reason. It''s only too extreme sometimes"


    "Was that why you never liked him also?" Heya asked again.


    "I only had a hunch that his family wasn''t as clean as they appeared to be. It was the reason I tried to be careful"


    After the conversation with him that morning, she decided to kick out everything about Jin Cearo. She had deleted his number and deleted her social media account since he was her only friend there. He had even called her this morning after a week without communication to ask why she deleted her account and also to inform her that he was in Country B for Christmas break and wanted them to hang out together but she had ended the call on him.


    She was Li Heya! No one dared mess with her. She would have taught Cearo a lesson but Muchen had advised her against it and had told her grandmother Sun asked him to tell her to stay away from Jin Cearo''s mother no matter what.


    She sighed deeply.


    Thinking that she had been trying to lose weight on time so she would hang out with Cearo on her school''s reunion that was coming soon. What an idiot she was!


    "Nothing is up with Zhu Lian and I" She said to them all.


    "You both seemed really close last night. He is a good catch" Her mother chipped in with a smile.


    "I''m not thinking about men right now. I wanted to tell you all that this coming year... I want to return back to school like my mates"


    She announced.


    Everyone was stunned when they heard her¡ªEspecially her parents who were there when she had threatened to take her life if they dared force her to go to school.


    " Really ?" Her parents asked at the same time.


    "Yes.. I want to study music and become a music professor. It''s my dream. I believe that''s my excitement."


    They all looked at her proudly when she announced that. As much as Dana wanted to ship her with Zhu Lian, she was very much happy her daughter was having a nice dream now. But she also believed everything would be nicer if she hooked up with Zhu Lian.


    "That''s a good one. It''s a good thing I''m still alive to hear such great news. And I must add, you''ve done a really good job with your weight loss journey. You look very much different from the time I newly arrived and I''m not just talking about your body alone. Everything about you seem refreshing" Sun complimented.


    "Thank you Grandmother" Heya said with a smile before adding "And It''s all thanks to Sara. Big Bro... You should increase her salary"


    Heya turned to look at Muchen who had been quiet the entire time.


    Speaking of Sara, they all had something new to talk about.


    "You seemed really close with her last night. You''ve known her for long?" Sun asked Li Fazhan the question they had all been curious about.


    He laughed a bit before he began to narrate how they first met. He told them how she had mistaken him for an employee and asked how he would like his son''s girlfriend to be like.


    He went on to tell them how she had asked him to say nice things about her and gotten angry when he offered to introduce her to his instead.


    As he narrated everything, he tried his best to not mention anything about her Manners classes she took because she said she was embarrassed about it.


    Before he even stopped talking, they were almost rolling in laughter except Dana who was frowning. "She...called me scary?" She asked her husband again to be sure she heard him correctly.


    Muchen chuckled when he heard his father''s narration. Even Hoy who had been quiet the entire time could not help laughing.


    "See what I told you... She is not a suitable bride. And she talks too much" Dana said with a frown.


    "She seem like a fun person, if you don''t want her as your daughter-in-law, I''ll very much like her for Minde" Her brother-in-law, Li Han, said to her.


    Minde who had been laughing almost blurted out ''Are you crazy?'' to his father. But he regained his senses quickly and stopped himself from saying so.


    What? Him and Sara? God forbid!


    "Sara is for me alone Uncle. Minde can search for his own bride somewhere else" Muchen spoke for the first time with a laugh.


    "Oh well thank you..!" Minde said as he thought ''Good riddance!''


    "She is after your money can''t you see?" Dana refused to give up as she kept giving reasons why Sara was bad for her precious son.


    "It would have been a good thing if she was really after my money. Then, I''ll have to double my efforts to make sure I never go bankrupt. But now that I don''t even know what she''s after... I have to be really careful so I wouldn''t fall out of her grace" He said with a teasing smile to his mother.


    She scoffed in annoyance before lifting an apple on munching on it.


    It suddenly reminded Sun of her encounter with Sara and how adamant she had been to remain with Muchen no matter how much she had threatened her.


    "Enough already. Tell her to pay me a visit soon. And you better start thinking of the most suitable date to get married" Sun shut them all up with her speech before casually throwing a berry inside her mouth.

 Chapter 249 - Not at all?

    The Li family''s Christmas hangout finally came to an end when Sun told them she wanted to go rest and thanked them all for paying her a visit.


    They said their goodbyes to Sun and went to where their seperate cars was parked.


    As Sun watched them all leave, her smile soon turned sad as she said to her maid who was standing right beside her..


    "I always wished to die. But now.... I really... really want to live."


    She sighed before heading inside her mansion. While her maid looked at her retreating figure with a sad expression.


    "Heya" Dana called Heya as she was about sitting inside the back seat of the sport''s car Muchen had driven there, after a tussle between herself and Minde on who was going to sit beside him on the front seat.


    Heya paused and turned to look at her mother. Wondering what she wanted to say or complain about this time.


    "I want to speak with you for a minute" Dana said to her.


    Muchen, who had already started the car, turned it off and let them both know that he was going to wait till they were done with their conversation.


    He was so happy today that he was willing to do whatever he was asked to do.


    "If this is about trying to have me be with Zhu Lian then you can forget it. I meant what I said about not being interested in men for now"


    Heya said as soon as they both went to a corner to discuss.


    Dana sighed when she heard her. "It''s not about that. Can''t I call you to have a chat with you without you thinking I have an ulterior motive?"


    "Well, you''ve never actually called me out to have a mother-daughter talk with me before" She reminded her.


    As much as she had always tried to act like it was fine, deep down, she knew it wasn''t.


    Her mother had neglected her too much and it did hurt her that she didn''t have a close relationship with any of her parents; especially her mother who saw her mostly as a giveaway bride than as her daughter.


    "I wanted to apologize. I have been wrong" Dana smoothened Heya''s hair as she finally admitted her wrongs.


    "I know I have been a bad mother.... A terrible one in fact" She added with a short laugh.


    "Truth is, I didn''t plan to have any kids after I married your father. But I had to. You know how your grandmother is like" Sun would have strangled the life out of her if she hadn''t. Heya knew that for sure.


    "When I had your brother and you, I was lost. I thought it was better to allow you both do what ever you wanted to do and at the same time, make sure your foundation was solid. I didn''t know I was doing the wrong thing and neglecting you both. I feel sorry for your brother. But I feel sorry for you even more. And I want to let you know....that no matter what, I love you. And I only wish for the best for you both."


    Heya''s eyes began to turn red as she listened to the words she had always wanted to hear from her mother..


    "And I really apologize for pushing you too much. Watching you perform yesterday was wonderful. Even seeing you now, you have no idea how proud I am of you. Your decision to return to school makes me even prouder. You are Li Heya. And I must admit...you are far better than this careless mother of yours. You stood tall regardless of everything.. I...am happy!"


    Dana concluded with tears in her eyes and a proud smile on her face.


    "You....really mean it?" Heya asked as she used her hands to clean off the tears on her face.


    "I do" Dana nodded before pulling her into a hug.  "I''m sorry Heya. And thank you for being my daughter."


    As Dana hugged her daughter, she saw her husband looking at them from the car with a smile on his face.


    After the day she slapped Sara and got into a quarrel with her children, she had been so pissed and hadn''t wanted to speak to any of them.


    Her husband had asked her to apologize to them but she didn''t think she did anything wrong to do so.


    But looking at Heya today, she seemed to have change a lot. She was confident and bold. She even wanted to be a music professor. Although it made her feel happy to hear it, she was also sad because she hadn''t been the one to help guide Heya through these paths. The person who did it all was none other than that annoying Sara.


    "It''s okay mother. I love you too. And I''m sorry for all the hurtful things I said. I''m really sorry I hurt your feelings" Heya apologized with tears running down her cheeks.


    It really felt nice to be in her mother''s embrace.


    **


    When it was 8pm, they put up the last ''Closed'' sign for the day. Throughout, everyone was quiet and didn''t say much.


    With the new realisation, Sara just watched her father sadly and did whatever he asked her to do without raising any question or comment on Changyu.


    Jianjun had solely focused on cooking¡ªor tried to focus on cooking rather. His mind had been wandering about after his talk with Changyu.


    He had been counting down the time to when Changyu would appear before him. Now, he was really looking to what she had to say to him.


    He had tried reaching Cixi so she would join them but the call had been diverting to voice mail.


    "You''re finally done" He heard Miss Kang''s voice behind him immediately he finished washing his hands in the kitchen sink.


    "You''re still here?" He asked in surprise. He thought she had left since he hadn''t been out of the kitchen the entire time.


    "I''ve been waiting for you" She answered.


    He noticed she wasn''t her usual cheerful self right now. He couldn''t read her expression or know what she was thinking.


    "Oh.. Is there a problem?" He asked curiously.


    "It''s Christmas. Would you like to stroll with me?"


    Jianjun raised a brow at her. This was the first time she was shooting her shots so openly. Before, she would say something like.. "Joreen school''s building is somewhere around, would you like to see the place your little neice studied? I can show you"


    But now, she was really asking him so plainly and openly.


    He looked around awkwardly. They were the only ones in the kitchen while the others were outside.


    "Sorry..." He apologised. He didn''t know the best way to turn her down so he left it at that.


    "If it''s because you''re still going to be busy, I can wait" She adamantly refused to take his hint. "I''ve been waiting for hours, a couple more minutes isn''t a big deal to me"


    "The thing is.... I have... plans"


    "With Song Changyu?"


    The apologetic look Jianjun gave her was enough for her to know her guess was correct.


    "Is she the reason you haven''t been paying any attention to me? Is it because she is powerful and I am just a nobody?" Her eyes began to water as she stated what she believed were the facts.


    "Miss Kan¡ª"


    "It''s Xiuying!" She corrected with a shout. "I have told you times without number that my name is Xiuying. Every other person can call me Miss Kang but not you!"


    This time, she began to cry, leaving him frustrated. How was he supposed to handle this issue now?


    "You don''t like me at all? Not at all?" She asked with teary eyes.


    "Miss.... I mean.. Xiuying. You should be with someone younger and better than me. I should be around ten to twelve years older than you and I have a grown daughter already. This shouldn''t ¡ª"


    She raised a hand to make him stop talking. "Did I tell you I didn''t know about it? Excuses! I''ll be waiting for you in front of Kyle''s caf¨¦. If you do not show up tonight, then it''s really over. I will never forgive you!"


    She promised before walking out of the kitchen and out of the restaurant. Not bothering to look at Sara and the others who were looking at her curiously.

 Chapter 250 - Get Lost!

    "What.... Did you just say?" Changyu asked Hani with wide eyes.


    "I just received an information from someone in City X. He claimed to know what happened with your child" Hani repeated.


    Changyu stood up slowly as she tried to digest what she had just been told. "Are you... Are you sure he''s genuine?" She asked hopefully.


    "I don''t really know about that. He mentioned ''HAPPY ENDING'' Orphanage and asked for money if we wanted information. You don''t have to go there, I''ll go check and let you know about everything."


    Changyu''s hands began to shake and slowly, she sat back down on her soft couch.


    "No... I''ll go with you. Get the car ready. We''ll leave right now." She quickly reached for her purse that was lying idly on the couch and hurried outside to leave for City X.


    ***


    As Jianjun was preparing to leave the restaurant with Sara and Joreen so the girls could both hang out for Christmas, they all appeared surprised when they saw the younger generation of the Li family standing by the restaurant''s door.


    Muchen, Minde, Hoy and Heya.


    "Sis Heya" Joreen was the first to dash forward to hug her movie partner since it had been really long since they last saw each other.


    Bilike and Lisa were already out so they were the only ones left.


    Sara looked at them in surprise since she hadn''t expected to see any of them today.


    After they all greeted each other, they were offered the seats beside the window.


    "Sorry for intruding. We had no idea you''ll be closing this early" Muchen apologized to Jianjun who didn''t seem really troubled except for the fact that he had already planned to meet with Changyu.


    "What are you still smiling for? Offer them drinks" Jianjun reminded Sara who had been busy smiling at Muchen.


    Sara nodded before quickly hurrying to get them drinks. Jianjun also took their orders and prepared them a quick special Christmas delicacy with Sara''s help.


    "I''ll go out for a while" He whispered to Sara before leaving her and Joreen with the Lis.


    When Muchen saw that Jianjun was out, he quickly pulled Sara to another seat so they would have their privacy.


    Joreen and Heya went on to discuss new movies that were released while Hoy and Minde ate their foods awkwardly.


    "What happened today? Did you cry?" Muchen asked Sara.


    From the moment he stepped his feet inside, he knew something had been up with her.


    Sara knew it was not possible to hide anything from him so she nodded and explained what had happened in the shortest way she could.


    When she was done talking, she noticed Muchen was looking at her with surprise and a sad expression at the same time.


    "Her parent''s really did that to your grandparents? It''s quite surprising. How do you feel?" He held her hands lovingly as he asked.


    "I just...feel bad for all of them. My aunt, my father, miss Changyu.."


    "So you do not know where your Aunt is at the moment?"


    Sara shook her head. Even her father and Joreen had asked her the same question but it was still the same answer... She had no idea.


    "I can help you take revenge on the Songs if you want. I can also make them reopen the case to prove that your grandparents were framed by them. I believ¡ª"


    "No.." Sara cut him off. "Revenge is meaningless. I don''t want to butt in. My father would not like that."


    Muchen wanted to oppose that but he stopped himself and asked instead..


    "What about Miss Changyu? Where is she?"


    "She looked sick so she left. But she promised to speak with me another day and tell me everything that actually happened."


    She sighed before continuing. "It''s sad isn''t it? Now I understand the reason my father was so skeptical of me being with you. He must have been so worried."


    Muchen stood up from where he had been sitting opposite her to sit on the seat beside her and covered both of her small hands with his large warm hands.


    She raised her head to look into the eyes that were staring intently at her. "Trust me... I''ll protect you no matter what. My family, other families... None of them will dare hurt you or your family. I promise you" He swore.


    "And I believe.." She said with a tiny smile before he dropped his head to Peck her lips.


    "Stop it... There are people here" She pushed him away and looked around nervously.


    The others seemed to be busy with something except Minde who was actually staring at them. When their eyes met, he eyed her before continuing to use his phone.


    "What a weird human being.. He''s always staring at me that way" Sara complained to Muchen.


    "He''s jealous. He apparently likes a girl who doesn''t bother about him. Must have hurt his ego a lot." They both laughed about it before he remembered something and took out his phone to show her.


    "Here.."


    Sara looked at the picture of a large old building and raised a brow at him in confusion. "Whose building is this?"


    "It used to be called DELIFOOD many years back."


    "DELIFOOD? Sounds similar to our DELIMEAL."


    "I believe it was your grandparents''." He informed her.


    Sara looked at him and then, at the picture again with shiny eyes. "Really? Are you serious?"


    "Yes. Their names were Wang Jiahao and Ma Shufen. I thought I should let you know since you were so eager to find out about it"


    "Wang Jiahao....Ma Shufen" Sara repeated and felt her eyes began to water. "So those are the names of my father and aunt''s parents... My grandparents who died unjustly. What about a picture? Did you see any picture?" She remembered to ask him.


    Muchen shook his head. "But there''s something else you should know.... The new owner of this building is Miss Changyu."


    "What?" Sara looked at him in surprise. "She....owns it now? Wasn''t the government supposed to seize it or something?"


    "She must have used her ways to get it. I''m sure it''s something she values. You really should talk to her... There probably are a lot more than we know." He advised.


    ***


    After waiting outside for a while for Changyu to show up, she still didn''t.


    He felt maybe she wasn''t willing to speak with him as much as he wanted to speak with her.


    Now, he found himself standing in front of Kyle''s Caf¨¦.


    "You came.. You really came" Miss Kang said excitedly as she ran to where he was standing.


    Although he had expected to see her there, he was still surprised that she had actually been waiting there for close to two hours.


    "I thought you wouldn''t. I was scared you wouldn''t" She said with a pout.


    "Xiuying... I came here to tell you something."


    "Yes? What is it?" She asked eagerly while clinging unto his arm. She didn''t mind that they were a lot of people on the street. In fact, she wanted the whole world to see them together.


    Gently and politely, he pushed her hand away from his arm. "You''re a nice woman and I respect you. But right now, you''re making me lose my respect for you. You should know your limit."


    "What...what are you saying?" She stammered as the excitement gradually dwindled from her eyes. "I...I don''t.. Get it" She shook her head.


    "I''m sorry. But you should understand what I am saying." He really didn''t know how else to be polite to her because she was really annoying him.


    Miss Kang almost broke down in tears when she heard him reject her so blatantly.


    Then, her eyes caught sight of a familiar figure standing far behind Jianjun. It was the very woman who was causing her this heartbreak.


    Her eyes met Changyu''s eyes who was staring intently at the both of them. She didn''t know how long the woman had been there but she was never going to give up now.


    She stopped Jianjun from walking away and forced him into a hug. "Please don''t do this to me" She begged as her face collided with his chest.


    He tried to gently push her away but she held him firm. They were in a busy street so although he was embarrassed, he couldn''t simply push her away forcefully.


    "Kang Xiuying"


    They both froze when they heard the familiar voice.


    Slowly, she released her grip on him and could see the surprised look on his face the moment he saw Changyu standing behind him.


    Changyu''s eyes remained on Miss Kang as she uttered the two words clearly.


    "Get Lost!"

 Chapter 251 - Do you like me?

    After confirming from her driver and Hani that they were likely going to get to City X in the next three hours because of the heavy traffic, she knew immediately that it was going to be impossible seeing Jianjun today.


    "It''s here." Hani said from the front seat she was sitting. "Name: Kang Xiuying. 35years old. Half Korean, half Chinese. Graduated from C university at 23 years old. Occupation: Teacher at ¡ª"


    "Are you kidding me right now?" Changyu asked Hani from the back seat she had been quietly sitting.


    "Do you think I care about pointless things like that? Are there no useful or relevant information about her?"


    Hani quickly scanned her digital notebook before announcing "There is nothing relevant"


    Changyu looked out the window with an unreadable expression. That Kang woman didn''t seem to give her good vibes. She concluded that maybe she was just being paranoid over nothing so she let it slide.


    Checking her watch, she realised they had wasted so much time while stuck in traffic. And if they were to successfully arrive at City X tonight, she wasn''t sure she was going to make it back on time to see Jianjun.


    She had tried to call him first to cancel her plans but she realised that while leaving the house in a haste, she had left her phone behind.


    She had asked for Hani''s phone to send a text message to him since she believed she had his number but Hani had told her that the last time she called him to come over because she fainted, she deleted his number after that.


    She cussed silently before sighing. He was already looking for reasons to hate her. If she missed this meeting, it was only going to give him more reasons to hate her. Besides, she had her own questions. Finding her daughter was important but meeting with him was also very important.


    She looked at the front and back that were packed with cars of all models. "It''s Christmas. Why can''t they just stay at home or something" She complained silently.  It was going to be close to impossible leaving here tonight.


    There was no other way than to get down and go look for a taxi across. Thankfully, the cars coming to town were fewer than those leaving so there wasn''t much traffic on the other side of the road.


    "I''ll stop here. You should both return back today. We''ll just go tomorrow." Changyu said to Hani and her driver. It was a confidential issue that was known by only herself, Hani and her driver and she didn''t want them to go by themselves.


    Hani was surprised when she heard her. Wasn''t this the same woman who had been searching everywhere for her daughter, now that the had a tail, she wanted to return back all of a sudden?


    "Do you feel unwell Miss Changyu?" She asked in worry when she thought there might be something wrong with her again.


    "I''m okay. There is something I need to take care of." Changyu answered as she tried to open the door but was stopped by Hani''s words.


    "He said he was only going to meet us today and if we didn''t show up, he would not tell another day. So, we can just go there ourselves. It''s also better you do not show yourself to him. It may cause a scandal."


    Changyu nodded, thanked her, and left the car. She swerved past the roughly parked cars on the road and helped herself cross over to the other side to hail a cab.


    After about an hour, the taxi stopped in front of DELIMEAL. And just then, she caught sight of Jianjun''s figure leaving the restaurant.


    She had tried to call him but she wasn''t the type to shout because it embarrassed her so instead, she had decided to catch up with him.


    But things turned slightly awkward and annoying for her when she saw Miss Kang approach him excitedly with a big smile on her face.


    She frowned as she watched the scene unfold before her. She had known that Miss Kang liked Jianjun but why did he come meet her here? Did it mean he liked her too?


    She had wanted to turn back but decided against it. She was here to talk to him so it didn''t matter whether he was hanging out with another woman or not.


    It wasn''t long before she saw Miss Kang look at her direction.


    Although she didn''t hear that they were saying to each other, but from their body language and Miss Kang''s expression, Changyu could tell it wasn''t a good thing for that Xiufish.


    When their eyes met, Changyu noticed the way Xiufish looked at her right now was far different from the way she had looked at her this afternoon.


    All she could see was hate and viciousness in the young lady''s eyes before she pulled Jianjun into a hug.


    She had been shocked by the hug also. She watched as Jianjun tried to pull away but the woman didn''t seem to let him go.


    She knew she couldn''t stay there all day so she decided to butt it.


    "Kang Xiuying..."


    As the both of them turned to look at her, she saw the surprise on Jianjun''s face when he saw her there. It was like he hann''t expected her to suddenly show up.


    Her eyes moved back to look at the annoying fly in front of her.


    "Get Lost!" She ordered.


    Miss Kang looked at her in surprise but didn''t budge. Thankfully, the passersby seemed to be more intreseted in what they were doing and whereever they were going to instead of paying attention to them.


    "Miss Changyu.. What do you mean? He came to meet me here. How can you ask me to leave just like that?" Miss Kang transfered the anger she was beginning to feel to Changyu.


    Changyu smirked and used a hand to smoothen her already neatly arranged hair.


    That little action of hers hinted to Jianjun that she was already angry.


    "Brother Jun... Please do not let her bully me" Miss Kang looked at him sadly and begged.


    Jianjun looked surprisingly at her. He had not expected her to address him that way at all.


    "Brother...Jun?" Changyu laughed dryly. "I won''t repeat myself. Leave when I''m still being nice."


    "This... is not your business. We have something to discuss¡ª" Miss Kang seemed to be really intimidated by her presence that she didn''t even know what she was saying but she refused to back down.


    "Forcing a hug at him in public, did you think you were shooting a Korean drama or something? Your clinginess is irritating. Don''t you know it or you''re deliberately acting like you don''t in other to piss me off?"


    "Brother Jun..." Miss Kang looked at him with teary eyes and tried to hold him but he quickly avoided her touch and continued to look at Changyu. This...was the woman he knew. Not the sick Changyu.. This was the real her.


    "If you call him that again. I''ll rip off your fish tongue out." She warned before turning to look at Jianjun who was intently staring at her.


    "What are you staring at? You enjoyed the hug so much and want a second round? Let''s go." She said to Jianjun before turning to leave but was stopped by Miss Kang''s annoyed rant.


    "Why do you like this kind woman. Can''t you see she is a bully? Is it because of this woman that''s why you''re tuning me down? Because of her money and fame?" She accused him.


    "What are you saying right now?" Jianjun asked in a panic as he moved closer to Changyu. "Let''s leave now." He said to her.


    She raised a brow at him before turning to look at Miss Kang whose entire face was wet with tears.


    "He likes me?"


    "Don''t listen to her" Jianjun was quick to cut her off but Changyu didn''t seem like she was going to let the issue go like that.


    "No... I actually want to listen to her this time. Do you..like me?" She asked him pointedly.

 Chapter 252 - What are you saying?

    "I don''t want to see you again. I really mean it. Your side of the story ends here. I don''t want to hear about you again." Jianjun said to Miss Kang in anger.


    Miss Kang looked at him with a sad and hurt expression. She then looked at Changyu with disdain before walking away.


    It was a really bad Christmas for her. She had been anticipating this day with the hope that things would finally become better between herself and Jianjun. She had imagined them hanging out while holding hands. But who would have thought that the woman in his mind and heart was none other that Changyu?


    "What was that about? You were just standing there like you were enjoying the show." Changyu complained in displeasure.


    "I thought you weren''t going to come" He said in a tone that was neither of annoyance or relief that she came.


    "Something came up. Traffic was terrible also. But I''m here"


    They both remained quiet for a while. No one knew what to say so they simply just stared at each other.


    "You haven''t answered my question" She reminded him. "What did she mean by you like me?"


    He took in a deep breath before placing his hands inside his coat''s large pocket. "Aren''t we already too old for that? Let''s go talk somewhere else." He said before walking past her.


    While they  both walked, Jianjun noticed she was a bit far behind him. No matter how he tried to walk slowly so she would catch up, she seemed to remain behind. All thanks to the crowd walking on the same path with them.


    He stopped to wait for her to catch up and it didn''t take long before she did.


    "You''re slow." He complained.


    "You''re fast" She shot back at him before walking past him with large strides.


    He shook his head and continued walking.


    Soon, they both got to a less crowded place. It was a field with some long wooden chairs at different corners.


    The place was very spacious and had a couple of tall trees to shield people from the sun during the day. The street lights brightened the place so they could both see two other younger couples occupying two of the long wooden chairs.


    On the day he left Changyu''s house after Hani secretly called him,  he had taken this route home when he was walking aimlessly. That was the first time he saw this place. He thought it was a nice place to think and so had sat down in one of the chairs for a long time to think before heading home.


    It was the reason he had led her here now. Aside from the fact that it wasn''t very far from the restaurant, it was also very comfortable.


    He asked her to sit and then, he sat beside her.


    After about two minutes of awkward silence, he broke the silence and asked for the first time "How have you been?"


    Both of them had been looking at the front and not looking at each other. But after hearing his question, she turned to look at him.


    It was the first time he was asking her this. Did he wake up at the wrong side of the bed? Was that why he had been nice to her all day and had even asked to speak with her?


    "You said you didn''t use and dump me... You said I hurt you. I need an explanation. You can forget about everything else and go straight to the point. I don''t have all night" She said before turning her head to look at nothing particular in front of her.


    Jianjun furrowed his brow in confusion. She needed an explanation?


    "You want an explanation? What am I supposed to tell you? You should be the one explaining everything that happened. That''s what I wanted to ask. What happened? Why did you do everything you did?"


    Changyu scoffed in disbelief before standing up in anger. "Why did I do everything? What did I do? How could you treat me that way when you knew how much I loved you? Did you...even love me for one moment? Just one moment..? If you were never sincere with me, why did you lead me on? You should have rejected me from the onset. Then, I wouldn''t be feeling this way now. My life wouldn''t have been this miserable."


    Jianjun tried to understand what she was saying but nothing was adding up. Her life was miserable? She looked perfect. She was the nation''s number one!


    Her saw her teary eyes and sighed. "Changyu sit. We are adults. We should act like one. I am not in the mood to argue with you tonight"


    She shook her head and refused. "I don''t want to. You are a terrible person!"


    "Just sit." He tapped beside him, signalling for her to sit but she still refused.


    "I really don''t understand anything you are saying. That letter.... You clearly told me you didn''t want to have anything to do with the Wangs anymore. Wasn''t it you who started it all? Am I missing it somewhere?"


    "Letter...?" Changyu thought for a while before she finally remembered what he was talking about.


    "You finally remember." He said to her when he noticed how her look changed.


    "I did send you a letter.. I remember." Changyu still tried to vaguely guess the contents of the letter she had sent him.


    She remembered she had written one out of spite but she could not clearly remember the details of the letter since she had been mentally unstable at that time.


    Jianjun stood up and looked her straight in the eyes "What did I do to you?" He asked in a calm but unsteady voice. "I thought you said you loved me. Why did you send that kind of letter to me? Why did you have to hurt me and my entire family that cared so much for you?"


    Changyu sniffled a couple of times and felt tears begin to flow down her cheeks


    "You were the one who told me you didn''t like me. You said you liked Helene. You abandoned me first. What were you expecting? A letter of appreciation?"  She began to hit his chest with her fist as she continued to accuse him. "I sent you a lot of letters and mails to explain how I was locked up like a criminal inside my own house. I sent you a lot of letters to tell you how much I missed you. But you didn''t reply any. When I saw a mail notification from you, did you know how happy I was? But how could you send me that kind of mail? How could you break my heart like that? Did I really deserve that kind of treatment?" She stopped hitting him and plumped down on the chair. She didn''t bother to look at him anymore as she cried her eyes out.


    Jianjun looked at her in shock and confusion.


    "I...don''t understand.. What are you saying?" He stuttered.

 Chapter 253 - Something Amiss

    Jianjun looked at her in confusion before using his eyes to scan the place. Thankfully, the other people present there were a bit far so they weren''t paying attention to the crying Changyu, and were busy minding their businesses while getting all mushy with their spouses.


    "You sent me many letters?" He asked again before adding. "I never received any letters"


    Changyu slowly raised her head to look at him with her red teary eyes. "What do you mean by you didn''t receive any letters? Anna helped me send them at least twice a week. Why are you pretending like you don''t remember?" The more she spoke, the harder she cried.


    Damn it! She is Changyu! What the hell was she doing crying in public because of a man?


    She inwardly scolded herself.


    Jianjun looked at her with a look of bafflement before sitting down beside her. He looked straight into her eyes and shook his head.  "I...really didn''t receive any letters from you except that one. But I did send a lot of letters with the hope of you sending a response one day. But that particular letter was the only one I received.  I swear it"


    He still remembered the year and period everything happened. For days, he didn''t see her. When he later saw her, they had both gotten into an argument because he had refused to elope with her.


    He had thought that she was simply avoiding him because she was still angry so he hadn''t thought of the possibility that something else was probably wrong with her.


    It had all started one evening.


    Like every other couple, they had both gone out on the night of New year''s eve, to spend the new year with each other.


    Changyu had told him she had a special place in mind and had taken him to a Villa she claimed was her Uncle''s.


    He had been slightly curious and asked how she got the keys but she told him she was very close with her uncle and so he had given her the keys willingly.


    From the look of it, Jianjun could guess that whoever her uncle was, he was really rich, since the Villa looked similar to theirs and he was vaguely aware of the amount his father had used to purchase it.


    "Wow..It''s warm in here."


    She quickly pulled off the Coat she was wearing and threw it on the Sofa drunkenly.


    "Put it back on. You might catch a cold" The young Jianjun said with a blush when he saw her bare shoulders since she was wearing an handless dress and boot.


    "Are you blushing?" She teased him while pinching his cheek.


    "I''m not. Come on.. Wear it."


    "You are. You are blushing.. How cute" She giggled and continued to tease him.


    "Stop being naughty. See why I told you not to drink too much. You are drunk already" He complained.


    "I''m not." She said with a pout. "If you want me to wear it back then kiss me first" She offered him her puckered lips.


    Jianjun chuckled at her antics and tried to make her sit on the sofa but she adamantly refused and kept asking him to kiss her first.


    "Be a good girl and let me dress you up" He said as he tried to drape the coat around her shoulders but her teasing words stopped him.


    "I''d prefer you take off the rest." She said with a mischievous glint in her eyes.


    Jianjun coughed awkwardly and ruled it as a joke. But looking at her eyes, he knew she was serious because she already began to strip.


    He had thought he had control but that night, he knew he couldn''t control himself when it came to her. He had fallen deeply and there was nothing else he could have done about it.


    ---


    "How much do you love me?" Changyu asked sleepily as she snuggled closer to him on the large sofa.


    "How much do you think?" He asked back.


    "Hmmmm...this much?" She spread both her hands completely wide to show the magnitude which caused him to chuckle.


    "That''s even small." He said before planting a kiss on her forehead.


    "Do you...regret this?" She suddenly asked with an unsure tone.


    He looked deeply into her eyes and said the words that made her heart skip "Happy New Year. I love you."


    She smiled brightly at him and he didn''t fail to return the smile also.


    She was someone he fell in love with at first sight.


    He was someone she fell in love with at first sight.


    Since he knew she was still very much insecure when it came to Helene, he had assured her that nothing was ever going to happen between them.


    They thought they had both wasted too much time hiding their feelings when in fact, they liked each other. Now that they were finally together, they swore to make their time worthwhile.


    But unfortunately, things took a different turn when they were about leaving the Villa.


    As soon as they got to the door, she saw her parents come in.


    She had nearly literally died when she saw them outside since she hadn''t expected to see them there.


    They had both gone out of town for a party and she guessed they had probably decided to crash at the Villa for the night since their home was quite far.


    "Who is this?" Her father roared as he saw the young man beside his daughter. They had left her at home so what was she doing here with a man?


    The woman beside him had her eyes wide opened in shock to see her daughter here after she had promised them she was going to stay at home.


    It was at that moment that Jianjun recognised the faces he had seen on the papers and TV. These were the infamous Songs. He had actually thought this was probably her uncle and his wife until he heard her call them ''Father'' and ''Mother''.


    After that night, he didn''t see much of her again. The next time he saw her, she had asked for him to run away with her but he just couldn''t do so and she threw a tantrum.


    He had been angry that she lied about her background but no matter what, he still cared about her. But it had broken his heart when he didn''t hear anything about her for days which then turned to months and eventually turned to years.


    The only message he had received was a letter of regret. How else was he supposed to feel?


    "You''re saying you didn''t receive any letter from me but you received that particular one? So you''re saying someone stole them or something?" She kept accusing hurtfully.


    "I really didn''t. And what do you mean by you were locked up?" He suddenly remembered what she had mentioned earlier.


    Changyu looked at him with confusion. "You really didn''t? I left that on the letters and mails"


    Jianjun stood up and used his hands to scratch his head and turn around in frustration. Why was nothing adding up?


    "You didn''t get my mails? But you sent me a mail. Are you playing with me right now?"


    "I sent you a mail? What are you talking about? I don''t know what happened then but I suddenly couldn''t open my mail account with the normal password. Besides, a lot was going on then and it was the least of my worries to get that fixed so how did I send you a message?" He asked back in confusion.


    Changyu''s tears suddenly stopped flowing as she felt something was wrong somewhere. For some reasons, she still didn''t trust that he was telling the truth.


    "So if you didn''t get the other letters, how did you get that particular one?" She asked again.

 Chapter 254 - The Letter

    Jianjun thought back to the day he had received the letter.


    During that period, things had been terrible for his entire family.


    His father had just died in prison, his mother was down physically, emotionally and psychologically.


    His sister had refused to talk to anyone after returning from school and had simply locked herself inside all day long.


    Things didn''t get any better after the Song elders came to pay them a visit; asked his mother to kneel and make him promise to never contact their daughter since she was going to get married to someone else soon.


    He had been carrying these burdens and looking for a way to survive with his family plus, he had been searching for a way to retrieve his father''s corpse but there was no means because according to them, it was the ''government''s property''¡ª Just like when they had been searching for a lawyer to prove his father''s innocence but no matter how hard they had tried, there were no lawyers willing to help with their father''s case even though he had offered more than enough from the money he had been saving for years since his parent''s account was frozen.


    At that time, they only had their apartment. And they knew that with the way things was going, they wouldn''t be able to keep the apartment for long.


    Thankfully, they had Helene to support them.


    Helene did come around everyday to the point where she didn''t bother to return to her tiny apartment. She stayed with them and helped them out with whatever she could do to help.


    Since Mrs Wang and Cixi were both down and Jianjun was rarely at home, no one bothered to do the dishes, clean up, or prepare their meals.


    Helene had offered to do it. She pleaded and tried to cajole them everyday to eat something at least.


    She had taken it up on herself to help them run the house till they become stable again.


    She went to the market, shopped for groceries etc.


    One day when he was returning home from the prison his father had died in, he saw a taxi parked in front of their apartment and saw Helene standing by their blue gate while talking to a woman whose face he couldn''t see since she was facing Helene.


    They rarely received visitors especially at that time when things were chaotic for his family so he strained his eyes in other to see who it actually was.


    As he continued approaching, he thought she looked familiar and when he saw her hand something to Helene and quickly walked to get inside the taxi that had been waiting for her, he saw her face and realised it was Anna, Changyu''s maid.


    His eyes widened when he saw her. He had been trying to get in contact with any of them but he hadn''t been able to.


    Now, Anna was in front of his house?


    He knew the only reason she would appear there was because of Changyu and the thought of finally receiving a letter from her excited him.


    Even though he had swore to her parents that he was never going to see her again. Even though his mother had knelt down to those people to apologize on his behalf, the thought of her finally sending a letter delighted him. It made him feel she still cared about him at least, even though her parents had said otherwise.


    Without thinking about anything else, he quickly ran straight to stop Anna''s taxi from leaving but it was already too late. The taxi already sped off and because he hadn''t looked properly before crossing the road, he ran directly in front of a motorcycle that immediately collided with him. Causing him, the young man riding it and the motorcycle, crashing to the ground.


    Helene, who was about entering inside, heard the sound made as a result of the collision and it got her attention.


    When she saw the person who had been involved in the accident, her eyes bulged out. She screamed in shock before racing towards the scene of Jianjun and a young man both lying on the ground beside a near-broken motorcycle whose wheels kept rolling on the ground.


    Both men wailed and grunted as Helene approached them.


    "Are you okay? What happened?" Helene asked in worry as she crouched down beside him but she had no idea what to do next.


    Despite the pain, he turned to look at the other guy and noticed he was a delivery person in his mid twenties. The Pizza he had been carrying were scattered all over the ground.


    "Mister... Are you okay? Are you hurt somewhere?" Helene asked him first.


    The area was kind of isolated so there was barely any car around. Besides, it was not a major road but a street so there was no one there at that moment except for the three of them.


    "I''ll go get Mrs Wang" She said before getting up but was pulled back down by Jianjun.


    "Why did she come?" He managed to ask in spite of the pain he was going through.


    "What''s in your hands? Let me see"


    The young man who had been involved in the crash with him looked at him with annoyance.


    He had caused their accident. Shouldn''t he be wondering how he was doing and taking responsibility for this? Why was he talking about something else?


    But inasmuch as he wanted to complain, he didn''t have the energy to do so because of the excruciating pain he felt on his left arm as a result of the fall.


    Helene looked at her hand and saw she was still holding a small envelope.


    She quickly hid it behind her and stood up. "I''ll call the ambulance first" She tried to reason with him as she still kept the envelope hidden behind her but Jianjun refused. Whatever she was holding was more important than anything else.


    "I won''t repeat myself. Hand it over" He winced after the words came out.


    Helene looked like she was struggling with something as she looked at him.


    She knew he was not going to relent and they both needed medical attention as soon as possible.


    She noticed Jianjun had been pressing down the side of his belly while his ankle had blood around it.


    There was no physical injury on the other man''s body but it looked like he was really suffering from pain.


    She swallowed hard and slowly brought the envelope into sight.


    "Is... that a letter?" He asked with interest as he quickly reached for it with all his might.


    "What else did she tell you? What did Miss Anna tell you?" He asked eagerly but he saw her shake her head.


    "She mentioned nothing else. She only said it was a letter from Changyu. That is it" Helene answered with teary eyes while her body shook.


    "I''ll go call the ambulance" She quickly ran back inside the house while he opened the letter to read its content.


    ''To the Jianjun Wang who thinks he is so    precious.


    You think you are something because I told you I loved you? Don''t you know who I am? I am Changyu. Song Changyu! Even as a granny there will be a queue of people who want me.


    So did you think you were special because I offered myself to you? The answer is, you''re not. You''re just like every other guy. And I could have ten of you if I wanted. Have you heard already? I''ll be getting married to a Governor''s son. See? I also didn''t think there was something serious between us.


    You can have fun with your life¡ªbut I hope it''s a miserable life. I hope you and your entire family become wretched. As for this child I''m carrying, you don''t have to bother about it. I''ll make sure to get rid of it because I don''t want no Wang blood around me. My only regret....was meeting you. Live your entire life in sorrow and loneliness. I, Song Changyu... Curse you!"


    Even before the letter ended, he had already began to feel tears dripping from his eyes.


    "No.. This is not her.. This is not her letter."


    He looked up to see Helene and Cixi watching him. He didn''t know when they had both arrived there since he had been so immersed in the letter¡ª Reading and rereading to make sure he was not seeing things.


    But no matter how hard he tried to not believe it, he knew it was her handwriting. He shook his head in disbelief.


    He saw Cixi looking at him with worry and anxiety before snatching the letter from him.


    "That''s not her writing right?" He asked Cixi hopefully before turning to look at Helene.


    "Where is the original letter? Did you swap it? Please show me the original letter... I beg you" He cried hard as he pleaded for the impossible.


    Now, he no longer felt the pain from the accident. It was his heart that was shattering into pieces right now.


    "Please stay still so I can attend to you" Cixi yelled at him before placing the first aid box she was carrying on the ground.


    At that moment, they all heard the blaring siren of the ambulance heading their way.


    "She was preganant? Why didn''t I know? Why didn''t she tell me about it?" He asked no one in particular as he crumbled the letter into a ball with his hand.


    With the accumulation of everything he had been going through in the past few months, this sudden accident and the unexpected letter he had just received, his system could not hold it anymore and caused him to collapse even before the ambulance arrived.


    **


    "From Helene." Jianjun said to Changyu.


    "Miss Anna asked her to give it to me."

 Chapter 255 - Wasted years

    "I got it from Helene. Miss Anna asked her to give it to me" He admitted.


    Changyu looked at him for a bit before replying with a long "ohhh"


    He thought she wasn''t convinced so he explained further. "I saw Miss Anna give it to her one day. I didn''t get the chance to meet Miss Anna because she left in a hurry with a taxi but I was able to get the letter from Helene." He explained to her and deliberately left every other detail of that day because he felt it was not necessary.


    "Helene..." Changyu called the name of the woman she despised so much.


    "So if you want me to believe you actually did not receive any letter, I guess we have to push the blame over to your ex-wife. She probably must have hidden every other letter from you. Am I correct?"


    She threw the question at him and waited for his answer.


    Hearing the word ''ex-wife'' sounded kind of strange to him. Truthfully, he hadn''t married Helene. She was only registered as Sara''s mother but not as his wife. But he didn''t bother to refute that since it wasn''t the reason they were here.


    But what Changyu was trying to say actually made sense to him.


    He thought back to how Helene had acted that day. Now, he thought she had behaved suspiciously by trying to hide the letter from him.


    So did it mean...she had been keeping every letter from him? But why did she have to do that?


    "Why? You don''t want to push the blame to her? Is she innocent?" Changyu asked him with a very low and hoarse voice when she saw he was quiet and deep in thought.


    "It''s fine. I understand. You wouldn''t want to push the blame over to your ex-wife. You did love her so much." She paused before adding unbelievably.


    "I can''t believe you had actually made me believe you felt nothing for her. You even dared tell me to not be insecure because of her? What a liar you are!"


    She stood up and looked at him with cold teary eyes. The tears just kept flowing freely without her trying to stop it. She couldn''t even stop it if she wanted.


    She tried to walk away but he held her hand to stop her from leaving.


    "What is it? I''m done with this conversation. You said you didn''t get any other letter... I can try to believe that. But you can''t also tell me you didn''t send me that mail."


    "What mail?" He remembered she had mentioned something about him sending a mail a couple of times already.


    "Are you trying to mess with me?" She asked him coldly.


    Remembering everything tonight seemed like she was reliving that dreadful moment. She was so heartbroken right now and could no longer go on with the conversation.


    "I swear... My mail was tampered with. I never sent or received any mail from you or anyone else"


    "So what are you saying again?" She yelled angrily at him this time. "You sent me a mail. You sent it to me!" She pointed at him accusingly.


    Everything was beginning to mess with her brain and she was at the verge of breakdown.


    "Did a ghost send it? Or did your ex-wife do that also? You told me you didn''t want me. You told me you never wanted me. You said you loved Helene and asked me to get rid of our child. If you had not sent me that kind of mail, why would I ever think about sending you that letter with bitter emotions? Isn''t it obvious you never cared? Ever since we met each other again, have you ever asked me about our child? Did you ask me how she was or what happened with her? And you really want me to believe you didn''t send me that mail?"


    With the way she was yelling and crying at the same time, she was finally able to get the attention of the two couple there and a few passersby who looked at her strangely.


    "Why would I ever send you that kind of mail.. Are you crazy?" Out of frustration, he yelled back at her.


    "Do you know the number of times I stood outside your family''s house just to see you?


    Do you know how my mother and I had gone to plead with your parents to tell us where you were despite the fact that I swore to your parents to never contact you again?


    Did you know about my innocent mother kneeling down before your parents to beg for the lives of her children?


    Despite all of the humiliation we went through, I didn''t think twice before going to stand outside your gate to ask if it was you who truly sent that letter. Even though I was told you didn''t want to meet with me, I still stood there like an idiot with the hope that you would come out and explain things to me. My mother had also waited outside your gate.. She wanted to meet the woman who was carrying her grandchild. She wanted to plead with you to accept me at least because her stupid son loved you so much. But do you know what happened? We were both beaten by your thugs of a bodyguard.


    Even if they had told us it was you who ordered it, I refused to believe them one bit. But what did you do in return? You never showed up! How could you threaten to get rid of our child? Did our love mean nothing to you? All the promises we made, they meant nothing? How....how could you have sent me that kind of letter? Didn''t you...didn''t you ever feel my sincerity."


    He choked back on his words as his suppressed tears began to spill from his eyes.


    She looked at him with tear-stained face as everything began to settle in.


    He used both of his hands to cup her small face and looked deeply into her eyes. "You were smart. You were really smart. You should have known I love you. You should have seen it in my eyes. You should have heard it in my voice. You should have known that I would never send a letter like that. You should have believed me"


    He said with tears in his eyes.


    Changyu shook her head and denied it. "I... I... I... didn''t order anyone to do anything... I didn''t even know you came at all." She tried to catch her breath as she spoke and cried at the same time.


    "You...really didn''t ...send that mail?" She asked.


    He dropped his hand from her face and shook his head "I didn''t."


    "You... didn''t receive any letters from me?"


    "I didn''t"


    "The first letter you ever received was that letter?"


    The more she threw the questions at him, the more her heart shattered into pieces.


    "Yes" He nodded.


    "And....you really didn''t love Helene then? You didn''t ask me to get rid of our child also?"


    "Are you crazy? Why would I love her when I loved you?"


    He asked back with tears rolling down his cheeks as realization dawned on him. They were both played!


    "Oh my God!" Changyu gasped and used both hands to cover her mouth.


    She shook her head in disbelief. "I don''t want to... I don''t want to believe that for the past twenty five years, things were messy for no reason. I really want to believe that I spent the past twenty five years hating you for a genuine reason."


    She stopped talking and began to cry even louder.


    Jianjun stood there, stupefied.


    So, it meant she had sent him that letter because he sent her that mail? How could he have sent her a mail like that?


    He really didn''t want to believe that it had all been Helene''s doing. She had been a really nice girl. It would really break his heart if Helene had done that to them.


    He remembered how Helene had confessed her feelings to him at the time when he just found out who Changyu''s parents were.


    She had told him she liked him and would always stick beside him but he had openly told her then that the only woman in his heart was Changyu and was sure he wouldn''t be able to love another for the rest of his life¡ªwhether she was a Song or not.


    So had she done that out of spite and jealousy? If she wasn''t the culprit, then who did that? Who sent that kind of mail?


    The only ones who had access to his computer was his family. He couldn''t remember whether Helene had made use of it back then since it was a really long time ago.


    He believed his sister and mother wouldn''t never have done that. So was it really Helene?


    He looked at Changyu who was still crying while shaking her head.


    "I really don''t want to believe I wasted those years for nothing.. It''s going to drive me insane."


    She quickly took her purse from the wooden chair and hurriedly walked out on him.


    The place was suffocating her too much and she thought she might collapse if she didn''t leave.


    She needed time to think. Time to digest everything. Time to accept that she had been a fool for not trusting him.


    She took a few staggering steps before she began to run.


    Jianjun watched her run blindly into the road and gasped in shock when he saw a white van almost hit her.


    She looked at the van that had just braked in shock. Everything the driver was saying didn''t seem to get to her as her mind was occupied with something else.


    She began to take slow steps and soon, began to run again.


    Jianjun crashed on the wooden chair after he saw she was safe. He also began to think.


    Twenty five years was a waste? What if that Van had ran her over just now and she died in the process. Would they have had the chance to meet each other again and properly apologize?


    How could someone have messed with the both of them?


    How could someone have punished them like this?


    He used his hands to cover his face and burst into tears.

 Chapter 256 - Medusa

    Sara kept wondering why her father had not returned yet. He had said he was only going out for a bit but it was already over two hours and he was still not back.


    "He should also have some fun time alone. I mean, he has been busy all day" Muchen reasoned with her.


    "I guess he is having fun somewhere right?" Sara asked hopefully when he still didn''t answer the call after calling him twice.


    She wanted to believe he had something he was doing and that was the reason why he was not taking her calls.


    He wasn''t the type to stay out for long without telling them where he was going to.


    She wouldn''t have been really bothered about it but her aunt''s words earlier, when she had asked her to imagine losing her father, was probably making her think nonsense.


    "You both never end your conversation?"


    Muchen and Sara looked at Minde who approached their table with a complaint.


    "You have a problem?" Muchen asked him.


    "I want to speak with her."


    Muchen could guess what Minde wanted to talk to her about so he said "You promised you weren''t going to disturb her about it."


    Sara raised a brow at the both of them. What were they talking about? Why did he want to speak with her? Since when did he ever offer to speak with her first?


    "What is it?" Sara asked.


    When Minde saw that Muchen was not going to give them privacy by leaving, he sat down opposite them.


    "I''ve been wanting to ask..... Are you....really friends with Miss Song Changyu?"


    Just as Muchen has thought, it was really it!


    Sara thought maybe he was just curious as to why someone like her would be friends with Changyu but she answered anyway.. "Yes, why?"


    Minde''s eyes lit up.


    He had tried to hide his excitement when he saw her yesterday. It was the first time he was really seeing her from up close and she was even prettier than he had imagined. And also prettier than the first time he saw her at the airport.


    He hadn''t wanted to embarrass himself and his family so he had been calm the entire evening. Muchen had also reminded him not to do anything because she was easily pissed.


    Listening to Sara admit they were friends almost made his heart burst from overexcitement.


    "How did you meet? Where did you meet? What about her phone number.. do you have it?" He threw a string of questions at her eagerly.


    "What are you doing? I thought you promised to not bother her with it? Besides, weren''t you sad about your team leader earlier?" Muchen asked in displeasure.


    Sara looked at the both of them in confusion.


    "What are you both talking about?" Her eyes moved between the two suspiciously.


    "Ignore him." Muchen said.


    Minde pursed his lips and looked at Muchen. "Did you have to mention Eva right now?"


    "Eva? She is your team leader. You are supposed to address her properly." Muchen lectured.


    Minde scoffed. ''Address her properly my foot!''


    He was able to deduce that the only reason she wasn''t paying him any attention was because she was interested in women. And even if she was, he was going to make her interested in men whether she liked it or not.


    It was because she was interested in women, else, someone like her was an easy target for him. He wouldn''t even have to waste time in trying to get her attention. She would willingly fall flat at his feet and ask for a date with him.


    "You both can continue with your banter."


    Sara stood up and left the table to go join Hoy, Heya and Joreen on the other table since she could not follow the cousins line of conversation.


    Minde smiled contentedly when he saw her leave even though Muchen had tried to hold her back. Although he was not happy since he could not get enough information about Changyu from her. When he saw Muchen glaring at him, he stuck out his tongue to mock him.


    "Have you told her about the marriage plans? When do you plan on getting married? You just be excited" He said with a happy smile on his face.


    "I haven''t told her yet. I feel it''s not the right time for her"


    "What do you mean not the right time for her? You are CEO Li!" Minde looked at him like he was crazy.


    "She would probably die of happiness if she found out grandmother has accepted for you to marry her. Grandmother had even asked to meet her. What else are you waiting for?" He asked confusedly.


    Muchen was quiet for a while before shaking his head.


    "I don''t think everything is going to be that easy."


    "Why? You are having second thoughts because there are a lot of secrets about her past and her family''s also? Or are you scared because grandmother might cancel the whole thing if she finds out about what happened to her grandparents?"


    Muchen looked at her direction and saw her smiling happily with Hoy, Heya and Joreen.


    "I don''t care about any of that." He said with a smile when he saw her laugh and quickly moved from the topic.


    "Do you know anything about Jin Cearo''s mother?"


    "Jin Cearo? Heya''s Jin Cearo? No. Why?" Minde asked back.


    Since he didn''t know anything, Muchen didn''t bother to ask further and shook his head instead.


    Sara had asked him about her and said she had seen her today but felt she looked really familiar but she could not remember where they met.


    He remembered his grandmother had also told him to make sure Heya stayed away from Cearo and (she had placed emphasis on) his mother.


    The woman had never appeared in public and so, no one knew anything about her. They only knew she went by the name Jin Medusa.


    The family she came from, what she looked like, no one knew.


    "Should I check on it?" Minde asked.


    "Yea. Let''s see what you find."


    "What do I get in return?" Minde asked with a wink.


    "I won''t kick you out of my apartment tomorrow"


    ----


    "Thank you again for yesterday. It was wonderful. You were wonderful!" Hoy said to Sara.


    She wondered the number of times she was going to keep hearing that. They have been thanking her since last night.


    It was enough already!


    "It''s fine. I wouldn''t have done that without your help anyway. I''ll return the outfit tomorrow." Sara remembered to add.


    "Don''t be silly. It''s yours."


    As they both conversed together, Heya looked at Hoy suspiciously. She wondered whether it was true that Hoy had feelings for Sara but she couldn''t actually place it because he was very unpredictable and unreadable.


    "About G-GLOBAL''s anniversary. Have you made up your mind about attending? You seem quite popular than most celebrities now"


    Sara giggled before asking. "Is Mr Li going to attend?"


    "Why do you keep calling him Mr Li? It''s weird" Joreen looked up from Heya''s phone to chip in for the first time.


    "I have been wondering same. Can''t you call him something nicer and more intimate?" Heya supported Joreen.


    "Something intimate? She looked at them and then turned to look at where Muchen and Minde was sitting.


    "Oh please. What about Hoy? They are cousins yet he calls him CEO Li. So why¡ª"


    "You are his girlfriend." Hoy cut in before she could finish.


    "How is it any different?"


    "Are you going to call him Mr Li when you both get married?" Heya asked.


    "Married?" Sara looked at them in confusion. Why were they talking about marriage all of a sudden. Did she tell them she wanted to get married now?

 Chapter 257 - Regrets

    Inside a mansion in another part of the city, a young lady rolled over a man and out of the bed they had both been lying naked.


    She walked over to her Vanity table and uncocked a near-half bottle of red wine placed there.


    She raised the bottle and gently began to pour the drink into a wineglass.


    When she raised her head and lifted the full glass to take a sip from it, she saw her reflection on the Vanity''s mirror.


    She paused and used a hand to smoothen her messy hair. Through the mirror, she noticed the hickeys scattered all over her body, her face was pale and her eyes were emotionless as she stared coldly at her reflection.


    Her hand moved from her hair to caress her slightly protruded belly.


    ''And in the end... Your life turned out like this'' She thought before gulping down half the glass of wine.


    "Isn''t that a bad idea to drink when you are pregnant" The man who had been lying on the bed stood up and said to her.


    She looked at his naked reflection through the mirror and smirked.


    Everything one could imagine of a bodybuilder could be seen in him. He was not just tall, his body was hard and firm. He had brown eyes and black messy hair. His massive erection pointed directly at her as he slowly approached her.


    When he got close to her, he placed a hand on her shoulders which caused Weiyoung to scoff.


    "How brazen of you. You think you can tell me what to do just because I let you have sex with me?" She sneered.


    "I don''t know a lot. But I know it isn''t good for a pregnant woman to drink so much" He advised before trying to take the glass of wine from her hand but to his surprise, she turned to face him and slapped him hard across the face with her free hand.


    "Who do you think you are to tell me what to do? Have you forgotten who you are? You are nothing but a mere bodyguard who follows me around. Not my personal adviser. So always remember that before I lose my temper, Liang Aotian."


    His hands fisted and she could see the hard veins appear around his temple when he closed his eyes and opened them again to look at her coldly.


    He could not believe she had just hit him. He was someone who dealt terribly with people and killed because of unnecessary things. Even if he wanted to have sex with someone prettier and better than her, he didn''t have to force or beg because they would willingly offer themselves to him.


    She had been flirting with him since the past week and he had noticed it even if he acted dumb most times.


    Ever since he followed her inside her old apartment, she had been acting strange and seductive to him especially when his driver partner was not around. And now, she was treating him this way after having sex?


    Was she just using him for a short-term pleasure because her so-called fianc¨¦ abandoned her?


    She glared at him before turning around to look at the mirror again. She looked straight at him through the mirror and as he watched, she gulped down the rest of the wine and cringed at the burn.


    She didn''t drop the glass when she was done but instead, her fingers were tightly wrapped around the stem while she bit her lower lip in anger to the point where she almost drew out blood.


    It was Christmas.


    Christmas! But look how she was living. The entire day, her father had rung her line but she had deliberately refused to take his calls.


    She knew what he was going to say and the words were.. "CEO Li is now in the country. Make sure you go apologize and beg him to help us or else..."


    Those were the words she had been hearing for the past week. "Go and apologize to him and ask for his help"


    She had been procrastinating with the excuse that he was not in the country but now that he was back,  she knew she could not escape it any more.


    If she agrees to go apologize to him, she was very certain that Sara was going to hear about it.


    She was already fed up with the whole thing.


    She was a woman with feelings. Not only did Jinyong abandon her to God knows where, her grandparents-in-law had travelled to spend the Christmas somewhere else.


    Most of the maids and bodyguards had also gone home for Christmas.


    Now, she was just here; stuck with the two flies who kept following her about.


    Was it bad to have fun a bit? Was it bad to want to feel loved?


    She had needs and she didn''t care what anyone said. She had to satisfy herself at least.


    And if things were not already worse, she had to go online to see how the world was talking about Sara.


    She had been Madam Li''s birthday party''s MC?


    She was seen with Changyu, Chairman Li and many others also?


    There were also a lot of people who wanted to employ her and meet her.


    Now, she was the star.


    And who was the person who had placed her there? It was none other than her stupid self!


    If she had known, she wouldn''t have snatched Jinyong. If she had known, she would have allowed Sara to end up with a dirty person like Jinyong.


    If not for her, Sara wouldn''t have met CEO Li. She wouldn''t have been where she was now. She would have been a nobody who roamed round the street like a thug.


    Her eyes began to darken as she was beginning to regret everything.


    What was she going to do now?


    She had to save herself first. She had to go beg CEO Li before her father tells the world she was not his daughter. It was already bad that her father was a nobody. But to think her real father was even worse, to think her mother had cheated, she''d rather die than for a news like that to spread.


    If people heard that, not only was it over for her, the Mos would kick her out.


    As she was lost in thought, she felt a hard body press against her back while his large rough hands groped her full slightly sagged breasts.


    He pulled her closer and she could feel his erection poking her ass.


    "What do you think you are doing?" She asked him coldly and tried to push him away but his grip was firm and he refused to let go.


    He used two fingers to pinch her nipples and she whimpered.


    "What do you think you are doing?" He returned her question in a deep hoarse voice before meeting her eyes in the mirror.


    As she stared back, she saw pure lust in his eyes as he squeezed her breast even harder, causing her to wriggle in pain.


    "Liang Aotian!" She called him harsely but he bit her left earlobe and pushed her even closer to him.


    "Don''t scream too much. Remember you are fucking your bodyguard in your potential grandparents-in-law''s home. You don''t want them to hear us" He advised before turning her to face him.


    She sighed in relief when he finally removed his aggressive hands from her breasts but it was short-lived because he obviously had other plans for her.


    "You started this. And only I, can end this.." He said threateningly before lifting her ''princess-style'' to the bed.


    All that was left of her as she looked into his eyes was FEAR.


    And Liang Aotian didn''t concern himself with anything else as he simply got down to business with her.

 Chapter 258 - Embezzlement.

    "I love Christmas" A little girl said to her mother as they both walked home hand-in-hand.


    "Why?" Her mother looked down at her and asked with a smile.


    "Because, everyone seem to be really happy. Isn''t that right?" She looked up at her mother to ask.


    The older woman stopped walking and squatted down to meet her little girl''s height.


    "Hmmm...Well, to some people, it can be the best Christmas of their lives...."


    In one part of the city, Li Sun smiled as she looked at the family picture they had taken together that morning.


    In another part of the city, with a light kiss, Muchen waved Sara goodbye as he drove home.


    The woman continued to narrate.. "To some others...it can be the worst day of their lives..."


    In a part of the city, Jianjun remained seated by the side of the field and cried his eyes out.


    In another part, Changyu lay on her bed in a curl and cried to stupor.


    Cixi on the other hand, was still inside their used-to-be restaurant as she kept thinking about the past with bloodshot eyes and a liquor bottle in hand.


    "Some others, get what they deserved..."


    Weiyoung wailed as Aotian kept working on her without mercy.


    Whenever she tried to cry louder, he simply shoved his tongue inside her mouth in a forceful kiss and even her bite seem to do nothing to him.


    "Some...do not actually feel anything.. To them, Christmas is just like every other day so they simply continue their various jobs"


    Kim Eva looked through some documents in the office before eventually dozing off.


    In another city, Hani and the driver looked around a tiny dark compound as they waited for whoever was inside to open the door for them.


    "And some...make resolutions"


    Heya who was quietly sitting in the back seat of the car Muchen was driving, rejected yet another call from Jin Cearo before looking out the window.


    And in another country, Dexi looked out the window of his hotel room and wondered what he was doing there when he was supposed to be cerebrating Christmas somewhere else.


    Dexi hadn''t bothered to let go of Sara''s case. He was still very much curious and wanted to find an answer no matter what.


    He had stopped at a point and decided to just let her be. But he realised he couldn''t. She was always popping up in his mind; from the first day he saw her, to the second, to the third and so on. He couldn''t stop remembering every of his encounter with her.


    Maybe if he was able to uncover some dirt from her past, she was probably going to leave Muchen and come to his side if he threatened her with it right?


    It was the reason he continued with this.


    He closed his eyes and imagined Sara beside him.


    The past night, he was not able to sleep a wink after seeing her picture appear all over the internet.


    She was pretty. So pretty. And someone like her, deserved to be beside him.


    He had never been the type to care for women or struggle to have one to the point where he had to come to the country she had disappeared from years ago. But Sara was simply driving him crazy.


    "Still nothing" His PA said to him as he continued to look out the window.


    "For two days, we still haven''t been able to find anything?" He said without turning to look at him.


    "It''s been nine years already. Most of the workers are no longer working here" He explained. "The ones I could find didn''t know anything about it. Apparently, it seemed there was no case of a missing guest reported as at that time. So no one knew about it."


    They were currently lodging at the hotel where the girls had lodged back then.


    It was not that just the building that changed to look more ''modern'' and refined, majority of the workers were also changed and it was going to be a problem for them to get any useful information since they were not able to find any CCTV footage from that time.


    "One more day. If there''s still nothing, I''ll have no choice but to ask her myself."


    ***


    Sara carried the sleeping Joreen on her back and climbed the dreaded stairs to their apartment.


    As she was about opening the door, she found it was slightly ajar.


    She furrowed her brows before gently pushing the door to walk in.


    She wondered whether her Aunt or Father was back. But, why would they leave the door open?


    "Dad? Aunt?" She called softly so as not to wake the sleeping Joreen up.


    When she got to their room, she found out her Aunt was not there.


    She carefully lowered the sleeping Joreen on the bed a d went to check for her father but even after checking his room, kitchen, and bathrooms, he also was not in.


    As she walked past the sitting room again, this time, the door was even wide open than it was before.


    Now, she knew something was wrong somewhere.


    She had locked the door after entering but now, it was wide open?


    Someone was obviously messing with her.


    She ran her eyes around the house and found nothing strange or suspicious.


    As she slowly began to move closer to the door, she saw a yellow postcard taped to the door.


    She removed it from the door and read out the words..


    ''Merry Christmas little sister. Do not forget to check the laptop''


    She looked at the note in confusion before peeking outside to check if she would probably see the person who had left it there but the hallway was empty.


    "Little sister? Laptop?" She looked again at the note in confusion before closing the door. And straight she went into her room.


    As soon as she entered inside the room, she quickly took her laptop to check for any mail and after searching and waiting for over five minutes, there was still nothing.


    She shut the laptop and hissed angrily.


    Who the hell was messing with her? What was she supposed to check her laptop for?


    As she asked herself these questions, her eyes fell on her Aunt''s bag that was on the ground.


    After Cixi left, Sara had carried back her luggage and backpack back inside the room but since she wanted to meet Changyu quickly, she hadn''t bothered to leave them in the wardrobe so she had dropped them on the ground.


    As she looked at the backpack, she remembered the laptop she had taken from Joreen''s school principal''s office.


    Was that it? She wondered before walking to where the bag was.


    She was skeptical about it since no one else knew about the laptop except for her aunt, the principal and herself.


    Even if the principal told someone about it, they would come for her and the laptop instead of reminding her to check the laptop right?


    As she took the laptop out of the backpack, she carefully placed it on the table and opened it.


    It was the same screensaver she had seen on the day she broke into his office. It was of the principal, his young wife, and little son all having fun in a park. The only difference was, the laptop was not locked now.


    She took in a deep breath before searching for his mail. But when she finally found it, she could not access it. She guessed he probably must have tempered with it so they wouldn''t be able to access it.


    She sighed before remembering her aunt had made mention of a secret file.


    She searched through the system and finally came across a file labelled with a capital letter X.


    Out of curiosity, she clicked on it and saw many other documents and pictures of a building.


    She had seen the picture in the leaflet the school had shared during the graduation party and so she knew this was the school''s new project. They were making plans to relocate to this building after it was completed.


    She was about exiting that particular page to go look at something else when something suddenly caught her eyes.


    Underneath the picture, there were two tables that looked like a ledger of some sort.


    She furrowed her brows as she carefully began to study it.


    The table included the list of the materials that were purchased for the building, the number of materials and the amount they were purchased with.


    From the look of things, she guessed the first table was the real ledger while the second was forged.


    The prices of the first were all very low in contrast to the exorbitant prices she was seeing on the second.


    Although she didn''t know much about things like these, she knew it was near impossible to buy construction materials for such a low price, especially with the quantity demanded.


    She quickly opened her laptop again to search for the prices of some of the materials in other to know the exact prices they were sold for.


    When her system showed her the prices of such materials, she frowned even more. It was just as she expected.


    The first word that came to her mind was ''Embezzlement''


    He was obviously buying counterfeit materials for meager prices while pocketing the rest and presenting a fake statement of account.


    How could someone be this evil? Everyone knew there was going to be a change of principal soon. Was that why he was doing this? What if the building collapsed? They do hear cases of collapsed buildings at least twice in a year.


    Was he really subjecting other people''s children to this kind of danger?


    There was a ban on the sales of counterfeit goods. So who still had the effrontery to sell such goods in the country?


    She continued to search through every documents in case she could find where he was getting the goods from and the more she searched, the more angry she got because she happened to come across more documents to prove he was a very dedicated embezzler.


    No wonder he was living in a very nice and well furnished apartment. She had suspected since that moment that he was an embezzler.


    Soon, her eyes came across something.


    It was the mail she had been looking for. So it was saved here all long?


    She quickly clicked on it and saw the message..


    ''For the graduation party, keep Wang Joreen out of the prizes. It''s the only way your embezzling acts won''t go public.''


    An emoji of a sword was felt at the end of the message.


    Her angry eyes remained fixed on the sword emoji and it didn''t take long before her eyes shone as she finally recognised who the culprit was.

 Chapter 259 - Past calls

    The message she had seen on the postcard suddenly made sense. She knew who it was¡ª or rather, who they were.


    No wonder whoever it was had called her little sister.


    Her hands fisted as she read the note over and over again.


    No wonder they could not trace the IP address of the sender. They were really meticulous with whatever they were doing.


    She quickly fished out her phone to call someone.


    Immediately the call connected, a deep masculine voice interrupted her from speaking because he spoke first.


    "I''ve been waiting for your call"


    "Who is this?" Sara asked in anger.


    She knew that this voice wasn''t ''the boss'' voice¡ª The man she had met in the factory that time.


    Neither was this Big Dong''s voice¡ª the one who punched Muchen that night.


    "I don''t want to believe that you''ve forgotten my voice so soon. It hurts me" He pretended to sound hurt but Sara didn''t buy it.


    With the way he spoke, she was able to guess who it was but she didn''t want to believe it was him.


    The person she hated so much with her life.


    "Do you think I am joking? Who is this and who the hell do you think you are to mess with my family and I?"


    She heard him chuckle, much to her annoyance before he said softly..


    "Your father''s restaurant looks so nice when it''s dark." After saying those words, he hung up.


    Sara quickly understood that he was hinting to her that he was currently in front of her father''s restaurant.


    She looked at the sleeping Joreen and contemplated whether to leave her there or not.


    At last, she left a note beside her and locked the door properly before leaving.


    She ran through the stairs and soon, she was outside the building.


    Before she could even get to the front of her father''s restaurant, she saw two black luxury cars parked by the side of the road.


    Her eyes landed on the only person standing beside the first car and so she quickly went to meet him since she recognised him as ''the boss''.


    It was the second time she was seeing him after the factory incident and when he had come to give her the phone she was currently using.


    "Big sister" He welcomed her as soon as he saw her but she wasn''t in the mood to entertain him by exchanging pleasantries.


    For days, weeks, they had been trying to think about the person who had the effrontery to mess with Joreen. But it had been them all along?


    "Where''s the bastard who took the call?" She asked angrily.


    His eyes widened in surprise when he heard her refer to that person as ''Bastard''


    When she saw his eyes nervously glance at the second car, she said nothing else and moved to where the car was parked.


    She knocked on the tinted window of the back seat twice and when it rolled down, she saw the very face she hadn''t wanted to see in her life again.


    Her expression didn''t change much when she looked at him. She remained composed as she signalled for him to come down.


    His cold lifeless brown eyes stared back at her and after a tiny smirk, he opened the door.


    Unlike ''the boss'' who was wearing an all-black suit, he was dressed very casually in a coat, pants and scarf draped around his neck.


    At first glance, no one would know he was a dangerous gangster. He could easily fit into the crowd like this.


    He was called snake. Not only because he was very dangerous, he was also very smart, fast and cunning. There was no better name that suited him more.


    But one thing was certain, he was a really good looking snake. He was tall, his dark hair was in a high cut and he had a pretty scanty moustache which helped to expose the fact that he was already in his mid-thirties. Without it, he was obviously going to look like he was in his mid-twenties


    "Are you still going to act like you don''t know me?" He asked immediately he stepped out of the car. "Long time no ¡ª" He couldn''t complete his words before she cut him off.


    "Are you crazy?" She asked coldly. "Why did you have to do that to my little cousin? What did she do to you? What did I do to you?"


    "Just so you know, I punished big Dong for hitting your boyfriend just like you asked."


    "That''s not important right now. Besides, I never mentioned for you to punish him. I asked someone else. Now back to my question, Why are you all still after me? Because it doesn''t make sense that you''re after my little cousin."


    "We just wanted to have some fun... To see if you can easily link it to us.. But you''ve lost touch. You''re no longer as smart as  you used to be. I can''t believe it took you weeks before you could figure it out." He mocked.


    "Wh...at? Fun?" Sara couldn''t believe what she just heard. They had broken Joreen''s heart and made them all sad just because they wanted to have fun?


    "We wouldn''t have done that if you had accepted our invitation earlier. I''m sure Marcus told you to pay us a visit but you adamantly refused." He said, pointing at the boss.


    It was the first time Sara was hearing his real name and she was glad she no longer had to refer to him as ''the boss'' but as Marcus instead.


    "Why would I agree to see you all when there is nothing between us? Light and darkness have nothing in common!"


    "Don''t you know that we would have done worse? You know how we work. We don''t play games with people but we had to in your case. Too bad you were too slow to figure it out. If not for Fuji, we would have gone after your beloved father or aunt. Maybe you would have listened then."


    Fuji? She closed her eyes to take a deep breath before opening them back again. It was really happening. All the names she didn''t want to hear, she was hearing them all tonight.


    "What do you intend to achieve by doing this?" She asked with glazed eyes.


    He remained quiet and gently opened the back door of the car he had just got down from.


    "Get in. We have a lot to talk about."


    "I have nothing to talk about with you or anyone from your useless clan"


    "Careful Darling... Careful" His playfulness disappeared as he asked with dark eyes.


    "Or what?" She asked back with cold a cold expression.


    "Get in!" He ordered.


    "Or...what?" She challenged.


    "You are still as stubborn as I remember. No wonder you could escape from our clutches years back." He said in frustration.


    "I don''t care what you''re saying right now. But I want to know...whose idea was it to mess with Joreen?"


    "You''ll know when you follow me."


    "I have no intention of following a snake like you."


    He scratched his head before saying...


    "Your cousin... is sleeping upstairs. Your father is not very far from here and your Aunt''s location is an hour and twenty minutes drive away from here." He informed her.


    "Are you... threatening me?" She was beginning to get swayed by his threats but she tried not to let him see it.


    He must have been really prepared before coming. If not, how else would he have known about their whereabout?


    But she was glad her father was safe. She had been wondering where he was but now, she knew he was okay.


    "Yes." He admitted immediately. "There are other ways to make you leave with us. We don''t even have to force you. Look..."


    He used a finger to gesture at someone walking dejectedly towards their direction.


    Her eyes shone when she realised that it was her father. Why on earth was he looking like that?


    She was almost going to meet him when she heard the man beside her say.. "You have to follow us now. Except you want us to say hello to your father and introduce ourselves to him."


    Sara bit her lips in confusion before closing her eyes in frustration. When she opened it back again, he knew she had surrendered.


    Sara hissed before quickly entering inside the car so her father would not see her.


    As the car drove down the road, they both remained quiet before he broke the silence.


    "Return the computer back to the rightful owner if you want to stay out of trouble"


    Sara shot him an angry look.. "Are you crazy? Can''t you all see what he is doing?.. It''s dangerous. My cousin studies there, same with a whole lot of other kids. Are we just supposed to let them be in the face of danger?"


    He chuckled before saying to her. "You now have a really sharp tongue. It suits you best. But I never knew you cared about those kind of things. If you are bothered about it, then you can just change your cousin''s school."


    She eyed him before turning to look at the front.


    "Anyway, I was just saying. Right about now, the contents inside the laptop has all been erased. It was a bait to lure you out not to turn you into a prosecutor"


    "What? You broke into my apartment again?" She yelled at him in anger which caused the driver and the other man at the front seat to flinch.


    How could they break into her home again? Joreen was sleeping alone inside. Imagine her waking up to see a strange man in the room. What the hell?


    "You broke into someone''s office also didn''t you?" He asked back with his usual lifeless eyes staring intently at her.


    "What exactly do you all want from me?" She asked him in a gentler tone now.


    "Just a tiny little favour and we will let you be."


    "I don''t owe you all anything. Fuji promised to let me go eight years ago."


    "And I believe he has no intention of bringing you back. In fact, he has been protecting you from too many foes. You should return the favor."


    From foes? Which foes did she have?


    Sara suddenly remembered the night she was strolling with Muchen and he had accidentally bumped into a gangster who almost caused trouble but had called her by name and apologised. Was that also their doing?


    "What the hell are you people doing?" She asked him. "Protecting me? You call exposing me to the underground world protecting me?"


    "You should be grateful he thinks of you as his daughter. Else, he wouldn''t be doing any of these. So...you have to thank him by returning the favour."


    She suddenly remembered he had been mentioning about Fuji ever since so she asked in surprise..


    "Fuji....is in the country?"


    "Everyone you know is in the country. And...they are all waiting for you."


    He said with a smirk as the car drove into a grand hotel.

 Chapter 260 - GANG (UNEDITED)

    Sara''s heart began to thump faster as the car went further past the hotel gate.


    Why was this happening? Why did she have to meet these people now?


    Those questions and many others, ran through her mind and even her hands began to shake.


    She simply would have ignored them. But now, it seemed they were going to go after her family if she did so. What was wrong? Was she not already done with them?


    As she followed snake and the others inside the hotel, she tried as much as possible to not show how uncomfortable she was.


    They were other normal guests there but she knew the devils were all around the vicinity.


    Everyday of her life, she prayed for this day to never come. The day where she had to face them again. But it seemed the deity didn''t give ears and heed to her prayers.


    With his thumb print, a new floor number appeared in the elevator which sent them to the penthouse at the last floor of the six-storey hotel.


    The atmosphere here was completely different from outside. Maybe because she knew the kind of people that stayed here.


    Two men who looked like bodyguards were stationed by the door and immediately they saw Snake arrive with the others, they allowed him enter with her but the rest remained outside.


    She would have been awed by the interior if she wasn''t scared right now.


    Inside the penthouse featured a large living room that was painted gold, with stunning views of night sky through the wall to ceiling window at every corner. There was a dining area at one end and before she could look further around, she saw someone come out from a door she believed was probably the kitchen with two full glasses of wine in both hands.


    The heater made the place really warm so the man was not wearing winter clothes like them but rather, he was on a tee-shirt and blue pants.


    He was average in height, and from his completely grey hair and slight wrinkles on his face, one could easily guess he was in his fifties already.


    He smiled when he saw her and continued approaching where she was quietly standing beside Snake.


    One would have thought he was a normal good looking responsible man if not for the creepy tattoo of a snake wrapped around a sword that extended from his exposed left upper arm down to his lower arm.


    She had known that message was sent by them because of the sword emoji at the end of the message. That was the logo of the gang.


    Every member of the gang also had tattoos but it was depending on their rank. And that was how she had known Marcus was a level three. His tattoo was a plain sword. The more they climb higher in rank, more inks was added. But it took years to be able to climb from one level to another.


    "I''m happy to see you" He said before handing her a glass of wine.


    Sara stared at him uncomfortably and refused to take the glass of wine from him. If she hated Snake with her life, this man, was the bane of her existence. He was called Fuji.


    He smiled again before handing it over to snake. "You''ve done well." He praised him.


    Snake bowed and turned to leave but was stopped by Fuji.


    "You should take a seat. The others are coming soon. They need to say hello to their little sister. How long has it been again? 5 years..or 6.. Or 7? I can''t quite get it"


    He shook his head before carefully plumping himself down on the couch.


    "You should sit. We have a lot to discuss.. And lest I forget.... Merry Christmas"


    Immediately he finished saying that to her, the door opened and in came three men.


    She pursed her lips when she saw the people who had just entered.


    Unlike Snake and Fuji, she did not have much resentment towards these three.. They were called Blue Rays, Sword and Black Dog.


    Blue Rays smiled and waved happily when he saw her. If she remembered correctly, he should probably be around twenty seven years old now.


    He had a small stature, looked really girly and his long hair that was in a ponytail did not help matters since people naturally assumed he was a girl and there was nothing he said that made them believe otherwise.


    He was the tech whiz of the gang and most times, he went undercover as a female.


    Sara didn''t bother to wave back as her eyes landed on young man beside him ¡ª Sword, also in his late twenties.


    His face was expressionless and his eyes were dark but she could tell this was his ''happy face''.


    He never smiled, neither did he talk much but he was extremely good with knives. And never has it been recorded that he missed a target; Not even in his sleep.


    The last beside Sword was called Black Dog, in his mid thirties. He didn''t bother to look at her as his eyes were fixed on Fuji instead.


    Sara didn''t know much about this one. But according to the rumours, she heard he was called Dog because of his hypersensitivity. He was also very alert and knew when danger was about to arise. As for the ''Black'', well, he was always dressed in black. Even right now, he was wearing a black pant and shirt  that would probably explain why he was called a black dog.


    "You miss them don''t you?" Fuji asked her as he gestured for her to sit first.


    "What is it you want to say. Hurry up. I don''t have all night" She answered coldly.


    The others looked at her but were not so surprised she was talking to him like that. She had always been that way but it still felt strange to them since no one dared talk to Fuji like that.


    "Let''s have a drink first. We''ve not all gathered like this for years."


    "You promised me. You promised you were never going to disturb me again. What is this about?" She yelled at him in anger. She was no longer scared as she looked at them. She was angry!


    "It seems she is not interested in catching up with you guys" Fuji complained to the others but he didn''t look annoyed.


    The others said nothing. It was their norm to always remain quiet when Fuji spoke unless he asked for their opinion which was actually a rare occurrence.


    "Then let''s get to business. Everyone get seated."


    The others soon found themselves sitting except Sara who was still standing with a look of displeasure.


    "Did you have to go that far with my little cousin? Do you act so childishly now?" She asked Fuji.


    He sipped a bit from his wine glass before twirling it around with the stem.


    With his eyes fixed on the drink, he began to speak. "Would you have agreed to come here if we had not done so? What''s the big deal  not receiving a prize?"


    "If it wasn''t a big deal then you wouldn''t have done that! Why didn''t you just come for me instead of hurting her?" It almost made her cry when she remembered how Joreen had suppressed her tears that day.


    "Remember when I told you that before you can be strong, you shouldn''t have weaknesses. We only did something insignificant and you''re already acting up. Shouldn''t you be happy it wasn''t your father''s restaurant. Or your Aunt.  Or even...a CEO?"


    He slowly lifted his eyes to look at her and saw her tense up.


    She swallowed hard and tried to control her unsteady breath but it wasn''t working. She knew she couldn''t act rashly when it came to these people. It was the reason she was still very calm.


    She knew she had to act indifferent. It was the only way she would be able to win against them. But no matter how hard she tried, it wasn''t working. She still didn''t want to give up anyway.


    "So? You can try.. But you should already know me by now. You should know I won''t let you hurt anyone close to me"


    "Because you''re a good fighter? Would you like to have a little training with Snake let''s see how much you''ve improved over the years?"


