22 A Love Rival (2)

Good afternoon, Mr. Ye and Miss Zhang. They shook their hands and sat down around the table.

"Miss Zhang, this is Zhu Qiang, our client." said Jun turning to Ji-a.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Zhu." said Ji-a.

"It's an honor for me to have my house designed by Miss Zhang." replied Zhu Qiang.

Zhu Qiang was a business tycoon who brought his business to the international market in just four years. He was 29 years old and founded his company at just 25 years old.

"Not many knows me. It's my honor that Mr. Zhu knows about me." said Ji-a.

"Why wouldn't I know about you when I had my eyes on you since my teenage years? You played a major role in my life ." Zhu Qiang said to himself.

"Mr. Zhu, here is the design. Please look through it." said Jin handing Qiang a file.

Zhu Qiang looked through it and looked up to them. " I love the design. It's chic and really suits my taste. Thank you Miss Zhang for considering my taste."

"That's my job." smiled Ji-a.

"Let's order." said Qiang and placed their order.

While eating, Jin would steal glances at Ji-a. He even put meats in Ji-a's plate.

"You seem to get along well. As far as I know, Miss Zhang rarely gets along well with people." said Qiang.

"Are you a stalker?" asked Ji-a,looking directly in Qiang's eye.

"No, Miss Zhang. I just happened to know you by chance." answered Ji-a.

"But your chance is far from true." said Ji-a.

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. But I went to the same school as you. Guang Li Yi was my classmate." replied Qiang.

"I see."

Ye Jin was not very happy that the client knew about Ji-a and that they went to the same school. He felt a prick in his heart.

After dinner, Jin dropped Ji-a. As soon as they were in front of their house, "Shall we go somewhere tomorrow?" asked Jin.

"Why?" asked Ji-a.

"Just.. I didn't want to go alone."

"What time?" asked Ji-a.

"You are really coming?" asked Jin gleaming with happiness.

"You might want to answer before I change my mind."

"1 in the afternoon." answered Jin.

"What place is it?"

"Somewhere . Just wear what you find comfortable." said Jin.

"Alright, I'm heading in."

Ji-a felt her heart race. She felt like she was going out on her first date . "What's this? It's just an outing." Ji-a thought to herself.

The next day, Jin came to pick up Ji-a. They went to a place in the city. It was almost an hour ride. Ji-a thought it would be some kind of park or something but it was not. They entered a gate. Inside the gate was a big garden. They drove in further and there was also a beautiful house. It was quite enough for at least five people. The garden had a fountain in the middle. There were rows of sunflowers, daisies, peonies, magnolia, dahlia, daffodils, stargazer lilies, tulips and roses. It was such a soothing sight. Just at the entrance of the house were two cherry blossom trees in full bloom. The house was a two-storey house.

They went inside the house. The interior gave a warm feeling making Ji-a happy. She didn't know why she was happy.

"Whose house is this?" asked Ji-a.

"I constructed this an year ago. I wanted the person I want to spend my life with be the first person to visit this with me." replied Jin.

"So, who visited with you?" asked Ji-a again.

"You."

Ji-a almost went blank hearing him. She just looked at him. After a few minutes, she asked again, "Why?"

"I don't know myself. From the very first moment I saw you, I was drawn to you. I've never felt this for the past 7 years. I lost all hope in life until..." replied Jin.

"Until what?" asked Ji-a.

"Until I met you. You gave me hope and you made me fall in love again."

"I've met countless people who all said those words to me. But, you know what?" asked Ji-a, turning to Jin.

"What is it?" asked Jin.

"But they were all lies. They make us believe that love really exists. Then, you love them to an extent that you were willing to do everything for them. You were willing to forgive them everytime they make a mistake. But in the end, all you get is betrayal." By now, Ji-a's eyes were filled with tears and she sat down quietly on the couch.

" Ji-a, I can promise you, I wouldn't be like them. "

" I'm leaving, Mr. Ye. " said Ji-a and got up to leave.

Jin caught her and hugged her from behind." I know you still don't trust me, but can you give me a chance?" asked Jin.

"You'll regret it." answered Ji-a.

"Why?"

"Because I'm hard to deal with. I do things the way I want. I have terrible mood swings and I throw tantrums. I'm not the typical girlfriend type." replied Ji-a.

"We are a match made in heaven. I love all those things. And who likes the typical girlfriend types? It's boring." said Jin.

"Can you let me go? You're suffocating me."

"Ohh! Right. Sorry." said Jin and let go of Ji-a. "So, can you give me a chance?"

Ji-a was contemplating whether to give him a chance or not. She wanted to because she trusted him when she just met him. She didn't want to because they just met.