A Stranger

"Happy New Year!"

The sound of popping corks and enthusiastic applause filled the room as the guests exchanged "Happy New Year" greetings, their voices overlapping in a joyous cacophony, lifting their wine glasses and smiles spreading from face to face.

Tomorrow would mark the beginning of a brand new chapter for the Lin Group Corporation, now under the command of its youngest CEO, Mr. Lin Rex.

"Congratulations on another successful year, Mr. Lin."

Rex nodded with a smile that never quite reached his eyes. He shook the man's hand before walking down the stage to meet his secretary.

"Congratulations, Mr. Lin."

Under the management of their famous CEO, Rex, the Lin Group Corporations had not only maintained but also attracted more investors over the years, thanks to his new ideas and the well-planned management that emerged from his brilliant mind.

"Thank you, Mr. Wang. Let's approach this new year with much more aggression."

Mr. Wang smiled at the CEO and nodded enthusiastically. Rex took one of the champagne glasses offered by a waiter, and clinked it against Mr. Wang's.

Lin Group Corporations, now in its third generation, specialized in the import and export of pharmaceuticals and general medical merchandise needed by hospitals and clinics.

As Rex looked through the crowd while sipping his champagne, his eyes scanned the room, noting the many businessmen's daughters all around.

"I don't remember inviting any women to this party. Care to explain who they are?"

Mr. Wang followed Rex's gaze and grimaced at the sight.

"Well, do you want the honest answer or a sugar-coated one?"

Rex looked at Mr. Wang, unsure if he was joking or not, but Mr. Wang's expression remained neutral.

"I don't know if you are joking or not?"

Mr. Wang chuckled as he placed his champagne down on the table and smacked Rex's back lightly, wearing a wide smile on his face.

"Cheer up, couz'. It's the New Year's. Enjoy yourself a bit."

Rex glared at Mr. Wang before shaking his head. He then took a deep breath and glanced at his wristwatch.

"Have fun yourself. I am going out for a smoke."

Mr. Wang nodded, watching Rex excuse himself from the gathering of guests. He watched the ladies follow the CEO with their eyes and giggled back amongst themselves.

Rex was the epitome of all bachelor type CEOs — tall, wealthy, handsome, and famous. With his dark black hair that brushed up to the back, dressed in a black suit, black trousers, and a pair of polished black leather shoes, he was an impressive figure.

Because of this, many women flocked around the young CEO, hoping to become his potential wife and managed to grab a place beside one of the richest men in the country.

Rex grabbed his coat and quickly headed outside before anyone else's daughter could approach him. Once he was out, the CEO pulled out a stick of cigarette and took his first puff of the evening.

"Mr. Shin! Mr. Lee! Happy New Year!"

He stared at the snow and the people surrounding the venue, milling about the hotel entrance, observing how the "rich" exchanged greetings.

He was well-acquainted with these gestures— the fake smiles and the subtle eyes-rolls behind each other's back.

As he finished his first cigarette, he threw the tipping paper off the stick and stumped it to the ground to avoid causing any grass fire alongside the hotel.

He was about to grab and light another stick from the box when he heard a voice, not far from where he was standing. 

COUGH! COUGH!

The sound made him pause for a moment and look around, searching for the source of the sound.

"Hm?"

But after taking a look and he wasn't able to find it, Rex resumed smoking his second cigarette, his thoughts continuing to drift back to the memories of his beloved grandmother.

Ever since he returned to the city and started his apprenticeship with his father, he rarely found time to visit his grandmother.

The memories of the warm smiles and the comforting genuine traits of the village life she had once shown him lingered in his mind, making him miss her even more.

Just as he was almost done with his cigarette, the coughing sound grew louder.

COUGH! COUGH!

"Who was that? Where are you?"

Whoever it was, the coughing persisted, fueling the CEO's concern for an unseen stranger he barely knew. 

After a moment of following the sounds of the coughing, what he found made him call his secretary in panic.

"What the— Hey! Hey!"

Rex hurriedly scooped the man from the ground into his arms and hissed after realizing how cold the body was.

"Shit! Wait, let me call Ezekiel."

He took his phone out and quickly dialed his secretary's number. 

Inside the hotel, Mr. Wang received his boss's call and answered quietly.

"Yes?"

"Ezekiel! I am in an alleyway near the hotel. Come here, fast!"

Hearing his boss's voice laced with concern, Mr. Wang frantically raced as fast as he could so that he could get to his CEO's aid, fearing that something bad might have happened to the CEO.

By the time he reached the alley, he realized that it was too dark to see anything.

"Rex, I am here! Where are you?!"

Mr. Wang was about to call again when he heard a soft "In here" coming from across his side. He rushed to the voice, only to abruptly stop in his tracks at the sight that lay before him.

In front of him was a scene he never knew might exist in the world. If only he could take a picture and send it to Rex's parents, they might call him a hero.

"What are you doing standing like a fool? Help me out with this."

Rex's voice snapped him back to reality and he hurriedly moved to help the CEO, grabbing the unconscious man by his hips as Rex lifted him up and carried the latter with both hands.

"Wrap my coat around him."

The secretary nodded, tightly folding Rex's coat around the man and looked around to make sure that there wasn't anything the latter had left behind.

"I'll take this to my room. End the party however you want." 

With that, Rex walked away from the small hallway and entered the hotel, ignoring the numerous stares from people in the lobby. He barely cared about what they had seen and what they might tell others.

His current priority was to get the stranger in his arms a warm bath before he might die of hyperthermia.

An attendant at the hotel helped him press the button on his floor and the CEO thanked him.

Once the elevator stopped on his floor, Rex immediately headed to his room before swiping his card key and stepping inside the room.

"You're going to be okay, I promise. Just hang in there."

He then gently laid the man on the bed before rushing to grab the medicine kit and taking the latter's temperature. The thermometer showed an alarming forty degrees Celsius, causing the CEO to cuss under his breath.

As he carefully washed the unknown man, he stared at the fellow with a gentle expression. Rex had never felt such a connection with anyone before. He had met countless people before, yet there was none that had stirred anything within him.

But this man in front of him was different.

He was different.