    The others who had been quiet the whole time looked at him in surprise. What? Snake should fight with her? Was he planning to kill Sara?


    Even Snake was also shocked when he heard Fuji''s words.


    Thinking Sara would be scared, they heard her scoff.


    "You don''t seem to be scared. Even if you''ve been taking some classes lately, do you think you can be compared to a full BLACK? If not for the ritual we performed on you years ago, did you think you would have been able to lift your weak body to fight?"


    So they even knew about the classes she was taking? How long have they been monitoring her? She sighed irritably.


    "Which useless ritual are you talking about? You think that was the reason I could do everything I did?"


    "Obviously."


    "Don''t kid yourself. I had the will to live that was why I could do everything I did I wanted to live and be free from your clutches."


    "You would have died if we hadn''t saved your life. Do you think you would be standing here today if we hadn''t saved your life?"


    "You ruined my life!" She placed a hand on her chest to show how much pain she was going through "I would have preferred death to the kind of life you made me live. But I had to live so as to get away from you all."


    "But we saved you. That''s why you can enjoy all of these now. Getting famous, having fun and meeting a rich boyfriend. Isn''t that so?"


    Sara laughed humourlessly before turning to walk away. "I won''t continue this conversation with you band of thieves."


    For the first time, Fuji''s eyes darkened.


    The others also shifted unconformably in their seats as they witnessed the entire exchange.


    "We all saw you as our family. I took you as my daughter. Isn''t it unfair that you are treating us this way? Come back to us." Fuji said calmly but his eyes were still dark.


    She turned around to look at him in disbelief. "Are you high on expired drugs or something? You took me as your daughter? Would you treat your real daughter the way you treated me? Think long and hard about how you treated me and tell me if you would ever treat your real daughter like that.  Would you... try to rape your daughter? You should be happy I am not putting a knife to your throat right now you disgusting old man"

 Chapter 261 - Unnamed

    Sara''s legs shook as she passed the last door which led her out of the hotel.


    She kept walking in a daze until she was sure no one was in sight. After holding it in for long, she finally allowed her emotions to take over and before she knew it, she had already fallen to the ground as her eyes stared blankly at nothing in particular.


    Her hair was a mess, her face was red. Her eyes were lifeless and she had no single energy to lift herself up.


    Tears began to stream down her face as she remembered what had happened in there.


    --


    "We all saw you as our family. I took you as my daughter. Isn''t it unfair that you are treating us this way? Come back to us." Fuji said calmly but his eyes were still dark.


    She turned around to look at him in disbelief. "Are you high on expired drugs or something? You took me as your daughter? Would you treat your real daughter the way you treated me? Think long and hard about how you treated me and tell me if you would ever treat your real daughter like that.  Would you... try to rape your daughter? You should be happy I am not putting a knife to your throat right now you disgusting old man" She yelled at him in anger.


    When the others heard her, their eyes widened in shock. They all knew something had gone bad between Sara and Fuji back then but they did not know it was as serious as that.


    Fuji tried to rape her? She wasn''t even 18 then and he was old enough to be her father!


    Fuji had been really strict with her. But they knew he cared about her. It was the reason no one messed with her because she was practically his ''daughter''.


    A time when a level two member had tried to make a pass at her, Fuji had seriously dealt with him in an imaginable way. In fact, they still got goosebumps whenever they remembered that day. And from that day, they all began to feel bad for Sara''s unfortunate life.


    They all looked on in shock and surprise but no one dared say anything. The only thing they could do was to shift uncomfortably in their seats.


    "Don''t get me angry. I really...don''t ever want to see you all again."


    She hissed before heading towards the door. But she got a bigger problem when she tried to open it but the door refused to open.


    For the first time since he sat down, Fuji stood up and gradually approached her.


    He did not seem to be shaken by the fact that she had just mentioned that incident in the midst of other people.


    When she saw him approaching, she began to get scared but still tried to maintain eye contact with him, with the hope that he would let her be when he sees that she was being serious and also see how angry she was.


    The others exchanged glances among themselves¡ª except Snake whose eyes were looking at anywhere but at Fuji''s direction.


    They were all curious about what he was going to do. Then, they saw him try to place a hand on her shoulder but she quickly moved away from his reach.


    He chuckled lightly before looking at the others.


    "You all...should leave" He ordered them before adding. "I''m sure you''re making her uncomfortable"


    It took a few seconds before Snake stood up and the others reluctantly followed suit.


    Snake touched his hand to an almost invisible wireless earphone in his left ear. He whispered something and the door opened.


    They all gave Sara an apologetic look when they got to the door.


    Sara did not waste time at all. After Blue Rays and Sword passed through the door, and it was Black Sword''s turn to leave, she hurriedly tried to leave before but unfortunately for her, she was not fast enough.


    Before she could pass through the door, she felt a strong hand wrap around her waist and forcefully pulled her back while lifting her off the ground.


    No matter how hard she screamed, threw her legs about and even tried to fight, she could not do anything. She knew it was Snake who had pulled her back and his hold was really firm to the point where she could not even move her hands.


    She knew it was going to be a terrible idea being stuck in here together with Fuji and she did not want that.


    "Don''t think about running away. I have no intention to hurt you."


    Sara was firmly in Snake''s grip with both hands locked to her sides so there was nothing she could have done to free herself.


    She simply stood there with teary eyes as Fuji used a hand to help smoothen and tuck in her hair beside her ears because it was scattered all over her face.


    The feel of his hands slightly grazing her face frightened her to death. It reminded her of the past and as she shook her head from side to side to avoid his hands, tears began to stream down her face.


    At the end, she lost! She concluded.


    There was no way she could win against these people. She knew that for sure.


    "Please...let me go" She managed to say the words out and felt Snake tense lightly behind her.


    The door was still open and so, the others¡ª including the bodyguards by the door could see what was going on inside.


    "Don''t make me threaten you before you agree to stay. I only have a job for you to do for me. That''s all." He tried to reason with her.


    "I don''t want to do any job for you. Please I don''t want to." She pleaded with tears in her eyes.


    As the others looked at her right now, all they could see was the younger version of Sara.


    She had also pleaded like this back then but no matter what she did, Fuji still made sure she obeyed his orders.


    It made them realise that the stubborn act she had been putting on since she arrived there had been a fa?ade. And this right now, was the real Sara.


    "It involves your boyfriend. Are you sure you don''t want to hear it or should I ask someone else to do it?" Fuji said to her with an expressionless face.


    When Sara heard the words ''boyfriend'', her eyes shone. She desperately prayed and wished for the ''boyfriend'' to be Jinyong but she knew that was impossible.


    The Blacks were always up to date with every information and so, even if it was a secret to outsiders that she was dating Muchen, they would obviously have found out about it. In fact, from the very first day she began to work for him as Heya''s coach, they would have known from that day that he was eventually going to be her boyfriend.


    They were that scary!


    "So are you going to stay or should I ask someone else to do this?" He asked her again.


    Sara shook her head vigorously. "I don''t know what you are talking about. I do not have a boyfriend." She denied.


    She did not know what they were planning to do with Muchen and she did not want to continue this conversation either.


    "Blue Rays..." Fuji called leisurely as he returned back to where he had been sitting to continue sipping his wine.


    Blue Rays was on cue and returned inside to stand in front of Sara with a tablet in hand. He gave her a sorry look before he began to speak...


    "Name: Li Muchen, twenty nine years old. Only son of Li Fazhan and Jiang Dana. Younger sister''s name: Li Heya, nineteen years old. Recently traveled to Country V. Lodged in Valor''s hotel. Room number: 6601..."


    As Sara heard him mention a whole lot of things about Muchen, she knew it was over for her.


    There was no way she could deny anything now. They had even known his room number?


    She saw Blue Rays'' mouth continue to move which meant that he was still talking but she was no longer paying attention. She would rather die than to let anyone hurt Muchen.


    "It''s enough. You all can go. I believe she is going to stay now"


    Snake finally let go of her which caused her to almost fall to the floor but she managed to remain standing.


    She turned to look at him and he stared right back at her. He was almost turning to leave before Sara''s hand landed on his face in a fierce slap.


    He could have easily dodged that. Everyone knew that!


    But he did not move at all and had purposely stood there for her to hit him.


    Sara guessed he was probably doing that out of guilt since she could clearly see the apologetic look in his eyes. Everyone thought so too.


    "I will pay you back for this" She assured him with bloodshot eyes.


    He nodded before finally leaving the room.


    He walked faster to get away from the others and they couldn''t help but feel sad for him.


    "This is messed up" Blue Rays said first.


    "It really is." Sword added while Black dog walked away like none of it was his business.


    "She must have really felt betrayed for her to hit him like that."


    "Of course, he had been her closest friend then. It''s such a pity they had to meet again like this"  Blue Ray added sadly before he looked at the closed door where Sara was locked in with Fuji.

 Chapter 262 - Three Days.

    "I don''t know why you look so frightened. I told you nothing is going to happen to you. We only need your help." Fuji assured her.


    "What.. is it?" She asked in a low throaty voice.


    He picked up a remote from the table and switched the TV on.


    When it came on, she saw a painting appear on the large screen.


    "I''m sure you have seen this before" Fuji said to her when he saw her staring intently at it.


    Of course, she had seen it a lot of times. It was the painting in Muchen''s house. The one he said he was going to give to his grandson.


    "I have not" She moved her eyes from the TV to look at him.


    "You have. Bring it to us. That''s all. We will let you be and never appear in front of you again."


    Sara could not believe what she had just heard. They want her to bring the painting here? She was never going to do that!


    "Why? What do you need the painting for?"


    She was slightly relieved to know that Muchen was not in trouble just like she had imagined.


    If it was just a painting, she thought she could easily ruin their entire plan but if it was something else, then it would have been impossible.


    "Look darling... Someone needs it. I do not know why the person needs that painting in particular but according to this person, your CEO boyfriend refused to sell it. So we need to acquire it through other means. And don''t think you are going to do this for free.. We are obviously going to pay you handsomely." He assured her.


    Sara could not stomach the idea of stealing from Muchen. He did not deserve that at all. How would he treat her when he found out about it? How would she comfortably look him in the eye after doing that?


    He had told her the painting was his grandfather''s gift to him. He had said he would give it to his grandson also. She didn''t even want to think about the millions of dollars it was currently worth.


    But why did it have to be her?


    "Why me? You could have just stolen it yourself so why are you asking me to do this to him?" She asked as tears began to cloud her eyes.


    "Have you forgotten how we operate? We are asking you to do this because he is your boyfriend that is why we decided to not use our usual pattern to acquire it. And apart from that, you know we like to leave our trail completely clean by using insiders. If we simply go get it ourselves, we don''t know what mess might occur. He may even end up getting hurt. So isn''t it best if you quietly do it for us?"


    He spread his hands on the couch in a relaxed manner and continued...


    "Now that we recently arrived this country, we need to fully establish ourselves all over the city and we cannot start doing that by breaking into your boyfriend''s home. But you.. you have a full and free access. All you have to do is walk in there, get the painting, and bring it to us. Of course, you''ll be given a fake to replace it with so he wouldn''t know about it."


    "I don''t want to. I don''t want to do it" She shook her head vigorously.


    "Beg him to sell it. Don''t ask me to steal from him. Why....are you doing this to me? He is the only human who genuinely cares about me and trust me aside from my family... I don''t want to pay him back this way please... I will do anything else but not this."


    "It''s just a painting goddamn it!" He said in an irritated tone before pulling himself up to walk to where she was standing.


    The more he approached her, the more steps she took backwards.


    Fuji stopped approaching and sighed in anger.


    "See why you shouldn''t have left us? See why you should have stayed beside us? You look so weak now. Back then, didn''t you do worse..didn''t you do unimaginable things? Didn''t you¡ª"


    As he kept asking those questions, she used both hands to cover her ears and shook her head. "I don''t want to hear it please stop. I don''t want to hear it!"


    She kept screaming and tears began to stream down her face.


    She suddenly felt his rough hands on her face and flinched back in fright.


    "Do this for us. We will let you be and never appear in front of you again."


    "What if I don''t want to?"


    "Then we will make you do worse things like you did in the past. And not just that....your boyfriend would have to know the kind of person you really are. How scary his precious girlfriend is... Let''s see if he continues to love you" He sneered. "And not just that....your family would have to know."


    Sara''s eyes widened when she heard him. He was going to tell her family and Muchen about it? Her legs could no longer support her and so she fell on the floor.


    "We did a lot for you. We saved your life and gave you a good life. A life with power! But you chose this miserable and weak life instead." He paused to look at Sara whose hands were covering her tear-stained face.


    "The way your life disappeared from the books years ago, I can also put back everything and more. Trust me"


    "You are bluffing... It''s going to implicate you all also. You won''t do it."


    "You think?" He asked with an eerie smile.


    "Bring us the painting. I''ll give you three days. But if not, you better start telling everyone the kind of person you once were or else, you''ll have to hear it from the mouths of everyone who has been admiring you since yesterday. The world would have to know it."


    Sara was completely broken. This was the worst day of her life.  "How...how could you do this to me when it was you who made me that way?"


    Sara saw him smile and then used a hand to touch his ear. He whispered something and the door suddenly opened.


    "You have three days. I will see you after then"


    **


    She was lost in the dark and the only thing she could do was cry as she sat on the floor.


    What was she going to do?


    She was not bothered about the world finding out. If it was to go to jail, she would willingly go for the crimes she had committed.


    But what about her Father? What about her aunt and Joreen hearing about it?


    It was going to be terrible for her family to hear something like that about her.


    Then what about Muchen?


    Did she really trust his love that much to believe he was not going to leave her no matter what?


    ''Three days'' She reminded herself.


    After that, she was either going to be a thief, or a criminal.

 Chapter 263 - Lost in thought

    "Why is everyone acting weird today?" Joreen murmured to herself.


    She had woken up with a scare when she saw Sara looking like a Zombie while staring blankly at the window. Her hair was scattered, her eyes, lifeless, and underneath it were dark shadows to prove she did not sleep at all last night.


    Even when she had shouted in fright, Sara still did not turn to look at her. It was as if she did not hear her at all.


    It was when she tapped Sara gently to ask what she was staring at, that was when Sara managed to look at her but said nothing and just continued looking outside.


    After going out to go check on her father so he would come check what was wrong with Sara, she saw him sprawled on the bed with his panda eyes looking at the ceiling.


    She scratched her head in frustration of not knowing what to do. No one had heard from her mother. She had used Sara''s phone to call her but it was still not reachable.


    She heard her stomach growl and knew there was soon going to be a war inside, if nothing was done to fill up her stomach.


    A few minutes later, Sara and Jianjun appeared inside the kitchen when they heard the loud clattering sound of plates breaking.


    When they both entered, they saw Joreen looking at the floor in shock and blood dripping from two of her fingers.


    "Jo...what happened?" Sara asked in shock when she saw the blood.


    Joreen looked at the both of them who finally looked like they were living people, and began to cry.


    "You both scared me. I don''t know what is wrong with you both today but I wanted to make breakfast and this happened." She said in between tears and cried even harder when she looked at her bloody hand.


    "I''m really sorry Jo. It''s my fault. I am so sorry" Jianjun apologize as he hurriedly went to stand in front of her to comfort her.


    Sara had already pulled her into a hug and she didn''t know what happened next but she soon found herself crying along side Joreen.


    Jianjun apologized one more time before going to get the trashcan and dustpan to take care of the messy floor.


    As Jianjun prepared breakfast, Sara helped Joreen administer first aid on her fingers.


    When they were all done and it was time to eat, everyone was quiet.


    Sara and Jianjun did not even see how the other was looking to realise that something was wrong. They were simply lost in their own  thoughts.


    Sara continued to weigh both options.


    It was the reason she had not wanted to date Muchen in the first place. She had been so scared of something like this happening in the future; where he would have to find out about her past.


    She had taken a bold step by falling in love with someone as perfect as Muchen and now, there is nothing she could possibly do about it other than to accept her fate and pay the price.


    Jianjun also had a lot on his mind. The thought of him hating Changyu for the past decades because of a stupid misunderstanding drove him crazy.


    He did not think she was lying. She could be anything else but a liar. Besides, why would she lie about something like that?


    He had thought about going to her family''s house to confront her parents. But he knew it was not wise to do so.


    They had ruined his family before, they could still do it again. He had to protect his family. If her parents wanted to do something bad to them now, he did not have the power or connection to protect them from their attack.


    He remembered how some members of an agency in charge of food and drugs regulation had come to his parents'' restaurant to charge them for using an illegal substance in his meal to get people addicted to it.


    They had all been surprised by such outrageous charge but because they knew they were innocent, his parents had granted them a free access to check everywhere.


    But unfortunately for them, not only did they find the drug they were talking about, they were even able to detect it with a device in the food they had just finished preparing.


    Till date, he had no idea who had done that amongst all the employees there at that time.


    He sighed when he thought about Changyu. She must have really suffered a lot. He wanted to ask her more questions, but he knew it was not the right time to do so now.


    They both needed time to heal and accept the fact that they had been idiots for not trusting each other.


    Yes, he had been an idiot. He should have trusted Changyu''s love for him. He should have believed she would not have been able to send that kind of letter out of the blue.


    But what about her? How could she ever believe that kind of stupid message? How could she believe he would send something like that to her for any reason?


    She also did not trust him. In fact, hers was even worse. She could have easily believed his mail was hacked. But she had used her own writing to send her letter. So it was even more difficult for him to not believe hers.


    Tears threatened to escape his eyes and so he quickly excused himself and went back inside his room, leaving his meal completely untouched.


    Joreen''s eyes followed him before she turned to look at Sara who also had not touched her food.


    "What is wrong with you? You are scaring me? Did something happen to you and dad last night?" She asked with a worried expression.


    Sara turned her pale face to look at Joreen.


    "Jo...I want to ask you a question" She said in a hoarse voice.


    "What is it? Ask me anything" She sat up and gave her full attention to Sara.


    "If you by chance...hear that I am a bad person...that I have done unimaginable things.... How will you react to that?" She bit her lower lip and waited for Joreen''s answer.


    Joreen looked at her in confusion before answering her question "I know you. And I know you are not a bad person. Besides, we all do unimaginable things. I even spat in Miss Kang''s coffee when she was not looking." She added with a cheeky grin.


    A tiny smile appeared on Sara''s face when she heard Joreen''s answer. She was still a kid and thought life was probably as easy as she was imagining it to be.


    "Thank goodness you are finally smiling. Please eat something. You both are making me lose my appetite."


    Sara looked at Joreen''s plate to see it was almost empty already. She furrowed her brows when she looked at her father''s plate to see he did not touch his food at all.


    She was able to guess it was related to Changyu so she decided to not butt in. The old people should handle their things themselves. For now, she had a whole lot on her mind.


    But, she was suddenly curious about something... Did he ever love her mother?


    Because from the look of things, it seemed like he always had a thing for Changyu. Did it mean he never really liked her mother?


    She was going to ask him that question one day. But now, she had to settle her own problems.


    She looked at her phone and noticed that it was almost time for her to go over to Muchen''s place. She did not know how to face him now but she knew she had to make up her mind quickly.


    ***


    "She is still refusing to come out?" The head maid asked Hani who was standing in front of Changyu''s room door.


    Hani and the driver had returned to Changyu''s apartment around midnight and since then, she had been trying to get Changyu''s attention but the door had been tightly locked. The only thing they could hear from inside were her sobs.


    Hani nodded at the elderly maid who then asked anothet question "Have any idea whatever happened to her last night? She didn''t even cry this much after cutting ties with her parents. If she continues this way, I''m scared she may fall sick again"


    Hani looked at the door sadly. She was sure Changyu had gone to see Mr Wang last night. She wondered if he was the one who made her this way.


    She considered paying him a visit to ask what he did to her but Changyu had warned her to never cross the line again so she could do nothing but sigh.


    She had gotten an information from the man they had gone to see last night and wanted to share it with Changyu but the way things were right now, she wondered whether she would be able to share it with her anytime soon.


    Hani shook her head to finally answer the maid''s question. "I have no idea. But if she remains like this till noon, I will have to use the spare key." She said before walking away.


    **


    When Sara arrived at Muchen''s place, she continued standing in front of the door for a couple of minutes without knowing what to do.


    The surrounding was free of any stationed bodyguards or maids moving about. She guessed they had been given a Christmas leave.


    Muchen had told her he didn''t like having guards around. And left for him, he would gladly live without guards and maids. But his parents never agreed to that.


    They wanted him to be safe at all cost since his life had been threatened a couple of times already.


    She guessed he must have used this Christmas break as an excuse to get rid of all of them.


    She was startled when the door suddenly opened and Heya came out wearing a black tracksuit with her hair in a ponytail.


    If they thought the men in the Li family were all good looking, Sara thought they needed to see the only girl.


    She was really pretty. And now, she was beginning to look more like a teenager.


    Although she was still chubby, it did suit her now and her face was getting slimmer.


    "Sara. Good morning." She greeted with a radiating smile.


    Sara tried to force a smile back and greeted Heya. "How did you sleep?"


    "Very well. I wanted to do some jogging before you arrive but seems like we''ll just go on with the biking. I''ll go get the bikes. Big bro is inside." Heya winked at her before walking away to go get the bikes in the garage.


    Sara took in a deep breath before finally entering inside the apartment.


    When she entered, she looked around and saw no one around.


    As her eyes kept scanning inside, her attention was drawn to the painting which was hanging on the wall.


    Her heart skipped when she saw it and slowly, she walked towards where it was hanging.


    She looked at the painting with a sad expression before turning to look at the couch behind her.


    She remembered the day she had been lying there with Muchen and he had told her about the painting. Everything had been so perfect then. But now....


    She turned to look at the painting again. There was nothing so special about it to her. Just some strokes and lines..


    What was so special about it for the person to want it so badly to the point where they had to ask the Blacks to get it for them?


    As she was lost in thought, she felt a hand wrap around her waist in a back hug while his chin rested on her left shoulder.


    "It was nice walking down those stairs and the first thing I saw was you" She heard Muchen''s deep voice whisper to her.

 Chapter 264 - A warning

    "It was nice walking down those stairs and the first thing I saw was you" She heard Muchen''s deep voice whisper to her.


    Sara did not turn around to look at Muchen. Her sad eyes were still gazing at the Painting.


    "You seem to suddenly like this painting today" He added jokingly after noticing she had been staring at it without saying a word to him.


    Sara sighed before finally saying something.


    "Have you ever...thought about selling this painting? It is worth millions of dollars right?"


    Muchen placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her around to face him.


    She looked at him and could see his brow was arched questioningly.


    "Sell it? He shook his head. I intend for it to remain in the Li family for as long as life exists."


    She avoided looking at him and turned her attention to look at the door that just opened.


    "Oh... Sorry for intruding. The bikes are outside. I will just wait for you outside you can carry on with what you were both doing." Heya said to the both of them with a smile on her face before turning to go outside.


    "Are you okay?" Muchen asked Sara.


    He noticed something was off with her but he could not exactly place it.


    "I am fine. I just feel a bit sick" She answered in a low voice.


    "Then you should not bother to go biking with Heya. I can do it for you. Just rest here. I''ll go with her"


    "No... I have to. I will see you when I return."


    She turned to go but he pulled her back and searched her eyes with his.


    "If something is bothering you, talk to me. You trust me right?"


    She faked a smile and nodded slowly.


    Of course, she did trust him. She just did not know the depth yet.


    When he saw her smile and nod, he smiled also. "I will ride with you both outside the gate and when I am sure you are really okay, I will come back home. Got it?"


    He did not wait for her to oppose or accept the idea before he moved outside to go get his own bike.


    While riding outside, his gaze was fixed on Sara. She was not her usual cheerful self who always looked at him with starstruck eyes and smiled brightly whenever she saw him. He could not help wondering what exactly was wrong with her.


    Immediately they rode outside the gate, they saw a black car coming out from the next villa. The car slowed down when it got to where the three people were slowly biking.


    When they saw the car stop, they also stopped to see who it was.


    And to Sara''s shock, the one who came down from the car was none other than Snake!


    She swallowed hard and looked at him with wide eyes, wondering what the hell he was doing there. Fuji had given her three days. So why was he here in front of her and Muchen!?


    Was he here to meet her? Or was he here to tell Muchen something about her?


    Different questions ran through her mind when she saw him walking towards them.


    She looked around nervously and began to think of what to do but then, she noticed he was not looking at her but at Muchen instead.


    "CEO Li." He greeted with a ''pleasant'' smile as he approached him.


    Sara wondered what those people were up to now. And she was sure whatever it was, it was not something good.


    When she noticed he was gradually getting closer to where Muchen was standing, she quickly got down from her bike, left it on the ground and swiftly moved to stand in between Muchen and Snake who was about offering his hand in a handshake.


    Heya and Muchen looked at her in confusion and the same question was in their minds; What was she doing right now?


    Sara stared fiercely at Snake who stared right back at her.


    She did not trust him one bit. Maybe she did at one point in her life. But now, she was smart enough to know that every member of the gang were willing to die for Fuji.


    He could have been sent here to poison Muchen somehow so they could use his life to threaten her. Using poison was another of his speciality. And she did not want to risk it.


    "She probably is your girlfriend. Is she jealous that someone else is trying to touch her man?"


    They heard him laugh amusedly before withdrawing his hand.  "Sorry miss. My bad" He apologised to Sara with a smile.


    "I only wanted to say hello to CEO Li. We have met before" He said with another ''smile''.


    Sara raised a brow in confusion before turning to look at Muchen. "You know him?"


    She could see the amused look on his face when he nodded. "We have met before. This is Yue King. The new owner of Grand Castle hotel." He introduced.


    Yue King? It was the first time hearing the name after so many years. There was a time when Snake had told her that his real name was ''Yue King'' and had asked her to promise never to tell anyone since he did not wish to live with that identity. So what was he doing now?


    Sara remembered Grand Castle Hotel as the hotel Snake had taken her to just a few hours ago. So he was the new owner?


    ''It''s probably for show'' She concluded.


    But she was still very surprised and uncomfortable that Muchen knew someone as dangerous as Snake.


    "Do you know him?" Muchen then asked Sara who was still standing in between them.


    She looked at all of them and knew she should have a reasonable explanation for her attitude just now.


    She scratched her head awkwardly before answering.


    "I don''t know him. He just looks like a bad person." She answered his question the best way she could.


    "Sorry about that" Muchen apologized to Snake with a laugh. "She says whatever comes to her mind." He explained.


    In fact, he had actually thought the same from the very first day he saw this Yue King. He looked like a normal businessman but when he was taken a closer look at by someone with keen eyes, they would see the kind of dark aura that was emanating from him.


    Everything about him was strange. He suddenly popped out from no where and took over the Jin''s Grand Castle Hotel as the new owner when he was sure the Jins were not lacking money for them to sell it off.


    He felt Sara''s senses must have been really sharp for her to easily notice what he had been suspecting about the guy.


    But for Sara''s safety, he just had to apologize and make everything seem like a joke.


    Snake chortled dryly before saying..


    "It''s fine. She seem like a fun person. Even if she does not know me...I do know her" He replied with a smile Muchen did not like at all.


    Sara''s hands fisted beside her and her heart began to thump even faster.


    "You do?" Muchen asked in surprise.


    Sara swallowed hard and waited for Snake''s next answer and it was not long before she heard it.


    "Sara Wang. Of course I know her...." He paused to look at Sara''s dark eyes before adding with a smirk "Her pictures are all over the net."


    Sara finally breathed out when she heard his answer. She then glared at Snake for messing with her.


    Heya had been watching their entire exchange and thought it was cute that Sara was trying to protect her brother by standing in between both men.


    To her, it was hilarious.


    But to Sara, this was one of the most uncomfortable moments of her life.


    Muchen felt he had already had enough of this King guy looking at Sara with those unreadable eyes.


    Shouldn''t he just say what the hell he was doing in his neighborhood instead of talking too much about his girlfriend?


    "So what are you doing around here?" Muchen finally asked when Sara moved slightly from his front.


    Yue King was a businessman just like himself. He was only applying courtesy in entertaining him. Besides, he had been the one who greeted them first. Else, he would have walked out on him from the very moment he called Sara ''jealous''


    "Oh... I came to see a friend closeby. I am also considering moving into one of these beauties." He turned his head to look at the houses in the direction he had just appeared from.


    Throughout their entire conversation, Sara was tensed. The realisation of Muchen knowing Snake was too much for her to bear.


    She realised that now, she was not actually scared of Muchen knowing about her past. She was more scared of him getting hurt by these people.


    Even if she refused to give them the painting, those people were never going to give up. They would not waste time in searching for someone else to do it for them and that might be even worse.


    Snake appearing here right now, was obviously a warning for her. To remind her that they were watching.


    She made up her mind to hand it over to them. If it was the only way to guarantee his safety, she was going to do it and more.

 Chapter 265 - Strong to weak?

    After Snake left, Muchen also reluctantly left the both of them.


    Sara and Heya rode down the streets side by side without saying anything to each other.


    Thankfully, Heya was already used to this so it was not as troublesome for the both of them as it wae the first time, where they had to make stops so she could rest and catch her breath.


    Heya still had a lot going through her mind in regards to Cearo. Her mind was so occupied in it that she did not seem to feel strained or tired as she kept riding down the streets in frustration.


    Sara also had much going on within her.


    No matter how much she tried to not think about it, she could not. Her life was currently messy and she did not know how to organise it.


    She was so tired and her head was beginning to ache her, having not slept since the previous day.


    She had used her aunt''s powder to hide her tired look and dark eyes but it was really weighing down on her especially now that she was straining herself by exercising.


    "We''ll rest here" She signalled to Heya who then stopped riding.


    The both of them decided to take a rest and sit at the bench by the side of a field.


    When Sara noticed they had left the house without water, she decided to go buy across the street while Heya remained seated there.


    After purchasing the water, she was about taking out money from her hoodie''s pocket when her hand pulled out a little piece of paper.


    She looked at it in confusion, wondering where it came from since she did not remember putting it in there.


    When she saw the salesperson was still waiting for her to make her payment, she quickly took out some cash and gave it to her before she left the store with a nylon bag in hand and the piece of paper in another.


    Immediately she got out, she opened it and the first thing she saw was a drawing of a sword and a address.


    This was obviously Snake''s doing. He must have put it there this morning without her even knowing about it.


    A sigh escaped her lips. These people were obviously not going to let her be.


    She made up her mind to handle this head-on. If they wanted the painting, she was going to give it to them and make sure they never appear in front of her and Muchen again.


    --


    As Heya gently massaged her thighs, she heard her phone ring and when she checked, it was a call from an unidentified number again!


    She knew immediately that it was Cearo. She had blocked his number and since yesterday, he had been using different other numbers to call her.


    She pressed on the power button and turned the phone off with a sigh.


    "Why?" She heard a voice ask as the person approached her and was surprised to find Cearo in front of her.


    "I have been calling. Why have you refused to take my calls? Did I do something wrong by chance?"


    Heya stood up when she saw him. As usual, he looked stunning in the coat and pants he was wearing.


    Unlike his usual bright eyes, his eyes looked sad as he asked her with a painful expression.


    "Are you stalking me now?" She asked him expressionlessly.


    "No. I only wanted to see you to know why you have been giving me the attitude."


    "Isn''t it obvious? I am no longer interested in being friends with you." Heya answered him coldly.


    "There must be a reason. You can''t just wake up one day and decide you no longer want to be friends. It doesn''t sound quite reasonable if you ask me."


    "Well I did not ask you. Have something else to say? If you don''t then you better start leaving."


    He tired to hold her hand but she was quick to slap it off. "Are you crazy right now?"


    She asked with a dark expression.


    "I need to know why you have been acting strange. I thought you liked me?"


    "What?" She asked with a scoff. "I like you? Are you crazy? To be sincere, I only saw you as a friend. And it was fun singing with someone who knows how to do his stuff but do not delusion yourself. Do you think it is very easy to seduce a Li?"


    "What are you talking about? Who is seducing who?" He looked at her with a hurt expression when she said she had only seen him as a friend.


    "Let me ask you a question." She folded her hands in front of her chest.


    "What is it?" He looked at her attentively as be wondered what it was that she wanted to say.


    "Did you or did you not meet with Liu Weiyoung?"


    His eyes twitched when he heard her question.


    "Who...is Liu Weiyoung?" He asked with a raised brow.


    "Oh... You do not know her?" Heya asked him in surprise.


    If he had at least admitted that he knew her, then she would not have been so angry. But now, he was even denying it when her brother had told her there was a picture of the both of them together?


    "I don''t know her" He shook his head.


    Heya''s lips pursed. She shook her head as a sad smile appeared on her face.


    "Alright.. I won''t ask you further. Since you do not know her, it''s fine." She turned to walk away and saw Sara standing behind them.


    Sara had heard most of their conversation even though she had not planned on eavesdropping.


    She wondered what Weiyoung''s name was doing in their conversation but she did not seem to ponder on it too much.


    She thought about something else¡ª Heya''s reaction.


    She could not believe that this girl right here was the same Heya she knew two months ago.


    Now, she was so strong and fierce.


    While herself who had been trying to motivate Heya now appeared like a weak Chicken.


    She wished there was someone who could remind her to be strong.


    Her father had his own problems. Her aunt was no where to be found.


    And Muchen... She was still indecisive. She had considered telling him about everything. She wanted to tell him and if he still chose to stay beside her after hearing it, then fine. But if he did not want to, she was going to assume it was fate and they were not meant for each other.


    But she was scared. Scared of seeing his disappointed eyes. Scared of him walking away.


    If only she had someone to help her make a decision.


    But she only had herself to rely on.


    Her only wish is for her to not regret whatever decision she was going to make.

 Chapter 266 - Lets talk

    Jianjun did not think about opening the restaurant as his mind continued to wander about.


    Ever since he left the brealfast table, he  had remained inside his room and stared blankly at the window.


    He was tired. Tired of everything. The more he thought about everything, the angrier and sadder he got.


    ''She did not trust me. She did not trust my feelings.'' He had been repeating those words since the past night.


    No matter how much he thought about it, it all boiled down to that fact¡ª If only she had trusted him, they would not have gone through everything they both went through. None of those things would have happened. But she did not trust him. It was the reason she had easily believed that message.


    Now, it was even more difficult to forgive her. He knew she was not to be blamed but he could not bear it. He had to push his 25 years old grudge to someone and it had to be her because everything had been her fault.


    But on a second thought, he did not want to do so. He thought she might have suffered a lot so there was no point in blaming her even though he was still angry.


    He could not also get angry at Helene. Aside from the fact that she was dead, he had no idea whether she was the real culprit or not.


    He sighed deeply and as he continued to stare out the window, he heard a knock on the door, followed by Joreen''s tiny voice asking if she could come in.


    "You can come in." He said to her and moved to go sit on the bed.


    "Are you okay? Did something happen between you and Pretty Changyu yesterday? You were looking down when she left and looked even worse since this morning. Did something happen when you left the restaurant last night?"


    She threw the questions at him after sitting beside him on the bed.


    "You can talk to me. I am a good listener" She urged him when he remained quiet.


    Jianjun could not help smiling when he heard her. "Jo. I am fine" He assured her, but with the look she gave him in return, he knew she did buy it.


    "Pretty Changyu had tears in her eyes when she was leaving. Besides we heard her shouting at you when you were both in the account room. Is she your enemy?"


    "It''s fine. I just have a lot on my mind right now." Her constant use of ''pretty Changyu'' was beginning to make him feel dizzy.


    "Can you please hurry up and take care of whatever is in your mind so you can attend to Big Sis? She has been acting scary and strange since morning."


    "Sara?" He suddenly sat up when he heard something was wrong with her.


    "Yes. Last night when I was sleeping. I thought I heard her on a call with someone. She said something like ''Who are you to mess with my family''. I can''t really remember how she said it since I was really sleepy. But she left in a hurry and this morning, she looked like she cried all night." Joreen narrated.


    "What?" Jianjun stood up from the seat immediately. "Why did you not tell me about it this morning? Did she say anything else to you?"


    Joreen also stood up and shook her head. "I would have said something to you but you looked even worse. She said nothing else. She only asked me one weird question about how I would react if I heard she was a bad person. I tried to play everything as a joke but I think she was actually being serious. Can you please talk to her? I don''t think she is in her right mind."


    Jianjun frowned when he heard everything. What a useless father he was. His daughter was going through something and he was busy sulking because of the past?


    He searched around his messy bed for his phone but could not find it. He then checked the clothes he had worn the previous night that were hanging on his wardrobe door.


    Inside his pants pocket, he found his phone which had been on ''silent mode'' the entire time.


    When he opened it, he was shocked to see over a hundred missed calls and close to forty messages. In fact, his phone''s temperature was very hot and the battery was almost low.


    He did not bother with the many missed calls and texts from unidentified numbers. He wanted to call Sara first but a call came in.


    When he took the call, he heard a male voice speak.


    "Is this Wang Jianjun from DELIMEAL?"


    "Yes. Who is on the line?"


    "Thank goodness. I have been calling to the point where I thought it was a wrong number. Why did you not open the restaurant today? I and a group of friends wanted to visit since we did not get the chance to do so yesterday."


    ''So this was the reason a lot of people had been calling him?'' Jianjun asked himself.


    After explaining that something came up and he would be available tomorrow, the man went on to ask.


    "Alright. No problem at all. But are you really Sara Wang''s father? Can I have her number?"


    Jianjun did not wait for him to ask any more questions, he quickly hung up with a hiss.


    He checked a new message that just popped up on the screen and sure enough, the message was really from a customer. It was their mistake for including his number to the flier. He had not expected them to become so popular. There was nothing he could do about it except to live with it.


    He was about dialing Sara''s number when they heard the front door open. With the hope that it was Sara, Joreen and Jianjun left the room for the sitting room and both saw a lifeless looking Cixi appear in sight.


    "Mum. Thank God you are back." Joreen embraced Cixi with a sigh of relief.


    But something else seem to worry her¡ª the way her mother was looking right now.


    It was bad enough that Jianjun and Sara were looking terrible. Her mother had to join also?


    What happened on Christmas day? Did any Santa visit their home while bearing gifts of sadness? Then why was she not affected by it? Maybe she was probably in the bathroom when he came?


    Cixi hugged Joreen back and looked at Jianjun. They both did not say anything but only stared at each other.


    He knew she was probably going through a lot.


    Seeing Changyu eating in their restaurant must have annoyed her. And it was understandable.


    But he knew he had to explain things to her. He had to tell her everything that had happened and why Changyu sent that letter.


    "When you are done freshening up, let''s talk." He finally said to her.


    She forced a smile at Joreen when she pulled away from the hug before turning to look at Jianjun again.


    "Yes. We really need to. But I have to sleep first." Cixi said in a low voice before heading towards their bedroom.

 Chapter 267 - Dont you trust me?

    After Sara and Heya got home, Heya went straight upstairs to go freshen up.


    Sara looked at her back in pity when she remembered all Heya had told her about Jin Cearo.


    According to Heya, Cearo had probably been the one who told Weiyoung about herself and Muchen, who in turn went to tell Li Sun about it.


    It was sad.


    She had thought Cearo genuinely liked Heya but unfortunately, he had some shady things going on with him.


    "Hello." Minde greeted her when he came out from the kitchen with a mug in hand.


    "Hello to you too." Sara answered unenthusiastically.


    He furrowed his brow in confusion when he heard her greet back in such manner.


    He wondered what was suddenly wrong with her since she did not seem to be her usual cheerful self today.


    He had planned to ask further about Changyu when next he saw her but he knew he could not do so with the current mood she was in right now.


    He climbed the stairs and disappeared into sight and the next who appeared was Muchen.


    She watched him descend majestically with his bright eyes staring intently at her. His lips were curved in a tiny smile. His black hair was slightly messy and he casually wore a polo and baggy short.


    With the way he was looking now, no one would ever guess this was the Almighty CEO Li. He looked like a casually dressed actor or entertainer.


    "That''s more like it." He said immediately he stood in front of her.


    "More like what?" She gave him a confused and questioning look.


    "You are finally smiling." He used a hand to touch her face lovingly and smiled brightly.


    She was smiling? Sara did not know she had actually smiled while looking at him.


    "I smiled?" She asked him.


    He nodded with a big smile still plastered on his face.


    "I want us to talk. Whatever is wrong with you... I want to hear it. I also have something to tell you"


    He did not wait for her to object. He took her hand and led her through the stairs and into his bedroom.


    It was the first time she was entering inside his bedroom and although she was tensed, she was mesmerised by it.


    His large King-sized bed was neatly dressed with a spotless white bedsheet and duvet.


    There were close to six pillows on the bed and Sara began to wonder if he had six heads since she grew up with the ''one head-one pillow'' style and was not used to sleeping with many pillows like this.


    The room was sparsely decorated but large. They were two doors opposite each other; One she believed was the bathroom, and the other she thought was most likely a walk-in closet.


    There was a large wall to ceiling window that showed the beautiful view of the city¡ª far and near.


    She wondered how it would look like at nights. She guessed it was going to be a really wonderful sight.


    "Come sit" He gestured towards a large sofa.


    Almost everything in the room was white colored¡ª including the sofa he was asking her to come sit on.


    She noticed that it was arranged like a mini parlor. Two large sofas and a smaller one were surrounding a small glass table. A little chandelier dangled from the ceiling directly above the table.


    She went ahead and sat beside him on the couch. Seeing him smiling lovingly at her, she almost cried at the though of keeping things away from him.


    "You are the first woman coming in here." He said with a smile.


    She smiled at him before saying. "I guess I should feel honoured right?"


    "You should." He added with a wink which caused her to scoff and mutter "Too much pride"


    He suddenly turned serious. And went on to a main issue..


    "Earlier... You asked me about the Jin family; whether I knew Cearo''s mother"


    Sara nodded. Grateful he had to digress a bit since he was expecting her to tell him why she had been behaving oddly but did not know how to answer that question yet.


    "Like I said earlier, I know nothing much about that family. But they are kind of shady"


    "Heya told me about it. She also mentioned something about your grandmother asking her to stay away from his mother."


    "Yes.  She seem to not be an ordinary woman. The entire family are not ordinary. That is why you should be careful."


    "Careful? Why?" She really did not see how any of it was adding up.


    "That guy today... Yue King. He somehow has some relations with them. The Grand Castle Hotel he now owns was formally the Jin''s as at two months back. But all of a sudden, he appeared and he is now in control. If the Jins are mysterious, it means whoever works for them is also mysterious."


    "What? Grand Castle Hotel was formally the Jin''s?" She blurted out in surprise causing Muchen to look at her curiously.


    Did this have something to do with that woman?


    Everything seem to be mixing up in her head.


    Why did the Jins hand over the place to the Blacks? If the Jins had some underground network like people assumed, then it meant they knew who Yue King really was.


    And another thing... It was really strange for the Black''s to take up menial tasks like stealing a painting for someone.


    They killed, smuggled and stole in millions of dollars. If they actually wanted that painting, then it would be because Fuji fancied it or he wanted to sell it since it was very expensive.


    But he was trying to get it for someone else which was so unlike them.


    Was this also related to the Jins?


    "What is it?" Muchen asked her when he noticed she was lost in thought.


    She finally looked at him and saw him studying her face.


    "Are you okay?" He asked her. "Do you have something to say to me?"


    "I have..and I will tell you. But not today. Please?" She looked at him with pleading eyes.


    "Does it make any difference if you tell me another day?"


    As Sara looked at him, she began to feel guilty. He did not deserve this at all. No matter what, she could not steal from him.


    Sara closed her eyes and swallowed hard.


    When she opened her eyes again, he noticed they were red and teary.


    "Are you alright?" He immediately sat up and looked at her in worry.


    "I love you Muchen. I love you a lot." She paused and found herself crying while both of her hands held his tightly.


    "And I trust you. I know how deep my love is but I don''t know how deep my trust for you is. It really hurts me to think that I might disappoint you one day. I don''t... I don''t know what to do."


    It was her weakness. No matter what, she could not lie to those she loved. Even if she tried to, her emotions were going to let her spill it out somehow.


    Except she made up her mind not to tell at all. Just like she did not wish to tell people the kind of things she did years ago. She had even been scared of her own self. How would others react?


    "Why don''t you know what to do? Don''t you trust me?" He asked her with a tiny smile on his face.


    "I might do something you do not like. Can you please forgive me?" She asked as tears continue to pour from her eyes. "I do not want you to hate me. It scares me to think you might hate me"


    She soon found herself kneeling down in front of him as she broke down in tears.


    He used both hands to cup her tear-streaked face and raised her head so she would look him in the eye.


    "Stop crying. I do not know who threatened you or what they threatened you with. But I already agreed to sell the painting to them while you and Heya were out. So can you stop crying now? I did not know you were this soft" He added with a sad smile.


    "Why would I be ha¡ª" She paused and her eyes widened when her brain registered what he had just said.


    "Paint...ing?"

 Chapter 268 - Two teenagers?

    "Miss Changyu... Please eat something"


    Hani entered inside her room with a tray in hand.


    It was already past two in the afternoon, yet she had been locked inside her room while crying since last night.


    She had made up her mind to use a spare key Miss Changyu did not come out by noon and that was exactly what she had done.


    She placed the tray on top of a little stool by the bed and looked at Changyu who remained cruled in a ball.


    Ever since she entered, the woman had not moved a bit. All she could hear was her sobs.


    She was also still dressed in the same outfits she wore the past night¡ª Even up to her shoes, she was still fully clothed.


    "Miss Changyu"


    After repeatedly calling her name for over a minute, Changyu finally shifted and turned her head to look at Hani.


    Hani was shocked when she saw her face. She looked horrible!


    Her entire face and eyes were burning red. Her eyes were not just swollen, she had dark circles under her eyes and her mascara which trailed down her face as a result of her tears, were already dried and stuck, down to her cheeks.


    "What are you doing in here?" She asked with a very hoarse and crooked voice.


    "Miss....miss Changyu.. I brought you brunch since you already missed breakfast."  Hani explained with a stutter.


    "How could you come in when I locked the door? You now break in people''s houses? Are you a thief?"


    Hani was stupefied by her accusations. When did she break in? She was only trying to feed her.


    "Miss Chang¡ª" She was trying to get her attention but Changyu did not let her and cut in again.


    "If you do not call this breaking in then what is?" She sat up with her fierce gaze still on Hani. "Is this because I gave you a lot of freedom, so now you can even barge in the way and manner you like?"


    Hani realised she was simply looking for someone to transfer her aggression to. But nonetheless, she felt the need to apologize and so she did.


    "I am really sorry for entering without your permission. It was wrong of me to do so."


    "Get out! Next time this happens, I won''t think twice before getting you fired." All the while she spoke, there were still tears in her eyes.


    Changyu crashed back on the bed and blinked back tears a couple of times. She missed breakfast? She had totally lost track of time.


    "Miss Changyu ¡ª"


    "I said get out" She roared then turned and threw a pillow at her but thankfully, it missed and did not hit Hani.


    Hani still remained there, determined to tell Changyu because she believed it was going to pull her out from this state.


    "We were able to receive a bit of information last night."


    Changyu was about to yell at her again but she paused.


    Information? From where?


    Seeing her confused look, Hani could only guess that Changyu had forgotten. But how could something like that skip her mind?


    "Mr Qin. The man who mentioned he knew what happened to your child." Hani reminded her.


    She stood up when it finally registered. How could she have forgotten about that? Her mind had been so preoccupied with all the incidents that had happened in the past that she totally forgot Hani and her driver had gone to help her run an important errand.


    "Yes...yes...yes... Where is she? Where did he say she was?"


    Hani narrated everything to her. She remembered how uncomfortable she had felt waiting outside for close to five minutes before a man in his fifties, who appeared half drunk opened the door and ushered them in after confirming they were the people he was waiting for. He had tanned skin, was really short and plumpy.


    If the outside was an eyesore, the inside was even worse.


    His place was located in a small village where most of the villagers fished for a living. Seeing hooks and lines littered about his house, they guessed he probably survived through fishing also.


    As they entered his tiny apartment that looked like one of those wretched homes in the olden days, the only thing on Hani''s mind was ¡ªIf ''third world countries'' was a person, it would have been this man.


    The place was really cold. With the help of an almost dim lamp, they noticed that there were no chairs inside so they had to sit on the dirty ground. Because they did not want to seem rude, they sat down on the ground and waited for him to start speaking.


    "Are you with the money?" He asked with twinkling eyes.


    "The money is here" She pointed at the briefcase on Driver Yen''s hand.


    They were not scared of anything happening to them or someone stealing it. Everyone who worked for Changyu were all skilled people in martial arts¡ªincluding her maids.


    It was the reason why she did not go out with many guards. Driver Yen and Hani were good enough to handle reckless hoodlums¡ª with hands, knives or guns.


    "Let me see." He said excitedly while rubbing both hands together.


    Hani signalled for Yen to show him.


    When Mr Qin saw the pile of clean money arranged in the briefcase, his smile even widened.


    "Let me have it" He demanded.


    Hani smirked at him before turning to Driver Yen. "Seems he is not willing to cooperate. Let us leave"


    She stood up from the ground and Driver Yen followed suit.


    In a panic, Mr Qin hurriedly stood in front of them. "Where are you going to? Who says I am not willing to cooperate?"


    "I say so. This is business. We have nothing to lose, but you do. All you have to do is to give us an information that does not even concern you and in return, you will become rich overnight. But if you think we are ready to play with you, then you should continue living in this slum. It suits you if you ask me."


    Hani said smoothly before pushing past him with Driver Yen walking behind her.


    Mr Qin frowned before calling them back. "Fine. I will say something."


    Without Mr Qin seeing, Hani and driver Yen both smiled when they heard him. He called the bluff!


    After they all sat back down, he began to tell them what he knew.


    "First of all, I would like to know why you are looking for that child?"


    "Are you kidding me?" Hani answered in displeasure.


    "Fine fine fine.. You can''t just act a bit. Geez.."


    Mr Qin exclaimed before he began to narrate.


    "At that time, I had just turned thirty and there were a lot of pressure for me to get married by my sick mother. I actually thought about getting married but I did not have the fund  for it and I really did not want to¡ª"


    "Can you just cut to the chase already. We are not here to listen to your stupid life story" Hani hissed in annoyance.


    Driver Yen tried to suppress a chuckle. He had actually expected her to react when he saw her frown immediately he started his ''life story''. Hani was one very patient person with a bad temper.


    Mr Qin was not offended by her outburst. Why on earth would he when there was money involved?


    "There was this place I usually go to, but unfortunately, on that particular night, the police came to raid the place and we all took off. I ran my ass out until I got lost. And while wandering about the isolated street that night, I saw something strange." His eyes dimmed like he was reliving that moment.


    "I saw three women in front of a large gate arguing."


    Hani closed her eyes in frustration. Why was he always saying unnecessary things? She was about to blow up again but then he added.


    "I remember the older woman was cradling a crying child. I was a bit far from them so I could not see or hear them clearly."


    "Really? Go on." Hani urged him on when he was finally saying something that made sense. Even driver Yen sat up.


    "The older woman said something to the two ladies before placing the child in one of the younger ladies hands and hurried away. After she left, the two younger ladies began to have a quarrel. I can''t remember so much because it has been a really long time. But I think one wanted to leave the child there but the other one refused and at the end, the one with the baby won the argument and took the child with her."


    --


    "What?" Changyu''s eyes widened as Hani finished narrating the necessary details to her.


    "Three women? The first was obviously Anna. But who are the other two women that she left the baby for?"


    Changyu asked Hani like the younger woman had an answer for her.


    "Did he say anything else? Anything at all?"


    Hani shook her head. "Apparently, that is all he knows."


    "So my girl is alive?" A sad smile appeared on her face before she began to pace around.


    "Did you ask him what the young ladies looked like? I should go meet him. I should talk to him. He is probably going to have a different answer for me" She began to frantically search around for her phone and purse.


    "Miss Changyu. That is all he had to say. He said both ladies looked like teenagers while the other woman was matured."


    "Teenagers? Two teenagers took my baby?"


    She sat back down on the bed in frustration.


    "Did he really say they were in front of Happy Ending Orphanage on that night? Did he sound sure?" She inquired further.


    "Yes." Hani affirmed it.


    Where was she going to start from now?

 Chapter 269 - Ready for the blacks

    "Stop crying. I do not know who threatened you or what they threatened you with. But I already agreed to sell the painting to them while you and Heya were out. So can you stop crying now? I did not know you were this soft" Muchen added with a sad smile.


    "Why would I be ha¡ª" She paused and her eyes widened when her brain registered what he had just said.


    "Paint...ing?" She stammered and looked up at him in surprise.


    "How....how did... you know?"


    "I was right after all. It was related to the painting."


    He released her cupped chin and smoothened her hair like she was a child while her big eyes continued to stare at him in surprise.


    "Do you know why it was easy for me to fall in love with you?" He suddenly asked her out of the blue.


    Still in shock, she shook her head.


    He guided her to sit back on the couch and began to say..


    "You were so open. I felt that..you were the only one I could clearly read at first glance. All of your emotions were always really and obvious and so it was always easy for me to guess what was in your mind."


    "It was also the same reason I refused to give up on you even when you tried to push me away every singe day. I knew your heart. I could read it. I could read you."


    She froze under his piercing gaze as she quietly listened to him speak.


    "Someone has been pestering me to sell the painting to them. All of a sudden, you were looking so sad and even asked me if I have ever thought about selling it. I figured it was related somehow."


    Sara gasped and used both hands to cover her mouth as she began to cry even harder now.


    "I''m sorry.. I am so sorry.. I should have told you about it as soon as possible but I did not know how to go about it. I am such a bad person." She said in between tears with her face buried in her palms.


    She was too embarrassed to look at him and she thought he was probably disappointed in her.


    "I told you before that I like bad girls a lot" He whispered into her ear with a teasing smile plastered on his face but she was not in the mood for all of that.


    "Babe.. Look at me." He raised her head so she would look into his eyes with her tear filled eyes.


    "When I said I loved you.. I meant it. I am really glad you had the mind to tell me about it. I would have been hurt if you had hidden everything from me."


    Sara sniffled a couple of times before saying in an unsteady voice.. "But I did not tell you about it..."


    "You would have. I know you. And I trust you. What is a painting compared to your happiness?"


    Sara felt even more disappointed in herself when she heard his last words. "It costs millions of dollars" She replied with a pout.


    Muchen chuckled before adding. "Should I organise and auction event for you? With the way you are so popular now, you''ll be worth more than that painting if we put you up on stage. Trust me."


    She managed to laugh before wrapping her hands around his neck in a hug.


    It was a bit uncomfortable since they were both sitting so he stood up so they could both hug properly.


    Since she could no longer wrap her arms around his neck, she moved to his waist. "I am sorry. It was stupid of me to hide it from you"


    She could not still believe he had read her so easily.


    It was less than twenty four hours since everything happened yet, he already knew.


    "I know. I am sorry too for not protecting you properly. It was the reason I did not want to allow our relationship go public. We have not even gone public yet all these are happening. I am sorry I let you go through all these."


    She shook her head to show that he was not supposed to be apologizing for that.


    "Muchen?" She called gently.


    It suddenly registered to him that she had been calling him by his name ever since and not his title. He smiled before answering with an "hmm?"


    "Why aren''t you asking me?"


    "What?" He asked.


    "What I was threatened with."


    He was quiet for a while before he added.


    "I don''t know. Do you want to tell me?"


    He really did not know. But he felt she would not want to talk about it because it was probably related to how she had lived in the past and he did not want to push her into telling him what she did not want to say.


    Her hands around his waist tightened. She also snuggled closer but remained quiet and did not say anything.


    He took the hint and did not push further.


    "Did you meet any of them?" He asked because he did not know who wanted the painting. They had been reaching him secretly through agencies who did not even know the person who wanted it. He believed if they threatened her then she must have met with them. It was the first step to know who wanted the painting and who dared to threaten his woman.


    He would have started making plans to go after them immediately he noticed something was off with Sara, but he did not want to do anything that would probably put her in danger. It was the reason he simply decided to sell it ten times the original price.


    She immediately shook her head. "I did not meet them. I did not meet any of them."


    She thought it was better to leave it that way. She did not want Muchen to get involved with the members of the black.


    He wanted to ask how they got through her but he simply let it slide.


    "Do not worry sweetheart. I assure you... I won''t let them get away with this. I will look for whoever dared to threaten you and deal with the person."


    "No!" Sara objected immediately and pulled away from the hug.


    "Why?" He asked in surprise at her sudden outburst.


    "Please... Do this for me. Just let them be." She pleaded with her still teary eyes.


    He sighed and scratched his head. How was he supposed to just let the person be like that? They had threatened her for crying out loud!


    He did not want to do anything now but that did not mean he would not do something later. What if they begin to see his family as easy and come threaten her with something else? He did not want her to be placed in a tough spot because of him again.


    "Please Muchen. I beg of you. Don''t do anything." She took his hands and pleaded earnestly.


    She knew how those people were. Whether it was the Blacks or the Jins. She did not want him to get involved with any of them.


    If anyone should get involved, it was her.


    "Fine. It''s okay. I won''t do anything" He assured her and pulled her into a hug again.


    "Do you know who wants to purchase it?" She finally asked him after he agreed.


    She felt him shake his head before saying "I have no idea."


    She sighed deeply. The only people who came to her mind were the Jins.


    She was going to find out if the painting had gone to the Jin family. And no matter what, she was not going to let Muchen sell it. It was the only thing she could do to appease her conscience and Muchen right now.


    She had to meet whoever wanted it but first, there was one person she needed to meet right away, it was Jin Cherry. The girl in the same etiquette class with her.


    She was going to find out everything she wanted to know from her.


    "Muchen?" She called again.


    "Hmm..?"


    "Do you trust me?"


    He slowly pulled her away from the hug and looked at her eyes. "I do. Why?"


    "Then...do not sell it yet."


    His look turned to one of confusion. Right now, he could not read her or follow her train of thought.


    "Why?"


    She was about to say something when her phone rang.


    When she checked to see it was a call from her father, she quickly answered it and heard her father''s worried voice asking her to come home.


    He also told her her aunt was back. She wondered whether something bad had happened to her aunt and that was why he sounded worried.


    After kissing Muchen goodbye and declining his offer for a drive, she hurried out.


    She was grateful for her father''s call. It was a good excuse to leave without answering his question about why she did not want him to sell it yet.


    Now, she was fully ready for the blacks.

 Chapter 270 - Crazy piece of Shit!

    "Sorry. But we cannot open the gate. Those were elder Song''s orders"


    One of the security men at the Song mansion''s gate said to Hani who had come to inquire about why the gate was still locked even after they saw that Miss Changyu wanted to go in.


    After Hani relayed the message to Changyu, she frowned in displeasure.


    It was not like she wanted to see her ex-parents faces either.


    She was already tired of seeing their evil faces but there was nothing she could do about it since she had questions and also a present for them.


    After Hani and herself finished speaking in the afternoon, she came to a conclusion that her parents did not deserve to go scot-free after all they had done.


    She did not want to start talking about the ones she was not aware of. But the ones she was aware of was more that enough to send them to prison. She wanted them to be punished for every single crime they have committed. She was going to punish them on behalf of every human they have wronged so far.


    "Those were the elders orders not to open the gate?" She asked Hani with a scoff.


    Another reason she had come here was because she wanted to transfer a bit of aggression to them, plus she wanted to check whether they knew the teenagers who had carried her daughter from Happy Ending Orphanage.


    She figured it was better to start doing something instead of sulking inside all day. And after coming here, they did not want to let her on? They wished!


    "Let them know that if the gate is not opened in three seconds..... Tell them that." She waved off Hani.


    Her threats were even more frightening when no one knew what she was going to do to them if they disobeyed.


    As Hani went to deliver the message, she saw one of them was already in a call, probably calling the elders to inform them of her sudden visit with a Police van behind her Lexus.


    "If you open the gate, you may be losing only your job. But if you do not.... You are going to lose more than just your job. It is a certainty. Trust me"


    Hani gave them a ''friendly advise'' in her usual stoic tone.


    After passing the message across to them, obvious fear appeared on their faces and all they could do was to obey her orders whether or not the elders permitted.


    They had heard of how ruthless Changyu was once offended. Although they had not seen it with their own eyes, they did not want to present themselves as the scapegoat.


    They had been a bit skeptical when they saw a police van behind Changyu''s Lexus. But now, they had no choice. They may also be obstructing the Justice and they did not want to be held responsible for that also.


    "Smart choice" Hani muttered when she saw they were already opening the large gate.


    Changyu closed her eyes and remained quiet until they finally arrived in front of the mansion.


    When the got there, they all saw the Song elders were already waiting outside while looking nervous. They also also saw her younger sister, Song Ling, standing there.


    Both parents looked obviously frightened when they saw her step down from the car and walk towards them.


    They had warned the gatemen to never open the gate for her.


    After what they went through in her hands the other time, they were no longer looking forward to her visit because they did not know what else she would be doing to them.


    "What are you doing here?"  Song Ling asked in anger when she saw Changyu.


    She still remembered how Changyu had treated their parents like they were common criminals and she was never going to forgive her.


    "You should leave now. If you offend me, it''s not too late to dig into you and also get you arrested." Changyu warned with glazed eyes.


    Although she had tried to make her self look a bit good before coming out, they all could easily tell she looked really dull.


    She wore a simple brown coat, black pants and a black boot heel. Unlike her usual self, she was not adorned in jewelries neither did she use any other thing on her face except for powder. Even her always neatly arranged her was now tied in a loose bun.


    When the elders and her sister saw the police come out from their van, they widened their eyes in shock.


    "Changyu what are you doing again? Have you not done enough already?" Her mother broke down in tears and asked sadly.


    "Enough? I have done enough?  Think about what you have done. Think about the families you have wronged! It is only appropriate for you to pay for your crimes; embezzlement, murder, oppression, assault, blackmail¡ª"


    "Stop it! What kind of a daughter are you? First, you cut us all off and locked up your parents like criminals and now you even bring the police to arrest them? Don''t you have shame?" Her sister yelled at her with red eyes.


    "If I hear one more word from your mouth, you will join them I promise you." Changyu promised her with a cold expression before she turned to look at the people that had brought her there.


    There were two things she hated: One was noisiness, while the other was interruption.


    Not only was Song Ling being noisy, she was also interrupting her and now, Changyu was already losing her patience.


    Her mother was still in tears while her father looked lifeless. He was neither saying a thing nor reacting to anything.


    "I even gave you a chance to apologize to the Wangs yet you did nothing. You think you can climb higher when I am still alive?"


    "Changyu please... We are your parents. We have wronged you. We did that to the boy you liked and your child also. But please, we brought you into this world. If we had not, you would not have met them. Please consider this and let us be."


    "You act all high and mighty to the weak yet look at you now. How could you? How could you do all of that? Why did you meet the Wangs? Why did you ask his innocent mother to kneel? Why did you never tell me that he came everyday? Why did you ask him to swear never to see me again? How could you do this to me? How could you do all of that to someone you called your daughter?"


    She seemed to have cried every single drop of tears the previous night because now, there was nothing left for her to cry.


    She would have been better if there were things around for her to smach but there was nothing so she simply asked them with cold eyes and folded arms.


    Though she looked cold and calm, everyone could see how broken she was and most of them were also confused.


    The police chief felt this was not their time to come in so he and the others went to wait in their Van.


    Hani and Driver Yen also had curious expression on their faces. Although they knew something had happened between her and Jianjun Wang in the past, they did not know her parents had interfered that much.


    The one who looked totally confused was her Song Ling.


    She was completely lost. But no one was interested in helping her clear things. And she also had no choice but to quietly look at them. She believed her sister would take up her own case if she pissed her off and she was not a saint either.


    "We are sorry Changyu. We are really sorry." Her mother knelt down with both her palms pressed together as she begged her but Changyu continued to look at her coldly.


    "I have two questions." She did not wait for them to give her a go-ahead before she began to ask.


    "Do you know where my baby is?"


    Madam Song shook her head vigorously. "I don''t know. We really don''t know. That is all we know about your child."


    "Child?" Her sister looked at them in confusion but everyone still ignored her like she did not exist.


    Changyu closed her eyes in sadness and frustration, and said nothing. She believed her parents were likely not going to lie to her now so she went on to ask the second question.


    "Twenty Six years ago, none of my letters got to Jianjun Wang. Did you have a hand in it?"


    Her mother''s eyes twitched and she unconsciously looked at her husband''s direction.


    Elder Song who had been quiet the entire time finally said something..


    "We only asked the little girl to do it for the family. I am sorry daughter."


    Changyu looked at them with red eyes. She knew it. It was them again. They had been involved also!


    "Little girl? Was it Jin Helene, the lady who worked for the Wang family?"


    ***


    Sara did not get home on time. The traffic had been really terrible that she spent close to two hours on the road before getting home around past Six in the evening.


    After she got home, she freshened up and was served a late lunch by her father. Unlike what Joreen had mentioned, his daughter did not look dull or lifeless. But he still wanted to know what had happened to her and apologize for being insensitive.


    "What happened? You looked dull this morning." Jianjun, who was sitting opposite her, asked her as she ate.


    "I wanted to ask you same. I am glad you look better. Have you spoken to Aunt?" She ignored his question and asked hers.


    When she went to freshen up earlier, she had seen her aunt quietly lying on the bed like she was asleep but she knew she was not sleeping. She did not want to bother her so she left her to go eat and speak with her father.


    They had not talked much before they heard a loud knock on their door. They wondered who it was that was frantically knocking and so Jianjun offered to go open it while Sara and Joreen stayed behind to see who it was.


    When he looked through the peephole and saw the person standing there, he was slightly taken aback before he opened it to ask Changyu why she was there.


    Sara and Joreen''s eyes widened when they saw Changyu standing there while panting heavily. They guessed it must have been the effect of the stairs she had climbed up here.


    Changyu scanned the room and her eyes fell on Sara and Joreen who were both looking at her in surprise.


    She then caught sight of Cixi coming out of the room.


    She had also come to check who it was that had been knocking like that and was really shocked to see Changyu standing there.


    When Changyu''s eyes landed on her, she took large strides to stand in front of her.


    "Joreen?" Changyu called with her gaze still fixed on Cixi.


    Joreen answered in surprise as she wondered why pretty Changyu was calling her.


    "Turn around and close your ears" She said with a dark expression on her face as she continued to look at Cixi.


    Joreen did not know why she was given such orders but she did exactly that.


    "What do you think you are ¡ª" Before Cixi could complete her sentence, Changyu gave her a hot slap on her face.


    "You crazy piece of shit!"


    As Sara and Jianjun watched in horror, they saw her raise her hand again and landed another slap on Cixi''s face.

 Chapter 271 - Leave (Unedited)

    Joreen was about to turn when she heard the sound of someone getting hit but Sara quickly came out from the shock and turned Joreen to continue facing her instead of looking behind.


    Joreen still did not want to stay still. She thought that was probably her mother who was just hit. Her tiny hands did not do much in blocking the sounds from entering inside her ears and so, she had heard her mother''s squeal after the slap.


    As Jianjun and Cixi continued to stare at her in shock, Sara pulled Joreen with her and towards the kitchen since they could not go inside the room without passing by Changyu and her aunt.


    "Let me go. What is going on? I need to see" Joreen tried to turn around but Sara did not let her.


    She did not want the little girl to see her mother getting hit. And aside from the fact that it was not a good sight for a young child like her, Joreen also had a temper like her mother and even if she liked Changyu, it was totally going to make a U-turn when if she sees her mother being abused by her.


    "What do you think you are doing?" Jianjun also broke out from the shock and quickly pulled Changyu away from Cixi by the arm when she was about to hit her again.


    "Let me go. Let me go this instant!" Changyu yelled at Jianjun as he continued to pull her further away from his sister.


    "Are you crazy Changyu? Who do you think you are to come in here and hit me? Have you gone nuts?" Cixi yelled at her in anger but made no move to go hit the crazy woman back.


    "How could you? How could you have done that? How could you have done that to your own brother? Was it fun for you? Was it fun to play us?"


    Cixi bit down on her lower lips hard enough to the point where she almost drew out blood. She looked into her brother''s eyes guiltily.


    She was not a dummy. She obviously knew what Changyu was talking about.


    "What are you talking about?" Jianjun asked Changyu after turning her to face him directly.


    He also looked at Cixi in confusion. "What is she talking about?"


    Changyu was obviously not in her right mind. She turned back to face Cixi again and looked at her with a face brimming with anger and tears.


    She had thought there were no tears left for her to cry, but she was wrong. She had more than enough.


    "Do you want to deny it? Do you want to act like you had no hand in it? It was you right? You hid all those letters I sent to him. It was you who also sent me that mail right?"


    Her face was dark and her eyes were sad as she yelled at Cixi.


    "W..h...at?" Jianjun widened his eyes before taking slow steps to stand in between the two women.


    "How can you accuse her of such a thing? Why....why would she do so?" He then turned to look at Cixi, expecting her to say something or deny the accusation but she remained quiet with her eyes looking at anywhere but at him.


    "Did... you do that? You didn''t right?" He asked in a very low voice. For some reasons, he was afraid of whatever answer he was going to get from her.


    "Are you deaf? He asked you a question." Changyu chipped in.


    "Can you stop shouting will you?" Cixi finally blew up at Changyu, who thought she had the right to fault her.


    "Yes! It was me. So what? I did that for us. To save my family. If I hadn''t done that, do you think my brother and I would have still been alive? We probably would have died in your useless parents'' hands."


    When Jianjun heard her, he staggered backwards with a look of disbelief clearly written in his face.


    He kept going back until he finally collapsed on the couch in shock.


    "How...how could you? How could you have done that? Things would have been different if you hadn''t done that!"


    Changyu cried even more and tried to hit Cixi one more time but Cixi pushed her away which caused her to stumble on her heels and land on the floor.


    Cixi did not look the least bit guilty about making her trip. She was also burning with anger. So now she was the bad person? She had done it to save her family so why were they looking at her like she was the bad one?


    "How so? How would things have been different? Would you have been able to protect us from your family? You are only saying all of that because of your selfishness. You believe if I hadn''t done any of that, then you would have still been with my brother.


    That is all you care about. Yourself! What about my family? Your crazy father asked me to do it if I wanted to save my family. He threatened me! Threatened the Wangs. At first I was skeptical about it. Until I saw your first letter. Our father just died, the restaurant was taken away from us, our reputation was tarnished, I dropped out of medical school, my mother was unwell, my brother had a lot of responsibility and we went bankrupt but you wrote stupid letters about how you missed him and was stuck at home? How would you have felt if you were in my shoes? Wouldn''t you choose your family. Look Changyu, I do not regret anything I did back then. If I was given the chance, I would do it over and over again. Because my family.... comes first before your stupid love"


    Changyu looked at her from the floor and felt her heart begin to ache. She placed a hand on the left side of her chest and pressed it down, hoping that it would stop the pain she was feeling.


    Jianjun was also stupefied. He used both palms to cover his face as he listened to his sister''s narration.


    He had no idea the Song elders had also met his sister privately.


    So Helene was not the culprit? It had been his sister? No wonder he did not get any letters. Helene would not have successfully blocked it all from him. But his sister, he had even asked her then to help him check for letters always and give it to him whenever there was any from Changyu.  But she had hidden it all from him?


    "If he had continued meeting you, did you think we would have survived? I wanted to save my family. I wanted to save our lives!" At this point, Cixi was already beginning to cry also.


    "If I had let him know you were pregnant, we would have died that instant. I know my brother and how reckless he behaved most times. I had the option of saving our lives by merely keeping the letters away from him, why wouldn''t I choose that?"


    Changyu did not know what else to say. To a point, she felt Cixi was right. There was nothing she could have done to save them from her family. But he still did not want to accept it. That Cixi, someone she called her friend at one point, was one of the people who had contributed to her misfortune.


    "But why? Why did you have to send me that kind of mail? Wasn''t it enough by simply keeping the letters away from him? Why did you have to send that mail? I wouldn''t have sent that kind of letter to him."


    Most importantly, she would never have thought about getting rid of their baby. She would have stayed healthy all though.


    If Cixi had not sent that mail, it would have been easier to conclude that Jianjun did jot see any of her letters. But then, telling her he wanted her to get rid of the pregnancy and saying he liked Helene, how could she have done something like that?


    "How could you, a young girl, ask me to get rid of my baby? Do you know what you caused me?"


    Changyu tried to get up but the pain in her cheast could not even let her stand up.


    "It is only unfortunate that he saw that last letter because Helene wasn''t smart enough to keep it from him."


    "So Helene was also in this after all?" Changyu asked her in a very weak voice.


    "She had no option. Besides, she was someone who cared about this family unlike you. I asked her to do it and even though she was skeptical about it, she had to because it was a perfect way of not letting you get together with my brother. It was also to protect him from your evil parents. Everyone who cared about my family would have done so!"


    "But why did you send me that kind of mail!? Don''t you have a conscience?"


    "Are you not smart? Didn''t I get rid of you easily by doing so? Didn''t you stop sending those stupid letters? You caused my family''s misfortune. Was I still supposed to see you as a friend?"


    "Enough!" Jianjun spoke for the first time in a low but firm voice.


    He stood up from the couch with an unreadable expression and moved to where Changyu was.


    Gently, he helped her stand up and noticed she had twisted an ankle as a result of the push.


    He slowly carried her and placed her on the couch while she cried silently.


    After placing her there, he turned to face Cixi.


    "I am not saying you did something very terrible. I get that you tried to protect our family. But you should leave now. Until you realise you went over board, I don''t want to see you appear in front of me.


    Cixi kept trying to blink back tears but she could not.


    "I.. I did it for us Brother Jun." She choked on her words.


    "No. You did it out of spite. To the woman who was carrying my child. You asked her to get rid of¡ª."


    He paused and shook his head like he could not believe any of it.


    "Leave. And do not think about going with Joreen. I do not want her to be with you until you are done thinking."


    He could not believe that while he had been trying to speak with his sister and explain things to to her about Changyu, his sister had even done worse. Her only hate for Changyu had been because she caused their family''s misfortune and she did not see Changyu at all for her to transfer her aggression then.


    Changyu swallowed hard and closed her eyes. As she did so, more tears rolled down from her eyes.


    "Fine." She said in a very faint voice before going inside the room.


    It did not take long before she returned with a only a purse and then, she left without looking at any of them.


    "You were wrong. She is your sister." Changyu said to him with her eyes closed.


    "I know." He said before heading inside the room.


    Changyu hoped her parents rot in jail. By now, she believed the news about the Song elders arrest must have gone round. She had created the opportunity for anyone who had been bullied by them to also file charges against them.


    It was what they deserved and she did not feel bad about it. She liked Justice! Everyone must pay for their crimes.


    If only her parents had stopped the letters from leaving the house, things would have been different. But her parents knew about the letters she had been sending and they allowed her so she would think he had been receiving her letters but was being snubbed.


    Meanwhile, they had already asked Cixi to block it off whenever it got there. They had planned everything to punish her. But according to them, they never asked her to send any mail. Cixi had done that on her own out of spite and now, they were all here.


    She opened her eyes to see Jianjun coming out with a first aid box in hand.


    Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Sara and Joreen continued to look at each other in shock. The place was obviously not soundproofed and so, they had heard every conversation in the sitting room.

 Chapter 272 - Just what if...?

    Joreen and Sara both sat quietly in the kitchen as they mused over all they had just heard.


    After listening to the three ''elders'', Sara suddenly seem to think of something.


    Something that has been buried deep in her mind but she had refused to let it out. Althoigh she knew much about her Father''s past now, a lot of things still seemed quite fishy and unclear.


    "Did you hear all that?" Joreen asked Sara.


    "I don''t quite get what they were saying. Does it mean pretty Changyu was friends with  Mum and dad but her parents killed grandparents because they did not like them?"


    Joreen summarised in the best way she could understand it. But Sara understood better.


    "Did it mean.... Mum had a hand in separating Dad and pretty Changyu when pretty Changyu was pregnant?"


    "Jo, keep your voice down" Sara used a hand to cover Joreen''s mouth to stop her from asking further since the people outside might hear her.


    A lot of things were mixing in Sara''s head and she needed time to think.


    First of all, her mother, Helene, had been an accomplice in the whole thing.


    She also believed that her father had never actually been in love with Helene but had always loved Changyu.


    She had suspected it a long time ago. He never mentioned her and whenever she asked if he missed her, he always gave a passive answer.


    "Jo..." Sara removed her hand from Joreen''s mouth and arched her back to meet Joreen''s sitting frame.


    "I want you to think. Remember the other time you mentioned that you overheard Dad and Aunt talking about a ''devil''.. What did they say?"


    Joreen searched her brain and tried to remember all she had heard that day.


    "Mum said something like.. She always wanted to meet that devil but dad warned her against it. Then, she said something about how the devil abandoned her day old child. I think that was it." Joreen gasped. "Was that Dad''s child?" She asked in a whisper.


    Sara was lost in thought. Something was trying to pop in her brain but she did not let it come out. She did not want to jump into meaningless conclusions right now.


    It couldn''t be right? It just did not make sense..


    "What is it? Do you know something?" Joreen inquired but Sara just pat her braided head gently.


    "Do not think much about any of it okay? That is left for the elders to handle."


    "But...do you think mum is bad?" Joreen suddenly asked out of the blue with a pout.


    She had heard Jianjun ask her mother to leave in an angry tone.


    She thought if it got to that point, then Jianjun must have really been pissed at her.


    She had even cried when she heard her mother cry. But there was nothing she could do about it.


    Although she was not yet a grown up, she knew her mother must have done something bad. She only hoped her mother would quickly reflect on it and come ask for forgiveness.


    "Do you think dad will forgive her? What if pretty Changyu wants to take revenge on her?"


    "Stop thinking too much Jo. Everything is going to turn out well. You trust me right?"


    Joreen pursed her lips before bobbing her head up and down.


    When they realised that the sitting room was unusually quiet and they were no longer hearing Changyu''s almost silent cries, they both came out.


    They saw Changyu sleeping. Her head was on Jianjun''s laps while her left foot which was wrapped with an elastic bandage, was elevated with the help of the armrest.


    On the ground beside them, there was a first aid box,a small bucket with a pack of ice inside, her boot heels, purse, and a pillow which was lying useless on the floor.


    Jianjun''s entire focus was on her face as he helped to gently move some hair strands off her face.


    With the way she was sleeping now, he could vaguely guess that she did not sleep much last night. He had also seen her face when she entered and so, he knew she lacked sleep. He had not slept a wink also.


    "Dad..." Sara called him gently. She was careful not to wake Changyu up.


    For a minute, she had been quietly standing by the door, observing how her father looked at her and how he cared for her. His gaze was gentle and soft.


    No one would believe there had been a brawl in here just and hour ago.


    Jianjun raised his head and saw Sara standing by the kitchen door with Joreen beside her.


    He tried to carefully remove Changyu''s head from his laps so he could get up but Changyu snuggled even closer, giving him no opportunity to do so.


    He sighed and gave up!


    Sara moved closer instead and that was when she noticed that Changyu was tightly holding onto her father''s other hand with both of hers.


    "Is she okay?" Sara asked in a whisper.


    "A bit okay. Sorry about everything." He apologized with sad eyes.


    "Sorry about mummy. She is not a bad person"


    Joreen apologized with teary eyes. She felt that her mother must have done something to really hurt Jianjun for him to look this sad.


    He furrowed his brows before shaking his head.


    "This is an issue for the adults Jo. I do not want you to butt-in. But do not worry, your mother is going to return soon."


    Joreen nodded and a smile finally appeared on her face after hearing those words directly from him.


    They all suddenly heard Changyu make a noise like she was crying in her sleep. She snuggled even closer to him and mumbled some incoherent words.


    They all looked sadly at her as she kept shifting about.


    Sara felt strange looking at her now.


    What if... Just what if...?


    "You should let her sleep comfortably inside the room. I am sure she would feel better then"


    Joreen nodded in support of Sara''s suggestion since the woman obviously did not look comfortable.


    Gently and carefully, Jianjun lifted her.


    To him, she was so light. As light as a feather that he began to wonder whether she ate at all.


    He was carrying her towards the ladies room before Sara shook her head and asked him to leave her in his room instead. Claiming that theirs was a bit stuffy and was probably going to make her feel uncomfortable.


    He was not in the mood to argue with her since he wanted Changyu to rest well and so he carried her inside his own room. Sara helped him open the door wide while Jireen helped carry her shoes and purse.


    He felt he was lucky to have arranged his room and messy bed while waiting for Sara to come home. Else, it would have been a bit of a problem right now.


    After slowly lowering her on the bed and using a pillow to elevate her sprained foot, he heard her say a few other inaudible words before she finally settled and began to snore lightly


    "Can we talk for a bit?" Sara asked Jianjun after he turned to face them.


    "Sure. Let''s go out."


    "Jo. Can you help us watch Miss Changyu? I want to speak with dad for a bit."


    "No problem. You can go on." Joreen said to them.


    Jianjun and Sara both left the room after looking at Changyu one more time.


    She had questions for him. Although she felt they were absurd, she still had to ask anyway.


    They both went over to the dining and after Jianjun sat down, she sat opposite him.


    "I overheard your conversation earlier" Sara started.


    "You must have been shocked right?"


    "Truth is, I actually know most of it already. Aunt told me about what her parents did to grandparents."


    Jianjun looked at her in surprise. He had hidden that from her all these years. Why did Cixi have to tell his precious daughter about their dark past? He did not want her to start having other thoughts that rich people always behaved that way. Especially now that she was dating someone from a wealthy family.


    He was about to assure her that something like that was never going to happen to their family, but she spoke first.


    "I am really sorry. Sorry that you had to go through all of that. Sorry that I was not there to protect you all" Sara said with glistening eyes.


