"You're Annoying..."

November 27, 20XX (Tuesday)

Zhao Manor

Yang stood on Mei Li's front door for almost half an hour, thinking of ways of what he would say when he's inside or how he would break the ice or what he would do or how he could give his gifts without her going into defense.

Deeply inhaling and then exhaling loudly, the CEO knocked on the door three times and waited for a while to hear her permission to let him in but standing with his right hand frozen on the door, he heard no voice. Was she ignoring him? How did she know it was him? Was there a hidden camera that she put up? He scanned all the areas that were possible for a hidden camera. After a while, he realized how paranoid he was because Mei Li would not put a camera anywhere. In fact, he was the one that had set all the cameras everywhere.

He knocked again, this time much louder. Maybe she was in the shower? Yang had to force that thought out from his brain. Now was not the time to be a pervert, he needed to be serious in front of Mei Li to show his sincerity.

He waited for her permission to come in. He wanted to barge right in and proclaim his undying love, but she would probably snort at him and avoid him after. With a large grin, he entered the room when he heard her soft voice, "Come in."

Upon entering, he was shocked when no lights were turned on as everything was pitch black. "Mei Li?" Yang patted the wall where he knows the switch was in, "Why is your room so dark?"

When the lights turned on, Yang glorified at the scene his eyes are seeing. Mei Li was lying on the bed, turning her body to his direction, and her eyes fixed to his. What a vision! It felt as if she was waiting for him.

"Why are you here?" Mei Li's voice was groggy from her nap, but it was still soft.

"Were you asleep?" Yang cursed himself for interrupting her rest. He was so concerned about her anger that he forgot about her exhaustion.

"Why are you here?" The painter repeated her question. Her head was still in pain; she had no ounce of patience to deal with him right now.

Sensing Mei Li's mood, Yang did not delay any further and said, "It was a misunderstanding, Trisha will return to working with you tomorrow, and I don't think that woman was pretty. You're more beautiful in my eyes than any woman, promise."

"Huh?" The grogginess left her voice, replaced by pure confusion. What was this man talking about? Pretty? Who's pretty?

"I'm really sorry. Here, I asked Yue to buy some of the things you like as an apology." The CEO had shaken the two paper bags on his left hand. It looked heavy from Mei Li's perspective.

"Huh?" Again his words sounded like another language to Mei Li. She did not understand what the CEO was trying to talk with her. Why does he need to say sorry, anyway?

"We also brought a strawberry cake for you..." Yang took a small sized box inside one of the large paper bags and raised it near his face.

She perked when she heard the word strawberry but continued her question, "What event are you talking? Why do you need to say sorry to me?"

"Aren't you mad at me?" Yang's usual grin had disappeared even before he had come inside her room. Mei Li was forced to see his handsome face with his minuscule show of emotions that did not hinder his face from its perfection.

"No, What gives you that idea?" Mei Li snorted while she massaged her forehead with her thumb in circles. Hoping to ease the wrecking pain that shoots like bolts of electricity spreading through the nerves of her brains.

"When you were in the office, you slammed and walked out..." Yang trailed.

"Of course not!" The Painter immediately said with a small blush, embarrassed that she had once again behaved impulsively, "I was mad at that woman's father and Trisha's boss, not at you! You did nothing wrong at all!"

Yang almost sighed in relief when he had heard those words from her. He had to make sure that it was not him that was the cause of her anger, "but you were tapping your finger every time I replied when I had called, and you even slammed the door and went away-" "Shut up. You are Annoying." Mei Li interrupted with a growl as she spun circles on her left forehead. She wants to sleep this headache away and currently, the CEO was preventing her from that sleep that she so needs.

"I'm not mad at you. That woman was irritating because she made me lost track of my schedule with Ti and her father equally as irritating! If I have a child, I won't use him/her as insurance!" She plops on her bed, staring at the wall when she had explained.

"....So you aren't mad at me?"

"No, you must have misunderstood me." Mei Li repeated.

Yang slumped with relief. Their relationship was still on the build-up face and haven't the foundation needed to last; one wrong move can destroy everything.

Mei Li and Yang were silent for a moment. His previous words to her were finally registering in her addled brain. She got up after a long while of deliberation and went to get the paper bags on his left hand.

Yang did not let go and said to her, "Tell me where to put this, it's heavy... but you can take this instead." He put the strawberry cake in her hands.

Although her head is hurting, she couldn't deny gifts especially knowing it was Yue that had chosen it for her. Her best friend had always liked what she wants. The two had a seat on the small lounge area on the side with Mei Li taking out the things that were inside one by one. Yang was watching closely as her expression change.

"Oh, I needed this one." Mei Li said when she saw a pink towel with strawberry designs. It looked like it was for kids but who cares!

"And I had planned to buy these," Mei Li murmured with happiness when she saw lipglosses and lip balms in different containers all with strawberry flavors or a strawberry container.

"I was going low on this one too," Mei Li was now grinning when she took out a shampoo and conditioner set that was strawberry scented.

When she took the new dress pajama that had a large strawberry in the front, she grinned while turning to Yang, "Thank you. These are amazing gifts. Can I take these even when you know I'm not really angry?"

Yang melted from the sight of her smile. 'You can take everything from me as long as you're not angry.' was the answer that he had wanted to say but refrained and choosing to say out loud, "I've already brought it, and I can't use them for myself so go ahead."

Mei Li's grin did not falter, even when her brain felt as if it was nearing its end, and said, "If you took Yue out to shop for me, does that mean she shopped for herself too?"

Yang nodded while touching his nose, helplessly. Never had he used his card as his little sister had before.

"So she knew about what happened in the company?" Mei Li asked; her grin grew wider than before.

When Yang nodded again, Mei Li was sure that Yue knew about who her anger was truly for but had swindled her older brother anyway. Mei Li shook her head feeling weak all of the sudden while thinking to herself, 'Am I being used by Yue so she can scam her brother?'

"You do know that Yue probably know who I was furious at, right? She can read me more than she can read a book." Mei Li deadpanned.

Yang blinked innocently at her for a minute before his face turned ugly. He was ready to storm Yue's bedroom to drag her to their mother for a round of lecture, but Mei Li's giggles had stopped all his thought process.

Finally, she had laughed. It has been a while since he had heard that sound.