8 Mochi Cake

Yi Fei was intimidated. A massive frame of brawn threateningly held the door for her to enter the shiny raven-black car. Owner Huo couldn't help but smile with his upturned eyes, and Yi Fei shuddered in fright. Terrified, she hurriedly got in the car and got promptly startled by the loud slam of the door closing. Yi Fei, alarmed and afraid, could do nothing but follow Owner Huo with her eyes as he naturally went to the other side of the car and got in. Yi Fei steadily stared at Owner Huo's right hand as he started the engine. Hearing the familiar engine roll, Yi Fei started softly sobbing.

Yi Fei signed her fragile life to fate. She sat upright and close to the car door, hoping the automatic car lock would suddenly malfunction and let her jump out. From her left view, she could clearly see the man in the driver's seat and she felt slightly better with the knowledge he wasn't watching her.

'This owner must be one of those big-named gangsters who use small businesses to cover up their illegal transactions in the black market. Maybe he'll pull out a gun and shoot my legs if I try to escape...' Yi Fei judged, feeling even more desperate and distressed.

"P-please don't kill me," Yi Fei whimpered, grasping at her checkered skirt.

"Kill you?" Owner Huo repeated. "Why would I kill you?"

Owner Huo raised his left eyebrow. He looked at Yi Fei through the rearview mirror and saw a trembling girl who situated herself against the car door. She had her head down and seemed to be crying silently. He realized the girl must've somehow misunderstood the situation as some sort of kidnapping.

"I'm not a bad guy," Owner Huo went on, a little embarrassed. "I'm not taking you anywhere strange. We're going to a talent agency right now. Um, sorry for not asking your name yet. What's your name?"

"... Yi... Yi Fei." Yi Fei hesitated, tightening her grip on her skirt.

"Well, Miss Yi Fei, my talent agency is a legitimate business. It is only new, but you can search my businesses online," Owner Huo talked on, trying to persuade the girl behind him. "Do you know Mochi Mon? That's my bakery."

"M-mochi, Mon?" Yi Fei's head perked up.

"Ah, so you know?" Owner Huo laughed.

In fact, Yi Fei went to Mochi Mon every birthday. She always loved their Mochi cakes but couldn't afford even their least expensive sweets. Mochi Mon was considered a local's favorite even though most customers were tourists. The day it opened, Yi Fei begged her family to just give her enough money for one Mochi bun, but her family always said no. However, they surprised her with a Mochi cake on her birthday and she's been eating it ever since. It became a tradition for Yi Fei to eat their most popular cake, Mochi cake, every year.

"There's some Mochi goodies in my talent agency. You can take as many as you'd like." Owner Huo pleasantly smiled. He was finally getting to the young lady and didn't mind giving her a few gifts.