    Jianjun laughed dryly. "Don''t be silly. You should not be apologizing for things like that. It''s all good. It''s in the past." He assured her with a smile when he noticed she was about to tear up.


    "You seem to like Miss Changyu a lot" Sara suddenly mentioned.


    "It''s not what you think. How are you? What happened to you last night? The distractions have been making them skip my mind." He suddenly changed the topic.


    "I am fine. And don''t change the topic right now. It is very easy to know you have feelings for Miss Changyu."


    "I don''t" He denied.


    "There wasn''t a question mark after my sentence so, it wasn''t a question dad." Sara reminded him.


    He avoided eye contact with her, embarrassed to be talking about something like this with his daughter.


    "Why did you marry mum?" She suddenly asked out of the blue.


    "I heard grandparents liked her. Were you forced to marry her?"


    £¬

 Chapter 273 - Im Sorry Sara

    Cixi walked aimlessly down the busy streets with tears in her eyes. It seemed a lot of people were still busy celebrating Christmas since they were people at every corner she looked at.


    It was already past eight in the evening and thankfully, the streets she passed by were not very bright and so people who did not pay attention, did not know she was crying.


    She did not even know where she was going to. She simply wanted to release her pent-up emotions while walking.


    After walking for a while, she considered going to the hotel she had been lodging for a couple of times now but she just did not have that spirit right now.


    Speaking of hotels, she remembered what she had been doing with most of her time whenever she lodged there.


    She had been trying to track the idiots who messed with her daughter.


    It finally dawned on her that she had not gone through the laptop since yesterday and now, it was still in the room and she could not go get it right now.


    After wandering about for a while, she saw a field with wooden chairs around.


    She thought the place was going to help relieve her a bit and so she plopped herself down on the nearest wooden chair.


    She noticed someone was already sitting on the other end of the same chair¡ª it was a man in his mid forties or so, but she did not pay much attention to Jim since she had a lot going on with her.


    She buried her face in her palm and began to cry even more as she remembered how her brother had sent her out.


    She had done that for her family. To save them!


    The Songs did not seem like people who would have let them off if she had not done so.


    At that time, she had been scared and wanted to mention it to her mother and brother but she could not.


    Her mother was sick while her brother was always busy trying to organise things for the family.


    One day when she went to the pharmacy to go get drugs for her mother, she bumped into Madam Song there.


    Since she had seen her before, she knew instantly that it was madam Song.


    It had been an emergency and she needed to get her mother some drugs but her brother was not around and there was no much money in the house.


    She had been stranded when she was told the amount was short and she had no other money with her to top it up with.


    Madam Song suddenly appeared like a grim reaper. Yes! A grim reaper because she could not call that woman a guardian angel.


    Madam Song paid the bills and told her to go save her mother''s life.


    Although she hated the woman, she had been a tiny bit appreciative. Not very appreciative since their entire misfortune was caused by them. And even though she had wanted to yell and abuse Madam Song, she had to save her mother''s life at any cost and so she had taken the drugs with her in a hurry.


    After two days, Madam Song appeared again with her husband and demanded payments for the drugs she had bought for her mother. If she had left it at that, it would not have been so shocking. But she had also demanded for it with interest!


    Like what the hell!


    When did they make that agreement?


    She thought she was smart enough and could easily come out from it by threatening to involve a lawyer but those old folks were very cunning.


    They had asked her whether her family had been able to get a lawyer for their father''s case and if she thought she would be able to get any lawyer to help with such a useless case.


    Cixi figured she could not tell her mother nor her brother that Madam Song had been the one who paid for the drugs and so she had to do everything discreetly.


    She had turned abusive when Madam Song asked for her money back and even threatened to throw her in prison if she refused to okay with the complete interest.


    When she realised that the Song elders were serious, she settled for a bargain. And that was when they asked her to do it.


    "Steal all the letters and get rid of it. Your brother must never see it" Father Song had told her.


    Apparently, it seemed she had been sending but they had been blocking it all off but because they did not want her to become suspicious, they decided to use other means; blocking it at the other end.


    She had refused to do it. She did not want to make any deal with the devil. She swore never to do it but then, they stopped threatening her with sending her to jail and promised to send her to medical school abroad.


    When she still refused it and tried to walk away from them, they threatened her with her family, promising to do worse than they had already done.


    "See? At least we tried to reason properly with you but you refused. We have no choice then." Madam Song threatened.


    At that point, she knew there was nothing else she could have done. She had already lost her father. She did not want to lose her mother nor her brother. So, she agreed.


    Since her brother was not always around, it made her job easier to always handle the mails.


    Most of the mails were reminders of loans they were to pay or places they were to vacate from.


    The first time she received a mail from Changyu, she had still been a bit skeptical but finally, she decided to open the letter to check its contents.


    She had been expecting a note of apology but to her surprise, she saw a short


    ''Brother Jun. Have you been receiving my previous letters? Please write me back. I miss you and still cannot leave the house yet.''


    And at the end, she drew an heart shaped emoji after the words ''Love Yu''


    Cixi scoffed in disbelief and felt tears begin to run down from her eyes. So this was it? This was what she was sending when her family was suffering?


    She did not even need the Song elders to tell her to get rid of it. Even if they had not told her and she accidentally saw it, she would have kept it from her brother.


    In anger, she burned it and the others that came after it without even bothering to check the contents.


    Whenever Jianjun asked if they had been any letters from Changyu, she gave him a simple ''No!'' even before he was done with his question.


    Even after Helene came over to their place, she still continued ''handling'' the letters until one day when Helene took the mails and saw the one from Changyu.


    Helene had been on her way to go give it to Jianjun in his room and thankfully, she accidentally bumped into Helene and saw the letter in her hand.


    "What is that?" Cixi asked.


    "It is a letter from Changyu. There is finally a letter from her"


    She had heard the relief in Helene''s tone when she said that.


    But, she on the other hand, did not want that letter to get to her brother.


    "Come with me"


    Forcefully, she dragged Helene to her own room before Jianjun came out from his.


    "Don''t let him find it. Do not give him any letter from Changyu." She told Helene.


    "But why? What if there is a useful information in there?"


    "It does not matter. We have to completely cut off that girl. She does not deserve Brother Jun."


    When she noticed that whatever she was saying was not getting to the thick-skinned Helene, she tried another means.


    "Think about it, he needs to forget her now. I know you have always liked him. And I know you confessed to him recently. This is your chance to have him. After everything settles down and there is no longer Changyu in the picture, it will be you. So make sure no letter of Changyu gets to him. Bring everything to me. You hear me?"


    Reluctantly, Helene finally agreed. Whenever there was a letter and Changyu was not quick to retrieve that particular one, Helene was the one in charge and immediately sends it over to her who then set them ablaze in return.


    When she thought she was done with everything she was to do for the Song elders, they suddenly came with a new order¡ª To hack his email.


    They believed their daughter must have sent him a mail and they did not want him to see it. If they could not control their daughter, at least, they could control others.


    Since she was fully in on removing that girl from their lives, she also agreed without putting up much resistance.


    She knew her brother always shared the same password with Changyu and so it was very easy to guess what it was.


    While he was out one day, she snuck into his room to use his computer and as she was about to change his email password, she saw a message that was sent a few hours ago from Changyu. She sighed in relief when she saw that it was still marked as unread.


    When she opened it, she was even very much surprised by what she saw.


    It was a message of her reminding him that she was pregnant and gradually losing it since he had refused to write back.


    ''Please. I do not know, maybe you are mad at me by chance but I am so sorry. Text me back. I miss you. Our baby misses you also."


    ''Does she not know what is happening with our family or is she pretending to not know?''


    Cixi frowned in anger.


    They were about to be thrown out of their house but she was talking about missing him and a baby?


    She guessed her brother knew nothing about her being pregnant. If not, he would not have been calm the entire time.


    She spat on the floor in disgust. She did not wish to have any relation with anyone from the Song.


    Her family was never going to be affiliated with them!


    Out of anger, she began to type. She knew how much Changyu disliked Helene since she had always seen her as a rival plus everyone knew of Helene''s feelings for her brother. With that in mind, she continued to type.


    Even though it was against morality, even though it was against all she had learnt, she told her to do the abominable. She asked her to her rid of the baby because his heart belonged to Helene and he did not want Helene to be mad when she found out.


    She had already had enough of the useless letters and believed this was going to finally send her away and make her stop pestering them with letters.


    After sending the mail, she deleted the one Changyu had sent and the one she also sent. When she was satisfied, she changed his password.


    She was going to take it to her grave and no one was ever going to find out.


    After waiting a couple more days and there were no more letters from her, Cixi felt she had finally succeeded getting rid of the annoying fly.


    Until that particular day when Anna had come to deliver it herself. Ever since, they had been posting it and so they usually got the letters through the mailbox outside.


    She had been inside her room when Anna suddenly ran in to tell her that her brother was involved in an accident outside and he had forcefully retrieved Changyu''s letter from her.


    At first, she was scared to hear he received a letter from her because she knew how things were going to turn out next. Plus, the Song elders had specifically asked her to make sure he did not get any.


    When he was still lying unconscious in the hospital bed after collapsing, she was finally able to take the letter from his hand and went through it.


    Seeing all the curses, she guessed Changyu must have been aware of everything her family had gone through.


    Even though most of it had been her fault for sending that mail to her, she still felt Changyu went overboard when everything had been her fault to begin with.


    Since the deed had already been done, there was nothing else she could do. Her brother now knew she was pregnant and so, he kept going to their gate in order to see her but he never got the chance to.


    Her mother also joined with the hope of seeing the young lady who was carrying her grandchild but not only was she sent away, she was also beaten.


    And finally, they lost their House and every other thing they had to their name.


    She did not know much about Changyu''s side of the story. But remembering Sara now, she realised how wrong she had been to have asked Changyu to do something like that.


    Now, she was even more scared of Sara not forgiving her.


    With nothing else to do, she devoted her time into crying her eyes out.


    "I''m sorry Sara. Please... Forgive me" She repeated over and over again as she cried.

 Chapter 274 - City Hunter

    "Why did you marry mum?"


    "I heard grandparents liked her. Were you forced to marry her?"


    Sara asked him both questions simultaneously.


    He scratched his head awkwardly before saying to her.


    "Sara...there are a whole lot of things you need to know. I know I have been wrong to have kept a lot from you. But I had done all of that to protect you."


    "I am aware. And I appreciate. But now, I am an adult. I should be protecting you now" She corrected him.


    As much as he wanted to tell Sara everything, he wanted to clear everything with the woman who was currently sleeping in his room first


    He only had a question for her¡ª whether or not she regretted abandoning their child.


    He knew that was an insensitive question to ask at a time like this. But he wanted to know. To know whether she regretted it.


    He knew she was young back then. But if a woman could abandon her day old child, then she was not fit to be a mother.


    If she did regret it, then there was no point in him hiding it anymore. He was going to tell her about Sara and also tell Sara about her.


    But if she did not feel remorse, then he would have to pretend like she did not exist. And he was never going to raise the issue to Sara.


    It is okay to think she was mad at him for the message she received through the mail. But to think she was bold enough to abandon their child, he was never going to forgive her for that.


    He only wanted her to wake up on time so they could properly talk about that.


    "Dad?" Sara called again when she noticed he was lost in thought.


    "Give me a little time. Whatever question you have, all you need to do is to ask. I will provide every answer for you. But just a little time." He pleaded with her.


    Sara could not help but sigh.


    She really did have questions: Why did he marry her mother? Why did he mess with her real age? And who was the child Changyu had abandoned?


    Although, a lot of people had said she had a low EQ, she was not dumb. She could put two and two together to see that there were some ties between Changyu and herself but she did not want to jump into conclusion just yet.


    Since he said he needed time, she was going to give him even though she was curious to death right now.


    "Two days. That''s all I can give. You have to tell me everything after two days. Else, I will pester you to death." She threatened.


    She did not want to waste much time there because she had things to attend to.


    She was to meet with whoever Snake wanted her to meet in the address he had slipped into her hoodie''s pocket.


    Jianjun nodded to her words. Now, everything was in Changyu''s hands¡ª whether he decides to tell Sara a lie or the truth, it all depended on Changyu now.


    Sara finally smiled when she saw him nod. "It''s settled then. I''ll be out for a while."


    She did not wait for her father to ask where she was going to. She knew if she gave him the chance, he was likely going to ask about what had happened last night and so she quickly took off after getting some stuff from inside the room.


    She followed the address to a clubhouse.


    She was careful to wear a face mask and baseball cap to hide her face from the public.


    When she got to the entrance, the bouncers looked at her weirdly before refusing to let her in.


    They wondered how a girl could dress in a Jean, sweater and baseball cap to enter inside a top night club like this. Was this a joke?


    Two ladies successfully entered and as Sara looked at the way they were dressed, she finally realised why the bouncers had not allowed her in.


    She thought they were only doing her job and so she did not make trouble. She quickly took out her phone and placed a call to Marcus since his number was the only one she had amongst every Black member.


    But before it even started to ring, she heard Snake''s voice behind her, at the entrance of the club.


    "Oh Hi. You''re here early. Let''s go in."


    He smiled at the three hefty bouncers to let them know she was with him.


    They had obvious looks of surprise on their faces to see that their VVIP customer was acquainted with the strange looking girl who had a face mask hanging on one ear.


    For show, Snake walked towards Sara and placed a hand on her shoulder to lead her in but she was quick to push his hand away.


    After glaring at him, she marched inside.


    The bouncers looked at her in even more shock. They could not believe that the little girl dared to ignore him like that. He was money.


    And they had heard rumours that he was the new owner of Grand Castle Hotel even though he frequented this club.


    There was a sudden glint in Snake''s eyes when he saw Sara''s reaction. He knew that something had definitely changed in her and he was curious to know what had happened with her.


    Sara slowed her pace and allowed Snake lead the way.


    They both took the large hallway which seemed awfully quiet except for the people who moved about.


    She saw the grand door by her right open and when two people came out, she heard the loud buzz of music and saw the different colors of lights inside the club with people dancing around.


    They kept walking and soon, they used an elevator.


    She had only been to a club once and it was nothing like this. So she was slightly curious whether the clubs of the ''super rich'' were usually like this.


    Soon, they arrived at the second floor and swiped his card at the door to his private room.


    Immediately they entered, she saw a young lady already sitting there. She looked to be in her mid twenties also.


    The lady wore the usual flashy mini dress most ladies wore to clubs but her face was expressionless and even the music that was able to seep through the glass where they could clearly see the clubbers having fun, the music seem to not have any effect on her at all.


    Neither was she looking through the glass to watch the clubbers.


    She figured these kind of rooms were for men who did not care to club but only wanted to check out for their preys from up there.


    "Sit with us" Snake said before fitting himself beside the young lady.


    The room looked like a bar on its own but the chairs there were nice and comfortable cushions.


    There was already a bottle of expensive wine on the table that Snake began to open.


    "Do I look like I am in the mood to have a drink with you? Why did you want to see me? I was given three days by Fuji so what am I here for?"


    She went straight to the point and asked. She did not care about the young lady sitting there.


    One look at her any she coukd tell the lady was also a member of the black gang and so, there was no need in being discreet.


    "We were supposed to hand you the fake painting tonight. But fortunately, your boyfriend agreed to sell. And unfortunately, he has placed it on pending."


    Sara was relived to hear that Muchen had done exactly what she had asked him to do. They wanted to take his gift? They should try it then!


    "So?" She asked coldly.


    "He may be having second thoughts and so the plan is still the same. We need to have it before next week. So you have to exchange it.


    The lady stood up and raised up something that looked like a large case from the floor and carefully placed it on the table.


    Quickly, she unlocked it and raised the lid to reveal a painting to her.


    The lady acted very professionally. Even her hands were gloved and her movements were quick.


    When Sara saw the painting, she was slightly taken aback. One could mistake this painting for the one in Muchen''s house. They were so completely identical.


    "You want this particular painting right?" She asked again.


    "Of course." Snake answered the irrelevant question she had just asked. If they did not want it, then why were they going extra miles just to get it?


    "Okay. Let me have it"


    The young lady quickly passed her the large case but Snake looked at Sara suspiciously.


    Her behaviour tonight was completely odd.


    "You are the artist?" Sara asked the lady.


    "I am" She answered expressionlessly.


    "Don''t you feel insulted?" Sara suddenly asked her a shocking question that caused her eyes to twitch. Even Snake sat up.


    "They have such a talent like you yet, they are killing themselves over a painting that existed even before they were all born. They prefer the things of the old because they think yours can only be pass off as a fake. Someone like you should be living well as an artist. Too bad you affiliated yourself with these people."


    *Bang*


    Snake hit the table and stood up to look at Sara.


    "What do you think you are doing?"


    "I am only stating the fact Yue King! What are you going to do? Why are you looking at me like that? You want to fight?"


    She giggled before turning to look at the lady again.


    "Run far whenever you have the chance. The blacks are devils in disguise"


    She warned the girl since she had experienced firsthand what they were capable of doing.


    "When are you bringing us the painting?" Snake suddenly asked with the mind of changing the topic.


    "Painting? It''s here with me already."


    She placed the case on the table in front of him.


    "Since the person likes it so much, then give them this"


    "Are you playing with me right now?"


    Sara laughed at his angry expression. "Tell Fuji that if he wants this badly, he should ask whoever needs it to come find me directly. Tell him that if he wants to bluff about telling the public about me, he should keep bluffing. I won''t stay still either. It is going to be very easy to pull you all down. Don''t you think? All I need to do is to mention a ''Jin''."


    "Are you...threatening us? You dare threaten the blacks?" He asked with cold eyes.


    "Shut the hell up! Who do you guys think you are that I cannot threaten? If you think you are so smart and you want to go steal the paint from his house, then go ahead. It''s been long I got mad. I will follow you all up with my madness. Let me see who loses"


    "Sara Wang. Do you know what the Blacks have done for you? Now, I am not just talking about the past. I am talking about the present. Do you know the number of people who had arranged thugs to beat you up and how we have saved you from them all? From Zhang Hansong to Guan Lanbi to the Liu family''s Cai Genji to your ex-boyfriend Mo Jinyong and even the school principal whose laptop you collected. Do you know how long we have been protecting you?"


    Sara was slightly taken aback by this revelation. Zhang Hansong? He must have wanted to teach her a lesson after she slapped him inside Delight because he slapped her and bullied Ms Long.


    Guan Lanbi? She remembered her as the girl who had tried to blackmail her during Elder Mo''s birthday party and had asked her to introduce her to Muchen. So she had wanted to hurt her just because she had refused to introduce her to him? What a weirdo!


    As for Weiyoung''s mother, Jinyong and the school principal, it was no surprise that they had done that. They were stupid after all.


    "I know what you are trying to do. But, it won''t work. Go tell Fuji that acting like City Hunter does not suit him. I do not need him to protect me so he should stop thinking he has been doing something really significant."


    She hissed, kicked the wine bottle out of the table and left the room as she heard the sound of it shattering on the floor.


    As she walked out, a tiny smile appeared on Snake''s face.

 Chapter 275 - I want Ramen

    Immediately Sara left the private room and was heading downstairs, she felt that someone was following her but after looking around, she saw no suspicious looking person and so she used the visor of her cap to properly cover her face before leaving there.


    When Minde saw her leave, he frowned.


    He wondered what she was doing there by this time of the night and with a man for that matter.


    He had been bored to death at home since even his beloved cousin did not give him much of his time. So he decided to come have a bit of fun in his usual hangout spot and that was when he saw someone who was about to enter but was bounced back.


    He thought the person''s frame looked familiar and so he did not bother going forward.


    When he saw her turn to make a call, he was able to see her face a bit and was really surprised to see it was Sara.


    Not only that, a man had come to meet her and had even tried to touch her but she had not allowed him to.


    Quickly, he took out his phone and took a few pictures.


    As he strealthily followed them like a thief, he saw them enter inside the elevator and patiently stood there to know the floor they were heading to.


    He thought about calling Muchen to tell him about it because he did not know why she would come here when his cousin was at home.


    He swore that the man she had followed in had seen him stalking them but he had simply given him an eerie smirk before continuing on his way with her.


    He was still confused as to whether he should call Muchen first or call Sara first to ask her what she had come there for.


    As he took out his phone to place a call, he caught sight of two people entering inside the club.


    He narrowed his eyes to check properly, to be sure he was not seeing things. "Isn''t that Kim Eva and her girlfriend?" He asked himself silently as he watched them walk hand in hand inside.


    ****


    Changyu''s eyes slowly fluttered open.


    It took her a while before she was able to register where she was and everything that had happened.


    "Prett¡ª Miss Changyu. You are awake?" Joreen hurriedly corrected herself.


    Changyu turned her head to look at her and saw Joreen''s pretty little curious face beside hers.


    "How long did I sleep?" She asked in a hoarse voice.


    Joreen looked at the wall clock behind her and answered. "Close to four hours"


    Changyu widened her eyes when she heard that bit of information. "Close to four hours?"


    She repeated to be sure she had heard her correctly.


    She had not been able to sleep for that long in years except she was sick.


    "Yes. I will go get dad."


    Before Joreen could leave, her eyes caught sight of a familiar little box beside Joreen.


    "What is that?" She managed to ask in her still crooked voice.


    When Joreen saw she was referring to the box she answered. "It was under dad''s bed. It looked pretty so I was playing with it"


    "Dad?" Changyu looked at her in confusion as she wondered which father she was referring to.


    "Yes. Sara''s dad. My dad." Joreen seem to understand why she was confused and so she clarified. "I call him dad."


    Changyu gave a long "Ooh" to that before adding. "You should not touch people''s stuff. Okay?"


    Joreen nodded her head to that before placing it back under the bed.


    As she went out to call Jianjun, Changyu''s mind did not seem to leave that little box. She remembered it was Jianjun''s secret safe that she had given to him on his birthday many years back.


    She was still lost in thought when she heard the door open and Jianjun entered with Joreen directly behind him.


    "You''re awake." He said in a gentle tone.


    "No, I''m not" Changyu turned her head, closed her eyes and pretend to continue sleeping.


    She knew his next plan of action would be to send her back home and she did not want to go home just yet. Plus, she was curious to know what was inside that box.


    "But you just answered. You are awake."


    "I said I am still sleeping. Go away" She tried to fully turn to her side but she still felt slight pain in her ankle and so she could not fully turn.


    Jianjun scratched his head awkwardly.


    She had to frefreshen up, change into new clothes and come eat dinner since he was not sure she had eaten anything the entire day. Why was she making things difficult?


    He took out his phone from his pocket and placed a call across to Hani since he had her number saved.


    "Hello. Is this Miss Hani?" He asked when the call went through.


    Changyu''s eyes shot open and she turned her head to look at him.


    "Your Miss is here" He informed her.


    "I said I am still sleeping!" Changyu reminded him when she saw he was really in a call with Hani.


    Hani seemed to have heard her voice on the background because she said to Jianjun.


    "Mr Wang. I am sorry. But if you want me to come pick her up, then I cannot. As you can see, Miss is still sleeping and we do not trouble her when she is asleep. Plus, the cars are all bad. So please. Let her remain there for now. Thank you. That''s all."


    "Wait. Hello? Can you hear me?" He asked to be sure she was still on the line.


    "No, Mr Wang. I cannot hear you. Have a good night rest"


    He was not given the chance to say anything else because Hani had already hung up on him.


    ''What is wrong with these people?'' He asked himself in confusion.


    He wanted to ask her to bring some clothes for her so why did she hang up before he could even say anything else?


    Did he say he wanted to send her away? She had a broken ankle plus he had a question for her once he was done feeding her.


    When Changyu noticed the call had already ended, she turned her head and secretly smiled.


    She was obviously going to give Hani a salary raise and a long vacation to any country of her choice.


    "What would you like to eat?" He asked the ''sleeping woman''.


    Changyu turned to look at him when she saw he was not asking her to go back home.


    Eat? The thought of food finally reminded her that she was starving and had not eaten anything the entire day.


    "Ramen. Been long I had that." She answered in mild excitement.


    "Ramen?" He looked at her like she was not being serious.


    She bobbed her head up and down. "I want Ramen."


    "No." He simply answered her. Were those the kind of foods she ate? No wonder she was as light as Joreen. Maybe Joreen was even heavier.


    "What do you mean by no? You asked what I wanted to eat. And I said I wanted Ramen. Why are you saying no? Do you have my appetite?" She whined.


    Joreen giggled before helping Jianjun out.


    "Dad likes us to always eat healthy."


    "Ooh... Really? Then he can just prepare heathly side dishes alongside it."


    She said with a smile.


    Jianjun tried to hide his own smile when he saw her smile. He was glad she was feeling better compared to a few hours back.


    Both of them were still hurt by what had happened earlier but it was a wise thing for them to put it aside. It was not like they could do anything to change the past anyway.


    After Jianjun and Joreen left, Changyu relaxed her body on the bed and smiled.


    But then, she suddenly remembered the little box.

 Chapter 276 - Troublesome

    The pain in her ankle had not fully relieved her but she was able move to the other side of the bed.


    When she got there, with her body still on the bed, she used her hand to find the littlebox Jireen had been playing with, and it did not take long before her hand found it.


    She did not waste time before using both her hands to raise it and once it was finally on the bed, she smiled contentedly.


    She rolled over to where the pillows were arranged and sat up.


    She carefully studied the box and was sure that this particular box was the same box she had gotten for him.


    She was about to try the lock when a knock came on the door.


    Quickly, she hid the box behind the pillow and asked whoever was outside to come in.


    Joreen entered with some clothes in hand and carefully placed them on top of the bed.


    "Miss Changyu. Dad said you should change into these."


    Changyu looked at the clothes suspiciously as she wondered who the clothes belonged to.


    ''Was it by chance Helene''s clothes?'' She asked herself as she continued to eye the clothes suspiciously.


    "Whose clothes are these?" She asked in a curious tone.


    "There are for my big sister, Sara."


    Changyu sighed in relief and smiled at her.


    Truthfully, she felt stuffed in the coat and pants she had been wearing.


    Now, she could not wait to change out of those tiring clothes.


    "Alright. Thanks."


    "Can you change on your own?" Joreen asked in concern.


    "Yes. It doesn''t hurt that much." She raised her injured feet to prove her point.


    "But do not tell your dad about it. Stay here and you can tell him you helped me change."


    "Why? Because you like my dad?" Joreen asked with a smile which showed she was very interested in the topic.


    "I had no idea adults do have crushes also." She added before sitting on the bed beside Changyu.


    Changyu looked at her in surprise. Where did this young girl draw these conclusions from?


    "Who said I liked him and who said adults do not have crushes?"


    "It''s obvious you like my dad. But do not worry. You have my blessing and big sister''s blessing also. We will eliminate every obstacle that comes your way."


    Changyu suppressed a smile as she asked. "What about Miss Kang? Do you also think she likes your father?"


    "We do not care about her. Besides, Miss Kang cannot measure to you. You are our only choice" Joreen said matter of factly.


    "Alright. That''s enough. I never said I liked your dad okay? Don''t go spreading rumours"


    "Okay. We can just assume so" Joreen answered with a grin.


    Changyu smiled secretly before helping herself change into Sara''s tee-shirt and loose pants. She properly tied her hair into a ponytail and washed her face.


    Once she was done, she made a show of limping painfully into the dining where Jianjun was already waiting for her with the Ramen she had requested for.


    For the others, he prepared rice and chicken sauce but because he did not want to start arguing with her, he simply prepared what she had asked for.


    When he saw her limping like that with Joreen supporting her, he hurried to where she was standing.


    "What are you doing? If it still hurts a lot, you should have waited for me to come assist you. Why did you have to come out?" He reprimanded.


    "I did not want to trouble you." She said in a soft voice that made Joreen almost laugh at how good of an actress she was.


    "It was hurting her a lot. She almost cried while changing"


    Changyu shot her a look which says "Did you have to seriously exaggerate like that?"


    "Really?" Jianjun asked, oblivious to what was going on between the two of them.


    He wanted to assist her, but he did not know how to go about it.


    Other times, she had either been unconscious or crying. But now, she was very much conscious so he did not know how to touch her.


    "I can walk." She answered when she saw him looking at her indecisively.


    Slowly, she limped to sit down in front of the sumptuous looking Ramen and side dishes.


    Her eyes brightened when she saw he had prepared that.


    She had missed it a lot plus, it was the first time in so many years that Jianjun was preparing her a meal and so, she was eager to have a taste.


    She picked up the fork instead of the chopsticks since she was already used to using forks after staying abroad for a really long time.


    Jianjun''s gaze was fixed on her as he watched her eat. It was the first time he was seeing her look this relaxed ever since they met again.


    Looking at her now, he realised just how much he had missed seeing her eat.


    "Eat slowly" He advised before pushing a glass of water closer to her.


    Joreen was busy with her food and so, she had no business with the older folks.


    And just as he had expected, Changyu choked!


    "I told you to eat slowly" He sighed before going to pat her back.


    When she stopped coughing, she raised her head to look at him like he was the one who caused it.


    "I was eating slowly. Why are you shouting at me?"


    "What do you mean? When did I shout at you?" He asked in confusion. He had spoken to her in a gentle tone.


    He looked at Joreen who was his witness but she did not seem interested in their conversation.


    "I''ve lost my appetite." Changyu eyed him before crossing her arms in front of her chest.


    Jianjun used a hand to massage his temple in frustration.


    She was already old yet she still had the same spoiled attitude. He knew exactly what she was trying to do and because he did not want them to argue further, he had to succumb first.


    "Alright. I am sorry for shouting. Please eat."


    He coerced.


    A smile appeared on her face when she heard him apologize. "Alright. It''s only because you apologized." She told him before digging on the food again.


    When he sat down and began to eat his own food, she smiled secretly. She was really having fun now and whether he liked it or not, she was going no where.


    Joreen raised her head and stylishly gave her a thumb up while Jianjun was not looking.


    Jianjun on the other hand, was lost in thought as he slowly ate his food.


    He thought of how nice it would be if she continued to stay here with them.


    She was a very troublesome person. He knew that for sure. But he really did not mind.


    As he thought of this, his gaze fell on her and she caught him staring.


    "What are you looking at?" She mouthed to him.


    He eyed her, said nothing, and faced his food.

 Chapter 277 - How did you do that?

    When Sara entered their apartment later that night, she saw a strange looking woman lying down on the couch besides Joreen as they both watched an american movie together.


    Taking a closer look at her, she recognised the woman as Miss Changyu and was a bit taken aback since she had never seen her dress that way. And what''s more? She was wearing her clothes!


    "Welcome Big sis" Joreen welcomed her.


    "Miss Changyu. You are awake. How is your health?" Sara moved closer to where they both were while Changyu sat up.


    "I am alright dear. Sorry about this. I had nothing else to put on" Changyu was referring to the clothes she was putting on.


    "And sorry for crashing here tonight." She added.


    "No... It''s fine. It''s totally okay. I am glad you are better now. Did you eat already?"


    "Oh yes I did." Changyu answered with a smile. She did not know why she liked Sara a lot. She thought the girl was really cool.


    "Where is dad?" She asked Joreen before looking around the house since she had not seen him since she entered.


    As she asked, she saw him come out from the direction of his room.


    After greeting him, she followed him inside the room so they could both talk.


    "Where is she sleeping tonight?" Jianjun asked her uncomfortably.


    Sara suppressed a laugh before answering.


    "Can''t you both stay together?"


    "What do you mean stay together?" He quickly cut in nervously. "How can the two of us sleep in the same room?"


    "Why can''t you?" Sara continued to tease.


    "I''ll dress this room for her. You should tell her to come sleep here. I''ll use the couch tonight. And.. I left dinner for you. Make sure you eat."


    "Anything you say Sir" Sara answered with a smile before returning to the sitting room to go inform her.


    As he was arranging the bed, he saw the little box hidden under the pillow and wondered why it was there.


    He knew very well that he had not left it there last night.


    After his meeting with Changyu the previous night, he had taken it out to go through the stuffs inside. And because he was not very emotionally stable, he did not remember to return it.


    When he was about to return it, Joreen had entered his room and so he had hidden it under the bed.


    Because a lot had happened, he forgot to return it.


    He continued to look at the box in confusion and wondered whether she saw it.


    But he concluded that she did not because if she had, she would not have remained quiet.


    He decided not to think much about it and returned the box to where he always kept it.


    ****


    Minde''s eyes did not leave Eva and her girlfriend as he watched them drink and laugh together.


    Unlike Emma who was wearing a mini red gown, black heels and heavy makeup, Eva on the other hand was wearing a pencil black Jean trouser, a blue turtlenecked sweater and a black boot.


    It was his very first time seeing her dress so casually. Also the first time he was seeing her hair flow about freely and not tied in a ponytail.


    He could not seem to get the fact off his head that Eva had always known he was Li Minde but treated him like a nobody.


    As he kept watching them from his own corner like a spy, a lot of pretty ladies made a pass at him but today, he was not ready for any of them.


    The one he was actually ready for was busy laughing with another lady who kept touching her occasionally.


    Soon, he saw another man try to make a pass at Eva, and frowned.


    From experience, he knew that most men were more interested in ladies who dressed and looked rather conservatively than those who appeared too flashy and so, a lot of men had approached Eva but she kept blowing them off.


    His hunch was correct after all. She was not interested in men at all. Why else would she come to a club and solely focus on a lady?


    But he became slightly worried because she was drinking a lot and it was not good for ladies to drink too much in a club.


    ''What is something bad happens to her?'' He thought for a moment on what to do about it but something kept reminding him that none of it was his business.


    He hissed and gulped down his own glass of wine.


    "Annoying. Very annoying." He muttered to no one in particular.


    "You have been staring at her the entire time. Why don''t you just go talk to her?" A young lady said to him before sitting beside him.


    "What are you talking about?" He looked at the lady in confusion.


    The lady looked like a model: Tall, slender, pretty. Everything one could think of in a top model, she had it all.


    "The lady over there. You have been staring at her ever since you appeared here." She looked towards Eva''s direction.


    "Why aren''t you talking to her if you fancy her?" She asked again before flashing him a flirty smile.


    "I stare at every pretty woman I see. She just happen to be one of them" He answered with a smirk.


    It was better than saying the lady over there was his ''boss'' at work.


    "So... What about me?" She asked coquettishly with two of her fingers trailing up his right arm.


    "You are pretty too" He answered nonchalantly with his gaze back on Eva as he saw a man try to pull her up forcefully.


    He frowned as he watched the scene unfold.


    The young lady beside him followed his gaze and saw where his interest lied. She was not wrong after all. He was only interested in her.


    "Looks like things are going to get slightly messy." She said with a smile and relaxed to watch whatever was to happen.


    As he watched the big man tighten his grip around Eva''s arm to force her up, he could not take it any longer and stood up.


    In a flash, he appeared in front of them.


    "What do you think you are doing man?" Minde asked him in displeasure.


    "Eric...Wu?" Eva had not expected to suddenly bump into him there.


    She looked at him in surprise with flushed cheeks which were caused as a result of the drinks she had been having.


    Even Emma who had been trying to make peace with the man so he would leave Eva alone, was surprised that her friend knew someone that dashing.


    "Who the hell do you think you are?" The big man asked angrily.


    "Someone you don''t want to mess with"


    After Minde said those words, a pleasant smile appeared on his face. ''Damn! That''s some nice lines yo!'' He thought to himself in English.


    He was bold because he thought the man was not going to fight him. They were inside a top club and he thought the security should be there any moment since they were already beginning to draw the crowd. But he thought wrong. Because no matter how much he looked around, he did not see any security.


    "Eric stay out of this." Eva said to him before turning to look at the big man.


    "I already said I do not want to dance with you. Why are you still being annoying?" She asked drunkenly.


    At this point, the man did not seem to be paying any attention to her. His gaze was still fixed on Minde who had just dared him.


    Before Minde knew what was coming, he felt a punch hit his cheek and he stumbled.


    Next place he found himself was on the floor.


    "What were you saying again?" The man mocked Minde whose hands were covering his right cheek.


    "Are you crazy?" Eva yelled at the man in anger.


    He was about holding her hand again but she was able to dodge it and used her knee to kick him in his crotch area.


    He had not been able to recover from the pain before he felt her kick him in the gut with her heel.


    Before anyone knew it, he was already on the floor.


    Everyone looked at her with wide eyes. Even Emma was shocked at what she had just seen.


    "Are you alright?" Eva crouched down and asked Minde who was also looking at her in shock.


    "How...how did you do that?" He asked in surprise.


    The man was obviously big. Far bigger than him. Yet, she was able to take him down while he could not even throw a punch?


    "We should leave now before the Security comes." She advised him before helping him up.


    £¬

 Chapter 278 - Confused

    Sara had a long day and so, she slept immediately she was done freshening up.


    Joreen also slept off after waiting for her mother to call but the call never came in.


    As for Jianjun who was lying on the couch with a blanket and pillow, he could not sleep.


    How could he sleep when the woman he had loved all his life was just right inside his room?


    He had been trying to have a lone time with her so they could finally talk because an issue as sensitive as that, they could not just raise it when the kids were around.


    He looked at the direction of his room''s door and considered going in to speak with her now that the others were asleep. But he just could not bring himself to go meet her now.


    As for Changyu, she was sitting on the bed with her injured foot elevated with a pillow.


    With her phone in hand, she went through the news with a dark expression.


    Everyone was busy talking about the Songs and how they had fallen completely.


    Most people rejoiced because the Song elders were known for acting cocky. Now that they were finally out, all they could see was their daughter and the Li family.


    "As Ramen is best served hot, so should Justice be served" She said in a low voice.


    A few days ago when she had still been looking for a way to find her daughter, she had gone to look for Anna''s family.


    After searching, she was finally able to locate Anna''s daughter, who was living in the countryside.


    She sighed when she remembered how the lady had sent her away and said she did not want to see any Song in front of her.


    After pleading with her to speak with her, she told Changyu how her mother had lost her husband barely a year after marriage. He was not even able to see their child before he died in an accident.


    Ever since then, her mother, Anna, dedicated her life into working for the Songs.


    She had left her daughter with her younger sister and only went to see her when she was allowed off by the Songs.


    She did not have enough time with her mother because the woman was busy taking care of someone else''s daughter.


    One day, Anna was unfortunate to be involved in a hit and run.


    No one cared. She did not see any Songs who came to offer their condolences. No one came for her burial ceremony.


    She had tried to meet with the Songs at several times but when they finally saw her, they gave her some wads of cash and asked her to take care of herself.


    That was it. That was all!


    She was bittered because she always watched the news and kept seeing how the Songs were soaring. Even Changyu was living well in the states and even though no one saw her, everyone knew her name.


    She cried a lot as she poured out everything she had buried in her heart for decades.


    In her thirty-six years of life, she could count the number of times she slept by her mother''s side. She would not have felt really bad if the Songs had cared but because they did not, she felt her mother wasted her life helping those ungrateful bunch of rats.


    Now, she was busy taking care of her sick aunt who had raised her. They were poor, helpless. And she was also unmarried.


    All effort of Changyu to help was rejected.


    Everything that kept happening reminded Changyu of how childish she had been.


    Anna had practically raised her like her own child yet, she knew nothing about her.


    And no matter how much she tried to offer her assistance to Anna''s daughter, the woman sent her out of their little apartment.


    As she dropped her phone and relaxed her body on the bed, she suddenly remembered the little box.


    Quickly, she sat up and raised the pillows but found nothing there.


    "Shit! He must have seen it" She realised Jianjun must have seen it when he was arranging the bed.


    "Ah! You can''t hide it from me" There was a sudden glint in her eyes before she stood up.


    In case he did not know, her second name was Miss Curious.


    She put on the light and checked to make sure the door was properly locked before she began her search hunt.


    She searched every nook and cranny of the room and even under the bed but she did not still find it.


    The last place to check was his wardrobe.


    She was a bit skeptical about it because she did not like going through people''s things. But now, she had no other choice. She wanted to know what was inside that box. She was curious to know how his treasured items looked like.


    Slowly and carefully, she opened one side of his wardrobe.


    Her face unconsciously frowned when she saw how scanty it was.


    There was almost nothing inside except for two clothes on the hanger, a luggage box and a little wrapped gift box.


    She recognised the gift box as the one Sara had used to place the clothes she bought for him on the day they both went shopping.


    "Why is it so empty?" She asked herself as her eyes scanned his wardrobe.


    She did not want to believe that those were all he had and that he did not take care of himself.


    She led a miserable life but her wardrobe was bigger than their entire apartment. So why was his like this?


    She knew he had never been a fan of fashion but he should at least have a minimum of a hundred clothes right? She thought before saying in a whisper.


    "I am going to smack some sense into his dumb head."


    She tried to open his clothes box but kept withdrawing her hand.


    "Just open the damn box already. It''s not like you''re stealing from him." She assured herself before she moved her hand to the zipper.


    She closed her eyes and slowly began to unzip it.


    Once she opened it, she saw the box and the disappointing sight of a few clothes inside.


    "What do you think you are doing Jianjun Wang?" She bit her lips and continued to look inside the box with a sad expression.


    It did not take long before she quickly snapped out of it and carried the box back to the bed.


    "Please be it.. Please be it.." She chanted silently as she tried to unlock the box with the only code she could think of.


    ''1922'' That was the only code she could remember he used.


    One day when he was going through a cook book, he had been narrating to her how a chef formed a recipe in 1922 but all she could think of was that it was the combination of both their ages.


    "1922. That''s my age, 19. Plus yours, 22." She said excitedly before hopping on his back.


    Jianjun laughed and held her properly so she would not fall. "Is that why you are so happy?" He asked her.


    "Yes. I like 1922. Let it always be our number from today."


    "Okay" He willingly agreed because even if he declined¡ª well, he could not decline anyway.


    "Don''t just say okay. Make sure you change every passworded device you have to 1922."


    "Yes ma''am. Are you happy now?"


    "I am happy." She laughed and began to jiggle up and down on his back.


    "If you continue that way we are both going to fa¡ª"


    Before be could say ''fall'', he missed his step and fell on the couch with Changyu directly behind him. They both laughed heartily while Cixi who had been busy reading a novel shook her head at the both of them.


    A smile appeared on her face as she reminisced the past.


    *1922*


    And surprisingly, it worked.


    Her heart thumped faster as she lifted the lid.


    And when it was finally opened, she looked at the items inside.


    Her eyes went first to the rumpled sheet of paper that was carefully folded inside.


    She lifted it and after she slowly opened it, she immediately recognised her own handwriting.


    She stared at it in shock when she realised that was the particular letter she had sent to Jianjun.


    Her eyes were wide opened and her hands shook as she read the letter she had written with her own hand.


    Before she knew it, tears began to spill from her eyes. Now that she knew he had not sent her that letter, she was even more heartbroken.


    No matter how much she tried to suppress her tears, she could not. All she could do was to cry out. She had really been crazy. Why did she do something like that? Why did she send him this kind of letter?


    As she dropped the letter on the bed, her hand accidentally pushed the box which caused it to fall on the floor with every item inside, spilling out.


    With tears still in her eyes, she bent to pick them up and that was when she saw three pictures. She first picked up the one closest to her and saw it was an old picture of the Wangs and the Restsurant''s staffs before she started working with them. It looked like it was Cixi''s birthday.


    She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and looked at it for a while before picking up the next one. The other picture was also taken inside the restaurant. Then, she was already working with them and so, she was in the group photograph this time and she was standing beside Jianjun with a bright smile on her face.


    She almost laughed when she remembered how she had forced her way there. At that time, it was still a one-sided love on her part, or so she thought.


    The last picture was of a baby girl.


    She realised that this was probably Sara''s baby picture. She admired it for a bit and  was about dropping it when she saw a necklace on the ground.


    Her eyes widened when she saw it and quickly lifted it to take a proper look.


    "Why is my necklace here?"  She asked herself in confusion. She never gave it to him. Even when she was locked up at home, out of anger, she had asked Anna to throw it out since her mother had given it to her.


    "Did he make a similar one?"


    Although she asked herself that, she still felt it was hers.


    As she was about to drop everything inside, Sara''s picture slipped from her hand and turned to the back.


    She saw some numbers written on it and lifted it to take a closer look.


    A year was written on it. But something did not feel right. If Sara was twenty four years old, then why was the year written behind the picture a year before Sara was supposed to be born?


    As her brows furrowed in confusion, she picked up the last paper that was folded and was even more startled to see it was a DNA test result between ''Jianjun'' and ''Sara''.


    "Why did he conduct a paternity test for his wife''s daughter?"


    Everything was already beginning to confuse her.


    When she looked at the date, she saw that it was the same year that was written at the back of Sara''s picture.


    She looked at the picture again and then, at the year. Finally, her eyes went back to the necklace.


    Quickly, she stood up with the necklace, DNA test result and picture in hand.


    Immediately she opened the door to go meet Jianjun in the sitting room, she saw him standing just outside the door.

 Chapter 279 - Too good to be true

    Earlier, Jianjun was still thinking whether or not to go see Changyu inside the room but later decided against it.


    He tried to give himself different reasons why he should not go meet her inside the room by this time of the night¡ªshe was probably very tired or asleep, her ankle hurts and she probably needs to rest.


    Every single excuse he could think of, he made them all up to convince himself that going in there was probably not the best thing to do tonight.


    Since he did not feel like sleeping, he decided to surf the net and go through the latest news.


    The topping news was that of the Song elders'' arrest.


    He was surprised when he saw that they had been arrested.


    When most top people in the country was arrested, it was usually in secret. Mainly because it was for show most of the times and they were obviously going to free them in less than twenty four hours so people did not know about it.


    But this was all over the news already.


    His eyes went to the room''s door again. ''Did she by chance do it?'' He asked himself.


    He had always known that she did not have a good relationship with her parents right from when she was still very young, plus, she had recently cut ties with them and warned everyone not to help them unless they wanted to get into her black book.


    "Is she by chance doing all of this because of us?" He wondered aloud but still was not quite sure.


    His heart skipped a bit when he saw the light come on inside the room.


    ''Is she coming out? Why?''


    He pretended to sleep and covered himself with the blanket  as he waited for her to come out but she did not.


    He then sat up and fixed his gaze on the door without looming anywhere else.


    Now, he was sure that she was awake and something told him it was time to go meet her there.


    After a while, he stood up and slowly walked towards the door.


    And to his shock, he heard her crying inside when he was about to knock.


    He hand stopped midair and did not bother to knock. He considered going inside to console her but he did not know whether it would be wrong of him to intrude.


    He felt maybe she was sad because of her parents. Or maybe she was still sad because of everything Cixi had told her.


    And as he stood there quietly, he suddenly saw the door open wide.


    Changyu was a bit surprised when she saw him standing there.


    She watched as his eyes moved from her face down to her hand. And when he saw the things she was holding, his eyes widened.


    "How...did you get that?" He asked with a stutter before reaching his hand to take them from her but she quickly pulled her hand away and ducked it behind her.


    "You were going through my things?" He looked at her face this time and asked in displeasure.


    "Yes. I went through your things." She openly admitted. Now was not the time to start explaining why she did so. They were more pressing issues on ground.


    "And I have questions for you"


    He closed his eyes in resignation and opened them back again.


    "How''s your ankle?"


    "That''s not important right now. I said I have questions for you!"


    "Fine. What is it?"


    "Why did you keep that kind of letter all these years?" She asked first.


    She was going to ask him one after the other.


    "Can''t I keep the things that were given to me?"


    "This is a stupid letter! How could you keep something like this? I wrote it, yet, I don''t even remember the details. But you kept going through it year after year?"


    She placed the picture, DNA test result and necklace in one hand. While the letter was in the other hand she brought out.


    "How could you keep this?"


    Quickly, he took the letter from her and shred it into pieces then allowed them scatter on the floor.


    "Are you happy now? Since I have gotten rid of it, are you happy?"


    "Yes I am happy!" She shot back at him before remembering to keep her voice down since two people were sleeping just inside the next room.


    Next, she brought out her other hand from behind.


    He knew quite well everything that she was holding and waited for her to ask her questions.


    "How did you get my necklace?" She asked next.


    He sighed before moving past her to enter inside the room.


    When he entered, he saw the little box and the other items lying on the floor.


    Changyu did not waste time to follow him inside and locked the door after she entered.


    "Everything is strange. Everything!"


    "I would have easily assumed that you did a paternity test for your daughter because you thought your wife cheated on you. But that is not the case here. Can you see the date the test was carried out?" She opened the paper wide and held it in front of him.


    "How come Sara was born on this year when I know Helene was never pregnant then. If you really loved me like you claimed, you would never have had any affair with Helene. So Sara is obviously not Helene''s daughter. Right?"


    She was still a bit skeptical, so she asked.


    "Who is Sara''s mother and how did you get my necklace?"


    Jianjun sat down and scratched his head. He had not expected things to turn out this way. Why did she have to go through his things? Now, his entire plan was messed up.


    "Anna gave it to me. The necklace."


    "I don''t believe you. But let''s assume I do." Changyu answered immediately. "What about Sara? You even went as far as forging her age. Whose....whose child is she?"


    Changyu bit her lower lip as she impatiently waited for his reply.


    Even her hands began to shake uncontrollably.


    "Changyu...." He stood up from the bed and stood in front of her.


    As he looked down at her, she looked up at him with curious eyes.


    "I want to ask you a question" He told her.


    She shook her head. "I don''t want to hear it. I don''t want to hear any questions from you right now. I only want you to answer mine."


    He placed his hands on her shoulders to stop her from shaking her head.


    When she felt him touch her, she stopped and stared at him.


    "You might hurt your neck if you keep looking at me like that." He joked but soon turned serious as he asked.


    "Our daughter... What did you do with her?"


    He paused to see her reaction and hear her answer but he could not read her expression no matter vow hard he tried.


    "I knew it. You are still very dumb"


    "What do you mean?" He asked her in confusion before dropping his hands from her shoulders.


    "I....never told you it was a girl." She stated.


    He could no longer maintain eye contact and moved his eyes away from her.


    "The girl next room... Sara....is she...is she..?"


    No matter what, she did not know how to put it. Neither did she know how to ask the question.


    As much as she wanted it to be true, she felt it was simply too good to be true.


    "Sara is my daughter" Jianjun said with his gaze back on her.


    "And yours.." He added.

 Chapter 280 - Mrs Doctor

    Slowly, Cixi opened her eyes when she sensed that something was off.


    When she woke up a minute back, without openingher eyes, she thought the place smelt unfamiliar and even the bed she was lying on was softer than the one she usually slept on.


    ''Something is not right'' She concluded before slowly opening her eyes. And just as she thought, she was in an unfamiliar room.


    Since the windows were down, the place was not so bright but she could still see that it was morning already.


    She sat up immediately and began to search around for her purse after checking herself to be sure someone had not messed with her.


    It did not take long before she found her purse on top of the shelf beside the bed.


    Now, she took a proper look at the bedroom. It  was arranged and looked like an hotel room but for some reason, she knew this was not an hotel room.


    And her guess was right when she opened the room door to find herself in a passage which led her to a sitting room.


    They were hotel suites that obviously looked like this. But she was very sure this was someone''s house.


    "You''re awake" She heard a male voice say to her from the dining immediately she entered the sitting room.


    Cixi stared at him in confusion. She wondered who the man was and how she ended up in his bed.


    "Who are you and how did I get here?" She finally voiced out what was in her mind as she saw him approach her.


    He was a fine young man, probably in his late thirties or early forties. He wore a black long-sleeved shirt and black pants, with a house slipper.


    His hair was a bit messy but his skin was clean; clean enough to tell one that he had never experienced hardship in his life.


    "My name is Jaime. Luo Jaime." He introduced himself once he stood in front of her.


    "Ya... So how did I get here?" She pressed on.


    "I saw you passed out on the streets and brought you here. Thankfully,  it was nothing very serious" He summarised.


    "I was passed out on the streets?" She asked in surprise and confusion.


    She thought it made sense to have passed out because, she could not remember anything other than crying her eyes out while dying of cold.


    Even though she believed what he had just told her, she still looked at him suspiciously.


    She was sure nothing else happened since she was still wearing the clothes she had left the house on¡ª a simple trousers and sweatshirt.


    But she still looked at him suspiciously.


    Why would he bring her to his house instead of a hospital?


    "Did you nurse me back?" She asked him.


    "I did." He admitted with a nod.


    "What? Why didn''t you just take me to a hospital?"


    "Because I hate hospitals and do not go there for any reason"


    "In case you are still wondering, I tried checking your phone for any relative''s number I could call but it was locked." He further explained to clear every doubt she was having.


    Whatever else he was saying did not seem to concern her. The only thing that concerned her was the previous statement he had made. He hated hospitals?


    "What do you mean by you hate hospitals? How does that affect me? If someone is sick, you should take them to the hospital for proper check up"  She lectured in annoyance at his statement.


    "Ah.. I know why you are sounding this way Mrs Doctor. But we all have what we like and hate. And for the things I hate, going to the hospital is one of them. Let''s not say much on that. You are well after all" He quickly dismissed the topic.


    Cixi raised a brow to look at him curiously. "How did you know I am a doctor?"


    She was beginning to wonder whether he was a stalker before she heard him say.


    "Oh! I also checked your purse for any information or number. I saw your ID and that''s how I know you are a doctor" He explained.


    "Any more questions?" He asked before offering her breakfast.


    Cixi frowned. Of course she was sounding that way because she was a doctor. She had attended different seminars and done a lot of Volunteer jobs to know what neglecting one''s health without going for proper examination, is capable of doing. People should always care for their health so how dare he mock her profession and say they were not useful?


    Even though he had not literally said so, that was what he implied! Saying he hated hospitals meant doctors like herself, were not trustworthy and reliable which was an insult o her.


    And because of it, she could not help giving him a long lecture on how he was supposed to take care of his health and even if he had a personal problem, he should not extend it to others by trying to deny them proper medical attention when they are sick.


    "You are one bold woman" He interrupted her lecture.


    "You are inside a strange man''s house, you did not bother to thank me for saving your life and here you are, giving lectures and trying to teach me something totally irrelevant."


    "Since you seem really well, I guess you should leave now. But next time, remember to not leave the house in clothings like that."


    He walked towards the door and opened it.


    "Seemed you are not hungry. You can leave now Mrs Doctor."


    "Miss.." She corrected him with a glare.


    "Anyways, thanks" She said to him immediately she stepped out.


    He gave her a simple nod before closing the door.


    "What a weird person" She said to herself before turning around to face the world.


    Now, she began to remember the pressing issue at hand.


    She thought about her brother who did not want to see her. Her niece, who would probably hate her when she found out what she had done. She also thought about her innocent little daughter who must be really confused right now.


    As she looked at her phone, she first saw that it was just past seven in the morning.


    No wonder she could not find a taxi there. It was also a holiday period so she knew it was probably going to be difficult for her to find one unless she walked down the street.


    She saw a couple of missed calls from Sara but could not bring herself to call her back.


    She checked for any missed calls from her brother but found none.


    She then saw a missed call from a colleague and called back.


    "Hello Grace" She greeted in perfect English immediately the call went though. "It''s been a long time. Compliment of the season."


    After a pause, she spoke again


    "Are you people still going to Malaysia?"


    After the person on the other end of the call said somethijg, Cixi spoke again.


    "Alright. You can include my name on the list. I think I''ve stayed here for too long already."


    She sighed heavily after the call ended.


    As she stood there with only her purse in hand, she felt tears threaten to spill from her eyes as she rembered the fun time with her family.


    From how they had all hugged the day she came to the little times they spent laughing together, to the first time Li Muchen came to visit, and she had jumped in happiness because he called her aunt.


    As she remembered every wonderful moment with her family, she began to cry.


    *honk*


    She heard the loud honk of a car behind her and quickly wiped her eyes as she hoped it was a taxi.


    When she turned, she saw a simple looking grey car and through the windshield, she saw Luo Jiame on the driver''s seat.


    He tilted his head in a gesture that told her to hop in.


    As much as she wanted to ignore him, she needed somewhere to rest her head and so, she joined him in the car.

 Chapter 281 - Realisation

    Sara was not going to work today, therefore, she woke up late or rather, a call woke her up.


    When she saw it was from ''Boyfriend Li'', she immediately sat up and arranged her hair before taking the call.


    "It''s past eight in the morning and you''re still asleep. What a nice life you''re living." He  said with a laugh when he heard her crooked ''Hello boyfriend Li''.


    "I was just about to wake up before you called." She complained.


    "Go freshen up and eat something. You''ll be free later this evening right?"


    A smile appeared on her face and she began to nod, totally forgetting she was on a call and not in front of him.


    "Or are you busy?" He asked when he noticed she was quiet.


    "Oh I''m free. Very free. Is....it a date?" She asked shyly and tucked a few strands of misplaced hair at the back of her ear.


    She heard him laugh lightly before he said "Yes....it...is...a...date." He counted his words slowly.


    "Now go help your father with chores. I''ll call you later."


    After he hung up,  she squealed and buried her head on the pillow in overexcitement.


    At that point, she suddenly remembered she had other things to worry about.


    Fuji was still hanging around somewhere plus, she also did not know where her aunt was at the moment.


    She believed they would be able to know her whereabout if she begged her father to call her and so, she left the room after tucking Joreen properly with the blanket that had rolled off her body.


    She noticed the house seemed awfully quiet after moving from the sitting room to the kitchen.


    Her father was no where to be seen. Neither did she see Miss Changyu anywhere.


    A naughty smile appeared on her face as she imagined her father had slept in the room with Changyu.


    On getting outside his room''s door, she saw pieces of shredded papers on the floor.


    "What is this?" She crouched down to pick up a piece curiously.


    Because she wanted to be sure, slowly, she knocked on the door but it suddenly pushed open to show it was not locked.


    Her brows furrowed as the door appeared ajar.


    "What is wrong? They are not in?" She asked herself before poking her head inside to take a peek.


    Her eyes scanned inside and she noticed that no one was in.


    She also saw some things scattered on the ground.


    She entered inside the room while wondering where the both of them had gone to.


    She did not waste time before placing a call across to her father who informed her that they had both gone out for a little stroll and would probably be back in the evening.


    After the call ended, she thought something did not seem right.


    They both went out for a stroll in this cold morning and would be back by evening? What kind of strolling was that?


    He asked her to heat some food in the fridge for herself and Joreen but at that point, her eyes went to the things which were scattered on the floor.


    She did not know the last thing he said before hanging up because her entire attention was on the ground.


    She saw a picture and paper on the bed, two pictures on the ground with a necklace pictures. And what''s more? The very box she had been trying to unlock was opened on the floor.


    Out of curiosity, she decided to take a look at it.


    ***


    "We cremated your child" Her father''s cold voice.


    "She was left in front of an orphanage" Her mother''s resigned voice.


    "We did it for you. We are your parents. We love you" Her father''s convincing voice.


    "She is mentally ill. You have to watch her properly. Put her on twenty four hours surveillance" A certain doctor''s voice.


    "I did it for my family. Wouldn''t you have done the same if you were in my shoes?" Cixi''s accusing voice.


    "How can you do this to your parents?" Her sister''s disappointed voice.


    "You should stay away from whatever will cause you shock for the time being. Your system is still too weak. And make sure you take your medication" Her doctor''s worried voice.


    "Two teenagers took your daughter from the orphanage''s gate" Hani''s informative voice.


    "You didn''t know right?¡ª I believe you" Sara''s voice.


    "She is my daughter... And yours."


    All the voices in her head were calm now as she paid attention to the only voice she wanted to hear.


    "But do not think about going near her. She is my daughter and I raised her with all I had. Wasn''t it you who abandoned her? Even if you were angry at me, did our daughter do anything to you? I just want to know¡ª"


    At that point, she no longer heard anything he said. But she knew she had felt a sharp pain in her chest and almost fell but luckily, he was there to catch her before she collapsed to the ground.


    As she opened her eyes, She saw Jianjun''s back and it looked like he was in a call with someone.


    "You should heat it up for yourself and Joreen. I don''t know when I''ll be back. Probably in the evening"


    ''He is talking to her. He is talking to my daughter'' Everything within her screamed as she forced herself to sit up.


    He turned when he heard her make some noises and when he saw she was awake, he quickly said bye and hung up before moving closer to her.


    "How do you feel?" He fussed. "I will get the doctor now"


    Changyu did not seem to care about anything else. She did not even mind that she was currently inside a hospital. All she was concerned about was her child.


    "Last night....Did you...did you mean it? Sara¡ª"


    Her eyes began to water as she spoke.


    For years, she had been slowly dying of loneliness and depression. She had thought the only child she would ever have was dead.


    Then, she found out that it was not even a son but a daughter and she was probably alive somewhere.


    And now, not only had she met her, they had both gone out a couple of times and she was even friends with her.


    No wonder she had not disliked Sara from the first time she saw her even though she had thought Sara was the daughter of the woman she did not like.


    "I spoke with Miss Hani. She brought you some clothes to change into and she informed me you did not like the hospitals but I did not have any choice since you seem to be fainting a lot lately. Hope you don''t mind?" He asked for her opinion.


    "I don''t care about any of that! Sara is our daughter! How... How could you keep such away from me? Do you know what I''ve gone through? How...how could you do this to me?"


    Tears began to pour from her eyes as she yelled at him.


    "You have to calm down. Let me get the doctor first." He pleaded with her.


    Hani had informed him that the doctor had advised her and all her employees to make sure she did not get shocked because it may affect her health.


    He felt bad for causing her the shock and so, he did not want her to do anything that might make her get collapse again.


    Changyu punched a little bottom by the side of the bed which made a ''beep'' sound in turn. "There. the doctor is going to come any time soon so can you talk to me now?"


    "I was worried." He said in a gentle voice before sitting beside her on the queensized hospital bed.


    He had never been to an hospital that looked like this even back in the days.


    When she collapsed, although he was very worried and tensed, he did not want to take her to any common hospital. So he had called Hani to ask which hospital she frequented.


    Hani had asked for him to send her to her place instead since she hated the hospitals but he could not do so.


    He stood by his word to take her to a hospital and she did not have any choice but to agree and told him she was going to handle the rest and all he had to do was to send her there since she could not go there because of the distance.


    He stood up from the bed and said to her.


    "She was a daughter you abandoned so how was I supposed to tell you about her existence?"


    "A daughter I abandoned?"


    Her doctor suddenly rushed in and immediately he entered, she asked him to go back because she was okay.


    He had no choice but to obey and left after a bow.


    "A daughter I abandoned?  Who said I abandoned her? Why would I ever abandon my own daughter?" She yelled at him.


    "Then how come she was sent to that orphanage on that night? For goodness sake, she was not even mature yet." This time, he yelled back at her.


    Remembering the almost lifeless Sara nearly brought tears to his eyes but he tried to control his emotions.


    "I feel the same way you feel now" She suddenly burst into more tears that came with gasps.


    "I feel exactly the same way. I did not even see my child at all. I had no idea what she looked like. But before I woke up, she was no where to be found. My parents had already gotten rid of her. Did you know how I felt then? I was told she died! No matter what, I could not forgive myself. I could not also forgive you for causing me so much pain and agony "


    "How could I get rid of my own daughter? How could you think that way of me? Am I that horrible of a person to you?"


    She lifted a pillow with her cannula-free hand and threw it at him but it did not go anywhere since she did not exert much force.


    "Get out! You are even worse. Did you always think of me that way? As a beast who did not care about her own flesh and blood? I said get out!"


    She yelled at him again and threw another pillow.


    But instead of him to leave, he moved closer to her, sat back on the bed beside her, and wrapped his hand around her in a hug.


    This time, he cried with her.


    Changyu did not bother to push him away and just cried with her head buried on his shoulder.


    "Does she know about it?" She asked in between tears.


    "She doesn''t. So take care of your health and let''s go meet her" He advised.


    He was glad. Glad that she had not gotten rid of their child. Glad she had the mind to keep their daughter even if it did not go according to plan.


    "I''m sorry Changyu"


    For the first time, he finally apologized.


    ***


    Sara had looked at the pictures in surprise because it was the first picture of her young father and Aunt that she was privileged to see. She also believed the two elders in the picture were her grandparents.


    She did not recognise any one else except her mother, someone she believed was the younger Changyu and Mr Park who worked in Delight.


    The only thing that actually made her surprised look turn into one of shock was the DNA test result she had seen.


    "Why is this here?" She asked herself in confusion.


    She looked at the piece of paper she had picked from outside the room which was currently on top of the bed.


    "And why was this torn?"


    Quuckly, she went outside the room and picked up all the pieces of papers on the ground. They were not torn into many pieces so it was easy for her to arrange it together.


    And as she read the contents, her eyes widened further in shock and disbelief.


    She looked at the DNA test result again and soon, she was becoming certain of her new suspicion.


    Changyu had been pregnant, she had promised to get rid of the child but it seemed she abandoned her after birth just like Joreen had heard and her father had changed her age.


    And here, there was a DNA test result.


    She sat still with widened eyes as everything clicked in and realisation dawned on her.


    "I am her daughter?"

 Chapter 282 - Youre an idiot

    The knock on his study''s door made Muchen raise his head for the first time in hours.


    He thought it was Heya because he knew Minde did not bother to knock and just barged in like the place belonged to him.


    But he was really surprised when he saw Minde come in after asking whoever was outside to come inside.


    "Are you okay?" He asked when he saw how haggard Minde looked.


    He was still in the dress he had worn out last night and he looked like he had not slept a wink the entire night.


    Although he looked that way, he could still see a slight trace of excitement in his eyes.


    Minde blew off his question, hinting that he did not want to talk about it before saying his piece.


    "I''ve been digging all night and found some interesting news."


    "Digging all night? Since when did you have such zeal? And what happened to your cheek"


    Muchen raised a brow at him when he saw the purple bruise on his cheek.


    "Got into a fight again?"


    "I didn''t get into a fight. I tried to save someone and ended up like this." He said with a frown.


    "You...Li Minde..tried to save someone?" He asked in an almost disbelief tone.


    "Let''s not just talk about it. But how about you? You don''t sleep at all? You were in the study when I arrived at midnight right?"


    Muchen decided not to push him to talk and simply nodded.


    "Try being the CEO and let''s see if you''ll still sleep."


    "But I trust you. You''ll still sleep" Muchen mocked.


    "You came in around 3:54 in the morning and got to your room around 3:60am. What were you thinking about that you had to walk so sluggishly?"


    Minde looked at him in surprise. "How did you know that?"


    "If I don''t know who comes in and go out my apartment, how can I live comfortably? Well, back to you. Said you had something right?"


    "Oh. Yes." Minde moved to his side with a iPad in hand.


    "Remember we read the news about the Song elders arrest right?"


    Muchen nodded to that.


    They had both been surprised when Ms Long called to inform them even before the news went round. And when it later did, they had both watched the news together.


    "So I was able to find something out. Immediately the news of their arrest spread round, guess what happened?"


    Muchen looked at him with eyes which implied that he was not interested in playing around and so Minde became serious.


    "Well, a lot of people lost their jobs. And I mean, a whole lot of people did."


    "It''s normal since they placed even the unworthy in high positions. Now that they are out, what''s the point of people still keeping their flies around?" Muchen added.


    "Exactly my point. But here is what I found really interesting." He clicked on something on the iPad and revealed a picture of a man.


    "Who is he?" Muchen asked.


    "Park Chen. Head chef of Delight."


    "So?"


    "I was just looking into everyone and when I looked into him, I found some really strange things. First of all, he worked in Sara''s grandparents'' restaurant as her grandfather''s apprentice."


    It seemed Muchen knew where he was going to because he suddenly sat up. "Go on." He urged.


    "Immediately after Sara''s grandparents'' arrest, he was able to secure a job in delight. And not just as a chef, but the second in command at the kitchen. Don''t you think it is strange?"


    "It definitely is." Muchen''s eyes darken.


    It was very likely that this Park Chen was involved in everything somehow.


    "Guess they were all tired of the meal he makes. They were good but, he had been using the same recipe for years. Seemed they were tired of keeping him but could do nothing because the Songs placed him there. So immediately the were out, he was fired!"


    "Interesting." Muchen said with a dark glint in his eyes before taking his phone to call someone.


    "My Hwang. I''ll transfer some details to you now. I want you to find everything you can about the man and send it to me by tonight. Okay?"


    He was about to hang up when the Mr Hwang spoke.


    "Erm...CEO Li... The thing is, the Liu family''s young mistress, Liu Weiyoung, has been trying to get in contact with you."


    Muchen frowned when he heard her name. He was not good with remembering insignificant names and people but thanks to Sara, he had to know the names of everyone who had bullied her right from when was in grade school.


    "Why are you telling me? You should get rid of her." He hissed.


    "Erm...CEO Li...she said it''s in regards to your Miss. Miss Wang. I would have called to let you know ever since but I couldn''t since you mentioned not to call you if it''s not business related."


    ''In regards to Sara? What was that ugly lady scheming again?''


    "Tell her I don''t listen to gossips and if she still tries to contact you, let her know I may get angry."


    Having said that, he ended the call.


    "Who was that?" Minde asked curiously.


    Muchen was about to say "From your Ex-girlfriend" but he decided against it and smacked his head instead.


    "Ouch bro... What did I do to deserve this?" He whined as he used a hand to rub the back of his head.


    "What were you thinking dating Liu Weiyoung back then? So embarrassing." He tsked at him before turning serious again.


    "So what''s next?"


    Minde furrowed his brows in confusion. Why was he suddenly getting angry at him because of something that happened two years ago?


    He did not want to go into that so he simply went straight to the point.


    "Sorry about this but ever since I noticed you like Sara, I''ve been doing a little digging on her. I did not find much though. But I think something is fishy somewhere"


    Again, he scrolled down the iPad. After tapping a few things, some details appeared.


    "First, let''s talk about where she disappeared to at a certain time."


    As much as Muchen did not like to hear about Sara from anyone else, he was a bit curious so he gave him the go-ahead.


    "She was in country Y. That''s all I actually know in that part."


    "Country Y?"


    "Exactly"


    Muchen began to type something in his system and once he was done, he turned to look at him again.


    "Any other information?"


    "Not yet. But if you want me to keep digging, I can"


    Muchen looked at him suspiciously. What was suddenly wrong with him?  He would never offer to do something without asking for something in return.


    "I also found something strange. Sara is supposed to be twenty four years old now and born in a private clinic in City Y right?"


    "Yes. So?"


    "Here is what I found." He pointed something to him as he explained.


    "I was actually not interested in her birth. I was only curious about Miss Changyu and her relationship with the family after you mentioned that she was also an apprentice in her grandparents'' restaurant."


    "Do you know that for some months, Miss Changyu disappeared. She was no where to be found."


    "How does that relate?" Muchen wondered where he was heading to.


    "When the Wangs were leaving the country twenty five years ago, they did not leave alone. They left with a baby."


    He showed him an old footage of a younger Jianjun, Helene, Cixi and their mother who was holding a well wrapped baby.


    "There was no news of Miss Jin Helene ever being pregnant or married. So I had to hack into the registry and there was nothing like a Jianjun Wang and Jin Helene getting married. Apparently, she was only recorded as Sara''s mother but was never married to her father."


    "Wait a minute" Muchen paused to think.


    He suddenly remembered all Sara had told him on Christmas day about Changyu''s relationship with her family. She had told him about how her parents were framed by Changyu''s because she had been close with her father.


    He also thought of the familiar vibe he always had whenever he was standing close to Sara. How much they both behaved alike.


    Lastly, he thought about how Sara usually made mistakes with her age.


    "Wow" He managed to say out. "I never thought about this possibility"


    "So you think it''s true also?" Minde moved even closer to whisper "Miss Changyu is probably Sara''s mother?"


    "There is a probability of it being so."


    "Wow!" Minde gasped aloud.


    "Do you think she knows about it? Should we tell her about it?"


    "I''ll handle it. You don''t have to worry about that."


    Muchen thought it was going to be really nice if Sara''s mother was Changyu. Aside from the fact that the woman had a whole lot of influence and power, Sara had always craved for a mother''s love and he had felt really bad when his mother slapped her the other time.


    But if Sara''s mother was really Changyu, then a lot was going to change and she was going to be really happy. Or maybe not? He did doubt the latter though since he knew Sara had always admired Changyu.


    Minde still looked surprised. The news seemed to have left him puzzled but he had to move to the next one.


    "Hmm bro...I saw something last but I really don''t know how to show it to you"


    He still remembered everything that had happened the previous night and how he had followed Sara and the strange young man. But he refused to remember further what had happened last night. "Damn Eva!" He cussed silently under his breath.


    "Hmm?" Muchen thought he heard him say something to him but Minde quickly shook his head before taking out his phone from his back pocket.


    He was still withdrawing a bit and did not know how to show him the pictures of Sara and the young man but Muchen who did not like delay quickly grabbed the phone from him.


    "What is it you want to show me?"


    Minde sighed before saying "Gallery. Pictures"


    It did not take long for Muchen to find it. And when he saw and recognised the person there, his eyes darkened.


    "Sara?" He asked to be really sure and quickly, he zoomed on the picture to see the young Man''s face.


    "That bastard. I knew he was up to no good" Muchen said in a angry tone before standing up. Even his eyes was brimming with anger and his free hand was fisted.


    "You know him?" Minde looked at him in confusion.


    " Yue King. His name is Yue King. The new owner of Grand Castle Hotel"


    Muchen remembered how Sara had reacted when they saw Yue King the previous day.


    Although she had said she did not know him, he had doubted that a bit. But now, he just confirmed his suspicion.


    Yue King was probably the one who had asked her for the painting. And with the way Sara had reacted when he mentioned the hotel had formally been the Jin''s, it further confirmed what he had been thinking about.


    He was having some shady deals with the Jins and if he was the one who asked for that painting, it meant the Jins were the ones who probably needed it and it was probably the reason why Jin Cearo had been lurking around.


    "I think I''ve allowed Sara to play alone for too long. And I think now is the right time to get involved whether she likes it or not"


    Minde watched him as he spoke to himself and suddenly, Muchen turned to look at him.


    "I already have some tabs on Yue King. Find out whatever else you can about him and look for any connection he has with the Jins."


    As he gave these orders, he suddenly remembered when he checked about Yue King, he had seen that he had relocated from Country Y to Country B about a year ago. It was the same Country Y that Sara had disappeared to.


    He pulled his hair in frustration as he could not arrive at a proper conclusion.


    "...Are you bothered that she''s probably cheating on you with him?" Minde asked in concern.


    Muchen looked at him like he was stupid.


    "How can you even say that? Do you think she''ll ever cheat on me with someone like that?"


    As Minde thought about it, he did not see any reason why she would not. Yue King was handsome and rich so he did not see any reason why she would not.


    He nodded before giving an affirmation to his question. "Of course she can"


    Muchen frowned before smacking his head again. "You''re an idiot"


    "Ouch!" Minde wailed.

 Chapter 283 - What they deserved.

    After Minde closed the door behind him, he still stood outside the study''s door in confusion. He could not understand his cousin no matter how much he tried.


    He had just showed him a picture of his girlfriend with another man and he was not bothered about that but was bothered about something else?


    "Do you trust her that much?" He had asked Muchen in surprise.


    He tried to put himself in his shoes and knew he would freak out if the girl he loved was secretly seeing another man at night.


    "If I do not trust her, do I even have any right to say I love her?" Muchen asked back.


    "But what if you''re thinking too highly of her?"


    "Just shut up. I know Sara more than anyone else. So you all should listen to me instead or just focus on your own business. And make sure you do not take pictures like these again. Taking my girlfriend''s picture secretly is something I would not take likely from anyone." Muchen warned before asking him to leave.


    "So I''m the bad person now?" Minde wondered on annoyance. He had even felt bad for his cousin but now he was the bad person?


    "What a strange human being." Minde muttered before going on his own way to his room.


    Immediately he entered, he was welcomed by a very uncomfortable sight.


    Since he had been talking with Muchen, his head was a bit clear now so now, he could see how unkept his room looked.


    His things were scattered everywhere and Muchen had asked him and Heya to both take care of their own rooms and not expect the maids to do it for them everyday.


    But he had pitied them and asked the maids to clean it on Saturdays. Just once a week.


    "Am I that unserious?" He asked himself before sitting on the bed with a melancholic look.


    His hands were on his head that was hanging low. And as he quietly sat there, he began to think about his life.


    He could never forget all Eva had told him last night. She had crushed him. Completely crushed him!


    After they left the club and moved over to the car park with Minde supporting the drunk Emma who was clinging to him, Eva finally said something to him.


    "Thanks for earlier. But don''t butt into my business next time. Look what happened to you" She pointed at him cheek before gently pulling Emma away from him.


    Minde frowned at her words. He had just saved her¡ªwell, even though he technically did not. But did she have to dismiss him just like that?


    "You haven''t still told me who he is" Emma reminded drunkenly with an excited glint in her eyes.


    "My subordinate at work. Wu Eric. Han Emma" Eva introduced both of them quickly.


    Unlike Emma who seemed a bit drunk, Eva looked pretty much clearheaded even though he had thought she was drunk earlier.


    "Stop with the pretence. You know that''s not my name" He interrupted.


    He thought she was really good at pretending. If his cousin had not told him she knew about his real identity, he would have actually believed she did not know at all.


    "Oh...do I?" She asked back before adding..


    "We really need to leave now. Emma, Cling unto me so you wouldn''t fall"


    After talking to Minde, she turned her attention to Emma and held her friend around the waist tightly so she wouldn''t fall.


    ''She''s not even ashamed to publicly display her affection. Here I thought she was always prissy'' His inner self whispered.


    "Eva." He suddenly called her when she was about to turn.


    "Eva?" She raised a brow at him.


    "Yea. Why can''t I call you that?" He asked back.


    "Because we are not friends and so you cannot address me so informally and casually"


    "Why can''t we be friends?"


    "Why do you think we should be friends? Because you are a Li?" She threw another question at him.


    "That''s a plus." He added proudly.


    "No. That''s actually all there is to you"


    He looked at her in confusion and was about to say something but paused because Emma seem to be uncomfortable and quickly pulled away from her friend''s hold to go lie on the car''s hood.


    As Eva was about turning to go help her friend inside the car, he interrupted again.


    "What do you mean by that?"


    Eva turned, sighed and folded her hands in front of her chest.


    "What exactly is it that you want?" She asked straightforwardly.


    "Because I can''t really say you like me. You do not look like someone who would stick to one woman. You''re looking for fun right?"


    She was not blind or stupid. She had seen how he always behaved around her when they were in work to know he wanted her attention. She had seen a whole lot of men act that way around her but this one was really bold even though he was younger than her.


    Minde smirked at her question.


    She was actually right. Why did he have to stick to one woman when there were a whole lot of women he would later meet?


    "I want your time. Let''s have a drink sometimes or hang out together. Let''s just get to know each other. And I do not mind if you are interested in women. It''s going to be adventurous for me. First time being with a woman who likes women" He said with a flirty kind of smile.


    "Who likes women? Me?" Eva pointed at herself in confusion.


    "Isn''t she your girlfriend?" Minde thought she wanted to deny it. But it was too late. He already knew her secret.


    Eva turned to look at her friend again who was turning uncomfortably on the car''s hood.


    "Oh..." She tried not to laugh before leaving Minde to go attend to her friend.


    How on earth did he suddenly jump into the conclusion that she liked women?


    She wanted to ask, but she did not.


    "I''ll help you" Minde offered and helped her assist Emma in entering inside the car.


    Eva did not reject. And once they were done after much struggle, Eva quickly closed the backseat door and took out her phone to call a designated driver.


    "Why calling a driver? I could drive you home."


    He asked immediately she got off the phone.


    "I could drive us both home if I wanted. But I drank. And so did you"


    ''Oh.. The prissiness is still there'' Minde said to himself after she was done explaining.


    "So.... Drink? Me and you?" He asked again.


    "No" She turned him down with an uninterested look.


    "What? No? Why?" He threw a string of questions at her. He had thought she was going to accept so why did she suddenly say no?


    "Is it because of her?" He looked at the car to show he was referring to Emma.


    "It''s because I don''t like you." She stated.


    "What? You don''t like me? That''s impossible. Why?" He asked inquisitively.


    "You really want to know why?" She asked to be sure.


    "Yes. Go on" He urged while also folding his arms in front of his chest.


    "Because you are irresponsible. You act carelessly and always take things for granted. Even before you appeared as Wu Eric, I''ve heard rumours about how you behave and spend recklessly. You do nothing other than just being a ''Li''. You were sent to the company to learn about some basic things of management. Yet, you never take your job seriously. If you are not sleeping, you are either grumbling or you''re in somewhere no one knows about. You have no idea what it means to be responsible. So why should I like someone like that?"


    Minde''s mouth was agape as he listened to Eva complain about him.


    "You...are talking about me right now?" He asked to be really sure.


    She scoffed before saying more to him that made him look at her in surprise.


    "I... this... you..." He tried to say something but nothing came out. He was totally speechless and blank.


    "Look Mr Li.. I don''t mean to sound insultive but you asked for this. You are old enough to stop hiding under CEO Li''s shadow. Don''t you feel bad that even your younger brother is a director while they are still trying to fix you? Just imagine what happened earlier. You could not even fight. Sorry to ask, but what talent or special ability do you have? I have not seen anything in you that I fancy and so, I am sorry. I can''t even have a cup of coffee with you."


    When she noticed her designated driver had arrived, she walked out on him.


    "See you at work Mr Wu. And...don''t be late again." Now, she addressed him by his work name.


    When she was done saying that, she got inside her car and as they drove away, she hit herself on the head for saying too much and paying attention to a useless person like him.


    He was useless? Eva called him good for nothing?


    He angrily raised every pillow from the bed and threw it at the wall.


    Was he that bad? It was not his fault that he was born with a silver spoon so why did she have to say such hurtful words to him?


