39 A Pointed Question

Bai stood up a few minutes later.

"Well," he began, "If that is all, I will take my leave, Mr. Sheng."

Mr. Sheng's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Y-you're leaving already?" the old man asked.

Bai bowed.

"Yes, I'm afraid I have a meeting soon which I need to get ready for," Bai lied, "I will have a chat with Yue Er and ask her to meet me. I'll try my best to persuade her."

Mr. Sheng stood up and sighed.

"Yes. That will be great," he smiled, "Thank you in advance."

Bai nodded. They bowed to the old man and then left the room. Mr. Sheng stared at the dishes left on the table.

"He didn't eat at all," he mumbled as he sat back down.

He poured himself some more tea and sighed.

"His PA was a real beauty," he leaned back on his chair, "And she had such soft hands. I'd love to see her again."

Bai and Lai stood outside the restaurant. A cold breeze softly brushed her cheeks. She rubbed her hands together.

"Are you cold?" she heard Bai question worriedly.

"No. I'm fine, Mr. Yi-"

Before she could finish, he took off his suit jacket and draped it around her shoulders. She stared at him and blinked several times in surprise.

"Want to get some fresh air for a bit?" he asked her, pointing at the park opposite the restaurant.

She glanced in the direction he was pointing at and nodded. They crossed the road and strolled past the entrance of the park.

"Isn't that Mr. Ying?" one woman asked her friend with a squeal.

"Yes! Yes, it is," her friend answered excitedly, "Fuck! He's so hot."

Lai avoided their gaze. When she gave him a side glance, she felt like an insignificant bean standing next to a god who shone ever so bright next to her.

'He was really blessed with good looks,' she thought.

He pointed at a bench for them to sit. She followed close behind him, taking a seat next to him as he sighed.

"Is everything alright, Mr. Ying?" she asked him, tilting her head.

He gazed at a bunch of kids playing with their homemade kites. The kids giggled happily, observing their kites with eyes glinting with excitement and wonder.

"I'm going to ask you a straight and to-the-point question," he stated, "I need you to give me your honest answer."

She raised an eyebrow, believing his question was related to why he had been so moody since the athletic meet ended.

She nodded and waited for him to ask.

However, he remained silent as if wracking his brain on how to ask what he wanted to ask without seeming jealous.

"It's about the athletic meet," he explained a few minutes later.

He turned his entire body, placing his right hand on his right thigh. Lai was surprised at how serious he looked as he met her eyes.

"Are you dating Fan Qing?" he asked, biting his lip when Lai froze and stared at him with widened eyes.

"E-excuse me?" she asked, not believing what her ears just heard.

He leaned his face toward her. His face was a few inches close to her - too close for her as a blush flushed her cheeks.

"I witnessed you leave with him after the athletic meet," he crossed his arms, "The man looked overjoyed as if he was offered the key to ruling the universe."

She immediately stood up and faced him. Placing her arms out with palms faced forward, waving them defensively.

"N-not at all, Mr. Ying!" she blurted, shaking her head side to side, "He just asked me to have lunch with him."

He stood up and stared at her, leaning his head forward again and putting his hands in his pocket.

"Are you sure? You don't have to lie to me. I won't be mad."

He's lying. He would be mad. In fact, he would probably murder Fan Qing.

Maybe.

She shook her head 'yes.'

"Positive! Besides, I barely know him."

He breathed a long sigh of relief, thinking he had let her slip through his fingers for a second. He would not allow any man to be her lover if it wasn't him. Yeah, it's a possessive thing to think.

But he was smitten.

After all, he believed she was his soulmate and was madly in love with her. The mere thought of another man standing by her side looking lovey-dovey would drive him insane.

"Good," he stated, a smile escaping his lips.

Lai pressed her lips together.

"Mr. Ying?" she inquired.

He looked at her with a glowing face.

'Such a face should be illegal,' she thought, noticing that he was now in high spirits.

She clasped her hands in front of her.

"Is that why you were so..." she paused, unsure if she should continue.

"So?" he raised an eyebrow, curious at what she wanted to say.

"Um, so...moody, especially around me," she quietly finished.

Bai looked away to his right, averting his gaze from hers. He was embarrassed that he was that obvious. Usually, he can keep a cool head and maintain his emotions.

You know, act normal and all. But this woman, Lai, did something to him that made it hard to act normal.

"I wasn't moody," he refuted, feeling embarrassed.

He looked to the side, averting his gaze. She ran to the side he was looking at.

"Yes. You were," she told him with a giggle.

He averted his gaze again.

"Mr. Ying, you couldn't even look at me properly. When you did, it looked like you were angry. I thought I had done something wrong."

He pulled his hands out of his pockets and fixed his tie.

"I was nervous the whole time, wracking my brain," he heard her continue with a relieved sigh, "as I tried to figure out what I did wrong."

"We're leaving," he said abruptly, beginning to walk away.

She smiled.

'So even he can be shy? How cute,' she quietly laughed.

She was relieved that the air between them was good again. His moodiness was gone.

"Wait for me, Mr. Ying!" she quipped, running to his side.

He smiled at her.

"Are you shy?" she joked.

"Don't be ridiculous!" he quickly refuted.

She held back a laugh, crinkling her glinting hazelnut eyes and nose. They reached the car and headed for Storm Records - an entertainment agency.

It was well-known for its talented artists who excelled in modeling, singing, and acting. She had no idea she would one day get to grace the presence of such beautiful artists who she respected.

"If it isn't my favorite CEO," they heard a male voice coo as they walked inside the building.

They watched as a young gentleman walked down a set of stairs and towards them, a broad smile on his face.

'Oh my gosh,' Lai internally squealed, feeling her heart burn as if it was set on fire, 'It's Zero!'

"Hey Zero," Bai greeted the young gentleman.

The man named Zero smiled at them.

"Yo!" he greeted with a wave of his hand.

Zero was the lead rapper of her favorite idol group, A-Question. Although he was not her favorite member, she still found him pretty cool.

Not to mention attractive.

"What brings you here?" Zero asked him.

Zero then turned his attention to Lai, who smiled at him.

"And who is this pretty lady? Hi! Are you a new model-"

Bai cut him off.

"I came to see the CEO. This is my PA, and she is off-limits."

"Aw, what a letdown. She's pretty cute," Zero playfully pouted, "Well, I have to go for rehearsals. See you later, Bai. Bye, pretty lady!"

They watched as Zero walked away, turning at a corner. She and Bai exchanged glances, and she smiled at him.