Waking in Dong Building

The next morning

Dong Building

Rays of light were streaming through the windows, partially arousing Yiren as she slept soundlessly on the couch. With a grunt, she reluctantly forced herself up.

How many hours had passed? The last thing she remembered before falling asleep was how freaky the building gave her the impression to be. Though nobody was in the building apart from a few roaming security guards who didn't demand her to leave, doors were creaking incessantly. She also heard random noises coming from around the rooms.

She had dismissed it all as her being ridiculous, but they never appeared to come to a halt. She knew she was just being sensitive, but waiting till ten at night wasn't something she expected to do when she came to look for Dong Xu.

Just where was Mr. Icy? She didn't know and she hadn't seen him leave, unless the man could teleport away into the darkness. It wasn't plausible. He had to be in the building somewhere. So to not miss him, she persevered and endured her hunger.

Nobody asked her if she was fine. One male guard, behind his dark surgical masks, obscured a smile, although she could sense it easily from the way his eyes twinkled. The other ignored her like the plague. Recalling how Dong Xu had told her about the paparazzi outside her room, it came to her mind naturally that they must have recognised her.

Just meh. Yiren occupied herself with flipping through the magazines in the nearby rack. Then she pulled out her notebook to jot down a random idea she planned to write in her next chapter. Dong Xu turned out to be such a big inspiration. She smiled with glee.

It was eventually, after an indescribably long time, that she had succumbed to her tiredness. But instead of getting rest, she felt like the dream pulled her into another world.

The pattern of her dreams was often the same. In each one, she saw Dong Xu, or someone who looked like him, and he said the same words to her. But only in the first dream Dong Xu had passed her a contract. In any of the others, whatever he presented her didn't get transferred into her world. She questioned that in her mind.

Last night, he had presented her with a jade hairpin, while they were dressed in some historical-like attire. She saw herself in a light pink long flowing robe and white trousers, while he wore a black serious-looking robe. Dong Xu in his dream, turned out to be so majestic and austere, although he maintained an icy disposition. She had giggled, thinking about how Dong Xu would never change in a thousand years.

The words clicked in her mind. A thousand years. That was what Dong Xu had said. Did rebirth really exist and were they really connected a thousand years ago? Was that why he had called her Xiao Feng?

And then, was this Feng Jue'er her past identity? Or had she, with her creative writer's mind, created this alternate version of herself and Dong Xu?

She couldn't be going insane with her infatuation for Dong Xu, could she?

An ear-splitting headache came to her in response. It was then when she woke up to find herself still in the lobby of DongTe's office. Then there was the sound of gradual quick footsteps, causing her to panic. The first thing she reacted with was by straightening the ruffle in her clothes and ensuring her hair was not in a mess.

Darn, had she slept so deeply that she had missed Dong Xu's departure?

Her back ached terribly. This wasn't new to her since she had been having those dreams. They started ever since she got the contract, but every time she dismissed them as part of her imagination. But the aches and headaches she got from them were lifelike. One day, she would like to have the answer to these questions meandering through her mind.

She met with the sound of heels clacking over the uncarpeted marble floor. Yiren acknowledged that even if she was to attempt her escape, there was only one way out of the building, and that was where DongTe's employees would enter now. It was futile for her to escape.

Instead, she gnashed her teeth and embraced her challenge.

Her challenge turned out to be a drop dead gorgeous, slim young woman with a petite waist and hourglass figure. At the first glance, Yiren realised this woman had to be from a wealthy background because of how she carried herself, with a classy style. The way she walked, how she looked at Yiren, her arrogance, everything was so evident to her!

She herself had been from a prominent family, although her mother had never raised her to treat others with disdain. Her father was one of the most humble people she had ever known.

"Who are you?"

The woman hadn't bothered with formalities. Her curly chestnut hair swished as she walked, and her thick red lips bore a pout.

Yiren immediately answered, "I am here to see your CEO, Mr. Dong Xu."

She saw the woman's eyes turning green with envy. Hastily she added, "...to discuss the possibility of signing a contract."

The tension in the air lifted slightly. The young woman's attitude towards her changed.

"Ah, so it's a business discussion. Which company are you from, and what is your name? I can convey the message to him."

"Is Mr. Dong around at the moment?"

The woman didn't answer, peering at Yiren while awaiting her answer.

"I'm sorry, I can't give out further details of my employer or our cooperation, as it's highly confidential. Can I have his number?"

To her surprise, the woman smiled. "I apologise, Miss. Mr. Dong doesn't like people he doesn't know calling him."

"How can I see him, then?"

"Mr. Dong isn't in the office," another voice, belonging to a male, filled the air. Yiren's cognizance instantaneously told her the man was no other than Dong Xu's confidante and right-hand man, Guan Ziming.

Ziming smiled broadly, gesturing to Yiren politely.

"Mr. Dong won't be around for a while. I am his assistant, Guan Ziming. I would like to invite you to the cafe downstairs to discuss this contract with you. I have his instructions to do so, Miss Feng."