    "I''m very sure the amount of money you send in a day, people have to work for months to earn such"


    He remembered those particular words she had said and suddenly stood up in anger.


    "How is it my fault that I always get paid even when I don''t work? Why do I have to spend while thinking of how the poor lived? Why..why..why?"


    He screamed in frustration before sitting back on the bed and felt tears slowly begin to trickle down his cheeks.


    "You are mean. Very mean Kim Eva!" He said in a low throaty voice before burying his face on the bed to cry.


    ***


    Changyu claimed that she was okay and wanted to see Sara as soon as possible.


    She could not hide her anxiousness and excitement at the thought of Sara being her daughter.


    She had a lot of questions to ask.


    Wanted to know how he ended up with Sara. But now was not the time.


    Even though she was still angry with him for keeping their daughter from her and not trusting her, she pushed all those thoughts aside for now. All she wanted to do was to hug Sara and know she was hugging her daughter.


    She had been searching for her daughter and had just found her. How could she possibly sit comfortably in the hospital?


    "Let''s just wait. I''ll call her to come here." Jianjun said to her.


    "No. It''ll take too long. Let''s go instead. I want to see her. I want to see my daughter." She said in a rush before trying to stand up but he held her back down.


    "I promise. Just get the final test done and we''ll go together. You shouldn''t just leave like that." He tried to reason with her.


    He did not want her to leave without getting checked properly.


    What if she fainted again?


    Quickly, he pressed the button he had seen her press earlier to call for the doctor.


    As they were still going back and forth with their conversation, Jianjun''s phone began to ring with a call from Sara.


    "Is that her? She''s calling?"


    He nodded.


    "Let me speak with her first"


    Before he knew what was happening, she had already snatched the phone from him to take the call instead. He had been talking to her for twenty five years, now was her turn.


    He did not know how to react because he thought Sara did not know anything about it yet and might shock or even confuse her.


    He wanted to stop her from saying anything but he saw how jittery she was.


    "Sara? Are you there?" Changyu called slowly before blinking a couple of times.


    For the first time, he saw her acting uncertain. She was always very bold and confident but now, she looked weak.


    "Miss Changyu?"


    Sara asked back when she heard the weak voice at the other end.


    Immediately she heard her daughter''s voice, she properly sat up and slowly began to gasp. And soon, tears began to pour out from her eyes.


    She used her free hand to cover her mouth with the hope that it would help muffle her tears so Sara would not hear her.


    "Sa...ra.." She called again in a soft voice, shaky voice.


    She realised she could not say anything else.


    She was very contented to know that she was speaking to her daughter right now.


    She knew those were not tears if sadness. They were tears of joy. Because her daughter was raised well unlike how her parents had raised her.


    She was very bright.


    She was very beautiful.


    --


    On the other end, Sara had still been trying to think whether it was possible that Changyu was really her mother. But hearing her voice now, she confirned that her guess was correct.


    She realised that Miss Changyu must have also recently found out that she was her daughter.


    Although she was still a bit confused. How did she end up with her father and why did Changyu not know she had a daughter? But she pushed those questions aside for now.


    The woman she had always admired was her mother?


    She had read the letter from Changyu and had been really shocked. But then, after thinking about it for a while, she suddenly understood what had happened the previous day between all of them; including her Aunt.


    She had heard her aunt sent her a mail to get rid of her child and out of anger because she thought it had been from her father, she had sent that letter in return.


    So it was not really her fault right?


    And besides, she knew Changyu was not a person to do something so evil.


    As she heard her mother''s soft sobs, she could not stop crying either.


    It was strange. Really strange because she had always believed her mother was dead.


    But suddenly realising her mother was alive, was her Father''s one true love and was a woman she had been trying to put together with her father, she felt the heavens were finally looking at her family.


    All that was left was her Aunt.


    Sara was a very understanding person. She always looked from different angles and perspectives and now, she also understood why her aunt had done it.


    No one should fault the other.


    They should only live happily.


    It was what they all deserved after the many years of suffering.


    They all deserved it!

 Chapter 284 - Unexpected Confession.

    If Changyu thought she cried too much when she was on the phone with Sara, she cried even more when she saw Sara in person.


    The doctor had not spent so much time checking her because even if he wanted to, seeing how anxious she was to leave, he just  quickly wrapped things up and asked her to come back for a proper checkup within the week.


    She quickly thanked him and once he left, she reminded Jianjun that he promised to let her leave once the doctor done.


    Now, he knew he had no other choice but to take her home since he had promised her that.


    Home? It sounded strange to him. Since when did she become a part of their ''home''?


    Well, they did have a thing in the past. But this was twenty five years later!


    Are they simply just going to get back together and rekindle old flames because their daughter was in the middle?


    He pushed those thoughts aside and focused in safely taking her home.


    When they were about climbing the stairs, he saw the dreadful look on her face and guessed she must have really hated taking the stairs when she first visited them to look for his sister.


    But even though she had that dreadful look on her face, she seemed really eager to go up there.


    "Get on my back" He offered to carry and squatted in front of her but she did not move and just stared at him.


    It suddenly make her think of how he had carried her from there when she fainted.


    ''Must have been pretty stressful for him''. She thought.


    "Don''t bother. I can go up myself."  After saying so, she began to take the stairs but did not take up to three steps before she saw Sara appear in sight.


    They both saw Sara climbing down the stairs to come meet them at the bottom and Changyu''s eyes suddenly lit up when she saw her.


    "Be careful. Don''t run" Changyu said out so Sara could hear her and move slowly.


    "Just wait there. I''ll come meet you" Sara said when she saw Changyu still approaching.


    And not long, Sara was already with them at the bottom of the stairs.


    For a few seconds, both women stared at each other without knowing what to say to the other.


    Even their eyes were filled with emotion and was beginning to glisten.


    "Are you... really my mother?" Sara spoke first. She had been assuming ever since. Right now, she wanted to hear it directly.


    When they had been on the call earlier, Changyu had only cried and Jianjun had taken the phone to end the call after telling Sara he would explain later.


    So when he heard her question, he was taken aback because he believed she had not known about it even though her question the previous day was hinting that she had her suspicions.


    Changyu sniffled and nodded slowly to Sara''s question.


    She raised her hand slowly to place it on Sara''s cheek. And as she did so, a tiny smile appeared on her face while tears followed.


    "I am sorry. I...am so sorry" She apologized before moving closer to wrap her hands around her daughter in a hug.


    Jianjun had always thought himself as a hard man but today, he found himself almost tearing up for the umpteenth time that week.


    Sara also wrapped her arms around her and shook her head.


    "It''s not your fault. I believe it wasn''t your fault. We are sorry too" Sara also apologized with tears in her eyes.


    Changyu almost laughed when she heard her say they were all sorry. What exactly was she sorry for?


    "It''s all in the past now" Changyu said in a hoarse voice as a result of the tears.


    "My daughter... You grew up beautifully" She complimented.


    Her eyes met Jianjun who was looking at them while trying to blink back tears.


    And as he looked at her also, she mouthed a sincere "Thank you" to him.


    If there was any good thing he had actually done, it was raising their daughter well.


    Even though the Wangs had hated the Song blood, they had raised Sara well.


    They raised a very considerate, smart, intelligent and strong woman.


    Even though she had not been there to see her grow up, she did not have much regrets now.


    In fact, she felt it was a good thing that Jianjun had been the one to raise her instead of her.


    And, she was also glad he had someone beside him.


    Because at least, she had her family. She was rich and influential also.


    But he on the other hand, led a simple life and would have only had his sister if Sara was not there. And his sister was hardly around because of her profession.


    A tiny smile appeared on his face and he nodded back.


    "Thank you" He also mouthed to her.


    He was thankful she had not gotten rid of their daughter. Thankful to have had a daughter like Sara¡ª Someone who had brought him nothing but gladnes. Well, except for the times she beat up other peoples'' kids and they had come with their parents to look for him at home.


    Even though his daughter was lazy with house chores, did not know how to cook, did not know how to address people properly and sometimes was really dumb that he always wondered who she inherited those traits from, he still loved her with all his heart.


    Without her, he was very sure he would have ended his boring life a long time ago.


    Now, he was thankful. She now had a mother. A mother who would also protect her just like he had always done.


    To him, nothing was more important than knowing she had all the protection she needed¡ª also from her boyfriend and from her mother.


    Changyu smiled when she heard him say a thank you also.


    He smiled back at her and unexpectedly, he saw her mouth something again.


    He did not get it the first time so she had to repeat herself.


    As he followed her mouth movement, he was shocked to have read an "I love you"


    He looked at her in surprise and confusion and when she saw his reddened cheek, she suppressed a laugh.


    Jianjun blinked in confusion before turning around. Without knowing what to do, he began to head back towards the direction they had both come from earlier.


    Sara who had been lost in her own thoughts and in the moment, was oblivious too whatever had transpired between the two of them.

 Chapter 285 - Sweetheart. We have a date.

    In life, people were either sad, happy or some may probably be sitting on the fence¡ª Neither sad nor happy.


    Whilst the Wangs were excited, the Blacks came to get Sara.


    She was in the middle of a conversation with Changyu inside her father''s room when the call came in from Snake.


    He was outside and asked her to come meet him downstairs because Fuji wanted to see her and he had to drive her there.


    She frowned at that because she had already planned going out with Muchen that evening.


    Besides, she had to tell him about her new discovery and who her mother was¡ª she was so excited to tell him about it.  But what was this nonsense now? Fuji wanted to see her immediately?


    Ordinarily, she would not have agreed to go see Snake because the Blacks were too insignificant to ruin her date plans but on a second thought, maybe he wanted to show her the person who actually wanted the painting.


    And as much as she wanted to go out with Muchen, she wanted to take care of this pressing issue more.


    "Are you alright?" Changyu asked when she saw her change in expression through the mirror and her hands which were styling Sara''s hair stopped working.


    Ever since they entered inside the house, they had been inside the room talking. Changyu needed rest and also wanted to catch up on everything about Sara''s life and once in a while, she smiled and touched her dotingly like she could not believe she actually had a daughter.


    So when Sara mentioned she was had date plans with Muchen, she did not waste time before offering to get her ready.


    She had frowned when Sara brought out only two gowns and asked which she should wear and when she asked for the others so she would know the one to choose from, Sara had told her she had those two only and her father had bought it for her to act as ''Feng Alice''. The other ones she had, was the one she wore to Li Sun''s birthday and she could not wear that one so she did not bother to include it.


    Changyu had offered to order her some nice wears immediately but Sara laughed it off and told her not to bother about that for now.


    She was just meeting her mother. Did she have to start making her spend on her.


    There were plenty of other times to do so whether she liked it or not.


    "Are you sure you''re okay?" Changyu asked again when Sara said she was.


    "I just have to go out ealier than I planned." She explained.


    "Why?" Changyu had a sad expression on her face. She had just found her daughter and she wanted to leave even quicker now?


    "Oh.. I have to meet some friends who suddenly came over. They are outside. So I''ll go meet Mr Li from there"


    "Then why do you look dejected if you''re meeting with your friends? Do they bully you?"


    Changyu was a very observant person. It was how she had succeeded in the business world also.


    Judging from Sara''s expression while taking the call, she knew something was up.


    Her face was also like that when she received an unpleasant news or news about a person  she did not like.


    Changyu did not think there was any need for a DNA test. Because she very much believed that Sara was her daughter.


    "Look dear. I don''t want to seem too clingy okay? But in case you''re going through something you cannot handle yourself, you believe I can do all things right?"


    Sara smiled before adding. "Through Christ that strengthens you"


    Changyu laughed and nodded. "Through Christ that strengthens me."


    "Thank you. I''ll never forget that" Sara stood up after Changyu attached the last clip on her hair and hugged her with a smile on her face.


    It was nice having a lot of powerful people who cared about her.


    As she stepped out of the room with Changyu leading the way like the place belonged to her, she checked the little wristwatch she was wearing and noticed it was past 8 already.


    She did not want to call Muchen because she was sure that she could not successfully lie to him without him finding out. And because of that, she texted him instead, to let him know she would be two hours late to their date.


    Jianjun and Joreen''s eyes brightened when they saw her come out from the room.


    She was simply stunning in her short red gown, leather jacket, black ankle boot and her hair styled in a simple and cute updo. She even had mild make-up on.


    "Why are you dressed like this? You may catch a cold." Jianjun complained as he tried his best not to look at Changyu''s face.


    He had been trying to avoid her ever since the incident early that morning.


    How could she just say that to him out of the blue? If he had not been with her the entire time, he would have thought she was drunk.


    His heart had fluttered. Even when he walked back to the road in confusion, he had found himself smiling through a car''s window.


    You know that kind of feeling you have when your crush tells you they like you? Yea! He felt the exact same way. But he still could not look at her pretty face right now.


    "She''ll pick up a coat when leaving. You don''t have to worry too much." Changyu said and tried not to laugh because he did not even bother to look at her at all.


    She had not even started. She was going to haunt his life!


    Sara smiled and assured her father that she would not catch a cold before looking at the little Joreen. "I''ll get you something when I''m coming back okay?" She said with a gentle pat on her head.


    Joreen nodded and smiled.


    Sara smiled at her also when she remembered how much Joreen had cried when she heard her pretty Changyu was her big sister''s real mother.


    For like a minute after she was told, it was as if the carotid arteries and vertebral arteries that helped transport blood to her brain suddenly stopped functioning. Because she stood there blankly and soon, burst into tears.


    "I knew it.. No wonder I''ve always liked her. She is your mother after all." Joreen''s small hands hugged Sara and continued to say how happy she was that Sara also had a mother like her. She said a lot and how she was glad Changyu was her mother even though she was jealous that Changyu was prettier than her own mother.


    Sara smiled happily before going to get her coat and after she took it from her room, she bowed to them and as she was leaving, Jianjun spoke to her retreating figure.


    "Come home on time."


    "You can take your time my dear" Changyu countered.


    Jianjun could only purse his lips and move to the kitchen to do what he knew how to do best. He really could not handle this woman.


    But wait, why had he not sent her back home yet?


    Sara thought they were both adorable. She felt her father''s life was going to be a lot fun now, all thanks to Changyu.


    But, she was beginning to pity him. Who would have thought that his forty seventh year on earth would turn out like this¡ª Meeting his only love and constantly getting teased?


    She still wanted to know more about Jin Helene but for now, as she left the building, her mood turned sour when she saw Snake standing besides a white Audi. She remembered that the other times she saw him, he was in different cars. Seemed he always changed cars.


    His face was still expressionless as she had always remembered.


    "You look good." He complimented.


    "Is he ready to show me the person who wants the painting?" She asked straightforwardly.


    "I don''t know why you''re trying to cause yourself trouble. Just steal this thing and hand it over." He advised plainly. "I''m sure he''ll forgive you even if he finds out in the future"


    He was really sure of that!


    "Maybe you''re a thief. But I am not." Sara replied with a frown and he did not bother to get angry because she was not totally wrong.


    "If the person is not there, I don''t have any reason to meet with him today."


    "Because you have a date?" He asked with a raised brow.


    "It''s none of your business" She snapped at him coldly.


    He smiled a tiny smile when he heard her.


    He was really impressed.


    Fuji must have thought he was something while hypnotizing her to follow his wishes. But her will to not steal from her boyfriend was stronger and she had easily broken out from it.


    He still felt bad for doing this to her because she had been his friends and they had both been close back then. Or rather, he was the only one she was comfortable talking with because Sara hardly spoke to anyone then.


    But a lot happened and they had to stay away from each other. It was the only way they could save themselves.


    When he saw how well she had been living after they relocated to this country, he was happy that she was living well and felt she was better suited living this way than being a Black. But the time he was given an order to start messing with her, he knew things were soon going to turn messy.


    But, he was still glad that she was brave. It was the only way she could win against Fuji who liked messing with the weak.


    "Let''s go. You need to speak with Fuji" He said before opening the back door for her to get in.


    "Call Fuji now. I don''t have all night to spend going back and forth with you" She said in annoyance.


    Snake was about to say something but she noticed he suddenly stopped and frowned.


    She furrowed her brows and turned to look at what he was staring at behind her and when she did, she gasped and flinched in shock to see Muchen walking towards them.


    She would have hidden somewhere or probably behind snake but Muchen had obviously seen them standing together.


    She desperately wished for the ground to open up and swallow her that moment. How was he going to react? She wondered anxiously.


    She did not even have the time to be shocked at how casually he dressed: A Jean trousers, coat, Sneakers, Winter hat.


    His hands were covered with a hand warmer glove and on one hand, he held a single red rose.


    She began to shake. What was she going to tell him now? What was she going to do?


    She bit her lip nervously and blinked a couple of times.


    Why the hell was he here by this time when she had told him she would meet him in two hours? She wondered.


    Finally, the long lasting walk finally came to an end. He stood in front of her with an unreadable expression and to her shock, she saw him smile and offered her the rose as he reminded.


    "Sweetheart. We have a date"

 Chapter 286 - Just like this....

    Immediately they both entered the villa Muchen had driven them to, they were welcomed by a Butler who was probably in his fifties. He was dressed formally and had a sprinkle of grey hair scattered all over his once black head.


    "Welcome Mr Li. Welcome Miss" He greeted them both with a smile and a bow.


    As much as Sara tried, she could not return the smile. Because aside from the fact that she was tensed, she was scared!


    Muchen had not said a word to her. After giving her the rose, he smiled at her and the stoic looking Snake, then, he told him he had a date with his girlfriend and was not sorry for interrupting them.


    Once he was done saying that, he offered her his hand with that same smile she believed was not genuine. She looked at his hand nervously and took it.


    Without looking back at Snake, she followed him.


    They had both driven there in silence. And as much as she wanted to say something, nothing came out whenever she opened her mouth to speak.


    She did not want to lie to him. She also did not know how to present the truth to him and so, she was in a state of dilemma. It was even worse because he was not asking her. His sole focus had been on the road and with the expression on his face, she could not tell what he was thinking.


    When they arrived at the Villa she believed was his, he opened the car''s door for her to get down, took her hand possessively, and they both walked in.


    He still did not say a word. And his silence was killing her.


    "You must be Mister''s girlfriend" The Butler said with a pleasant smile. It was more of a statement than a question.


    "Don''t be a gossip Mr Lin. I''ll ring you once we are ready for dinner" Muchen said in a tone that showed he was not annoyed by his Butler''s nosiness.


    "No problem. I''ll have everything ready. Have fun" Mr Lin winked at him like he knew what exactly they were both going to be doing upstairs. Was that why the lady was looking so nervous? He wondered as he watched them climb the stairs together.


    His little Li was now a man!


    He smiled cheekily before going on his own way.


    Muchen stopped in front of a door, and Sara who was behind him, stopped also.


    When he opened the door, she saw how pretty inside looked.


    She would have been marvelled by the interior of the  very clean and clear indoor swimming pool, if she was not very tensed and worried at the moment.


    There were some long plastic chairs with different colors there, that looked like tanning chairs.


    Muchen sat down in one and stretched a hand towards her. "Come sit with me."


    Those were the first words he had said to her and her face brightened.


    But she was still feeling guilty and so after taking about two steps, she stopped walking and looked at him with a sad and apologetic expression.


    "Come over" He said again with a soft voice.


    She did not have any other choice but to slowly walk to where he was and once she stood in front of him, he made her sit sideways on his lap and wrapped his hand around her waist.


    A soft sigh of relief escaped her lips as she sat on his hard and firm laps.


    "Do you like him?" Muchen asked with his eyes looking directly into hers.


    "No! God forbid. I swear I don''t." Sara quickly answered while shaking her head.


    "Why? You don''t think Mr Lin is a nice person?" He would have laughed at how shocked her face looked, if he did not want to act so serious.


    "Eh? Mr...Lin? The Butler?" She asked again to be sure.


    "Yes" He answered with a nod.


    Sara closed her eyes and bit her lower lips in embarrassment. She had thought he was talking about Snake. Why was he not specific?


    "Why....are you not asking me anything?" Sara suddenly asked in a small voice that sounded more like Joreen''s to him.


    She had told him she would be late but he saw her with another man she had claimed not to know. So was it not normal to ask her questions? Because she was very sure he was curious.


    His eyes softened when he spoke again.


    "You see that door over there, there''s a swimsuit in there for you. Go change and let''s meet here in five minutes."


    When he was done saying that, he gently helped her stand before also standing up.


    Sara looked at him in confusion. Suimsuit? They were talking about something important so why was he talking about changing into a swimsuit all of a sudden? Was he planning for them to swim in this cold?


    Even if the place seemed really warm, she still hated the waters!


    "The water is quite warm. Let''s take a dip. Okay?" He flashed her a smile that confused her and all she could do was nod.


    Before she knew what she was doing, she was already done wearing the blue long sleeve one piece swimsuit she had seem in the bathroom he showed her.


    By the time she came out, she saw Muchen was already inside the pool. His upper body was bare but she was sure he was wearing something to cover his lower body. Yes.. She really hoped he was.


    "Come join me" He smiled a bit when he saw her and signalled for her to join him. He had seen most of her bare body whenever she worked out. But he noticed that he still got enticed no matter how much he had seen her already.


    She looked at him, and then at the pool. ''Bad idea. Totally a bad idea'' She screamed in her head.


    She was not sure about doing this. Waters scared the hell out of her. She had been a good swimmer at one time but after an incident that occurred many years ago, she could not even go in. And she had told him she did not like the waters. So was he doing this to punish her?


    She raised her head and saw Muchen looking intently at her. The look on his face showed that he was never going to back down. She had no choice but to meet him inside.


    She bit her lips while her hands fisted beside her.


    Slowly, she bent down and stepped inside. Her eyes were alert and her breath seized once her legs entered.


    She became very nervous to the point where her entire body began to shake. One would have thought she was shivering because she was cold.


    For a few seconds, she just stood there and closed her eyes. She panted softly as memories from the past began to flood her mind.


    "Sara" She heard Muchen''s soft voice call her to remind her he was there.


    As she opened her eyes to look at him, a tear escaped her eye.


    Slowly, she started to move to the middle of the pool where he was almost floating.


    She told herself not to back down. If it was the punishment he was giving to her, she had to accept it.


    "Closer to me" He said again in a gentle voice.


    It was quite challenging for her because he was in the middle of the pool and so she had to slowly swim to where he was with her heart beating erratically.


    She was scared of the waters yea, but she was more scared of Muchen''s behaviour right now. It was the reason she could do this.


    She coughed a few times after successfully meeting him in the middle where he was standing. The water covered up to her chest while Muchen''s was directly exposed in front of her eyes. But right now, she did not have the time to admire his body.


    She looked at him with sad eyes and was about to say something but to her shock, he suddenly hugged her.


    "You really succeeded in coming here. Congratulations" He said proudly and gently began to pat her back.


    "What do you mean?" She slowly pulled away from the hug to look up at his face.


    "I thought you hated the waters. But you came to meet me" He asked with a smile.


    She still looked at him in confusion. What was he hinting at?


    He placed a hand on her cheek and she could feel the warmth from his hands surge through her entire body.


    "Just like you trusted me and came in here. I want you to keep trusting me like this forever."


    She was still slightly confused. "What...do you mean?"


    He smiled at her and cupped her face with his hands.


    Ever so slowly, he placed a kiss on her forehead.


    She was surprised and so her eyes shot wider because she had not expected that sudden kiss.


    When he finally left her face alone, she was even more surprised to see a sparkling diamond ring in front of her eyes.


    "Just like this, I want to help you come out from all of your fears."


    "I want to have the full right to meddle in your affairs."


    "I want people to know that when they are messing with you, they are messing with me."


    "Just like this... I want to always be beside you. Because I love you."


    "Marry Me Sara Wang...Please"

 Chapter 287 - I trust you. But Im scared

    Muchen had wanted to surprise her by going on time to pick her up.


    He had also planned to go to their apartment to say hello to her father and Joreen.


    Earlier, after Minde told him all of that and showed him a picture of Sara and Yue King, he had been really worried about her.


    He grew up minding his business and never interfered in other people''s affair unless they were related to him and asked for his help.


    But ever since he met Sara, he had interfered more than he could count.


    From the first day he saw her in the bar, he had asked Minde not to do anything to her because he deserved it, and had refused to help him take revenge.


    The next time he saw her, he did not know what possessed him to ask Ms Long to make sure the security at Jinyong and Weiyoung''s engagement party do not throw her out.


    He had asked Ms Long to follow her and acted like none of it concerned him, asked someone to go pick her up and to make sure she got home safely.


    He had even manipulated everything so she would work for him.


    Now that he thought about it, he saw how jobless and childish he had been then.


    And what about what he did to the Lius? What about Zhang Hansong? What about Mo Jinyong?


    It was not difficult to know he had fallen for her even before he admitted it to himself.


    But he felt interfering in this present issue that involved Yue King was something Sara would not like very much.


    He was curious to know what she was hiding. Why could she not tell him? Why was she so fearful?


    And whenever he thought she did not trust him, he felt sad instead of angry.


    He knew what she had gone through in the hands of her so called friend and boyfriend.


    So he did not want to pressure her into trusting him. He wanted her to willingly open herself to him. It was why he was being careful.


    He had planned to postpone asking her to marry him until he thought she was ready. But now, if he continued to leave her like this, a lot of people were going to continue to bully her.


    And because of that, he had spent the entire day shopping for a ring he thought she would like.


    He was not sure Sara could trust him with her life. But he really hope so and had been nervous the entire day.


    ''What if she says no?'' That question had been haunting his mind the entire day.


    It was the reason he had not told Minde of his plans to ask her to marry him because he felt Minde would bring out his pessimistic self and ask him that particular question. But now, even his mind would not let him rest?


    He wanted to be her backbone. He wanted everyone to know she was his woman and if they dared touch her, he was going to end them like they never existed. Yue King was too small for him. In one day, he could finish him off and whoever was backing him.


    But first, he wanted that full right to meddle so she would not be angry when she found out.


    He had also not raised the issue about his suspicion that Miss Changyu was her mother.


    He smiled at the thought of his little Sara being his wife while her mother was also more powerful than he was. But when he thought about how much trouble that might cause him since Changyu was difficult and might not like him, he frowned.


    At that time when he was outside her apartment, he was about getting down from his car to go see her family in their apartment when he received a text from her to tell him she would not be free until the next two hours.


    His brows contorted and he wondered what could possibly interfer with their date. He would have thought since she was a woman she needed time to dress up and all, but he knew Sara was not the type to dress up for hours. In fact, she was even faster than him when it got to dressing up.


    He decided to just wait there till whenever she was ready since he was still very nervous. It did not take long before he saw her hurry down looking ever so pretty.


    He had only seen her wearing a gown a few times and he realised just how much he loved this look also.


    But where was she going to?


    And then, he saw her approach the familiar looking man.


    He watched their entire conversation even if he could not hear them, he saw how Sara was reluctant to get in the car while it looked like King was trying to convince her.


    He could no longer watch since he was brimming with anger.


    He had to go rescue her first and that was why he showed himself to them.


    But he was slightly mad at Sara. Snubbing her had been on purpose. That was the only punishment he could have given to her. And that was the only way she could have agreed to whatever he asked her to do.


    And he had been correct!


    When he saw her take the first dip, he had been very nervous also.


    He really and desperately wished she would be able to do it because he knew she was brave and if she could only put her mind to it, she would be able to achieve anything.


    And she had done it!


    His heart had really pounded with excitement when he saw her slowly swim to where he was.


    He wanted her to know that he would always be there for her. There to help her overcome her fears. And he would not leave no matter what.


    ---


    "Just like this, I want to help you come out from all of your fears."


    "I want to have the full right to meddle in your affairs."


    "I want people to know that when they are messing with you, they are messing with me."


    "Just like this... I want to always be beside you. Because I love you."


    "Marry Me Sara Wang...Please"


    Sara''s eyes were wide opened and her mouth formed an O shape.


    Her eyes moved from looking at his face back to the ring on his hand.


    He was asking her to marry him?


    He was really asking her to marry him?


    To his shock, she burst into tears and suddenly wrapped her hands around his waist while she buried her head on his chest.


    "Why were you snubbing me the entire time? I thought you hated me" She said in between tears.


    He had never treated her like that before so it had frightened her to see him suddenly act cold.


    Just a few minutes back, she had thought he was slowly beginning to lose interest in her. But now, he was suddenly asking her to marry him?


    She had not really thought about marriage so it had really surprised her a lot.


    "If I hate you who do I get married to?" He asked again but could not hug her back because he was trying to be careful so he would not lose the ring inside the pool.


    Sara continued to cry. She was relieved. For over an hour, she had been tensed. She released the tension with the tears.


    "What...what.. kind of proposal is this? Were you planning to drown me?" She complained with a laugh while she continued to cry.


    She had a mixed emotion and did not even know what else to say.


    Muchen laughed before using his free hand to pat her nicely styles hair which was no wet.


    "You have not answered me yet."


    She heard him say nervously and gently pulled away from the hug to look at his face.


    She wondered why on earth he would be nervous. It was strange seeing her Mr Li act that way.


    "You...are not angry with me?" She asked again.


    "You did not talk to me for so many minutes" She complained with a pout and began to cry again.


    "Oh God!" Muchen complained before pulling her into a hug again. Since when did she become so soft?


    Slowly, he led her to an edge of the pool and rested his back there.


    He used a hand to help her clean her tears and said.


    "You''ve been crying too much lately. You should save that for when you have a daughter like you." He advised her with a laugh and she hit his chest.


    Did she really have any reason to not get married to him? She asked herself.


    He loved her. She loved him.


    He respected her so much and cared about her and her family. It was not a bad idea wanting to spend the rest of her life with him.


    She trusted him with her life.


    They both stood there looking into each others eyes and she nodded while tears continued to pour out from her eyes.


    She had always thought it was lame that ladies always cried when they were proposed to, but now, she found herself crying so much.


    "I do." She nodded


    Muchen laughed and used his hand to wipe her tears that kept falling.


    "We are not exchanging vows yet. You should say ''I will'' " He corrected her with a laugh again.


    He was so excited she had actually agreed to marry him. Also excited when he saw her glare at him.


    He asked for her hand and as he was about slipping the ring on her finger, he lost balance and the ring fell inside the pool.


    "My ring!" Sara shouted before dipping herself inside the pool to look for the ring. It was when she was inside that she remembered she used to hate the waters.


    ''What just happened?'' She asked herself inside as she continued to search for it with Muchen.


    She smiled when she saw it close to where Muchen''s leg was and pointed it to him.


    After they both came back up, he successfully slipped the ring on her finger and kissed her hand.


    He then raised his head to look at her and saw her smiling brightly while looking at the ring on her finger.


    "Thank you Sara. You''re the best gift I have ever received."


    Sara lifted her head to smile at him and as she was about to say something, she paused and the look on her face changed to one of guilt.


    She blinked and looked at the ring and at him again.


    "I..." She paused and turned her head to the side to avoid eye contact with him.


    How could she have forgotten she had trouble lurking around.


    "Tell me about it. All of it. You trust me don''t you?"


    He used his hand to turn her chin so she would look at him. "You trust me don''t you?" He repeated the question.


    Sara looked at his eyes and then at the ring on her finger.


    "I do. I trust you" She looked at him again and nodded. "I trust you... But... I''m scared"


    He believed she was. The look on her eyes told him that.


    "Of what?" He asked.


    "Of... Of how you''ll see me" She sniffed.


    "You don''t seem to get it do you?"


    "I...will only keep seeing you as my wife. The woman I love. Don''t ever forget that"

 Chapter 288 - Nine Years Ago Part Two.

    She narrated how everything happened to Muchen, starting from when she danced at the club and Leo had asked her to be his Cinderella.


    Muchen sighed when he heard Weiyoung''s name again. Truthfully, he was already tired of hearing that name. But he just had to keep shut and pay attention.


    She explained how Weiyoung had gotten angry and asked her to not do it and narrated to the point where it escalated to Weiyoung trying to smoke and that crazy man had attacked them.


    After Weiyoung ran away, she continued to wail on the ground because of the punch he had landed on her belly. As much as she tried, she could not get up easily.


    All she could do was continue to pray for Weiyoung to come with help.


    Even though she could fight, she was just a little teenager and he was somewhat big and really violent so, she could not actually measure up to him.


    She saw him giving her an eerie grin and it scared the hell out of her.


    ''Is he going to kill me?'' She asked herself in fright.


    She did not want to die. She wanted to live. So she tried her best to stand up but before she could, he pushed her back on the ground and sat on her belly.


    She almost threw up, screamed, tried to wriggle her way out and beg him to let her be. But he seemed to not care about her as he only had that eerie smile plastered on his face.


    She paused the narration and closed her eyes. She had tried for years not to ever remember that moment. But now, she had to tell him everything about herself. Everything he should know. Because she knew how it happened in the movies; It was going to turn messy if he heard from someone else and now, she did not know what Fuji was planning.


    They were both currently inside a nicely furnished room and had both just finished helping the other to blow dry their hairs after having dinner that was set by Mr Lin.


    Now, they were both sitting on the bed with their backs resting on the many pillows and a duvet covering them as she narrated.


    His hand did not ever leave her shoulder. He wanted her to know that he was still there. He wanted her to know that no matter how bad her life had been, he would not drop that hand from her shoulder.


    He trusted his love for her that much!


    As much as he wanted her to stop talking, he knew she had to say it out to be a bit free from it.


    His gaze was dark because he could vaguely guess where the story was heading to.


    He squeezed her shoulder gently to remind her that he was still there with her and when she turned to look at his eyes with her teary eyes, she shook her head.


    "He did not do... that. Whatever you are thinking, he did not do it." She assured him.


    Muchen had not wanted to show it, but he sighed in relief when he heard her. He could not imagine a young Sara going through such trauma.


    "But he tried. He...he even.. even tore my clothes" She stammered and avoided his gaze.


    She had screamed when he tore her clothes and remembered how he had continued to hit her even when she pleaded.


    He was simply a psycho!


    At that time, she desperately prayed for Weiyoung to send help. She could only put her faith and fate in Weiyoung''s hands.


    When she was only left in her underwear with her clothes torn to shreds, she knew things were not going to be easy.


    She desperately used her hands to search for anything on the floor. Anything at all to help save herself from the beast that was trying to violate her.


    And that was when she touched it. It was a knife. Probably the man''s knife.


    She gripped it like her life depended on it.


    It was either he killed her or she killed him. And, she did not want to die.


    Maybe the knife was a gift from God to her¡ªor probably the devil.


    Swiftly, she used the knife.


    It was as if her hand had a mind of its own. Because it worked without her brain registering what was happening.


    She had stabbed his left eye and felt the blood sprinkle all over her face even as he screamed.


    She used her remaining energy to push him away and he hit his head on a brick when he fell.


    Everything happened so fast. She screamed when she saw what she had done and the blood all over her hands.


    She looked at her hands with wide opened eyes and her hands began to tremor


    She noticed the man had already stopped wailing in pain and the only thing that came to her mind was ¡ªShe had murdered someone.


    "I... I was only fifteen" She cried and buried her head on Muchen''s chest with her hands now wrapped around his neck.


    "I killed a man when I was fifteen years old. I was... I was so scared.. So terrif¡ª" She could not complete her words and cried even louder


    Muchen felt his throat tighten. He released his clenched hands and moved it to her back to console her.


    His throat felt somewhat comfortable and his eyes began to blink rapidly.


    He knew instantly what was happening to him. He had not felt this way in a long time. He had not cried for anyone in a really long time. But then, he felt his own tears drop from his face and landed on her hair.


    "I could not believe I killed someone at that age. I was always a playful and innocent child. But my life was ruined from that moment."


    She said as she continued to cry.


    "It''s okay" Muchen finally spoke after controlling his own emotions.


    "He was a useless man. He deserved to die. Even if you hadn''t killed him, I would have done so now." He said with dark eyes.


    And he really meant it. He would have killed that man.


    Not only did he try to take advantage of her, he had beaten her and also caused her so much grief at a young age because of his death.


    "I was so...scared. I thought everyone saw me as a murderer." She continued to narrate.


    "I was so scared when the police came to ask me questions. I thought I was going to jail."


    "My father told me the man was okay and nothing happened to him and his eyes. But I know very well he died that night. My father had only said so to make me feel better and stop feeling guilty."


    She had buried all those memories for years. Bringing them out now made her so emotional and she could not stop talking.


    "I could no longer live freely. I was scared of men except my father. I also thought with one glance, everyone would tell that I had murdered someone. I felt like I was not supposed to be in the midst of other kids my age who had not killed anyone before. I could not go to school or anywhere."


    That period had been hell for her.


    She also had nightmares of that night; How she had stabbed the man and how the blood had splashed all over her face.


    She could not do anything that period. No matter how hard her Father and aunt tried to help, nothing worked.


    Until that time when Weiyoung asked her to go on a vacation with her.


    Weiyoung had said she got into an accident while running out of there, so no one bothered to blame her and Sara had continued being friends with her even though they no longer spoke much anymore.


    She had travelled with Weiyoung after about a month of therapy session that actually did not work.


    She had only acted like everything was okay so she would not worry her Father and Aunt.


    So she told her father she wanted to go to Country Y with Weiyoung. He had been happy because Sara was finally opening up so he readily allowed her leave.


    "I met him there. Yue King" She said to Muchen.


    Now, they were back to sitting normally with his hands on her shoulder. Her tears had also stopped and he helped her wipe off the remaining with a tissue.


    Muchen was surprised when he heard that part. He had thought she met Yue King only recently. But they have known each other for that long?


    Sara remembered her entire journey there. She had been quiet the whole time and did not even speak once to Weiyoung.


    They were five who had gone. Three of which were Weiyoung''s friend.


    She had overheard the three girls telling Weiyoung to get rid of her as her friend because she did not belong to their class and was now acting weird like someone who had been possessed.


    She had wished she was possessed instead of being haunted by such memories.


    They said a lot more hurtful things that made her feel even worse that she felt earlier. She did not show herself to them but Weiyoung had seen her. And when their eyes met, Sara quickly walked out.


    After staying out the entire day, she decided to go back to the hotel that night. And that was when she witnessed a sight of a man being beaten by a group of thugs dressed in all black.


    She hid behind a wall and peeped at the scene.


    She saw how the man kept begging and swearing not to repeat ''it'' again. But the thugs did not seem like they cared about what he was saying because they continued to hit him.


    When it seemed like the men would not stop beating him, he groveled to where a woman was standing.


    That was when she noticed the poorly dressed young woman.


    And as he was begging the woman, she took a knife from one of the thug''s hand, bent down, and stabbed him straight in the gut.


    Sara gasped loudly when she saw what had just happened. It was the second time witnessing a death in two months and she had killed the first. With a knife also!


    It made her suddenly remember how she had stabbed that man and as the memories came crashing, she used both hands to cover her ears and screamed for it to go away.


    In that process, she alerted the people she had been spying on and they all stared at her.


    When she noticed what had happened and that she was already out of the wall where she was hiding, she knew she was in deep trouble.


    She stared right back at all of them with a look of shock and then, her eyes fell on the woman whose hands were covered in blood.


    The woman stared right back at her with dark eyes and Sara gasped in fear.


    Sara stopped her narration and her eyes widened. Now, she remembered where she had known Jin Cearo and Cherry''s mother from.


    She was that woman. The one with a dead expression who had stabbed that man.


    She turned to look at Muchen with wide eyes as she continued thinking.


    She had heard about that woman before because she had been curious about who she was after the Blacks took her.


    Blue Rays had mentioned that she was not a Black like she had thought.


    And it did not end there, she was actually Fuji''s younger sister.


    "What is it?" Muchen asked when he saw how concentrated she was in thinking. Even her tears had completely stopped.


    "It makes sense now"


    No wonder they were rumours about them being affiliated with the underground world. No wonder they could live so lavishly now, and also had Grand Castle Hotel. She was Fuji''s sister after all.


    And just as she had thought, it was probably her who needed the painting. That was why Fuji had been troubling her for it.


    "Wow!" She exclaimed.

 Chapter 289 - Blacks Part One

    Sara did not want to digress and tell Muchen about Jin Cearo''s mother being Fuji''s sister since he did not know who Fuji was yet. So she continued with her narration.


    She believed he could only understand better if she told him all he needed to know about that group of people.


    When she saw the thugs looking at her, she quickly picked herself up and began to run back.


    The country was so cold so most people stayed indoors, especially at nights like that when it was snowing, even though it was mild.


    She did not turn back, but she knew they were chasing after her, and could also hear their footsteps.


    At that point, she thought it was going to be her end if she did not escape from them.


    She had just witnessed a murder scene and those people were also chasing after her.


    The voices returned to her head and reminded her of what had happened that night. She heard the man''s creepy laugh and her mind flashed back to how he had hit her countlessly and tore her clothes.


    The psychological trauma was still too much for her no matter how much she tried.


    She then remembered how she had stabbed his eye. And the voices continued to haunt her, telling her how she was a murderer and deserved to die in the hands of murderers.


    She was frightened and closed her eyes while she ran for her dear life with tears running down from her eyes down to her cheeks and out of sight.


    She had always been a good runner so it was not a big deal for her to run. But the problem was, the people were really fast, plus the voices in her head was not making it easy for her.


    She knew no where to run to except the hotel which was at the opposite direction. She was not even concerned about the cold. All she needed to do was to hide somewhere.


    She thought she saw the glimpse of a young girl and was relieved to finally see someone to help her call the police or something but when she checked again, she did not see anyone. And her hope crashed.


    Unfortunately for her, she came to a dead end.


    It was a wooden bridge which enabled people cross over to the other side since there was a river at the bottom.


    She had been running to the other side when about three men appeared in front of her.


    When she turned around to run back, she saw two men at the other side.


    One of which was Snake. Then, he was in his twenties and looked more haggard than he was looking now. The four other men were also around their twenties to thirties.


    Snake was the one who first spoke to her while she looked at all of them with a terrified expression.


    "You are really a good runner" He commended.


    "Please let me go. I did not see anything." She pleaded as tears continued to flow down her cheeks.


    It looked like they all pitied her until one spoke.


    "We should get rid of her. She saw us and it is going to be bad if Fuji found out that we let her go on purpose" The man beside Snake tried to convince them to get rid of her.


    "Please let me go. I won''t say anything I swear"


    She knelt down and held Snake''s foot and continued to beg him since it seemed like he was the one in charge.


    But his face was dark and expressionless.


    He squatted to meet her height and used a hand to lift her chin so she could look into his dark eyes.


    "You had to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. How unfortunate"


    Snake signalled for them to get rid of her but a call came in immediately.


    "Fuji asked to bring her to the base" He said to the others and they looked at him in surprise.


    "Fuji? That should be worse for her. Poor Lady" Another chipped in.


    When Sara saw the look on all their faces, she knew that meeting that ''Fuji'' was worse than death.


    As two other men tried to grab her, she quickly dashed to the side of the bridge and held the rope.


    "If you come close to me, I''ll kill myself."


    She threatened in fear.


    "We wanted to kill you and you pleaded for your life. Now we''re saving you and you want to die?" Snake asked in a cold voice and used a hand to signal for her to move away from there.


    "Come over here little girl. You might really fall"


    Sara knew they were not going to let her be. And when Snake asked the men to grab her, she did not know how it happened, but the only thing she could remember was that she felt her body hit the ice cold water.


    Her eyes shot open immediately her body fully submerged inside the deep, dark water.


    She had never been so scared like she was at that moment. Because at that point, she thought it was over. She was going to die! If not from drowning, then probably from the cold.


    No matter how she tried to swim up, she could not. Her heavy clothes were all soaked and was pulling her down no matter how hard she tried.


    She could feel her lungs closing and her eyes finally closed while she gave up with the image of her Father and Aunt in her head.


    "I am Sorry Father. I am sorry Aunt. I am sorry Weiyoung" She apologized in her mind to the only people in her life as she stopped struggling and gave up.


    As she narrated, it felt like she was thrown back to that moment and she suddenly had goosebumps all over her body.


    Muchen saw her shivering and held her tightly after pulling up the duvet to cover her properly. He knew it was not a physical cold. But there was nothing he could do at that point.


    No wonder she did not like the waters. It finally registered to him. She had ''died''  there once. Must have been pretty traumatic for her.


    "I''m sorry" Muchen kissed her temple and turned her face to look at him.


    "It must have been difficult for you"


    She bobbed her head up and down and tears escaped from her eyes. "It was. It was very difficult" She admitted and wrapped her hands around his waist.


    Ever since then, she did not only have nightmares of that night where she killed that man, she also had nightmares of how her body plunged into the deep, dark and cold water.


    And whenever she woke up from that nightmare, it was always with cold sweat.


    "When I woke up, I saw myself in an unfamiliar room. I had actually thought it was the afterlife. But then, I saw someone helping me clean my body. It was a young lady about four years older than I was then. She was called Jaz."


    "She had been so happy to see me awake and after tending to be a bit, she told me to make sure I run if I ever got the chance."


    "I was told I had been unconscious for five days and my first thought was to see my family. But that was impossible. I saw Hell instead"


    That time, she had met Fuji for the first time when she was taken into his private chambers. She had heard rumours that she was the first underaged he had actually asked to see him privately. They all knew he only did women in their twenties so no one actually thought much but rather, were curious why he kept her.


    She had screamed and refused to go since she was smart enough to know what probably awaited her. But no matter how hard she tried, the women were far stronger than her since they were obviously members of the gang.


    When she arrived his chambers, he had looked at her lustfully and told her how pretty she was and how he had watched from the the car on that night as she ran for her dear life.


    He had touched her cheek and impulsively, she slapped him hard on his face.


    His eyes shot wide opened when she hit him. It was as if he had never been hit in his entire life and that was the first time someone dared do that.


    His gaze turned cold and before she knew it, a group of men entered inside and dragged her out.


    She had never in her life received the kind of beating she received that day. She was wiped all over her body and they told her they would stop if she agreed that she was wrong for hitting him. But no matter how much they wiped her, she did not relent and told them he was a piece of shit who deserved it.


    She had thought they were going to beat her to death until the order came for them to stop.


    For two days, she fell into unconsciousness.


    She did not know the kind of concussion they had used on her body but she did not see the scars when she woke up. She only felt pain internally.


    They had told her "Fuji did not like women to be scarred" so they always made sure no scars were left on the ladies skins.


    He asked her whether she wanted to go home, and promised to let her go if she went to bed with him. She had refused to show her tears to him and told him she would do anything else but not that.


    Her Aunt had taken time to educate her on sex education. Her father had also told her to keep herself for the one she truly loved and would want to spend the rest of her life with. Besides, she was still going through the trauma of her near rape case. She did not want to have anything to do with this perverted old man. He was obviously in his forties while she was just fifteen!


    He seemed to like how determined she was and told her the only way out was to be initiated into their gang.


    He had promised to let her go after the initiation and she had been stupid enough to believe him.


    After giving her a strange liquid to drink, she asked to go back he. But he had told her that part of her initiation required her to defeat the weakest member of each level and had asked her to train until she could beat them up.


    She had cried and cussed him, and had even threatened to kill herself.


    But he had warned her that if she dared kill herself, then her father and Aunt would die.


    She had no choice but to keep training. A week turned to two, two turned to three and before she new it, months passed and yet, she could not defeat even the weakest one in level one.


    She could not escape from his clutches because he seemed to be everywhere and whenever she tried to run away, she was seriously beaten when she was caught.


    Her hair was cut short, her skin pale, her eyes, dead.


    Everyone thought Fuji took her as his daughter and that was why he was being lenient with her. But she knew best. He was nothing but a disgusting perverted old man who wanted to sleep with her.

 Chapter 290 - Blacks part two

    Snake had been in charge of training Sara and that was how she grew closer to him.


    At first, he had been a bit tough on her, telling her to succeed if she wanted to escape from them. But later, he began to feel bad for her.


    She always cried because she missed her family dearly. She had never stayed away from her father for that long and she could not get used to it. Even though she had not really liked school, she began to miss school and envy kids who lived a normal life instead of being locked up like a prisoner just like her. She was stuck with these robbers and had no idea when she would die.


    One day, Jaz was taken into Fuji''s room.


    It seemed Sara''s behaviours motivated her and so, she wanted to be like Sara. When Fuji tried to touch her just like he had done before, she decline for the very first time.


    Sara had always known that Jaz was one of his ''forced'' women.


    She had heard and seen several other women been taken to Fuji''s chambers and whenever they were sent there, Fuji always made sure she was standing by his door so she could hear how much they screamed and cried. He always did that to remind her that if she did not train properly, he was going to make sure she stayed there till she turned twenty and experience whatever went on inside the room.


    On that particular day Jaz was taken to his room, Sara heard how she refused to comply and Fuji had gotten angry. After hitting her a couple of times, he asked her to be locked up.


    Sara had been scared for her and had sneaked to go see her at night. When she met the miserable looking Jaz, she assured her she was going to look for a way to save her so they could both run away together some day.


    And as she was making plans for that, she was summoned the next night by Fuji.


    She saw the members of Black form a circle and when they saw her approach, they created space for her to move to the centre.


    She looked at all of them in confusion before walking slowly to the centre.  She saw a rolled mat and knew it was a person because it seemed the person was struggling to be free.


    She felt a hand on her shoulder and flinched in fright.


    When she turned, she saw Fuji standing there with a glass of wine in one hand and a club in another.


    He looked straight into her eyes and twirled the glass of wine.


    Sara did not know what happened to her but she suddenly gave him her full attention. He pointed to the mat on the ground and began to speak.


    "That''s him. He forced himself on you. He tried to take you. People like him should not live in this world"


    He continued to say other things that reminded her of that dreaded night. She did not know how he had found out about that night. And she did not bother to ask him because her kind was preoccupied.


    It was as if he was painting the picture of that night to her again and soon, she began to shout and cry for the voices to go away.


    "Kill him" He handed the club to her and pointed at the mat.


    "Use this. Get rid of him. The memories would go away. The pain would go away" He assured her in a soft tone.


    Her hands shook as she took the club from his hand. And as he continued to fire her up, she began to use the club violently on the person while screaming for the voices to go away.


    "Let me be. Let me be free!" She creamed over and over again with her two hands holding the club as she kept on using it on the ''man''.


    She noticed the person stopped moving and Fuji began to laugh.


    He signalled for two men to unroll the mat and when they were done, she saw Jaz covered in blood with her hands and feet tied while her lips were sealed with a tape.


    For like a minute, Sara tried to register what she had done as she stood there with wide eyes and agape mouth.


    "Don''t think about running away my dear. You may end up just like her"


    At that point, her body began to shake violently. She looked at the club in her hand and the dead Jaz.


    She dropped the club and fell to the ground. The shock was too much for her to recover from in a few minutes.


    She had killed a person again!


    Someone she had offered hope.


    Someone who had been taken her as her sister.


    She had killed her.


    She continued to stare blankly. She could not cry nor scream. All she could do was stare blankly.


    Even after the crowd dispersed, and her corpse were gotten rid of, she continued to sit there and gasp for breath.


    The only thought on her mind was to kill Fuji.


    Muchen could feel her body trembling again and held her even tighter this time.


    His eyes were closed. Not because he did not want to look at her, but because he did not want her to see the desire in his eyes to kill the so called Fuji.


    God had done him a great favour by keeping him alive because he was going to end his life himself.


    "I wanted to kill him so badly" Her eyes continued to blink rapidly and tears continued to flow as she kept talking.


    "He got rid of everyone close to me. I think he was obsessed or something."


    A guy had made a pass at her and he had crusified him in front of everyone including herself.


    She was scared for Snake''s life, so she had told him to not get close to her unless they were training.


    She did not wait for the day Fuji organised for her to fight with those people. On that same night after Jaz died, she had taken the club inside to go kill Fuji.


    Anyone who tried to stop her, the club was used on them. She did not know where the strength suddenly came from because she had fought like a madwoman and the entire time, Fuji looked at her with admiration.


    She had almost used the club to hit him but the one who threw a punch at her was Snake.


    He quickly disarmed her and made her kneel in front of Fuji.


    As Fuji smiled at her, she smirked and took out a small dagger from her pocket.


    "If killing myself would make you happy, then I''ll slit my own throat." She placed the dagger on her neck and made a show of killing herself since she knew very well that he would not allow her do so.


    She also knew she could not kill Fuji. She could not also blame Snake for stopping her. He was a Black after all. Was he supposed to be loyal to her?


    "I''ll let you go." Fuji relented with a frown.


    Sara could not explain the inexplicably joy she felt when she heard that. She was finally going to see her father and Aunt.


    Finally!


    "Promise me. Swear with your life" She demanded.


    He swore in front of everyone and she finally cried in relief.


    But that same night, he had come into her room and tried to rape her.


    The first time he had tried such and she had slapped him, no one knew about it. They had only thought she was being stubborn and also thought Fuji saw her as his daughter.


    This second time, he had made sure she stayed in a private room with the guise of making her last night there worthwhile. But he actually had other plans he wanted to do in secret.


    Although he was the boss, it would be bad for his name if people knew he worded an amateur.


    He had tried to force his way on her but she was smarter and sharper now.


    She was no longer the little Sara who begged and cried for them to leave her alone.


    She had carefully kept the dagger beside her earlier and did not hesitate to stab his shoulder.


    She took nothing with her when she escaped. Since Fuji had swore to let her go in front of everyone, no one actually stopped her from leaving that night. Thankfully, she did not have their tattoo. It would have been difficult to ever leave there.


    Fuji did not also raise alarm because it would be embarrassing if they knew he had tried to take her after promising to let her off and she had stabbed him in return.


    When Sara ran very far from the base and saw the world for the first time in one year, she broke down in tears.


    For close to a month, she had slept on the street and begged for money and food everyday. Sometimes, she even stole.


    She knew no one in Country Y and even her father''s number never went through.


    She thought about going to the police but whenever she thought about the police, she always cried because it reminded her that she was a criminal. That stopped her from going to them.


    She also did not know her aunt''s number since she was never in one location.


    Everything frustrated her to the point where she had to steal from people.


    After saving for more than a month, she was finally able to go back home by boat since she did not have any documents to purchase a flight with.


    And once she saw her father and Aunt, all she could do was cry.


    Till today, she did not tell them anything that happened to her then. All she saw and experienced, she refused to say any.


    Thank goodness there were no scars on her body.


    But now, she was telling this to Muchen. She had expected him to avoid her because she had a dirty past.


    But he embraced her tightly and cried with her when she was done narrating.


    "You survived it all. I am proud of you" He whispered to her.


    It was not what she had expected from him. She could do nothing but cry in his arms.

 Chapter 291 - Do not butt in

    Muchen did not know how to feel or react to everything. She had suffered a whole lot. No wonder she did not act like most ladies and also have an unfriendly attitude most times.


    If for anything, her revelation made him love her even more. He had never met any lady as strong as her¡ªSomeone who went through hell and was still able to smile brightly.


    He was going to help her wipe away those feelings and also wipe out the people who had caused her such.


    She could trust him on that.


    He reluctantly left the room to another room that looked like an office and checked his mail with the computer.


    Just as he had expected, his secretary, Mr Hwang had sent him everything he needed to know about Delight''s Park Chen.


    He considered making a list of everyone he was supposed to get back at for Sara. But he trusted his brain to keep a proper record and deal with them.


    He replied to the mail and sent Mr Hwang some details.


    He wanted to fully dig on Jin Medusa now.


    If he could get enough information on her, he believed he could also get some on her useless brother. Sara had told him she did not know his full name. They only called him Fuji which was obviously not his real name.


    Once he was done with Mr Hwang, he remembered there was another important thing he needed to do so he called Sara''s father, Mr Wang.


    The ring did not take long before the call was answered. It was as if Jianjun had been expecting his call.


    After greeting him and exchanging pleasantries, he went on to say.


    "Sara is currently asleep. I''m sorry, but she may not be able to return home today"


    It was already Past 12 in the morning, she was asleep plus, it would take them approximately two hours to get to their place. It was going to be too stressful for her right now. So he wanted to allow her sleep peacefully.


    Jianjun was quiet after he heard him.


    He had been waiting for Sara the entire night. And had a mixed feeling about her sleeping with him. But he had to remind himself that she was a grown up now and could take care of herself.


    He sighed before agreeing. "Alright. Did she eat?" He remembered to ask.


    Muchen told him she had eaten and answered other minor questions Jianjun had asked.


    When it looked like there was nothing left to say, Muchen broke the silence and said..


    "Thank you Mr Wang."


    "For what?" Jianjun asked in confusion. He should be thanking Muchen for taking good care of his daughter and treating her well instead. Was their roles reversed?


    "For everything you have done for Sara. For showing her a whole lot of love. You are a great father" Muchen turned emotional as he praised him, and even Jianjun heard him sniff.


    Muchen knew that most children do not have a good relationship with their parents, especially the father¨Cdaughter relationship.


    But Jianjun had always been there for Sara. It was another reason she could live well despite all she had gone through.


    If her father had been and asshole like most fathers, he believed she would not have been able to recover.


    "She is my daughter. So of course I should love her."


    Jianjun said with a short laugh.


    "I should thank you for taking good care of her. It''s rare to find a man like you." Jianjun praised back.


    Both of them kept on praising each other while laughing at what the other was saying.


    Muchen did not want to tell him he had asked her to marry him and she had agreed. He wanted Sara to tell them herself.


    He knew women liked dropping that particular bomb and he did not want to ruin the fun for her.


    Jianjun also considered telling Muchen about Sara''s mother.  But that was not something he could just start talking about on the phone.


    "When you are less busy one of these days. You should come over"


    Muchen quickly accepted the offer. He was going to do anything to make Mr Wang not change his mind about him.


    ***


    In Grand Castle Hotel, Fuji held a glass of wine in his hand and continued to twirl the stem around with a dark expression on his face. His legs were crossed, and he seemed to be lost on thought.


    Snake stood in front of him and knew that with the look on his eyes, there was trouble!


    "She must think I cannot do anything to her"


    Fuji muttered.


    But was she wrong?


    He was not sure he could touch her now. Because aside from the fact that she was smarter now and could easily expose them, he did not want to bring any harm to his sister.


    Sara was also surrounded by powerful people now and he could not easily harm her even if he wanted.


    He knew he made a mistake from the very moment he asked Snake to bring Sara back to the base many years ago.


    He would have just let them kill her back then.


    But he could not allow it. She had reminded him of someone¡ªThe only woman he ever loved.


    Sara had looked exactly like her and the way she ran that day reminded him of how his own woman had ran for her dear life. But unfortunately, she was still caught and killed.


    He thought saving Sara would make him feel like he had gone back in time to save his own teenage love. But things had not gone according to plan.


    Not only did she hit him, she called him all sort of names that he had never heard in his entire life.


    She had made the base fun for him and he always wanted to rile her up.


    He had wanted to make her a full Black because he needed someone like her. But unfortunately, she did not have same plans as him.


    If not for his sister.... That damned woman!


    Speaking of her, she finally arrived.


    There was no smile on her face when she sat down opposite him. Her face was as cold as ever.


    "You can excuse us now" Fuji said to Snake.


    After Snake left, they siblings began to talk.


    "What is this? Why can''t I get a simple painting? Elder Jin''s birthday is in two days!" She complained with a frown.


    "I totally forgot how stubborn that girl was. If she says no, it''s a no. She did not seem to even fall for my little trick and quickly broke out of my hypnosis. I really underestimated her"


    He smirked and spoke more to himself that to his sister.


    "You are using Sara Wang?"


    Medusa could easily guess who he was referring to with that look in his eyes.


    "Sure" Fuji uncrossed his legs and placed the glass of wine on the table before offering her one "It''s your favourite."


    "Since when did you go back on your word? Did you not promise to let her go?" Medusa yelled at him in anger and refused to accept the drink.


    "I did. But this is for you this time. Trust me."


    "This is not just about me.  Now she''s all grown up and you think you can finally have her? Don''t even think about it and focus on getting me that painting" She warned.


    Medusa had easily recognised Sara when she saw her on Christmas day. She remembered the little girl who had looked at her like she was a murderer.


    It was the first time she killed someone. And seeing that look on Sara''s eyes as she stared at her, made her confirm what she had just done.


    She thought they killed Sara that day. But to her surprise, she found out that Sara was locked in the base. She knew her brother would not just keep her like that and had gone to see for herself if it was true that Fuji treated her like his ''daughter'' because she did not think so.


    She had seen him laughing at her while she trained. It was as if he was having fun by erely looking at her.


    She had also heard Sara yell and cuss him but he had simply laughed and told her to train more if she wanted to leave.


    At that very moment, she knew something was wrong.


    She knew keeping Sara would only put them all in trouble because eventually she would become his weakness.


    She had asked him to let Sara go or kill her. But Fuji refused. No matter what she said, he did not agree.


    It did hurt her because her brother liked her a lot but now, he could not agree to that simple wish.


    Out of anger, she had threatened to cut ties with him if he chose Sara. And not only that, she was going to kill Sara with her own hands. That way, he could come kill her and lose both women in the end.


    It was at that point that he knew she was serious. Because he could not kill his sister. And he did not want his sister to kill ''his woman''.


    He had to make both happy and had been looking for a way to let Sara go. He finally saw the opportunity when she threatened to kill herself.


    Sara was one person he did not want to die. He believed it was going to be a waste if she left the world because she was a very interesting child.


    So he had agreed to let her go reluctantly. Even after she stabbed him that night, he still did nothing to stop her. It was at that point that he believed his sister''s words about Sara being his doom if she stuck around.


    But he had also threatened her that night. He told her he would clear every record of all that happened in the past one year. But she had to keep everything to herself in return, because they were always watching and if she tried to report them to the police or tell anyone, then not just her, her whole family would also be killed.


    Sara had swore with her life to keep it to herself. All she wanted at that point was to see her family.


    But he had greatly missed her when she left.


    "She wants to meet you. She said she wants to meet the one who needs the painting" Fuji finally said to Medusa.


    "Then let me handle it from here. Do not butt in." Medusa warned before getting up to leave.

 Chapter 292 - Playing like kids

    The next morning, the world received a very shocking news: Weiyoung was not a Liu.


    The news was properly detailed and they all saw Mother Liu as a scam who had cheated on her husband and brought in a bastard child.


    When Weiyoung saw the news, all she could do was close her eyes and allow tears begin to fall.


    Her father had really done that. Her father had actually done what he promised!


    Whenever the Mo elders wanted to meet her, they sent for her through the maids. But now, they barged inside her room like she was not even guaranteed privacy.


    "Have you seen the news?" Elder Mo roared with a cold face.


    Weiyoung remained seated and said nothing to them.


    She continued to apply make-up on her face like the people there were irrelevant to her.


    "Are you deaf? Did you not hear him?" Madam Mo screamed at her. If not for her pregnancy, she would have given the disrespectful girl a hard slap across her face.


    "It''s just a rumour. Don''t listen to them" Weiyoung said with her gaze still fixed on the mirror as she wore a dangling earring on one ear.


    "A rumour? You are the daughter of a scoundrel! Is that why you were sneaking your way inside this family?"


    "So what if I am?" She stood up and looked at the both of them in anger.


    "What if I am a bastard and the news was really true? Does it make any difference? I am carrying your son''s child and we are going to get married." She stated coldly.


    "Dare to throw me out and see if the media will not turn their attention to your family next."


    "Weiyoung! Are you threatening us?" Madam Mo shouted at her and could no longer control her temper so she gave Weiyoung a slap on her face.


    The slap caused her to fall to the ground and she cried out when she fell with her hands covering her belly.


    But it did nothing to stop the pain. And Madam Mo seemed to not care anymore because she continued to hit her out of anger and frustration.


    She was not only disrespectful, she had tried to tie the Mos with her pregnancy. What if she was just like her useless mother and the pregnancy was not their grandson''s?


    Elder Mo sighed deeply as he watched both women.


    The news was all about her. Which was also affecting his family.


    It was bad enough that her family had nothing. She was now even a bastard child?


    His only daughter who had abandoned them for a long time finally called them today and told them to make sure they got rid of Weiyoung from their family.


    Even though Mo Aida now hated her son and did not want to include herself in his life affair anymore, she was still never going to allow him get married to that manipulative thing from the Liu family.


    "Enough!" Elder Mo hit his walking stick on the ground to stop both women.


    He could not believe his old wife had the energy to fight with a younger woman.


    But he believe it must have hurt his wife a lot because it was going to be embarrassing for her to go out now when such news was going round about her supposed daughter-in-law.


    "You. Give birth to this child. When you are done, a DNA test would be carried out. And if it is a Mo, we would pay you handsomely for you to go live well. You could go abroad if you wish. That is the best this family can offer you"


    Once he was done telling her, he left the room and his wife followed.


    Weiyoung lay fully on the ground and began to cry aloud.


    She had never been so humiliated in her entire life.


    Now they had even reduced her to be a surrogate?


    As she was still crying there, she saw her bodyguard, Aotian come in.


    Now, he did not even bother to knock also?


    She was a bit scared when she saw him enter. After that Christmas night where they both had sex and he had raped her, he always had this smug look on his face whenever he looked at her.


    She tried to sit up but she could not.


    "You always acted high and mighty. But look at you" He mocked before helping her up.


    "I was asked to take you to the hospital. So get dressed"


    He smirked at her before leaving the room.


    ****


    Dexi had also returned from his little ''gossip trip''.


    After he got dressed for work and went outside, his secretary showed him the news that was circulating round.


    For days, he had had a serious expression on his face. But today, as he saw the news, he began to laugh.


    "Poor Nephew. He must have betrayed his country in his past life to have such a messy life now"


    Even without anyone telling him, he knew Jinyong was with his mother, Aida, planning something everyday.


    But no matter how much he planned, he was always dragged to the spotlight one way or the other. Now, it was about his fianc¨¦e?


    "Serves them right. Such a perfect news to start the day"


    He began to hum a song as he got inside the back seat of his SUV.


    "About Sara Wang... We saw something strange" His Secretary informed.


    "Something strange? What is it?" Dexi asked curiously.


    "Miss Changyu. She slept in Sara''s house. I think she is close with Sara''s father" He dropped the bomb that surprised Dexi.


    "What?" Dexi shifted uncontrollably in his seat when he heard it.


    He began to scratch his head. Why was everything going bad for him.


    He had thought Changyu was just a bit close with Sara. But now, the woman had even spent a night in their place and was close with Sara''s father?


    He remembered what his secretary told him when they were returning from country V.


    "Mr Mo. I did not want to say this earlier. But I thought I should remind you of something."


    "What is it?" Dexi had asked when he saw his secretary''s serious face.


    "You asked me to remind you to never get on Sara''s bad side. You might not like the outcome"


    The reminder had reminded Dexi of what Sara was capable of doing.


    He was still thinking about how to handle it but now, Changyu was sleeping in her house!?


    He could only conclude that Jinyong must have transferred some of his bad luck to him.


    Sara did not only have her scary self, she had Muchen beside her, who looked like he would kill for her. And now, there was also Changyu.


    "Damn it!" He said in frustration


    ****


    While most people in the world were awake already, Sara was still deep in sleep.


    In her dream, she saw herself plunging deep into that particular river she had drowned in years back.


    Everything replayed again just like that night, and she had thought she was going to drown but she suddenly heard someone call her name.


    Inside the water, she forced her eyes open when she was about giving up to look for the person who had just called her name.


    Was she not in the river alone? Was someone else inside?


    The water was dark and scary, but she was able to see the person because light radiated all over Muchen as he swam to where she was.


    "Sara" He called again.


    She looked at him in surprise and wondered what he was doing there.


    This dream felt different. Other times, everything played out the original way. But now, it was as if the script was changed.


    As she looked at him, his mouth was not moving but she could clearly hear his voice.


    He used his hands to point upwards and told her to swim up with him.


    He smiled at her, and she smiled back.


    She soon found her energy and swam up with a smile plastered on her face.


    She woke up with tears sliding down the corner of her eyes. They were not years of sadness or defeat. But those were tears of joy.


    She had never felt so free in years. Now, she felt like a heavy load had been lifted from off her shoulders.


    Once her eyes opened fully, she saw Muchen staring intently at her.


    "Are you alright?" He asked with a worried look.


    He had seen her jerk like she was having a nightmare and had called her name. He noticed she stopped jerking once he called and began to gently tap her so she would wake up.


    Sara''s eyes focused on him, and when she saw he was still there sitting down beside her, she began to cry.


    She quickly sat up and hugged him with her hands around his waist.


    For like a minute, she just cried and said nothing.


    "I don''t know how I''ll ever repay you Li Muchen." She said in between tears.


    He continued to pat her back like he was trying to soothe her spirit.


    "What is wrong? Was it a nightmare?"


    He felt her shake her head.


    "No. It was a beautiful dream. You were beside me"


    She said in a low, raspy voice.


    He sighed in relief and moved his hands to her hair to help her smoothen it.


    "I am glad it was a nice dream" He said in relief.


    "Thank you. Thank you so much."


    He heard and felt the emotion in her voice. And he smiled.


    "Do you and your father plan to embarrass me with your many appreciation? I''m beginning to get shy" He said with a laugh.


    "My father?" It was at that point that Sara realised she had slept out and had not called home.


    She began to search for her phone. "I have to call my father" She said.


    "I already called him last night to tell him you''ll be back this morning."


    Sara giggled when she heard that. "What did he say?"


    "There was this awkward silence that gave me the chills. I really got scared" Muchen told her before he began to laugh.


    Sara also began to laugh and once they both stopped laughing, she used her tiny hands to cup his face, looked into his eyes and raised herself to plant a soft kiss on his forehead.


    "Uh oh.. What was that for?" Muchen asked with an embarrassed look.


    She blushed and used her hands to cover her face.


    "That''s for thanking the most perfect man in the world."


    Muchen grinned widely before adding.


    "I''m not sure your father is going to like that if he heard it."


    "You''re the most perfect man to me. I''m sure he''s the most perfect man to my mother."


    Speaking of mothers, Sara remembered to tell him about Song Changyu.


    She narrated from how she had seen the things scattered on the room''s floor and Muchen was surprised that it was actually true that Changyu was her mother.


    "Wow."


    He looked at her and was dumbfounded for like a minute.


    He had suspected. But hearing her confirm it was something entirely different. Changyu was really her mother.


    ''Oh my God! I''m in trouble'' He said to himself.


    It was one thing to please Sara''s father. But Changyu on the other hand was unpleasable!


    "What''s wrong?" Sara asked when she saw the strange look on his face.


    He did not want to mention it so he shook his head.


    "Your father must really be awesome to make someone like her fall in love with him. She is quite... Let''s just leave it there"


    Sara laughed when she heard that.


    She was not yet ready for those two people.


    She wanted to settle this case with the Blacks and once she was done, she was going to make sure they both got married. She was not blind. She knew they obviously still had feelings for each other.


    "And guess something else that really surprised me?"


    "What is it?" Muchen asked.


    "Miss Changyu and I actually share the same birth date. I was born on her birthday."


    "My father had actually made me celebrate my birthdays on the wrong day. Now that I think about it, no wonder he always takes me out and buys me gifts on that particular day. I''ve always wondered why but he always blew it off¡ª"


    Muchen listened to her and wanted to say something when she was done talking but he paused and laughed.


    "What is it?" She asked inquisitively.


    "I don''t think Minde would be happy to know that you are actually older than him with a month."


    He knew Minde would literally die if he was asked to call Sara big sister.


    Muchen laughed again as he imagined Minde''s reaction.


    Another person''s reaction he could not wait to see was his mother''s.


    --


    During breakfast, they still continued their conversation. Muchen had seen the news about Weiyoung but he did not want to tell Sara about it. He wanted her to just keep smiling and laughing like she was doing at this very moment.


    Sara updated Muchen more about the Blacks.


    She told him how they had asked her to steal the painting and that she suspected Medusa was behind everything.


    Muchen listened attentively and knew that his target was really Medusa.


    He did not think that would be quite challenging for him.


    "But Medusa never appears in public. How did you say you met her?"


    "She came to drive her daughter home. Seems she did not want Cherry out."


    "Cherry? How did you know her daughter?"


    "I met her¡ª" Sara suddenly paused and began to cough.


    Muchen instantly knew there was more to that ''cough'' and raised his brow to look at her.


    "Why are you not saying anything?" He asked her.


    "I think I have sore throat." She stood up from the dining and began to head towards the room upstairs.


    Muchen knew she was trying to digress from the topic and stood up to follow her.


    When she saw he was behind her, she began to run and laugh.


    She had not told him about the manners class she was taking because it was very embarrassing. So all she could do was run.


    He continued to chase her and they both ran around the house like two kids playing around.


    As Mr Lin watched them, he shook his head pitifully.


    He could not believe what the lady had subjected Muchen into doing.

 Chapter 293 - Archaic diction.

    Sara was on her way home when she finally received a call from Cixi.


    "Aunt! Where have you been?" She asked in a high pitched voice immediately she took the call.


    She patiently listened to what Cixi had to say and once the call dropped, she told Muchen to take her to the field her aunt was.


    Thankfully, the field was on the same route to her place so it was not inconvenient for them.


    When the car pulled over, Sara could see her aunt sitting quietly on one of the wooden chairs with her head down.


    "You''re coming over later tonight right?" She turned to ask Muchen.


    His hand was sweaty but he tried to hide his nervousness. Changyu. That woman was beginning to scare him even before officially meeting her as Sara''s mother.


    He nodded and said to her. "Let''s go see grandmother tomorrow. She wanted to meet you."


    Sara smiled before nodding.


    Muchen looked at her in confusion when he saw her smile and nod.


    Every other person seemed to be scared of his grandmother. But she was even smiling like she wanted to meet her friend?


    "You should not keep aunt waiting. I''ll see you later tonight" He moved closer and planted a gentle kiss her on her forehead.


    "Do not get into trouble today." He advised her before ruffling her hair.


    Sara''s heart fluttered when he kissed her forehead. She did not know why that particular action always made her heart stop for a few seconds. But, it always reminded her of how much he loved her. And it was a wonderful feeling.


    "Why are you smiling sheepishly?" Muchen asked with raised brow as he looked at her.


    "Stop being a gossip" She laughed before leaving the car and continued to wave him till the car was out of sight.


    "I''ll kill anybody that tries to come between us. And I won''t have nightmares about it." She said with a smile on her face and began hopping happily to where her aunt was sitting.


    Muchen had watched her through the rearview mirror and wondered why she was just standing there and smiling.


    "What a weird girl" He shook his head and began to laugh.


    He could not believe she had made him run round the house like a little boy.


    When he realised what he was doing, the maids were already staring at him in a way he believed people stared at the biblical David when he danced to the lord and tossed his robe aside.


    He remembered the shy look on her face when she told him she was taking manners and etiquette classes and Mr Gold was one of the admins in the school.


    He had looked at her in surprise before he started laughing.


    "See why I didn''t want to tell you. I knew you were going to laugh" She began to use one of the pillows on the bed to hit him.


    That action alone caused him to keep laughing while he tried to dodge from it.


    "Stop laughing" She kept hitting him with the pillow and he raised a hand to show he was not going to laugh again.


    Once she stopped, he burst into laughter again. And as she was about lifting the pillow, he grabbed her by the waist and let her fall on top of him on the bed.


    "Sorry. But that was funny." He said and tightened his grip around her waist when she tried to pull away.


    "Why are you attending those classes?" He asked curiously.


    "My father suggested it. He thought I should learn basic etiquette and all" She answered with a pout.


    "Why? But you''re okay like this" He reasoned.


    "I''m not. I would have gotten into trouble a lot of times. You can''t even imagine all I said to your father"


    "I can imagine. He told us about it." Muchen informed her with a grin.


    Sara''s eyes widened when she head that. "What!? That unreliable pess¡ª"


    She almost yelled out pessimist before she remembered they were talking about his father. This further reminded her that she really needed those classes.


    "Stop stressing yourself attending those boring classes. You''re perfect to me" He could not imagine a ladylike Sara.


    ''It would be weird and boring'' he concluded within himself.


    "I am?" She asked with doubt in her voice.


    "Of course... You''re nice to those who deserve it and unnice to those who do not so¡ª Wait!" He suddenly paused and looked at her intently.


    "Did I just say unnice? Where the hell did that vocabulary come from?"


    "Hahaha... I have influenced you with my archaic diction" Sara began to laugh excitedly and pinched his chin.


    "You''re really having fun aren''t you?" He asked with a frown.


    "Of course, I am" She bobbed her head up and down and continued to laugh.


    Once she was done having her fill, she turned serious and began to speak.


    "I was just thinking...that you may probably have some kind of really important visitors one day, and I don''t want to drive them away with my bad attitude"


    "Wow! You were already planning to get married to me a long time ago? How cute" He pinced her chin gently and laughed when he saw her blush in embarrassment.


    "That''s their business. If they have so much manners, they should use those manners to ignore yours. If those boring classes are uncomfortable for you. You should stop attending. I''m the one who is going to marry you after all. And I don''t intend to change anything about you... Except this hair you''ve tied ever since." He quickly used his hand to yank out the band tying her ponytail together and her long hair scattered about, also covering her face..


    "You''ve started again Li Muchen!" He let her go and she began to use the pillow on him again.


    Did he really have to ruin the moment by pulling her hairband again?


    "I am ready for you today. I came prepared, in case you do not know. I brought seven hairbands. Seven!"


    She used her hand to show the numbers and quickly took them out of her bag to show him.


    Muchen frowned when he saw it and warned.


    "If I lay my hands on your bag. You''ll never see those things again"


    And that had made them run round the room like kids again, with her trying to protect her bag and hairband from him.


    ***


    £¬

 Chapter 294 - You should be proud of me

    "You''re here." Cixi stood up immediately she saw Sara approach.


    "Aunt, are you okay? You look pale" She touched Cixi''s face and looked at her sadly.


    She was still in the dress she had left the house in but also wore a big sweater she had never seen her aunt wear before.


    "I''m good. Sorry for calling you out here. I did not think your father would want to see me now" She said in a low voice.


    They both sat down and Sara held her hands reassuringly.


    "How can you say that? You should know better than anyone that Dad loves you a lot and would love to see you. He was only pissed that day. Please come home. I miss you. We all did." Sara pleaded with her but saw Cixi still had an unsure expression plastered on her face.


    "I''m really sorry Sara. I don''t know if you''ll ever forgive me."


    Cixi began to cry and her eyes went down because she could not look at Sara.


    "Please don''t be sad. I understand why you did  all that. You were young and thought that was the best decision. I probably would have done same if I was faced with something like that. So it''s okay."


    Sara took out her handkerchief from her pause and began to clean off the tears on her aunt''s face.


    "I am aware about everything. Dad, you, Changyu. I''ve heard it all. So let''s let the past remain in the past"


    Cixi was first surprised to hear that and raised her head to look at Sara.


    "You...know about Changyu being your...."


    She stopped since she was not still so sure whether Sara knew about that.


    "My mother. Yes, I know about it"


    Cixi began to cry even more and dropped her head to look at the ground.


    "I so sorry Sara. I realised how wrong I was."


    "Aunt please. It''s okay. Let''s just go home. You need to freshen up and eat something."


    Sara almost.cried when she saw her aunt crying that way. It really did break her heart.


    "It''s not just about that.." Cixi shook her head and lifted her eyes to look at Sara but she still could not.


    "I am a bad person. I did not just hide the letters, I also did not want you in the family"


    Cixi continued to cry and started narrating another incident that occurred many years back.


    After Jianjun was discharged from the hospital, he did not seem to be his self anymore.


    Any effort of their mother, Cixi or Helene to make him feel better proved futile.


    They had known he loved Changyu. But they had not known he had loved her that much.


    They thought it was only because she was very pretty and naive. And as time went by, his love for her would eventually fade out. But they had actually underestimated him.


    After losing the house and everything a few months later, Mrs Wang felt there was nothing left for her family in that place. So they began to make plans to relocate.


    "I''ll go with you people" Helene had dropped the bomb which shocked them all.


    Helene was a sweet girl who was very loyal to their family. But was that not too much?


    She had sacrificed a whole lot of her time and cared for their family. They believed it was time she left them and go focus on her life but she refused.


    She had chosen to go with them and continue to help them out because the Wang''s had also helped her out when she least expected.


    After the decision was made, Cixi had followed her to go empty and clean up her little apartment in preparation for their trip.


    It was at that time that Cixi noticed Helene did not have much. Just a few clothes, and that was it.


    When leaving that night, Helene begged Cixi to go with her to Happy Ending Orphanage for the last time.


    That place was like a home to her and she did not want to leave just like that without seeing it for the last time at least.


    "But it''s late already" Cixi complained but could not really show how unpleased she was by the idea. Helene was doing this for them after all.


    That period, Cixi''s mood and attitude turned sour.


    She had not always been like that but after everything her family had gone through, after dropping out of school, and the guilt she bore, she could not also understand why her attitude suddenly turned bad.


    "Please. Just this once."


    And with that, they had taken a late night train that enabled them get to Happy Ending Orphanage pretty fast.


    Helene watched the gate for a while and a sad smile appeared on her face.


    "One more thing..." Helene dragged Cixi with her to her favourite hidden spot from where she always watched the Orphanage.


    She began to use a stick to dig one particular spot and Cixi had to curiously ask what she was searching for.


    "I buried something here years back. I always used to sneak here when I was a kid. It turned to my favourite hideout." Helene explained and stopped when she finally saw the bottle buried on the ground.


    "This is it." Helene cheered.


    "And that is?" Cixi inquired.


    "My wish."


    "They bury wishes now? That''s weird."


    Helene giggled before saying "I wished to one day leave this city with someone I can call my family. I think I have that now."


    "Let''s just go back. We may not be able to return back if we continue playing around like this"


    Immediately they both left the hidden spot, they bumped into someone they had never expected to bump into.


    "Miss Anna?" Cixi called first in surprise.


    Anna had been startled and had even jumped in shock. It was as if she had been caught stealing or doing something she was not supposed to do.


    Helene noticed a baby in the little baby basket on the ground and called Anna''s attention to it.


    "What''s that baby doing there?" Helene pointed at the basket and hurriedly carried it when it seemed like the baby was going to cry.


    Anna continued to look behind her like she was scared of something or someone was monitoring her.


    "I have to leave now. Please."


    "Is this what I think it is?" Cixi moved closer to ask with cold eyes.


    "Is this Changyu''s child you are leaving here?" Because she could not think of anything else. Changyu had been pregnant, Anna was trying to abandon a baby in the middle of the night while acting like a thief.


    Anna did not have the time to say anything before Cixi pointed out again. "This necklace belongs to Changyu so you cannot deny this"


    The little baby who seemed to be sleeping wore a neclace that seemed to be bigger than her body.


    The child was so tiny that you could barely see her in the clothes covering her.


    One proper look, Cixi knew the baby was not yet mature and needed medical attention immediately.


    "Please. I have to leave now. I''m glad I met you here. Please take good care of her"


    Anna said before running away.


    "Wait. Wait!" No matter how Cixi called or tried to catch up, Anna continued to run from there. When she rounded the corner Anna had taken, all she could see was the rear lights of a vehicle speeding off.


    "Don''t give me that look. You better leave her here" Cixi said to Helene immediately she got to where she was standing with the baby.


    "What do you mean leave her here? She is obviously your brother''s daughter!" Helene shot back in annoyance.


    "Are you crazy? Didn''t you see those people abandoned her here? Are we just suppose to take in this Song blood and raise her when my family is on the verge of breaking down? Do we even have the funds to care for a child? Look at her, do you think she is going to survive?"


    "Just shut your mouth!" Helene was older than Cixi so it was not difficult to reprimand her.


    "So now you want to make decisions for your brother? I see how well the last one turned out to be. We are going to take her to the house whether you like it or not."


    "Even though she is a Sing, she is also a Wang. Your nice!"


    "Easier for you to say since you are not a part of our family." Cixi also shot back with clouded eyes.


    She was a bit conflicted. She was torn between carrying the child and leaving her there. She did not think the little girl was going to survive. Plus, they did not have the money to take care of a weak child especially now that they were relocating.


    "Just pray I am not alive when you get your doctor''s license because I''ll rip it apart."


    Maybe because she was an orphan. She did not wish for any child to grow up that way.


    How could this little girl stay in an orphanage, waiting everyday for a family she did not know to come pick her from there, when she had a family somewhere.


    She was never going to allow the child experience what she had experienced.


    So she had taken the child back home to show Jianjun and Mrs Wang who were shocked to stupor.


    "I... I am so sorry Sara. I did not know I was that despicable. I was wrong" Cixi began to cry and begged Sara. She tried to kneel down but Sara quickly pulled her up.


    Sara simply stared at her with an unreadable expression before she continued to dab her aunt''s wet face with her handkerchief.


    "I heard I ate a lot as a child. You must have been really offended" Sara joked.


    "It''s okay Aunt." She looked into her aunt''s teary eyes and said


    "There is nothing you would have done in the past that would make me hate you now.


    Those were all in the past, I don''t care about any of it now. Look at me, I am all grown up and surrounded by lovely people. Thanks to you and Mother who went there that night"


    Sara could not stop calling Helene her mother, and Changyu as Miss Changyu. She believed with time, she would adjust.


    Hearing her words even caused Cixi to cry the more. "It would have been better if you hated me"


    "I can''t hate you aunt. Even if I tried. You were my mother, my sister, my friend. Maybe you did dislike me at the beginning. But I know you showed me a lot of love which were pure and genuine. I don''t even want to start mentioning everything you did for me. How you had even quarrelled with dad for days because he made me take fighting classes. You had even asked me to act like I was sick so I wouldn''t go and said ladies were not supposed to fight."


    "Aunt. I love you. And there is nothing I cannot forgive you for"


    A shaky smile appeared on Cixi''s tear-streaked face. She felt free at last!


    She wrapped her hands around Sara in a hug and said in a low voice.


    "Thank you Sara. I am so proud of you."


    She was glad Helene had been there that night to rescue Sara. She could not imagine how her life and brother''s life would have been like in Sara was not in the picture.


    "Of course you should be proud of me. Mr Li would call you Aunt forever."


    Cixi paused and pulled away from Sara to ask inquisitively.


    "What do you mean by that?"


    "He asked me to marry him."


    "Oh my God!" Cixi screamed in excitement.


    "Please tell me you said yes. Please say you said yes!"


    Sara flashed the ring in front of Cixi''s eyes and grinned widely. "I thought you might kill me if I hadn''t said that"

 Chapter 295 - Busted

    Sara and Cixi went back home in the early evenings. Cixi had not taken any clothes with her when she left the house but she needed to check out of the hotel room. After a long conversation between both women, they went back home with Cixi hiding behind Sara.


    "You should apologize to Dad and Miss Changyu. I know it was pretty easy for me because I did not lose much¡ªonly grew up without a mother but you and dad made up for that and I did not feel the absence of a mother. But on the otherhand, dad was lonely the entire time. Miss Changyu had also been lonely. Even if what you did in the past had been the right thing, they would need someone to put the blame on. And unfortunately, that person is you. So please Aunt, go home with me. And tell them how really sorry you are for everything because 25 years isn''t a joke."


    Sara had said to Cixi while they were still both in the field.


    Now, Jianjun and Changyu looked at Cixi with no one saying anything.


    Joreen was also very excited to see her mother but she was smart enough to know that this was not the time to go embrace her.


    "Brother Jun...." Cixi called like a little girl as she looked at her brother guiltily.


    She was still standing behind Sara because she feared he might want to hit her or do something he had never done before just to show how angry he was at her.


    She looked at Changyu whose lips were pursed. But thankfully, she was not glaring at her.


    "Aunt. It''s going to be fine. Just apologize okay?" Sara turned to whisper to her before taking Joreen with her inside the room so they could give the adults privacy.


    She had explained everything to Cixi. She told her all Changyu had told her about her birth. So Cixi knew now that Changyu had not abandoned them, neither did she abandon the young Sara. Everything had been her parent''s doing.


    After the two younger generation went inside, Cixi lowered her knees till it touched the cold floor.


    "I do not know what to say to make you see how sorry I am to the both of you."


    As she thought of the words to use, tears began to slowly drop from her eyes.


    "I was wrong. I was selfish and filled with hate. And I do not deserve to even be forgiven by you both because even right now, my apology would not undo the past. But I want you to know how sorry I really am for everything. I won''t blame it on my age because they are even younger people who would have chosen a better option unlike the one I chose. But please..."


    She broke down and began to cry.


    "I am sorry brother Jun. I am sorry Changyu. I am really sorry for everything. I wasted your lives because of my stupidity."


    Jianjun turned to look at Changyu who was just looking at Cixi emotionlessly.


    He moved closer to Cixi and when she thought he might hit her, he gently pulled her up.


    "The floor is cold. You should go freshen up" He said dismissively but in a gentle tone.


    Changyu was rather straightforward. She did not like to beat around the bush so she said out


    "I am sorry too because I cannot forgive you. The pains you caused are quite deep now. And every wasted year deepend it even more. And even though I have found my daughter, I still can''t bring myself to easily forgive you for everything. But when I know I can, I''ll let you know"


    After saying that, she walked back inside Jianjun''s room which she now possessed and had refused to return to her house.


    Cixi looked at her retreating figure and her brother with sad eyes.


    ''Did she think they would easily forgive her after everything they had both gone through?''


    She had not also been sure. But she really wanted to apologize to them.


    "You should rest now. I''m glad you are home. I''ll make you something to eat"


    Jianjun said before leaving her there to go get some clothes to change into before getting busy in the kitchen.


    Cixi sighed and began to slowly sob again as she stood there in the quiet sitting room.


    When Jianjun entered inside his room, he saw Changyu lying on the bed with her face buried in the pillow.


    "Are you okay?" He asked.


    "Don''t you knock before entering someone''s room?" She sat up and scolded angrily.


    His voice had startled her because she did not know he had entered so she blew up at him.


    "Someone? Someone''s room?" Jianjun asked with a look of disbelief.


    "Isn''t this my room?" He asked himself again because it seemed he now had partial amnesia and was probably in the wrong room.


    "Don''t you think it''s time you go back home? Don''t you have business to attend to?"


    "Go outside! Can''t you see I''m thinking? And call Sara for me when you leave"


    "Hey! Who do you think you are ordering about?"


    "You! It''s you I''m ordering about." Changyu shot back.


    "What''s wrong with your attitude? Are you already on menopause?"


    He could not understand women. One time they were normal, the next, they were not.


    Changyu lay back on the bed and buried her head on the pillow.


    As he was about leaving, he began to hear gentle sobs like she was crying.


    "You''re crying? I didn''t mean that." He moved closer to sit on the bed and began to pat her back as he sincerely apologized for saying she was on menopause.


    "Why does a simple sorry need to fix everything?" She sat up and asked him sadly.


    She suffered for 25years. 25 good years! Cixi had not been the main cause but she had contributed greatly.


    Now, she was compelled to forgive her because of Sara, Joreen, and Jianjun who loved Cixi.


    Why did a little Sorry have to fix everything?


    Jianjun felt the same way. But he thought it was easier to forgive. That way, they could all easily move forward.


    "Because sorry is one of the strongest words. It shows you are humble, responsible and you admit your faults"


    "I don''t care about any of that! It would have been significant if she had said that a long time ago. We wouldn''t have been like this now. We probably would have been married with more kids."


    Jianjun looked at her in shock and confusion. Why was she always so forward and direct? Did he tell her he would have married her?


    Her tears were not much, but it still hurt him that she was crying.


    "It''s okay. You don''t have to pressure yourself to forgive. I am sure with time you would come around"


    "You are so comfortable with the whole thing. It''s as if you did not lose much. Didn''t you miss me?" She asked angrily as she continued to accuse him of not feeling as much pain as she did.


    Jianjun thought of the best way to shut her up because she was already being too loud to the point where the others might hear her.


    He did not buy the idea that first popped into his mind but he had to do it anyway.


    He looked at her awkwardly before taking an Apple from a plate beside her bed and tried to force it inside her mouth like it happened in the movies.


    He expected that she would bite on the Apple and keep shut but unfortunately, the reality was quite different.


    He used the Apple to hit her on the lips, making her give him the stink eye after she cried out.


    "Oh.. I''m sorry" He apologized hurriedly and began to use his hands to fan her lips awkwardly.


    "What was that for? Did you just hit me because you think I am saying nonsense?"


    She began another round of nagging and he thought about leaving but her face looked really cute as she complained so he stayed and listened.


    "Very dumb" She said before using her hands to drag down his head to meet hers and before he knew it, their lips were already locked in a kiss.


    His eyes shone and for a few seconds, he sat there limply like a robot whose battery was down.


    She slowly pulled away and said "That''s how to shut me up."


    She smirked at his widened eyes and shocked look.


    ''Still as dense as ever'' She thought.


    But she did not move far away before she felt his hand on her nape as he pulled her closer in a deeper kiss.


    This time, it was her whose eyes widened.


    ''When did he become this bold?'' She asked herself in surprise.


    The Jianjun she knew would have just stared blankly like that the whole day. But shit! He had kissed her back. She did not fail to deepen the kiss.


    The kiss, his breath, his hard body close to hers, reminded her of the past and what she had missed in years.


    ''Thank God I didn''t die back then'' She was sure she would have said that out if the kiss was not so deep right now. She had even draped her hands around his neck.


    Too bad their little moment was cut short when Sara suddenly opened the door thinking her parent''s had been fighting.


    "What is wro¡ª" Before she could say ''wrong'', Sara''s eyes widened and on impulse, she quickly ran back outside and slammed the door.


    "Seriously daughter?" Changyu asked loudly as she continued to pant for breath.


    Immediately the door opened, they had both pushed each other away and it had been so obvious that anyone who saw them would have known that something had been up.


    Jianjun smiled shyly and stood up from the bed. "What would you like to have for dinner?"


    Changyu arranged her hair with her hand before mouthing " Ramen" 1


    Jianjun did not get that it was a Korean slang for sexual intercourse. Instead, he frowned and began to give her a long lecture about how Ramen was bad for the health.


    "Just leave my room already" She threw a pillow at him out of frustration.


    Sara smiled sheepishly as she returned to her room.


    "Ah! Jianjun Wang. I didn''t know you were that naughty" She said to herself and began to giggle.


    Her Aunt had just come out from the shower and was getting dressed when Sara saw the cardigan her aunt had been wearing neatly folded and placed on top of the bed.


    "Did you buy this?"


    Joreen stopped talking to Cixi and also looked at the Cardigan when Sara asked.


    Sara noticed the sad look still plastered on her aunt''s face but said nothing about that. She did not want to butt in.


    "I didn''t" Cixi told them truthfully.


    "Oh...Someone gave it to you? A man?" Sara probed.


    She had always liked to tease her aunt whenever she came home with something new, which she was sure her aunt did not buy herself.


    But she had not expected this one to actually be from a man.


    "Yes." When Cixi affirmed it, even Joreen''s eyes widened.


    "You slept in a man''s place?" Joreen asked in horror.


    Cixi had not been in the mood to laugh, but she could not help laughing when she saw the two girls'' expressions.


    "Jo, you don''t only sleep in a man''s house before he offers you his jacket or Cardigan. Could have been an incident or accident that occurred to make him give it to you"


    Joreen nodded but Sara continued to smile sheepishly to show she did not believe that story.


    She gave Cixi the universal ''I am watching you'' sign before leaving the room to go check the kitchen timetable for what her father was going to prepare for dinner since Muchen was coming over.


    She had wanted to meet Jin Cherry, Cearo''s sister. But going to meet her aunt had taken her time so she could no longer meet Cherry and Muchen was supposed to come over soon so she had to tell her father so they could prepare an healthy meal since he had a weak stomach.


    It was what she had come to tell him before and that was when she heard them ''quarrelling''.


    She only hoped they were done now so she could tease her father a bit.


    Didn''t he say he did not like her?


    Busted!


    Korean slang for sex invitation

 Chapter 296 - Whats so special about you?

    "Stop it"


    Jianjun said to Sara in embarrassment without even raising his head to look at her.


    He was tired of watching her grin teasingly to him ever since she entered the kitchen.


    It would have been better if she opened her mouth to ask him questions or say out whatever she was keeping inside her little head.


    "I thought you said you did not like her?" Sara asked with that same smile still plastered on her face.


    "I did not know old people still did naughty things. You''re really something"


    This time, she grinned cheekily and began to laugh when he shot her a ''dangerous'' look.


    "She wants to see you. Go and meet her and stop troubling me."


    Sara began to chuckled before hopping out of the room to ''Changyu''s room'' next.


    There was no point in her teasing Changyu too much since it had always been obvious that she liked Jianjun.


    "That was one moment I ruined yea?" Sara laughed as she spoke to Changyu.


    "Yea. It''s always difficult having him around." Changyu admitted and began to smile sheepishly.


    "What are you thinking about?" Sara asked curiously when she saw the kind of smile on her face.


    "It''s a good thing your Aunt is around. I know he may want to suggest you sleeping in this room with me since your aunt would be sleeping with Joreen. But don''t ever agree. Make him sleep here tonight."


    "Oooh.... How shameless!" Sara started laughing when she saw the naughty look on Changyu''s face.


    She was now certain she was leaving her father in good hands.


    At first, she had not thought about getting married because she did not want to leave her father. But now, she felt like she was obstructing the both of them.


    "How did it go last night between you two?" Changyu asked curiously since she was already asleep by the time Muchen called to inform them that Sara could not return home.


    "Mr Li?"


    "I can''t believe you call your boyfriend that. You must have learned how not to be romantic from your father."


    Sara looked at the ring in her finger and knew that neither Jianjun nor Changyu had taken note of it that''s why they had not asked.


    Sara suddenly remembered she had not told them about his proposal yet because of the many distractions so, she dragged Changyu with her to the sitting room and called everyone else to gather.


    "What is wrong?" Jianjun asked first since she had forced him out of the kitchen and distracted his cooking.


    Cixi was the only one who knew the information Sara wanted to share so she just smiled and kept mute. She still did not feel  very comfortable since she was sure the others had not yet forgiven her.


    Sara raised her hand and flashed the ring in front of all their eyes.


    "Mr Li asked me to marry him" She announced excitedly.


    There was silence after she dropped the news.


    The first excited squeal she heard came from Joreen after about 30 seconds.


    "Wow, Congratulations!" Changyu smiled warmly at her before pulling her into a hug.


    "I am happy for you my dear"


    "Oh my God. I can''t believe this!" Joreen hopped happily into Sara''s embrace.


    She could not believe Li Muchen was going to be her Cousin-in-law. Heya also.


    Cixi also congratulated her again.


    It was not every time that some gets to find a perfect Nephew-in-law like Li Muchen, who was not only rich but respectful.


    But Jianjun just stood there without saying anything. He did not even look like someone who was happy for her at all.


    When he noticed they were all staring at him, he said a simple "Congratulations" before heading back inside the kitchen.


    "What''s wrong with Dad?" Joreen asked first.


    "He obviously did not think she would ever be getting married" Cixi explained.


    "Pffft... Does he want to get married to his own daughter?" Changyu murmured before going to meet him inside the kitchen. Sara also followed behind her.


    "I''ll speak with him for you. Do not worry." Changyu said to her and Sara nodded in appreciation before going back to join Cixi and Joreen.


    "What''s with the long face? You aren''t happy for Sara?"  Changyu asked.


    "Who said I am not?" He got busy with chopping some veggies and when he went to stir something on the fire, she washed her hands, wore some kitchen gloves and continued chopping the veggies for him which surprised him.


    "Well, you looked sad."


    He sighed and lowered the heat he was frying with.


    "That''s a given. She was all I had. I knew a day like this would come but I was not really expecting it any time soon." He admitted.


    Changyu smiled as she listened to him.


    He was behind her and could only see her back so he did not see the grin on her face.


    ''She was all I had'' he had said.


    It meant now, he had more. Probably her right? Changyu tried to convince herself.


    "What are you smiling for?" He asked with a strange look on his face.


    Changyu was startled and flinched back. She had no idea when he appeared in front of her, on the other side of the table.


    "Erm..well... She''s a lady and all grown up now. It''s normal for her to get married to the love of her life. Any you know CEO Li also loves her a lot."


    "I know."


    "It''s okay. I''ll continue chopping them. You should go freshen up for dinner. You know he''ll be here soon"


    "I want to help out also. He''s going to be our son-in-law remember?"


    Jianjun pursed his lips and said nothing.


    "Don''t give me that look. You don''t have to worry about Sara. She''s in good hands. You''re also in good hands" She said before laughing at how cheesy it sounded.


    "What a weird woman" Jianjun shook his head before returning to the side of the fire.


    When they were done cooking, he had to literally force Changyu to leave the kitchen and go freshen up.


    It was not long before he felt a hand wrap around his waist when he was doing the dishes.


    Without turning around, he knew it was Sara behind him. "Stop playing around" he said in a neutral tone.


    "How are you dad?" She did not move away but instead, she rested her head on his back and with her hands still around his belly.


    "I am good. Are you done dressing up?"


    "Yes. You should go freshen up. I''ll do the rest." Sara left him and tried to pull him out of there but he refused.


    "Dad..." She pouted like a little girl but he still did not look at her.


    "I am happy you are going to get married. Don''t think I am sad. It''s just that I am used to having you around."


    He took in a deep breath and sighed deeply. "It''s a good thing he''s taking this stubborn daughter away. Too bad I did not get the chance to teach you how to cook. I am just troubled he might send you back here for being a very lazy wife" He joked.


    Sara chuckled before standing on her toes to give him a kiss on his cheek.


    "I''m still here. You should hurry up and do something about mum. You have a nice company beside you. Stop being shy"


    "I am not being shy!" He shot back.


    "Besides.. We are.. we are too old for all that" He said in an embarrassed tone.


    "No one is ever too old for love. We all know you like her. You should do the right thing and keep giving her some nice kisses"


    Sara puckered her lips and released a smack sound.


    "You''re being naughty." He laughed before turning around to wipe his hands on his apron.


    He looked at her for the first time and smiled proudly.


    She was dressed in a gown he had never seen her wear before.


    It was a simple and short blue gown. Her hair was in a bun and her face had little make-up.


    On her neck was a little necklace with her initials on it. And on her earlobes, were two pretty little earrings.


    "You''ll make a really beautiful bride" He complimented.


    "I thought so too" She added proudly.


    ****


    "They are here" Joreen informed Changyu and Sara who were having a private talk inside the room.


    "They?" Sara asked herself in confusion. Muchen had not told her he was bringing anyone else.


    As both women stood up, Sara remembered to add..


    "He knows you are my mother. So you should not act out of character and act freely" She said to Changyu before they both went to the sitting room.


    They saw Muchen and Heya talking to Jianjun while the ever joyful Cixi was just standing by the side saying nothing.


    Heya''s eyes widened when she saw Changyu come out from the room with Sara. She wondered what the woman was doing there. Was she that really close with Sara?


    After greeting her, she turned to look at Sara.


    "Congratulations sis" Heya said with a smile before hugging her.


    She had been so excited the moment Muchen told her he proposed to Sara and she had agreed. He had even told everyone in the family about it and she was excited that Sara was going to be her sister-in-law. She could not ask for a better woman.


    Muchen''s heart skipped the moment he saw Changyu approach with Sara. He took in a deep breath before greeting her awkwardly as ''Mother''.


    Heya was surprised when she heard it. What did he mean by mother?


    Did Changyu by chance adopt Sara?


    Her eyes shone even wider at that thought but she still remained quiet and composed.


    Dinner was quiet.


    Once they were done, it was time for the proper talk.


    Muchen would never have believed it if someone had told him a year back that he would be so nervous while facing a small group of people.


    He had faced and spoken to hundreds of people during conferences; young,old, foreign, local.


    He was not even nervous when he met with potential investors who he expected to contribute billions in a project.


    But right now in the presence of six people, his hands were sweaty.


    This was the biggest business deal; He was asking for their precious daughter in exchange for nothing in particular.


    Jianjun mostly threw questions at him since Cixi and Changyu were both quiet.


    "I believe Sara''s mother and Aunt should have something to say. They are all part of this family"


    "Sara''s mother?" Heya asked out and looked at them in confusion.


    "Did Miss Changyu really adopt Sara?" She asked aloud.


    Jianjun explained that Changyu was Sara''s real mother and for a minute, Heya was dumbstruck and dumbfounded.


    "Oh my God!" Heya quickly stood up and kowtowed in front of Changyu.


    "I am so happy for Sara. Thank you for being Sara''s mother"


    Heya said genuinely with tears in her eyes.


    She still remembered the day her own mother had slapped Sara and how she kept saying Sara''s family was not a reputable one. What a sweet slap to her mother''s face this was!


    "You''re a sweet girl. I''m glad you''re Sara''s friend" Changyu said with a warm smile before getting up to pull Heya up.


    "We hope you treat Sara well. We can''t ask for more than that" Cixi said with a smile.


    She had practically watched Sara grow up so Sara was like her own daughter.


    At first Cixi had been quiet because she felt she did not deserve to say anything. But Jianjun signalled for her to speak and so she had to even though she still felt guilty about everything she had done.


    "If you hurt her, the Wang''s will come for you. We might not be very rich, but we do not joke with our own." Joreen nodded in agreement to her mother''s words.


    No one messed with a Wang.


    It was time for Changyu to say something since she was the only one left.


    "I don''t really have much to say since I was separated from my daughter for so many years and never watched her grow up."


    Changyu said sadly.


    She felt even Joreen had more right to say something than herself.


    "You are still Sara''s mother. And your consent matters a lot to us" Muchen added modestly.


    And he regretted saying those words. Because he had no idea what was coming for him.


    Changyu crossed her legs before going into character.


    "So why do you think I should give my precious daughter to you?" She asked.


    "We all know you are a CEO and all that. But that does not guarantee that you are a nice person or that your family would treat her well. Why should I allow my precious daughter into your family? What''s so special about you? Because you are a CEO? Anyone can be a CEO... Even Sara would be one soon.."


    There was total silence immediately she was done with her questions.


    Everyone shifted uncomfortably, even Muchen looked at her in shock.


    Sara''s jaw dropped as she continued to stare at Changyu who resumed throwing questions at him.

 Chapter 297 - Two thieves.

    As Changyu continued to throw questions at him, Muchen just stared back without knowing how to answer.


    He seriously thought about the question.


    What was so special about him aside from the fact that he was a young CEO?


    There were other CEOs even younger than him.


    But at a young age, he was able to make a great impact in the country''s economy so that should count right?


    But they were not talking about the whole country right now. Neither were they talking about business.


    They were talking about the girl he loved and wanted to marry. Why did he think he deserved her?


    "How can you ask him those questions? What''s not perfect about him?" Sara asked back almost angrily and looked at her father so he would say something to stop her from asking further.


    She did not like the fact that Changyu was making Muchen uncomfortable. Even if no one else saw it, she could see how uncomfortable and confused he was.


    Muchen almost sighed in relief when he heard her come to his rescue but he did not. Changyu on the other hand, quickly brushed her off.


    "My dear. This is for you. Trust me"


    Once she finished saying that, she resumed her questions.


    "How sure are we that you won''t get too busy and always ignore her? What about when you keep going for business trips? How do you expect her to stay by herself without you? And can we trust you that you will never cheat on her?"


    Sara paused to also think about it. Her questions did make sense. She was certain he would not cheat on her. But what about him traveling all the time?


    She was not sure she could live alone for weeks without him.


    When Muchen saw Sara seriously thinking about it, he too felt puzzled.


    "I love Sara." He admitted boldly.


    "She comes first before anything else. Keeping the Li Corporation is my responsibility to my family. But once we get married, Sara becomes my priority. If possible, I would take her with me to every business trip and meeting I attend because I also, do not wish to part from her for even a single day. And I swear to never cheat on her."


    Yes, he knew he would never do so.


    In fact, ever since he met Sara, he could not count the number of ladies that had tried to make passes at him and he simply told them. "My girlfriend is quite scary. You should save yourself the trouble of crying while explaining the reason you flirted with me"


    And thankfully, they all took his advise. He was sure most of them thought Sara was from a big and powerful family with the way he told them about her.


    Jianjun sighed in relief when he heard Muchen''s answer. He did believe Muchen and he knew he was sincere about his daughter from the first day he saw him in his shabby restaurant some months back. He had even known first that he had a thing for his daughter before his dumb daughter even knew about it.


    Sara''s smile was bigger than Cixi''s and Joreen''s smile put together.


    "Told you I made the right choice" She said excitedly and poked her father''s arm.


    Changyu was still quiet.


    Although she did not mean to make it difficult for Muchen, she thought it was necessary to ask those questions.


    She had been a young girl in love, and she knew what heartbreak was capable of doing to a girl who genuinely and sincerely loved a guy.


    She did not want Sara to ever experience even a half of what she had experienced.


    When Jianjun noticed she was about to say something again, he covertly pinched her gently but she pushed his hand away.


    "I must warn you..." She faced Muchen again


    "If you dare make her sad....it won''t be difficult to end the Li Corporation. You can ask my parent''s about it."


    She warned with a dark smile that made even Heya to shiver.


    "Please trust me with your daughter." Muchen stood up and bowed deeply to all of them.


    "Alright then. Welcome to this family. You can make yourself at home"  Changyu finally smiled warmly at him.


    "This is not even your home" Jianjun mummered which earned him a dark glare from Changyu.


    If he thought she was going to leave, then he was dreaming.


    She knew she was supposed to leave one day since the headquarter of her company was not in Country B but in the country she had stayed.


    But she had capable hands handling everything and sending the details to her.


    She also had many capable workers apart from Hani and Driver Yen who overseed other branches in different countries and sent her the reports on a daily basis.


    All she had to do was to go through the revised reports. And that job, she could do from anywhere with her laptop. Even from this house.


    She was also taking care of a huge project right now.


    She only hoped it would make Jianjun happy once she was done.


    And there was something else she needed to check on, and that was to make sure her parents remained in jail since more charges were still being raised against them.


    She felt a bit bad for them, but she would never help them cover their sin.


    ---


    "Now I know why people always said mother-in-laws were scary." Muchen said to Sara immediately they got to the stairs that would lead them out of the apartment.


    "It''s going to be a huge problem when she clashes with grandmother. I already feel an headache coming" Heya added before looking at the stairs dreadfully.


    "Pretty good way to exercise." Heya said before using the stairs. "I''ll be waiting downstairs" She informed Muchen since she was sure they needed privacy.


    "I''m sorry about all that. But for some reason, it made me feel warm¡ªto have a mother. Someone who thinks really far for you and worries about your future."


    Muchen smiled before pulling her into a hug.


    "I am also glad you have someone like that who can threaten to ruin the company. I should really watch my back from now. Your mother is scary. Honestly" He confessed.


    She laughed and began to take the stairs but he gently pulled her back.


    "You''ll have to climb back up if you go down."


    He explained why he did not want her to go down with him.


    "I had no idea you all take this kind of stairs." He said in horror.


    The stairs were not only unequal, they were also tiny and just too many.


    "I''m used to it." She admitted.


    "You shouldn''t get used to things like this. Let me not keep you here for long before she comes out. Remember we''ll be meeting grandmother tomorrow morning. I''ll come pick me up."


    "Morning? Hello? I work. I thought we were going in the evening?"


    "You should skip work. It''s not like your employer would ever fire you anyway" Muchen answered her.


    Sara began to laugh. And when she finally agreed to go inside, she heard someone call from behind her


    "CEO Li...?"


    They both looked at the person and Muchen was surprised to see her there.


    "Oh it''s you.. Hi" She also greeted Sara familiarly and in suprise to see her standing beside Li Muchen.


    "Miss Kim? You live here?" Sara asked in surprise.


    "No. I only came to run an errand for an uncle of mine." She explained to the both of them.


    "You know her?" Muchen asked Sara in surprise to see her talking to Kim Eva like they both knew each other very well.


    "I do. You know her also?" She asked Muchen since Eva had called Muchen first.


    "Yes. She works in Li Corporation. Minde''s team leader."


    "Oh really? I had no idea" Sara looked at her in surprise.


    "She is my fiancee" Muchen proudly introduced Sara to Eva.


    It was Eva''s time to be surprised.


    "Oh, wow! I am happy for you. Never would I have thought you were the girlfriend CEO Li talked about during our meeting one certain time."


    Sara smiled happily when she heard that.


    Another brownie point for him!


    After Eva left, Sara explained that they both took the same fighting classes. It was how she had met Eva who always fought like her life depended on it.


    Muchen was surprised since Sara had only told him about the etiquette class and not the fighting class.


    That was when it also crossed her mind that she had not told him about how Mo Jinyoing had sent some men to drag her to him.


    "I''ll explain all of it to you tomorrow"


    Since they had already spent more time there and Heya was waiting outside they decided to call it a night.


    ***


    That night, just like Changyu had predicted, Jianjun planned their sleeping arrangement.


    He asked Sara to sleep with Changyu. While he would use the couch.


    "It''s big enough to contain the three of us. I can sleep with my aunt and Joreen"


    Sara whispered to Changyu. They both looked like thieves planning to attack.


    Changyu smile mischievously before kissing Sara on the cheek. "Good night princess"


    ---


    Sara joined her Aunt and Joreen in the bed.


    Both women had to sleep on each ends to stop Joreen from rolling out of the bed.


    "I thought you are sleeping with your mother?" Cixi asked Sara who was still smiling naughtily.


    "I want to sleep here tonight."


    "You are both planning something aren''t you?"


    "We are." Sara admitted with a laugh.


    "Now tell me aunt" She used a hand to raise her head from the bed to look at her aunt, with her elbow on the bed.


    "Who is he?"


    "Who?" Cixi feigned ignorance.


    "The man whose sweater you wore. Is he a suitor?"


    "Pffft... Suitor my foot. I am obviously older than him."


    "Oh yea.. I checked the laptop and found nothing at all inside. Don''t you think it''s weird that the laptop is empty?" Cixi asked Sara with her head also raised but her voice low so she would not wake Joreen up.


    Sara pursed her lips and was quiet for a moment before saying.


    "Let''s just let it remain in the past. No one would dare hurt us now. I''ll be getting married to Mr Li plus Miss Changyu is now a part of this family. Things would change from now on. So let it slide please..."


    She did not want her aunt to have anything to do with the Blacks since they had been the ones who gave the orders to mess with Joreen.


    Cixi hissed before resting her head on the bed again.


    "So tell me about him. Even if you are older than him, doesn''t mean something cannot happen"


    Cixi remembered the gentleman that helped her twice; first, he helped nurse her back after she collapsed. Secondly, he offered her a ride when she was stranded.


    After he picked her up that day, she asked him to take her to the hotel she usually lodged at.


    Once they got there and she was about getting down, he asked her a simple but unexpected question.


    "Do you believe in perfect coincidences?"


    She had looked at him in confusion before answering..


    "Maybe. Maybe not"


    She thanked him and when she was about leaving, he stretched his hand to take the sweater from his back seat.


    "The car is warm. But outside is really cold. You should cover properly so you wouldn''t catch a cold and fall sick again. And remember to go for a check up Mrs Doctor"


    She was not ready to correct him again on the ''Mrs''. So she simply took the sweater from him, thanked him again and closed the door but he did not drive away. Instead, he spoke again.


    "If you really want to apologize, then you should apologize to the one you wronged and stop moping. Goodbye" He waved her and finally drove off.


    Cixi did not tell Sara anything but was deep in thought.


    The little time she spent with him, she was able to guess that he had problems also.


    Since he helped her out, she was also going to help him out. Thankfully, she knew his house even if she did not have his number.


    ***


    As Jianjun carried his blanket and pillow from ''Changyu''s room'', she was quiet and said nothing to him at all. In fact, she acted like she did not see him enter and continued using her phone.


    Ordinarily, he would have felt bad that she was ignoring him. But he knew this woman!


    And he was very sure she was up to something and he knew it was not going to be something good.


    He dragged his feet from the room to the sitting room with his blanket and a pillow in hand.


    And as he settled himself on the longest couch he usually slept on, he jumped and shouted in shock.


    The entire couch was soaked with water. Cold water!


    As Changyu heard how he shouted, she dropped her phone and began to laugh.


    "Did something happen to him?" Cixi asked Sara who was also busy laughing.


    "Ignore him. He''ll be fine." Sara assured Cixi who was about getting up to go check on her brother.

 Chapter 298 - Hard-to-get father.

    It took Jianjun many seconds to register what had just happened.


    Even the back of the pants he was wearing was now wet and he could feel the cold prick his skin.


    There was only one name that came to his mind and quickly, he marched to the room.


    When he entered, Changyu was still lying on the bed with an innocent look on her face. Her eyes were also still fixed on her phone''s screen just like he had met her earlier.


    "Are you not already too old for games like this?" He asked her rather coldly.


    "Games? What did I do?" She sat up and looked at him with an innocent look.


    If someone had told her a week ago that she would be having fun and acting all naughty now, she never would have believed it.


    She could not count the number of times she had laughed loudly ever since she came in here.


    She was happy! And she knew she deserved it.


    Even if many years had passed, she was lucky to have been able to find happiness before leaving this cruel world¡ª Even if that happiness meant soaking someone''s couch.


    Anyone else would have believed her with that look. But he knew her best.


    He turned around to show her his buttocks that was already soaked with water.


    As Changyu looked at it, she tried her best not to laugh. But she could no longer keep a straight face before letting loose with a loud guffaw.


    Jianjun turned around when he heard her laugh and frowned even more.


    "It''s not funny. You''ll be a grandmother soon, yet you''re still acting naughty. If you continue like this, you''ll have to return to your place"


    Changyu frowned at that and stood up to look at him angrily.


    "What is your problem? Everyday ''I''ll send you to your place, you''ll have to go back home'' Did you build this house? Is it yours? If you are tired of seeing me, why don''t you leave instead?"


    Jianjun scoffed in disbelief. This woman seemed to always surprise him with her shamelessness.


    First, she took over his room. Now, she was even asking him to leave the house?


    "Do you have a mental problem or something? How can you ask me to leave my own house?"


    "Don''t ask me! You always nag everyday. You don''t even let me do the things I want to do."


    "When did I ever not let you do things? You''ve been possessing the whole house like you paid the rent" He shot back.


    "So what''s so bad in me soaking a couch that I do not like?"


    Jianjun closed his eyes, used his hands to massage his temples and sighed.


    There was no way he would ever win against her. He came to that conclusion.


    He saw her begin to arrange her things together and shoving them in a small nylon bag since she did not come with any clothes and had been wearing Sara''s clothes.


    "What are you doing?" He asked even though he knew what she was doing.


    "Leaving your house for you" She answered rudely. "You can go have fun with your ugly couch"


    As she pushed past him to the door, Jianjun called her back.


    Changyu smiled secretly before turning around to face him with an angry face.


    She did not like that he was playing hard to get.


    Did she always have to try to seduce him or put in an effort before he slowly begin to join her? She thought she was done with that many years back. But Jianjun never ceased to surprise her.


    "What is it?" She asked with a straight face.


    He pointed at the wardrobe. "Your shoe is there. You should also take it with you"


    Changyu frowned even more before throwing the nylon bag at him which caused her purse and other things to spill from the bag.


    Was he crazy? Did he not see that she was bluffing?


    Jianjun could not help laughing out when he saw her reaction.


    "You should just remain here. It would be boring if you leave" He admitted for the first time before walking past her to leave the room.


    Changyu had a missed emotion. She did not know whether to be happy or sad.


    He asked her to stay and said the place would be boring without her.


    But, he still was not willing to sleep in the room with her.


    She turned back to stop him from leaving but bumped into his hard chest which startled her.


    She raised her head slowly to look up at him.


    "I...thought you left"


    Since the door was still open, she thought he had already walked out but he was standing just behind her?


    Jianjun did not answer her. Instead, he pulled her closer to him and hugged her, which startled her since it was the last thing she expected from him at that moment.


    "Chang..." He called her the name he usually called her back then.


    "Hmmm?" She was still a bit flustered so she could only answer that way.


    "I have never been so unsure in my entire life" He admitted in a gentle but serious tone.


    "Unsure about?" She asked.


    "You. Me. Us."


    "And what about you, me, us?"


    Jianjun did not speak for a while and Changyu became worried.


    She tried to pull away from the hug to look at him but he held her firmly in place.


    "Things did not go well with us when we were younger. I am.. I am just scared. I don''t want to invest my emotions into this and all of a sudden, something comes up again. I am not sure I can take any more of that at this age."


    He explained in a low voice.


    "We can handle things properly at this age. We both know what we want, I believe.." Changyu added.


    She was never a woman to give up.


    If there was something she wanted, she went straight for it.


    And now, she wanted Jianjun Wang!


    "I know I want you.." He did not bother to deny it.


    Even though she was a pain in the ass, he could not imagine living without her again.


    "But you do not deserve this kind of life. You do not deserve staying in a home where there is no heater to warm up the place. Neither do you deserve to take those stairs. I see it that you are too much for me and ¡ª"


    "You do not deserve this kind of life either. Neither does your sister, Sara, or Joreen deserve it. No one deserves it. The brother Jun I knew grew up in a nice home. Even though he did not care about the kind of clothes he wore, he had a lot of clothes that he did not even notice when it began to miss. He ate good food and was focused on his dreams¡ªto take DELIFOOD to great heights with his parents."


    She slowly pulled away from the hug and lifted her eyes to look into his.


    "Let''s go back there. I''ll help you with everything, even taking my parents to court for what they did to yours. I want you to start living like a human from now on. To live your dreams."


    Jianjun opened his mouth but he could not say a word. His eyes continued to blink rapidly like he was fighting back tears.


    But he managed to shake his head "I''m... not sure I can do all of those now"


    "You can. And you will do it. Not just for yourself, but for your only daughter. For your little niece, and for yourself."


    "Don''t you think living like this makes you a selfish person? Your father once struggled to build DELIFOOD for you and your sister. You should also do this for Sara. You should leave something significant behind that would make even up to your great grand children to remember you for. Or what else do you think they would be able to inherit from you? Your clothes or that little restaurant downstairs?" She asked him harshly.


    Jianjun closed his eyes and allowed her words to sink in.


    "Look at me Jun" She stood on tiptoes and cupped his face with her hands.


    "Look at me"


    She demanded again.


    This time, he opened his bloodshot eyes to look at her.


    "If you really love me, then do this. I want you to see that you are not too much for me. When you''ve done it, you''ll realise that. You''ll realise just how capable you are."


    "But first, let''s make my parents pay for what they did"


    He pulled her into a hug again and she felt him shake his head.


    "I don''t want to."


    "You don''t want to build DELIFOOD?" She asked sadly.


    "Not that. I don''t want to take your parents to court"


    "But why?" She asked in confusion.


    "Because.. they are your parents."


    "So what?" She asked without any intention of pulling away from the hug.


    "I don''t want people to say bad things about you when they see you beside me. It''s the price I am willing to pay for falling in love with their daughter."


    When Changyu did not say anything else, Jianjun slowly pulled away from the hug to look at her and just like he suspected, he saw tears in her eyes.


    "It''s okay. It''s fine" He said before using his thumb to clean her tears.


    Changyu also did not like to raise charges against her parents. She only felt it was something necessary. Now, Jianjun did not even want her to do so after everything just because he did not want people to talk bad about her?


    "But promise me. If in the future, the issue comes up about your parents, we would have to open the case."


    He was quiet for a bit before finally nodding. "I agree"


    She finally smiled.


    "You are a good man." She complimented.


    "But you''ll be a bad man if you don''t sleep here tonight"


    Jianjun began to smile and scratch the back of his head awkwardly.


    As he stood there, some question popped inside his head. But he had the answers to them.


    ''Was it a good idea to sleep in the same room with a woman he was not married to?''


    ''Well, the couch was soaked and there was no other place to sleep. So ya!''


    ''What if the others complain about it: Cixi, Sara and Joreen?''


    "Damn it! The couch is wet!" He said out loud before grabbing her by the waist.


    "Right choice" She said with a naughty smile before their lips locked.


    Jianjun thought it was the best time to also take off his wet pants so she would not get wet.


    Changyu thought the room was hot so she also had to take off her clothes (winks* winks*)


    Did he really not know that his daughter had assisted her in messing with the couch?


    If he had not played along, how else would he have gotten the opportunity to sleep here with her?


    ---


    "Aunt do you hear that?" Sara asked Cixi who was already sleepy.


    "What is it?" Cixi asked groggily.


    "Silence...absolute silence" Sara said with a naughty smile before drifting off to sleep.


    She was going to wake up half a million bucks rich for only assisting in wetting a couch?


    Ah! How nice it was to have a rich mother and a hard-to-get father.


    Was she supposed to do it for free?


    Well, she would have but Changyu had offered her first.


    It seemed Changyu was a businesswoman who thought people should always be paid for their time and services.


    Sara was also a businesswoman and had a wedding to plan for so..Duh?

 Chapter 299 - Long Conversation

    Cixi was still asleep by the time Sara woke up.


    It seemed she had not been able to sleep well for days so she slept really deep now.


    "Where is Daddy?" Joreen asked Sara who was coming out from the room.


    Sara smiled before looking at the direction of the other room.


    It was already past seven in the morning yet he was still sleeping?


    It only happened when he was sick. Because Jianjun was an early riser. By now, he would have been in the kitchen already but everywhere was empty.


    "Daddy is fine. Probably having a long conversation with pretty Changyu" Sara answered with a bright smile on her face before asking..


    "Are you hungry baby Jo?"


    Joreen nodded. She was a big eater and also liked to eat very early. By now, she would have been in the kitchen picking some little chops but unfortunately, Jianjun was still talking with pretty Changyu.


    "But daddy doesn''t talk for long when he has not prepared breakfast. Are you sure he isn''t sick? And I don''t think he slept on the couch either. It didn''t look like someone slept on it and I think it is wet also"


    Sara was frustrated with her questions. Why did kids like to ask too many questions?


    "Dad is fine. Something bad happened to his favourite couch yesterday. So he had to sleep in Pretty Changyu''s room. They probably talked throughout the night so he is probably sleeping."


    Joreen nodded.


    She had wanted to ask why he slept in her room instead of theirs and why they talked throughout the night when they could have just talked during the day, but she was hungry and decided to let the questions slide. She would just ask him directly when he wakes up.


    "Poor restaurant. We just opened it yet it''s been closed for days. Must have lost a lot enthusiastic customer" Joreen said sadly..


    "It''s fine. There are other ways of getting more customers."


    "I''ll make you something to eat Jo. What would you like to have?"


    Joreen looked at her in horror before shaking her head.


    "I am not hungry."


    Before Sara could say anything else, Joreen already rushed inside the room.


    ---


    Jianjun was the first to open his eyes.


    And he smiled when he saw Changyu''s sleeping face.


    He did not move at all. Instead, he just kept staring at her.


    Everything felt like a dream. It was so difficult to believe that all of this was actually real.


    She was really in his arms.


    What did he ever do to deserve this kind of blessing?


    Changyu was not only very pretty and classy, she was also the number one in the business world.


    There were obviously a lot of men who wanted her for themselves. But she had chosen a nobody like him instead.


    The only thing he could do was to repay her.


    He was going to make sure she never regretted it and he was going to take care of her.


    Just like she had mentioned, he was going to start living the kind of life that would make them all proud.


    After some *wink wink* last night, they had both talked for a long time and finally slept around 3 in the morning.


    But before they slept, she had suddenly frowned and told him not to talk to her while calling him a bad person.


    He looked at her in confusion since he had no idea what he did this time. And after pressuring her to tell him what he did wrong, she mentioned that she had stayed alone and celibate for years but he had married Helene and cheated on her.


    He could not help but laugh at that before informing her that he never got married to Helene. Neither was he ever intimate with her.


    Because his mother liked Helene a lot, she had asked him to marry her. It had been her dying wish.


    But he had cried and refused it, telling her he was never going to get married to any other woman. He had also begged for her forgiveness, and continued to feel guilty even after his mother died.


    On the day Helene registered as Sara''s mother and took her for all her medical treatments, he still continued to feel bad even to the day of her death.


    Helene had been so dedicated in caring for Sara that she neglected her own health.


    She had been sick but none of them knew about it. And it wasn''t long before she died.


    It was at that time that Cixi began to slowly open up to Sara and finally liked the one year old little girl she had hated all along.


    Changyu would have smiled in relief, but she was sad instead. She prayed for Helene''s soul and thanked her for everything. She felt disappointed in herself for disliking Helene unnecessarily.


    As he continued to watch her sleep, he began to use his hand to trail her sleeping face. But he suddenly paused and looked at the window behind her, then his eyes widened.


    Morning. It was morning!


    He quickly got up from the bed but was careful not to wake her up.


    He quickly threw on a shirt and pant to cover his underwear and looked at his phone. He was surprised to see it was already past eight in the morning.


    He could not remember the last time he slept for that long.


    Immediately he opened the door, a folded paper fell on the floor in front of him.


    He quickly picked it up and opened it to read the contents.


    ''I had to hurry out. I hope you both had a very looong conversation last night? Hehehe''


    He knew the handwriting.


    Even if it had been a printed text, he would have also known it was his naughty daughter who left the note.


    "When did she get spoiled?" He asked himself in confusion and turned back when he heard a sound come from behind him.


    "You''re up early" Changyu said groggily with her eyes half closed.


    "Good morning." He greeted with a smile before adding.


    "You can continue sleeping. I''ll make breakfast for you"


    A smile appeared on her face and she remained quiet.


    It took him a while before realising that she had fallen asleep.


    Poor woman must have been really tired from all the conversation last night.

 Chapter 300 - That is my wish

    Muchen had come to pick Sara so they could both see his grandmother. But on their way to her place, he suddenly received a call that made him change gear and head towards another direction.


    Li Sun had collapsed and was currently at the hospital.


    Sara had seen how worried he looked as he drove there with speed.


    Even though she had tried to assure him that she was going to be fine and was a strong woman, he did not seem to calm down.


    There were curious glances when people saw Muchen and Sara rushing into the hospital with their hands locked together.


    But that did not seem to bother them even the least bit.


    He did not also bother to ask the nurses on the counter about the room Sun was since he knew she was in the Li family''s private room.


    The Li corporation made huge donations to Dr Long''s hospital and so, a permanent private room was always ready for the Lis at any time.


    "Are you sure it''s okay for me to go in with you?" Sara asked when Muchen was about to open the door.


    Those were his family members inside and she was not yet a part of their family, so she was a bit skeptical about it.


    "Let''s go in together." He held her hand tightly and still waited for her to agree. Once she nodded, he opened the door.


    His Mother, Father, Uncle, Aunt, Hoy and Sun''s maid were already inside the big room around Li Sun''s bed.


    Minde had earlier called to tell him he would be coming together with Heya immediately he got the news.


    "Grandmother.. How are you?" Muchen moved closer to ask.


    Thankfully, Sun still looked a little bit strong even though it was obvious to them all that she was sick.


    Her eyes were almost dim as she looked at Muchen.


    "You all shouldn''t have come here. Aren''t you all busy people?" Sun complained weakly.


    After Sara finished bowing to the elders there, she faced Sun.


    "Madam Li.. How do you feel now?" Sara asked sadly.


    The woman was always so strong, so seeing her like this now was not a good sight for Sara.


    "I feel suffocated. They are too many" Sun was referring to her family who were all standing beside her bed.


    But for some reason, she felt warm.


    It was the first time that she was in the hospital with her family around her.


    "How do you do my dear? I heard you''ll become a part of the Li family soon" Sun said to Sara.


    Sara smiled shyly before nodding.


    She then raised her hand to show Sun the ring.


    "It''s real diamond" Sara announced proudly which caused Sun to laugh.


    "You''ll never use your eyes to see fake diamonds as long as you remain in this family. You can trust the Lis on that." Sun said with a smile.


    She did not know how or when she began to grow fond of Sara. But she had to confess that Sara was one tough lady she did not have the strength to fight with.


    Jiang Dana quietly watched them converse. She did not still like the idea that Sara was going to marry Muchen. But it seemed everyone else was in support of the idea except for her and she could not voice out her complaint especially in front of Sun.


    Fazhan smiled sadly as he watched them talk.


    At that point, the door opened and Minde came in with Heya.


    Heya quickly rushed to Sun''s side and sat on her bed.


    "What happened to you? Why did you collapse?" Heya threw the questions at her immediately.


    She had never been really close with her grandmother. But ever since her birthday party, Heya grew to like her even more. They had even spoken on the phone a couple of times.


    "I was feeling a little but dizzy late last night and fainted. I don''t know why she had to call the entire family to tell you all about it. I am okay now" Sun explained as she looked towards the direction of her maid who had tattled to them.


    "Be truthful to us mother. I know you are hiding things from all of us. We are your family." Her eldest son Li Han, said in a hurtful voice.


    Sun looked at all of them gathered there. She smiled sadly and soon, tears escaped through the corner of her eyes.


    "It''s normal for old people to get sick and die some day. I guess this is my time" She said with a sad smile still plastered on her face.


    "You...you are really sick?" Li Fazhan asked in shock. "How long has it been?"


    Sun remained quiet and said nothing to them.


    "I should rest now" She quickly dismissed them and closed her eyes.


    "Three years"


    They all turned back to look at her maid who answered the question with tears in her eyes.


    "She''s been sick for three years. At first, we thought they might be a cure. But till now, there is still nothing. And each day worsens it." She continued to explain.


    "I begged her to tell you all. But she did not want to trouble you all with her life issues. You all did not even care about her. How could you all have treated her that way? How could¡ª"


    "Enough!" Sun cut her off harshly.


    "You are in no position to fault my children" She said in between tears and with a very weak voice.


    Everyone was shocked, quiet, and surprised.


    She had been sick for three years? Not only did they not know about it, it was also incurable?


    The first person to break down in tears was Heya who was still sitting beside her.


    As Sara looked at Sun and the others, she noticed that every other person was trying so hard not to cry, including Muchen.


    And she knew they were not actually crying because she was sick. They were crying because they had been unfilial. They had abandoned their family to the point where they did not know she was battling with her life.


    They all heard a loud thud, and when they checked, they saw Li Han kneeling down with his eyes clouded.


    "I am a bad son. Please forgive me mother" He could no longer hold it in and the tears began to flow.


    No one could blame her for not telling them about it. They had never cared about her in the first place.


    How could he have treated his own mother that way?


    Li Fazhan followed suit. He knelt down and also apologized for his shortcoming. Both wives joined. Muchen also joined and immediately he did so, Sara followed suit. Hoy, Minde, Heya, they all knelt down to apologize for how bad they treated her.


    For the first time, they heard Sun cry out. She had cried on her birthday but no one had actually heard her sob. But today, they all did.


    "It was my fault. I cannot blame you all for anything."


    She apologized for being the bad one first.


    It had been her who first abandoned them because of the resentment she bore.


    She narrated how she had been forced to get married to Li Chengli.


    She had not wanted to and had even protested, but her parents had forced her to do so for business sake.


    On meeting Li Chengli, she did not like him one bit. Neither did he like her.


    So even though they had been married, they lived like strangers for two years without speaking to each other.


    When the pressure came for them to produce an heir from both sides, they had no other option but to do so.


    He needed an heir.


    She needed company.


    Along the line after they became intimate, she began to fall for her husband and he showed her the signs that he was beginning to like her too.


    Gradually, they both began to communicate and act like a married couple.


    Only for her to realise that while he was going for his ''business meetings'' and trips, he was actually meeting his mistress.


    The whole thing shattered her because she had actually thought he liked her. She thought they had both been on the same page, she thought she was finally going to live like other couples.


    But it had all been her wishful thinking.


    At that time, she had already given birth to Li Han. The period when she was pregnant with Li Fazhan, his mistress died during labour. The son she gave birth to also died with her.


    Li Chengli then turned to an entirely different person.


    He became literally mad to the point where he beat her up whilst she was pregnant.


    He did not go to work or do anything.


    Only thing he did was to cry and drink every night.


    And even during labour, he did not visit her at the hospital.


    She then realised that his mistress was the woman he truly loved but could not marry because of his family.


    For two good years, he continued to behave like that.


    It seemed like he poured his anger on Li Fazhan especially since Fazhan always reminded him that his mistress''s son would have been the same age as him if he had not died.


    Was he not supposed to treat Fazhan well because of that? But No, a couple of times, he had hit Fazhan quite harshly which caused Sun to become even bitter.


    Until one morning, she woke up to see his lifeless body floating inside their pool.


    He had gotten drunk and fell into the pool the previous night.


    Sun could not bear the hurt.


    The heartbreak.


    The anger.


    If it was possible to kill him a second time, she would have.


    She devoted her time to building the company he almost destroyed.


    She thought she was born with badluck and did not want to inflict her children with it and so she focused more in building the company.


    By the time she wanted to show them real love, it was already too late.


    She was already the Devil-Sun.


    She explained to Han that she had not actually transferred the company to Fazhan because he married the woman she asked him not to.


    She had done so because she felt Fazhan deserved Li Chengli''s company after everything he went through in his hands.


    Right from when she was pregnant with him, Chengli had dealt mercilessly with her.


    It was the only gift she could have given to Fazhan who his father hated.


    "I am sorry to you all. I know I was wrong. But I love all of you with my heart.. And I am blessed to have you all as a part of this family"


    Sun said as tears continued to flow from her eyes.


    Han shook his head to let her know he was not sad about it.


    Fazhan still looked shocked after everything he just heard. He could vaguely remember the beatings he received from his father and he knew he never like him.


    His father was even worse than he had expected.


    A cheat and a woman beater!


    "And Sara... I am sorry for threatening your family. I would not have actually done anything bad to them. Please forgive me"


    Just like everyone else, Sara also had tears in her eyes.


    Sun''s life must have been really hard and lonely.


    "It''s fine Madam Li. I hold nothing against you" Sara said to her in a gentle voice.


    "Can you...grant me a wish?" Sun asked her in a very faint voice.


    "A wish? What wish?"


    Everyone was also eager to hear what Sun had to say.


    "I don''t have much time left. But I would love to see you both get married before I die. That is my wish."

 Chapter 301 - Interesting

    The Lis did not waste time before calling Jianjun to inform him that they would be visiting his place that same night.


    They were not expecting a grand welcome or anything lavish. Only thing they needed was to speak with him and her aunt concerning the wedding and if they could hold a quick wedding.


    If it was the last wish of their mother and grandmother, they were going to do anything to make sure it came to pass. It was the least they could do for her.


    Fazhan did not explain much to Jianjun on the phone instead, he kept it short and told him he would be coming over with his wife and son to see his family that evening.


    Even the reluctant Dana had no choice but to agree also.


    It was not as if Sara was a bad person. But she knew Sara would be difficult to control. And when she mentioned that to Muchen, he had told her..


    "She is going to be my wife. If you are looking for someone to control about, you already have a lot of people who work for you. But the day you try to make things difficult for her, I am sorry, but I don''t think I''ll stay calm."


    She could only conclude that Sara had bewitched her son. And it was too bad that it was only her that could clearly see it.


    As the Wangs prepared their home for the visitors, Changyu went back to her own house to put some things in order while Sara took a short trip to a caf¨¦ where she was to meet with Jin Cherry, Cearo''s sister.


    As she waited for Cherry to arrive, she remembered all Li Sun had told her privately.


    "You are a strong woman. And a very lucky one at that" Li Sun said to her.


    "You have a family who adores you and a man who is always ready to fight for you. How lucky you are my dear. A lot of people would exchange their wealth to be in your shoes."


    Sara smiled and said a simple "Thank you."


    Sun smiled back and continued. "I know I mentioned a lot of things were mysterious about you and your family. But I have decided to turn a blind eye to it all."


    "If my grandson knew about it but still decided to love you regardless, I do not see any reason why I should be the one worrying about it when it''s him who would spend the rest of his life with you. But I just hope it does not cause any problem for my family or yours in the future."


    Sara shook her head. "I already told him all about it. About everything. He knows all of my secrets and has promised to fight with me." She admitted.


    "I am glad then. I trust he is capable of taking good care of you. I hope you take care of him. And take care of yourself also. Never allow anyone bully you and continue to remain strong. Especially now that you''ll become a Li. No one bullies a Li."


    "Please.. Live a long life." Sara said with a sad face.


    It was so unfair that at the moment she was beginning to receive a little love, she was about to leave the world.


    Sun smiled sadly before saying "I have already lived long enough. And thanks to you, I have to leave with a lot of beautiful memories. I do not know how I''ll ever repay you."


    "You are trusting me with not just your grandson, but also as the mother of your future great grand children. I cannot ask for more. Thank you for being nice to me"


    Sara had not expected to cry but she did.


    She also moved closer to hug Sun.


    Her eyes glistened as she remembered their conversation.


    She took a napkin from her purse and quickly wiped her tears when she saw Cherry enter the caf¨¦ in her usual style; dressing to kill.


    Sara raised a hand to get her attention and Cherry saw her immediately.


    "Hi PM." Cherry greeted cheerfully in perfect English before signalling for the waiter.


    "Two cups of coffee. I''ll take Latte. She''ll have..." She gave Sara a questioning look.


    "Espresso." Sara answered dully.


    "You skipped classes today. Have some issues?" Cherry asked.


    Sara shook her head.


    "I decided to stop taking those classes."


    "Oh.. Good for you. Wish my parents would let me stop also." Cherry hissed before thanking the waiter who just served their coffee.


    "Stupid classes. I have to thank everyone now? How annoying." She crossed her legs and complained immediately the waiter left.


    "That was your mother on Christmas day right?" Sara began to probe.


    Hearing Sara''s words almost caused Cherry to choke on her drink.


    "I don''t even want to talk about that woman. Why did you want to see me?"


    Sara''s eyes darted when her question landed. That had been the reason she wanted to see her¡ª To know more about her mother. But now, she did not even want to talk about it?


    Sara thought of something else to say and as she was thinking, she saw Cherry''s eyes widen.


    "Is that a diamond ring in your finger?" Cherry asked in shock.


    "You''re getting married? Was that why you wanted to see me? To give me an invitation card?"


    Cherry threw the questions at her in surprise.


    Sara smiled sheepishly and nodded. That was probably a good excuse.


    "Yes. I''ll be getting married very soon. But the date is not fixed yet."


    "Oh my goodness!" Cherry took Sara''s hands to admire the ring on her finger.


    "This is real diamond! He must be really rich. Who is he? Who is marrying PM?" Cherry asked inquisitively.


    Sara paused for a while before admitting.


    "Li Muchen."


    As if struck by lightning, Cherry froze with wide eyes.


    In a gentle voice she asked "You..are kidding me right?"


    She began to laugh, thinking it was a joke but she stopped laughing when she saw Sara''s straight face and when her eyes dropped to the ring on her finger.


    "You..." She moved closer to whisper. "You are marrying Li Muchen? Like CEO Li Muchen? For real?"


    Sara nodded.


    "And I would like to invite your family to the wedding. But I do not know if that is right since I''ve heard rumours that your mother do not like attending occasions."


    On the mention of her ''mother'', Cherry frowned.


    "She is not my mother"


    Sara did not look really surprised when she heard Cherry''s words. In fact, nothing surprised her anymore since after realising that Changyu was her mother.


    "She is a controlling bitc¡ª" She stopped, took a deep breath, and changed her words.


    "She is a very controlling woman who thinks the world revolves around her. I don''t even know why my father married that kind of woman. Now she thinks she is something." Cherry complained with a frown.


    "So she is neither you nor Cearo''s mother?"


    "She is not. She and my father both had a secret wedding 7 years ago. She came empty handed. No family nor friends. But I think she was married before and her husband died or something. She is very suspicious and manipulative. Even my father is careful around her."


    Cherry waved a hand and said in annoyance..


    "Just forget about her. She may probably ruin you wedding if you invites her there."


    Sara became lost in thought.


    Jin Medusa married into the Jin family 7years ago.


    Her husband died.


    She did not have any family.


    Even their father feared her.


    Sara smirked and took a sip from her coffee for the first time. "Interesting" She murmured.


    Someone who had a whole lot to hide was always easier to crush.


    She took out her phone and handed it over to Cherry.


    "I want her number. She gave me a lot of tip on Christmas day. I would like to thank her properly."


    "You sure you are not planning to invite her to your wedding?" Cherry looked at her suspiciously.


    "For now, I just want to thank her."

 Chapter 302 - I am Saras birth mother.

    Before Sara got home, she went on a little shopping spree.


    Since her future parents-in-law were visiting, she decided to buy some clothes for her family.


    Not because she was ashamed of them, but because she wanted it to boost their confidence.


    Thankfully, she had enough money to do so since Changyu did not fail her.


    As she was dressing up, she began to think deeply.


    When she was younger, she had simply wanted to get married to rich man who would take care of her family.


    But that goal later changed. She wanted to be financially stable before getting married to any man.


    But now, she had no choice but to marry Muchen when she did not even have much. He was even her employer.


    "Does it mean that while some people can rise to the top on their own, others need the help of others?"


    She asked her aunt who was dressing Joreen up.


    "It happens that way sometimes. Even those rich people, do you think most of them would have been rich if they were not lucky enough to be born into a rich family?" Cixi explained


    "Take for example CEO Li do you¡ª"


    "Let''s use Li Minde instead" Sara interrupted which caused Joreen and Cixi to roll their eyes.


    "Alright. Let''s say Li Minde for example, if he had not been born into a rich family, don''t you think that there is every probability that he would have been poor to this age?"


    "Those born from rich families are very lucky. I am not sure even mother would have been this successful if she had not been born into the Song family. She had still taken their money with her abroad to start a new life right?" Sara added.


    "Probably. Those born from rich families should be grateful. Those born in families where they are loved should also be grateful. So far in my life, I have seen children who cursed their parents for bringing them into this world. Either because they cannot provide for them, or because they are not loved."


    "I am one lucky human being. I have you, I have Joreen, I have dad, I had a lovely adopted mother who raised me, I have a biological mother who loves me, I have Mr Li also."


    "You have the love and the wealth." Changyu added with a smile. "You''ll live a really long life as it is."


    Sara looked at her reflection on the mirror and smiled widely.


    A knock on the door sent all their heads towards that direction.


    "They are here" Jianjun informed them from outside the door.


    ---


    Even though it had been an impromptu visit, Jianjun still prepared dinner for them¡ª Sliced Chicken and vegetables.


    "Lovely meal Mr Wang." Li Fazhan compliment again as they moved over to the couch to discuss.


    His face was still moody but he tried his vest to smile.


    On this visit, Heya did not join them. She wanted to stay with Sun at the hospital instead.


    Minde was also in a bad mood. He did not think that Li Sun''s illness would have such effect on him. Maybe it was because he had not been in a good mood earlier.


    During dinner, they had not raised the issue about marriage. But now that they were done, they went straight to business.


    The Wangs sat on one side while Fazhan, Dana and Muchen sat on the other side.


    Luckily, they had been able to dry the couch before the Lis came.


    ''Naughty woman'' Jianjun thought as he looked at the door.


    He thought it would have been nicer if she was present there.


    Muchen sent a warm smile to Sara. He just could not keep his eyes off her even during dinner. It was as if she grew prettier each day.


    He was so anxious that she was going to become his wife soon and he did not want anything to come between them right now.


    "About the wedding date. We are hoping for it to be fixed sooner." Jiang Dana said rudely which caused everyone to look at her in displeasure.


    "No objections I believe?" She continued even though her husband pinched her to stop her from saying more.


    "And who do you think you are to just say whatever you wish in here?"


    They all turned their heads to see Changyu standing close to the open door.


    No one had seen or heard her open the door except for Jianjun.


    Maybe it was because he had been wishing for her to suddenly appear so his attention had also been on the door the entire time.


    ---


    Changyu had gone to attend to some business. But the entire day, she tried her best to hurry so she could meet up with them.


    Sara was still her daughter after all even though she still felt somehow distant.


    As she hurried back into the building, she noticed some workmen coming out of the building with some equipments.


    "Madam?" A man called Changyu so she turned to look at him with a straight face.


    She did not ask him any questions but he knew she was expecting him to say something. He guessed she was probably a taciturn person.


    "You were the one on the phone earlier right?" He asked with obvious uncertainty in his voice.


    "Has it been fixed yet?" She went straight to ask her question without bothering to answer his.


    "By tomorrow evening... Everything would be fine" He assured her with a pleasant smile.


    "Good." She did not wait for him to say more before she took the flight of stairs.


    The homeowner watched her as she raced through the stairs.


    He had wanted to ask for her name and the room she was living in. The only thing he was sure of was that this particular woman was here to visit someone.


    Immediately he saw her, he knew instantly that she was the woman who had called him and told him to fix the elevator since it was uncomfortable for her family to take. When he shouted at her and told her to go get a new apartment, in a calm voice, she promised to demolish his rubbish building and build a poultry house there because it was better than his liability of a house.


    He had thought she was messing with him, but to his shock, he received an alert that almost caused his phone to explode. She ordered him to make sure he got the elevator working immediately and that was all before she hung up.


    Not only that, a young man had also called him to make the same request.


    He could not understand what was happening there. But he knew one thing, he was very lucky because he had taken the money from the young man also.


    He laughed heartily before leaving the building to his favourite gambling den.


    --


    From outside the door, Changyu heard Mother Li''s rude voice.


    She did not want to draw attention and so she opened the door slowly. Thankfully, the door was not the type to help you announce your arrival.


    "And who do you think you are to say whatever you wish in here?" Changyu asked with a straight face before closing the door behind her.


    Sara smiled when she saw her come in. It had been a long time since Sara saw Changyu looking so classy and graceful. She was wearing a short gown with a coat draped around her shoulders. She wore gold heels and silver jewelries with her hair tied behind her head.


    Even Jianjun could not stop staring at her.


    Unlike the Wangs who had pleasant smiles on their faces when they saw the one who could finally match the rude Jiang Dana, Fazhan and Dana were both extremely shocked to see her standing there.


    Quickly, the couple both stood up and Muchen joined.


    "Miss Changyu?" Fazhan called her first in shock. If there was anyone he had not expected to see there, it was her.


    "Miss...Chang..yu?" Dana also called out in surprise.


    "What are you doing here?"


    "Please take your seats" Changyu said coolly after Muchen greeted her.


    They both still looked confused even after they sat down.


    "Sorry I came late. Some things came up." She apologized before settling herself on the seat Joreen had just left for her to go sit on her mother''s laps.


    "Why...are you apologizing...and why are you here?" Dana still asked curiously.


    "Oh. Sorry for not introducing myself properly. I am Changyu. Sara''s birth mother" She dropped the bomb that startled Fazhan and Dana.


    As Muchen watched his mother''s expression in particular, a smile appeared on his face.

 Chapter 303 - Very Beautiful

    An Hour Ago.


    On the ride to see the Wangs, Fazhan noticed that his wife still maintained a frown on her face.


    They had taken separate cars with Muchen, so it was just the two of them and the driver inside the car.


    "You should smile at least" He reminded his wife.


    "Smile? You think I am happy or you think I buy this whole idea? How could you even allow this? This is our son we are talking about. Even if it was your mother''s last wish, he is still our son and he needs a solid backing."


    "Muchen can take good care of himself, you know that very well. So stop whining like a kid already"


    "Oh.. So I am whining like a kid now? Open your eyes and see that that girl had bewitched everyone. She is practicing voodooism. If not, how did everyone including your mother like her just like that? Can''t you see I am the only sane one here?" Dana lecturered impatiently.


    "Sara is a nice person. I do not know what you are complaining for. She loves our son and he loves her also. What more do you want?"


    "Influence! If he had agreed to marry that lawyer girl, things would have been different for us. Would have also been a big plus to our family. But now, nothing is ever going to change if he marries that girl. She only has a father and an aunt who delivered out of wedlock. How can we comfortably raise our heads in public after the wedding?"


    "Enough!" Fazhan scolded angrily. "You now also look down on people and discriminate? I already mentioned before. Do not involve yourself in our children''s lives. You are not the one who is going to live with whoever you think is suitable for them. So let them do as they please, and if it turns out to be bad in the end, they can only blame themselves and no one else since it was their decision.. Do you really wish to see your children unhappy just because you want to maintain some status quo?"


    "Fine! This is what you all want right? Then okay. Go on. We are going to fix the wedding. And I cannot wait for you all to see how this is going to affect our family negatively."


    Dana no longer mentioned any word until they stopped in front of the apartment and saw Muchen waiting for them.


    He took them through the stairs and Dana saw a new reason to grumble unhappily.


    --


    An hour Later..


    Dana''s jaw literally dropped after Changyu introduced herself as Sara''s mother.


    She tried to say something, but nothing came out.


    She turned to look at the others as if waiting for them to tell her it was a joke. But the others just stared right back at her.


    "You....you are...Sara''s mother?" Fazhan asked in shock. At least he could still speak unlike his wife who was dumbfounded.


    "I just mentioned it." Changyu said dismissively.


    Jianjun tried not to laugh at their reaction. If there was one thing Changyu was good at, it was intimidating people with her presence.


    In fact, she did not need to say much most times before people scurry away.


    Her intimidating aura came naturally and he knew there was nothing he could do about it.


    He had also been intimidated by her many years back. Aside from the fact that he thought she was still in love with her ex-fiance, she did scare him sometimes.


    Until that night.


    The night she visited the restaurant and had seen him laughing with Helene.


    She had been angry and called him dumb before saying the words that shocked him and also caused his heart to flutter...


    "You were supposed to be having those conversations with me. But you were having it with another girl. Why don''t you like me? I am very pretty, I am learning how to cook and I am nice. You are very annoying!"


    After saying those words with tears in her eyes, she asked him not to come near her.


    Then, he could not believe then that it was the same Changyu he had been admiring for months. The same her was telling him that she loved him!


    Sara had been a bit uncomfortable but she saw Muchen smile reassuringly at her. He also muttered a word to her but she did not catch it on time.


    Dana and Fazhan looked at Muchen together, wondering whether he knew about it.


    "Sorry. It skipped my mind so I forgot to mention it" He lied smoothly before turning his attention to Changyu.


    "It...skipped your.. mind?" Dana finally found her voice.


    How could something like that ever skip his mind!?


    He was glad his mother had seen someone tougher than her.


    This was a little payback for the slap she gave to Sara a while back.


    His mother was two years older than Changyu but even his father was somehow afraid of her.


    "I asked a question earlier." Changyu faced Dana.


    "Who do you think you are to talk to them that way? Do you think there is something so special about your family?"


    Dana sat up and shifted uncomfortably on her seat.


    "I...I..." Dana swallowed hard and thought of the right words to say so Changyu would not get offended but nothing came out.


    Her brain had still failed to fully register what was happening.


    How did it make any sense that Sara was suddenly Changyu''s daughter? Was she dreaming or were they messing with them?


    On Sun''s birthday, Changyu had introduced herself as Sara''s friend. So how did she suddenly become Sara''s birth mother?


    As much as she tried, Dana could not understand anything and it did not seem like Changyu was willing to explain.


    "She did not mean it" Fazhan quickly helped to smoothen the situation.


    "We understand that you want to rush the wedding because it is Madam Li''s wish. If we are agreeing to it, we are doing your family a huge favour. So you should ask politely instead of sounding rude. Did you not learn basic manners at all?" Changyu schooled Dana.


    One thing she hated was rich people acting all cocky and arrogant, especially to the poor. It annoyed her greatly and she was never going to allow her people be subjected to that type of treatment.


    "I... I did not mean it." Dana managed to say.


    "Of course. It should be a joke. You see Sara here, there are a whole lot of men who are willing to have her beside them. So do not think you are doing us a favour when in the actual sense, it is us who is doing you a huge favour. One wrong move and we would not allow our precious daughter into your family. And let''s see who losses"


    Sara who had been quietly sitting beside Changyu raised her brow when she heard Changyu. Why did the woman always like to go overboard?


    She inched closer to whisper to Changyu. "Mother.. Stop saying things like that. I want to be a part of their family."


    "Can you just play along for once?" Changyu whispered back.


    It was so difficult to handle a woman in love.


    Jianjun who was sitting on the other side beside Changyu tapped her to get her attention.


    "You are scaring them." He whispered to her.


    The only two people who had been quiet from the beginning was Joreen and Cixi.


    Earlier when Dana was sounding rude, she had wanted to say something before she heard Changyu''s voice.


    Now that Sara''s parents were both there, she decided to keep quiet.


    The others always handled things calmly but she never did so. She would have sent Dana out of their house a long time ago.


    "Why did you allow her talk to you like that?" Changyu whispered back to Jianjun in annoyance.


    "We are doing this for Sara. Don''t do anything that will make her sad."


    "I''ll try. By the way, I like the shirt you are putting on. I''ll take it." She winked at him before turning to face the others with a straight face.


    Jianjun smiled as he watched her side.


    All he could think of was to wake up every morning with this woman beside him.


    But about taking his shirt, that would be impossible since Sara bought it for him. It was a Navy blue long sleeved shirt with white dots all over it and a small white collar.


    "We are only agreeing to this because of your son. He is a nice person with a good heart." Changyu concluded.


    She was practically the one speaking for the entire family since everyone else was quiet.


    Even Jianjun was simply looking at her with a smile on his face.


    "What do you think?" She turned to finally ask for his opinion.


    "Very beautiful" He answered absentmindedly with his entire focus on her face.


    It took him a few seconds to realise what she had asked him and why everyone was looking at him strangely.


    "I mean..my daughter is very beautiful and deserves all the love"


    He paused and shook his head at his own confusion.


    Changyu''s face was still straight as she looked at him. She then moved closer to whisper.


    "I know I am so pretty. But you should control yourself in front of others."


    She moved away and smirked at him.


    The date for the wedding was finally decided on. Since it was a quick wedding, they decided to hold it on New Year''s day, which was in four days time.


    Even after Dana and Fazhan got home, she still could not get over the news.


    Sara was truly Changyu''s daughter?


    And not only that, she was going to be in-laws with Changyu?


    The news was too much for her to take. In fact, she had not been offended by the way Changyu treated her at all.


    The most important thing was, she was going to be in-laws with her!


    No matter how much her husband tried to get her attention, he simply could not.


    All she could think about was to support her son''s choice for a bride and give them the best wedding.


    She loved her son after all!

 Chapter 304 - New Director.

    From the very next day, the marriage plans began fully on Jiang Dana''s side.


    Muchen went home to go see his parents and it was obvious that he was not happy with his mother.


    "Do you think there is any difference between you and those you called the ''paupers'' now?" He asked her coldly.


    Just a few hours ago, she had been opposing the idea of him marrying Sara. But now, she was even the one wanting to handle everything to make sure the marriage was a success.


    Even though it seemed like she had accepted Sara into the family, he knew she was only doing so because of Changyu and if Changyu had not appeared in the picture, his mother would have still kept her unpleasant attitude.


    "What do you mean? I am doing this for all of us. It was your grandmother''s wish and also the wish of all of you. Was I supposed to just ignore it?" She shot back indignantly.


    "It''s annoying!" He yelled angrily at her for the first time.


    Even his father did not bother to say anything because he felt the same way. He did not know when his wife became that shameless and it was also annoying him to the core.


    Dana looked at Muchen in shock and did not know what else to say.


    "You will not handle this wedding. Because you are not doing this for us. You are only doing all of these with the mind to please Miss Changyu. And I do not want that. I do not ant your insincerity."


    After saying so, he bowed to them before leaving.


    "Wh...at... What just happened?" She asked her husband in an unsteady voice.


    "I am disappointed in you" Fazhan shook his head before taking the stairs to their room.


    ****


    Jianjun was also beginning to feel sorry for his new restaurant.


    He had just opened it yet, the place had only been able to function just once and he was not thinking about opening it any time soon.


    Just like Changyu had told him, he was going to start dreaming big. He was also going to start living big from now.


    As he continued surfing the internet for how to start up, he decided to leave the room and go get some water to drink. But immediately he stood up, Changyu who had been busy with her laptop suddenly dropped it and hopped on his back.


    "You must still think you are a teenager?" Jianjun laughed before holding her legs to help her keep balance.


    "I am bored. I have been trying to organise these files since morning." She pouted.


    "So what do you want to do?" He turned his head to ask.


    "Shopping." She replied with a grin.


    "Shopping? But Miss Hani already brought you clothes this morning."


    Changyu shook her head.


    "Not clothes. I want to show you something. Get dressed and grab your coat. We''re going out." She informed before releasing her hands from around his neck.


    "Where?" He asked curiously.


    "You''ll see." She said with a smile before going to pick up some clothes for herself.


    When she came out with Jianjun a few minutes later, she saw Cixi about to leave the house with Joreen.


    Cixi bowed awkwardly and said a faint "hi" to her brother who only nodded in return.


    She still felt uncomfortable living in the house with them. And if not for Sara and Joreen, she would have left the house a long time ago.


    She had planned to leave with some of her team members to Malaysia on New Year''s day, but she wanted to celebrate Joreen''s eight years birthday with her, which was also on New Year''s day. And now, Sara was also getting married on that same day!


    "I see you''re both going out. We''re also going out" Changyu said to Cixi and Joreen which surprised her since it was the first time Changyu was speaking to her.


    Jianjun was also surprised and sighed in relief to see Changyu finally opening up to his sister.


    Those were the only words she said before pulling Jianjun with her out of the apartment.


    ----


    Muchen was still skeptical about telling the Wangs about Mr Park. He did not know whether it was right for him to tell them about it since he had been able to confirm that Mr Park was actually the one who put the strange substance in the food on the day the place was raided.


    "Bro" Minde entered the study after knocking for the second time.


    "I just got off the phone with Hoy. He said he could not reach you and to tell you to come check out your wedding outfits with Sara when you are free."


    With his eyes still fixed on the computer, Muchen nodded to that.


    If there was one thing Hoy was good at, it was doing things swiftly and efficiently.


    "So what is wrong with you" Muchen finally asked Minde since he had noticed his odd behaviour.


    Even though Minde bugged him most times, he still preferred that troublesome Minde to this boring one.


    Minde had not wanted to say anything, but he decided to just go on and ask him.


    "Do you...do you think I am useless?" He allowed the words come out reluctantly.


    Muchen nodded immediately Minde dropped the question which caused him to frown even more.


    "Why are you asking me something you already know?" Muchen asked sarcastically.


    "Just forget it!" Minde raised his voice in annoyance before giving his IPad to Muchen.


    "Some things came up about Medusa. They''re all in there" He said before turning to leave.


    "Who called you that?" Muchen asked with his eyes in the IPad.


    Minde''s hand that was about to open the door, stopped.


    "Who said you were useless?" This time, Muchen raised his head to look at Minde''s back.


    Even if Minde was useless, he did not like the fact that someone had hurt him.


    "I don''t want you to punish this one" He answered without turning back to look at Muchen.


    It had always been Muchen''s way to punish whoever offended him. It made him feel even more useless now.


    "You are not very useless" Muchen said with a smile as his eyes scanned the details on the IPad.


    "I was thinking about buying over CLASH-TECH. And we would be needing a director who is experienced to manage the entire IT sector. What do you think?"


    Minde finally turned to look at Muchen in surprise.


    Was Muchen really asking him to be a director?


    ***


    Jianjun kept wondering where Changyu was taking him to but she still refused to tell him anything. She just continued to drive while he patiently sat on the passenger''s seat.


    He thought the route they were taking looked familiar but he could not really place it.


    But soon, he saw it from his side of the window.


    It was a building. A huge building with a lot of workmen moving in and out. There were also some machines and many equipments around.


    It was their DELIFOOD.


    For about a minute, he continued to stare at the building without taking his eyes off it.


    "I wanted to wait till the renovation was complete before bringing you here, but I wanted to be sure you liked what was going on."


    Changyu said to him nervously which caused him to turn to look at her.


    "I bought this building many years ago. I am glad that I can finally return this building to the rightful owner. And since it had partially been my fault that the whole thing happened to mess your family, I thought I should do this for you and your sister at least."


    Changyu spoke with guilt written all over her face.


    "Jianjun Wang, let us build a new DELIFOOD."  After a pause, she added "Together."

 Chapter 305 - I will kill you

    Earlier, Sara had left the house to go visit Muchen.


    There were a lot of things she wanted to tell him but the distractions had been too much so she decided that it was best they spoke now.


    They would have met outside but what they were planning was not something they could be so open about. Besides, their relationship was not yet out in the open. The invites would only be sent to those they wanted to invite and if the world cared, they would find out about the wedding after they were done with it.


    Thankfully, they both did not have to run around for their wedding preparation. Her mother and Muchen''s mother (who she believed was still handling it) were taking care of those things for them.


    How nice it was to have a mother. She never would have imagined that a day like this would come.


    She had been planning to call Medusa after telling Muchen about her findings. But to her surprise, Medusa had called her first to fix a meeting with her for that evening.


    When Sara entered Muchen''s apartment, the first person she saw was Minde, walking as if he was in a daze.


    When he saw her, he stopped in front of her to ask without saying an ''hello''.


    "Sister-in-law, do you....do you think I am fit to be a director?" He asked her in a very low and less confident voice.


    "Of course. Is there a Li who is not fit to be a director?" She asked back with a raised brow.


    "Big bro..just asked me to be a director. Does it mean I would finally be useful?" He asked like a child that was not sure about himself.


    Sara laughed before tapping his shoulder. "Were you ever useless? You were only a bit lazy and probably not good with other sectors if it does not require gathering information. I hope you become as hardworking as your brother and cousin from now on. Congratulations Li Minde." She said with a proud smile.


    Minde had never thought in his life that Sara''s words would bring tears to his eyes.


    He did not know what he was thinking before he pulled her into a hug and began to cry on her shoulder.


    Sara just stood stiffly and hugged him back awkwardly as she silently prayed for Muchen not to witness this scene.


    If Muchen had offered him this job a few days back, he probably would have declined. But now, he was beginning to see things differently.


    He wanted to be independent, responsible, and he wanted to make his family proud.


    "I am sorry for seeing you as Chucky in my dream" He cried and apologized.


    "Bro? What are you doing?" Heya gasped in shock from upstairs when she saw Minde hugging Sara.


    Before they knew it, she disappeared out of sight while hurrying towards Muchen''s study''s door shouting


    "Big bro come see what bro Minde is doing with your woman downstairs."


    Minde did not hear her clearly but an incoming call from Muchen made him break away from the hug quickly.


    "I WILL KILL YOU!" He heard Muchen''s gentle but deadly voice immediately he took the call and threw away his phone in shock.


    He was suddenly reminded that Muchen always saw whatever was going on inside and outside his house.


    He knew he could not continue being emotional because Muchen would really kill him so he quickly picked up his phone and  took off, leaving Sara puzzled.


    --


    "Is he crazy? He just left this study a few minutes back. If he was looking for a shoulder to cry on, did he not see mine?" Muchen complained unhappily before hugging her.


    "Why do you always allow men hug you? First it was that Bilike boy and now Minde? I just hope you don''t hug others when I am not around."


    "I just could not push him away." Sara said with a laugh.


    "Besides, I was happy he was finally talking to me. Before, he was either glaring at me or looking at me like I am a devil"


    "Next time push him away. I don''t know why I even asked him to manage CLASH-TECH. None of these would have happened if I had not asked him to do it."


    "It''s okay. And thank you for doing that for him. You are a really good brother and I love you"


    Muchen finally smiled when he heard her words.


    He nodded and finally let go of her as they moved to real business.


    "So Medusa called you?"


    Sara nodded. "She wanted to meet up tonight."


    "Hope you turned her down nicely?" He asked as he began to scroll through the iPad.


    When he noticed Sara was still quiet, he raised his head to look at her.


    "Oh God. You agreed to meet her?"


    "I had to. I planned to call her even. We need to handle this as quickly as possible."


    As she continued to explaine, Muchen stood up and began to pace around. She also stood up and followed him with the hope that he would listen to her and see that she was doing the right thing.


    "That woman is dangerous. How could you just agree to meet her like that without telling me about it first?"


    "She would not cause me harm."


    "Really? You are sure she wouldn''t?" Muchen raised his voice. Was Sara really thinking that Medusa would just call her out to have a drink with her?


    Sara paused since she was not also sure.


    "Please don''t be mad." She held his arm and looked up at him sadly.


    She could see how angry he looked currently. She had never seen him act like that. Plus he was also raising his voice which he had never done before.


    "Sorry I yelled." He cupped her cheeks and placed a kiss on her forehead.


    "I am sorry. Come" He led her back to the couch and once they sat down, he showed her the iPad.


    "I got this information from Minde. Trust that it is reliable." He explained.


    As Sara went through it, she saw that Medusa''s name had once been Han Ruoxi.


    She had a brother named Han Ru. They both knew that Han Ru guy was Fuji.


    She was formally married to one Jiang Tao and on several cases, she had made reports to the police station on domestic violence. Until one day when her husband suddenly disappeared.


    Sara stopped when she got to that part. She studied the man''s photo over and over again.


    "Something wrong?" Muchen asked when he noticed she was just staring at her ex-husband''s picture.


    "It''s him." She said in a low voice.


    Memories of the past flashed immediately she said those words and she began to remember how she had ran for her dear life after witnessing Medusa kill a man.


    "Sara..Sara." Muchen shook her back to reality when he noticed how fast she was breathing with her eyes staring blankly into space.


    Sara looked at him and after a minute, her eyeballs finally focused on him.


    "She killed him. She stabbed him to death. I saw her do it." Sara said in a whisper.


    As much as Muchen did not want her to continue remembering about that incident, he knew she had to. This was the only way they could easily get rid of Medusa.


    "Good." He smiled.


    "Something else to nail her for."


    Muchen showed her a document which showed that ''Han Ruoxi'' died eight years ago in a car crash. But there were new records of some illegal transactions that were carried out under the name ''Han Ruoxi'' even till last year.


    "Even tonight, they would be receiving some goods." He informed her.


    "How did you know that? I mean... They are good in covering their tracks"


    "Sweetheart, don''t underestimate Minde. Apart from him, I also have skilled people who can hack into any database."


    "Wow. I want to learn hacking too." She said excitedly which caused him to laugh.


    "I''ll teach you one day. But now, you need to know that Medusa does not only support the Blacks. There are a whole lot of other groups she supports. So you should be wary of her." He advised.


    "No wonder almost everyone now knows about the Jin family when they had been almost nonexistent. But do you think the police would be able to do anything to them once we make a report?"


    Sara asked curiously since she knew people like that always had their ways and most times, even the police were a part of their illegal activities.


    "Who says I was going to involve the police in this?"


    "Then...?" She pushed inquisitively.


    "I only work directly with the Army General." He said with a smile before patting her head.


    When they were done with Medusa''s case, they moved unto the next.


    "Have you heard anything about Mo Jinyong?" She asked him.


    "I have not. Why?"


    "I just feel weird about it. He''s been too quiet for long."


    "What do you mean?" It was his turn to ask her curiously.


    Sara began to explain everything that happened that night and how he had sent some men to come get her. And in the end, she had fought with them.


    She noticed the room''s temperature suddenly turned chilly once she was done narrating.


    Li Muchen was angry!


    "Okay." Was the only word he said after her long narration.


    Sara was not dumb. She knew that was not just a simple ''okay''. But she did not want to push him to tell her anything. He was going to be her husband. And he was going to take care of every fly that bugged his wife.


    They both had a long conversation. Anything they had both been keeping in their minds, they let it out.


    He also told her about Delight''s Park Chen and how he contributed to her grandparents'' misfortune.


    That part had really broken her down greatly because she had actually liked the man. He must have been so thick-skinned to the point where he did not feel guilty while talking to her.


    So was that the reason why he had asked her father to come work there because he felt guilty? She asked herself.


    "I probably should tell my family about it. We cannot just let him go freely."


    "Anything you decide." Muchen agreed with her wholeheartedly.


    "So...is there anything else you''d like to tell me?" She asked as she prepared to leave.


    "Yes. I don''t know why it''s still difficult to forgive you whenever I remember how you followed Mo Dexi to his father''s birthday instead of going with me."


    He said with a pout which caused Sara to laugh despite her being sad just now.


    "You also spoke with those heiresses and I was almost blackmailed because of you."


    "I knew about that. And I punished Guan Lanbi for making you angry." He said with an amused grin.


    Sara looked at him with wide eyes.


    How did he know about it?


    So he had punished Guan Lanbi?


    Was that probably the reason why she had sent some thugs to her but Fuji had stopped it?


    She could not believe she was at the centre of all these.

 Chapter 306 - Going Shopping.

    Cixi took Joreen with her to a store where children wears was sold.


    She wanted to buy her some clothes to wear for Sara and Muchen''s wedding.


    As they were both looking for the perfect dress to buy, Cixi saw a familiar figure walk inside the shop with a little girl holding his hands. The girl was probably 8 or 9 years old, she wore a pink dress and coat with her hair tied in a ponytail. While the man was none other than Luo Jaime!


    He was dressed for the weather with a long coat, pants, and scarf around his neck.


    "Wait up!" Cixi heard a woman''s voice call behind Jaime and the girl. As the woman took hurried steps to catch up with them, Cixi quickly sized her up. The lady was probably in her early or mid thirties. Her blonde hair and white skin made her look more American than Asian.


    Once the lady caught up with them, she took the little girl''s other hand and strolled in with them, a happy smile on her face.


    "You know them?" Joreen asked curiously when she saw her mother paying attention to the family that had just walked in.


    "No.. I don''t" Cixi quickly looked away and continued to scan for a dress to pick.


    "He had a family yet he took me to his home and nursed me back to health?" She murmured unhappily.


    Her mind was no longer in what she was doing. Once in a while, she looked towards their direction and whenever she did so, she saw him picking a dress for the little girl.


    Watching them now, she realised just how lonely she was.


    It seemed everyone around her was pairing up with someone else except for her.


    She had even received a call this morning from a colleague who informed her she was getting married in two weeks.


    "I like this one" Joreen showed her a red short gown studded with white beads.


    "It looks good." Cixi quickly turned her head to face Joreen and agreed with her immediately she saw the gown.


    She had seen the red dress a while back and thought it looked perfect for Joreen, but she had been trying to buy time. It was the reason she did not pick it earlier.


    She knew if she picked it earlier, she would have to move over to the shoe section which was not very far from where Jaime''s family was.


    Having no other choice, she held Joreen''s hand and both of them walked there.


    Cixi tried her best to hide from him but it was too impossible since they were also there to buy a shoe for the little girl.


    "Miss Doctor?" She heard the familiar voice call behind her.


    She pursed her lips before turning to face him with a forced smile plastered on her face.


    "You finally got it." He had always called her ''Mrs Doctor'' no matter the number of times she told him that she was not married.


    It was nice to know he took her correction.


    Joreen looked at her mother suspiciously. ''Didn''t she just tell her that she did not know them?'' Joreen wondered but said nothing as she continued to look at the handsome man that was speaking with her mother.


    The little girl and lady beside Jaime also looked at Cixi curiously.


    "Didn''t think I''d bump into you here. You look better" He commented.


    "This is my daughter. Wang Joreen." Cixi introduced Joreen to them after saying hello to the lady who did not bother to return her greeting.


    "Oh. She is a pretty girl. Hello dear" He bent down to greet Joreen with a smile on his face.


    "You can call me Mr Luo." He said to her.


    "I like her hair. Can I make mine like that too?" The little girl asked Jaime.


    She had been admiring Joreen''s black afro that was packed in two buns.


    "This is my daughter. Luo Reen." He said with a smile while ignoring her question.


    "And this is my¡ª"


    "Girlfriend." The lady interrupted while clinging unto his arm.


    Cixi could only nod when she heard that.


    She was already beginning to feel uncomfortable especially with the way the lady had been staring at her.


    She forced out another smile and was about excusing herself when Jaime spoke.


    "She is Chu Marian. My colleague" Jaime smiled awkwardly before politely pulling his hand away from Marian.


    Cixi paused and looked at all of them again.


    But Marian frowned when she heard him introduce her to Cixi that way.


    When Cixi saw her frown, she could vaguely guess what was happening with her.


    "Nice to meet you Mr Luo''s colleague." She said to Marian with a polite smile before turning to face Jaime again.


    Making sure the two kids do not hear her, she said within Jaime and Marian''s earshot.


    "Thanks for the other night. I''ll return your sweater soon."


    When she saw Marian''s shocked look, she became contented.


    "Nice to meet you all. But we have to hurry now." Cixi said with a genuine smile this time before picking a shoe to go make payment with Joreen following behind her.


    As Jaime watched her leave, a tiny smile appeared on his face.


    ----


    Since the area was undergoing redevelopment, the whole place was noisy and roudy.


    Buildings were being raised and demolished, except the particular building which Jianjun had been staring at for close to an hour.


    He had not bothered to come here years ago because he did not want to bring back old memories but now, he was finally here.


    He could not go in since the place was being renovated and it was not safe to walk inside but merely looking at the outside, he began to remember the past.


    His father, his mother.


    He continued to remember everything to the very moment the place was taken away from them.


    He felt his eyes begin to water and when he thought the tears was going to fall, he felt a hand on his shoulder.


    Changyu had allowed him brood all he wanted.


    She had been resting her body on her car while watching him the entire time. And she did not want him to remain like that.


    Jianjun slowly turned to face her. To face the woman who made him speechless every time.


    "We should return now. It''s late." She said in a gentle voice before taking his hand.


    But he did not move.


    "I cannot let you do this." He knew it was not the time to let his pride get in between, but he did not want her to just do everything.


    It was not only her fault that his parents died. It was his also.


    He knew it was dangerous to keep seeing her even after her parents warned him not to.


    But he had continued going to her place.


    "I want to do it." She refused to give up.


    If she wanted to do something, nothing was ever going to stop her.


    "It''s too much. I do not have the funds to handle this." He explained to her.


    "It seems you are the only one who does not know about me and what I am capable of."


    "It''s too expensive." He maintained.


    "Brother Jun... This is your parents'' restaurant. It''s yours!"


    "You can just take it as a gift then. A gift for raising our daughter well." She added.


    "I did not raise her because I wanted to be rewarded by you"


    "Fine! The building is mine then. You can just become a shareholder or something. Deal? Deal!" She concluded without giving him any other option.


    "You did not even give me a chance to accept or decline first" He grumbled.


    "I don''t like to give people chances."


    She quickly took his hand and forced him to follow her.


    "Let''s go shop for items we would be starting our new restaurant with. You also have to buy us dresses to wear for Sara''s wedding."


    As Jianjun followed her, he knew he was on his way to being broke, because there was no way he was ever going to buy her a dress what was less in quality to the ones she usually wore.


    He only hoped that Sara would forgive him for spending so much on Changyu when he did not buy her any designer''s dress.

 Chapter 307 - There is no leaving for you

    As the car took Sara to the location she was supposed to meet Medusa, she became very nervous when she recognised the route they were taking.


    Even the driver had been sent by Medusa to come pick her up in front of her apartment.


    Since she wanted the painting so badly and did not know Sara had told Muchen about it, they would not kill her right?


    She tried to convince herself even as the car drove into Grand Castle Hotel.


    When she stepped out of the car, she ran her eyes over the tall building.


    ''Medusa, Fuji. I have to end you both together''


    She thought to herself as one of the gang members escorted her inside.


    Unlike the way she usually dressed, tonight, she wore a faux-fur coat, dark skinnies, white sneakers, and her hair was down. She was even wearing make-up!


    She did not look like the same Sara Wang that was here a few days back. Tonight, she looked like an entirely different person. And even though she was nervous, she exuded confidence.


    They took the same elevator she had taken with Snake the other time. The secret button also appeared and when he punched it, they were both taken straight to the sixth floor.


    She had a bad feeling about it all since Snake was not the one who was escorting her this time. But she still remained calm.


    Once they arrived at the floor, he led her to the very last room in the hallway.


    It was on the opposite end of Fuji''s room.l which she recognised.


    As they approached the door, she saw the two hefty looking men who were guarding the door, look at her suspiciously.


    When they saw her coming with the other man, one stepped forward to scan her for any object with a devise that looked like a police baton. When he was done scanning her body, her purse was also checked.


    When they were certain she was with nothing to be bothered about, the other man opened the door.


    "Go inside" The gang member who had escorted her said to her rudely.


    "You better watch your manners" Sara warned with a dark look before strolling inside the room.


    The room was very similar to Fuji''s. Only difference was the person sitting on the couch while looking at her with an expressionless face.


    It was Jin Medusa! The woman who had brought her here tonight.


    She was dressed in all-black. From the scarf around her neck, to her coat, pants, and boots, all were black.


    Her face had little make-up and her hair was in a low bun.


    "Sit. And have a drink. It''s going to be a long night." Medusa said with her legs crossed before sipping from her wine glass which was half filled with a dark liquid.


    "Sorry. But I do not intend for it to be a long night. I have important things to do and so I have to hurry" Sara said ''politely'' before sitting on the couch opposite her without bothering to join her in her drink.


    Immediately she sat down, the first thing she did was to take out an envelope from her small purse, and carefully placed it on the table in front of Medusa.


    "I am sorry. But I have to return this." Sara said politely.


    "And what''s that?" Medusa asked in a gentle voice.


    "The money you left behind on Christmas day. I don''t like receiving tips." She answered.


    A corner of Medusa''s mouth arched upward when she heard that.


    "Fine" She said before taking the envelope from the table.


    When she saw Sara looking intently at her, she tore the envelope into four pieces without bothering to open it, and allowed it to scatter on the floor.


    Sara''s face was still straight. She came here for a mission and it was what she intended to do.


    "What do you need the painting for?" Sara asked straightforwardly.


    "It was quick of you to know it was I who needed the painting. But I do not have to explain to you why I need it."


    "You have to." Sara retorted immediately.


    "If your people are planning to use me, then I have to know why I should help you at least."


    Medusa laughed immediately Sara said that.


    "Help me?" She looked at Sara like she could not believe Sara was actually asking her that question.


    "You are not helping me Darling. You are only returning a favour because I saved your life. If not for me, you probably would have been lying on Fuji''s bed or probably dead by now because he got bored. So giving me the painting is the least you could do for me."


    Sara''s face darkened when she heard Medusa''s ugly words. But she was a bit lost at what she just said.


    "What do you mean by ''if not for you''?" Sara asked in confusion and curiosity.


    "I pitied you. I knew if you remained there, you would not only live a dreadful life, you also looked like the type that would cause trouble. So I asked him to let you go. Because I saw you as my daughter." She said with a forced smile.


    In the actual sense, Medusa disliked Sara to the core.


    From the very moment she saw Sara look at her like a murderer, she had wanted to kill that girl with her own hands.


    She had waited patiently for the moment Fuji would let her off his wings so she would finish her off herself. But it was too unfortunate that he allowed her run off on the night before she was supposed to leave.


    Even when her people caught up with her, Fuji was faster than her and had stopped them from doing anything to her.


    "Enough reason for you to give me the painting now?" Medusa asked with the same forced smile still plastered on her face.


    Sara was quiet for a while, when she finally opened her mouth, she said..


    "You are just like your brother. You all do horrible things and then try to paint it as good. So irritating" She said with dark eyes.


    Medusa forced out a laugh before standing up.


    She had not expected Sara to say that to her face.


    "I... don''t like to be annoyed." She warned in a low voice with her hands fisted beside her.


    "Neither do I." Sara responded back immediately.


    "I only came here to say three things to you. One, there is no painting for you. Two, you and your brother should stay off my back. Three, you should be really careful."


    Sara said before standing up.


    She walked closer to Medusa and took out her phone to show her a video.


    On the video, Medusa saw the painting she had been dying to have burning in a fire.


    Medusa looked at the video with wide eyes.


    She was so angry that even the veins in her head were so visible.


    "Like I said, there is no painting for you, Han Ruoxi" Sara reminded her with a smile.


    When she heard the name ''Han Ruoxi'', she quickly turned to look at Sara who was smiling at her.


    Quickly, Medusa composed herself.


    "Then there is no leaving for you" Medusa assured Sara.

 Chapter 308 - Your forgiveness doesnt matter to us.

    Sara knew that Medusa meant it.


    There was no way she was going to let her leave there alive after riling her up.


    She thought the woman was probably dumb. Was she ever going to walk into the Lion''s den empty handed or without a prior plan?


    "Oh... I''m so scared" Sara made a show of shivering before laughing out loud.


    "Aren''t you curious about how I knew your secrets?"


    Truthfully, Melissa was. The Blacks were so good at hiding information that it took only the very best to be able to hack into it. But here, this annoying Sara even called her by her real name!


    She could not remember the last time she heard someone call her that name. Neither could she remember the last time somehow spoke to her this rudely.


    "So... How did you know about it?" Medusa tried to sound indifferent when she asked.


    "You brought it to me, of course." Sara said as the smile disappeared from her face.


    "If you had not showed up in front of me, never would I have thought about digging up on you."


    "Don''t play smart with me little girl. No one lives to tell the story after annoying me." Medusa threatened once again.


    "Just like your ex-husband I guess?" Sara added boldly while observing her intently.


    "Does your recent husband know about it? About how you stabbed your own husband to death? I''m not sure he would be able to sleep well with his eyes closed."


    Medusa''s eyes darkened immediately.


    Before Sara knew it, the door opened and five men came in. All dressed in black.


    They stood in attention and patiently waited for Medusa to give her orders.


    As Sara looked at them, she smirked. "More like what that the Hans would do"


    "I am not a Han. Don''t you ever call me that!" Medusa lost her cool and screamed for the very first time.


    "But that''s your name. You also killed your ex-husband. You are into a lot of illegal stuff. And your brother is a gang leader." Sara spoke casually like she was talking to a friend about something entirely different.


    "You are going to die Sara Wang" Medusa assured her in a very angry voice.


    No one had ever annoyed her as much as Sara was annoying her now.


    "I cannot die in your hands. Have you forgotten who my boyfriend is?" She retorted boldly.


    "Li Muchen would never let you be if you hurt me."


    Medusa began to laugh immediately she heard her. All her tensed muscles relived her and she moved back to sit on the couch leisurely.


    "I hate girls like you the most. Who run into trouble and expect your so-called boyfriends to come and save you. What do you intend to achieve by coming here? We all know that CEO Li Muchen broke up with you and fired you from being his sister''s coach. There is no news I cannot find. So are you here because you wanted to die so badly?"  Medusa mocked with an amused expression on her face.


    Sara frowned when she heard that.


    But deep down, she was joyous.


    It was all a part of the plan and she knew they had bought it. It was not so difficult to trick spies.


    "How...how did you know about it?" Sara stammered in shock.


    Medusa still found the entire thing amusing and began to laugh again.


    "You are really dumb. It''s a good thing he broke up with you."


    Medusa said before crossing her legs casually.


    Even if she was not going to get the painting again, at least she could get rid of Sara. And there was no powerful person beside her anymore. Since Muchen already broke up with her.


    "It''s because of you!" Sara yelled at her angrily.


    "If you had not asked me to steal that painting, he would not have thought I was a thief and burned the painting. Neither would he have fired and throw me out!" Tears formed in her eyes as she accused Medusa.


    Her reaction caused Medusa to laugh even more. "And you still dared come here? Do you really have a death wish?"


    Medusa thought it did not make sense that Sara was simply coming to only rile her up and complain. Or was she simply stupid?


    "Lock her up. And wait for my orders" Medusa ordered the big men who had been waiting patiently for her orders.


    As one of the men tried to grab her, she swiftly dodged him and the rest, and quickly appeared before Medusa.


    "Aren''t you curious about the other things I know and who I have told?" Sara asked her as she continued to dodge from the men who were trying to catch her.


    Humans were naturally curious. Especially when it involved knowing things that related to them.


    Plus she was already tired of their cat and mouse chase. So Medusa agreed to listen.


    "Alright. You should at least be useful before you die. Make sure you leave nothing out. I want to hear all of it"


    "Why did you kill him? Your husband I mean. Because of the domestic cases you filed but was not treated accordingly?" Sara was a bit calmer when she asked now.


    "Don''t ask me stupid questions!" Medusa shouted at her. "I asked you to tell me something else. Not ask questions"


    As much as she tried not to show it, she was obviously tensed.


    She knew that whoever knew about her affairs was not any ordinary person since they had been able to find such details about her. It meant that the person who did the diggimg on her with Sara was quite influential. And that was going to be a huge problem for her.


    "Who else knows about this?" She asked again since Sara was still quiet.


    "Someone"


    "Are you messing with me right now?" She asked impatiently in displeasure.


    "I am going to die anyway. So why can''t I just mess with you all I want?"


    "Take her away. She is useless" Medusa said to the men in black.


    As they were about grabbing her this time, she quickly opened her coat to show Medusa the device that was attached to her body.


    Medusa vaguely knew what it was but she did not want to believe that Sara passed the detection without a bomb being detected on her body.


    It was very small and counted silently. She could see that it was currently reading 3:46


    "We''ll all die together." Sara said with a smile before turning to face the men who looked as shocked as Medusa.


    "What are you waiting for? Quickly take her out of here now" Medusa ordered anxiously.


    As they moved closer to Sara, she did not dodge this time.


    Anyone who touched her had a syringe to their necks. And before Medusa knew it, they were all lying on the floor, unconscious.


    "It''s a surprise that you smuggle ammunitions  without knowing much about them. This, cannot be detected." Sara said proudly while pointing at the device that was tied around her waist.


    Medusa finally showed how frightened she was.


    She did not want to die with this crazy girl.


    "You want to kill yourself because your boyfriend broke up with you? I pity your father for giving birth to a child like you"


    "Just like I pity your parents for giving birth to two useless children who slept with each other." Sara said with irritation.


    "


    You are both one big social problem."


    Medusa''s eyes bulged out when she heard that.


    One, because Sara had just revealed something else that was top secret. Two, the timer was now 2:59


    "Y..o..u! How dare you accuse me of something so preposterous."


    "I am glad you know it''s prepresterous."


    "You better leave now. I am warning you." Medusa warned with a dark expression.


    "Leave? Thought you didn''t want me to? But sorry, like I mentioned earlier, we both die together."


    Medusa was about to say something, when she heard her phone began to ring.


    But the thing was, her phone was not with her. It was ringing close to where Sara was standing and she could not remember when Sara took it.


    Sara took out Medusa''s phone from her pant''s back pocket and placed it on ''silent'' before keeping it back on her pocket.


    "What are you doing with my phone?"  Medusa asked as she continued to press on the little remote in her hand that was supposed to alert more men come inside.


    But no matter how much and hard she pressed, no one appeared inside. She could no longer hide the fact that she was scared. She did not want anything to interrupt her plan especially now that something big was coming. Neither was she willing to die. The only one who was supposed to die was Sara!


    Medusa looked for a way to escape, but there was no way she could run out through the front door since Sara was blocking her way.


    She knew now was not the time to act indifferently. It was the time to save herself.


    Quickly, she began to run further inside the penthouse.


    Sara wasted no time before following her but she kept a fair distance.


    As Medusa continued to run, she kept pressing some almost invisible buttons on the wall but still, no help came.


    She entered a room and quickly opened the walk-in closet''s door while throwing things at Sara to stay away.


    Sara watched as she quickly threw down a painting that was hanging on the wall.


    When the painting dropped to the floor, she saw something like a light switch on the wall where the painting had been hanging.


    In a hurry to get away from Sara before the explosion, Medusa pressed the switch and immediately, the wall slided open to reveal a dark secret room.


    Never in Sara''s life would she have thought that there was a secret door there.


    As Medusa was about to run in, Sara finally appeared behind her and dragged her back with full force, which caused her to trip and fall.


    Sara looked down at the counter and counted the last numbers with it.


    "10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...0"


    As Medusa closed her eyes to wait for death, she heard a phone begin to ring instead.


    It was Sara''s.


    Immediately Sara answered the call, she placed it on loudspeaker.


    "Good Job" A male voice said to her.


    Sara smiled and ended the call immediately.


    "What...what was that?" Medusa asked  in confusion and shock.


    Quickly, Sara pulled the timer from her body. "My little cousin makes use of this timer whenever she''s doing her homework. How didn''t you know that?" Sara laughed.


    "What did you do?" Medusa tired to get up from the ground but she could not because her ankle was hurting a lot, and she tried not to show that she was going through pain.


    "I was only buying time. Are you stupid? Even if I wanted to die with someone, it would be your brother. Why would I come in here and start having a long meaningless conversation with you?"


    "Not just your new arrivals, almost every illegal businesses you own, plus this hotel you run with criminals.  Everything is going down. I told you all I do not like to get angry. Your people even dared make my little cousin cry on the day she was supposed to be happy. This is my little payback for you all" She said with a dark look.


    The only way to fully get the Blacks was to get rid of Medusa. If there had gone for the Blacks directly, Medusa was obviously going to help them out or probably use other organisations she supported. And aside from that, they wanted to know where their journals were kept. Since Medusa was more like Black''s sponsor, they believed she would have most of the journals to prove she had been into illegal dealings.


    Once Sara was done explaining to Medusa, some men who were dressed in army uniforms entered inside the walk-in closet.


    At that point, Medusa knew she had been had.


    Even the door to her secret room where almost every of her journals and ledgers were kept was open.


    "Thank you for your help Miss Wang. The gang leader and some other members escaped but but we are certain they would be apprehended soon. But for now, we''ll be assigning some men to guard you since we cannot have you stay at the Barrack as you are preparing for your wedding." A man who looked like a general said to her. He was around his early or mid forties.


    As they spoke, two men had already pulled Medusa up and used an handcuff on her.


    "Alright." Sara said with a smile before handing him Medusa''s phone which currently had many missed calls and text messages.


    Medusa was still stupefied by the whole thing.


    She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.


    She was even more shocked when Muchen suddenly came in and hugged Sara.


    "There''s no way in hell I''d ever allow you do something this dumb again." He said in relief as his hands tightened around her.


    As the men took her away, Medusa looked one more time at Sara and Muchen.


    Was she really as evil as they saw her?


    She had wanted a simple life also.


    After her parents died when she was still very young, she grew up alone with her brother.


    He had been like her father, brother, and friend.


    He did illegal things to support her and to send her to school.


    Although she did not like the fact that he did bad things, there was nothing she could do about it because she really needed to go to school and live like her mates.


    Along the line, she developed an abominable kind of feeling for her brother.


    He probably did too because he did not push her away when she made the first pass at him.


    She had not wanted him to continue being in an organization and had asked him to leave with her to somewhere far, but he refused her saying that he wanted to be the leader so he could take good care of her. He dedicated his soul into that conquest and out of anger, she cut ties with him.


    That was when she got married to a terrible man who always beat her up. No matter the number of times she reported him to the police, they did nothing because he always paid them off.


    When she could no longer take it, she went to her brother for help after years of being apart. At that time, he was already the leader of Black after killing the previous leader.


    He made her swear to be a part of them passively. That way, he could fully protect her with his people and would make her powerful.


    When she agreed, it all resulted in her stabbing her ex-husband to death. From that moment, she knew there was no turning back.


    She also stopped using her name just like her brother who had also changed his name many years ago.


    Many manipulation from her side with support from Fuji, she got into the Jin''s household that was at the verge of collapse.


    It had been a simple deal. Father Jin would marry her, and they were going to raise the Jin corporation to the top with the Black''s help.


    Not just that, fifty percent of the profit from the Jin corporation would go to the Blacks for as long as the organisation continued to exist.


    From the moment the Blacks helped the Jin corporation find their feet again, the Jin family became known.


    But now...


    Here she was. Was her time of fame over?


    She had been quiet for years. Did not go oit for any occasions, did not have friends.


    She had lived quietly.


    But the first time she came out, because of a stupid painting she wanted to give to her father-in-law as a bribe so he would give them much of his inheritance.


    Now, she was like this because of greed.


    Why did she come out?


    Why did she meet Sara again?


    Why did her father-in-law like that artist''s painting in particular?


    Why was that painting the only one left of that artist?


    Why did she fall into Sara''s trap?


    So many whys in her head, but she was going to keep asking herself that question in prison.


    Because as it was now, she was not seeing any hope of her ever coming out.


    Even her brother could not save her now..


    "I won''t ever forgive you" She said to Sara with glazed eyes.


    "Your forgiveness doesn''t matter to us" Muchen answered instead

 Chapter 309 - Almost over

    The Hotel was in pandemonium for the past few hours. Staffs, customers, were all taken into custody by the military men.


    The military did not want to make it very obvious that they were following Sara so they allowed her go with Muchen instead, while they tailed them.


    As she quietly followed Muchen to where his car was parked, she caught sight of a familiar figure who passed by as quickly as the breeze.


    It was so quick that everything had happened within a second and she did not see the person the next second.


    "What is it?" Muchen asked when he noticed she was staring into space. He also looked at the direction she was looking at and found nothing.


    Sara shook her head and turned to look at him.


    "It''s fine. Let''s go"


    Sara  knew she had not seen wrongly.


    It had been a lady in a long black coat with her hair covered with a black scarf.


    Even if she was not able to see her face, she knew it was the gang member that was an ''artist''. The same lady who had showed her the fake painting she was supposed to exchange with Muchen''s, and Sara had warned her to run very far from the Blacks if she ever got the chance.


    She had really underestimated her rank until today.


    Before they got to Medusa''s door, Sara had been intercepted by two ''Black'' women who were to search her. One of which was that lady.


    At that point, she knew it was going to be quite complicated if she was caught with the syringe and timer that was tied around her waist.


    She did not really think they would search her properly since they did not do so the last time she was taken to meet Fuji.


    But even if that had happened, there was an option B.


    The Army would have raided the place that same minute.


    The lady had been the one to search her.


    While the other lady waited with the man who had been escorting Sara, outside the cubicle.


    Sara could still remember the shocked look on the lady''s face when she saw the timer around her waist.


    At that moment, Sara was prepared to attack her and send a signal to the general.


    But the Lady had simply raised her head to look at Sara''s face with a look of indifference.


    "You should be careful." She mouthed to Sara before leaving the restroom to go tell the others that Sara had nothing on her.


    It was from there that she went straight to Medusa''s room.


    .Since she had just been checked, they could only use the detector on her which showed she was not with any harmful thing.


    "That was dangerous" Muchen said as he continued to drive with his face on the road.


    Sara sighed before turning to face him. "I did not want to leave anything out."


    "The military would have done that." He complained.


    "There is no way the military would have seen the secret room. You said it yourself. She is Han Ruoxi, but could have easily denied that. How then are we supposed to link the operations to her? Is that not why they have not been able to arrest them ever since? With those ledgers in her custody, I don''t think there is any way she would be coming out anytime soon. Because now, it would be easier to link her up for it" Sara explained.


    She liked to do a clean job where there was nothing left behind.


    She had volunteered to do it. Not just because she wanted to because she was free, but because she hated them. Whenever she remembered how they had treated her, all she wanted to do was to get rid of them. And she wanted to do it perfectly.


    When she heard Muchen discussing with someone on the phone about a ''solid'' evidence to apprehend her with, she knew she had to do something to find one.


    Going there, annoying her, threatening her and judging her, she knew that kind of stress was going to be too much for her to handle at once and at that point, mistakes were bound to happen. Just like how she had showed them the secret room.


    They had also been able to trace Fuji''s secret room that same way and were able to retrieve some documents and ammunitions even though he was nowhere to be seen.


    "It''s not over yet. You need every protection you can get." Muchen was still not very happy but he did not want to show her.


    "I''ll be fine" Sara assured him in an uncertain voice.


    "Erm... Is it out?" She raised her phone to show him.


    The military had done some kind of wiretapping on her phone to enable them listen to her conversation with Medusa. So even though the Black members had asked her to turn off her phone, the military could still listen in.


    "Yes. It has been disabled." Muchen nodded before suddenly remembering something so he turned to ask.


    "Earlier, about Jin Medusa and her brother.... You...you said something.." He did not know how to raise the embarrassing topic.


    He had also heard their conversation and had truly been shocked since Sara had not told him about it.


    "How did you know about that?" He asked her curiously.


    Sara looked at him with a dull face. Her mood was sour and she actually did not know why she felt bad.


    "I suddenly remembered something on my way there, but I was not really sure about it. I only said it out since I was looking for ways to buy time before the timer went off."


    "And you remembered...?"


    "The past. I did not really may much attention to Fuji''s personal life since I was only concerned about leaving. But a rumour went round back then about the both of them. I think the one who started it was a young girl¡ªone of Fuji''s Mistresses. Everyone naturally assumed it was out of jealousy or bitterness. The lady suddenly disappeared one day and no one heard anything about her again." She explained.


    "I did not expect it to be true. But I think the rumour was true, judging from her reaction."


    Now, it made a bit more sense. Especially after Medusa told her that Fuji had allowed her go because of her.


    Fuji was not one to listen to people. But not only was Medusa his younger sister, she had also been his lover, even though she was not sure they still continued till now.


    "Are you sure you''ll be okay in your place?" Muchen asked Sara immediately the car pulled over the side of the building.


    He did not want to let her be tonight. Especially when he knew that those people were probably lurking around.


    "I''ll be fine. I also have people guarding me in case the Blacks approached me. So I''m fine."


    Sara assured him with a small smile.


    Muchen nodded and sighed in relief.


    "I am glad this is almost over."


    "You sure you are not regretting burning that painting?" Sara remembered to ask.


    "I do not regret. I kept it because I thought my grandfather was a nice man who loved his family. But now that I know better, I regret ever keeping it all these years"


    He replied.

 Chapter 310 - Wedding Calls...

    The Lis had not bothered to throw a lavish party on New Year''s Eve since Grandmother Sun was not fully recovered yet and was still in the hospital.


    So instead of throwing a party in their homes, the Lis had all gone to spend the whole day with her and once it was 12am which marked the beginning of another year, they all watched the fireworks together from the hospital''s rooftop.


    They could not believe that their once healthy mother and grandmother was now being wheeled on a wheelchair.


    Once it was 1am, they began to disperse. Because they had to return home since that day was Muchen and Sara''s wedding day.


    --


    Over at the Wang''s apartment, they also watched the fireworks outside. Jianjun, Changyu, Cixi, Sara, and Joreen all watched it together joyously.


    They all had the same thought. They believed this New year was going to be different and joyous for them.


    Immediately it clocked twelve, they all wished Joreen a happy birthday first before congratulating Sara in advance on her wedding.


    "Baby Jo, tell me what you want for your birthday. Anything" Changyu said to Joreen who was sitting beside her on the couch in the sitting room.


    ''Anything'' people liked to hear that word, especially when it was coming from someone powerful and capable.


    Joreen looked at the other members of the family as if she was hoping for one of them to make a wish for her.


    They had all given her gifts except Changyu who was now giving her a blank cheque to ask for whatever she wanted.


    "Can I....ask for a bigger hou..se?" Joreen asked awkwardly and with a sheepish smile since she did not know whether she was going overboard with her demand.


    "Jo!" Cixi called first in shock. She could not believe that Joreen had asked for a house of all things!


    Sara and Jianjun were also surprised but did not say anything.


    Changyu began to laugh before asking  "What type do you like? And in what City?"


    Joreen''s eyes widened when she realised that Changyu was really going to buy them a house. She quickly turned to look at Jianjun and asked,


    "Dad, what type of house do you like? Hurry before she changes her mind"


    "Me? Why are you asking me?" Jianjun asked her in confusion.


    "Am I the only one supposed to live in the house? It''s for all of us. Even though they have fixed the elevator here, this place is still too small and I am sure pretty Aunt is very uncomfortable with you sleeping in her room every night"


    Everyone was quiet after Joreen said that.


    If Changyu or Jianjun had been eating or drinking something, they would have choked immediately.


    Cixi did not know what to say, all she could do was to use her hand to cover her face.


    The entire atmosphere turned awkward.


    "You should not worry about that Jo. Just make another wish" Sara desperately tried not to laugh when she spoke to Joreen.


    Her Father''s embarrassed and shocked look was very amusing to her.


    Of course Jianjun was also shocked because now, no one remembered that the room was his to begin with. He even had to sneak into his own room now!


    But unlike him, Changyu had a smile on her face.


    If she had been talking to an adult, she probably would have said "I don''t actually mind that he sleeps in the same room with me."


    But because Joreen was a little girl who just clocked eight, Changyu could only smile.


    "Let''s go through some magazines later and choose the one to buy okay?"


    Joreen was so excited that after jumping around for some seconds, she hugged Changyu happily.


    She had liked Changyu even before meeting her. Knowing that she was Sara''s mother, Joreen liked her even more now.


    Joreen had always dreamt about staying in a big house. Now, her dream was finally going to come true.


    Hallelujah!


    ---


    "She should have asked for something else." Cixi complained to Sara once they were in the room.


    Joreen did not pay much attention to them since she was on a call with Muchen who had called to wish them a Happy New Year and was now wishing her a Happy Birthday.


    "Any wish for your birthday?" Muchen asked Joreen, who could not still get over Changyu''s promise.


    Joreen bobbed her head up and down as if Muchen could see her gesture. Then, she quickly rushed to the bathroom so the two women would not hear her.


    As Cixi watched her run out, she sighed.


    "Let her be. I know you''re feeling this way because there is a little rift between you and mother. But it''s going to be fine. Trust me."


    "You should not be here trying to advise me. It''s your wedding day! You should be having a party with some friends or something."


    "You know I don''t have friends. And I do not need any." After what she experienced from Weiyoung, she was not sure she needed another ''friend'' in her life except for Muchen who was currently her best friend, boyfriend, and soon to-be husband.


    "What about Liu Weiyoung? Heard from her?" Cixi asked curiously.


    Sara shook her head. "I haven''t. I do not know if she saw the invite since the Mo family was invited. But as much as I want her to come so I could rub it on her face, I don''t want to see her. She may ruin my day" Sara said with a sad face before quickly switching..


    "Enough about me. What about you? A little birdie told me you''ve been in contact with a certain Mr Luo. I''m glad I finally remembered to ask you today." Sara winked at her.


    "That tiny gossip!" Cixi gritted her teeth.


    She knew that ''little birdie'' was obviously Joreen.


    "He is... just there."


    "Just there? Do not lie to me Aunt. I heard he came to ask for your number when you were about leaving the store. Is he into you?"


    "Oh please! Didn''t I mention he looked younger than me? Besides he has a clingy woman beside him and ¡ª"


    "Enough with the excuses. Invite him to my wedding. That way, I can see him, and you also get the chance to spend some time with him. Deal? Deal!"


    Cixi laughed out when she heard that. "You must have learned that from your mother."


    "Of course, she''s been frustrating dad too much. I feel bad for him. He doesn''t even get to make his own decisions these day"


    They both laughed together before Joreen finally returned.


    --


    The wedding was to take place in the evening. But throughout the day, Sara was very nervous. It was still very difficult to believe that she was getting married; And to Li Muchen of all people!


    "It''s okay. You''ll be fine." Changyu assured her with a gentle pat on her back.


    Sara desperately tried to believe Changyu''s words. She really hoped for everything to turn out well.


    She was not actually scared of anyone ruining her wedding since her biggest problem had been the Blacks. But luckily for her and the rest of the world, most of the Blacks who escaped that night, were caught.


    But Fuji, the man who thought he had the world at his feet, died in the clash.


    And the one who had helped get, was the least person she expected ¡ªSnake!


    On her way home two days back, a little girl had stopped in front of her father''s restaurant to give her a candy.


    Sara bad been confused because she did not know the child and thought she was probably lost. But when she touched the candy, she knew it was not actually a real candy that was wrapped in it. It was more like a note.


    With a smile, she took it and thanked the girl while pretending to know her. She knew the military men were watching nearby and did not want them to suspect anything.


    So as soon as she got home, she opened it to find a note inside. It read..


    '' Pretty little sister. This is my first time writing a note to someone and I feel weird about it. I thought this was the best way to get to you since those annoying creatures keep going everywhere you go in a bid to protect you from us. Okay, writing kind of sucks so I''ll just go straight to the point.


    I really wanted to tell you that I am truly proud of you. And I do envy you.


    I envy the fact that you get to live a normal life, that you get to be loved by people, that you get to be strong and fight for your life and what you believe.


    Sometimes, I ask myself... ''If I had rebelled and stood up to Fuji just like you did, would I have been living a normal life by now?''


    Don''t mock me little sis, I already know the answer is a capital NO!


    He probably would have killed me and dumped my body in the cold waters where no one would ever find me and every traces of me disappears like I never existed.


    I want you to live well. And I am sorry for everything I did to you. Here is a little Wedding gift for you below this note. You better allow those flies get to Fuji before your wedding day. Else, it may turn to your boyfriend''s burial ceremony.


    Good luck to you. And thank you for making me feel like a human again.


    PS: You always reminded me of my little sister. Her name was Yue Queen. Probably the reason I liked you a lot.


    Yk''


    Sara had been really emotional when she read the letter from Yue King that day.


    She knew it had taken everything in him to be able to make up his mind to betray Fuji and the rest gang members.


    Once she took the address to the military, they quickly planned to take Fuji down.


    Maybe she had imagined it, but it was difficult to swallow the fact that Snake had still been with Fuji till that moment. No one saw the three others that were in his crew: Blue Rays, Black Dog and Sword. Snake must have helped them escape but had remained with Fuji.


    He had also died with Fuji.


    When Sara heard the news of his death, she had broken down in tears and no matter how hard Muchen tried to console her, she could not stop her tears.


    She then remembered the reason she was not happy on the day Medusa was captured. It was because she had a friend there.


    It made her regret the times she treated him badly.


    All she could do now was to forget about the past. But she was never going to forget Yue King.


    "Why do you look so sad?" Changyu asked in concern.


    "I just hope everything turns out well today" Sara finally said to her with a forced smile.


    "It better be. You are going to be the first person getting married in this family. So do not bring us any bad luck" Changyu said lightly before herself and Sara began to laugh.


    Yes, her father never got married. Neither did Changyu. Her Aunt was also single and Joreen, well...


    ******


    Evening..


    As much as they tried to make the wedding less known to people, the news still went around.


    CEO Li Muchen was getting married!


    A lot of people were curious about the bride and the family she came from. But no matter how hard they tried to pry, no meaningful information seemed to come out.


    The only ones who counted themselves lucky, were the ones who were invited to the wedding. They were going to see the mystery woman that stole his heart.


    "Who holds a church wedding in the evenings?"


    Dexi complained immediately his car stopped in front on the large church''s building.


    Till this very moment, he still refused to believe that Sara was getting married to Li Muchen.


    Was the Heavens playing a joke on him? Because this was a huge joke indeed!


    While he had been trying to gather information about her life in Country Y, she had been planning to get married to someone else?


    He did not even get the chance to pursue her at all. Neither did he get the chance to go on a single date with her.


    But now, of every person in the world to get married to, why did it have to be Li Muchen?


    That manipulative bastard!


    He was sure it had been Muchen''s doing. He had been trying to know what happened to Sara during the time she disappeared but all of a sudden, he found the record. And it was perfect with enough alibis.


    It showed that she had been given a one-year scholarship by Li corporation to study abroad.


    And everything made perfect sense with the way it was arranged and organised.


    "Mr Mo. A little smile would do" His secretary advised.


    "Are you crazy? Did I come here to wish them well? Why should I smile then?"


    Dexi thought it was a mistake to have gone there. He did not want to see what was going to ruin his entire day. It was best best to go attend to something else, or probably go meet someone who was more annoyed than he was in other to feel better.


    Mo Jinyong!

 Chapter 311 - I do!

    "Why are they not here yet?" Sara asked her aunt as soon as she joined her in the room she was waiting at.


    It''s been over an hour now and the wedding ceremony was soon going to begin but neither of her parents where anywhere in sight.


    "I just called your father. He said they are almost here and you should not worry too much" Cixi informed her.


    "Aunt I think I really need a tranquilizer" Sara said nervously as she continued to pace around.


    "You are going to be fine. You are always so bold and collected but now you look a mess. Cheer up!"


    "Your Aunt is right. You''ll be alright" Hoy said from the door before walking inside with two large envelopes in hand. He gave a curt bow to Cixi before looking at Sara.


    "You look very pretty." He complimented th a pleasant smile.


    She wore a long sleeved, V-neck wedding gown with Sheer lace bodies. The gown hugged her body from the top to the bottom, perfectly accentuating the perfect curves she always hid in her oversized clothes. The color of her gown was between gold and yellow, no one could really tell.


    On her earlobes, a pair of silver earring dangled about whenever she paced around. And on her neck, was the necklace Muchen had gifted her. She had refused to wear any other necklace except for that particular one with the initials ''SW''.


    Her hair was tied in a bridal updo and was adorned in silver and gold clips. The veil attached to her hair was also as long as the gown itself, but for now, the veil was open and not covering her face.


    The reason Sara could freely pace about was obviously because she was not wearing a heel. Underneath her gown was her usual sneakers.


    She did not want to embarrass herself by wearing a heel. Obviously not today!


    "The wedding starts in twenty minutes. You should control your emotions. No one is going to bite you." He advised one more time.


    Joreen, who had been busy looking around the beautifully decorated large church, joined them.


    "Hello little girl. Happy birthday" Hoy bent to greet her immediately he saw her enter.


    "Thank you very much" Joreen said with a wide smile.


    She was so happy that day. Happy for a whole lot of reasons put together.


    "Here is a little something for the birthday girl."  He handed her one envelope on his hand, which elicited a confused look from Joreen and the other women there.


    "It''s a script. The shoot will take place in San Francisco in three weeks."


    Joreen thought she died the moment she heard him because her heart stopped beating.


    She was finally going to appear on TV? It was hard to believe so.


    "You... Mean it?" She asked to be sure.


    "Of course. Since your big sister refused to join the entertainment industry, you should do well so she would get jealous." Hoy said cheekily which caused Sara to laugh.


    Cixi had a mixed emotion as she watched her daughter''s shocked look.


    "San..Fransisco?" The location suddenly registered.  "Can.. I go mum?" Joreen turned to ask her mother in a low voice that showed she was still in disbelief.


    Cixi tried not to cry when she nodded. "You can"


    "But school_?"She looked at Hoy in confusion.


    "Don''t worry. We''d fix all of that." He assured her with a genuine smile.


    Whenever he saw her, she seemed to look cuter than the last time.


    Her dark, curly, Afro hair was packed together which willingly formed a bun on the top of her head, like a crown.


    Joreen wore a pretty red gown and heel that was probably only an inch. And even without a single make up, she looked perfect! She was the prettiest brown skinned girl he had ever seen.


    Hoy was really curious to see how she would look like in the next five to ten years.


    Would be absolutely stunning!


    "And this right here..." He gave her the second envelope.


    "It''s from your cousin-in-law to be. He is asking you to be a child model for the company."


    "Oh my God!" Joreen gasped aloud.


    Everything was too much for her that she could no longer hold it in and burst into tears while wrapping her arms around Hoy''s neck who had been squatting down the entire time.


    With a smile on her face, Cixi also cried alongside her daughter.


    Sara was almost crying also, but Cixi had warned her not to try it because she was likely going to ruin her perfect make-up and they did not want that.


    "Let''s talk about this with your mother later. I really have to leave now."


    Hoy bowed to Cixi and congratulated Sara once more before leaving the room.


    Hoy was genuinely happy for Sara. He had been a bit conflicted with his feelings for her at one point, but now he knew Sara was more fitted to be his friend and sister-in-law than anything else.


    Maybe he had been confused because he did not understand his feelings since he had never been close to any female before. But he knew better now.


    As Cixi was still trying to calm Sara down, she received a call from Luo Jaime to let her know he was inside the church already. She did not want to leave Sara alone, but thankfully, Changyu and Jianjun appeared just in time. She watched how they both panted like they had ran there and thought it was the best time to leave.


    Cixi quickly excused herself from there with Joreen following behind her.


    "Where have you two been?" Sara complained but was relieved to see them.


    Still panting, Jianjun began to explain. "Apparently, she did not want her daughter to get married before her."


    "So..?" Sara stressed since she did not see how it related to them coming late.


    With a big smile on her face, Changyu raised two certificates in front of Sara''s face before announcing, "We are legally married."


    "Oh my God!" Sara gasped before quickly hugging her. "Congratulations."


    Once she left Changyu, she hugged her father next. "I hope you realise you are both also going to throw a party?" Sara said to the both of them with a big smile on her face.


    The news did a great job in easing her nervous heart.


    The next people to come see her was Li Fazhan and Jiang Dana.


    Fazhan did what he knew how to do best¡ªteasing her.


    "So finally, you''ll become my daughter-in-law. I thought you said you did not want my son?"


    "Can we please stop dwelling on that topic? It still embarrasses me" Sara pouted.


    Dana simply stood by the side as they both conversed. She was too embarrassed to approach Sara. But Sara was a very open-minded person. She had hugged Dana first and told her how happy she was to be her daughter-in-law.


    Even though Sara had not actually meant it!


    "I am so sorry for everything. I hope we get along well." Dana said with an apologetic smile.


    "I hope so too"


    *****


    Sara slowly released the breath she has been holding when the door opened wide, creating an entrance for her to walk down the aisle with her father taking her hand.


    Sara was still very much nervous. She did not know why, but she could not look at Muchen who was patiently waiting for her at the altar.


    She thought she might turn emotional once she saw him and probably do something to  embarrass herself. Luckily for her, her veil was hiding her face from the people, so no one saw how she was trying to control her anxiety by breathing in and out.


    Thankfully, the guests were not very many.


    As she walked down the aisle that seemed to be endless, she noticed everyone was staring at her father.


    Shoot that! They were all staring at her, but she did not want to think that.


    She saw her Aunt smiling proudly at her, and Cixi looked like she was crying. Joreen also happily waved her, seemed like she had gotten over the earlier shock.


    As herself and her father walked to match the soft piano sound, her eyes continued to dance around in nervousness.


    She saw the Li family sitting on the other corner. They all looked at her with a happy smile on her face. Heya, Hoy, Minde, plus all the elders in the Li family. There were also some she had never met before.


    But it was not difficult to recognise Sun. She was still in a wheelchair, and had a smile plastered to her face.


    She heard a sniffle beside her and turned to see her father trying to wipe off tears from his eyes.


    "Are you crying?" She asked in a whisper as they continued to make the walk that doesn''t seem to end.


    "I am not. You better focus on the altar" Jianjun warned her before he continued to wipe his tears.


    Under normal circumstances, she would have chuckled, but instead, she turned emotional and soon began to feel her eyes water.


    It was difficult to imagine waking up every morning without seeing Jianjun.


    In a bid to distract herself by continuing to look around, she saw Changyu.


    Her mother who had always been composed in public had tears in her eyes.


    A woman who thought she had no child. Suddenly, she was in her daughter''s wedding.


    If that wasn''t a miracle, then what was?


    Now, she had no choice but to look at Muchen, because her father had given him her hand.


    Once her hand touched his, she felt her beath cease, and tears slowly began to drop from her eyes.


    Everything still felt surreal even to this very moment.


    She was marrying Li Muchen. The man every woman wanted, she was the one beside him.


    Even today, he still looked very dashing in the white suit he wore.


    ---


    Muchen had been staring at her. From the very moment the door opened and she entered, it was as if he was struck by lightning and the only thing he could do was to stare, transfixed at her.


    Not because she was looking so pretty,


    Not because she walked so confidently even though he knew she was nervous.


    Not because of the gown that made everyone to Wow!


    He had seen her in the gown when Hoy invited them to come make their choice.


    He had seen her almost every single day to know she was the prettiest woman alive.


    So why was he so focused on her like he was falling in love over again? Or was he?


    Maybe it was hard to swallow the fact that she was finally becoming his wife.


    They had not known each other for very long. Probably just three months. But he was certain that she was the one.


    From the very moment he saw her, he knew there was no mistaken about it. And he did I not need a year or more to convince himself that she was his Bride. Anyone who heard or read about their love story would agree with them that they were both perfect for each other.


    He began to remember from the very first moment he saw her in the bar threatening Minde. He remembered to when he saw her in his hotel confronting Jinyong and Weiyoing, to when he offered her a job, to when he watched her workout with his sister in those gym clothes that made him go crazy, to the first time he hugged her and told her he missed her, to the first time he kissed her and she kissed back, to how she had denied her feelings for him and said he was her employer and then ''a brother to her'', to how she finally accepted him and told him all of her secrets.


    Everyone present there were solely focused on the couple standing on the altar, facing each other.


    They had been continuously getting shocked from the moment they entered.


    First, The lady he was getting married to was really Sara Wang!


    Secondly, Sara Wang was Song Changyu''s daughter! That shocked the hell out of them since no one knew Changyu had a daughter.


    Thirdly, Li Muchen was crying alongside his bride!


    Seeing him cry, people naturally began to cry. They did not know why, but they just found themselves crying.


    "Mr Li Muchen, do you take Miss Wang Sara as your wife, to love and to hold, in sickness, in health, for richer, for¡ª"


    "I do!" Muchen interrupted. He did not like the fact that the vow was taking too long. Sara had to be his wife as soon as possible.


    "I do too." Sara answered without waiting for the priest to ask.


    "Well well well. Looks like this new couple is rather inpatient" The Priest said in a jokular manner which caused everyone to laugh.


    "You may exchange your rings" The Priest instructed the both of them and they heartily complied.


    Once they were done with that, the priest gave the last instruction.


    "You may kiss the bride"


    Muchen smiled widely when he opened her veil to reveal her perfect face that had a nervous smile.


    "I am shy. My family is watching" Sara whispered with flushed cheeks that even her make-up could not hide.


    "Don''t look at their direction" He said to her before letting his lips meet hers.


    Cheers and joyful shouts immediately followed after their lips locked.


    As Cixi used a hand to cover Joreen''s eyes so she would not watch them, Jianjun shut his eyes and tried his best to control his emotions.


    "She''ll be fine" Changyu assured him with a gentle tap on his back.

 Chapter 312 - Insecure

    Muchen and Sara had thought that immediately they were done with the wedding, then it was a Zoom over to their honeymoon. But they had thought wrongly.


    Before they knew what was happening, they found themselves in one of Changyu''s hotel.


    "Did you know about this?" Sara asked Muchen curiously.


    He shook his head to show he had no idea what was going on.


    They had just finished the church wedding that evening when Minde tricked Muchen into coming here with him, saying that Sara had a surprise for him.


    Heya had also told Sara the same thing. Telling her Muchen had a surprise for her.


    So they had both left separately while anticipating what the surprise was. But in getting here, they realised that they had both been tricked!


    Muchen''s phone rang with a call from Minde, who then gave him some instructions.


    Once he ended the call, Muchen took Sara''s hands and followed the direction Minde had just given him.


    They soon found themselves in front of a door and when he opened it, he saw a large staircase first.


    Still confused, he took Sara''s hand, and both entered.


    From the up of the stairs which they currently were, they saw what looked like a party, going on downstairs. And once they were in sight, everyone turned their attention towards them and claooed joyously.


    They would have thought they were in the wrong room if they had not seen some familiar faces, and a familiar voice that began to sing Kerri Hilson''s ''Knock you down''.


    The voice was Heya''s. And as usual, she was playing the piano while singing.


    ????''I never thought I''d be in love like this.


    When I look at you my mind goes on a trip. Then you came in and knocked me on my face


    Feels like I''m in a race but I''ve already won first place''????


    Sara and Muchen looked on in shock. Never had they imagined that there was another party being held for them. They had simply thought that since they were hurrying with the wedding because of Sun, then it was best they did not waste much time. But who would have thought they still had a night party with every member present?


    Muchen''s eyes met Heya''s who was looking at the both of them with a smile on her face.


    "She really knows how to choose her songs well" He whispered to Sara before carefully leading her with him down the stairs so she wouldn''t trip since her gown was long and flowing.


    ????''I never thought I''d fall for you as hard as I did.


    You got me thinkin'' ''bout our life, a house and kids, yeah.


    Every morning I look at you and smile


    ''Cause boy, you came around and you knocked me down, Knocked me down????


    Sara ran her eyes around the place, and stopped when she saw Heya. She smiled before mouthing a "Thank you" to her.


    Heya smiled also and what followed next, was a high-pitched melodious voice as she began to sing the solo slowely.


    ????''Sometimes love comes around and it knocks you down.


    Just get back up when it knocks you down, knocks you down.


    Sometimes love comes around and it knocks you down


    Just get back up when it knocks you down, knocks you dooown''????


    Very slowly, she concluded the song. And as expected, cheers and applauds followed.


    Heya smiled proudly. She thought she would never get used to this.


    "Hey!" She said into the mic, obviously calling for the new couple''s attention.


    "I hope you both continue to only find excitement in each other. Happy married life to the both of you. I wouldn''t ask for a better friend or a better elder brother. And Sara Wang... Or should I call you Mrs Li?¡ª" She laughed, and so did everyone else.


    "I love you so much. And I am glad you are my sister in-law"


    Sara blushed and used a hand to cover her face.


    Muchen inched closer to whisper in her ear. "All my family members likes you a lot. I think it is unfair that your father has been glaring at me while your mother still gives me that scary look like she doesn''t trust me."


    Sara used her eyes to search around for her family, and she soon found them. But Changyu was nowhere in sight.


    And just as Muchen said, Jianjun did not look all too happy.


    People gradually began to approach them to wish them a happy married life.


    And though Sara felt uncomfortable, she just had to flow along. Once in a while, she noticed some camera flashes on them, but she paid no mind to it.


    As soon as Heya stood up from where she had been playing the piano, Hoy approached her first.


    "Ever thought of joining G-GLOBAL? You have the potential of being a music star!" He praised, which caused Heya to laugh.


    She had never really been very close with Hoy and was surprised he actually made an effort to speak with her first.


    "You never seem to let go of any chance to recruit people do you?" She asked back.


    "I only offer those I believe are worth it. And with what I have seen so far, I think you are really worth it. Never would I have thought we had such a talent in this family until I saw the video were you sang on the street. And then at grandmother''s birthday party, and now. If you hadn''t been so isolated and all, we probably would have gotten along pretty fine."


    "I never knew you talked this much" Heya added with a laugh. She really liked it when people praised her.


    "I''m glad you are better now. I hope we keep getting along. And don''t forget to give me a call soon." He offered her a handshake, and she willingly took it.


    Once he left her, she saw her parents call for her from a distance.


    She had wanted to go meet the new couple, but they seemed to be busy with a lot of guests wishing them well.


    As she walked towards them, some young men and even some ladies could not help but stare at her.


    She wore a long blue lace gown that had a long slit by the side which stopped just below her knee.


    On her feet were a pair of red kitten heel. And on her neck, earlobes, wrist and two fingers, she wore silver jewelries. Her hair flowed about freely and there was something about the way she walked that seemed to intimidate people.


    She walked with so much pride and confidence that people could not help but feel intimidated by her. Except for her pretty face which had a bright smile as she greeted her parents.


    "That was a wonderful performance Li Heya. You amaze me every time you open your mouth to sing, and it makes me wonder whether I truly gave birth to such a talent like you.." Her mother praised with a sincere smile on her face.


    In fact, she had been smiling the entire day.


    "She took after me" Li Fazhan did not miss the chance to praise himself.


    With a laugh, Heya thanked her parents for the compliment. She felt like a different person now and it even surprised her a lot.


    "Chairman Zhu. Madam Zhu" Fazhan quickly greeted when he saw the Zhu family who owned the biggest automobile company in the country, approach them. Beside them was their only son Zhu Liang, whose entire focus was on Heya.


    "I must say your children are very talented." Chairman Zhu, a man in his mid fifties, praised.


    "Are you preparing your daughter for marriage yet?" It was Madam Zhu''s time to speak.


    Heya frowned because she knew what was likely going to happen next. They were probably trying to hook her up with Zhu Liang. Not that she did not like him, he was a fun person and the last time they met during Grandmother Sun''s birthday party, they had both had a long conversation. But that didn''t mean she wanted to marry him. She wasn''t even truly sure he liked her.


    Before Fazhan could say a word, his wife spoke first with a smile.


    "Oh. Heya is still very young. She has to attend school and focus on her life before getting married. I believe it''s what she wants. Right Heya?" Dana turned to ask for Heya''s opinion on the matter. Taken aback, Heya smiled.


    She was glad her mother had meant it when she promised not to interfer with her life anymore.


    "Yes." Heya immediately agreed with her.


    "I also do not wish to get married anytime soon. But I like Li Heya and intend to court her" Zhu Lian shamelessly admitted with a smile in front of all of them, making Heya almost choke.


    ****


    Sara was tired of forcing a smile to greet a lot of people she did not know, but she was compelled to.


    Not compelled by a person, but her will to remain there.


    "Can I leave for a minute?" She asked Muchen and Sun.


    Sun raised a brow at her. "Leave? You mean this premises?"


    "No. Not at all. I just need to speak with my father quickly."


    She and Muchen had both greeted her father earlier. But till now, his mood was still sour and no one was actually paying him much attention.


    So he was just sitting there with a drink in hand. A drink he hadn''t even taken a sip from.


    "You shouldn''t look this sad on my wedding. People might conclude wrongly" Sara whispered behind him before moving over to sit opposite him.


    "What are you doing here? You should be around your husband"


    ''Husband''  The word brought a smile to Sara''s face.


    "I''m tired. Besides, no one of these guests actually cares about me except for his family and ours. Why do you look sad?"


    He said nothing but only looked at a spot. Sara took note and turned her head to see what he was looking at.


    And she saw it!


    She saw Changyu speaking with two men.


    She was standing directly under the bright light, looking as elegant as ever in a flowing silver gown.


    For one thing, Changyu looked like a top model. And if she didn''t know best, she probably would have thought she was in her early thirties. Sara seemed to think that Changyu was a lot more prettier than her.


    Even her smile glittered more than the gold jewelries she wore.


    "I can see it Sara.." Jianjun began to speak.


    "I know they are talking to her with the guise of being business partners or whatever they are there for, but they are actually flirting with her. But she is just too dumb to notice."


    Sara heard the insecurity in his voice when he spoke.


    Sara looked at Changyu again. She was standing with two men who seemed to be talking a lot with smiles plastered on both their faces. One of the men quickly snagged a wine glass from a passing waiter and offered to her but she politely declined.


    "But you know she loves you right?" Sara felt really bad for him. She knew it was even worse because everyone seemed to be talking to everyone else, but no one was speaking with him because to them, he was nothing more than the ''father of the bride''.


    Jianjun remained quiet and continued to look at Changyu''s direction with a sad expression. He had just legally married her a few hours back, why did he still feel so insecure? Why did he feel he could easily lose her again?


    "Where are you going to?" He asked Sara who just stood up and was marching towards her but Sara ignored his question.


    He watched as Sara said something to Changyu without bothering to greet the two men she had been talking to.


    Changyu turned to excuse herself from the men and followed Sara to a corner where they both continued to talk. But it seemed like Sara was the one talking, while Changyu listened.


    Changyu turned to look at him briefly and when he thought she was about to approach him, she walked towards the mic stand instead.


    "Everybody!" Changyu''s voice startled most of the guests and they all turned to pay attention to her.


    When she was sure she had their attention, she began to speak.


    "I''m sure you all already know that I am Sara Wang''s mother. But you should also know that that makes me Jianjun Wang''s wife. I am Wang Changyu and my husband is sitting right there"


    She pointed towards Jianjun who used his hands to cover his face in embarrassment.


    He desperately wanted to strangle that Sara Wang for bringing him this embarrassment.


    "So if you have a thing for me, you better keep those feelings to yourself." She paused, and with a smile she added.


    "Once again, happy married life to my lovely daughter and son-in-law."


    Everybody else: "----"

 Chapter 313 - Little Gamblers

    If people weren''t already surprised that someone like Changyu had a child with Jianjun Wang, they were very much surprised now that she announced that they were married. Even more, she was sitting beside him while smiling brightly and it looked like he was still very embarrassed by the sudden public display of affection she had just put up there a couple of minutes back.


    This was so unlike the Changyu they knew. Her usual self was a cold person who did not have time for anybody. She did not talk much, neither did she smile or laugh. But looking at her now, it was very obvious that she was in love with the man. Which made a lot of men who had been crushing on her to be  disappointed and heart broken.


    Because it would have been nice enough to know that Changyu was not interested in marriage, and that was the reason she had turned down most of their advances. But to think that it was actually because she was in love with someone less compared to them, they could not just understand it.


    One person who looked a but heartbroken as he watched her, was Li Minde.


    "I am sorry" Changyu apologized with a pleasant smile on her face. "I must have been really insensitive. Didn''t know you were hurt. And jealous.." She added.


    "I am not jealous." Jianjun denied flatly.


    "So what was that about?" She raised a brow at him.


    "People are looking at us. Stop messing around" He said with an embarrassed look.


    "It''s cute that you still get easily shy. It would have been difficult for you to ever have a girlfriend when you were younger. You''re lucky I saved you"


    "Why are you suddenly raising that issue now?"


    "Because you''re being jealous and shy. Do you want to dance with me?" She suddenly asked out of the blue.


    There was a song going on already and people were already beginning to pair up.


    "Sounds like a bad idea to me"


    "I probably should just go find someone else then. You wouldn''t get mad would you?"


    "I dare you!" Jianjun challenged possessively.


    "Then get your ass up and let''s move. I can''t remember the last time I danced in a party"


    Excitedly, she pulled him along with her. And he obliged since he did not want her to dance with another man.


    --


    "She behaves just like you. Very straightforward" Muchen said in a low voice to his new wife as they both danced together with both his hands around her waist.


    A quick laugh escaped from her mouth. "Tell me about it" She looked up at his face with both her hands on his shoulders.


    "Oh look there" Sara probed him to look at the direction she was looking at.


    "I think he likes Heya" She noted as she watched Heya dance together with Zhu Liang who seemed to tower over her.


    "He shouldn''t even dare it" Muchen quickly shot back which caused Sara to raise a brow at him.


    "You are so protective. She''s a big girl and can take care of herself now." She explained to him. But he still didn''t see her as a big girl. She was his younger sister and a man''s hand was around her waist!


    Or probably he was feeling so uncomfortable because it was the first time seeing Heya so close with a man.


    Ever since she was younger, she was always locked in her room, wallowing in self-pity and inferiority complex. It was the first time he was seeing her dance with a man.


    "She''ll be fine" Sara assured him before stretching to kiss his cheek.


    The quick kiss seemed to suddenly make him forget everything else and just stared at her with a big smile on his face that revealed his perfect dimples.


    "That''s the first time you''re making the move to kiss me in front of so many people. I think we should talk about Li Heya a lot"


    Sara laughed and shook her head. "You''re shamless."


    "If I wasn''t, you wouldn''t be here now." He admitted honestly.


    "Look. Aunt Cixi seem to be having fun" He turned Sara''s attention towards Cixi who was sitting besides a man.


    "That should me Mr Luo. Wow!" Sara exclaimed happily.


    ****


    Cixi watched as Joreen continued to chap happily with Jaime''s daughter Luo Reen on the next table.


    She was happy that her daughter was happy. In fact, she was extremely happy today for everything.


    "They both seem to get along pretty well" Jaime said when he noticed how focused Cixi was on staring at the girls.


    "Yea. Joreen easily gets along with people" Cixi commented.


    "That''s not the case for Reen. She''s an introvert and it''s almost impossible to bring her out of the house. I was surprised she willingly offered to come here with me"


    "Is that right?" Cixi looked at the girls one more time.


    "She seems to like you" He said with a smile.


    Ever since he came to the church where Sara and Muchen wedded, he had smiled a couple of times to her. And she had to admit, for a man, he had a really beautiful smile.


    As she looked at him, she could not stop having the feeling that he was younger than her. But a silly thought popped into her head that they both looked perfect together, especially as they both wore similar colour of clothes.


    It seemed like everyone wanted to flaunt their perfect bodies becuase she wore a peach color bodyhug long dress with long sleeve. Her hair was in a neat bun and she had a mild make-up on her face.


    She wasn''t really that much into jewelries, so she wore an almost invisible necklace and silver earring.


    He on the other hand, wore a cream and peach colored suit that matched hers perfectly.


    He was on a simple looking Rolex watch, and on his legs were a pair of Oxford shoes.


    She noticed he seemed to be looking her also.


    She was about to say something about Reen when she heard Reen''s voice.


    "I want to watch you dance dad" She said to Jaime from the other table.


    "Me, dance?" He asked her with a cocked brow.


    Reen nodded. "I have never seen you dance before. You should dance today. For me." She added with a smile.


    "Mum, you should dance too. It''s the first time we''re both going to a party together. Plus this is big sister''s wedding."


    "You are being naughty" Cixi said with a nervous laugh that was quite similar to Jaime''s.


    "So...?" Jaime asked her when their eyes met.


    "So...?" She asked him back, wondering what he meant.


    "Want to dance with me?" He asked politely.


    Cixi looked at him and then at the two girls who were smiling mischievously. She opened her mouth to say something to him but nothing came out. All she could do was to shrug her shoulders to show she had no choice.


    Cixi felt kind of weird with his hands around her waist since it had been a really long time since she was this close to a man but, she had to let it slide.


    "Hey?" She heard the familiar voice call from her side and she turned to see Changyu and Jianjun.


    "He your boyfriend?" Changyu asked rather straightforwardly in English.


    Cixi was very surprised. Not with the question, but because Changyu had spoke to her.


    Ever since the day she apologized to them, Changyu hardly said anything to her. But today, she had willingly spoke to her first.


    "N....o" Cixi managed to say with an awkward smile.


    "He looks not bad" Changyu added with a wink.


    "Just ignore her" Jianjun quickly dragged her along with him to another corner. He did not know why she was suddenly acting so drunk when she did not drink much.


    "Because I am happy." Changyu admitted with a happy smile.


    "I thought I was going to die lonely, but here I am. My daughter is married, I am married, and your sister just hooked up with a smoking hot dude."


    "So...I am.. not hot?" He asked her with a frown.


    Changyu pushed a little apart to look at him properly.


    He wore a black and white suit today. And she had actually forced him to wear the Armani''s watch he was wearing in his wrist. His hair was handsomely slicked backwards and, he seemed to look better than he ever looked.


    "You''re cold. Very cold. Kiss me and you''ll be hot" She said before puckering her lips to tease him.


    Jianjun quickly looked at both sides before pinching her arm gently. "You''re shameless. Always looking for an excuse to flirt."


    She laughed before whispering. "It''s the reason you like me. Trust me"


    ---


    As Cixi and Jaime continued to move their bodies to the soft music, she remembered something so she asked,


    "That day you dropped me at the hotel, what did you mean when you asked if I believed in perfect coincidences?"


    "Hmmm" He remained quiet and continued to move in the same slow pace as her.


    "I lied to you when I said I saw you passed out on the streets. I don''t know why it came out that way when I could have easily said I was the man sitting beside you on the park that day."


    "That was you?" Cixi asked him in surprise. She remembered she had been sitting with a man that day, but she could not place his face as Jaime''s.


    "Coincidentally, I had gone there to brood also. That day was supposed to be my wife''s birthday." He paused and sighed deeply.


    "You have a wife?" Cixi asked and almost bit her tongue after the words came out.


    Of course, if he didn''t have a wife, then where did Reen come from? It was not as if a woman gave  birth to her and left her with him right? There was also the possibility that he was divorced.


    "She died. A car crash" He said sadly.


    Cixi''s eyes widened in shock. "Oh my God! I''m so..so..sorry"


    "It''s fine. That was five years ago. Reen was 4years old then."


    "I had only wanted to reminisce about the past a bit before going back home, that was when you came. I noticed how dejected you looked and how you cried so much while apologizing to a certain ''Sara''. Thought it was pretty much coincidental since my wife''s name was Sarah. And I also wished I could earnestly apologize to her since I was not there on the day she died. It felt as though you were helping me tell her ''Sorry''."


    "For a moment, I thought you were talking about my wife. But then I remembered my wife had no friends here. Just like Reen, she was an introvert."


    "That...is quite sad" Cixi finally said something.


    "I should still thank you for helping me out that day."


    "It''s okay. I''m glad you''re better now. And I''m glad you seem to be going well with Sara. She''s pretty" He added as he watched Sara laugh with Muchen. "And lucky..." He added.


    "I think he is the lucky one" She added with a laugh as she also watched the new couple.


    Once it subsided, they both stared at each other awkwardly.


    "Do you think they are going to kiss?" Reen asked Joreen from where they both watched the two of them.


    "I..don''t think so." Joreen answered as she intently looked at her mother''s blushing face.


    "I think so." Reen added again.


    "Do you realise both our daughters names are kind of similar? Reen, Joreen" It was the only thing Cixi could think of to break the awkwardness.


    "Do you have a boyfriend?" Jaime suddenly asked Cixi out of the blue which surprised her, since she was just talking about their daughters'' names.


    "N...o.. I don''t. What about you? That lady the other day..?"


    "She is just a colleague. Works in the same law firm"


    "Oh.. You''re a lawyer. Cool!"


    "But she obviously likes you" She added matter of factly.


    "Really?"


    "Oh don''t play dumb. You know she does"


    "Was that why you were being naughty with her that day?" He teased her. "Someone might think you were jealous."


    "Haha!" Changyu laughed awkwardly again!. "I was only slightly pissed."


    He said nothing else and just continued to look at her. They both stared into each other''s eyes quietly.


    "You are a very pretty woman" He said before grazing her cheek with his right thumb.


    "And I like your sassy attitude" He added.


    "Stop trying to seduce me." Cixi tried to play it off as a joke but deep down, she was nervous.


    "What if I want to? You wouldn''t like it?" He asked as his head continued to go lower.


    Just when he thought it was the perfect time to seal her lips with his, she turned her head away and laughed uneasily.


    He chuckled and adjusted his height to continue dancing with her. "Was not wrong about you. Nice!" He said to her in a low voice.


    "Told ya. I know my mum. 50bucks" Joreen stretched out a hand to her gambling partner and Reen relunctancly placed some wads of cash on it.

 Chapter 314 - TEASER FOUR YEARS LATER

    "Big sister!" Joreen jumped to hug Sara immediately she saw her coming out of her office building.


    Sara also seemed very surprised since she had not expected to see Joreen.


    "Wow. Just a month away and you''re already looking this amazing. Wait! Did you grow another inch?"


    Sara playfully pushed her away to take a good look at her.


    Joreen was quite tall now. She must have either taken her biological father''s trait or she borrowed Jianjun''s. Because for a twelve years old, she was almost meeting Sara''s height.


    Joreen laughed and shook her head. "I''m still the same. Guess it''s my heel."


    Sara looked down at Joreen''s brown boot heel.


    A lot about Joreen changed in four years.


    Especially her dressing. Now, She wore a short, black, sleveless flare gown that ended just above her knees. Her hair formed a proud crown at the top of her head, and she wore jewelries also.


    "You''re really suited for the entertainment industry. You look wonderful" Sara complimented with a laugh before propping Joreen''s chin to look at her face properly.


    "You''re even wearing make-up. Wait till dad sees you. He''ll probably give you a long lecture."


    Joreen giggled. "I miss him a lot. I plan to drop by DELIMEAL to pay a visit to Dad and pretty Aunt before going back home."


    "You know, it''s weird you still call him dad when you already have a father."


    Joreen laughed and shook her head. "It would be weird to start calling him Uncle now. By the way, Reen said to say Hi."


    Sara nodded. "Been long I saw her. By the way, did Director Li bring you here?" Sara looked around for any sign of Li Hoy but didn''t see him.


    "No. He dropped me off at home. After saying hello to the family, I dropped by here. But bus sis, you don''t look bad at all" Joreen also complimented with a bright smile on her face.


    Sara was dressed in a short white body fitted gown, with her long, black hair tied to the back. She wore jewelries, make-up, and a low heel. Apparently, she had been rehearsing how to wear a heel for years.


    As they were talking, Sara noticed how people continued to look towards their direction with interest.


    "You seem to have a lot of fans everywhere" Sara noted with a proud smile.


    In four years, Joreen had made it big in the entertainment industry. She did not only act, she also modelled for Li Corporation.


    About school, she dropped out to take G-GLOBAL''s acting courses instead. And thankfully, the Wang''s had supported her greatly.


    G-GLOBAL knew how to manage her classes and schedules all together so she didn''t miss out in any.


    Joreen looked around to see some curious glances at her.


    She was about to say something, but was interrupted by a group of fans who asked for her autograph.


    Once they left, she smiled and said,


    "It''s tiring. But I like it. By the way, where is Queen? Why don''t I see her anywhere? Still at school?"


    "Oh.. You know how that girl is. She made trouble again and her father took her with him to work to punish her."


    Joreen chuckled. "She still has not changed has she?"


    "Not a bit. She seemed to be intimidating and bullying all the kids in school and whenever anyone tried to stand up to her, you know what she always says.."


    "Haha! I know. It always goes like this.. ''Do you know who I am? I am Li Queen. The daughter of Li Corporation''s CEO Li Muchen and Fitness club''s owner, Sara Wang. My maternal grandparent''s are Country B''s number one Wang Changyu and DELIMEAL''s Wang Jianjun. My paternal grandparent''s are Li Fazhan and Jiang Dana. My second cousin is the actress Wang Joreen. My Uncle''s are G-GLOBAL''s Director Li Hoy and LI-TECH''s Director Li Minde. And haven''t you checked online to know who my Aunt is? She is Li Heya! She sings like an Angel. Should I keep going?''."


    Joreen Mimicked Queen''s tiny voice as she spoke out the little girl''s watchword.


    Sara could not help but laugh because it sounded exactly like what Li Queen would say. She didn''t know who thought her daughter to be like that.


    "She is so proud. I really hope her father punishes her well because I really don''t have the heart to. She just keeps looking at me with these eyes that makes me think I''m a bad person."


    "But wait. He punishes her every time, yet she doesn''t change. Don''t you think she probably enjoys going to work with him and that''s why she doesn''t change at all?"


    "Of course not. She told me she hated going there with him."


    Joreen said a long "Oh..." And remained quiet.


    Sara paused for a while and something seemed to sink in. Before she knew it, she found herself in front of Li Corporation''s main building.


    As she strolled down to Li Muchen''s office, people kept bowing to greet her as the lady boss. She returned a smile to all of them, and kept walking towards his office.


    Since they all knew who she was, no one bothered to stop her.


    "Oh. Hi!" Sara greeted Ms Long who was just coming out of Muchen''s office.


    "Is he busy?"


    "He is...free" Ms Long said with a smile before going on her own way.


    When Sara entered, she did not see him in his desk.


    As she wondered where he was, she heard his voice.


    "Sorry I can''t make it to the meeting today. I have a lot on my hands right now"


    She followed the voice to the room he usually stayed whenever he decided to take a little break from work.


    And when she entered, she received the shock of her life.


    There was her three years old daughter who he was supposed to be punishing.


    They were both sitting on the couch with his back on the armrest, Queen sat in between his spread legs with her head on his belly as she watched a carton on the huge plasma TV. On her hand was a tiny spoon for her Ice cream.


    And of course, he had ''a lot on his hands'' because he was holding the ice cream cup for her!


    Queen used the spoon to scoop some ice cream from the cup he was holding and happily lapped on it.


    On the table beside them, Sara could see two unwrapped packets of chocolates.


    What even shocked her most, her daughter''s hair that had been neatly tied in a ponytail before she left the house was now scattered with the hairband no where in sight.


    Since she was behind them, none of them saw her.


    Queen scooped some ice cream and turned to feed it to her father. She still did not see her mother watching in horror.


    Sara watched as Muchen signalled to her that he was in a call. But she shook her head and pouted. Having no other choice, he opened his mouth and took the ice cream which caused her to smile before turning to focus on the TV.


    As Muchen dropped the call after explaining to whoever was on the other end that he was ''busy'', she saw him hand the cup of ice cream to Queen before he moved his hands to her hair and began to play around with it like he was trying to braid it for her.


    "Li Muchen!" Sara shouted, causing both of them to jump in shock with the ice cream spilling all over the place.

 Chapter 315 - Back to the Wedding Present day

    "You''re still not willing to talk to me?" Zhu Liang asked Heya as they continued to dance.


    Ever since he offered her his hands for them to dance together, she had taken it yea, she hadn''t said a word to him. Neither did she look at him.


    His hand around her waist tightened and he pulled her closer to himself. That action made her stiffen up and shoot him a dead glare.


    "You should stop doing that" She raised her head to warn him.


    "If that''s going to make you talk to me." He said with a sad smile on his face.


    "I''m sorry. You were probably uncomfortable with the way I made my intentions known to your parents and mine. Forgive me will you?"


    Heya looked at him for a bit before turning to look at the side. She must admit he was good looking. And a very direct person.


    She wasn''t exactly mad about what he did, but she was just a bit uncomfortable. It was the reason she had refused to say a word.


    Maybe it was a mistake on her part for agreeing to dance with him in the first place.


    "Why do you like me? We''ve only met twice." Heya looked at him and asked.


    He was quiet for a bit before shaking his head "I don''t know. I''m just very attracted to you."


    When he saw the confused look on Heya''s face, he suddenly laughed.


    "Sorry. I guess I am really bad at this. I don''t know how to woo a woman. Pardon me"


    Heya cocked a brow to look at him in disbelief.


    ''Hard to believe. You look like a playboy'' Heya said in her mind as she looked intently at him.


    Aside from the fact that he was a pretty boy, the gold earring he always wore made him look like a gigolo.


    "So you''ve never been in a relationship before?"


    "I have. My parents arranged it." He admitted with a nod.


    "So...what happened?"


    "Well, I didn''t like her. We only lasted a month and that was it."


    "So now, you think you like me? You didn''t even ask whether I had a boyfriend or not"


    Liang chuckled and gently pulled her closer to him again, but not in the annoying way and so Heya did not react.


    "Then too bad."


    "Bad for who exactly?"


    "Bad for him. Cause he''s about to lose his pretty girlfriend. Sorry, but I do not like to share"


    Something about his attitude seemed to remind her of her brother. They were so alike;


    The casual way he spoke about his feelings, his possessive attitude, and the way he smiled. He was so similar to Li Muchen.


    "I didn''t say I want you." She finally said something to him after thinking for a while.


    "It doesn''t seem like you do not want me though. Tell you what, if I kiss you right now, you wouldn''t push me away" He teased.


    Heya''s eyes bulged out as she stared at him.


    How could he say something like that so carelessly? Why would he even think about kissing her in this kind of crowded place?


    Plus, she had never kissed a person before!


    The only thing she could remember ever kissing was her pillow whenever she tried to imagine how kissing felt like.


    Liang paused and stared at her wide eyes.


    "You''ve never kissed a man before." It was more of a statement than a question.


    "I...I...ha..ve. I have" Heya swallowed hard before letting the words out in a stammer.


    "You have not." He smirked.


    "But do not worry Princess. When you''re ready, let me know. I don''t want to force you."


    "You are a playboy aren''t you?" Heya voiced out the words on her mind.


    She had known Minde for long to easily tell who was a playboy and who was not.


    "Ouch... That''s cold" He placed a hand on his chest and made a show of being hurt.


    "You are. Your look, the way you talk, the way you smile." She paused.


    "You can have fun dancing with me, but do not think about anything else." She said with a straight face.


    She wanted him to know his place and not try to cross the boundary.


    He remained quiet for a while and continued to dance with her in silence.


    "I probably may have had a couple of flings in the past, but I meant it when I said I wanted to court you. We''re still both young. So you can take your time studying me."


    He stopped dancing, kissed the back of her hand, and left the dance floor, crestfallen.


    ***


    "You haven''t told me yet. How many kids would you love us to have?" Muchen asked Sara.


    Sara suddenly paused and her eyes widened.


    "Kids?"


    It then suddenly struck her that they were now married. And it was only normal for them to have kids.


    "Oh my God! I am going to be someone''s mother?" She looked at Muchen in shock.


    Muchen just studied her reaction without saying anything.


    "We...we have to..you know..tonight.." Sara gasped.


    He finally understood what she was thinking and began to laugh.


    "Oh... Because we didn''t...you know... While we were dating, did you think we wouldn''t do that now?" He teased with a wink.


    It made him remember that they both did not have any sexual intercourse at all; which was by the way, the right thing to do since they were not married right?


    He had probably been too into their friendship that he didn''t think about sleeping with her. Or maybe he did, but he didn''t go through with it.


    Sara sucked in air to help calm her nerves. After calming down a bit, she answered.


    "I don''t know. Probably two or three? But I would like to have a son. A son with a cute dimple just like you"


    "Nah. I prefer a daughter. I want to see how a little Sara looks and acts like."


    "Little Sara would be boring. But she''ll be respectful and cute" She said with a big smile, but when she remembered the process to make a ''little Sara'', her anxiety came back in.


    "I really hope so. Look there. I think a lot of people are hooking up on our wedding" He turned Sara''s attention towards Minde as Kim Eva took the seat beside him.


    ---


    Minde had been sitting quietly while watching the others dance. When he was tired of watching them, he went online to see the trending news all about Sara and Muchen''s wedding, including the news about Sara''s mum being Song Changyu, and her marriage to Jianjun Wang.


    He was pleased with how everyone seemed to wish them well while also cussing Mo Jinyong and Liu Weiyoung.


    As he looked up at all the couples that were dancing, he felt a sharp pain in his chest region like his heart was being squeezed.


    He looked from Muchen and Sara to his parents, to Muchen''s parents, to Sara''s Aunt and parents, and every other person there.


    Now he knew why his life had been so messed up. He thought there was no better feeling than being with the person you love. That one person.


    The one he could also dance with.


    He had a lot of ladies in his life, but he felt very lonely right now. A lot of ladies had also approached him to ask for a dance or just to strike up a conversation, but he wasn''t in the mood. His mind was not settled and nothing seemed to excite him.


    Nothing at all!


    When he thought a tear was about to escape his eye, he heard a familiar feminine voice behind him, causing the tears to run back in.


    "Hi!"


    He saw Kim Eva appear in front of him, probably to remind him of how pretty she still was in a simple knee length yellow gown and silver heel. Her black hair tumbled elegantly as she took the seat opposite him.


    "You''ve been here?" He asked in surprise since it was the first time he was seeing her there.


    "I had something to do so I came late. But I''ve been here for a while."


    "Cool." Minde remained quiet and turned his attention back on the dance floor.


    He was still hurt by all she said to him that night. Even though she had been right and had opened his mind to a new life, he still felt sad whenever he remembered it.


    "Hey. I just wanted to say I''m sorry about the other time and what I said to ¡ª"


    "It''s fine." Minde interrupted.


    "It''s really okay. I do not hold it against you." He added.


    "You sure? Cause I think I might have said a lot of mean things to you that night."


    "It''s really cool." He forced a smile. "I probably should thank you for that."


    "Oh... O.kay" She said awkwardly before getting up to leave.


    "And... Emma is not my girlfriend. She''s my childhood friend and she has a boyfriend."


    After she said that, she turned her back to leave.


    It took a couple of seconds for Minde to register what she had just said.


    "You are not a lesbian?" He asked rather straightforwardly which made her cheeks flush in embarrassed.


    "I. Am. Not.." She shook her head.


    It still made her laugh whenever she remembered how he had told her he didn''t mind if she liked girls and it would be fun for him.


    "So....you like men?" Minde stood up and moved closer to her.


    Eva thought the questions sounded weird but she still nodded.


    Minde could not help but scoff. So she had always been into men? And she had not liked him?


    His old narcissistic self gradually began to come in again.


    "Something wrong?" She asked him curiously.


    "I...really don''t know." He answered before offering her his hand.


    "Want to dance with me Miss Kim?"


    Eva laughed at the formality before nodding.


    "Hmm.. Okay." She slowly took his hand and followed him to the dance floor.


    "You still have that look on your face. What are you thinking?" She asked Minde as they began to move their bodies slowly.


    "It just feels weird. I was suddenly sad and now I feel... happy." He admitted with a smile.


    Eva smiled back and  remained quiet.


    She had decided to put the past behind her. Truthfully, she kind of like Li Minde. Even though he was a lazy ass, he was fun. And very handsome also.


    She had paid off all of Emma''s family''s debt in one go. She wanted to begin this New Year afresh.


    No more guilt, no more sulking.


    "If I become a director, would you...like me?" He asked in an uncertain voice.


    "It''s not about being a director. It''s about you doing something meaningful for yourself and for your family."


    He paused and then rephrased his question.


    "So...if I become someone useful, would you like me then?"


    Minde could not believe he was being nervous right now. He was Li Minde for crying out loud!


    Eva smiled and turned her head to the side.


    "Probably" She admitted.


    £¬

 Chapter 316 - Regrets

    Mo Dexi walked out of a particular hotel room with a smug smile spread across his face.


    He was suddenly feeling. Better than ever!


    There was no better feeling than seeing your enemy in misery and knowing your enemy feels more anger than you do.


    Before he closed the door, he heard the sound of objects hitting the ground violently.


    "That''s more like it little Nephew" He mumured before chuckling.


    It was time to go hit the club and pick up a chick. Since the lady he wanted had ran off to marry another man, there was nothing he could do about it.


    Besides, Sara Wang was not just ''Sara Wang'' anymore. She was now a combination of Li, Song, and Wang together.


    Trying to do anything was like playing with fire. And you know what happened when one played with fire... They get burned!


    "That witch!" Jinyong screamed as he let more items crash to the floor in fury.


    He looked haggard. Totally haggard!


    He was wearing a simple long sleeve shirt and faded denin. His hair was messy and his eyes were swollen from anger and dark. The kind of dark that showed he was about to do something dangerous.


    He had been stuck in that particular hotel room for weeks. First, he had pleaded with his mother to forgive him. She had just managed to forgive him and wanted them to form an alliance with the Jins by marrying their only daughter Jin Cherry, but before they knew what was happening, the Jin family was shattered.


    They were still very devastated. What was worse, the police was suddenly searching for him in regards to a ''little'' embezzlement operation he was involved in a few years back. He didn''t know why they were suddenly searching for him since he had perfectly covered that a long time ago.


    The problem was, not only was he going to be held for it, it was also going to implicate his mother who had been responsible in covering everything up.


    "Fuck!" He yelled again before using his fist violently on the innocent wall.


    Even before his stupid uncle came to taunt him, he had received a call from his mother to let him know what was going on. He had been with a woman when the call came in and once he heard that his Sara was getting married, he suddenly felt like throwing up and did not waste time before kicking the cheap woman out of his room.


    He could not believe that his grandparents had received the invite for Muchen''s wedding but had kept it away from them. For what reason?


    Now he felt like a fool! Endlessly, he had been scheming with his mother on how to take over the Mo Corporation. They had been looking for a way to merge with one of the influential families around, but Sara, she had not just the Lis beside her, but also Song Changyu!


    He began to laugh like a crazy person. He laughed so hard that tears began to roll from his eyes.


    "Oh my God! My life is so fucked up. Ahhhh!" He continued to laugh as he thought back to how perfect his life had been at one point.


    When he was dating Sara, he thought she was pretty. But the way she dressed embarrassed him so he didn''t like going out with her and had asked her to change which she did comply to luckily for him. Although not much, since it seemed she didn''t have much decent clothes and had rejected the ones he bought for her.


    He had even thought he would get the chance to sleep with her, but could not because she pushed him away the first time he tried to touch her.


    The only opportunity he had received to drag her before him and finally have her, she had miraculously beaten up his men like they were kids.


    Was she possessed or something?


    Was she created for the sole purpose of destroying his life?


    He continued to ask himself those questions over and over again.


    "Liu Weiyoung!" She shouted the name of the other person the Devil had created to ruin his life.


    If it had not been for her who seduced him. His woman would not be in the hands of another man right now.


    He could not take any of it. He was going to kill all of them.


    Liu Weiyoung, Wang Sara and Li Muchen.


    He was going to kill all of them!


    "Where do you think you are heading to?" He heard his mother''s angry voice immediately he opened the room''s door.


    He had not been expecting to see his mother there, therefore, he was taken aback.


    "Need to run an errand." He said carelessly.


    "An errand that would lead you to jail I guess. Do you know how desperately the police are searching for you? You think it''s easy to hide you here?"


    "Hide? Do you know uncle just left here?" He still sounded very annoyed when he asked.


    Aida''s eyes shone in shock.


    "Mo Dexi? How...did he know you were here?"


    "I have no idea! What''s the point of being locked in here everyday if Uncle can find me easily? Do you think I am a joke?" He continued to raise his voice at his mother.


    Everything pissed him off and he felt tears begin to pool in his eyes.


    "Go back inside your room now! I''ll quickly arrange somewhere else for you to hide" She ordered.


    "I''m not going anywhere. My woman is being married to someone else. I have to end it this minute" He felt something tickle him on his cheek and realized that he was already crying.


    "Your woman? Are you crazy? When did Sara Wang become your woman?"


    "It was because of you! If you hadn''t pushed me to that demoness. I wouldn''t have met Sara, neither would I have dated her and broken up with her. My life is currently a mess and the more I hide myself indoors, the more the world seem to cuss at me whenever something good happens to her."


    "Did you see who her mother is? How did her mother ever become Song Changyu out of the blue? If I had remained with her, wouldn''t I have been her son-in-law by now?"


    His tears continued to roll down as regret hit him hard.


    This was something Mo Aida hated the most about her son. Whenever something seemed to go wrong in his life, he always looked for a way to put the blame on her.


    "Are you crazy? Were you ever in love with her? Didn''t you go out and have fun with other women while you dated her? Huh? You better go back and lock yourself in. I''ll send you to somewhere better by midnight."


    "Just let me be already! I am tired of you acting like you love me. I know you don''t care about me. You''re only trying to hide me because it would affect you also. Be rest assured, once the police finds me, I''ll tell on you too."


    He began to throw a tantrum before stomping past her to go kill the others.


    But it was already too late for him because the next set of people he bumped into was the police.


    ****


    If Weiyoung''s life was not already worse, the news she had read online helped to worsened her life.


    The Mos did not make it any easy for her either.


    Apparently, Elder Mo Dachuan and his wife, Zhao Biyu had both returned from the wedding on time.


    And the first thing they did was to blame her for everything.


    ''If only she had not seduced their grandson, Sara would have been their daughter-in-law and they would have been in-laws with Song Changyu.''


    But unfortunately, she had ruined their own family by bringing in her bad luck.


    It was just as if they made the Li family more powerful by handing Sara over to them in a platter.


    Tears continued to flow down her cheeks


    She did not know whether those were tears of regrets, or sadness, or heartbreak.


    As her eyes went to the TV, she saw Jinyong being taken by the cops while he flailed and wailed and tried to get away from them.


    She was shocked to see him there, but it did not show on her straight face.


    "There he is" She said in a very faint voice.


    No one had seen him for weeks. But there he was, being dragged out of a hotel.


    She thought about her life over and over again and soon, she found herself walking towards the drawer beside her queen-sized bed that was messy.


    Yes, it was very messy because immediately the Mo elders left, her bodyguard, Aotian had come in again to force her to sleep with him.


    She shut her eyes when she remembered it and continued to sob again.


    Her life even disgusted her now.


    When she opened her drawer, she took out a small container of pill from it and slowly, she walked back to her vanity table to look at herself in the mirror.


    Her once glowing skin were now very pale. The doctor had mentioned something about her losing too much blood.


    Her stomach was no longer protruded, and that was because she had lost her baby.


    Probably due to stress, depression, plus the several falls she had had during the time of her pregnancy; one had been with her mother, another with Madam Mo, another when she was running from the thugs Mo Jinyong had sent her, and another during a sexual intercourse with Aotian.


    The Mos had given her a week to organise herself and leave their apartment.


    And tomorrow was going to be the end of that week.


    As she remembered how people continued to call her a bitch who didn''t know her real father and asked her to go kill herself now that Sara''s life was far better than hers, her face grew paler.


    She sat down in front of the mirror, wore a robe, applied a few touches of makeup on her face, brushed her hair, and emptied all the pills into her hand.

 Chapter 317 - Wink- Wink

    Sara had never been in a suite as beautiful as the one she was currently looking at.


    Since their wedding ran into the night and they needed to rest, a special suite was prepared for them to spend the night before flying out for a proper honeymoon.


    "What do you think about this place Mrs Li" Muchen came behind her and wrapped his arms around her in a backhug with his chin propped on her shoulder.


    "Do you like it?"


    "This...is nice. I''ve never slept in a place like this before" She said in a very faint voice as her eyes still scanned the room.


    The room was all white. There were no traces of any other colour except the red heart scented petals on the bed which formed a ''heart'' shape and also perfumed the room at the same time.


    The room''s light was dimmed and there were red candles around that made the atmosphere sensual.


    The bed was large; large enough to contain the entire Wang and Li families.


    "It''s a good thing you''ve never slept in a place like this. Would have been a problem if you had"


    He turned to look at her and gave her a loving pat of her head that as now free of the veil.


    "I thought about giving you a rose for every time you made my heart fluttered. Unfortunately, the truck bringing it, broke down on the way cause the roses were too much."


    Sara laughed a bit before sniffling back tears.


    "You still looked shocked. Are you alright?"


    He used his thumb to wipe off the residue of tears from the bottom of her eyes.


    She bobbed her head up and down.


    Sara thought this day was the happiest day of her life.


    Not only did she get married to the man she loved, her parents also got married.


    And she had received a whole lot of gifts. Gifts she hadn''t expected.


    Li Sun had given her a document and let her know that she was transferring some of her shares to her. Which automatically made her a shareholder in Li Corporation. Now she wasn''t just a shareholder in only her Father''s restaurant but in Li Corporation as well!


    Li Fazhan and his wife had both bought them a mansion. According to her father-in-law, they both had to start their new lives in a new home.


    His wife had also bought her gold jewelries that were obviously very expensive.


    She had not even expected Minde to give her anything. But he had bought her an Audi, telling her to please not threaten him again by saying she would crash his car.


    Li Hoy was not left out either. He did what he knew how to do best. He told her he had already fixed her wardrobe with different brands of clothes, shoes, bags and whatever wears she could think of.


    What even touched her most, he had said he knew she would not wear most of those formal clothes and so he didn''t buy her much evening dresses and heels. But instead, he bought her more casual trousers, tee-shirt polos and sneakers.


    Changyu had also given her some documents of a building in her name. It was more like a fitness school with a well equipped gymnasium with offices and large classrooms.


    Jianjun had also given her gifts which made her laugh.


    There were books.


    One was titled: ''How to be a good wife''


    Others were cook books and one particular one had most of his secret recipes.


    He had also credited her bank account with a huge sum of money that shocked her, telling her that he and Cixi had been saving it from when she was still little because they did not want her to be a broke and lazy wife.


    She had also received gifts from more of Muchen''s relatives and some guests.


    She felt like she was suddenly a very rich woman in the twinkle of an eye.


    "You haven''t told me yet. What do you want? I cannot let my family outshine me." Muchen said to her.


    He would have allowed her go bathe and freshen up first, but still seeing her in her wedding gown reminded him that she was truly his wife. It still felt very surreal.


    "I don''t want anything else" She shook her head before hugging him.


    "Do I really deserve all of these?" She asked in a low and emotional voice.


    "If you do not, then who does?" He asked back.


    "It all just...it feels surreal. I feel like I''m the luckiest woman alive"


    Muchen chuckled. "You haven''t even seen anything. Wait till I spoil you."


    "So tell me. What is the first gift you want from your husband?" He asked again.


    Sara raised her head to look at his smiling face and she suddenly remembered something.


    "Anything?" She asked to be sure.


    "Anything" He nodded.


    "Hmm.. The things is... There is this illegal project going on in Joreen''s school. It''s being handled by the principal and¡ª"


    "Oh God! It''s about Joreen again!" He blurted out.


    It suddenly made him remember the time he spent at the hospital, when he had asked her to make any wish. She had asked him then to meet with Joreen because Joreen liked him.


    "Why are you sounding jealous?" She pouted.


    "I think you like her more than you like me" He pouted back.


    "That''s only natural since I practically raised her like my own daughter alongside Aunt and Dad. I watched her from when she was a day old"


    She remembered how her tattered self had seen the newborn Joreen. She had been so fascinated by her shiny eyes and brown skin that she stared for a while without taking her eyes off her. If not for Joreen, she was not sure she would have been able to survive.


    "What? You...really like her more than me?" His eyes shone when he asked.


    Sara began to laugh.


    "I love her like my daughter. But I love you. And you''re my husband. When we have our child, I''ll love the child also"


    A naughty smile spread across his face when he heard that.


    "Let''s make a baby then"


    He looked intently at her face and saw her gulp.


    Slowly, he dropped his lips to meet hers.


    There was something different about this kiss.


    Now, he knew he could go further. And no longer feared about her father finding out.


    Sara sucked in breath when his lips touched hers. This was very different from the kiss after their wedding vow.


    This was an entirely different kind of kiss. A kiss that would lead to something not so innocent.


    He suddenly broke free but still allowed his lips hover above hers.


    "Just so you know, I already handled that issue with the principal. He is currently in the police custody, and so is that Mo bastard that annoyed you."


    "Mo Jinyong? You got him arrested?" She asked in a whisper.


    Now she understood what it meant when people talked about ''Bedroom voice'', because even right now, she could not talk audibly. She was feeling too hot for that.


    "Let''s not talk about him. Else I may have an erectile dysfunction"


    Sara giggled lightly at his joke and nodded.


    "To hell with him then" She said before wrapping her hands around his neck.


    His lips curved upwards and immediately, he carried her like a princess to the large bed and lowered her gently till her back touched the soft bed.


    But he did not let go because he continued to kiss her gently and she willingly obliged to the kiss even as a light moan escape her lips as he slipped his searching tongue inside her hot mouth


    Memories from the past when she was almost raped by the creepy man threatened to spring forth, but Sara reminded herself that it was her wedding night and she shouldn''t be thinking about anything else except what was going on right now.


    "I''ll rip that little devil apart!" She suddenly heard Muchen''s cold voice and noticed he had stopped moving his hands that had been trying to pull off her gown.


    "What is wrong?" She managed to ask while gasping for breath.


    "Li Hoy. He did this on purpose. I can''t find any zip." He complained with sad eyes.


    Sara suddenly remembered that the dress did not have a zip. It had tiny buttons instead. A whole lot of buttons. And it had taken quite a bit of time when they were helping her dress up.


    She also remembered how Hoy had told her to pick this particular gown out of the three others he had selected.


    As he stared at her in frustration, she stared back in confusion.


    ---


    In another part of the city...


    As Hoy watched the news, he began to laugh. Not because there was anything funny there, but because of what he had done to punish his cousin.


    He would never forget that night Muchen came to drag Sara from his studio and had made it known to Sara that he was twenty years old because of his jealousy!


    "Have fun unbuttoning CEO Li" He laughed once again before grabbing his small pillow.

 Chapter 318 - WARNING SEXUAL CONTENT AVAILABLE.

    Sara stirred awake to find herself in a spoon position with Li Muchen, with his hand resting on her belly.


    She slowly turned, careful not to wake him up, but Muchen was not a deep sleeper. His eyes immediately shot open when she turned to face him.


    "Hi" She greeted awkwardly.


    It was the first time she was sleeping together with Muchen and it felt strange.


    "Hi" He greeted back in a husky voice before shifting a bit to make her comfortable


    "Did I wake you up? Sorry" She said to him and saw him shake his head.


    "Are you cold?" He asked when he felt her body press closer to his.


    Once her body touched his, she realised something was different.


    She lifted the duvet to take a peek and noticed she was on her lingerie alone!


    A matching bra and panties her aunt had forced her to wear under her gown.


    He was also topless but wore a loose-fitting boxers to cover his nether region.


    Muchen did not hide the fact that he was sad. He had taken his time, a whole lot of time to undo the forty tiny bottons on her dress.


    In fact, before he got to the tenth botton, his erection had already gone down.


    They had both been quiet when he was undoing the buttons so he didn''t know that Sara had already fallen asleep.


    When he was done and his erection sprung back to life in anticipation for what was to happen, his new bride was already snoring lightly.


    It took him more than an hour to control himself. He had thought about waking her up but he thought she probably was tired and needed rest so he allowed her sleep.


    It took him three whole hours before he could fall asleep while resisting the temptation of touching her especially in the sexy red underwear she was wearing.


    When he looked at his phone, he saw that it was four in the morning.


    "You should sleep more if you''re still tired." He said before planting a kiss on her forehead.


    Sara laughed dryly. "I can''t believe I slept off. Sorry husband" She pushed even closer to him and kissed him directly on the lips.


    When she tried to pull away, he held her firmly in place and deepened the kiss.


    He slipped his tongue past her teeth and allowed it roam inside her hot mouth for a while.


    Sara didn''t know what to do but immediately he took out his tongue, she took the cue from him and slipped hers inside his mouth which caused a groan to escape his lips.


    "You learn fast" He praised before he continued to explore her mouth. There was something about her breath that seemed to intoxicate him. He totally liked it!


    Sara was pleased with his praises and continued to follow his lead.


    She soon felt his hands around her as he pulled her on top of him.


    She gasped when his erection poked her inner thigh. Since his boxers were loose, it allowed his hard-on to form a tent.


    Muchen used his hand to separate her legs so that her folds were pressing into his hard-on. Only thing separating them was her panties and his boxers.


    She could feel herself begin to get wet between her thighs as she sat directly on ''him''


    When he bucked his hips upward, a moan escaped her lips and she bit her lips.


    At this point, both their breathing was jagged and irregular.


    He moved his hands from her waist to expertly unclasp her bra, leaving her upper part exposed.


    She was thankful for the very dimmed lights and the duvet covering their bodies.


    She wasn''t sure she would have been confident exposing her entire self to him since it was the first time for her.


    Once he threw her bra to the side, he quickly turned and before she knew it, he was on top of her while she was lying on the bed.


    "You drive me crazy Sara Wang." He said in between a groan as his hands began to explore her hot body.


    Her breasts were not very big, but he liked as his hand covered it.


    When he touched her nipple, he noticed they were very hard and protruded. He pinched it lightly, causing her to purred and arch her back upward.


    "I like it when you do that." He whispered before pulling his mouth from hers to go nibble on her earlobe.


    Her mouth formed a tiny O as she gasped for breath, but her eyes remained tightly shut.


    She felt hot all over and at the same time, there were goose pimples on her skin. She could not understand what was happening to her entire body.


    Muchen noticed her earlobe wasn''t so sensitive so he moved to plant kisses all over her body.


    He started from her neck, down to her collarbone.


    He moved so slowly. And as he did that, one hand continued to explore her body.


    "I love you Sara. Everything about you" He stopped to remind her before taking a nipple in his mouth.


    And there, he got it!


    She was very sensitive there.


    He knew she was suppressing her moans, but he didn''t want her to.


    "Don''t be embarrassed. I want to hear every sound you make."


    "I am...not going to make any....sound. You have..done this to other girls before" He heard her stutter a complain and he chuckled before biting her nipple gently.


    She moaned loudly and unconsciously, her hips lifted off of the bed. The action caused his erection to poke her slit and he groaned.


    "Let''s talk about that later."


    He stopped playing with her nipple and took her hand to lead her to his manhood. When Sara touched it, she stiffened.


    "Relax. It''s all yours" He whispered into her ear and began to slowly move her hand around it.


    A part of her really wanted to touch and feel it, but another part of her was shy and embarrassed.


    She didn''t know men''s sizes since she hadn''t been with anyone this intimately before, but she knew he was big!


    "I''m... I''m so... hot" She stammered and continued to pant.


    "Would have been a problem if you were cold despite all of these" He whispered back before trailing kisses all over her body.


    He did not fail to leave his mark everywhere on her body. Because this body, was his now.


    Only his!


    Sara was still breathing very fast as he continued to move down her body.


    She felt his hands on her panty''s waistband and slowly began to take it off.


    She didn''t have any other option than to lift her hips from the bed to help him have a free access.


    "You smell really nice" She heard him say to her as he positioned himself in between her thighs.


    Even though he could not see her sex cleary, when he touched her, he noticed she was completely shaved there.


    "Wh..at are you..trying to do..?" She asked nervously when she felt his soft, warm breath wafting over her.


    A sly smile spread across his face but he said nothing. She was just about to find out.


    Her body jumped when she felt a finger graze her slit.


    He chuckled a bit and did it again which caused her body to jump for the second time.


    He could see how wet she was. In fact, she was soaking and hungry for him.


    And he was ready to feed her.


    He first kissed her petals before his tongue pushed forward to touch her clit.


    "Ooooh....!" Her body jumped again.


    "Are you... you are.. is.." She began to mumble incoherently but Muchen did not pay much attention to her.


    He took another sniff of her vagina before plunging his tongue deep into it and tasted every corner while also flicking her clit with his tongue.


    "Oh...uhh.. Ahhh!"


    She unconsciously lifted her hips from the bed, forcing herself into his mouth.


    She gasped and began to pant while her hands gripped the sheets tightly.


    Her eyes were still shut as she revelled in the moment.


    His tongue rapidly went up and down, and when he plunged deeper, he felt a barrier there and knew that would be a little problem for the both of them tonight.


    He directed his hand to her clit and began to use his thumb there like he was giving her a massage.


    "I...I want to pee.. I think...I ne...ed to use the bath..room."


    Muchen tried not to laugh when he heard her. He knew what she meant.


    His Sara was about to explode. Poor her!


    "Go on" He urged her.


    Sara could no longer take any of it and soon felt herself begin to buck.


    Muchen smiled pleasingly as he knew what was coming and it didn''t take long before he heard her moan loudly and felt more liquid rush out from her and into his tongue, although he missed some.


    "Happy Married life Mrs Li" He said once he finished licking her clean.


    Sara lay there like a statue as she gasped for breath with her eyes half open. At that moment, she was oblivious to whatever was happening.


    When her tensed muscles relived her, she saw Muchen''s smiling face in front of her and blushed.


    She shut her eyes in embarrassment and used the duvet to cover her head.


    He began to laugh and dragged the duvet with her till he was able to uncovered her blushing face. Or probably her post-orgasm glow.


    He planted a kiss on her lips and asked in a deep and sexy voice...


    "Are you ready?"


    As Sara looked into his eyes, she saw a mix of different emotions: love, lust, desire.


    She knew what was coming for her and was prepared.


    She wanted to feel him inside of her even though she was scared that it might hurt her.


    When he saw her nod, he gently took off his boxers and climbed on top of her.


    As he led his rod to her wet spot, she sucked in breath.


    He felt very warm and.. Nice?


    She didn''t know the word to describe him with.


    He continued to watch her reaction, one hand on the bed, the other holding his rod as he positioned it directly on her inner spot.


    He began to push gently and found the barrier again. It was her Hymen.


    Sara winced a little and shut her eyes.


    Immediately her eyes closed, Muchen''s lips landed on hers.


    She quickly wrapped her hands around his neck and deepened the kiss.


    She could taste herself in his mouth, but she didn''t mind. She was too lost in pleasure to think about anything else.


    As they continued to explore each other''s mouths, he slowly began to push back and forth.


    The more he pushed in and out, the wetter she got. Which made the job quite easy for him.


    Sara could not describe how she felt at that moment,


    It was so....magical.


    She had always thought sex was probably overrated. What''s the big deal about a guy sticking his penis into a girl''s vagina?


    But right now, she knew what the big deal was! All her hormones were working together to drive her crazy and it was working.


    She moaned non-stop as they continued to kiss. She also heard him moan as he kept trying to force himself inside of her.


    Luckily for him, he felt the head of his penis enter inside her and knew he had succeeded. He saw her bite her lower lip after a groan escaped her lips.


    Her moans, ''shout-outs'', wetness, tight spot, and the pure look of pleasure on her face seemed to also drive him crazy.


    If he didn''t have much control, he probably would have released on her even before going in.


    He continued to groan and grunt as he pushed further inside her.


    Slowly, slowly, and more slowly, he continued to enter.


    "Fuck!" Sara cussed loudly which startled the both of them.


    She could not remember the last time she used those kind of words.


    He pushed out gently and pushed in again which caused her body to jump and she moaned out while he continued to groan.


    "Oh god ... Sara. You''re so tight I''m finding it difficult to control myself"


    "Ah.. Mr Li..." She screamed out which caused Muchen to chuckle a bit.


    They were married but she was still finding it difficult to address him intimately.


    Sara felt a slight discomfort in her lower abdomen whenever he pushed in. But in all, she felt an indescribable pleasure.


    She didn''t know when she wrapped her legs around his waist while her hands continued to grip the sheets. She also began to move her hips upwards to meet his thrusts.


    "I...I th...ink...oh shit!" She paused.


    He felt her body begin to shake and he increased his pace.


    He knew he was almost there and wanted to cum at the same time.


    "Arrrrrrgh!"


    Immediately she released hers with a loud groan, he shot his seed deep inside of her and collapsed on top of her with his cock still inside of her.


    Their breaths were ragged and unsteady as they both lay there quietly.


    Once he recovered a bit, he rolled over to sleep on the bed and continued to pant.


    "Wow! What...just happened?" Sara asked in mild disbelief.


    "You just had sex with your husband and it was incredible!" He began to laugh and turned to place a kiss on her mouth.


    "Wasn''t it?"


    Sara''s surprised eyes looked into his.


    "It sure was. I love you." She said with a smile as her eyes began to close.


    "Don''t even think about falling asleep Mamacita. You need to bathe"


    He said before carrying the sleepy Sara to the bathroom.

 Chapter 319 - Mrs Wang

    "You''re leaving right now?" Minde asked Heya when he saw the maids from her parent''s house moving up and down the stairs with her things.


    "Yea. Too bad" She pursed her lips and looked around the house she was already used to staying.


    Now that Muchen was married, she could not continue to stay here. Neither could Minde.


    Even though Muchen had a new house their father had bought for him and Sara, he couldn''t just move in right away since he needed a lot to be installed in there till he was satisfied.


    Minde pouted as he looked around. He did not want to separate from Muchen but he did not have a choice now.


    Thankfully, he was not going to his family''s house but back to his own as the plan was already on for him to be in charge of CLASH-TECH which was now changed to LI-TECH.


    "Congratulations on your job. I wish you well." Heya wished him sincerely.


    "Thank you my darling.  Today''s your high-schools reunion party right? Are you still going?" Minde asked.


    Heya thought about it for a while before nodding.


    "No harm in trying. Even though I do not see why people who just left two years ago should be having a reunion now."


    Minde chuckled. "It happens like that sometimes. I''ve only attended mine once and stopped going. They all behave too childishly."


    Heya was shocked when she heard him say that.


    Did Minde just say people were behaving childishly? It could only mean they were children then, because If Minde who was childish called someone else childish, then it was the end for them.


    "I saw you dancing with that lady last night. She your new fling?" Heya probed with a raised brow.


    "No!" He shook his head immediately.


    "Then you''re serious with her?"


    "I think." He paused. "I saw you with that Zhu boy. You like him?" He quickly moved the topic from himself to her.


    "I don''t!" She denied immediately.


    "But...do you think he is a playboy? He looks like one"


    "Is that what you are afraid of?" He chuckled.


    "I AM NOT....AF... I..don''t know" She cocked her head and looked at him with confusion written all over her face.


    "Let me tell you something little sis. If a guy likes you, it doesn''t matter the kind of person he was, he''d want to change for you. He looked like a cool guy and I think he genuinely likes you. Heard he made it known to the elders that he wanted to court you right?"


    "You think he''d change for me? Just like you changed for the lady last night?" She teased.


    Minde smiled sheepishly before adding.


    "Probably. But stop jumping into conclusion. You aren''t even sure he is a playboy yet."


    "Young mistress, everything is out." The elderly maid informed her.


    "I''ll leave now. If I''ll be attending the reunion then I must hurry. See you" She hugged him. When she turned to leave, he said to her..


    "Li Heya... I really like the way you look now. I hope you have a lot of fun."


    She turned, smiled warmly at him, and left.


    She was really going to miss him.


    She knew he was not talking about the fact that she was slimmer now.


    Everyone kept telling her about how they liked the way she behaved now. And it was nice to hear such compliment.


    Now, she understood what Sara was trying to make her understand back then.


    If she hadn''t built her confidence, she would have still hated herself even after losing weight. And probably would be a ''walking low self esteem''.


    Minde watched her back and smiled.


    He liked this side of Heya a lot¡ª bright and confident.


    *****


    "What about this one? Do you like it?"


    Changyu asked Joreen as they both looked at a magazine together.


    Jianjun watched the both of them without saying anything. Ever since they woke up, they had been looking at different magazines for the house to buy.


    Jianjun was beginning to feel bad for Hani who had been waiting for them to make a choice for over two hours so she could go process everything for them.


    "Dad, look at this. Do you like this one?" Joreen hurried to meet Jianjun and pointed at a building.


    He looked at the two-storey painted in cream and blue and nodded.


    "It''s nice but it¡ª"


    "We like it!" Joreen said excitedly. She really liked the house and the way the interior was designed when she looked at all the pictures.


    "Good. I like it too" Changyu smiled before giving the magazine to Hani.


    "This one. Thanks."


    Hani nodded and took the magazine from her. "Everything would be ready soon."


    "What about the restaurant?" Changyu asked.


    "Everything''s been going smoothly. Most of the things you ordered would be arriving later today" Hani assured her.


    Changyu nodded before picking up another magazine and pointed at a beautiful building.


    "Do you like this?"


    "It''s pretty." Hani really thought it was.


    It was a black and white modern ceiling to floor glass bungalow with a pool.


    "I thought so too. You should get this one for yourself. I thought of you when I first saw it."


    Hani paused. When her brain registered what Changyu had just said, her eyes shone.


    "Pardon?"


    "Since when did you have hearing problems? You should also get a car. A White Chervolet Camaro would look good right there." She pointed at the parking space in front of the house.


    Jianjun just watched from where he was sitting.


    He would have thought Changyu was a careless spender, but he knew the type of person she was. When it came to people she cared a lot about, she didn''t think twice before doing things.


    "Miss...Chang..yu" Hani was still stupefied.


    "You''re like my daughter. And Wang Changyu''s daughter cannot live below her standard. So hurry up before I change my mind."


    A smile appeared on Jianjun''s face as he watched Changyu''s straight face.


    he face that made a lot of people think she was cold.


    When he noticed Hani was about to cry, Changyu stood up and hugged her while patting her back gently.


    "Don''t cry. They''ll laugh at you"


    Hani laughed dryly before she continued to cry again.


    "I...don''t know what to say" she said in between tears.


    Truthfully, she didn''t know what to say.


    Changyu had been like a mother to her. She had always paid her younger brother''s tuition and took care of the both of them.


    She lived in a rented apartment and owned a car¡ªboth were also being taken care of by Changyu.


    But now, Changyu was giving her another?


    "You should also allow Driver Yen pick the one he likes. Even though he likes you, he may get jealous."


    "Thank you so so¡ªWait! Driver Yen... likes me?" Hani asked in a surprised voice.


    Changyu sighed before shaking her head. "I have too many dumb people around me."


    Jianjun frowned when he heard that. Because he knew he was obviously among the dumb people she was talking about.


    ***


    "Why do you look like you were crying? Are you jealous because she got married before you?" Driver Yen teased immediately Hani sat down in the passenger''s seat beside him.


    "Do you like me?" She turned to look at him and asked straightforwardly which startled him.


    ****


    After the Wang''s had breakfast, Changyu offered to do the dishes but Jianjun forbade her from doing such.


    Whatever she was not used to doing, he was never going to subject her to doing so now that they were married.


    While they were both arguing, Cixi walked past them and began to wash the dishes in silence.


    "See what you caused. You''re always causing trouble around here." Changyu complained.


    He said nothing and began to smile.


    He thought she looked cute when she complained. She looked like a college student in her ponytail and the casual outfits she wore.


    She was on his shirt, a loose fitting grey pants and a kitten house slipper.


    "What are you smiling for?" She cocked her chin forward as she asked.


    "You look cute" He confessed.


    Joreen who was in the middle of gulping down a glass of water inside the kitchen suddenly began to choke.


    "Be careful" Cixi tried not to laugh when she spoke to Joreen.


    Changyu scoffed before smoothening her hair. "Always saying things I already know"


    She quickly moved to help Joreen pat her back gently.


    A few minutes later, Changyu had managed to tell Jianjun to take Joreen out because she wanted to speak with her mother.


    Once they left, she looked at Cixi who was taking off the gloves on her hand.


    "I thought about it...and I decided to forgive you"


    Cixi paused and slowly turned to look at Changyu.


    "I''m not saying I''ll forget about it because no matter how hard I try, I don''t seem to forget about it. But I don''t want to hate you. You are my husband''s sister, my daughter''s aunt, and Joreen''s mother. Most importantly, you were my friend."


    "I tried to put myself in your shoes and thought I would have probably done same if the case was reversed. So I don''t want you to feel uncomfortable around here or go to Malaysia because of me. Let''s try to get along" Changyu concluded with a tiny smile on her face.


    "And I am sorry since my family put you in that kind of situation."


    She heard Cixi sniff and saw tears rolling down her eyes.


    "I am so sorry CY"


    CY was how Cixi referred to Changyu in the past.


    "I am...truly sorry"


    Cixi broke down in tears before hugging Changyu.


    She was glad that Changyu was finally forgiving her because she missed her friend greatly. In the past, they had both done a lot of naughty stuff and made trouble together. Acting like strangers for the past month really frustrated and saddened her.


    "It''s okay. I don''t know why you all always cry. Humans are so soft" Changyu complained.


    "You also cry easily.." Cixi reminded her as she continued to cry which caused Changyu to laugh.


    Changyu had been trying to suppress her own tears, but as she laughed, tears began to roll down also.


    "I am sorry for the troubles I caused your family."


    Cixi shook her head. "It''s fine."


    "Sorry I didn''t say this yesterday, Happy Married life Mrs Wang."


    Changyu laughed. "I hope the next wedding is going to be between you and the handsome man I saw you dancing with last night."

 Chapter 320 - WARNING–?

    Sara woke up to the nice smell of pancakes that wafted into her nose.


    With her eyes still closed, she stretched both arms to relieve her muscles and slowly began to open her eyes.


    For a minute, she only stared blankly.


    ''It wasn''t a dream'' She thought as a blush creeped to her cheeks.


    She raised her hand to look at her wedding ring intently, just to be sure that everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours were really true.


    When she saw the glittering diamond ring, she grinned.


    She was really Mrs Wang. Li Muchen''s wife. Wow!


    She finally dragged her tired self from the bed and was surprised that she didn''t feel pain down there like the tales she''d heard¡ªthat the first time might cause one to not walk properly for days.


    She only felt slight discomfort but she was fine.


    Once she stood up, she noticed she was on Li Muchen''s tee-shirt that stopped at the middle of her thigh.


    She smiled before moving her hands to arrange her hair and to retie it in a ponytail.


    She followed the smell to a really nice and well furnished kitchen inside the suite.


    "Oh my God!" She gasped before her hands flung to cover her eyes.


    Muchen in all his sexiness stood there topless with just a tiny apron and a loose pants.


    She had not expected to suddenly see him like that so she was startled a bit.


    It was a different case for last night since they were both covered and it was kind of dark. But now, she had directly come in contact with his broad and hard back.


    "You''re finally awake. Good Morning Wifey!" He waved her with a big grin plastered on his face.


    "Something wrong?" He moved away from the side of the fire to come attend to his shy wife.


    He quickly peeled both hands that was covering her face so she could look at him.


    "Hi" He greeted again with a wave in her face.


    "H..I" She replied nervously.


    "You''re cooking?" Her voice was almost in a squeal as she tried to hide her anxiety.


    "Yes. I''m done." He smirked before he began to slowly untie the apron. Totally giving her a strip tease.


    Sara''s cheeks flushed as her eyes remained glued to his body while her mouth began to water in anticipation.


    If there had been a mirror right there, she probably would have seen her cheeks were crimsoned.


    "What a pervert!" He suddenly tied back the apron and began to laugh.


    "Go freshen up and come eat breakfast. You slept past the time we were supposed to fly out."


    Sara sighed in disappointment but did not let it show.


    "It''s you who''s a perv¡ª wait! I slept past the time of the flight? Weren''t we supposed to leave by 8:30?"


    He nodded "You didn''t see the time? It''s past 10 already."


    Sara gasped at the information. Past 10? She had never woken up that late before.


    Even during fighting trainings and all, she still woke up on time.


    "Time to go get useful." He held her shoulders and turned her around to face the door.


    "Do freshen up before breakfast gets cold. You''re lucky you woke up on time."


    "Wait.." She protested.


    "What is it?" He turned her to face him.


    "Can you...can you just take off the apron for a second? I just want to check something" She asked shamelessly.


    As much as she was embarrassed to admit to herself that ever since the first time he worked out with her, she had always wondered what he would look like without any clothes on.


    Muchen used a hand to cover his eyes and shook his head. "Oh no.. I got married to a pervert!"


    "WHO... Who is a pervert?" Sara pouted unhappily which caused him to laugh.


    "Don''t be so impatient. You''ll see it all you want later."


    He turned her around to face the door and slapped her ass cheek.


    She was taken aback and turned to protest but quickly shut her mouth when nothing came out and stomped unhappily towards the bathroom they had both showered in the previous night.


    A smile appeared on his face as he watched her leave angrily.


    He remembered how he had always imagined her wearing his dress in her small body.


    Now, he had her all to himself.


    What a nice life he was living!


    Immediately she finished brushing her teeth, she heard a knock on the bathroom''s door.


    "Bathing already?" Muchen asked her through the closed door.


    Sara shuffled to the door with her big house slipper and opened it. She noticed he was wearing a tee-shirt now and was disappointed.


    "About to. Why?"


    "Because I have a better idea." He said with a sly smile before taking her hand to lead her to a room with an hot tub that made her jaw drop.


    "Better idea or Nah?" He asked, feeling pleased with himself.


    "Great idea! Is it warm?" She asked eagerly.


    "Sure. But just in case you need more warmth, I don''t mind joining you inside" A smirk appeared on his face as he teased her.


    Sara''s face turned red but she said nothing. She neither rejected his offer nor welcomed him to join her.


    As he watched her, an amused smile spread across his face.


    He found it cute that she was still very shy around him even through they were both married.


    She was so tough, yet so innocent.


    "I''ll wait for you in the dining. Be quick and come join me"


    She gulped down what was probably the last saliva on her mouth before holding his hand as he was about to leave the room.


    "You...can join me" She stammered.


    A glint suddenly appeared in his eyes when he heard her shy words.


    Her blushing face, pouted lips, the way she was currently dressed and her offer right now¡ªwas making him have other thoughts.


    "Sure that''s a good idea?" He asked in a dry whisper.


    "I''ll get in first" Sara whispered back before walking past him to take off his shirt.


    When she looked down at her exposed upper body, she saw all the hikeys printed on her skin, she gasped.


    "You okay?" Muchen turned and came in contact with her exposed back.


    The only part of her body that was covered was her bum where she wore a red lace panties that revealed her ass cheeks.


    His heart began to beat very fast and he could hear hers beating fast also.


    Sara seemed to notice he was staring and quickly climbed into the hot tub with her back to him.


    He didn''t pull his eyes away from her back when he took of his own shirt and pants. He looked down at his boxer briefs and decided to pull it off also.


    The hot tub was not very big but it was able to accommodate the both of them.


    After climbing into it, he settled himself behind Sara.


    All the while, she did not turn to look at him.


    Once he sat comfortably inside, he pulled Sara by the waist and drew her closer to him.


    Her body tensed a bit when she felt his hard-on pressing against her ass cheeks but she quickly relaxed when he began to massage her shoulders.


    "Are you hungry?" He asked in a voice filled with desire.


    Sara tried to say something but nothing came out. All she could do was to shake her head and moan when she felt his warm lips on the side of her neck.


    He slowly began to move the massage to her arms and then to her waist.


    She arched her head back in pleasure and was met with another kiss on her collarbone.


    She suddenly began to feel hot all over. And she knew it was not because the water was warm. This was a different kind of hot entirely.


    He slowly moved his hands from her belly up to her breasts and cupped it with his two large hands.


    When he felt how hot and hard her nipples were, a groan escaped his lips and he thrust his hips upward to press his arousal further into her, but her panties still stood as a barrier from feeling her naked skin.


    "Uhhh" Sara moaned out and bit her nether lip in pleasure.


    "Sara?"


    "Hmmm?"


    "Are you... sure you''re not hungry?" He asked her again in that deep sexy voice that drove her crazy.


    Sara shook her head yet again. Right now, she didn''t need that type of food.


    He then slowly lifted her and turned her to face him with her legs wide spread on both sides as she sat on his thighs.


    Sara saw him looking at her exposed boobs with lust and her face flushed.


    When he saw her flushed face and red pouty lips, he could no longer hold it in. His hand went to her nape and pulled her closer for a kiss.


    As the kiss deepened, she turned wetter and unconsciously began to straddle his thigh. And as she did that, she kept feeling his erect manhood.


    Both moaned simultaneously into each other''s mouths and he directed his hand to her panties.


    He touched the front of her crotch and her body jerked forward to meet his hand while her hands wrapped around his neck to steady herself.


    He rubbed her a bit through her panties and slid it to one corner to expose her bare flesh.


    When the water directly hit her in that spot, an erotic sound escaped her lips and wafted into Muchen''s ears.


    Gently, he slid in a finger inside her tight spot and felt the warmness engulf him.


    "Oh god.." She pulled her lips from Muchen''s and purred as her hips began to grind on his finger.


    He did not waste time before sending his hot mouth to her breast to kiss her nipples and gently nibble on them while he continued to use his finger inside her.


    "Aggrh.. Oh.." She threw her bead backwards and sank even deeper into his finger.


    Both of them continued to pant even as the groans and moans escaped their lips.


    "I want to go inside of you my love." Muchen whispered.


    The words made her quiver.


    "Yes.." She cried out in desire.


    He lifted her hips a bit, with her panties still slid to one corner, he began to slowly lower her body on him.


    "Oh god.. Shit!" She cussed as she felt his member slide inside her inch by inch.


    It was still a wonder that she was able to take him all in.


    He groaned when he felt her tighten around him. That instant, he thought he was going to explode.


    Sara screamed out when everything finally entered inside of her and she felt her body begin to stretch in order to accommodate him.


    "It''s... It''s touching something.. I think.. Oh god"


    She immediately stopped talking when he began to move her hips back and forth, making her grind him.


    There was a particular spot that he hit that sent electric jolt to her whole body, and made her hands tightened around his neck.


    She felt him bite her nipple gently and she cried out. That same second, he lifted her hips from him a bit, and dropped her back down.


    She felt an indescribable pain and pleasure at the same time and squealed.


    Whenever he lifted her hips and dropped her back down, he always groaned louder and she liked the sound. So she decided to take things into her own hands so she could continue to listen to that sweet music.


    She slowly began to go up and down. But that did not work because he took control and started controlling her movement faster with his hands on her hips.


    Whenever she was coming down, he thrust his hips upward to meet her which caused her to moan endlessly.


    As she did that, her breasts continued to bounce up and down. Anytime it came down, he used his tongue to lick her nipple and sometimes, he bit it gently.


    He began to grunt loudly and she felt his member swell even more inside of her.


    "I''m close" He said in a cracked voice.


    He thrust his hips upward to go deeper inside of her and she screamed when a wave of pleasure rush through her.


    At the same time, she felt him release inside of her and soon, both their juices began to sip out from her vagina and into the warm water.


    Her body collapsed on his and both remained there, panting heavily.


    Their pants would have been the only sound heard in the room if Sara''s stomach had not grumbled.


    They both suddenly began to laugh.


    "Oh god.. You''re still hard" She said with her head still buried in his collar.


    He was still inside of her and it did not seem like he was going to get softer anytime soon.


    He chuckled and used his hands to rub her back up and down.


    "I think you should use the shower first while I quickly make something heavier for you to eat"

 Chapter 321 - I was Jealous

    Sara had wanted to ignore her phone that had been beeping with many notification ¡ªas they ate breakfast, but she could no longer do so.


    She reached for her phone and saw most of the notifications were from her Instagram account.


    Muchen said nothing and continued to eat his Rice Noddles. But his eyes were still fixed on her.


    He knew it was only a matter of time before she saw the news and he did not want to stop her.


    As Sara scrolled through, she saw many tags and congratulatory messages sent to her.


    She hadn''t been online ever since so she had no idea their wedding had caused such a frenzy amongst the citizens of Country B and beyond.


    ''I knew something was up when I heard she was the MC during Madam Li''s birthday party.''


    A lady commented.


    She read many more comments and a smile appeared on her face.


    "News travel fast" She raised her head to look at Muchen and he smiled back at her.


    "Indeed." Was the only word he said before he focused on his food again.


    When Sara checked her browser, she saw different news headlines. But as she was about scrolling down, a call came in.


    The call was from Jin Cherry, Jin Cearo''s sister.


    "Hello" Sara took the call immediately.


    "I waited to call you by this time. Didn''t want to interrupt some.... Ehm ehm.. You know what I mean?" Cherry joked.


    Sara thought it was strange that she still had the time to joke when her family was under the drain.


    It was known to everyone now that the Jins were involved in shady businesses and not only was Medusa arrested, her husband was also arrested and their business sank.


    Whenever she thought about it, she felt bad for Cherry and somewhat guilty.


    "How are you?" Sara asked seriously.


    There was a little pause before Cherry answered.


    "Fine...I guess." She sighed before asking. "You must have heard the news about my family right?"


    Not just heard, she had been at the forefront of her family''s destruction. But there was no way she could say that right?


    "I heard."


    "Sorry I couldn''t attend your wedding. Had to leave the city to cool off somewhere else. My younger brother is here. Wants to say ''Hello''."


    Sara did not object and so Cherry quuckly passed the phone to him.


    She heard shuffling sounds like Cearo was moving away from his sister and then heard Cherry''s voice in the background shouting at him to bring back her phone.


    Her voice gradually faded and once he got to a quiet spot, he cleared his throat and began to speak.


    "Hello Sara."


    "Hi. Been quite a long time." She greeted back.


    After an awkward silence, he spoke again. "I really want to apologize for all I did. Please help me tell CEO Li that I am really sorry. Not to be a coward, but I was compelled to do all I did."


    Sara looked at Muchen and saw him eating quietly.


    "I''ll tell him about it."


    "And....please help me tell Heya that I am truly Sorry. And that I really liked her."


    Sara sighed when the call ended and began to narrate everything to Muchen.


    "Too bad. Heya''s probably moved on." He shook his head pitifully.


    "What if she still want him?" Sara asked curiously.


    "I don''t know. But it''d be best if she doesn''t."


    He shrugged his shoulders and began to carry their empty plates to the kitchen.


    "I''ll do the dishes" Sara ran to catch up with him but he shook his head.


    "You should go through the latest news. There''s something else you have to see."


    He kissed her forehead and walked past her to the kitchen.


    Sara began to scroll through the latest news to check what he was referring to. And it wasn''t long before she saw it.


    Her eyes bulged out when she saw two trending headlines..


    ''Liu Weiyoung unconscious after attempting suicude''


    ''Liu Weiyoung no longer pregnant?''


    "What the hell!?" She screamed in shock and watched as comments kept pouring in. She was quite surprised to see that a lot of people were actually happy about the news, because she wasn''t!


    ''Oh.. So because Sara got married to CEO Li Muchen your dirty heart cannot take it? Just die you filthy b*tch''


    That particular comment had a lot of likes and comments under.


    There were also other comments talking about Jinyong''s arrest and how everything was working perfectly for Sara Wang.


    ''Karma is really a b*tch''


    Another person dropped the comment.


    "Is...is this real?" She asked Muchen immediately she saw him come out of the kitchen.


    He nodded slowly.


    "I think she''s in a very critical condition. Although she was rescued on time, it would be difficult for her to survive from the effect."


    "Oh my God!" She gasped before sitting on one of the chairs in the dining.


    "You want to pay her a visit?" He asked when he saw how worried she looked.


    Sara paused for a while before shaking her head.


    "No.. She is no longer my friend. Why should I do so?"


    Although she said that, less than an hour later, she found herself in front of the hospital Weiyoung was admitted in.


    The reporters around the hospital had been hurrying to her side to go ask about her wedding and whether she was in the hospital to see Weiyoung. But immediately they saw Muchen behind her, they gave chance and could only take pictures and videos of the couple.


    Once she was attended to at the counter, she followed the instructions and arrived at the floor where Weiyoung was.


    At least the Mo family did something good by giving her a VIP room even though they were nowhere in sight.


    She saw a nurse coming out from the room and quickly rushed to her front.


    "Hello, I''m here for Miss Liu Weiyoung. How is she?"


    The nurse looked at her with familiarity and blushed when she was the Almighty CEO Li behind her.


    "She woke up a few minutes back but she''s completely drained. I think it''s best you speak with the doctor."


    Sara nodded. "Okay thanks. But can I go see her right now?"


    "I''ll have to ask her first." The nurse said before turning to go back inside.


    Sara thought it was a bad idea since Weiyoung would never want to see her, but she was surprised when the nurse told her she could go in.


    "I won''t take long." She whispered to Muchen and he nodded in return.


    The room was large and well furnished. But Sara was not interested in how the room looked like right now.


    She looked at Weiyoung who was lying almost lifeless on the large bed and slowly approached her.


    "I least expected the wife of CEO Li Muchen to pay me a visit" She said in a dry voice that startled Sara.


    "What were you thinking?" Sara chastised in a gentle voice.


    She felt her heart break when she saw Weiyoung looking like a dead person with her pale skin, dry lips, unkempt hair and dim eyes.


    "I was thinking about ending this miserable life because it sucks. Aren''t you supposed to be happy?" She asked dryly.


    "You must really hate your life so much."


    "I do" Weiyoung admitted with a nod and made no effort to sit up on the bed. Because even if she wanted to, she could not.


    "I hope you recover soon." Sara wished her earnestly and turned to leave but Weiyoung''s voice stopped her.


    "Why?"


    She slowly turned and wondered what Weiyoung was asking her about.


    "Why did it have to be you? Why do I have to wake up, and the first person who comes here isn''t my mother or father but you?"


    Tears escaped the corners of her eyes as she asked in a bitter tone.


    "Why do you keep acting so nice when you really are not?"


    Sara remained quiet. She didn''t know what to say. Or rather, she felt it was best to say nothing at the moment.


    "Why is my life like this? I do not deserve any of it. Why was I born into this world?"


    "You had a purpose ¡ª"


    "Screw that!" Weiyoung did not wait for her to continue.


    "You had everything. You father loved you, your aunt loved you. You didn''t dress well or behave like a lady but everyone loved you. Why? What did I do to make people look down on me and treat me like a nobody?"


    Tears continued to roll from her eyes and into the white sheets.


    "A lot of people loved you. You just didn''t see it because you were so focused in ruining other people''s lives and happiness."


    Weiyoung began to cackle dryly.


    "No one liked me. My parents didn''t care about me. My friends were only around me because of what I had to offer¡ª"


    "My feelings were genuine" Sara could not help feeling angry at her baseless accusation.


    "Even though I was aware you said a lot of  bad things behind my back, I still loved you. You... You were my friend. I was ready fight anyone for you. I was ready to do anything for you" Sara felt tears begin to trickle down her face.


    "Why wasn''t my niceness enough? Did I have to kneel down to beg you everyday before you see I really liked you and cherished our friendship?"


    "But you...you didn''t think twice before stabbing me on my back. You didn''t think twice before throwing my father out of his restaurant¡ª" A pang of pain hit her chest and she paused.


    "You... threw my poor family out of our home. Were you that evil?"


    There was nothing that annoyed and pained Sara more than that.


    "I was jealous!" Weiyoung blurted out.


    "The only thing you lacked was money but you had the happiness I so badly wanted. I thought snatching Mo Jinyong would give me a bit of the happiness you had but I was wrong. He even brought me more misery."


    Sara scoffed in surprise. "Why...why on earth were you jealous of me?"


    "You don''t understand do you? I wish there was something like a body swap so we could swap bodies for you to see how I lived. Then, you would know that just having money was not everything. There was no peace for me. I probably would find peace when I die" She sighed.


    Sara cried and moved closer to the bed to hold Weiyoung''s cold hand.


    "I''m sorry for how I treated you. But even if I hate you, I do not wish for you to die."


    Weiyoung slowly pulled her hand away from Sara''s.


    "See why I hate you? You''re so soft" She hissed. "So nice.."


    "Do you know... On that night nine years ago, I lied when I said I got into an accident." She looked into Sara''s eyes and told her the hurtful truth "I went home."


    The news shocked Sara and she stared at Weiyoung with wide eyes.


    She had literally sacrificed herself to save Weiyoung but instead of asking for help, she had gone home instead?


    "And on that night in Country Y; the night you disappeared, I saw you."


    "I was out. Met this boy there and we made plans to meet later that night, but he didn''t show up. On my way back, I saw you running from a group of people who looked like thugs."


    "But I really wanted to get rid of you so I told no one about it. Truthfully, I thought you died and it broke my heart a bit."


    "Suddenly seeing you a year later scared the hell out of me. I thought you were a ghost. But..it was really you. And as much as I hated you, I was relieved."


    Sara closed her eyes as she listened to Weiyoung''s ''confession''.


    "What? Don''t you want me dead now? Are you still going to act nice and say you want me to live? Don''t you want revenge? My death would being you that."


    "You had such a nice and innocent face. Too bad your heart was dirty. I feel really bad for you" Sara managed to say in between tears.


    "Don''t think too highly of yourself. Your death doesn''t change anything."


    "Do not feel bad for me! I don''t need your sympathy. You should swear and cuss me. Scream at me and pull my hair"


    Weiyoung screamed with her last energy and suddenly began to shake.


    Sara''s heart jumped when she saw Weiyoung shaking all over.


    The shaking reduced and Weiyoung said in a low voice


    "But... I am sorry. I am sorry Sara." She paused and cried loudly.


    "You should never meet a friend like me again. Even in your next life."


    She suddenly began to shake again and Sara noticed she was having a seizure.


    A blaring sound, followed by the unstable movement and beeps coming from the ECG monitor¡ªfilled the room.


    Sara''s eyes was still wide opened in shock when she felt the door jerk open and a hand pulled her out. She also saw doctors and nurses rush in to attend to Weiyoung.


    Muchen immediately pulled her into his embrace and Sara cried in his arms.


    She cried even more when she heard that Weiyoung could not make it.

 Chapter 322 - The feeling is mutual, trust me!

    Any plan to fly out for their honeymoon was put to a halt. The rest of the day, Sara cried while Muchen was there to console her.


    It didn''t take long for news to go around.


    Everyone knew that Sara had gone to visit her ''friend'' and also knew that Weiyoung died.


    Some reporters brazenly made different speculations about Sara''s visit being the cause of Weiyoung''s death.


    When Muchen saw the news, his eyes darkened.


    By the time he asked called Ms Long to handle the issue, Changyu''s people had already done so. And it wasn''t good for the reporters at all.


    As he watched her sob in his arms, he couldn''t help but think that she was too soft. Despite everything Weiyoung did to her, Sara still cried this much for her?


    It was good that he had a kindhearted wife. Because for him, he would be the one to kill whoever vexed him or his family.


    "It''s okay. You might fall sick at this rate" He said in a gentle voice. But no matter how much she tried to control her emotions, she could not stop crying.


    Weiyoung had been the only ''friend'' close to her for over ten years. How else was she supposed to react?


    *****


    Everyone stopped what they were doing immediately they saw a lady walk inside the decent looking beanery to join their group.


    They all looked at her from her head down to her toes.


    Her long black hair was side-parted with one side tucked behind her ear, on that exposed earlobe, a little diamond earring perched there.


    She wore a light nude make-up but her lipstick was a dark shade of red.


    Dressed in a long black windbreaker trench coat with an orange shirt under and a black denim jean trousers.


    On her feet were a pair of black thigh high boots.


    Her sling back danced around with each movement she made.


    "Li....Heya?" One girl asked in shock when she approached their table.


    "Sorry I''m late." Heya apologized with a smile and looked around for any free chair to sit on.


    She noticed that they probably had rented the entire place for this reunion because she did not see other customers around.


    She was able to recognise most of the people present there, but she couldn''t recognise some. They were probably her seniors since most of them were invited for this event also.


    Too bad Cearo had to miss it because if his family''s issue. But it was a good thing he wasn''t there because she did not want to see him.


    The rectangular table was really long like the type people used during feasts to accommodate a whole lot of people. On both sides were a line of nice wooden chairs. And on top of the table, she could see drinks of different kinds. Mostly alcohol.


    There were up to twenty people present there. And it looked like the girls were more than the guys. All dressed flamboyantly, probably to show off to the others.


    "Over here!" A girl taooed the free seat beside her and Heya joined her.


    "Wow. You were the last person I expected to see. This is quite surprising" The first girl spoke again.


    Heya would never forget her name. The girl was called Hua Tianmei. She was one of the reasons Heya hated going to school.


    Heya only sent a smile to her direction and said nothing. She was not in the mood to argue with her¡ªwell, for now.


    "You look really nice and pretty. Never imagined you were this pretty." A guy from the opposite side of the table said to her with a smile.


    "And you lost a lot of weight. Wow!" Another added.


    Other people chipped in to say one or two things and from there the conversation led to curious questions about her brother''s wedding.


    They wanted to know more about Sara and how she met Muchen. They also wanted to know how Sara turned out to become Changyu''s daughter overnight.


    It was obvious that everyone liked a Cinderella story.


    From there, they moved to the topic about her weight loss. How she did it and the how many pounds she was able to lose in a month.


    Heya said one or two things to keep the conversation going but she said nothing in regards to Sara and Muchen. If they wanted to know so badly, they should go ask them themselves.


    "I saw that video of you singing in the streets before it was taken down. That was.... sweet"


    A young man blew a kiss at her and the others laughed.


    The guys seemed to give her more attention that the ladies. All she could see from the ladies were glares and hisses.


    Even the lady who had showed her were to seat didn''t seem too pleased with the attention Heya was getting.


    "This shouldn''t be about me alone right?" Heya looked at all of them.


    "You''ve all been asking questions since I came here." She added to emphasize her point.


    "You should be happy that we are giving you the attention you came here for." Hua Tianmei sneered.


    "Sorry?" Heya cocked her head as she asked Tianmei.


    "What? Am I wrong? Didn''t you come here seeking for attention?"


    Heya looked her up and down again. Everything about her screamed extravagance.


    Despite the cold weather, she wore a body fitted mini gown and long coat, knee length boot, fallen curly hair, loud make-up and a lot of jewelries.


    She was pretty no doubt. But she was full of trouble.


    "Oh.." Heya ignored her and began to chat with the boy opposite her.


    "Are you ignoring me?" Tianmei asked with a red face.


    "Stop it. Don''t you know the family she''s from?" A girl beside her advised.


    "And so? Does that give her the right to ignore me when I talk to her?"


    "And who are you to not be ignored?" Heya asked pointedly.


    "You''re so loud. Keep it down or go outside? What''s wrong with you?" Heya asked her in an annoyed voice.


    "Weren''t you taught basic manners? Should I throw you out of this place before you realise just how much we hate it when you open that thing you call a mouth to talk?"


    Hua Tianmei''s mouth dropped¡ª Including everyone else.


    No one had ever spoken to her that way before. Even though Heya was from the Li family, she had been able to bully her quite well when they were still in school.


    "Thr....row me out? Who dares throw me out? I organised this. I fucking did! I paid for every damn thing here!"


    "How much did you use that''s making you feel so special?"


    Heya took out her credit card and slapped it down on the table.


    "You can go withdraw the money and get out of here then"


    Everyone was shocked. No one dared to say a thing.


    They could not believe that this was the same Heya they knew back in school who was so tumid and shy. She hardly spoke or said anything even when people bullied her.


    Did her confidence come with her weight loss?


    "How...how dare you talk to me like that?" Tianmei pointed an accusing finger at Heya but Heya smirked in return.


    "Do not provoke me little girl. I can be scary when pissed" Heya said to her with dark eyes.


    She was even scared of her behavior right now. Never would she have believed that she had such an intimidating side.


    "Hua Tianmei?" They all suddenly heard a voice call her from the door.


    "Brother Liang!" Tianmei quickly ran to his side to hold his hand intimately.


    "She bullied me. Everyone saw it." Tianmei pointed at Heya.


    Heya froze when she saw Zhu Liang.


    When Liang looked at the lady Tianmei was pointing at, he also froze but quickly recovered himself.


    It was the first time she was seeing him dress casually since the other two times, he had been in a suit.


    Now, he wore a highneck sweater with beige pants and a coat.


    His hair was slicked backwards and he still had that earring resting on his earlobe.


    She looked at the intimate way Tianmei held his hand and knew he was a different kind of ''brother'' to her.


    She wasn''t wrong about him. He even had a girlfriend and was troubling her. ''What a osychi'' She thought. But still felt sad for an unknown reason.


    "Here''s your phone. Be careful to take it with you next time" Liang gave Tianmei a phone with a pink pouch.


    When Heya thought he would quietly leave without talking to her, he looked towards her direction and said a simole


    "Hello"


    "Why are you greeting her? I said she bullied me" Tianmei tugged on his sleeve and pouted but he didn''t seem to be paying attention to her.


    Pretending not to see or hear him, Heya threw her head to look at the other side.


    "Li Heya doesn''t seem like the one to make trouble unnecessarily. You must have angered her." He scolded.


    Heya turned to look at him when she heard that.


    "Am I right?" It was as if he was asking her instead of the girl beside him.


    "It was nice meeting you all. Do have a lovely day all of you"


    Heya stood up, took back her credit card, left a lot of cash notes on the table, and walked past the both of them and out of the beanery.


    Once she got outside, she sighed in relief.


    Quarreling with Tianmei brought her joy. She had always imagine standing up to her ever since they were in school. And doing that now, made her feel like she was free.


    Back then, she could not tell her parents about what she went through in school because it was embarrassing. And she was tired of moving from school to school.


    Remembering how Tianmei held Liang and called him ''brother Liang'', she suddenly felt that pang of sadness again but still did not no why.


    She sighed and was about taking out her phone to call her driver when she heard the familiar voice behind her.


    "You look stunning."


    It was Zhu Liang. Probably to flirt with her again. She concluded.


    She ignored him and still went on to take her phone but before she could dial the number, he appeared in front of her.


    "Tianmei''s family and my family go way back. I know you must be thinking we''re dating or something, but we are not. She''s not my type. You''re my type." He explained.


    His piercing eyes seemed to stop her from using her phone and all she could do was stare back.


    If she was watching a movie right now, she would have said something like "Damn, that was smooth!"


    But being faced with this kind of scene, she realised she could not say a word. But she managed to stammer..


    "How...how does that concern me? I don''t care."


    "Okay" He nodded. "I''ll drop you off."


    "I don''t want you to"


    "Why?"


    Heya could not tell him she was uncomfortable and had never driven in the same car with a man who was neither her brother nor cousin.


    "My driver would be here soon."


    "It''s cold out. Just stop being stubborn...please"


    Truthfully, the weather was freezing. She was a bit skeptical but finally relented and followed him.


    With a triumphant smile, he led her to where his Ford was parked and opened the door for her.


    The both of them were quiet during the drive. She had told him to take her home even though she didn''t want to go home.


    Her parents were not expecting her until later that evening and so she wanted to hang out a bit. But wasn''t he going to follow her if she asked him to drop her off by the side of the road?


    The car suddenly braked and parked by the side of the road.


    "What is wrong?" She asked in confusion.


    "Mind going somewhere with me first?"


    "What? Somewhere? Where?" She asked nervously.


    "You''ll see" He sent her his signature charming smile before taking another route.


    After a couple of minutes, they both arrived at a pretty garden area that looked like a special place for lovers.


    "My mum brought me here one time. Isn''t it pretty?"


    "It is." She nodded with bright eyes. She thought the place was peaceful enough to give her inspiration to write a song or just generally become creative.


    The place was quite secluded so they weren''t much couple there; Just about three or four other pairs.


    "I do come here once in a while to think. You should try it sometimes. Look there" He pointed at a bench.


    "I was sitting right there when I first saw the video of you singing with the boy from the Jin family. You were so pretty and your voice was the nicest I''ve ever heard in my life. And to be frank with you, I got a bit jealous of that guy singing beside you. I wanted it to be me."


    He stopped walking and turned to look at her.


    "Can''t you see that I like you? I really don''t play around like you think." He looked at her confused face with pleading eyes.


    "Am....am I ...supposed to.. say something" Heya asked in confusion because at that moment, she could not think of anything to say.


    "You like me Li Heya. The feeling is mutual. Trust me."


    He used his hands to cup her cheeks and raised her head a little so she would not avoid his eyes.


    Heya''s heart began to beat very fast. This was crazy.


    Did she make a mistake by following him here? She wondered.


    But if she wanted to be frank with herself, she did like him. He was cool, straightforward, and had a likeable personality.


    When he noticed she was not trying to deny the fact that she liked him, he smiled.


    "I...want to kiss you." He said in a low voice.


    "I''m... not sure I like you enough to let you kiss me" She answered nervously.


    He chuckled before pulling her into his embrace.


    "You shouldn''t have a problem with this right? I''ve always wanted to hug you"


    .

 Chapter 323 - Ruthless

    "You do like Mr Luo right?" Joreen asked her mother as they prepared to leave the house to go hang out with him and his daughter.


    The question took Cixi aback.


    "That...was quite...an unexpected question."


    "But you like him right?" Joreen pried.


    "Well... We could... say that" Cixi tried to focus on wearing her earring instead of the startling question Joreen was asking her.


    "I think he likes you too. Reen told me on the phone that he always spoke about you at home."


    "Oh...she did?" Cixi tried not to sound interested but it did not work because she turned to face Joreen.


    "She did. Reen told me she likes you. I also like Mr Luo."


    "She''s a sweet girl" Cixi said before standing up from the chair she was sitting on.


    "You both been having fun gossiping us?"


    "Yes. You sounded happy when you spoke with him on the phone earlier. You also looked happy when you danced with him on big sis'' wedding two days ago."


    "Well...Mr Luo is a nice man. Let''s leave."


    Joreen stood there looking at her mother''s face without any intention of moving.


    "I want you to be happy mummy. If Mr Luo is that happiness, I''ll do everything to make sure you both work out. Don''t try to hold back."


    "Woah! That''s...." Her words faltered in her throat.


    She did not know why her daughter always acted so mature despite her tender age of eight.


    "Thank you my princess" Cixi pulled her into a hug.


    ******


    "You''ll be okay" Changyu pulled the dull looking Sara into a hug immediately she entered the house.


    Sara took a deep breath when she felt her mother''s hands wrapped around her.


    She saw her father''s sad face looking at the both of them and cracked a tiny smile to assure him she was okay.


    They knew Weiyoung''s death must have shocked her.


    Jianjun had also felt sad because he treated Weiyoung like his daughter.


    "I''m okay. Thanks mum"


    "You still look too dull. Do you want to go abroad to cool off for a while. It''ll help you recover quickly." Changyu offered but Sara shook her head.


    "I''m good. It was just shocking since I was there when she...you know.."


    Changyu led Sara by her hand to go sit on the couch.


    "Where is Aunt and Joreen?" Sara asked since she did not see any sign of the two of them at home.


    "They took a stroll out a few minutes before you arrived here. How''s your husband?" Changyu asked.


    Ever since she realised Sara was her daughter, Jianjun had a slimmer chance of communicating with Sara because she was always at the forefront.


    "Had some things to handle. He sent his greeting."


    "Things to handle? Aren''t you both supposed to still be in your honeymoon?" Changyu asked with an unimpressed look.


    "It''s in regards to his grandmother. You know she''s still sick. I''d be joining him there immediately I leave here."


    "Oh, Good. Does he treat you well? He doesn''t yell at you or anything like that right?" Changyu probed.


    Sara laughed dryly. "Not at all. He treats me really well."


    "Good. Let him know my warning is still valid"


    Changyu said in relief.


    She wanted him to always remember it would be quite easy to ruin the Lis if they ever wronged Sara.


    "What about you? Does he treat you well?" Sara was referring to her father.


    Jianjun thought Changyu was going to nod, but to his shock, she scoffed and shook her head.


    "He doesn''t"


    "What? Why?" Sara looked at her father accusingly.


    "Wh..en.. When did I not treat you well?" He asked Changyu in disbelief.


    Before Sara knew it, they began to banter back and forth.


    Their banter caused her to laugh. It was nice watching them behave like teenagers.


    ******


    "Over here!" Jaime waved a hand to get the attention of the two people he had been waiting for in the almost crowded park.


    "You both look stunning" He said to Cixi and Joreen when they got closer to them.


    It wasn''t long before Joreen and Reen began to chatter away.


    "They get along pretty well"


    Jaime said as he watched the little girls use the merry-go-round.


    "Yea. Jo always talks about her." Cixi added with a smile.


    The conversation went on for a while before Jaime digressed.


    "You''ve never mentioned anything about her father. Was it a divorce?"


    Jaime thought it was time to know more about her. If he was ready to let go of his past grudge with himself, he wanted her to at least be open to him also. But it was not like she was entitled to tell him anything right?


    Cixi finally moved her eyes away from the kids to look at him.


    "No. Never been married. Just a fling."


    Jaime was obviously shocked to hear that a gorgeous woman as herself had never been married.


    "Didn''t know what I was thinking. I mean, I''m a Doctor, I should have been smart enough to avoid it or at least, use some kind of protection. But was too broken back then."


    ''Back then'' referred to the time Sara was missing.


    "I wasn''t expecting much though. But I told him about it when I realised I was pregnant. I guess he wasn''t ready to take up any responsiblity. Not like I wanted him to anyway, just felt it was necessary to tell the sperm donor."


    ''Sperm donor'' That cracked him up.


    "I guess everything turned out good. She''s an angel"


    Cixi turned to look at the girls again with a smile plastered on her face.


    "Yea. I can''t imagine my life without her."


    "That was pretty easy for you to open up. Other women probably would have been embarrassed about it."


    Cixi laughed. "I am proud of my daughter. I''ll say it anywhere. ''I screwed an asshole and got screwed in return!''"


    Jaime shook his head and laughed.


    He had never met any woman who used vulgar words so carelessly.


    "What about you, you said you hated Doctors?"


    "I never said I hated Doctors. I just do not like going to the hospitals."


    "Had something to do with your ex-wife?" She asked cautiously.


    He nodded. "But other cases also. I''ve seen and heard too much to not believe in Doctors. Sorry, but that''s just how it is for me"


    There was a pause before he moved closer to whisper into her ear.


    "But I do not mind going to the hospital if a pretty doctor like you is to attend to me."


    Cixi blushed and looked at his face.


    "I told you before to not seduce me"


    He chuckled before burying his hands inside his pants pockets.


    "I Just can''t help it." He said in a deep voice.


    "Sorry, but how old are you?" She finally asked the question that''s been eating her up.


    "Forty-two" He answered almost immediately.


    Cixi was not surprised since she''d suspected that.


    "Do you know I am older than you?"


    "Of course, I saw your ID that day."


    He didn''t see any big deal since they were only three years apart.


    "And...?"


    "And your passport photograph looked pretty"


    Cixi had been expecting him to tell her what he thought about their age difference. She had not expected him to joke and so she laughed.


    "Do you have a problem with our ages?" He asked.


    "I don''t know...I...probably.. It''s just¡ª"


    Before she could finish, she felt his large hands pull her closer and to her surprise, he dropped his lips on hers.


    Cixi''s eyes shot wide opened since she had not expected that.


    He slowly pulled away but still left his lips only an inch away from hers.


    "Do you still have a problem with our ages?"


    Cixi did not know when she shook her head.


    He smiled at her cute expression before meeting her lips with his. This time, she closed her eyes and participated actively.


    As Reen and Joreen watched from afar, Reen used a hand to cover Joreen''s eyes.


    "Children are not supposed to see that."


    Joreen quickly pushed her hand away and fixed her eyes on the adults.


    "Children? You''re only a year older than me!"


    "You should always listen to your big sister" Reen lectured her.


    ******


    "I have something to say to you both. Would have been nice if Aunt was here also." Sara said to her parents.


    "Really? What is it?" Changyu asked curiously.


    Sara slowly began to explain everything Muchen had told her about Mr Park, and how he had a hand in helping the Song elders to arrest Mr Wang and ruin DELIFOOD''s reputation.


    She had wanted to tell them earlier, but a lot of things had been coming up. She had the Blacks to handle, and her wedding came afterwards.


    She thought it was best to tell them now since they deserved to know about it.


    Jianjun remained quiet even after she finished talking.


    Sara could clearly see the veins in his head and neck bulging out while his hands were fisted beside him.


    Mr Park must really have a thick skin. To think he saw Jianjun and did not look a bit guilty.


    He even dared to offer him a job in Delight? He must have probably wanted to use him since he did not have any new culinary ideas.


    Changyu on the other hand was not one to control her anger.


    She suddenly stood up and went to the room.


    No one tried to stop her when they saw her come out from the room with a coat in hand.


    "Are you both coming with me or not?" She asked with a straight face.


    Both stood up and followed her out.


    "I''ll drive" Sara offered as she opened the back door of her Audi for her parents to go in.


    "Thank you. I''ll call your Aunt." Changyu said to her before going in.


    All the while, Jianjun remained quiet.


    He threw his head to the side to look out the window.


    After Changyu got off the phone, she placed her hands on top of his.


    He turned to look at her and saw her crack a tiny smile.


    "Don''t be surprised to see a ruthless Changyu later"


    She warned him before hand.


    "Let''s just handle things legally" He pleaded with her.


    Sara could not help thinking how soft her father was.


    It was a good thing that he was there to control Changyu''s temper for her.

 Chapter 324 - Park Family

    "Don''t hold me back. Let me be!!"


    Changyu cried as Jianjun pulled her by her arm.


    But the woman was not listening to him. In fact, she had no intention of listening to him.


    Sara stared in horror as Changyu pulled Mr Parks hair violently.


    Never would she have thought her mother was that strong.


    She had even slapped off Mr Park''s wife when she tried to stop her.


    Mr Park had a son in his mid twenties. He had tried to pull Changyu away from his father forcefully but Sara thought it was the best time to react. She quickly flipped him over her shoulder till his body touched the ground with a wail escaping his lips.


    Totally startling all of them.


    "Good. That was good Sara." Changyu praised  before she began to drag Mr Park''s hair again. When the wife came closer this time, she also dragged the fourty years old woman''s hair with her other hand.


    "You fithy human! How could you do that and still live comfortably? Don''t you have a conscience?" Changyu continued to yell at Mr Park until she pushed him to the floor where he lay flat beside his son who was still whining in pain.


    Mr Park seemed to feel broken because he did nothing except to accept the abuses.


    He did deserve it anyway. No doubt about that.


    The moment he saw the news about the Song elders'' arrest, he knew his time was almost up. And yes, he was kicked out of Delight that same day.


    When he saw the latest news of Sara''s wedding with Muchen and Changyu''s with Jianjun, he knew there was no way he was going to escape this unscathed. Because one way or the other, they were going to come for him.


    But he had not expected it to be so soon.


    Jianjun had to use all his energy to stop Chnagyy from doing anything else. He was afraid she may go overboard or sprain her ankle since she was wearing a heel.


    He held both of her hands and turned her to face him.


    "It''s enough...." He said to her in a gentle voice but she shook her head.


    "He...he has been living well.. I even had to live alone and with guilt everyday even though I had no idea my parents had been involved. But he had been living so well." She sobbed.


    "I do not want you to get hurt....please."


    Changyu would have listened to him if she did not see a long line of cars coming.


    And those were her people she had called for.


    "Good thing you guys are here..." She turned to face the group of men.


    "Search every single spot in this house. A dirty soul never changes. He must have also done a lot of illegal things. You must find whatever it is to make him rot in jail for the rest of his life."


    She ordered them with a cold face and quickly waved them off to begin the search.


    "Destroy everything! Ruin it all! He shouldn''t have fun with the money he earned with people''s sweat and blood" She shouted to their backs as they marched inside his huge bungalow.


    ''This, was the ruthless Changyu.'' Jianjun concluded.


    No matter how much he tried, he could not stop her.


    She kept pacing about while breathing heavily and uneasily.


    No wonder a lot of people called her scary.


    "Changyu... Don''t you think this is illega?" He pulled her into a hug and asked her.


    She suddenly broke down in tears.


    "I...I don''t know what has gotten over me. I am so angry. Maybe I am punishing him with my self in mind because I also deserve worse."


    "It''s okay." He began to pat her back soothingly.


    "I told you before, you''re not to be blamed."


    Sara observed the entire scene quietly.


    Mr Park wife was still confused since she had no idea why her husband was being suddenly disgraced by the Almighty Changyu when he was still recovering from his sudden work loss.


    Mr Park on the other hand, had been on his knees crying and apologizing to them but her parents didn''t seem to listen to him at all.


    "Please... I will take whatever punishment you give to me¡ª." He paused when he heard the clattering sounds coming from inside his house.


    "Please...." He grovelled closer to them.


    "Punish me all you want. I deserve to die. But please leave my family out of this. I beg of you" He said in between sobs.


    "Do you think you have any right to negotiate right now?" Cixi suddenly approached the group with Joreen beside her.


    Sara sighed in relief when she saw that her Aunt was finally there. At least, she would be able to handle things best. Even though Cixi had a temper, she was good at controlling it¡ªwell, most times.


    "How could you? And here I thought I was the worse human on earth, but you did this to us? We treated you like family. We loved you. My parents loved you so much that even on your birthday, both gave you one of their best secret recipe. But how could you do this to us Park Bun!? Even till my father died, I heard he trusted you with one of his secret recipe notes. He trusted you that much!"


    Cixi yelled at him with red eyes which were now brimming with unshed tears.


    She had not wanted to believe the news when Changyu told her about ut, but seeing them all right now, she knew it was really true. He had been the one to drop the substance in the restaurant and inside the food.


    "I..am so Sorry... I needed the money back then. I didn''t know what possessed me to do what I did!"


    "Your greed possessed you. That money is finally going to choke you now." Jianjun finally said something. He knew it was the best way to keep his wife from getting angry any further.


    She hated flimsy excuses like that.


    "Please.. I am ready for any punishment you give to me... I am sorry."


    "Keep Shut!" Changyu yelled at him in anger.


    "You should already be thankful to me for not trying to plant false evidence in your home. Do you think it would be difficult to charge you with a crime you didn''t commit?"


    "You do not get it do you? In this Country, my word is the law. If I wanted this family of yours to rot in jail for a thousand years, I do not even need to plant any false evidence."


    She took in a deep breath and began to speak calmly now..


    "Now keep shut, and pray your wife and kid is not involved in any shady deals. Else, you all die together."


    "Jo, come with me."


    Sara pulled Joreen''s hand and quickly led her away from the scene. She didn''t want Joreen to witness moments like this where everyone looked so scary.


    After a while, the others joined them once the search was complete.


    Fortunately, there saw nothing bad connected to the wife''s name.


    But unfortunately, Mr Park was not as pure as he seemed. He had done other illegal things and his son, was into drugs.


    So off they went to prison..

 Chapter 325 - Well meet again

    Changyu did not go home with the Wangs.


    With Hani being present, she took a straight trip down to the building her ''ex-parents'' were locked up.


    Immediately she stepped out from the back seat of her car, she bumped into her sister and niece, Yang Aishu.


    Both their faces was downcast.


    "Aunt!" Aishu called first immediately she saw Changyu come down from her car.


    As much as Changyu did not want to have anything to do with the Songs, Aishu was still her niece and she held nothing against her.


    "You look pale" Changyu noted immediately.


    Suddenly feeling self conscious, Aishu touched her face.


    The two sisters locked eyes and none uttered a word.


    "Aishu. Please wait in the car. I need to speak with your aunt for a minute" Song Ling said to her daughter who quickly bowed and left both women to discuss.


    "You must be happy." Ling said to her sister with a straight face.


    "Never would I have thought you had a grown daughter. Or that you were going to get married."


    "Your point is?" Changyu shot back.


    "Please help our parents. You can''t sit back and watch them be sent to prison."


    "Well, I''m here to make sure they both go to prison. It''s what they deserve. If you''ve also done something wrong, I won''t think twice before sending you off also"


    "Why are you so evil? Those were your parents!"


    "If you hadn''t used a past tense, I would have slapped your face right now. Who do you think you are to raise your voice at me?"


    Ling was startled by her sister''s harsh words.


    "You don''t know what your parents did or you''re acting like you don''t?"


    "Well, I''m sure you''ll take their sides no matter what. The number of years I spent living alone is far more than the years I spent with them. Probably why I cannot be biased just like you."


    Ling did not know what to say.


    "I...I..."


    "I''ll keep seeing you as my younger sister¡ª if you do not piss me off. So choose your side wisely."


    Having said that, she walked past her and straight inside the building.


    "Do you think she''d choose Changyu instead?" Driver Yen asked Hani who was sitting beside him on the passenger''s seat.


    Even though they had both only heard bits of their conversation, they knew exactly what the two women had talked about.


    "Obviously. Humans aren''t always so loyal. If they see a better option, they''d quickly switch sides" Hani answered.


    "But I''ll always be loyal to you" Driver Yen confessed with a shy smile on his face.


    Hani could only shake her head. Ever since she asked him whether he liked her, he had been professing his love tirelessly and always looking for any means to remind her about it.


    She shook her head and looked out the window. ''I probably should just accept him right?'' She thought to herself.


    -------


    "Chang¡ª"


    "Save it!" Changyu stopped her mother from calling her name.


    "I wanted you both to know that no matter how much you tried to frustrate me, I was still able to find happiness."


    "We saw the news" Her father said in a very low, throaty voice.


    "Cong...ratulations on you wedding" Her mother said in between sobs.


    "I''m happy you found our granddaughter."


    "Granddaughter? Who is your granddaughter?" Changyu asked angrily.


    Madam Song instantly realised she had made a mistake by calling Sara their granddaughter.


    "We were wrong. We deserve every punishment the law gives to us. But we sincerly ask for your forgiveness" Elder Song looked at her with pleading eyes, causing Changyu to scoff in disbelief.


    "I think I know what is going on here. Because I have a grown daughter who is married into the Li family, you think that''s a bonus to the Song family right? You want me to forgive you both and pretend like none of these ever happened so we could all live happily ever after? Well sorry, cause I cannot."


    "Just so you both know, I just left the house of the former head chef of Delight, Mr Park. And we''ll officially be opening the case of every event that occurred with the Wang family twenty-six years ago."


    Her parents'' eyes widened immediately.


    They had thought they were safe since Jianjun decided not to charge them.


    They had been in jail for other charges which were still being raised against them.


    But now, they wanted to include that one?


    "Changyu please.. This is also going to affect your marriage" Her father tried to reason with her. "What do you think people will people say?"


    "They''ll call me an evil daughter who got her parents arrested. They''d call me names because my parents ruined other people''s lives. But.."


    She stood up from the sit and head towards the door.


    "They''ll call me a good wife. And a good mother."


    With that said, she walked out.


    *****


    Immediately Sara stopped the car at Dr Long''s hospital building''s carpark, she saw that figure again.


    The lady who had been a Black but had allowed her go in despite the fact that she knew Sara had some things she was not supposed to have with her.


    This time, when Sara looked at the figure again, she was still standing there.


    Claded in black from head to toe.


    Also had a scarf that was covering her head.


    "Hi!" Sara greeted nervously.


    She had thought the lady died alongside the other Black members. But she was happy that nothing bad happened to her.


    The lady said nothing and began to slowly approach Sara.


    Sara thought she looked scary but she surprised her self by remaining calm.


    Even though the soldiers were not currently guarding her, she trusted her instincts that things were not going to get out of hand.


    "I''m glad you survived" Sara said immediately the lady stood in front of her.


    "I wouldn''t have, but Snake made me leave" She confessed with sad eyes.


    Suddenly reminding her about Snake and his sacrifice, Sara was downcast.


    "You''ve got some nerves. Never would I have thought that allowing you inside would completely ruin the Blacks like that."


    "I cannot say I am sorry, because I am not. I only feel bad for the other innocent beings who Fuji manipulated and died without discovering their real purpose." Sara explained.


    "I didn''t come here to hear a ''sorry'' from you"


    The lady answered back.


    "Then...?" Sara quirked a brow.


    "I wanted to say a ''Thank you'' to you"


    Her statement took Sara aback.


    "Thank you? Why?"


    "For opening my eyes to the light. You told me I wasn''t supposed to be slaving away for the Blacks but in a studio instead. I thought about that a lot, and had been thinking of a way to pull myself out."


    "It was the reason I decided not to involve myself when I saw you with those things. Once you went in to meet Medusa, Snake intercepted me with Black Dog¡ª who had probably sniffed something suspicious. I couldn''t help it so I told him all about it."


    "He told me to run very far and never appear there again. He was aware. It was why he could easily escape the building with Fuji and others."


    Sara was surprised by that piece of information. If he was aware, why didn''t he stop her? Why did he allow her go through with the plan?


    As if reading her mind, the lady answered.


    "We''re all tired of living that way. We all wanted to live a normal life. To do things other humans did without getting blood in our hands."


    "It was the reason everyone easily allowed you inside. No one actually cared if you attacked Medusa or Fuji. We only treasured our lives and from wherever we were, we prayed for you to succeed."


    Sara did not know what to say about that. She only stared at the woman whose entire face was almost completely covered.


    "I am living the country. I do not think I can breathe comfortably here."


    "How do you plan to do that when the Military is still probably searching for you all." Sara asked curiously.


    "You..have no idea what snake did for us" Her voice faltered for the first time.


    "Even though the world may not accept me, I hope they''ll accept my painting."


    Sara nodded with tear-filled eyes. "We''ll accept it."


    She saw a tiny smile appear on the lady''s face.


    "Thank you Sara Wang. I hope we meet again."


    After she left, Sara realised she didn''t even know her name.


    "We''ll meet again" She echoed.

 Chapter 326 - Joreens wish

    Many days passed and everyone returned to their normal lives.


    Sara had literally pulled Muchen back to Country B with her because he had refused to end their honeymoon.


    He had work to do for crying out loud and she did not want her husband''s company to go down immediately after their wedding.


    As Sara looked at their large wedding photo in their sitting room, a big smile appeared on her face.


    Everyday, it still felt like a dream that she was married to him.


    He was probably the one who brought good luck into life. She concluded.


    She could not count the good things that had happened to her ever since they met:


    She met her mother, her father got married, her Aunt met a man who loved her, Joreen got two contracts to join the entertainment industry, as for herself, her life changed drastically. She was able to let go of her past and live like a human. She was able to meet a man who loved her unconditionally.


    And now, she was going to spend the rest of her life with the man she loved.


    The only bad things that had happened was the death of Weiyoung and her grandmother in-law, Li Sun.


    On the same day she met that artist lady that was a member of Black, when she went inside to see Li Sun, she was already at the verge of death.


    "Thank you so much Sara. I hope you continue to shine in this family."


    Those had been Sun''s last words to her. And Sara had not expected to cry so hard when she died.


    She did not know when she became fond of the woman but she liked Sun and so did anyone else who understood her.


    "Do you...want to go to work with me?"


    She heard Muchen''s voice behind her and turned to see him looking at her with a smile.


    She laughed and shook her head.


    "Do you expect me to go with you everyday? I went with you four days in a row last week!" She pouted.


    "The office is so boring. Please go with me today. I really hate Mondays" He pouted also and tried his best to convince her.


    "They''re all going to call me a spoilt wife who doesn''t want to give her husband any breathing space." Sara remained firm and shook her head.


    "Please wifey" He pulled her into a hug and tried his best to cajole his stubbing wife.


    "I have things to do also. You know I have to start up the fitness school soon. I shouldn''t be playing around with you."


    "But my head aches and my hand hurts" He gently pulled away from the hug to complain.


    "You said that last week." She reminded him with a glare before she began to push him out the door.


    "Do not forget my Father''s restaurant is officially going to open today. You should not forget to come." She reminded him.


    "Of course, I would never forget that. For the fear of your mother alone, I''ll always remember that!"


    As they were talking, Sara''s phone began to ring so she took it from her pocket to answer it excitedly when she saw the caller''s ID.


    "Father!" She cried excitedly.


    Muchen looked at her suspiciously. ''Father''? Wasn''t that his father on the line?


    After a brief pause, Sara spoke again.


    "Really? What about mother?"


    "What''s wrong?" Muchen whispered to Sara but she ignored him and continued to speak with his father until the call ended.


    "That was my father right? Isn''t he supposed to be in Country R?" Muchen asked curiously.


    "He just returned with mother. He said he bought me a lot of goodies" She began to jump excitedly and poked his suit claded chest.


    "Wait! He just called you to tell you he was back? Why didn''t he call me? Am I not his son?" Muchen complained unhappily.


    "Father bought me goodies..Father bought me goodies.." Sara began to sing and jump around happily with her ponytail dancing behind her.


    As much as Muchen was jealous, he could not help but laugh.


    Ever since they got married, his father''s focus had totally changed from him to Sara. There was no day he didn''t call her.


    The only time he called Muchen was to ask why Sara missed his call and whether she was missing, sick or kidnapped?


    Several times, Muchen tried not to scream at his father and hang up.


    His mother did call also and he was happy that she was opening up to Sara.


    "Are you that happy he bought you gifts? It''s not like I can''t buy you those gifts" He said with a frown.


    "Don''t be jealous husband Li. I''ll go freshen up and go see father. I love you" She jumped to plant a kiss on his cheeks before running up the stairs.


    "Very unloyal" He shook his head.


    "I heard you!" Sara screamed back.


    Muchen laughed and finally went outside to join his secretary inside the car.


    Now, it was only Secretary Hwang and another middle-aged Secretary who worked for him.


    Ms Long had resigned and wanted to focus on her life now.


    Muchen did not make any effort to stop her even though he knew how useful and efficient she was.


    He knew she spent most hours working for him and had little time to herself.


    She was already twenty-nine and should be doing something else or preparing to get married if she wanted to.


    All he could do was support her, and let her go.


    He looked up at the direction of their bedroom window and saw Sara waving at him with a grin on her face.


    It was quite surprising that he was still very entranced by her smile.


    As he waved back, he remembered the conversation he had with Joreen when he called to ask her what she wanted for her birthday.


    "Big Sister''s smile is very pretty. Whenever I see her, I want to always see a big smile on her face. So please Mr Li, always make her happy. That''s my only wish. I don''t want any other gift except that."


    He had been shocked and emotional at the same time when he heard her wish.


    Did this family never have a wish of their own?


    Whenever he asked Sara to make a wish, she always talked about Joreen.


    He had asked Joreen and expected her to say something about making her an actress but instead, she had asked for her big sister''s happiness.


    "Alright. I promise to always make her happy."


    He had said to her.


    But he knew he still had to give her a gift and he had sent her a good contract for her to model for Li Corporation.


    That smile on Sara''s face, he was never going to let it disappear.

 Chapter 327 - History would not repeat itself

    Once it was time, everyone knew where they were supposed to be.


    In fact, the first person to leave his office was Li Muchen.


    He went straight to his Father''s house to literally carry his wife along with him and just as he had expected, it was not an easy fight, because his father refused to let Sara go with him and said Sara was to go with him instead.


    Thank God for his mother who intervened and allowed him go with his wife.


    What kind of father is that? He had been asking himself that particular question ever since they got married.


    When he asked about Heya, he was informed that she had gone on a date with Zhu Liang but would join them over there.


    Apparently, the Zhus and Lis knew now that something was breeding between their kids and they were eager to watch the flame ignite.


    Minde also quickly wrapped up what he was doing at Li-Tech, and went over to pull the workaholic Eva with him.


    They all almost arrived in front of DELIMEAL at the same time.


    Sara''s jaw dropped when she saw how beautiful and magnificent the building looked. She had been there before, but then the renovation had not been completed. Seeing the place now, she was amazed!


    Reporters were all over the place, including some government officials who had come to witness the building''s commissioning.


    As Sara watched her parents laughing while chatting with some people, a smile appeared on her face.


    "Oh Sweetheart come over here!" Changyu used a hand to signal for Muchen and Sara to come closer.


    After they exchanged pleasantries, Sara was introduced to the people they had been speaking with. They were both prominent politicians in the Country and she had even heard that the President was on his way there.


    She still could not get used to the kind of influence her mother had.


    Soon, everyone was complete. The reporters kept flashing their camera lights eagerly while some rapidly moved their fingers on their MacBooks and Laptops as they tried not to let go of any information.


    Sara also saw her Aunt, Song Ling and cousin Yang Aishu.


    Ling greeted her with a smile but her daughter still looked embarrassed whenever she saw her.


    Sara did have a good impression of Song Ling from the first day they met and that was at the entrance of Delight.


    That day, her daughter had asked them to throw her out because she was not dressed ''properly'' but Song Ling had asked them to let her in.


    Life was really unpredictable.


    Once the ribbon was cut, everyone clapped and cheered happily while Changyu wrapped her hands around Jianjun in a hug with a bug smile on her face, which elicited a lot of "Awwws" from the crowd.


    Jianjun was a very shy person so he quickly buried his face on her neck and tried his best not to look at anyone.


    "Your parents are adorable"


    Heya whispered to Sara as people began to go inside the now opened restaurant.


    "We''re more adorable" Liang took Heya''s hand possessively and led her inside the restaurant.


    "Doesn''t seem like a bad guy" Sara said to Muchen about Liang.


    Muchen did not know what to say so he only shrugged his shoulders before leading her inside.


    But he did not forget to send a dark glare to Hoy''s direction.


    He was never ever going to forgive that little Devil.


    Hoy looked at each pair with a frown on his face. He also saw Yang Aishu and remembered the dreadful date he had with her.


    It was probably the right time to have a partner also right? Even his umserious brother had a serious date. What was he waiting for?


    Twenty-one isn''t too young right?


    He made a mental note of his plans before the year runs out. And that was going to be at the top of his bucket list.


    "The kids are always so eager to explore" Jaime said with a laugh as he watched Reen and Joreen take hurried steps inside with their hands locked together.


    But when he turned to look at Cixi, she had a solemn look on her face with her gaze solely focused on the building.


    "Are you okay?" He asked as he took her hand in his.


    She finally moved her eyes from the building to look at their hands and then, to look at his face before she managed to nod.


    "I...guess.."


    "Everything is going to be fine. You know that right?" He could guess what she was thinking since Cixi had briefed him about all he needed to know about her family.


    Cixi thought about it for a while before nodding. But as much as she tried to control it, she could not and tears began to fall from her eyes.


    As Jaime quickly wrapped his hands around her in a hug, she began to speak.


    "I''m... I''m just so happy about this."


    She could not exactly describe how she felt.


    Thanks to Changyu, even though her parents were dead, the case was reopened after Mr Park''s confession. And fortunately, the Song elders did not bother to deny any of it and so her father''s name was cleared and they were proven innocent.


    And after twenty-five years, they were bringing back their parents honour. This, was their New DELIFOOD.


    This was DELIMEAL. And she was certain that history would not repeat itself.


    Because even ''history'' was scared of Wang Changyu.


    *********


    "I won''t lie to you. I cannot join you both to see them." Jianjun had said to Changyu and Sara after Sara tried to convince them about going to visit the Song elders in prison.


    Even though she knew nothing about them and knew they were bad people, they were still family. And so she had pleaded with Changyu to go see her parents.


    They may call Changyu ruthless, but she was actually a very soft woman who cried easily and felt bad about how she had treated her parents. Sara could clearly see it.


    When the door opened, Sara finally saw them.


    Madam Song was in her mid-sixties while Elder Song was in his Seventies but right now, they both looked ten years older.


    Madam Song was the first to breakdown in tears when she saw her daughter had come to visit with their granddaughter.


    She used a hand to cover her mouth and began to sob.


    Now, she realised why it was bad to do bad to others.


    She regretted everything she did.


    She regretted being a party to everything.


    "You...are Sara right?" Elder Song asked with his eyes in a squint.


    When Changyu saw her parents looking so pathetic, her eyes began to water so she quickly stood up and excused herself.


    "I am really sorry for everything." Elder Song began to cry before kneeling in front of Sara who was now standin beside them even though it was against the rules. But there was always and exception when it came to Changyu.


    "No..no..no.." Sara tried to stop him from kneeling but he refused and continued to cry.


    All she could do was to kneel down also.


    And as she watched them cry, she began to cry also.

 Chapter 328 - Li Queen

    "Damn it!" Muchen''s grip tightened around the steering wheel as he accelerated the car even more, hitting a higher speed.


    He remembered the day he found out that Sara was pregnant.


    He had reluctantly traveled for a business trip outside the country for two weeks.


    But everyday, he did not fail to call her at least twice everyday.


    Sometimes, he did that during meetings. When he knew it would be really late in country B before the meeting would come to an end and he wouldn''t want to call when she was already asleep.


    So whenever he called her during business meetings, he only looked at her face to know she was okay, and that was it for the day.


    He had missed her terribly. Her smell, her look, her smile, laugh, and her little body when she was pressed to his.


    He also missed the way they strolled hand-in-hand and go for dates, with a lot of men checking her out and whispering to themselves.


    But he was not bothered about theor interest in his wife. He could not get jealous because of that. Instead, he was proud. Proud that a lot of people admired his wife. Proud that they thought Sara was the perfect one for him. And proud that he was also perfect for her.


    One of the nights he had been on a video call with her, he noticed she was not looking very fine.


    When the maid called her to come have dinner, immediately she reached the table, she began to gag and dropped her phone to go throw up.


    Heaven knows he did not waste another second inside the room he was staying. Immediately, he picked up the relevant things he could find while his secretary booked him a  quick flight to Country B.


    Throughout the trip, he was restless. He could not concentrate especially since he could not call anyone.


    Immediately he arrived Country B very early the next morning, Sara had been shocked to see him. But unlike the previous day, she did not look sick.


    He still did not want to take any chances and had literally scooped her in his arms to take her to the hospital.


    "Congratulations CEO Li. Your wife is pregnant" Dr Long had informed him excitedly.


    That instant, his heart stopped.


    Sara was pregnant? She was really pregnant with his child? He was going to be a daddy while Sara was going to be a mommy?


    Sara was carrying their baby inside of her?


    He had gasped loudly and used a hand to cover his mouth.


    This was really happening.


    They were going to be parents?


    He could not describe the way he felt. He was beyond elated by the news. And when he saw Sara, all he did was to hug her tightly as he shared the exciting news with her.


    "What?" Her eyes bulged out.


    "I...we...uhm.." She tried to speak but her voice faltered in her throat.


    "You are going to be a mummy" He said the words for her before planting a proud kiss on her forehead.


    "Oh My God!" Sara began to pace around as she tried to digest the news.


    "I am going to be a mummy?" This was an entirely different phase for her.


    She knew this day was going to come but now, she just could not describe how she felt.


    "Am I fit to be a mummy? I can''t cook, I can''t do chores and I don''t know much of basic math" She began to ramble in tension.


    Muchen began to laugh and took her hands to calm her down.


    "You''re not the only one pregnant. We''re pregnant. So the child isn''t just yours but ours. I can cook. Chores aren''t that big of a problem, and I can solve even complex math."


    "You joined in raising Joreen so I''m certain you would do a great job" He assured her with a gentle pat on her head.


    She paused for a while and asked loudly. "Oh my God we''re pregnant!"


    She began to laugh and jumped on him in a hug.


    The Wangs and Lis had been so excited that they always paid Sara visits and sent her gifts.


    Everyone was so eager to see what a little Sara and Muchen would look like.


    And it was finally the D-day!


    When he knew that it was almost time for her to give birth, he stopped going to his office and chose to work from home instead so he could keep his eyes on his wife.


    But today, he had reluctantly left the house for a quick meeting and it wasn''t up to an hour, he received a call from the maid that his wife was in labour.


    He sped down the road as his heart continued to race even faster.


    When he got to the hospital, he found his parents and Sara''s parents waiting in the hallway and was informed that aunt Cixi arrived on time and was inside the birthing room with Sara.


    Muchen had never been so tensed in his life.


    He could see the others were also tensed especially because the room was soundproofed and they could not hear a thing going on in there.


    "Please save Sara. I beg you" He pressed his hands together and began to pray silently.


    The 80 minutes he spent pacing around were the longest 80 minutes in his entire life.


    No matter how the others tried to calm him, he could not.


    Even Minde had arrived a few minutes after he did and had been trying to assure him that his wife and baby were going to be okay but Muchen just couldn''t stop his mind from having negative thoughts.


    If anything were to happen to Sara, he was not sure he would be able to live.


    "Lord I beg you. Please" He continued to pray with his eyes closed and heard the door to the birthing room open. Before the door closed, he heard the faint sound of a baby crying.


    Muchen immediately stood up and hurried with the others to meet the Doctor


    The doctor who came out was not Doctor Long but rather, a much younger lady who looked exhausted but had a big smile on her face.


    "Congratulations. You have a baby girl"


    "What about my wife? How is she?" Muchen quickly asked her.


    "She is good. A very strong woman I must say. You can go see her now."


    Before she could even finish her statement, he had already opened the door and ran in.


    "Oh God! I''m so glad you''re safe" He quickly knelt beside her bed and kissed her forehead.


    "Did it hurt a lot? Are you okay? Is there anything you want me to do?"


    Sara looked very tired. She had used all of her energy to push their daughter out. But seeing Muchen now, she felt energized.


    "I am good. We have a girl" The emotion was too much in her voice and so she began to cry tears of joy.


    *********


    FOUR YEARS LATER


    Everyone had a thing or two going on in their lives.


    DELIMEAL was the biggest and well-known restaurant in the country and they were planning to expand to other countries.


    Minde was married to Eva and they were currently still enjoying their honeymoon.


    Heya had graduated from a music school abroad and was going for her masters in Julliard. She did not join G-GLOBAL, but instead, she simply had fun by uploading videos online and had thousands of followers.


    She decided not to bother herself with her weight. It was insignificant now. Zhu Liang still adored her and she also adored herself.


    A unt Cixi was married to Luo Jaime and they had Reen and Joreen still gossiping and gambling behind their backs.


    The only one who was still alone was Li Hoy. All the ladies he''s been meeting were such a bore. So he gave up searching.


    And oh! Have you heard the rumour flying around? Mo Dexi was getting married! Quite shocking, but true. And it was obviously an arranged marriage.


    ******


    "Is she asleep?" Muchen asked when Sara entered his study late in the night.


    "Yes. She is mad at you" Sara informed him.


    Muchen began to chuckle.


    "I''ll have to properly apologize to her tomorrow. I need to finish this today so I can play with her tomorrow"


    "What are we going to do about Queen? She''s getting worse each day?" Sara asked with a worried look she changed the topic.


    "Worse? She is perfect" He turned off his computer and moved closer to her.


    "She''s not. You''re spoiling her too much" Sara complained.


    "I''m not the only one. You''re also spoiling her, your parents are. My parents are. Why are you blaming me?" He led her by her hand to sit on the couch with him.


    "I know but¡ª"


    "It''s her age. She''ll change"


    "Do you know she raised her voice at someone today?" She asked him.


    "She''s loud sometimes. Doesn''t mean she''s being rude" He took his daughter''s side.


    "See what I''m saying? The other time she hit someone and you took her to the hospital to go get her hands checked instead of telling her to apologize. The other time, she took 10th position in class and you bought her too many gifts. She¡ª"


    "What''s wrong with taking the 10th position in class?"


    "There are only ten students in the class!" She tried not to sound annoyed.


    "She should be at the top. You know she''s smart. But we''re letting her play too much. We should encourage her to do well. I am scared. She has no talent or anything." Sara pouted.


    Muchen began to chuckle.


    "I''ve seen your report cards. You didn''t do quite well yourself. Why are you bothering the little girl? It wasn''t her fault she inherited those genes from you"


    When he saw the dark glare coming from her, he began to laugh and ducked his head before she could smack him.


    "But in a serious note, let her be. You already know where her interest lies"


    Sara thought about it carefully. Even though her daughter was not very good with other things, she liked the kitchen. And it was the main reason she liked to go to DELIMEAL everyday.


    There was no contention as to who was going to become the heir to DELIMEAL. It was obviousl Li Queen.


    "But if you want me to punish her, I''ll do so. You know I don''t want to stress you" He winked at her before planting a kiss on her lips.


    "Are you sure? How do you intend to do that? Not buy her candies for a day?" She rolled her eyes at him.


    "Nope! I have a better idea."


    "And that is?"


    "You know she hates it when I''m always working. Let''s not send her to DELIMEAL after her classes tomorrow. Let me bore her at the office instead. I''m sure she''d change after that."


    Sara thought about it and decided to trust him. That might work.


    "Okay then! You''re still working right? I''ll leave you to work then. Good night husband Li." She kissed his cheek and stood up, but he quickly pulled her back down till she was sitting on his laps.


    "Stop being naughty!" She pushed his shoulders and began to laugh.


    "I really want to be naughty right now." He said with a sly smile before sealing her lips with his.


    ------------


    People could not help but turn to look at the Father-Daughter duo as they walked inside the huge office building with his hand firmly holding her little hand.


    If they were looking for a child angel, then they were looking at one now. Well, they wouldn''t have expected any less from the daughter of Li Muchen and Sara Wang. Even Queen''s grandparents were all good looking.


    They wondered why CEO Li hadn''t thought about using his daughter as a child model for Li Corporation.


    Queen was going to turn four the next month. She was a little bit chubby and had sparkling eyes.


    Her black hair was neatly tied in a ponytail and she wore a little white and blue gown that ended just above her knees and a pair of black cover shoes with blue ribbons.


    As they both sauntered in to go take the elevator that would lead to his office''s floor, Muchen heard someone call from behind him and turned around.


    It was a lady. She was dressed formally in a white and black skirk suit with her hair let loose. Her face had a little make-up, and her heels clicked with the tile as she approached with a smile plastered on her face.


    "Long time no see. Was in the neighborhood and decided to say hello. Good thing I met you here"


    Muchen simply nodded. He did not want to have a long conversation with this Lady especially when he needed to appease his little Queen for not reading her a bedtime story last night.


    "Oh my! Look who we have here. You look so adorable" The lady crouched down and tried to pat her little head but before Muchen could pull her away from the lady''s reach, Queen moved first and glared at her.


    "Oh.. I guess you don''t like being touched" She forced out an awkward smile and straighted her back.


    Muchen did not want to be rude to her since her family and his had had a lot of business deals together.


    But he trusted his Queen, and she did not disappoint.


    The lady heard the stutters of a camera and looked down to see Queen taking her photo.


    "What..are you doing?" She asked in surprise.


    "I am sending this picture to my mummy to show her the old lady who wants to take my daddy from her" Queen shot back as she began to type away on the phone.


    "Wh..at?" Her face flushed in embarrassment. Old lady?


    "I...I have no intention of stealing your daddy from your mummy" She explained with flushed cheeks as she nervously looked around to see people paying a lot of attention to them.


    "You can explain that to my mummy when she sees the pictures." Queen moved closer to the lady and said in a low voice.


    "You must have heard about my mummy right? She teaches people how to fight. Plus she can be scary when she''s angry. You should leave before she calls me." Queen have her a friendly advise.


    The lady looked at Muchen and expected him to at least say something but he only looked at his daughter and asked proudly.


    "Can we go in now?"


    Queen nodded before taking his hands.


    *********


    "Li Muchen!" Sara shouted in shock when she saw the ''punishment'' he was giving to their daughter.


    As she took further steps inside the room, Queen quickly ran to stand in between her parents and looked at her mother fiercely.


    "I am Li Queen! The daughter of Li Muchen and Sara Wang. Granddaughter of Li Fazhan, Jiang Dana, Wang Jianjun and Wang Changyu. The heiress of DELIMEAL. And the elder sister to the unborn heir of Li Corporation. You dare not touch my DADDY!"


    Muchen put his hands on his chest and looked at his little daughter with emotion in his eyes.


    "She is really my daughter" He said proudly.


    Sara looked at the two traitors without knowing what else to say.

 Chapter 329 - Epilogue

    FIVE YEARS AGO.


    On the day Sara was to go to Li Corporation for the first time for her interview, Muchen woke up earlier than usual and the first thing he remembered for that day was ''SARA WANG''


    Yes, she was falling into his trap. And there was no way he was ever going to let her escape. ;


    Or was he the one falling?


    He began to laugh as he remembered how he had worked up everything in his brain. ;


    It was a good thing he had a sister who was cooperative. How else would he have been able to get Sara easily? ;


    It would have been weird if he needed a fitness coach for himself. ;


    Once it was dawn, he quickly freshened up.


    Unlike, his usual self, he checked the mirror a couple of times before heading out.


    He knew he looked good. But today, he was going to meet his ''future wife'' so he needed to look even better than ever. ;


    "She''s here" ;


    When he read the text from Ms Long, his heart began to race even faster and he feared he was going to have an heart attack.


    "Calm down. Calm down. You''re CEO Li. Calm down" But no matter how much he tried to calm himself, he could not relax.


    He almost pulled his hair in frustration. ;


    That little girl! She dared make him confused this much?


    He impatiently counted the seconds till he was sure they were almost there. ;


    The next problem he faced was how to act. ;


    First, he stood beside his floor to ceiling window and looked into the city with his hands buried inside his pockets.


    "Staying like this should probably make me look even cooler right?" He wondered before deciding against it.


    If he had been able to reach that buggy cousin of his who was playing around in another country, he probably would have called him to ask for some tips but now he had to look for a way to ''seduce'' his future wife.


    He suddenly remembered a phrase ''Men looked more handsome when they''re working''


    He nodded and decided to do that instead.


    Quickly, he sat on his seat and held a file in hand while also looking at nothing in particular in his computer.


    Immediately he sat down, two gently knocks came on the door before Ms Long entered with Sara behind her. ;


    When Ms Long noticed he was so ''focused'', she knew something was up. She had seen the eagerness and impatience he had displayed in other to manipulate the universe so Sara could work for him.


    As she was about leaving the office, her eyes caught sight of something really weird and funny but she tried her best not to laugh. ;


    Was he seriously working right now? Who read a document that was upside down?


    She shook her head before excusing herself. ;


    Muchen seemed to not have noticed that the file was upside down. ;


    His mind was scattered all over as he thought of the best word to say.


    He could not even bring herself to speak with her or lok at her. Hadn''t he always thought of himself as an Alpha male?


    ''Say something you idiot!'' He scolded himself.


    Thankfully, even though his mind was a mess, he knew how to keep his composure, and so to Sara, he looked like he was focused on whatever he was reading and browsing.


    She hadn''t exactly paid much attention to notice he was not actually ''reading'' because she was busy admiring how handsome he was.


    ''I thought CEO Li Muchen was a middle aged man. But damn, This guy is soft!'' She exclaimed in her mind as she continued to look at him, even though she hadn''t seen his face.


    Suddenly, he lifted his head and their eyes met. ;


    ''Shoot!'' Sara quickly looked down as if caught doing something wrong. ;


    Or was it actually wrong to admire your boss?


    As she kept thinking whether her actions were right or wrong, it finally struck her that he looked familiar.


    ***


    When Muchen finally raised his head to look at her, he saw how she quickly lowered her head and was pleased that she had been checking him out.


    ''It was her. She was really in his office!'' And the first word he could describe her with was ''Pretty''.


    Whether in her ''gangster look'' or ''Princess look'', she was forever his fairy. ;


    -----------------


    As they both reminisced the past, they laughed, but were careful not to wake Queen who was sleeping in between them on the bed.


    "Don''t you think our story would make a really good love story if I decide to write it?" Sara asked with a mischievous smile.


    Muchen was surprised by the question and began to laugh.


    "Love story? Well, I don''t know. Probably" He answered with a shrug.


    "But please when you write it, there are some scenes you should skip"


    "Example?" She asked. ;


    "The factory incident. And that night." He paused. "The night I thought you turned around to wish me a good night but you had actually turned for your lunchbox instead" ;


    Sara searched her brain to remember the incident and began to laugh. No wonder he looked so crestfallen that night. ;


    After teasing him a bit about it, she asked another question.


    "So how do you suggest I end it? Something like ''They got married and lived happily ever after?''" ;


    "Hmmm... How about a thank you note to your readers?"


    "Not a bad idea. Let me try." She cleared her voice and began to speak,


    "Thanks everyone for following our love story. I hope you all find love and meet a man as perfect as Li Muchen"


    Muchen used his hands to cover his face and laughed. "Awww...you''re making me shy"


    "Anything else?" She asked when they both stopped laughing.


    "And to the guys, may they meet their Sara Wang. But a hardworking one" He added with a laugh.


    "You both keep it down. Those talks are boring." Queen suddenly sat up and looked at the both of them groggily.


    "Just keep it short. You could just say....."


    THE END ! ??


    *******


    AUTHOR''S NOTE:


    HELLO DEAR READERS, ;


    I do not know how to express how I feel. ;


    For the past Ten months, this story has been a part of my life. ;


    I remember how it all started..


    One fateful day, I read a book here and I didn''t like the beginning where the FL went to the engagement party of her ''best friend'' and ''boyfriend'' and was embarrassed there.


    So I decided to create something different. Personally, I like strong ladies (Probably because I got bullied a lot while growing up until one day, I decided to face them all. I had even fought and was surprised I could beat up a girl who was far bigger than me. Lol)


    So that was it! I left a Chapter and was surprised people actually liked it. (By people, I mean another lady and I. Lol)


    Well today, we''re here!


    Sometimes I was sick, sometimes I was even at the hospital, but I always felt obligated to leave a chapter for my lovely friends and readers even during tests and exams.


    Thanks for all your supports, votes, reviews, comments and gifts. I never would have done any of this without you all and I am so grateful. ;


    Writing this book had taught me a whole lot of things.


    *To be bold


    *To love myself


    *To be myself


    *To listen to people''s side of the story.


    *To put jealousy aside always.


    *To forgive.


    *To communicate properly


    Etc...


    I hope we''ve all learned a thing or two from this book. ;


    And I hope we all find love in the right places.????


    Thanks once again..


    Please leave a comment


    Leave a review


    Vote


    And share your favourite scenes and moments with us.


    And just in case you are still interested in following me up, I have other stories here.


    1) My Crazy Housemate


    2) Warning: She''s A She-Devil (I beg for your power stones.)


    And I''ll keep doing my best to give you more


    *Romance


    *Comedy


    *Mystery


    Etc.


    Love,


    ThatAmazingGirl ?

 Chapter 330 - MUST READ: Hello Mr Li (PART TWO)

    HELLO DEAR WONDERFUL PEOPLE!!


    Surprised seeing this ain''t ya? ????


    I hope you all missed me because I missed you all a whole lot!!... ????????


    Now this is a general announcement to every wonderful reader of Hello, Mr Li.


    A lot of readers have been asking for a Part Two of this novel even after three months of completion and after much consideration, I have a good news for you all.


    There is going to be a Part Two!!! Yay!! And a better news, it''s going to be free!


    I am making it a free novel to thank you all for your support. I really do appreciate it and I think that''s a fair way to say a big thank you.????


    For now, I''ll leave you all to guess and wonder who the main characters of this new volume are...


    We are still going to have every character here and also your favourite couples (Li Michen/ Sara Wang, Wang Jianjun/Song Changyu and Li Heya/ Zhu Lian) But the main characters are going to be different.


    And just so you know, this new volume centers on a few years later.


    So make sure you keep this book in your library even after you finish reading it because I''ll make a new announcement here by the time I start updating the part two so you all would know.


    I''m sure most of you must have heard or read about the ongoing contest going on here.. ( Spirity Awards contest) I started a novel with another author and out of over 800 authors who have participated, 23 books were offered contracts and our novel was on the list.. this is to show you how good it is ????????


    The novel is titled "In Love with a Klpeto."


    KLEPTO: SHORT FOR KLEPTOMANIAC.


    A Kleptomaniac is someone with a mental illness who has a strong d.e.s.i.r.e to steal things.


    Please, add up this story to your library. I assure you, you are also going to love it. It''s a promise! ????????


    I also have two other novels that you can keep yourself busy with....


    "MY CRAZY HOUSEMATE"


    "BEWARE: SHE''S A DEVIL"


    And you know very well... my Novels are always straight to the point and not long.


    I''ll be leaving the synopsis of my three novels here for you to read ????????


    (1) IN LOVE WITH A KLEPTO:


    "You''re nothing but a thief" He whispered seductively into her ears.


    She snapped out of the daze she had been into, to look into his eyes as she handed over his wristwatch back to him. "I''m sorry" She apologized shamefully.


    He chuckled as she handed over the wristwatch to him and turned to leave, he quickly held her hand and dragged her back to himself. "You returned just one of the two things you stole from me" He said with an amused smile.


    "What? I took just you wristwatch, and I''m sorry. Whatever else is missing you''ll have to search for it elsewhere. I don''t mind you asking someone to pat me down" She offered feeling very embarrassed.


    "Unfortunately I doubt it''ll be found on you. I know you''re with it" He said with twinkling eyes which shone with amus.e.m.e.nt.


    "What is it that you have lost? I will get it back to you, and buy it if it''ll save me from this embarrassment" She said with a flushed face.


    "I don''t want it back. But keep it safe... My heart" he said and chuckled when her eyes widened in shock.


    ONLY A KLEPTOMANIAC WAS CAPABLE OF STEALING WANG YUN''S HEART.


    Authors:


    ThatAmazingGirl


    Miss_Behaviour.


    (2) MY CRAZY HOUSEMATE:


    When a player meets a difficult Housemate..


    *He returned from his long trip to find a lady living in his house.*


    "I want you out of my house this minute!" He demanded angrily.


    "If you don''t want to see me around you can just leave instead" She shot back at him.


    "This is my house!" He said in a tone of disbelief and raised his voice, hoping she would finally realise that he was being serious.


    "Fine! Your sister can just go to jail then" She yelled back at him.


    Have you ever met a difficult girl?


    Well, you can meet one now... Mia Lucas.


    But what happens when they are both low-key perverts who finds themselves drawn to the other?


    Let''s take this ride together....


    (3) BEWARE: SHE''S A DEVIL:


    If they were to rank the most ruthless beings in Country A, Kim Lisa was definitely among the Top Three.


    She had a new mission from her Mafia boss/ uncle; It was to become the bodyguard of one of the contesting Governor''s playboy son.


    Though difficult, she took up the mission¡ª Trying her best not to stab him to death whenever she saw him.


    But if she had thought his charms would not work on her, then she had gotten it all wrong!


    ************


    "You are scared." He noted.


    She scoffed in disbelief. "You''re the last person I''m afraid of"


    Tom smirked before adding,


    "Yes, you are. You are scared you may cheat on your boyfriend with me. Scared you may fall for me. I can see it in your eyes."


    "And that''s right. You should be scared... Because whether you like it or not, it''s going to happen" He said with a confident smile before using his thumb to graze the corner of her mouth.


    His eyes dropped from her eyes to her lips. She wasn''t wearing a lipstick or gloss, but they looked glossy and tempting....


    ***********


    Do not forget to add up these 3 stories to your library...


    Have fun reading!


    And remember..... I love you??


    ThatAmazingGirl!

 Chapter 331 - The CEOs Ward (Part 2)

    If there was anything like a perfect wedding, it would have been this. A night wedding by the beach, decorated with white flowers. The waves blew but it was the least of anyone''s worries. Simply looking at the bride and the groom, everyone''s problem vanished. They were so perfect that when people cried as the couple read their vows, they didn''t cry because it was emotional, they cried because they were ugly and probably wouldn''t find such a good looking spouse to reenact this moment with. Some cried because this wasn''t their wedding¡ª a perfect wedding.


    "Oh my...!" A man held his heart when he turned and saw the last person he had expected to see there talk more of the fact that he was standing beside him. It was his boss!


    The boss who had just arrived, raised a hand to keep him from talking or alerting anyone to them. "You don''t want to ruin this wedding." He said in a whisper as he looked ahead.


    The man nodded vigorously. No one was permitted to ruin such a perfect wedding. But he was so excited about the other man''s presence that he found it difficult to keep his two feet up, but he had to try. He didn''t want any sound attracting everyone''s attention to him especially with the presence of his boss.


    "Don''t they look so pretty?" The man asked out of sheer curiousity before he remembered his boss had indirectly told him to shut up. He slapped his mouth immediately the question left his lips and cussed himself silently.


    His boss kept looking ahead like nothing happened. His gaze was fixed on the couple. They did look pretty. The young man was in his mid twenties, he was 172 cm tall, fair, had a black hair which was combed to the back like a perfect gentleman, and had the face almost every girl drawled over. His suit looked like it had been made specially for him. Everything about him was perfect, just like the bride beside him.


    His bride was very young. She was 162 cm tall. Her striking feature was her brown skin. In the white flowing dress, she looked completely breathtaking. Her volumiouns curly hair was in a updo and her make up looked like it had taken quite an effort to make sure there was no fault.


    "You may now kiss the bride!" The priest announced excitedly once they were done saying their vows.


    The couple smiled and looked at each other with so much love. The first to make a move was the groom. He took a step closer to his new wife while she continued to smile at him.


    When it looked like both their lips was going to touch, the bride turned her head to the side but the groom held her chin, stopping her from looking away...


    The bride froze and her eyes bulged out when his lips touched hers.


    The audience also gasped! If things wasn''t already taking an unexpected turn, the bride quickly regained her composure and pushed him away from her with force before she slapped him hard across the face.


    "You little dirty perverted bastard!" She shrieked angrily.


    "Cut! Cut!! Cut!!!" The movie director yelled at the cameraman who looked like he was more interested in watching the scene than controlling his camera.


    "Miss Luo Joreen, please calm down!" The producer walked towards her to plead while she continued to look at the actor she had just slapped. He was still touching his face in disbelief.


    "What do you mean by ''Miss Luo Joreen, please calm down''?" She asked him in a angry tone before taking off her veil and throwing it down on the ground.


    "He just kissed me! He kissed me! You all saw that." She looked like she was about to burst from anger while her hand kept going to clean her lips even when she spoke.


    From the moment she saw who the male lead of the drama was, she knew it was a bad idea acting beside him. But of everything she had expected him to do, she hadn''t thought about this!


    She felt like crying at that moment. She had dreamed of the moment she was going to get her first kiss and it was never like this. On set with so many eyes. It was even caught on camera!


    "Miss Luo. Please let''s settle this between us amicably." The actor''s manager pleaded.


    "Amicably?" She huffed in disbelief. If there was something she was known for aside from the fact that she was pretty and was a good actress, she had a temper. But she was sure they weren''t trying to appease her because of her temper, they were only doing so because of the backing she had.


    While the argument was going on, a man hurried to them, looking more worried than he had ever been in his entire life.


    "What is it?" The producer asked him when he noticed the man''s discomfort.


    "Actually..." The man started.


    "The CEO of G-GLOBAL was here just now."


    "W.a.s.. here?" The actor''s manager was the first to ask. "As in, here?" He asked in disbelief.


    When the man nodded, the only one who actually looked happy to hear the news was Joreen.


    "Really? Where is he?" She asked and began to turn her head to look around but she didn''t find him.


    "He left just now."


    "Just now? Please tell me he wasn''t here when Wei kissed Miss Luo?" One of the producers begged.


    Seeing the look in the man''s face, everyone knew what they feared had actually happened. He had seen the kiss!


    "What are you waiting for? Apologize to her immediately!" The actor''s manager said harshly. This wasn''t the time to save face. Everyone knew Li Hoy treated Joreen like he was her guardian. Because Joreen wasn''t 18 yet, her roles were specifically chosen. But since Joreen was turning 18 in a few weeks and this drama wasn''t going to start airing until a few months time, she had taken the role. And they had promised there wasn''t going to be any form of ''inappropriate'' body contact between the leads but the actor broke the rule and kissed her when they were originally supposed to manipulate the kiss scene with the camera.


    Joreen noticed the actor still looked like he didn''t understand what was going on. Maybe the slap had done much damage than they knew, but they knew by the time the CEO was ready to deal with him for messing with his Ward, he would understand what was happening immediately. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="#''s-ward-(part-2)_50948910583179583">#''s-ward-(part-2)_50948910583179583</a> for visiting.

 Chapter 332 - Bride and Groom

    Joreen gathered her gown and began to run away from the site where the movie was being shot. Even though the others wanted to stop her and plead with her to forgive them and shoot the final scene of the movie one more time, they couldn''t afford to annoy her simply by raising the topic.


    Luo Joreen was a very sweet girl who was loved by all, but the sweet girl had a temper. People liked working with her not because of the kind of  family she was from, but because she was a great actress who was confident in herself, and stood tall when people tried to pull her down or try to pull some sort of racist stunt on her. After her debut and the first few movies she starred in, she automatically became everyone''s favourite. So having her in their movies was a big plus to them. Plus the kind of backing she had was mindboggling!


    Because of this, they treated her warmly and was always careful about how they acted around her. So if she was angry now, she had every right to.


    "Jo, you have a call from your sister!" Her assistant called and ran after her with her phone in hand.


    Her assistant was a few years older than her, but Joreen treated her more like an older sister than an employee so naturally, her assistant treated her like her sister also.


    "And stop running. It''s already late and you may trip." She said with concern as her eyes swept over the wedding gown Joreen wore.


    "Did you see CEO Li?"  Joreen asked her breathlessly before taking the phone from her.


    "No. I don''t think it is wise to run around the beach by this time. We don''t know the people here..." She looked at the phone that was beginning to ring again,  "And please answer your call. Your sister has been calling nonstop."


    "I will. But can you help me look over there? I won''t go far. I promise." Joreen pointed at the opposite direction and pleaded with puppy eyes.


    "I..."


    "Please?"


    The assistant sighed in resignation. "I''ll only check for less than 5 minutes. And please, do not go far."


    "I won''t." Joreen said with a grin before answering her call while her assistant ran the other way.


    "What''s up little sister?" Her older sister Reen, said into the phone.


    "Tonight is the worse night of my life!" Joreen complained.


    "What? I''m switching to video call now. I need to see your face and beat up the bastard that''s making you sound that way."


    Joreen saw that coming but she accepted the video call and blinked a few times when the flashlight stung her eyes.


    "Oh my! You look so pretty¡ª Wait, you really do look unhappy. What happened to you?".


    "She''s looks unhappy?" Her father asked as he appeared beside Reen on the camera. "Wow! Is that Jo? Why does she look like a princess?" He asked in astonishment.


    Without telling, anyone could tell Joreen wasn''t biologically related to them. Her stepsister, Luo Reen was fair, had a short and curly hair which she dyed purple and looked totally beautiful. Reen was also tall like her father, Luo Jaime unlike Joreen who took her mother''s petite stature, except her complexion which she had gotten from her biological father whom she had never met before.


    Because she liked her new family a lot, she felt changing her name to theirs would make them complete so instead of her mother''s maiden name which she answered while growing up, Wang Joreen requested for her name to be changed to Luo Joreen.


    "I''m fine." Joreen sighed. She didn''t want to talk about it now. She wanted to see Li Hoy. It''s been months since she last saw him.


    "You''re not. You look like someone pissed you off. What happened?" Her father (Jaime) asked, looking really worried for the people who had annoyed her more than he was worried about her.


    "Spill it!" Reen demanded impatiently.


    "So... we were shooting the final scene and..." She was too embarrassed to say it. If she wasn''t dark skinmed, her face would have looked like a tomato by now.


    "And?" Her Jaime urged.


    "Han Yu... kissed me. For real."


    Three voices echoed at the same time,


    "WHAT?" Her mother (Wang Cixi) suddenly appeared behind Reen and Jaime with wide eyes.


    "That crazy..."


    "Reen! Your lang¡ª" Jaime reminded her but he was interrupted by his wife (Cixi) who helped finish Reen''s sentence..


    "Bastard!"


    Jaime sighed. It wasn''t easy dealing with three women who knew how to swear and get angry easily.


    "How could he do that? You just got your first kiss on a movie set!" Reen shrieked. She looked even more angry than the victim.


    "And you aren''t even 18 yet. You were supposed to have your first kiss at 25 at least!" Jaime added, also feeling very annoyed.


    When he noticed everyone was suddenly quiet,  he looked at Joreen who was blinking at him and then his wife beside him, who was giving him the, "Are you being serious look?"


    While Reen looked like she was repulsed by her father''s statement.


    "I hope you beat the hell out of him?" Her mother (Cixi) asked.


    "Let''s talk later..I got to run now. I heard CEO Li is here."


    "Oh my! He is there! I feel bad for Han Yu. CEO Li is so going to kill him!" Reen said with a happy grin.


    "And I''ll so gladly bury him." Cixi spat out.


    "Please be safe. And don''t kill anyone!" Jaime pleaded honestly.


    "And do return home soon. They are going to be announcing the location for the Christmas trip soon. Oh! And make sure you send me Yu''s number. I need to say Hi to him." Reen said with a mischievous smile.


    "Don''t do that, Jo. Her words may kill him first before Li Hoy even tries anything." Cixi advised making Joreen laugh. She felt a lot better after talking to them.


    "I really need to go now. And I already have a flight booked for tomorrow. I''ll be in the country before you know it. Do not tell the family. I want to surprise them. I love you all." She blew them a kiss before hanging up.


    Now, back to searching for a particular someone.


    "You''re going to look like a runaway bride if you keep running like that."


    Joreen spun around immediately she heard the familiar voice behind her.


    She didn''t know where he appeared from or when he came behind her, but she guessed it was just now or else her family would have seen him behind her.


    His hands were deep inside his pockets and his dark eyes stared directly at her. She couldn''t remember the last time she saw him but she was super excited to see him now, especially after having a bad evening.


    He was like the guardian angel who led her through almost every challenging stage of her life since she joined the entertainment industry. People usually referred to him as her guardian, some even called him her Godfather.


    "You keep growing everytime I see¡ª" His words didn''t land before she jumped on him and gave him a big, happy hug, almost shocking the life out of him when their bodies collided.


    He stood there limply as she embraced him and after a few seconds, he managed to take out his hands from inside his pockets.


    He made a mental note to remind her she was almost an a.d.u.l.t and to stop doing things like this. He hoped once she clocked 18 in a few weeks, she would really understand.


    Hoy looked around to make sure no one was watching them but unfortunately, it wasn''t so. There were a few curious eyes watching. And he could only imagine what they were thinking seeing how he was in a suit and she was in a wedding gown.


    ''This is so embarrassing.'' He thought to himself and tried to use his hand to cover his face.

 Chapter 333 - Public Display

    Joreen had a big smile on her face when she returned inside the cafe to seat beside Li Hoy. She just returned from calling her assistant to let her know she was in the cafe close to the beach with Li Hoy so they wouldn''t worry about her.


    The cafe was nice and homely. It wasn''t everytime she could simply visit wherever she wanted, to have a nice cup of coffee. But since she was in a different country, the possiblity of being recognized was slim so they sat comfortably and sipped their hot coffee.


    They had first stopped in a store which was still around the beach area to get a change of outfit for Joreen. All eyes would have still been on then had she been wearing the wedding dress now.


    She wore a beige yellow sweater with grey pants, a boot and scarf around her neck. It was her usual style anyway so anyone who was familiar with her wouldn''t be surprised. She didn''t dress extravagantly because she was a celebrity. She liked to be comfortable.


    "Cold?" Li Hoy asked as he carefully dropped his mug.


    "I feel better now. I thought I would freeze to death back at the beach." She shivered.


    He smiled before standing up. Gently, he took off his suit jacket and dr.a.p.ed it around her shoulders while she protested, "You don''t have to I''m ¡ª"


    "You easily get cold. You don''t want to fall sick just because of a movie." He spoke softly before returning to his seat.


    Everything about him was gentle. He spoke gently, walked gently, ate gently, he did everything gently. He hardly spoke to people also which made her happy whenever he spoke with her for a long while. Maybe he was used to talking to her because when she was younger, she was a total chatterbox. She asked him everything, told him everything and followed him to the point he began to hide from her but along the line, he got used to her presence.


    "Why are you here?" She finally asked. He wasn''t supposed to be here which was the reason why everyone was surprised to see him in the beach. Because he was the CEO didn''t mean he would be there when every movie was being shot. He was a very busy person and that is why she hadn''t seen him in many months.


    "I came for a wedding and decided to drop by."


    "A wedding? Whose wed¡ª"


    "She was someone close to me." He answered before she could complete her sentence. He knew her well enough to know she was definitely going to ask him more questions.


    "Ooh... she smiled teasingly. One of your girlfriends huh?" She winked at him.


    He didn''t answer but raised his cup to sip his coffee.


    "You don''t have to answer anyway." She grinned before also picking up her mug to sip from it.


    "About Han Yu¡ª"


    Joreen coughed and spat the coffee in her mouth back inside the cup when she almost choked on it.  She hadn''t expected him to raise the issue of the kiss earlier.


    ''Aish! So embarassing.'' She looked up and was relieved to see Li Hoy''s facial expression didn''t change. He probably didn''t see that.


    "What is wrong? You don''t want to talk about it?" He asked, watching her face intensely.


    She scratched the back of her neck and looked at the side instead of directly at him. It was something she usually did whenever she was embarrassed.


    "Can... we just let it slide?"


    "Why?" He asked.


    There was no joy in ruining someone else''s career, at least she thought so. Maybe Han Yu was a bastard for what he did, but they had been partners in the drama and have been together for many months now so they''ve built a kind of friendship. So she believed the slap and scare got from realizing Hoy had seen it, was enough for him. And he also sincerely apologized to her before she went in search of Li Hoy. His action had probably been spurred by the moment. Maybe he got into his role too much and it got to his head, but she didn''t want Li Hoy to get involved. They still had to shoot the final scene so they could travel back for Christmas.


    "You are too nice to them." He noted.


    "They are nice to me too." Joreen said before pursuing her lips.  "I know that many of them fake it and pretend to like me because of the family I come from and also because of you, but at least they fake it well and haven''t hurt me before."


    "They like you for you. You are nice, pretty and a great actress."


    Joreen blushed at the compliment but shook her head. She knew he was only trying to make her not feel bad.


    "Seriously, I know it''s because of the family. Whenever most people hear ''Song-Wang-Li'' they suddenly turn to me with fake smiles. Also, they fear you, so they have to like me. And for the ladies who are crushing on you and want to get your atrention, they have no choice but to treat me well, hoping I''ll put in a good word for them." Joreen raised her mug to take another sip but he signalled with a finger for her to drop it. She looked at him in confusion.


    He signalled to the waiter to come over and instructed, "Get her a new cup of coffee. Take that with you." He said, pointing at the one in front of her.


    Joreen closed her eyes and touched the back of her neck. She was so embarrassed. "You saw... that earlier?" She asked sheepishly without looking at him.


    His lips twitched in amus.e.m.e.nt. "This is the least embarrassing thing you''ve done in front of me. So relax and enjoy the warmth of this place before you return to the beach."


    "Really? You''ll really let Han Yu go?" She asked with a wide smile.


    "Isn''t that what you wanted?" He asked, raising a questioning brow.


    "Yes! Yes!! Thank you." She jumped from her seat excitedly and went to where he was seated.


    ''No, please, don''t.'' He pleaded excitedly but all Joreen heard in her head was ''Yes, please, do it.''


    She hugged him while he was still sitting, with her hands around his neck and her bum in the air.


    Although Joreen was excited, she noticed how stiff he was. Was he not happy she was hugging him? Was he uncomfortable? She wondered. It suddenly occured to her how her b.r.e.a.s.t was firmly pressed to his c.h.e.s.t. While growing up, she lacked it and always worried about having a flat c.h.e.s.t but once she turned 16, it began to grow well and became quite visible. Was this by chance... the reason he was uncomfortable? She doubted he could feel anything. She was just about to pull away from the hug when she heard him clear his throat,


    "You seem a lot excited about it. Do you... like him?"


    The question startled her and made her pull away from the hug immediately. When she looked at his face, she saw something like relief flash across his eyes. Why did he look relieved? It suddenly occurred to her that Li Hoy didn''t like such public displays. "Sorry." She apologized awkwardly before returning to her seat.


    "Sorry?" He asked. "You really like him?" He inquired with a frown.

 Chapter 334 - It wont happen

    "Like him? No!" Joreen denied it immediately. She hadn''t even thought about Han Yu that way before.


    The waiter returned with her new cup of coffee so she went to sit down and grabbed the cup with both hands to feel the warmth.


    He continued to look at her with a piercing gaze that made her feel uncomfortable so she cleared her throat and asked,


    "You... are spending the night here?" She asked and shifted uncomfortably. The only thing she didn''t like about Li Hoy was her inability to read him, especially whenever he started looking at her like that without saying a word. Guessing what he was thinking was always impossible.


    "You are leaving with me first thing in the morning. So you should get a good sleep tonight." He finally answered.


    Joreen''s eyes twitched which didn''t escape him. She was leaving with him? Not with the cast and crew members?


    "Let me hear it." He said, letting his body rest on the chair. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="#''t-happen_51096042204102352">#''t-happen_51096042204102352</a> for visiting.


    "What?" She asked with a startled look.


    "Whatever you are trying to hide from me. I want to hear it."


    She bit her lower. And just as he expected, she touched the back of her neck and threw her face to the side as she contemplated telling him or not. He was going to find out anyway, so she decided to just tell him.


    "So..." She started, turning to meet his gaze again.


    "The girls and I planned to have a little fun tonight before leaving tomorrow." She blurted out.


    "A little fun?" He asked. She could tell by his tone that he wasn''t pleased with the idea.


    Joreen nodded. "But I promise you, I''ll be out in the morning. I won''t drink or do anything inappropriate."


    "And where are you having this ''fun''?"


    When he sounded like this, she knew he had switched to the ''guardian role'' and she didn''t like it. But it''s not like she could lie to him. She was bad at telling so he would know she was lying, and it was never difficult for him to know where she was or what she was up to.


    "A.... c.l.u.b." She stammered and avoided looking at him.


    "No." Came his abrupt answer making her shoot her head up to look at him.


    "No?" She asked with wide eyes.


    "No." He repeated.


    "Why?" She asked in a tone that could be termed ''rebellious'' which had him raising a brow.


    "No clubbing, Luo Joreen."


    "But I''m already an a.d.u.l.t!"


    "You''re still 17." He reminded her.


    "Just a few weeks before I turn 18. Does it matter? I just want to have a little fun before returning home. I''ve never been to a club before!" She said, almost going ballistic.


    It wasn''t unusual quarrelling with him. As much as she liked him, they usually spent most of the time quarrelling or rather, she was the one doing the nagging whenever he stopped her from doing something she wanted to do just like right now.


    "You aren''t an a.d.u.l.t yet. It''s still a no." He said before standing up, "You should return to the beach."


    She refused to stand up. He could clearly see she was angry so he dropped some cash on the table and began to walk out because he knew she would join him eventually. He knew her well enough and how she behaved. Maybe throwing tantrums like this worked when she was younger, she was older now and he had to teach her that it wasn''t everytime he would agree to her demands.


    "Why are you doing this to me? Why can''t I go?" She asked, looking up at his tall figure with a pleading gaze.


    "How many reasons do you want?" He asked, looking down at her with the same straight face.


    "As much as you can give me. I''ve been excited about joining the girls tonight." She complained.


    "Clubs aren''t good places."


    "But you go to clubs!"


    "It''s different." He corrected, almost snapping at her. "Firstly, you are underaged and need to be at least 18 to get into one."


    "You are a public figure and could easily be identified by some people or by the paparazzi."


    "You could get drunk and act recklessly or worse,"


    He looked at her up and down before adding, "...drugged."


    "And you shouldn''t trust anyone in the industry. Like you said before, some people fake their affection for you. They may want to use the opportunity to harm you by inviting you to hang out with them."


    "You are in a foreign country where you know next to nothing. You could be in danger and not know how to protect yourself, who to call, or where to run to. Should I go on?" He paused to ask. He had said more words to her this evening than he had said to anyone in a month.


    Resignation was clearly evident in Joreen''s face and she pouted sadly before dropping his hand sadly.


    He had a point. In fact, a lot of points. But she couldn''t help but think that they were all still treating her like she was a little child. She was already taking a.d.u.l.t roles in movies for goodness sake!  But unfortunately, movies weren''t real life. She was still seventeen.


    She looked up at him again and noticed he was looking at her with a little pity,


    A sigh escaped her lips. ''I don''t want your pity! I want to go clubbing'' She screamed in her head and raised her chin in a stubborn manner, "Once I turn 18 in a few weeks, I''ll start doing everything I want to do without anyone''s permission¡ª" She eyed him, "Including yours."


    He folded his hands across his c.h.e.s.t and nodded. "Normally, that should happen..." He answered, making her almost smile until he continued, "But it won''t happen." He smirked at her and began to walk ahead, leaving her fuming with anger.


    "Do you think you are my father!" She yelled at his back before stomping her feet on the ground angrily.

 Chapter 335 - Bully

    Every step Luo Joreen took screamed ''anger''. She knew Li Hoy was still following behind her, seeing her off to the beach but she didn''t turn to look at him.


    "Do not think about sneaking to the club. I have people watching you." He called after her once they got to the beach.


    She turned to glare at him and ''humphed'' before walking at a brisk pace. He watched her back for a few seconds before his lips curved up slightly.


    "They all keep treating me like a child. Thank God I''m finally going to turn 18 soon. I''ll get myself a boyfriend and rub it on their faces." She continued to grumble until she got to where the crew members were gathered.


    "Oh! Miss Luo. Thank you for coming back."


    She was immediately surrounded by half of the crew members.


    "We heard you pleaded on Mr Han''s behalf."


    Joreen was a bit uncomforrable with the attention she was receiving. She smiled sheepishly and only nodded a bit, hoping they would eventually leave her alone.


    "He is a good actor. He deserved another chance." She said humbly.


    "You are too modest Miss Luo." Han Yu''s manager said, his face filled with gratitude. "I cannot thank you enough."


    When did Li Hoy call to let them know she was coming back, and they were going to shoot the final scene? Perhaps, it was when they were returning to the beach and she was walking ahead of him?


    "We should get you ready to shoot the final scene." Joreen''s manager said to her.


    "Oh! The dress. Were you able to retrieve it from the store?" She asked.


    Although Li Hoy had asked her to forget about it and leave it there, she couldn''t just let it go to waste so she had texted her assistant to retrieve it from the store.


    "We did. We better hurry now so we can leave here soon."


    Her assistant appeared and began to lead her towards the tent to retouch her make up. Joreen sighed in relief once she left the group of people. ''That was awkward.'' She thought to herself.


    "Is this CEO Li''s jacket?" Her assistant asked as she carefully touched the expensive suit.


    Joreen suddenly remembered she was still wearing his jacket and looked down at it. ''He must be cold. Why didn''t I return it?''


    CEO Li Hoy was nice sometimes. And annoying the other times, but she still cared about him. She would just have to return it in the morning.


    Once they approached the large tent, her assistant was about to Zip it open when they heard Joreen''s name inside.


    "Who does she think she is? I''m so pissed right now!"


    "I can''t believe she kept all of us here. So what if Han Yu kissed her? Was she the first to be kissed on site?" Another girl said bitterly.


    Joreen''s assistant blushed from embarassment and looked at Joreen whose facial expression didn''t change. Her face was still straight like she hadn''t just heard the same girls who had invited her to go clubbing with them, badmouthing her.


    "She obviously thinks she is something. I heard recently that when she was younger, her family was thrown out of their house into the streets. Because her life suddenly changed for the better, she began to act all c.o.c.ky."


    Joreen noticed her assistant was about to react but before she could stop her, the girl zipped it open and stomped inside.


    "What do you all think you are saying? She is not like that!" She yelled at the three girls. The tent was big enough to contain up to ten persons so there were the three ladies who were badmouthing her, their make up artists and Joreen''s assistant inside. Joreen stood outside so they had no idea she was present.


    "If it isn''t her dog. No one expects you to not take her side." A lady spat out with contempt evidence in her voice.


    Joreen recognized the voice. It was An Mengli. She was the supporting character in the drama who played Han Yu''s character''s obsessive ex girlfriend. And it had been her who invited Joreen to party with them. She had been right to say a lot of them in the industry didn''t like her. And Li Hoy had been correct to tell her not to go clubbing with them. Sometimes, it hurt her ego that he was always right.


    She was lost in thought until she heard a slap, and a wail from her assistant. That was when she hurried inside.


    Once they saw her, they looked visibly taken aback and all took a few steps back while her eyes scanned the room.


    Everyone there where older than her with at least 3 years but they were smart enough to know they weren''t supposed to annoy her.


    Her assistant was standing very close to An Mengli and it was obvious she had been the one to slap her.


    When Joreen''s gaze landed in Mengli, "Apologize." She said in a quiet voice that pierced through the silence inside the tent.


    "Apologize? Why? It was her who suddenly came here and started spouting nonsense." Mengli said, raising her chin stubbornly. She was from a rich home and had really good sponsors so everyone could understand why she had the guts to stand up against a Song-Wang-Li.


    Joreen smiled gently. "You know, you all were almost making sense." She started as her eyes travelled around the tent.


    "I should have considered your feelings and not just leave when we weren''t done shooting. But then... you all stopped making sense from the moment you mentioned it wasn''t a big deal that Han Yu kissed me without my consent."


    She took a step closer to Mengli. "You also stopped making sense when you started talking about my family."


    She took another step until she was standing in front of her. "And you stopped making sense when you slapped Xiao Fei."


    She locked gaze with Mengli who looked like she wanted to take a step back but her ego wasn''t letting her move. After all, she was 4 years older than Joreen and couldn''t let the girl intimidate her.


    "Since we now hit people for spouting nonsense, I guess we shouldn''t leave anyone out of it."


    Joreen smiled again. The smile immediately disappeared and she raised a hand to deliver a sound slap to An Mengli''s face, shocking everyone Including Mengli who hadn''t expected that. Loud gasps escaped from everyone''s lips as they watched.


    Joreen stepped back and went to sit in one of the chairs. She looked at reflection on the mirror and touched her hair, "I want to change. Everyone, get lost." She said gently. She must have learnt how to keep her composure from Li Hoy.


    They began to scurry away quickly and Mengli wasn''t an exception. Her friends held her and began to help her out but Joreen suddenly stood up and stopped them, "You know what? You all can remain here and continue what you were doing." She began to leave the tent but stopped and turned to look at them one more time.


    "Did you all see that?"


    They all looked at her in confusion.


    "I can be a bully if I want to... and none of you would be able to say a thing." She pointed out to them.


    "So if you all think I am not something, try to piss me off and see what I can do." With one last smile, she left the tent with her assistant behind her. The smile quickly disappeared from her face when she stepped outside.

 Chapter 336 - Stubborn

    The discomfort Joreen felt made her wake up from her sleep. "Ah! this is so annoying." She said sleepily and touched the side of her neck. "I think I hurt my neck." She yawned and finally sat up before she slowly opened her eyes.


    She had dozed off not quite long after they boarded the plane because she wasn''t in the mood to talk to anyone and at the same time, bored out of her mind. Since the previous evening, she had been pissed and even till now, she still was.


    The seat here was a lot better than the one in the economy class. While flying down to the other country with her manager and assistant, they had taken the economy class. She wanted to know how it felt to travel with that class for a change, but sleeping well had been impossible for her. She was the type who slept in one edge of the bed and woke up on the other side of the bed and with a scattered bed. She liked to sleep comfortable and roll from one side to the other but was limited by this seat. But she stubbornly refused to use a bed. She had promised herself not to sleep off and just get angry all day until Li Hoy asked asked her what was wrong with her. Unfortunately, she dozed off.


    She noticed a blanket was covering her body and looked at it in confusion. The blanket doesn''t look familiar. Who covered her with it?


    Joreen turned to look behind her and there he was. He sat there cross-legged, looking like nothing in the world concerned him. He was going through a magazine and beside him was a bottle and glass of wine.


    She frowned deeply before standing up. After carefully folding the blanket, she left it on the cushion and began to walk towards him.


    If the mountain will not come to Muhammad then Muhammad will go to the mountain.


    She walked really slowly and waited for him to raise his head to look at her. But he didn''t.


    After walking past him, she stopped to look at his back, ''Maybe he didn''t see me?'' She thought to herself and turned to walk past him again. She stopped and turned to spare him another glance when he still didn''t acknowledge her presence.


    She passed again.


    Thankfully, they were only four people in this area and the other two was a middle aged man and a teenage girl she believed was his daughter. The girl wore an earphone and was busy with her phone while the man was going through a doc.u.ment. So they both didn''t pay her any attention as she moved back and forth.


    After walking past him for the third time and he still didn''t give her any attention, she plomped down on the seat in front of him and turned to look at him while keeping her hands on the headrest of the seat.


    "What are you doing?" She asked in a tone which made it obvious that she was mad at him.


    "Reading." He answered without lifting his head.


    "That''s not what I''m asking. Why aren''t you talking to me? Can''t you... see I''m not in a good mood? Shouldn''t you ask me what is wrong or something?" She w.h.i.n.ed.


    "You didn''t want to talk to me earlier." He reminded her with the same casual tone that made her almost snatch the magazine from his hand so he would focus on her.


    She didn''t said another word to him when they met this morning after a ''good morning'' and it hadn''t been in her usual cheerful manner. After her conversation with him the previous night, which had left her displeased, she had gotten into a fight with one of the actresses, or rather, bullied an actress. It made her feel terrible because it seemed like she was using the influence she had to bully people. She never wanted to be that kind of person. She was also mad because those had been the same people who had asked her to go out with them. Why couldn''t they just like her? What did she do so wrong? Everything made her really angry and sad at the same time so she wanted some time to herself and didn''t speak to even Li Hoy.


    "You should at least be worried and know the reason why I was so quiet. Am I usually this quiet?" She asked, her round eyes looking at him eagerly.


    He finally looked at her. His dark eyes bore deeply into hers.


    She understood the look he was giving her right now. He usually looked at her this way whenever she badgered him with questions and he knew he had to answer unless he didn''t want her to let him be.


    "I even walked past here a few times but you snubbed me!" She complained.


    "The methods you used when you were a kid can no longer work on me, Luo Joreen."


    "So now you finally see me as an a.d.u.l.t?"


    "Do not put words into my mouth." He said calmly before dropping the magazine to give her his full attention.


    "Heard you got into a fight." It wasn''t a question and she knew it. It also wasn''t surprising that he knew about it. He always knew about everything.


    "I was the only one who hit her. As usual, everyone is badmouthing me." She sighed sadly.


    "I guess you are a bit relieved you aren''t returning with them then?"


    "I would have loved it had Xiao Fei been here though. Too bad she had to leave with the rest."


    He didn''t say another word. He continued to look at her and relaxed casually on his seat.


    "But¡­ aren''t you going to scold me for hitting her?" She asked. It felt weird that he wasn''t already reminding her about how the things she did in public could ruin her career.


    His lips curved upwards. He had expected that question. He looked away from her to sip from his glass of wine. "Get a good sleep. We''ll land in three hours."


    "You really aren''t going to scold me?" She asked, a bit surprised.


    "You hit two people last night. You sure are having fun lately. I probably should get you a punching bag as your Christmas present this year." He replied sarcastically.


    "Humph! As if he has a better temper" She muttered under her breath but loud enough for him to hear before refilling his almost empty wineglass.


    "What are you doing?" He asked, his curious eyes watching her as she lifted the glass.


    Once she moved it towards her lips, he snatched the glass from her. "No drinking, Luo Joreen."


    "WHY!?" Her voice was so loud that the man in the front seat turned to look at her.


    "Sorry" Joreen apologized meekly before turning to look at Li Hoy.


    "Sometimes you see me as an a.d.u.l.t and other times I''m not?"


    He sighed wearily. How long was he going to keep explaining to her that the entire family put her under his care? He also didn''t like monitoring her life like this and stopping her from doing what she wanted to do. But as her guardian, he had to do this until a few weeks time when she was finally going to turn 18.


    "You really are impatient. Just a few weeks more." He dropped the wineglass back on the fancy tray.


    "Does it matter? I already feel like I''m 18. Days are only numbers. Nothing is going to change about me between now and when I finally turn 18!"


    "It''s a civil crime for underage, drinking I mean. And you are a public figure. They won''t treat it as lightly as they would treat that of other normal citizens. And not only that, the citizens and netizens are going to drag the entire family and especially me into this."


    She narrowed her eyes to look at him. when he picked his magazine and began to flip through it,


    "Immediately I turn 18, I will go to clubs, get a boyfriend and drink alcohol." She said resolutely before returning to her seat, looking even worse than she was before.


    *****


    Author''s note:


    Our leads are going home. Who is excited to see the other characters?


    This is the last chapter I am uploading here. So add HELLO, MR LI: THE CHRISTMAS TRIP to your library and read the remaining chapters from there.